#and season 33 i had to quit watching because it would bring me to tears how fed up marge would get over such small things

[thmollusk]

actually. like actually actually. i could write a whole book filled with my criticisms and analysis of the simpsons writing direction over the course of the series and how modern episodes are trying to go for the same thing very early (seasons 1-4) simpsons had but at this point it’s like a couple who say they’re staying together for the kids but them staying together makes the kids even more miserable and each episode the same near divorce argument happens and it never gets resolved. there’s no love and at this point there’s been too many fuck ups on BOTH homer and marge’s ends so when one makes a small mistake it could be a tipping point

[kokororyuu]

miles apart [levi ackerman x reader]

synopsis: “you’re going to die,” “i know,” “you’re dying,” “i know, levi, i’m sorry,”

warnings ⚠️: major character death(s), SPOILERS up to season three, slight suggestive themes (its brief!!), brief description of gore

word count: 3.8k

author’s note: no, because,,, this was my first levi fanfic, and i’m immensely proud of it ‼️ if we ignore the “suggestive” part 😩😩 anyway, have fun reading, lovebugs <33

PART TWO: once more

whatever just happened, had happened too fast, and now both you and levi were laying side by side, miles apart from everyone else and the chaos that caused this whole mess in the first place.

you’re both injured bad from the war, and the stench of blood, both humans and titans alike, lays thick in the air. you find yourself nearly suffocating in it as you cough up what seems to be more blood, it’s metallic taste coating your lips and tongue in red.

you can barely feel your arms and legs, and you’re pretty sure they’re either broken or torn off from the fight. you pull your heavy lids open and stare blearily at the night sky, how many hours had passed since you two had been laying here like this?

you turn your head slowly, hearing the multiple cracks your joints made in the effort as your eyes trailed to levi’s face. he’s still in the same position, facing the sky with empty, soulless eyes. you reckon he was pondering something, how long were we gonna stay here? when will someone arrive to help us?

“levi?” you croak out, and he lets out a little rumble of acknowledgement. “are you okay?” what a stupid question... with how levi is, he definitely isn’t, but he was sure to make it seem like he was. he nods to the best of his ability, though he isn’t faring much better than you. gashes that gush with blood cut across his body in what seems to be parallel and equal in length, claws, of some sort, you assume. “good,” you whisper so softly that he almost doesn’t catch the murmured word.

your life seems to be flashing before your eyes quite slowly for the amount of time you’ve spent here bleeding out beside the man.

you recall the first time you caught him off guard.

it was a complete accident. as a member of levi’s squadron, you worked under him as a subordinate and did as he said, after all, he had chosen you to be on his team, and you put as much trust in him as he did in you.

you were bringing him some tea after you had dropped off a huge stack of paperwork in his office. you knew he needed it, after all, it had only been a few days after your most recent expedition and paperwork was a bore if you ever knew one.

a simple teapot and cup of black tea rested on the tray in your hands as you made your way from the kitchen to his office, acknowledging a few cadets that would respectfully greet you before going on their way. when you had finally made it to his door, you knocked gently before waiting for his usual question of your name and reason for entering.

a few seconds, maybe minutes passed, and you were beginning to think he wasn’t even there, but you hadn’t want the tea to go to waste, so you hesitantly pushed the door open with your foot, entering the sparkling clean room with tray in hand.

“captain levi?” you nearly bit your tongue (oluo would have laughed in your face if you did before biting down on his own) and froze with your head peeking inside the room at the sight of the man leaning his head against the back of his chair, his eyes closed and his usual frown wiped off his face.

it had you in a wonder, surprised that even humanity’s strongest (and grouchiest) soldier could have a face as calm as the one on his as he slept. you stepped as quietly as you could toward his desk, setting the tea down with care before you nearly jumped out of your skin when a hand wrapped around your wrist.

your eyes traveled up the scarred and rough hand, up the toned arm, and looked straight into narrowed grey eyes. “what are you doing here?”

“got you tea, captain,” your nerves were calm now, and you spoke with a grin, “thought you would need it with all the paperwork commander tosses at you,”

levi’s hand lingered on your wrist a little longer before he pulled away and carried the steaming cup to his lips in his strange cup hold that you’ve tried to mimic yet still can’t get right. he drank a little, his face ever so stoic. “tastes like shit, brat,” he said, though he made no move to drop the cup back into the tray and continued to sip away at the red orange liquid.

“thought you’d say that,” you turned to leave after saluting him, your hand wrapping around the doorknob before a mischievous impulse lit in you once more, “you know, captain,” he didn’t even glance up from the papers on his desk. “you look cute when you’re sleeping,” his gaze snapped up at that, and he was about to chew you out for making the comment, but to his dismay, you were already gone, having gotten the amusing response from him that you wanted.

there were many times after that where you’d make a little comment here and there, only to get an icy glare and a click of the tongue from levi, which wasn’t a problem to you at all, if anything, you found it the best part. the way he’d scowl at you and turn away, only to let you get away with it the very next day. it was like a little game the two of you would play, and you were winning if eye rolls, embarrassed blushes hidden behind callused hands, and, “tch,”’s counted as prizes.

you would’ve never thought he’d bite back, especially this far into the game.

“captain levi~!” you drew out his name with a little hop in your step. he didn’t stop walking, if anything, his pace sped up as he tried to leave you in the hallway. “captain!” you groaned childishly and ran after him. he turned the corner and into his office, leaving the door ajar. you grinned, it seemed he knew well enough you wouldn’t stop for a closed door. you opened it as soon as your hand touched the cool wood, and sang out, “levi~” you saw him standing by his desk and looking down at the papers that littered it. “i’ve got another joke for you—”

“—if you keep this up, i might actually get angry,” you halted in your tracks and clamped your mouth shut, angry? oh no, you weren’t trying to make him angry, only annoy him if anything. you knew, everyone knew to not get on levi’s bad side, and after seeing the man kick the titan shifter boy from the 104th cadets merciless, it’d be terribly stupid of you to try and anger him.

he dragged his fingertips across the tabletop and looked up through hooded eyes, “might even punish you,” you were stuck in a stupor at his words and how they obviously had implications for something else.

“but i guess you’d like that, hm? i wouldn’t want give you that satisfaction,” he seemed pleased with the way your cheeks flamed up and your jaw stayed dropped in shock. after he grabbed whatever he needed from his desk, he walked by you with a sly quirk of his lips, dragging a hand up to close your agape mouth. “close the door after you leave,” he called out before he disappeared out the door and down the hall.

-

from there on, your relationship had changed drastically. this game now had two players, and that new addition was the original target of the game himself. the teasing and playful jokes continued on for days, weeks, and you were having so much fun that you barely realized how much some people were noticing, including a certain bespectacled one.

“hey, hange!” you plopped next to them as you watched them fiddle with a little gadget. “what’s this?” you eyed curiously as hange laughed.

“my new creation! i’m trying to make something erwin asked for to help with his arm. you nodded, understanding immediately. the commander had lost his arm when the scouts went to save eren from a kidnapping. there was a few moments of silence before hange asked, “so… you and levi?”

you opened your mouth to retort but they beat you to it, “don’t deny it! even eren can tell, and he’s as dense as a rock!” you cowered from their accusing finger before huffing out a sigh.

“you know it doesn’t work like that, hange,” the mood dampened with your honest but hurtful words. you were right, it didn’t. with a world of titans and destruction, war like this, there would never be a second of peace, of life, of freedom. you could be alive and happy one day and then die and suddenly gone forever the next. and with levi being an ackerman, he was bound to survive longer than you, you just didn’t want to cause him more unnecessary pain.

hange hummed under their breath, “you’re right, but if it were me, i’d rather die knowing i had the chance and took it, than die letting it slip between my fingers,” they continued to tinker with the gadget as you pondered quietly on their words. they were right, but so were you, and now it was just up to the risk both sides were willing to take. what would happen if you ever confessed these buried feelings of yours to your terribly stoic captain?

-

in the end, you never said anything, at all. the two of you stayed at this sort of flirting and joking around type state. it was comfortable, you concluded, though you had to be honest, there were a few close calls where you felt you blushed too much, said too much, or gasped a little too loud when his touch lingered on you for too long.

you hadn’t said a word about your feelings for the man, and neither did he.

-

levi didn’t know when his heart had decided to let you in.

it was probably after erwin had passed away on a roof of a building with a gaping hole in his side that colored his cape and the white bandages around his abdomen red.

he brought his body back for a proper burial, but even then, levi couldn’t cry, nor let a single tear slip down his cheek. for a few weeks, even if he seemed put together, there was a heavy feeling that resided in his chest. no matter if he tried to sleep it away or drown himself in paperwork, it never left him.

it had been a rough night. there were complications with the imports from a faraway town in sina, and while hange was busy with things as the newly appointed commander, levi had to deal with the papers that came with the conflict.

he didn’t know how long he had been sitting before the fireplace in the mess hall, scratching away at the parchment under the warmth of the flickering fire that casted a warm orange hue around the room.

he clicked his tongue as another wave of aches hit his head before rubbing at his temples. erwin would’ve been better at handling this shit… his brow furrowed at his thoughts, you know better than that, there’s no bringing him back, you made the choice, levi.

levi didn’t regret his choice, but he had guessed the heavy presence of death had just stuck with him a little tighter this time around. it was fine, it would pass, at least, that was what he told himself.

during his turmoil, you had entered the mess hall as quietly as you could, “captain levi?” he looked up from the papers and pulled his hand away from his face with a quirked brow. “i brought you tea,” you spoke softly as to not agitate him any further. “i hope it tastes better than last time, i practiced,” you sent him a lopsided smile that you hoped would ease his frown, but instead, it brought the opposite.

the lines on his face became deeper as he scowled, “i don’t have time right now,” and the grumble of your name right after sounded harsh on both yours and even his ears. it was now your turn to pout. you definitely weren’t trying to mess around with him right now, not with all the stress and the recent death of one of his closest friends.

you sat there across from him at the table in silence for a few moments as he penned the paper. what could make him feel better? you thought quietly to yourself, your eyes raking over levi in search of something, any indicator to help him. a sudden idea popped in your head as you stood, making your way to stand behind him as you watched his eyes never leave the documents. “what are you doing?”

you reached over and plucked the pen from his hand, placing it down on the table and ignoring his glare, “just relax, levi, i’m gonna try and sort out these tense ass muscles of yours,” as soon as the words popped out of your mouth, your hands began to press into his shoulders, eliciting a little sound of surprise from levi. he almost immediately tensed back up at the foreign feeling but relaxed to the best of his abilities after a few pointed words from you.

“i’m not just here to get you tea, you know?” you worked out a knot in his neck, watching as his head lolled to the side to give you more room to work. “i had the same training as you, and i know how to handle paperwork, you could always ask if you need the help,” he hummed at your offer, and you only chuckled before getting back to his tense muscles.

levi let himself relax, more so than he probably ever had. your hands made their way up the base of his neck, and he let out a little sigh. he didn’t think this would feel this good, and he was considering what he could do to pay you back before realizing. what was the need to? you were doing the work of a subordinate for a superior, there was no need for him to treat you to anything.

but there was something that made levi realize that it wasn’t true, no matter how much every fiber in his body wanted to reject the idea. you were different, in your own weird way, and he couldn’t place his finger on it yet, but he decided he’d find out along the way.

“alright, you can work with me starting tomorrow, meet me here after dinner. if you’re late, i’m not letting you help again,” you smiled victoriously and pat his shoulders to signify you were done massaging them.

“alright then! see you tomorrow, captain,” you saluted him and shuffled out of the mess hall to leave him to his work.

the man held back a chuckle, sipping on the now lukewarm tea by his side. he had to admit, you were getting better at brewing his favorite drink.

levi’s heart felt a little lighter that night.

-

the two of you were almost impossibly closer after that. early mornings were spent with hange at important meetings and gatherings, most of the days were spent listening to hange rant about titans and ridiculous (but hilarious) and sometimes even useful plans, and late nights would be spent on paperwork and idle chatter by the warm fireplace in the mess hall.

the two of you would talk about nothing and everything, sometimes levi letting you talk his ear off as he added comments here and there or choosing to bask in each other’s silence as the flames beside you two crackled.

there were nights you fell asleep at the table, only to wake up in the middle of the night with a blanket that looked suspiciously like the one levi refused to share with you the night before around your shoulders that smelled of fresh laundry and lemons.

-

levi remembered all these little moments, including the time he had to yank a paper from under your arm to save it from your impending drool, or the multiple times he draped his cotton blanket over you and pulled it around your shoulders, his hands hesitating to pick off the dust that had resided on your cheek before gently brushing it off you and holding his breath when you’d twitch or move from his touch.

he still couldn’t really understand how it happened really, but spending time with you made him realize how much he liked the way you smiled at him no matter how annoyed he was with you, and the way you talked to him like he wasn’t humanity’s strongest soldier.

he felt normal, and strangely free.

and for some reason, he felt that if you ever disappeared from his sight, he’d lose this light feeling in his chest that outshined the bitter emotions he was always burdened with.

he didn’t want to lose you.

levi huffs, trying to control his unsteady breathing. there’s a feeling of discomfort that settles in his chest, and he’s not sure if it’s from just the cuts and bruises he obtained from the crash. you’re treating him like he’s fragile, like glass, and he hates it, sure, he’s broken, even he knows that, but he hates it.

humanity’s strongest soldier… he scoffs internally at himself, well, he feels pretty pathetic at the moment. he then outwardly scowls, gripping onto the pants of his torn uniform.

“you’re going to die,” he doesn’t mean for his words to sound so sharp, and he’s sure that his tone hurts you more than the gashes that litter your torso.

“i know,” he’s right, it hurts, and they seem to cut deeper than your wounds, as if someone struck your heart with a knife and twisted the blade.

his voice nearly breaks when he says this, but he stays... strong, “you’re dying,”

“i know, levi. i’m sorry,”

you know this man has been through so much, too much. he lost too many, has seen too much, he’s been through so many tragedies, and you still haven’t seen him cry, not once, and not now as you lay beside him, shivering and keeping your eyes open enough to watch him glare up at the night sky.

one last attempt, you think to yourself. you need to get his attention before it’s too late, before you fade away and disappear, but you can already feel your conscious slipping through your fingertips and your eyes drooping.

“levi…” your voice sounds pained when he stays turnt away from you and looks up at the moon, “i’m proud of you,” levi’s heart squeezes and so does his eyes, he doesn’t want to hear your soft voice right now, nor look at your mangled body, or hear the shouts of soldiers swinging around on their odm gear or the battle cries as they slice into titans’ napes.

you bite back a cry at his act of ignorance to your pleas for him to just look at you, and fall silent as your energy drains along with the blood that comes from you and him and soak into the earth. you meant those words, you mean what you said, and you beg him with your eyes focused on his high cheekbones to just spare you a glance while his stay glued to the twinkling stars.

it becomes so quiet, that levi begins to think you’ve already kicked the bucket with how he can barely hear your breathing.

he’s already preparing himself to do what he usually does, steel himself against the terrible emotions of survivor’s guilt and sorrow. every time he feels the twinge of depression and desperation creep up and wrap itself around his heart, he escapes to his mind, the logical part of him. the part that keeps him miles apart from everything, distance, safety.

he does it so much that you know, and you can tell he’s doing it right now with how tense his brow is and how the nails of the hand which lays between you digs into his palm. he’s closing himself off again, even after all these years you’ve spent together as comrades, partners in crimes, and what you hope was as friends.

you try to distract yourself some more, with anything really, the way his hair, though covered in blood seems to flow seamlessly to the sides of his head, revealing his undercut, and his eyes that stare silently into the endless blue sky, or the familiar smell of citrus and fresh laundry that you get from him even with the layers of smoke that are wafting from the ongoing battle burning your lungs or the smell of blood still seeping out from the both of you.

you want to hold onto the lingering hope that he’ll turn to you and at least say one last goodbye, or say those unspoken feelings he’s always hidden behind cool grey eyes, but he doesn’t say a word.

time is running out, and you need to say this, say this before you leave him like everyone else. levi’s fingers twitch when he hears you take in a sudden breath, your voice coming out quiet, weak, frail.

“the moon is beautiful tonight, isn’t it?” levi’s eyes open, and his head snaps toward you, and he regrets it, so bad. he manages to catch the exact moment the light, the life, fades from your very eyes he always thought were so gorgeous.

he’s lost his light.

you’re gone.

levi feels this terrible grip on his heart that makes him lose his breath and his head pound worse than it already is, and he chokes on the blood that gushes from his lips. his hand reaches out to you weakly, his arms, losing their strength, and he barely has the energy to keep his eyes open.

he almost can’t bring himself to do it, but he leans forward to press a shaky and hesitant kiss on the top of your head that he hopes conveys all the unsaid confessions he could’ve showered you with before your passing. his lips are warm, while your body turns pale and blue, and he finds it ironic how someone as kind and bright as you now seems dull in comparison to him.

as unshed tears pool at the corners of his eyes, your lifeless ones bore into his for the last time before he pushes them close with a touch of his hands over your eyes.

his heart, it hurts so bad, more than it ever has, and no matter how much he tries to push down the lump in his throat or the burning of his eyes and heart, it persists. he slowly falls back into his previous position, your corpse beside him losing its warmth and his steel grey eyes facing the moon once more.

the fuzzy lines around the full moon start to blur as he blinks a few times, the hues of white mixing with the blue of the sky, “it is…”

and finally, he lets himself cry.

explanations

“the moon is beautiful tonight, isn’t it?”

this is a more poetic way to say “i love you” in japanese :D

“it is...”

this is essentially “i love you too” in reply to “the moon is beautiful, isn’t it?”

[maticide666]

my eurovision top 39 songs (finally)

anyway i finally got my top 39 completed. under a read more because it can get kinda long with the commentary i added klfdja;sflk (and by that i mean VERY long, maybe a wall of text if i have a lot to say about the song.)

none of this takes rehearsals into account.

basically, 39-37 i don't like, 36-35 are meh, 34-25 are decent, 24-18 are good, 17-12 i enjoy listening to a lot, 11-4 i love, and I would pay for votes for top 3 if i could.

39. Azerbaijan - Efendi - Mata Hari - Honestly, I kinda want to like this song. The instrumentation is nice, especially with the Azeri instruments. Efendi's vocals are ok during the verses. However, her vocals during the MA-MA-MA-MATA HARI part makes this song utterly unlistenable for me. It is just so distracting and ear-grating. Not great for my sensitive ears. And that is without taking anything else into account.

38. Estonia - Uku Suviste - The Lucky One - For some reason reminds me of a boring modern country song. Bland af. At least the melody of the chorus is nice.

37. Cyprus - Elena Tsagrinou - El Diablo - Discount Lady Gaga at the best points of this song. Feels like three songs at once. Also, the lyrics seem like they just went all "What Spanish-sounding words sound spicy? Taco? Tamale? Mamacita?" As a Spanish speaker and as someone of Mexican descent who enjoys those foods, this annoys the living shit out of me. At least I can make El Diablo/Fallen Angel memes out of this. (Honestly, I don't mind the gratuitous Spanish with the words El Diablo.) Also, this song got real old real quick.

36. Slovenia - Ana Soklič - Amen - The gospel vibe is nice, but there is just too much Christianity in it for me to enjoy this song. Sorry, Ana.

35. Moldova - Natalia Gordienko - Sugar - Sounds like a sugary version of Siren Song by MARUV. Kinda boring, but enjoyable in the right circumstances.

34. Georgia - Tornike Kipiani - You - Good to listen to when mind feels blank. At first I kinda liked this song, but nowadays this song has lost its charm. This won't sound out of place alongside boring 70s slow classic rock songs.

33. Austria - Vincent Bueno - Amen - Not something I would listen to regularly, but still nice. For me, easily the biggest downgrade from 2020.

32. Greece - Stefania - Last Dance - Pleasant to listen to, not much else.

31. Portugal - The Black Mamba - Love Is On My Side - Good song, but not my cup of tea. Unfortunately, some great songs have to be near the bottom of my ranking.

30. Germany - Jendrik - I Don't Feel Hate - A fun song to listen to. The novelty wears off after a while. The feel good vibes and ukulele are nice.

29. Israel - Eden Alene - Set Me Free - the song release version was bland and boring, but the revamp. Now THAT is good stuff. The song doesn't seem so empty anymore. I miss the key change from the original, though.

28. Spain - Blas Cantó - Voy A Quedarme - A very emotional and beautiful song from Spain. Again, not usually my cup of tea. However, the melody somehow gives me a nostalgic vibe.

27. North Macedonia - Vasil - Here I Stand - DAMN Vasil has a lovely voice. Nice that he's showing it off here. Too slow of a song for me to enjoy regularly, though.

26. Albania - Anxhela Peristeri - Karma - I don't have much to say other than this song is nice.

25. Bulgaria - VICTORIA - Growing Up Is Getting Old - Pleasant to listen to, but depending on my mood I think this is a beautiful song but not my cup of tea or a complete snoozefest.

24. Serbia - Hurricane - Loco Loco - Fun song, but it feels like something is lacking, and I can't quite put my finger on it.

23. San Marino - Senhit - Adrenalina - Once the initial hype from Flo Rida being on the song died down, this became another typical Eurovision bop.

22. Sweden - Tusse - Voices - At first I thought the song was completely unremarkable and couldn't understand how this won Melodifestivalen. Nowadays it's a nice song to chill to. I gotta respect a perfect televote score from the national final.

21. Ireland - Lesley Roy - MAPS - nice.

20. Croatia - Albina - Tick Tock - Grew on me slightly. Shoutout for including a verse in Croatian.

19. Switzerland - Gjon's Tears - Tout l'Univers - Another grower for me. Doesn't hit as hard as his song from last year, but I dig it.

18. France - Barbara Pravi - Voilà - Lovely chanson right here. I wish it didn't take forever to pick up, though. I was about to completely give up on this song in the middle of my first listen. I'm glad I didn't.

17. Belgium - Hooverphonic - The Wrong Place - Classy. Not much else to say.

16. Ukraine - Go-A - Shum - I'd definitely go rave to this song. I kept finding this song hard to rank due to the white voice. I couldn't decide if I absolutely adored it or if I found it grating. Maybe I just wasn't feeling well when I first thought about it.

15. Lithuania - The Roop - Discoteque - Lots of fun, doesn't have the charm that On Fire had last year. I would dance to this song.

14. Poland - RAFAŁ - The Ride - I actually kinda like this song???? Even with Rafal's vocals??? I know he has political controversies, but I can't help but think this song is nice. A better, less controversial singer would benefit this song, though. I'm not counting the revamp just yet since it was released too recently.

13. Latvia - Samanta Tīna - The Moon Is Rising - This song gives me nostalgic mid to late 2000s hip hop vibes. The guitars in this song are lovely.

12. Romania - ROXEN - Amnesia - Definitely something that can put me in a trance if I'm in the right mood.

11. Czechia - Benny Cristo - omaga - Nice, catchy, I would dance to this.

10. Malta - Destiny - Je Me Casse - Damn, Destiny has a lovely voice! And the song itself is wonderful. I'm not a fan of the amount of Swedish talent being used instead of Maltese talent, but I really do enjoy listening to this.

9. Denmark - Fyr og Flamme - Øve Os På Hinanden - another really fun song! This really grew on me. Nowadays if I want to listen to a Eurovision song, this is one of the first songs I think of.

8. The Netherlands - Jeangu Macrooy - Birth of a New Age - I can vibe with this. You can hear the passion in this song. I wish I could let my body do the talking right now, but y'all can't see that with just a tumblr text post.

7. Russia - Manizha - Russian Woman - I was NOT expecting this to come out of Russia when it won the national final. I wasn't expecting to like this either. The message is great, the instrumental is great, everything about this is brilliant.

6. United Kingdom - James Newman - Embers - A funky song. I LOVE James's voice. Massive upgrade from last year in my opinion. I'm a sucker for brass in an upbeat song. Unfortunately, I have had the staging kinda spoiled and I am VERY skeptical about this coming out of bottom five. I'm done with the BBC.

5. Australia - Montaigne - Technicolour - There is a Lot happening in this song and I am all in for it. I'm kinda terrible at parsing lyrics, but it's a non-issue when I can follow Montaigne's voice and forget about the lyrics. Ironically enough, it's Montaigne's voice that also worries me this Eurovision season - mostly whether she was able to pull off her live on tape performance off.

4. Iceland - Daði og Gagnamagnið - 10 Years - I didn't think Daði could pull it off against this year, but he did it. I like this just a little more than Think About Things, which was my favorite song last year. I'm still a little gutted that this pandemic robbed him of a probable victory, but I've made peace with it. I still need to learn the dance moves, though.

3. Italy - Måneskin - Zitti E Buoni - FUCK YEAH A KICKASS ROCK SONG IN EUROVISION! This song gave me massive rock en español vibes on my fist listen, and honestly this is something I would bang my head to if I had the same body I did when I was 15.

2. Norway - TIX - Fallen Angel - I was not expecting to like this song much, let alone becoming THIS obsessed with TIX. In fact, he wasn't even on my radar for winning MGP. I listened to Ut Av Mørket for the first time and thought something like 'this is boring af, but at least it's in Norwegian'. And then he changed it to English, which I wasn't a fan of at first. And then one day the lyrics clicked - especially with my own struggles with mental illness. To this day this is one of only two Eurovision songs to actually make me cry. Even now he still isn't my MGP winner (that honor goes to JORN), but he has definitely won my heart.

1. Finland - Blind Channel - Dark Side - To say that this song kicks ass would be an understatement for me. This song has just the right mix of rock, pop, and even metal. Ever since I found out that this song would be in the national final, I knew that it would be my favorite this whole Eurovision season regardless of who won UMK. Yes, my jaw dropped when I saw the lead Blind Channel had in UMK. I literally cancelled my plans to watch the MGP final live because of these guys. I am not disappointed. Even Måneskin couldn't bring these guys down in my ranking. And while the lyrics might be a bit iffy, they did get me through rough times. I hope these guys are able to bring rock music back like they want to. But for now, I will give them my (useless tbh) douze points.

[breakingmllc]

I Smell Hand Sanitizer Lots And Lots Of Hand Sanitizer Witch T Shirt

Work Republican Can Deal with the White House Any Longer That’s the Only Way to Do and Joe Biden Is Just the Person to Ensure We Get Our Lives Joe Biden Is a I Smell Hand Sanitizer Lots And Lots Of Hand Sanitizer Witch T Shirt Decent Man with a Long History of Public Service to America He Will Restore Integrity to Branch I Would Strongly Encourage All Come Together and Hopefully Return the Country’s Political Discourse Back to Some Measure of Normalcy and Decency I’m Sure We Sure Is Going to Help Us Now from Alabama and Jones Jones from the Great State of Alabama Growing up in the South Growing up in the Midst of Start Divisions but It Was Here in Alabama Where Rosa Parks Helping Body Movement by Refusing to Give up Her Seat on a Bus for Freedom Riders of Different Races Came Together in Pursuit of Equality It Was Here in Alabama Where John Lewis Marched across a Bridge toward Freedom from a Young Age I Knew the Hope That Comes from Seeing Good People Work to Heal Our Divisions Is What Led Me to Become the United States Attorney Were Convicted to Klansmen Who Murdered for Young Black Girls in 1963 Birmingham Church Bombing Delivered Long Overdue Justice I’m Standing in Front of an Exhibit Dedicated to Their Memory Alabama Has Shown Me That Even Our Deepest Divisions Can Be Overcome Because Each of Us Want the Same Thing to Be Treated Fairly and Given the Same Opportunities in the Freedom to Live with Dignity and Respect Now Some Politicians Try to Pit Us against Each Other I Believe That Americans Have More in Common Than What Divides in November We Have a Chance to Elect a President Who Believes That to Have Known Joe for More Than 40 Years and That It Is a Wide Eyed Law Student and He’s Been My Friend and Champion Ever since Jill I Know Is Exactly the Leader Our Country Needs Right Now He Can Bring People Together to Find Common Ground While Standing up for What He Believes Is Right after Years of Bitter Partisanship Can Unite Our Country and Get Things Done for Working Families and Everyone Looking for a Better Future Is Not about What Side of the Our Own about Whether or Not Where the Side of the People Great John Lewis Would Often Quote the Old African Proverb When You Pray Move Your Feet and Then Challenge Us to Do Just That As a Nation He Said If We Care for the Beloved Community We Must Move Our Feet and Hands Our Resources to Build and Not Tear down the Reconciling Not to Divide the Love and Not to Hate to Heal and Not to Kill in the Final Analysis We Are One People One Family One House the American House the American Family VP Biden Understands That He Is Who We Need Is Our Next President Here We Are in Twinkle Twinkle and We Talked about the Post Office US Postal Service Financial to so Much of Our Lives to the Post Office to Get the Prescriptions Social Security Beneficiaries on the Post Office to Check the Post Office to Send Birthday Cards Today and Green Kids Need the Post Office to Do Business As Well Post Office Is Also One Way We Cast Our Notes to Find out How to Exercise That Right This November Whether by Mail or in Person Text about the OTE 230330 Here to Say More Is the First Being Paid to the United States Senate Senator Happen Quite As As Catherine Cortez and Stephanie This Year More Americans Than Ever before Going to Her from Her and Stuff like This Marking about the Kitchen Table Exercising One of Our Most Fundamental Rights from Home by Now in a Secure Option for You 16 33 Million Americans for Is Requested 15 Eric Twice This Year the Americans Will Choose to Voting and Voting with How Many of Is to the Advice of Scientific and Medical Experts Listen to the People at the Back to Put in Place by Now so Very Option Is Trying to Get Right Is Threatened with Cold Federal Funding Can Spanking Our Schools and Seniors from Challenged in Court One I Republican Secretary Of State the Judge to Dismiss Now He’s Putting the Lives of Seniors Risk by Trying to Find the Post Office Will Be Able to Get Their Prescriptions If He Wants to Win If Not Intimidated America Is Not Intimidated You We Are United by Shared Values Shared History and Shared Rights Including Fundamental Right to File We Will Send Job the White House Reflect the Senate with Kyle Majority in the Senate We Will Expand Access and Print Voting Rights to America We Jobcom Which Flipcom to Help Us Take Back Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell That We Know Stand Together to Turn This Country around This Year We Had an Historic Field of Presidential Candidates Historic Number of Women Including a Nice Presidential Nominee Had More Difficulty Than Any Primary First Openly Gay Man to Win This Party the Democratic Party Welcomes Everyone Encourages Everyone to Leave Anyone Ideas to Ensure This Country Builds Back This Is What Our Next Speaker Believes Steel for Club Hello America like My Friend Catherine Believe That the Right to Vote Is Fundamental. Joseph’s biological fatherand grandfather Jesus while the foster grandfather stepgrandfather I said but that he lie was the I guess will have the line of succession would a pastor St. Get a valid back on my that was about as far as friends did you have it cut off everyone from back thenand start again how did that work with the seller had two groups of friends had one group

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[mtvswatches]

Jane the Virgin 1x20 Chapter Twenty

Spoilers disclaimer (please read before sending messages or writing comments.)

Click here for previous recaps!

Stray thoughts

1) I really liked how the show made a meta-comment about its own use of the classic telenovela trope – recovered memory.

2) Oh, I thought they were going to talk to Michael, but of course, Alba wouldn’t want to go to the police. And she is right, Xiomara would act on instinct and do something crazy, like push Magda off some stairs to return the favor…

3) The priest will be in this episode, I hope Alba gets some.

4) She’s still manipulating Petra, though…

5) ROGELIO IS A FUCKING HEAD!!!!

6) wHAT’S THIS BITCH DOING HERE?!

7) Are they going to do this thing throughout the whole episode? Because I’m loving it!

8) I wasn’t expecting a time jump…

I hope this doesn’t mean that we’ll skip their off-again period and we’ll be thrown again into their on-again stage because I’M DONE WITH THESE TWO.

9) Ay, Xiomara, are you really using your daughter to try to fix your relationship with her father? That’s like, Bad Parenting 101…

10) Luisa is the most random character, I don’t get her at all…

And I really don’t trust that she hasn’t been with Rose… Besides, last time we saw Rose, we only saw her back and she was a blonde. So she literally could be ANYONE, even this fighter chick.

11) Jane is going to do something about Magda, right? And wtf is Magda doing working at the hotel? Is this her way of proving Petra that she’s changed or whatever?

12) He deserved that.

Okay, I don’t totally dislike him anymore. You happy?

13) And Magda is manipulating Petra again, who would’ve thought?

PETRA: Did you have anything to do with this stair incident? Mother, did you push her?

MAGDA: I would never do that.

PETRA: Okay.

MAGDA: Unless, for example, that woman found out that there was a hostage in your room. Then I would have to try to keep her quiet to keep you out of prison, no? To protect you.

14) Yeah, priest, you’d like to be “friends” alright…

15) I’m more and more convinced that Luisa’s “new girlfriend” is Rose. She’s too interested in getting involved in the family business for someone who is a wrestler…

16) Santos is back!

17) My baby Rogelio, he’s been cheated on before, no wonder he was so angry when he found out Xiomara had kissed Marco. And no wonder he immediately fessed up about that woman kissing him. Despite him not doing anything wrong, he’d been in the other person’s shoes before, so he didn’t want to hurt Xiomara the way he’d been hurt before.

18) Will the season end with Jane trying to decide between Rafael and Michael? Because I’m getting a vibe that’ll be the case…

19) I’d watch this…

Also, this is clearly Exhibit A for my point above.

20) Oh, I hope Magda gets arrested, she’s just threatened to hand Alba over to the immigration authorities. She should burn in hell.

21) WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHOW?

22) For a second, I thought Rafael was going to take Preta’s side. And Petra, shame on you, I’m expecting better from you at this point. I understand she doesn’t want to go to prison, and she’s not the type of character who would come clean, take the blame, accept the consequences – at least not yet – but the way she’s making Alba look is uncalled for.

23)

24) She really is a Veronica Mars…

25) How many times is Luisa going to bring up the fact that she has an IQ of 152? And for the record, for someone who claims to be so smart, she’s probably the stupidest character in the show. Like, the show would literally not exist if she wasn’t so stupid.

26) I really enjoyed the moment between Rafael and Luisa, it’s a relationship that has been underdeveloped, to be quite frank. But of course, Luisa had to tell Rafael that “he’d given up the wrong thing” and now he’s going to try and patch things up with Jane AND I’M SO OVER THIS RELATIONSHIP DRAMA BETWEEN RAFAEL AND JANE, THIS SHOW IS MAKING ME HATE THEM!

27) WTF NO!!!!!!!!!!

Bless Alba!!!

28) Oh, wow, Gina truly blew me away with this scene, what an amazing character moment and so wonderfully acted, I still have tears in my eyes…

I just needed to prove I can do it myself, because I'm going to have to do things myself now! And I know you're here, but still, there are some things I need to do on my own. Okay? As a single mother. Because that's what I am. And I didn't see it coming, Abuela. And I'm just trying to get my bearings, and I just want to be able to do something. I just wanted to know I can do something on my own.

Still, I feel Jane has too many hang-ups about the single-mother thing. It’s not the end of the world, and being the daughter of a single mom, I know first-hand how hard it can be. I know my mom has a lot of guilt for things she did and things she didn’t do as a mom, but she always did her best given the circumstances. And wonderful women all around the world do it all the time, every day. So yeah, it might not be the family portrait she had planned, but I truly hope she comes to accept that a mom and her kid/s do make up a family, just as good and as valid as any other.

29) Oh, Petra got Ivan to fake being a plumber…

30) No, Rogelio, it’s not okay.

31) Friends, riiiiiight…

And Alba spoke in English?!! It’s the first time she’s done it!!! And he told her that he can’t be her friend!! I KNEW IT!!

32) Petra, you’d already got your alibi with Ivan, why did you need to make Alba look like crazy? Why does her “love” for Rafael turn her into such a conniving villain? She was doing quite well before she got interested in Rafael again…

33) JANE QUIT!!!

34) Now, this was a plot twist I wasn’t expecting…

35) Two episodes left! Not gonna lie, I’m truly hoping the season finale wows me... Also, no more Jane and Rafael, please, I’m sick of them!

36)  Hope you enjoyed my recap, and, as usual, if you’ve got this far, thank you for reading! If you enjoy my recaps and my blog, please consider supporting it on ko-fi.Thanks!

[jounetsulovers]

Top 11 Inazuma Characters

Tagged by @blueberry-pastel! Thank you so much. <3

11. Senguuji Yamato.

For all my talk about the villains of Inazuma, it feels fitting to have some kind of rep on that list, even though he’s more of the final rival than anything else. The first season of Go holds a special place in my heart, and I think Yamato is an especially fun and thematically appropriate final boss. His Avatar his cool, his relationship with his dad warms my heart, his design is nice, and the way he’s animated, especially when using King Fire, always looks really nice! He’s my go-to goalie in the Go games, and on that basis alone it didn’t feel right to have a list without him.

10. Raimon Natsumi.

Natsumi was my favorite manager for a long, long time, and there’s a lot of things to absolutely love about her. Her arc, tracing from the beginning of the original series to the very end, where she slowly lets her defenses down and engages earnestly with soccer and the team. Her extremely sweet friendships with all of the managers. Her relationship with her dad, which is an often-underlooked but no less important part of the entire story. The little background details, and how we learn throughout the Chrono Stone games that she’s become the chairman of Raimon after Fifth Sector collapses. Her recent appearance in Orion had me grinning the entire time. For sheer character growth, it’s hard to compete with her.

9. Kidou Yuuto.

Somehow, Kidou Yuuto exists, and the show is better for it. If someone were to ask me who had the best and most complete character arc, I’d point to Kidou without question. He’s the complete package: great and memorable character design, strong personality, growth, excellent moves, great character dynamics, downright iconic scenes. His backstory and everything involving his and Haruna’s family makes me cry every time, no matter what format it’s in. From enemy to rival to best, best friend, Kidou Yuuto is stellar character work on the part of Level-5.

8. Teres Tolue.

The anime does not do Teres Tolue justice. For all the brief but excellent scenes he does have, they are nothing compared to the wonderful scenes he gets in the third Inazuma game. This is a shoutout to the defender who isn’t afraid to speak his mind, even at the cost of sounding callous. Who cracks jokes at the worst of times, but also has a heart of gold. Whose confidence is genuinely matched by excellent work on the defense line. Liocott Island is full of captains with big personalities and sad backstories, and it’s a shame Teres seems to often be left out of the conversation, because he was my favorite back in 2012 and now, finally getting to play the games in full, he’s even better than I remembered.

7. Yamana Akane.

If the anime did not do justice to Teres, they did an absolute disservice to Yamana Akane. Much like Teres, she has wonderful moments in the anime. But they are limited, and do not capture the true delight that is her personality. Everything she is, she’s even more in the games, and I genuinely think she has the best one-liners in perhaps the entire series. Even if she isn’t the deepest manager, she’s the one that makes me smile the most. She’s funny, she’s creative, she’s bold and not afraid to speak about the things she likes. Yamana Akane, best manager.

6. Saginuma Osamu.

Saginuma Osamu is a character that exists in a constant duality. He’s a terrifying, imposing presence as Desarm, but also an admirable rival. He’s absolutely unmatched on the soccer field, with the technical know-how and talent to easily slide into three positions on the field, but also one of the hardest-working characters in the entire series. He’s also a huge, huge dork while at the same time being inspiring to his team when he’s in the captain role. He was my favorite Aliea captain, and continues to be my favorite kid to come out of Sun Garden. I’d personally choose him as the greatest rival in all of Inazuma, as he perfectly captures the thin, thin line between serious and ridiculous the series so eloquently toes.

5. Kira Hitomiko.

Best coach, hands down. Not the most skilled, or the nicest, or the one with the best teams or most effective coach. But the best one. She’s complicated, and maybe her apology at the end of Season 2 doesn’t begin to make up for the bad calls she made. But the fact she’s allowed to make those bad calls... the fact that she’s part of a larger, extremely sad and complicated backstory that almost feels like it should come from a drama, and not a sports anime... the fact that she spends a lifetime of penance for it, actually doing the hard work of trying to do right by her own mistakes and continue to watch over Sun Garden... Man, I love Hitomiko. Ares didn’t even begin to do her justice.

4. Amagi Daichi.

Amagi Daichi, best defender. Enough said.

...Okay, no, there’s more than that. I love everything about Amagi, from his character design, to his moves, to his personality and how much he brings a strong, brotherly presence to the team. I love his dynamic with Hikaru, and with the other third years, and how much he cares for his friends in general. But I think I love his story most of all, because it’s extremely relatable. It’s simple, but effective, and the presentation of his flashback--the sound design, the visuals, hell, even the editing--is some of the best Inazuma’s ever done. Episode 33 of Go is my favorite episode of Inazuma Eleven. Amagi Daichi, best defender.

3. Giris and Meia.

Is this cheating? I don’t think so. Giris and Meia are two characters that demand to be taken and analyzed as a pair, and, well, you don’t really see them apart, ever. They are my pick for the most terrifying and interesting rivals in all of Inazuma, for their unique combination of memorable visual aesthetic combined with the encroaching fridge horror that is the true nature of the SSC. Two kids, whose entire aesthetic revolves around young love and death in all aspects: their avatars, their signature move, even the soccer team uniform, which could easily be reworked into something for a period piece. And yet, they’re also overdramatic. They get distracted by each other to the point where they forget to finish trash-talking the opposing team. They dance on the soccer field to summon their avatars. They’re ridiculous and tragic in equal amounts, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about them, or the Second Stage Children, since I watched Chrono Stone.

2. Megane Kakeru.

Not only is Megane one of the funniest characters in the series. Not only is he one of the most important and yet underappreciated side characters in the franchise. Megane Kakeru is the perfect example of the profound impact Endou has on everyone he comes in contact with, and here’s why: Megane Kakeru is a coward. That’s a fact established in episode one. He talks a big game, but as soon as Teikoku gets serious, he runs off in tears. And even if the anime will never let him live that fact down (seriously), he never runs from another match again. Without him, Raimon’s victory streak would have ended with Shuuyo Meito. With him, we see a self-centered nerd come out of his shell, and genuinely grow to love the game of soccer, even as he knows he isn’t cut out to play and cannot match the skill level of his peers. Even while he’s terrified, he still steps out onto the field against Zeus when his teammates are injured. He stands against Aliea, even as other teammates find the situation hopeless. In season 3, his easy out, what does he do? He joins the team as a manager. He supports the Resistance numerous times in Go, both in the anime and in the games. Even as the chips are down, Megane Kakeru does not run, because he loves the game just as much as everyone else. He’s got a protagonist’s heart. I just love this kid.

And now, some honorable mentions, because there’s far too many to list:

I initially intended to have a member of the Earth Eleven on this list, but I genuinely could not decided between Morimura Konoha, Kusaka Ryuuji, and Nozaki Sakura, so I decided in fairness to not pick any, as an omission would be doing a disservice to them. The same could be said for several Protocol Omega members. Senguuji Daigo and Saryuu Evan are excellent villains and I love them, even if one is significantly more developed than the other. Matsukaze Tenma is one of my favorite protagonists of all time, and I love him a lot. Edgar Valtinas would have taken Teres’ spot if I didn’t choose him, and it was a very close choice. Kudou Fuyuka and Seto Midori were also this close to taking one of the manager slots. Fei Rune and Nanobana Kinako bring me unending joy and tears in equal measure. Domon Asuka, Sangoku Taichi, and Mahoro Tadashi are wonderful side characters whom deserve more love than they get, and I don’t think anyone is surprised to know how much I love Kousaka Yukie. I am deeply enjoying Ares and Orion’s characters, but considering their story has yet to finish, it did not seem fair to include them on the list, so for now they’re relegated to this one. But I adore Haizaki Ryouhei, Kozoumaru Sasuke, and Goujin Tetsunosuke. Zanark Avalonic should just be on every list ever because he is the best.

1. Nishiki Ryouma.

No character in Inazuma can make me smile like Nishiki Ryouma does. No character brings me quite as much joy as Nishiki Ryouma does. He is not the deepest, nor the strongest, nor the user of my favorite hissatsu or owner of my favorite Avatar. But he’s the complete package: relatable, funny, courageous, and even inspiring in his own goofy way. I love his passion, and how he tries not to sweat the little things, and that he isn’t afraid to do things in the name of trying, no matter how ridiculous he may seem. He has a large heart that is open to the world around him, and even for his enemies. He has stellar moves, a genuinely awesome aesthetic, and a smile that’s infectious. I knew pretty early on in my watch of Go he’d be a favorite, and every time since my love for him has grown more and more. I can’t even explain in adequate enough terms why I love him so much--I just do!

Not directly tagging anyone, but if you haven’t done it, DO IT. You know who you are.

[betweensceneswriter]

Chemistry Test, Part 8: C***-Blocker

Lallybroch Library Prompt Exchange!

Prompt #33 Modern AU: Claire auditions for a role opposite Jamie who has been cast as the male lead in a TV drama.

Previously–Part 7: Laughing Man

Master Post

     “Murtagh, man, I love you.  But why in hell are ye here?”

    The walls were thin and Claire could easily hear the heated conversation from within the bedroom, even though they had closed the door behind them.  She sat gingerly on the couch, looking around the small apartment.

    It was neat and clean except for the suitcases and backpack next to the door; those must be Murtagh’s.  Once Jamie had rushed around opening all the windows, the smell of burnt haggis had dissipated, only to be replaced by the smell of city—exhaust, ancient brick, and sadness.  

     “Your landlady is quite a lonely woman.” It was Murtagh’s gruff voice speaking. “She talked my ear off, but she was more than happy to let a godfather into his godson’s apartment.”

     “Why didn’t you call? Or simply mention you were coming?”

     “I ken how much you love a surprise!”

     “A birthday party, maybe… or a gift,” Jamie said incredulously.  “Not an extra inhabitant for my already too small apartment, especially when…”

    Claire heard Jamie drop his voice, but it wasn’t low enough. She blushed as she heard his words.

     “God, man, do you see her? I’ve been anticipating being with Claire again for weeks!”

     “Oh, aye, she’s nice to look at.  But Jamie, lad, I couldna imagine you being here for months or years and not coming with you!”

From @outlanderamerica

“But why does it matter if I’m here this morning? Were ye planning to bring her inside and immediately tear off each other’s clothes? God’s tooth! It’s not even noon yet!”

    Claire chuckled.  As embarrassing as their first encounter had been, she had managed to develop some affection for Murtagh in the last two weeks as she and Jamie talked daily; hearing his gravelly, acerbic voice making comments in the background of their calls, learning of his dry humor from his godson’s descriptions, feeling grateful for the role he’d played in parenting when both Jamie’s mother and father had died while he was still a teenager.

     “I canna say what would have happened. But Murtagh, I haven’t been able to make love to Claire in two interminable weeks!”

    Claire blushed. They’d felt such a connection immediately, instantly.  Her heart leapt on hearing Jamie call it making love.  Not having sex, not shagging, not fucking, not doing the rumpy-pumpy, not bonking...

    He wanted to make love to her. She couldn’t wait for it either.

    Of course, what Jamie didn’t know was that Claire Beauchamp had been his fan for far longer than he’d known her, an admirer from afar.  It was two or three years ago that she’d found that little gem–the TV-MA show he’d done when he was in his late twenties.

    Frank kept asking her why she repeatedly watched the three seasons of Island Fever.  Claire lost herself in the story of a young woman, ironically named Carlie, who traveled out to the Marshall Islands as a volunteer nurse. Immersed in a foreign culture where Carlie was a fish out of water, she floundered. And then Carlie met, made friends with, and fell in love with a young man named Campbell, played by none other than James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser.

    God, she’d fallen in love with him just as the young actress in the role of Carlie had, this lean, muscular, tanned Scotsman, with that furiously curly red hair.  Jamie Fraser wasn’t an Ed Sheeran red-head… Not pale and orangey.  His hair was closer to burgundy, and he was rugged and manly even when he was playing a 22-year-old adorably devoted virgin.

    Her favorite episode in season 1 was “Restraint,” where the young couple were engaged and still trying to wait.  It was crazy how sexy not having sex could be.  

    Although Frank hated how many times she rewatched Island Fever, his eyes would brighten if he came into the room and saw her viewing that scene where Campbell and Carlie walk out to the beach at dusk shortly after their surprisingly sudden engagement. Those were the nights where Frank was guaranteed to get some, even though Claire was certain that he’d known the truth--that even though he was with her, she was with Campbell MacReid…

@frockflicksfeed

    Even now, Claire felt sheepish yet aroused at the memory of Jamie’s perfect ass in the honeymoon episode as he gently undressed his new bride. She was lovely too—god, what was her name? Claire had often imagined herself standing before him as he knelt, kissing her belly, running his hands over her hips and drawing her lacy panties down to the floor.  She pretended it was she to whom Campbell said, “What would you like?” as he lay next to her on the bed; that it was her body that made his eyes widen in discovery and darken with desire; that she was the one blissfully blinking in surprise, not expecting a virgin to know enough to bring her to climax their first time together.

    And she teared up almost every time that Campbell smiled at Carlie and said, “Virgin blood,” as he drew the blade of his fishing knife across his thigh and reached for the nuknuk.

    But it was Jamie Fraser, not Campbell MacReid, that Claire started to admire as she watched interviews with the actor on YouTube.  He was thoughtful, kind, and protective of his co-star.  A gentleman who ushered her out of cars and was her constant cheerleader.  That was when Claire had started to wish she could meet this man she had long admired. So when there was open casting and she sent in her audition tape and got a call back, she started to think that it was fate.

     As if it was fate, Jamie had responded to her with equal enthusiasm, on one wild, romantic night.  He wanted to make love to her.

    Suddenly Claire had an anxious thought.  A few months from now and that would be her nude body in front of the camera.  With him.

    On camera? Touching him? Kissing him? On camera? For the world to watch?  Her heart dropped and she felt slightly nauseated.

     The men were STILL talking.

     “So if I understand this correctly, you were thinking young Jamie needed an outing?”

     “God, Murtagh.”

     “You were gazing at her round arse and thinking you needed to inspect it further?”

     “You make me seem a lecher!”

     “And then you came to your apartment, fully expecting to be naked in minutes…”

     “Hush, man!”

     “So that explains why you’ve greeted your godfather so rudely?  Embarrassed me in front of the lass? Dragged me into the bedroom as if I’m a wee lad about to get skelped?”

      She knocked hesitantly on the bedroom door.

     “Since I can already hear your whole conversation, don’t you think you might as well come out and sit comfortably?”

    Both men stepped out sheepishly.

     “I didn’t want to reunite with you just to lose you immediately to an argument,” she said, directing her gaze at Jamie. “And it’s probably best that we didn’t just fall into bed right away,” she added, smiling at Murtagh.  “Since the haggis is burned, since it’s just around noon, don’t you think the three of us should go out for lunch?”

    Murtagh nodded and Jamie smiled at her.  But Claire shuddered involuntarily at the look on Jamie’s eyes.

    She used to imagine that expression of desire and admiration directed at her.  But this was real.

Part 9 - Eating Out, Part 1

How’s that for convoluted? In a story about Claire and Jamie as Cait and Sam trying out to be Leo and Kate in a gender-reversed TV show based on Titanic when Claire’s a little bit of a stalker because she used to watch and lust after Jamie (like you and I currently do with Outlander) when he starred on a non-existent series based on my current book.  Honestly, it was all a shameless plug for you to check it out.  :)  It’s sweet & hot & much improved from the fanfic rough draft!

Island Fever on Amazon-Kindle and Paperback

[silverfootstepswrites]

Butterfly [2]

summary Well, if you fall on the ice, it’ll bring the swelling down by itself...

Sakura woke with a headache. Her whole body ached, actually. And when she looked out the window, palm pressed to her temple, it was still dark. She wondered why her alarm hadn’t gone off. Or why one of her rink-mates wasn’t texting her to get the hell up.

It took a while. Too long, in fact, to realize that this was the house she had grown up in. That what awaited her wasn’t ice but books. 

She clenched her hands in her lap. Noticed that she was still in her clothes from the night before. But her phone and keys were on the nightstand. So apparently she had gotten home fine. When she checked the screen, it was before 5 am.

Sighing, she swung her legs out of bed. There was no point in trying to fall back asleep now. Her head still felt a little fuzzy. And the best way to get alcohol out of the blood, she had learned, was to sweat it out. 

Earbuds in, she made her way through the dark house. She stretched her limbs between bites of her cereal. And by the time she ran out the front door, the sun was beginning to rise. 

It was already April. This year’s skating season would be coming to a close soon. Out of habit, she had kept up with the results from all the major events. It was the first time in a long time that she hadn’t been at the World Championships in person. It felt odd looking up the scores online. Seeing all the familiar faces on news sites rather than in person. 

Shaking her head, Sakura set off down the hill. She would run a circuit around the town. Until the jumbled thoughts in her head had the chance to straighten themselves out. Classical music flowing through her ears, Sakura kept her eyes focused straight ahead.

The second day at her new job was about the same as her first. She still felt the stares from the students. Although, it seemed that word was getting around that she wasn’t quite as friendly as rumored. Which suited her just fine. She didn’t really have a public image to maintain anymore.

Sakura spent some more time going through the closet in the back of the library. She found a few more books that could be added to the collection. She had lunch in the teacher’s room again. It looked like some of the other teachers were nursing hangovers, wincing at loud noises and shielding their eyes from the window. 

“Ah, I knew you’d be alright,” remarked Shikamaru, tossing his things onto his desk, one hand in his pocket. 

“Why? I wasn’t feeling so hot when I woke up either,” answered Sakura. And Shikamaru raised his eyebrows. 

“Weird. You seemed fine when you left. I walked you to your house. You didn’t seem drunk or anything,” he replied. Sakura grimaced, rubbing the back of her neck. 

“I didn’t say anything weird?” she pried. Shikamaru shook his head. And then he smirked, leaning over the desk to stare at her.

"Why? Does the great Haruno-senshu have bad drinking habits? That's not something we got to see in the news," he teased. She smiled, for a moment.

"I guess not."

After lunch, Sakura shuffled through the old logs Chiyo-sensei had left behind. As she flipped, the edge of one of the papers sliced through her fingertip. She scrambled to wrap a tissue around it so that blood wouldn't get on any of the papers. Hand clamped around her finger, she hurried out into the hallway, downstairs to the nurse's office.

She pushed the door open with one hand.

"Excuse me? Sensei?" she called out. 

There was a pause. A chair squeaked. And then a man with bright red hair emerged. That made Sakura pause. She had sort of expected the kind old lady who had always been there. The man paused too. 

"Haruno-sensei? How can I help you?" he asked her. And then his eyes drifted down to her finger clutched in her hand.

"Ah," he said.

She sat down in a chair, looking around the tiny office. The walls were bright white. There were two narrow beds separated by a blue curtain. There was a desk with a computer on it, along with green cabinets along the walls with glass doors. The office hadn't really changed since she had graduated. And she had been a frequent customer. Bruised legs, swollen toes- she had limped in here at least once a week to ask for an ice pack. 

The doctor sat on his rolling stool. He held out his hand to her. 

"It must be awkward when someone knows your name and you don't know theirs," he remarked. Sakura's lips twitched upwards.

"It is. You get used to it, though," she responded. 

"I'm Sabakuno Gaara. And you can probably guess that I'm the school doctor," he introduced himself. He then peeled back the tissue she had wrapped around her cut. Although there was a lot of blood, it was a shallow wound. He turned around in his chair to rummage through the drawers.

"I'm sorry I wasn't at your party yesterday. I have a son, so I can't stay out late," Gaara apologized, turning back to her. Sakura's eyebrows rose.

"You have a son? I don't mean to be rude, but how old are you?" she asked. 

"I'm 33. He's adopted, though. So no spreading rumors about me having a child in my teens," he responded. They chuckled. Sakura found her shoulders relaxing. She barely winced when he sanitized the cut with alcohol. 

"How are you liking the school so far?" asked Gaara. Sakura shrugged her free shoulder.

"It feels weird being back here. But nostalgic, at the same time. It's been a while," she answered. Gaara nodded.

"Nara-sensei used to be a student here too, right?" 

"He and I were in Hatake-sensei's class together. I've known him since we were kids," Sakura confirmed. She watched as Gaara wrapped a bandage around her finger. The bleeding had already stopped. It was more of a matter of keeping the cut clean. She could see the doctor pause as he saw the faint calluses on her fingers. Not on the tips, but running like lines down the sides. But she could tell that he was trying not to be rude because he didn't ask about them.

"There. All done. Can't have the new librarian bleeding to death," he quipped. Sakura got to her feet, bowing her head a little. He returned the gesture.

"Thank you, Sensei," she said. But as she turned toward the door, it slid open on its own. A student walked in, a yawn stretching his mouth. 

"Senseiiii, I'm gonna take a nap," he mumbled, stumbling his way in.  Gaara sighed, shaking his head.

But Sakura hooked her finger into the collar of the student's shirt as he walked past. 

"Hey! Let me go!" he grumbled. As he flailed to get free, he caught sight of her face. All signs of sleep fled from his expression. In fact, his entire face lit up as he turned to her.

"Nee-chan!" Naruto crowed, trying to throw his arms around her. Sakura jerked him away by his collar again. 

"We're at school. Call me 'sensei'," she reprimanded. And Naruto sulked, lower lip sticking out.

"You're so mean, Nee-chan. You don't even tell me you're coming back home. You don't come to visit us. And now you won't even let me hug you," Naruto whined. Sakura's expression didn't change. 

"I don't hug brats that skip class. Get out of here," retorted Sakura.

"But Hatake-sensei's class is boooring. He makes me sleepy," Naruto complained. Sakura released his collar to slap the back of his head. 

"Get back to class," she said again. Naruto rubbed the sore spot. And suddenly, his eyes gleamed.

"Will you come visit if I go back to class?" asked Naruto. Sakura's eyes narrowed. Hand on her hip as she considered this. And then, she flapped her hand at him. Naruto whooped.

"Today?" he asked.

"Fine, fine. Get out," Sakura sighed. 

Naruto raced out of the room faster than she had ever seen him move before. Gaara crossed his arms across his chest.

"It must be nice being from around here. Is Uzumaki-kun a relative of yours?" queried Gaara.

Sakura sighed, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Something like that."

As soon as the last bell rang, the library doors burst open. Naruto stood in the doorway, panting. Sakura didn't look up at him. She took her time double-checking the logbook before she closed it.

"Let's go!" Naruto wheedled. 

"Hold your horses. I've still got stuff to do," she replied. She moved to the windows to begin lowering the blinds. Naruto threw his stuff aside to help her, chattering away merrily. He grinned so hard that it almost looked like his face would tear in two. He had grown a lot taller, but he hadn't changed much in terms of his personality.

The ground was littered with flower petals. Muffling their footsteps. There were still students milling around the doors and schoolyard when Sakura stepped out. One hand gripping the strap of her bag. The window blew and her hair fell into her face. She pushed her bangs to the side as she watched Naruto run to retrieve his bike. 

She said nothing as he walked it over to her. The pedals spinning slowly as the wheels rotated. Naruto beamed.

"Let's go!"

Naruto chattered away as they made their way down the hill. He only stopped when students whizzed past on their bikes, shouting his name at the top of their lungs. And Naruto would yell their names back, laughing just as hard. At the bottom of the mountain was an old skating rink. It actually didn't look as old now. At some point, they had renovated the outside of the place. Gotten rid of the chipping paint. Now it was sparkling white, even the railing of the steps leading up to the door were new. Sakura spotted a cardboard cut-out of herself in one of the front windows, posing with a gold medal. Naruto laughed at it until he saw the expression on her face. Then he hurried to jam his bike into the rack. Pumping his arms at his sides, he burst in through the front door.

"Oi, Naruto! You'll break- hey! What are you doing!" a man yelled as Sakura walked in. 

She saw Naruto with the cut-out in his arms. And his father was holding onto the legs, trying to wrestle it away. They both froze when they saw her. 

"...oh.... OH!" Minato said, eyes popping wide open. Shoving the cut-out into his son's arms, he rushed over to greet Sakura. Grasping both her hands in his. His whole face lighting up. Naruto used the distraction to stuff the life-sized cut-out of her into the corner. Cramming it behind a potted plant.

"You're all grown up!" Minato breathed, his expression radiant. Sakura fumbled to come up with the right words in response. Naruto's parents had been friends with her own parents. They had always treated her like she was one of them. And Minato hadn't changed a bit. A little more wrinkled, a little silver sprinkled into his hair.

The door behind the counter opened up.

"What's all the ruckus here!" Kushina scolded as she came out. When she spotted Sakura, she froze mid-finger-wag. Ducking under the counter, she ran out to smother Sakura in a hug. Minato moved out of the way to avoid being crushed too.

"Oooooh look who it is! It's been too long! Why didn't you let us know you were moving back!" she exclaimed, rocking Sakura back and forth. Naruto danced around them, barely able to contain his glee.

"That's what I said, Mom!" he agreed.

When Kushina finally pulled away, Sakura felt the air rush back into her lungs. Kushina clasped both her hands. Squeezing tight.

"So! Are you here to skate?" asked Kushina. Sakura almost said no. Hesitated at the way mother and son were staring at her like children on Christmas day. Behind them, Minato shrugged.

"I...uh... I didn't bring my skates," Sakura tried.

"That's fine!" Naruto responded. He launched himself over the counter and began digging through the racks. He dug up a pair that looked brand new.

"23, right?" he asked.

Sakura blinked a few times. "Uh..."

"Come on, Naruto. Sakura-chan is probably tired. Don't be so pushy," Minato finally stepped in to help her. Kushina and Naruto groaned in unison, leaning against each other and sagging. Like two balloons losing air. Sakura felt herself swaying a little.

"Well... I guess a little while can't hurt. Naruto can come watch only if he promises to do all his homework later," Sakura bargained. Naruto sprang upright.

Minato clapped Naruto on the back. He cast Sakura a glance over his shoulder, mouthing 'thank you'. Naruto squirmed out of his father's grip to run after Sakura.

A wall of cool air hit Sakura as soon as she opened the door. She flexed her hands, wishing that she had brought at least a pair of gloves. Her slacks weren't exactly the best material for skating, but they would do. Shedding her cardigan, she stepped onto the ice. Rubbing her bare arms to warm them up.

She stood in the middle of the rink, inside the blue circle. The smell of the cold settled into the back of her throat. Something about it was comforting.

"What kind of music should I play?" asked Naruto. She looked over and found him fiddling with the speakers. He plugged his phone in, fingers hovering over the screen.

"Anything," Sakura replied. And she watched Naruto make a face. He scrolled through a few things. His face lit up. He selected a song, eyes glittering as he looked up at her. Waiting for her reaction.

The brass section swelled. The strings rising up to meet them. It was the song from her exhibition at her last World Championships. She smiled, nodding at him once. As the violin section rose in a gorgeous crescendo, Sakura took off. Her skates carving into the pristine ice. The rink spinning past as she raised her arms to the heavens. She could feel her blood pumping to all her limbs as she threw herself into her jumps. The sharp blades of the skates chipping away at the ice.

She took off on the edge of her left skate, spiraling through the air. Landing on her right foot, left leg extended back. Naruto half-cheered before he stopped himself, hands clapping over his mouth. The strings screeching into an almost dissonant noise as she gathered speed. She dug her toe pick into the ice, launching herself high. Arms tucked in, counting the rotations.

'You really suck at this', she remembered him laughing as he skated over to help her to her feet.  

She stuck the landing. Sweat beading on the back of her neck.

As she skated past, she glimpsed Naruto's star-struck expression. Face flushed as he watched her every move. She smiled a little to herself.

Once she finished the song, Naruto played another for her. The one from her short program during her second Junior Grand Prix. And then the free skate that had won her her second gold at the Grand Prix Final.

She felt her heart swell as she landed the tricky combination. Double-axel, triple-toe loop. The audience exploding into applause as she moved. Tears welled up in her eyes as she recalled sitting in the kiss and cry. Kisame throwing his arm around her as they announced her score. Another world record that she had shattered.

As the song ended, fading out in a decrescendo, the tears flowed freely down her face. Even though she was smiling. Even though all she could hear was the phantom applause, bouquets and dolls raining down onto the ice from the fans. The tears just wouldn't stop.

She knew that Naruto could see her. But he was surprisingly silent. He turned his back to her, pretending to check her phone. Giving her what little privacy he could as she composed herself.

Kushina invited her to stay for dinner. But Naruto distracted his mother, silently motioning for Sakura to slip out. She offered him a quick smile. Pretending that her nose was runny from how cold it was on the rink.

She took a hot bath when she got home. Leg dangling out of the tub, head resting against the tiled wall. She scrolled through her phone with one hand. Karin was back in Moscow, posing in front of the Red Square. Ino posted a photo of her morning smoothie bowl along with an inspirational quote. Sakura double-tapped both of them, adding a little heart to the count. She kept scrolling. Samui had posted a video of Haku skating in circles around her, showing off his new sponsored jacket and gloves.

Wrapped in a robe, wet hair twisted back in a towel, Sakura called Haku. It took a while. And when he did pick up, she could hear him fumbling.

"Haku?"

"Don't 'Haku' me! You're alive?!" he exclaimed.

"Ah," she replied. She sat at her desk. She had brought a few books home with her, just to read for fun. It had been a while since she had had the time to do anything like that.

"How could you just up and leave like that? You didn't even say goodbye? You didn't tell me beforehand that you were retiring? I've been calling you since the Olympics!" Haku nagged her nonstop. And Sakura listened, nodding like he could see her.

"You're so cruel! I was so distracted by you that I only got silver at the World Championships," he went on. It was almost like he was right in her ear. Sighing and complaining like he always did. That made her feel a little better.

“I seriously can’t believe you just retired like that,” Haku groaned into the phone for the millionth time. His voice was a little echoey. She could hear the sound of sharpened metal gliding across the ice.

“Are you training for the next season?” Sakura asked, leafing through a novel. She spotted a tear on one of the first few pages.

“Yeah. Coach says that if he ever sees you again, he’s going to chop you up and turn you into a hambagu steak,” Haku added, sounding a little less glum. There was a pause.

“I’m going to come visit you during the off-season. So I can rub all my new gold medals in your face,” he declared. Sakura laughed at that.

“I’ll look forward to it, Haku," she replied.

And then, just to rile him up, she added, "Maybe one day you'll get as many as me."

"Sakura, you asshole! Come up to Sendai and say that to my face!" he yelled. And then, in the background, she heard another voice.

"Wait! Is that Sakura-senpai? Let me say hi!"

“Haku! Get off the phone and get back on the ice or I’ll come over and beat your ass!”

"Ugh, so annoying! I'll call you back, Sakura," Haku hurried to say before he hung up.

Over the next several days, Sakura continued to get used to Konoha again. To the slow pace of the town. How people rarely hurried and pushed to get around. There were no angry drivers honking their horns or businessmen with stern faces shoving to fit on the train. People smiled more here. And Sakura had somehow managed to forget that during her time away.

With Tsunade's approval, Sakura began planning a small facelift for the library. She popped into the lab to ask Orochimaru for his help. He also happened to be the advisor of the botany club. With his help, she identified several plants that would help purify the air in the library. She spent part of her lunch break on the phone, looking for nearby nurseries. There was one a few towns over and she made a note to go visit it over the weekend.

"It's so... bland. Can we paint it?" Sakura asked, sticking her head into Tsunade's office again. The principal blinked.

"Paint it?" she repeated.

"I don't mean all the walls. Just... a mural against one of them?" Sakura suggested. Tsunade squinted at her.

"We don't have enough money to hire someone. Would you do it yourself?" asked Tsunade. Sakura made a face.

"Everything I draw ends up looking like a really ugly dog," she confessed. Tsunade tapped her chin.

"Why don't you go ask the art teacher? If he can't help, I'm sure he can point you to some students who can," Tsunade suggested.

"Oh? I haven't seen Iwano-sensei around. Do you know where I could find him?"

The art teacher when she had been a student was a young man from Tokyo. His roguish grins had made him popular with all the girls. And his love of video games had been him popular with all the boys. But Tsunade shook her head.

"Iwano-sensei was arrested for attempted arson not long after you graduated."

"Huh?"

"We have another art teacher now. He's an eccentric fellow, but he's not a bad guy," Tsunade explain. Sakura squinted at her.

"Are you really not going to tell me the arson story after you brought it up, Kouchou?" demanded Sakura. Tsunade shrugged.

"Not while I'm sober. Now go. I've got a meeting with a parent soon," the older woman said, pointing toward the door.

Sakura stepped out into the hallway. As she headed up the stairs, she spotted Shikamaru teaching in one of the classrooms. She waved as she passed. He nodded once, still talking as he leaned against his desk. And while he loved to complain about his kids, most of them seemed to be paying attention as he spoke.

She stopped in the art room. There was no one there. No note on the door to indicate where the teacher had gone. She dropped by two more times by the end of the school day. Still no sign of the elusive art teacher. Shrugging, Sakura packed up her things.

There was no rush. She would try again tomorrow.

As Sakura walked out the school gate, she heard footsteps pounding after her.

"Nee-ch- I mean, Sensei!" Naruto called after her. She paused. Waiting for him to catch up to her. His messenger bag banging against his hip as his feet pounded the sidewalk.

"Are you okay?" he queried between huffing breaths. Sakura put her hand on her hip.

"After the other day, I mean. You seemed really upset," Naruto went on. Eyes wide as he stared at her.

"Yeah. You know. You start to get sentimental when you get old like me. Don't worry about it too much, Naruto," she sighed. He scowled.

"You're like... 27. You're not old yet," he argued. Smiling, she reached out to ruffle his hair.

"Aw, flattering me already? You've grown up a lot," she joked. And he grinned at her as he tried to fix his hair.

"Does that mean you're going to come back today?" he asked. Eyes going all glittery again. Sakura smiled, hands slipping into her pockets. Head tilting back to stare up at the blue, blue skies.

“No,” she replied.

“What? WHY?” Naruto demanded.

“Because I saw you sleeping in Hatake-sensei’s class again.”

“Oh, come on!” groaned Naruto as he trailed after her. All the way down the side of the mountain. 

[nautiscarader]

New Year’s Kiss

Tristeva, Yumalia, T (though with some naughtiness Ankama got us used to), 4.9k (say whaaaa)

(masterpost which I still need to update from the november prompts shut up I know just use the tag for now) (Read on Ao3) (Read on FF)

Elely is sick watching Yugo and Amalia moping and doping about their on-and-off relationship, and decides to put a plan to tie the knot around them, whether they like it or not.

Happy New year everybody (especially my buddy @ninja-courtney)!

If you decide to start reading this fic at 23:45:33, then it will end precisely at bugger all because of time zones.

This fic takes place post-Season 3 and post-whatever Ankama decides to do with the heroes stranded in the Gods' dimension...

I just wanted to write some holiday fluff about Percedal family, because they are #bestfamily2k17 and out of all them Elely is #bestshipper2k17, as I have told in my episode "reviews". and you know me - Yumalia gotta prevail.

Wait, wait, I got a nice one: What do you call a christmas Yumalia fic? A YULE-malia! Eh? Eh? I'll shut up now.

- Open up, Tristegnon, the choo-choo is coming... - Evangelyne cooed to her youngest son, bringing the spoon filled with mushy cawwots closer and closer to his mouth. She smiled, staring into his surprised face, hoping that this time...

SPLAT!

In a blink of an eye, Tristegnon smacked the spoon from his mother's hand, which smashed in the same spot on the wall as five previous ones, deepening the orange splash against the dark wood. His cries broke the seeming tranquillity in Percedal household kitchen, forcing Evangelyne to slump onto her chair, defeated once more.

- What do I do with you? - she groaned - You're crying because you're hungry, and then you won't even take a single bite, so you cry more! - Mom, let me do it.

Up until now, Elely, chopping cawwots at the other side of the table, patiently watched her mother's attempts at handling another Iop baby. She stood up, walked around the table, quite unceremoniously yanked the bowl from her hands and half-sat on the table to meet her brother eye-to-eye.

- That's how you should do it. - she instructed, taking the spoon - Hey there, Tristegnon! Look at that, it's a huge beam of cawwot energy that will kill all of your loved ones, and you're the only one who can save them by taking it! There goes a destructive beam of energy, there goes a destr... CHOMP! The small Iop eagerly clamped his mouth over the spoon, slurping the pulp, licking his lips afterwards.

- There, that should do it. - she jumped from the table, ignoring her mother's dumbfounded face. - Honestly, you and your brother sometimes give me nightmares! - she fumed, though slightly content that her littlest won't be hungry anymore - My sister warned me about having a Iop as a husband, and I can see why. I sometimes wish I didn't... Suddenly, the steady, monotonous sound of knife hitting the cutting board stopped, and the two met their eyes.

- Mom...? - Elely's voice quivered - What... What did you want to say?

At once, Evangelyne understood her mistake, and ran to her daughter, almost terrified that she might run away as she approached her. The avalanche of guilt swept over her as she hugged her, feeling tiny droplets of tears on her shoulder.

- Mommy, you-you still love us, right? And D-daddy, right? - Oh course I do, honey, of course I do. - Evangelyne whispered through her own tears, hugging Elely tighter She let her go, hoping to find a smile on Elely's face, and to her relief, she received much more, when her daughter placed a kiss, though not exactly non-teary one, on her cheek.

- I'm sorry, honey. - she wiped her eyes. - It's just... Sometimes love is difficult, that's it. And your brother, well, he's not exactly helping it. - How come? - Elely looked at her, curious - Love isn't hard at all. Evangelyne smiled and ruffled Elely's hair.

- Well, maybe to you, but once you grow up, you will learn it's a bit nuanced. That means "difficult". - No it's not! Love is easy. - she snorted, counting - You two spend equal time kissing, arguing... - That is one way of looking at it... - Evangelyne chuckled. - ...and doing the naked wrestling thingy. Not just the utensils, but Elely herself rose into the air when Evangelyne smashed her hand on the table.

- Elely! Have you been spying on me and your father when I specifically told you not to? - What's the big deal? - she asked back, gathering the scattered cawwots - If you like to play that way, it's your choice, you don't have to shout at us. - That's not the way to talk to your mother, young lady. - Evangelyne hissed - If your father were here... She looked towards the window, but through the steamed glass not much could be seen, and even without the obstruction, the snow outside wouldn't let Evangelyne locate her husband and her other son. She was about to say that once he gets back he will give them "the talk", but once she thought about it, she came to the conclusion that their father is not the ideal teacher for more delicate issues.

Trying to avoid any more arguing with her daughter, she slumped back onto her chair, and continued feeding Tristegnon.

- Grown-ups make all things complicated! - Elely grumbled under her breath, flowing her Iopish pent-up anger into her hand, utterly pulverising the cawwots in the process - Not just you and dad, even uncle Yugo and auntie Amalia act all stupid sometimes! - Elely, you mustn't call them that! - But they are! - Elely roared - They obviously love each other, but they act as if they didn't know about it! - I had the impression that you thought that kissing was gross and "icky". - Well, it kinda is... - Elely admitted - But it's makes me more angry to watch these two dumb-dumbs not doing it, even though they should!

Looking back at her daughter, Evangelyne's lips curled into a smirk.

- Well, as I said, love can sometime be tricky... - But in this case it's not! It's easy as chopping those cawwots! He loves her, she loves him, what's more to that? - she groaned, pointing to two bits of cawwots, one large and one small, using them as dolls - But oh, no, they have to pretend, and always use big words to talk to each other, as if they couldn't just explain this to themselves. You'd think that after they kissed it would be easy-peasy, but it got even more covno... conovo...difficult. - Again, Elely, I told yo-THEY DID WHAT? One more time the bowl of freshly chopped cawwots rose and fell onto the table, this time properly scaring Elely, lost in her own thoughts.

- Uh, what's that, mommy? - Did... did you say that Amalia... - Uh-uh. - Elely nodded. - And Yugo? - she inquired more, still utterly bewildered by her daughter's revelations. - Mhm. - Back in the Oropo's tower? - she added after a while, once she thought about it. Elely nodded again.

- That little... - Evangelyne grumbled under her breath - You'd think she would tell her best friend... Elely giggled under her breath.

- Maybe uncle Yugo wasn't good at it? Auntie Amalia didn't look very pleased afterwards... - Elely pondered. - And I assume you found out about it in the usual way? - Evangelyne smirked, raising her brow. - Yup. They didn't even see me, they thought I was in the glowing elevator thingy. Mom, I have an idea! - she suddenly rose to her feet - Why don't we invite them over and put them under a mistletoe? Then they will have to make up with each other and kiss! - Well, that is a plan. - Evangelyne sighed, taking fed Tristegnon into her arms to make him burp - I've been meaning to do that anyway, after we've rebuilt the house... She looked around the kitchen walls, patched with wooden planks that just a year ago were half-destroyed by Oropo's Pandawa henchman.

- We have spare bedroom! We can invite them for Kwismas! - Elely shouted, waving her hands eagerly. - Well, maybe not Kwismas, I think they would like to spend that time with their families... And so will we... But New Year sounds more doable, doesn't it? Elely cheered, but at the same time the rush of cold air invaded the warm interior, when Tristepin and Flopin opened the door, dragging something huge behind them.

- Look honey what our son caught!

Tristepin, or rather Rubilax, lifted the bag into the air and emptied its contents onto the floor, which turned out to be a carcass of an enormous boar, shot, seemingly with just one arrow sticking through his head.

- Oh, brilliant, more meat to prepare, as if the pantry wasn't full already. - Evangelyne sighed and rolled her eyes - If you want more jerky, then you will have to skin it and deal with it yourselves. - she pointed to her meat-loving daughter and husband. - Don't worry, dad, I will show you how. - Flopin nudged his father's healthy arm. - What were you two laughing about when we came back? Auch! - We've been talking about inviting Amalia and Yugo for the New Year's... - Evangelyne explained calmly, smacking Tristepin's hand with a ladle when he tried to taste the steaming soup from the cauldron. - Although Elely was a bit more... conniving about their stay. - Awesome! - Tristepin cheered, though his face frowned almost instantly - But what do you mean about that, uh, that other word? Evangelyne and Elely giggled, bringing more consternation to the men listening to the conversation.

- I will explain that later, honey. - she kissed him on the cheek - For now, why don't you make the table while I put Tristegnon to bed, hm?

Throughout Kwismas, the plan of inviting Yugo and Amalia, discussed primarily between Elely, Evangelyne and Flopin matured well enough to be put into action, and just two days after the kids sent their invitations, they got two affirmative replies.

One unexpected side effect of Elely's plan was how much more time the three spent with each other, trying to come with interesting ways of bringing their guests closer, though Evangelyne had to intervene whenever her twins' imagination went too far. Much to Elely's disappointment, her seemingly amazing idea of putting both Amalia and Yugo into one bedroom, was thwarted before Elely could even finish saying it. She grumbled about 'grown-ups' and 'spoilsport' for a good while afterwards. It was settled that Yugo will sleep in the twins' room for one night.

But a few better ideas were proposed: the amount of mistletoe doubled in the house, especially above the doorways and any vertical places one could sit on, to maximise the chances of the two finding themselves underneath it. Evangelyne would not dare to disappoint her children that the supposed rule is nothing more than just a tradition, seeing how eagerly the two decorated the house.

Whenever the three of them were not playing match-makers, under Evangelyne's supervision, she and Flopin prepared special arrows equipped with small sacks of exploding powder to be fired at the midnight, once the new year arrives.

A day before the New Year's Eve, the preparations to welcome the two guests seemed finished and that nothing could spoil it.

But the dawn of the new day rectified that, since from the moment Yugo's and Amalia's eyes met each other, as they stepped from the two Zaap portals over the hills, the two couldn't look more outraged at the other one's presence, though whenever Evangelyne turned her head to Yugo, she could see a longing frown as he marched behind the princess.

- Did you guys write that they won't be arriving alone? - Evangelyne whispered conspiratorially to Elely and Flopin, once their guests stepped into the house. - Of course not, mommy! - Elely eagerly answered - That was the whole point, otherwise they couldn't come.

Evangelyne sighed. If she had any hopes that the two would somehow make themselves comfortable in each other's presence, then the dinner time shattered it. Sure, Amalia was more than happy to talk with Eva, and Yugo was delighted to meet his best buddy and his wild children, but whenever the two met each other's eyes, it felt as if a cold wind swept through the room they were currently in.

The twins made sure to offer Yugo and Amalia matching seats across the long table, but to their disappointment, instead they chose the ones as far away from each other as possible, and only because the others chose their chairs quickly, Yugo and Amalia had to endure looking into each other's eyes throughout the feast. The monumental roasted boar made it a bit easier for Yugo to avoid Amalia's stare, but with Tristepin and Elely's hunger, the meat very quickly turned into bones, slowly revealing the disgusted face of Amalia, taking another portion of salad.

Not a word was spoken, and for once, Evangelyne thought it was for the better. Judging from Amalia's grimace, even the tiniest spark could set the emotional princess on fire, and she silently prayed that none such occasion would occur.

- So, what the two of you've been up to? I thought you guys would be so happy together, but you are dead silent, like there's something wrong! - Tristepin blurted out, swallowing a large chunk of meat - Eva, why are scratching your neck so funny? Amalia turned her head to spot Evangelyne moving her hand across her neck, failing spectacularly to cut her husband off. She faked a smile, and nearly stuck her face underneath the table, when Amalia gripped its edge, darted her head upwards and spoke, calmly at first.

- For your information, Tristepin, I didn't know that your friend would be here, and judging from his twisted face neither was he - she sneered, watching as Yugo's visage twisted into the very same scowl Amalia just talked about. - And if you could have made a worse faux-pas to invite a man that has broken, nay, shattered my heart, then... - And what about mine?

Yugo stood up, grasping the corners of his side of the table, mirroring Amalia's behaviour. - You don't think how horrible I felt when I had to leave you? - You didn't have to leave anyone, you spoiled egocentric immortal king, you! - Amalia leaned over the table, as if she wished she could get closer to shout at her sudden adversary. - Says you, who can live equally long life - Yugo roared back - Or maybe you don't, I-I don't even know how our relationship would look like, ever thought about that? - Well, if you think that we shouldn't be together, then we shouldn't be sitting at the same table. - You know, I think for once you are right. With his arms spread, Yugo suddenly moved them, forming a circle mid-air, and a flash of blue portal light hid him from the rest for a moment. Once the light disappeared, however, the part of the table with his seat was pushed as far back into the room as possible, and only the faint glimmer of light around its edge told the others that the furniture wasn't broken, but magically moved. In turn, Amalia fumed, grasped her end of the wooden table, who to Percedal's family surprise, rumbled, glowed green, and the wood grew under her magic, extending it and pushing her in the opposite direction, all the way through the long corridor.

Evangelyne, Tristepin and their kids turned their heads back and forth, trying to see if they can even spot their guests from their position, though to an onlooker it might have looked like they were watching an invisible game of ping-pong on a very uneven surface.

Just when Evangelyne thought the space between the two was an issue, Amalia and Yugo stood from their chairs, snorted, and walked in the opposite direction, joining at the stairs, towards their rooms upstairs, without even a word spoken. Two loud slams indicated that the two shut themselves off in their corresponding rooms.

Without their magic, both ends of the table broke, sending most of the plates to the ground in cacophony of shattered china, with only a few full plates surviving, thanks to the agility (and hunger) of Tristepin, Elely and Flopin.

Evangelyne let out a long, wailing sigh, that soon turned into a cry. Understanding her intentions at once, and foreseeing another storm coming from a mile away, the kids and their father rushed to the kitchen for brooms, cloths, and buckets of water.

Cleaning the living room took the three a better part of the evening, and while Tristepin visited the kitchen every once in a while to see how Evangelyne was holding up, after the nerve-wrecking argument, Elely and Flopin formed a new plan. It certainly helped that the twins understood each other's intentions almost wordlessly, and once they were done with gathering bits of broken wood, they grabbed the two plates of cake from the kitchen, under their parent's absence, and rushed upstairs, until they met the doors to the guest room and their own, turned into a temporary second one.

Elely pointed Flopin to the one on the right, while she gently knocked on the one on the left.

- WHAT DO YOU WANT?

The floor rumbled under Amalia's roar, though that didn't scare Elely in the slightest. She turned the knob and peered through the door, hoping that if Amalia decides to attack her, she will at least be able to save the cheesecake.

- Auntie Amalia? - Elely asked, putting quite an effort to pull off a sing-song voice - I brought you dessert, I thought you might want it...

But instead of rampaging, angry, heart-broken princess, Elely found Amalia curled onto the guest bed, sitting in the unlit room, staring at the snow, falling outside the window. Unless Elely was very much mistaken, the same orange light from the lamp outside reflected in the tears in her eyes.

- Oh... - Amalia said softly, taking the plate from her - Thank you. She absent-mindedly put it on the table next to the bed. As if approaching a sleeping sabre-tooth tiger, Elely crept to the chair, and sat on it, clearing her throat. She found herself in quite unsettling situation, as her usual temperamental approach to solving problems simply wouldn't work, but fortunately help came from the very person she was going to persuade.

- I'm sorry, Elely, that I lost my control over the dinner. I should be there, helping you clean the room. - It's okay, we did it already. - Elely waved her legs mid-air - So... you and uncle Yugo... You're not exactly... uh... - It's complicated, I think is the safest to say - Amalia sighed longingly - It is plainly obvious he was in love with me for years now... But then again, he... As an Eliatrope... Well, he might have different plans for the rest of his life. And as you can see, it is difficult for me to... reciprocate the feeling.

She took the plate, and ate a rather large bit of the cake. Elely had the impression that the empty calories might be just what the needy princess wanted right now.

- Okay, so here's the thing, auntie... - Elely cleared her throat again. - And don't get mad about it... But you're dense as a brick. - What did you say?! - And that comes from a Iophead, so listen, now. - Elely jumped from her chair to the bed, almost pinning Amalia to the wall behind her - Uncle Yugo is crazy in love with you, and so are you about him. And I don't care about any silly grown-up rules, or manners.... - That is obvious! - ...but I know that you two should have been married like mom and dad for years now. Both of you said some horrible stuff about each other, and you should apologise. A kid tells you that. And I'm sure Yugo wants to apologise to you as well.

Amalia blinked a few times, staring at the surprisingly authoritative-looking figure of the little Iopess, and swallowed loudly.

- Well, perhaps you are right.

To Elely's surprise, Amalia stood up, walked to the door, and froze in place as she opened it. Elely didn't have to peek in order to know what happened in Yugo's room, but from the look on Yugo's face, her brother succeeded into making him apologise as well. The twins gave each other a nod, and scooted from the rooms towards the stairs, though neither Yugo nor Amalia, linked by a sorrowful, silent stare, wouldn't have noticed either of them walking past them anyway.

Neither of them shouted or argued, the two simply walked slowly towards each other. The twins moved another step back, peeking, while they leaned on the stairs, seeing only half of a scene that was taking place before their eyes, though in the silence that fell, they could hear every word.

- Ami... Amalia... - Yugo... Elely rolled her eyes, watching the two slowly stepping closer to each other, saying only the other one's name. Flopin nudged his sister, pointing to the mistletoe hanging just above these two. Suppressing her happiness, Elely nodded back to her brother, hoping that the long, mopy act they had to endure might actually end exactly like they planned, and the two eagerly watched Yugo and Amalia staring at each other in a silent trance.

But once the initial moment of enchantment was gone, the two knew something was wrong.

- Well? - Amalia asked suddenly, crossing her arms. - Well what? - Yugo asked back, raising his brow. - The apology, Yugo. You were going to apologise for your outrageous behaviour! - Me!? - he stumbled - I thought you were going to do that! - You are out of your mind! Elely and Flopin sighed. Yugo and Amalia's voices dissolved into a quarrelling mess, as the two tried to outshout each other. Defeated and despondent, the twins walked down to the room without exchanging ever so much a word, until Flopin stopped on the landing.

- Look at the clock, it's nearly midnight! - The fireworks! Two two took one last look at the still arguing couple, shrugged, and ran downstairs. As they suspected, their mom was already on the porch, holding what looked like a small sack of fur in her arms, though they knew it was their brother, coated in several layers of warm clothes.

- There you are, Flopin. I've been wondering what took you so long. Wait, where is Amalia? And Yugo?

Evangelyne looked inside the house, as if expecting to see the two, though from the frowns on her children's faces, she already knew what was the reason of her friends' absence. She kneeled, and still holding her newest member of family, patted the twins heads, sliding woolen hats on them.

- I'm sorry, kids, that your plan didn't work in the end. I wish Yugo and Amalia could find a common ground more than anyone else, believe me. - I think we made everything worse... I think. - Flopin mumbled, snorting. - Don't say that - Eva cheered him - You did everything you could to bring these two together. But sometimes... - she sighed - Now, who wants to see some fireworks? - she stood up, happy to see at least a slightly faint smiles forming on their faces - I know who definitely wants to see them for the first time, don't I? Tristegnon laughed at her mother's smile, wiggling his arms, though with the amount of protective clothing, the range of his arms was minimal. His father burst through the door, holding the long explosive arrows, a task Evangelyne wasn't sure he was up to, at least initially.

It was barely snowing anymore, and the night sky, glowing with Winter stars, seemed like a perfect canvas waiting for a bit of colour. Eva and Flopin took their bows, waited a couple of minutes, and when the first bells of a distant Xelor church rang, they shot the flaming arrows high in the sky, which exploded with a loud "bang", illuminating the snowy fields with orange that slowly turned into crimson red. From his father's arms, little Tristegnon marvelled at the miracles unfurling in front of his eyes, babbling ecstatically every time a new colour appeared seemingly out of nowhere: yellow, red, green, blue...

Just like the bells announced the beginning of new year's celebration outside, the first sneeze of Flopin sounded like a good time to end them, after already impressive tenth round of firework arrows. Elely called Flopin a "runny nose", and rushed to the door, knowing well he still had one explosive arrow in his quiver, and he won't be afraid to use it. But when she arrived at the door, she froze, turned around and waved eagerly at parents and brother to stop running and creep towards her.

Only when the rest of the Percedal family got closer to the window, they understood Elely's sudden giggling.

Next to the warm, inviting fire, two people sat on the cozy sofa, embraced in a tight, passionate kiss. While Amalia's loose hair blended with the green drubbing, Yugo's yellow Kwismas sweater and blue hat contrasted with it, and provided a clear indication where she begun, and he ended, as with the tangled mess of limbs it wasn't as easy as one might think.

- Well, what do you know... - Evangelyne whispered, trying to suppress equally girly giggle. - Yeah... - Tristepin added somewhat nervously - What? Aren't you happy about your best friend? - I am, but the weather is frightful, and that fire looks so delightful... - he spoke through his chattering teeth. Another sneeze, this time from her youngest, mortified Evangelyne, lost in mushy thoughts about her friend that has been through so much recently, and without any guilt, she opened the door, causing the couple, entwined in each other's arms to jump in place, when the sudden rush of cold air that made the hair on heir skin stand in an instance.

- So, who wants some cocoa before hitting the bed? - Evangelyne asked, getting a loud simultaneous cheer from the rest of her family.

Almost nonchalantly, she looked at the still flustered princess and her admirer, caught red-handed, and from the looks, red-lipped, and returned the well-earned smile that slowly moved the corners of Amalia's mouth up.

The next morning things seemed much different than a day before. Evangelyne, Flopin, Tristepin and Elely kept exchanging knowing, happy looks, while Yugo and Amalia were too absorbed, staring into each other's faces, sitting across the table at the first breakfast of the new year. Their plates were intact, and the two love-stricken had their faces so close to each-other, that their noses almost touched each other.

Only Evangelyne's less-than-subtle cough brought the two lovebirds back to reality, painting their faces crimson, preventing them from pulling each other into a fierce kiss. Amalia fixed her hair, and looked around, as if she didn't spent last few minutes gaping at her boyfriend.

- I'm going to forgive you, Eva, for the, uhm, scheme you put us through. - Amalia asserted, passing a bowl of salad, trying to evade her eyes - Though I can't say I'm too disappointed with the outcome, of course. - Oh, then you should be forgiving our kids - Evangelyne smiled, putting her arm around Elely's shoulder, pulling her closer to her - They were right saying that you guys were taking about half a decade too long to realise what's between you two. Flopin and Elely exchanged a loud high-five across the table.

- And I've got to admit to you, children, perhaps you were right. - Eva said - Sometimes love can be easy. - It sure is! - Elely shouted - You did all the things to do: you argued a bit... - ...then you kissed... - ...and then...

Evangelyne understood her children's intentions a bit too late to stop them, and she nearly lunged herself across the table, eyes-widened to silence them before they could finish, in unison, resulting in her almost falling onto the plate of meats.

- ...and then you did the naked wrestling!

Out of all the other listeners, only Tristegnon, sitting in his high chair couldn't understand the consequences of his siblings' action and only his cooing could be heard in the dead silence that fell in the kitchen, and stayed for quite some time, until Evangelyne and Amalia roared.

- I told you, mom, Elely saw some fireworks on the horizon, she dragged me out, so we can watch them, and the we heard them... Auch! - Snitch! - Children, I can't hear the dishes being cleaned. From her comfy chair, Evangelyne didn't bother to argue with her hyperactive children. She hoped that a few weeks of household chores should teach them a lesson, though perhaps the more informative one on the subject of biology was a proper torture already for their too eager minds. - You could have told us it's about making babies! - Elely groaned from the sink - It sounds so gross we won't sneak and watch you, it even if you'd ask us... - You know what, I change my mind, love is difficult as heck. - Flopin lamented, putting another cleaned plate on his side, with vague hope that this might end his bit earlier.

Elely and Flopin weren't the only ones to receive a punishment. Smiling, Evangelyne read Amalia's lengthy letter, describing not just the kiss she didn't mention to her, but also as the events of the New Year's Eve, and the first week of Yugo's stay at her castle. One of two things were obvious: either Amalia developed imagination and a literary talent that could very well swipe other cheap romance novels for lone housewives from the shelves, or Yugo's skills really were as fabulous as she wrote, and their future was looking rather bright.

Somewhere above the kitchen, Tristepin was desperately trying to put Tristegnon to bed, though from the sounds of it, his attempts at making his son sleep turned into another pretend sword-fight. Evangelyne stretched her arms, and got comfortable in the chair. She will need to save the two later, of course, but for now, the brave Cra enjoyed well-earned bit of peace and quiet. Until another quarrel, that is.

A/N.: The scene at the table, with Yugo and Amalia growing apart is definitely not stolen from a little movie called "Citizen Kane". Nope, no siree. No, but seriously, that was coincidental.

[aion-rsa]

Warrior, Snake Eyes, and What’s Next for Andrew Koji

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His first major role in a feature film Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins was on the horizon, as well as the 2nd season of the Bruce Lee inspired Warrior where plays the lead. But then, Cinemax announced that they were no longer commissioning original shows to make way for the new streaming platform, HBO Max. The fate of Warrior remains unknown. And soon after that the pandemic hit, postponing Snake Eyes until 2021.

But then in September, Andrew got some great news. He was cast alongside Brad Pitt in a new David Leitch film called Bullet Train. Cinemax released Warrior Season 2 on schedule and new episodes will arrive through November when Bruce Lee would have been celebrating his 80th birthday. Koji spoke with Den of Geek about Warrior, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, and much more. 

Den of Geek: What was your favorite Bruce Lee movie? 

Andrew Koji: Enter The Dragon is an obvious one. To be honest, I’m going to go with Game of Death. I know he didn’t finish it, but there was something about it. They did a 40-something-minute cut of the original of what they did and think there’s something really interesting there. I think that could make a great film nowadays. If you haven’t got Bruce Lee, it’s just not going to work. I’m going to go for that one just to be a bit different.

Oh, very good. No one’s ever answered that one. Interesting.

Nice!

Can you tell us a little bit about your martial arts background?

Yeah. I started martial arts growing up from around 10 to 20. I did Taekwondo…and my dad used to study Kyokoshin Karate. In the garden, he used to hold these sofa pillow kind of things for pads, and I used to kick them and he used to teach me those things. Then I got injured with Taekwondo, tore my ass in half – my gluteus maximus, minimus and all that – and then had to stop and change.

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Culture

Bruce Lee Forever! Shannon Lee Reflects on Her Father’s Legacy

By Gene Ching

I went to Kung Fu because it had less kicks, because I found it hard to walk. And did some acrobatics on the side – not exactly what they call ‘tricking’ but kind of around that. Then I stopped around 20 and just dabbled with Jujistu and stuff, which I still want to go back to and study properly. But today’s circumstances don’t really cater towards rolling around with people.

For Warrior, I picked up Wing Chun, which I did a bit of that actually when I was younger, and then I studied lots of Taekwondo for Season 2.

When you were first approached to do Warrior were you tentative about being stereotyped as a Bruce Lee clone?

Oh, yeah. Totally. I moved away from martial arts almost because of that. I remember at the time, when I was about 18 or so, the only Asians that I saw on TV or film were all doing martial arts, you know?

So, I wanted to rebel against that and not do anything to do with it. I was like, ‘Screw that. Screw everything else I’ve been learning.’ I just want to become an actor. I just want to Daniel Day-Lewis the hell out of stuff, or maybe Joaquin Phoenix a bit more. I was definitely scared because of that aspect of that. I know I’ll probably get boxed in doing action things for a little bit, but I think I’ll be able to break out of it.

But also I think with Warrior, because that’s just an element of it, there’s so much story and the characters are so well done, I’m not too scared of it because of that, because they’ve done such a good job. If it was just a trashy, glossy, superficial martial arts show, then I’d be worried. But because it’s got a good story, interesting characters, it needs us to give good performances for it. I wasn’t too worried after that.

One of the things I really love about this show is the chemistry between Ah Sahm and Young Jun. Can you talk a little bit about how you and Jason Tobin bonded for that?

Yeah. Me and Jason, I think from the beginning, Season 1, we got on straight away because both of us have got strange stories, up until that point. I was ready to give up acting. Even though he’s playing Young Jun, he’s a bit older than me. He’s got a family with three kids so he was in a similar place, and he was just as grateful for the job, as I was, if not more so because he’s been in this game far longer than I have.

Better Luck Tomorrow, his first big film, was years ago. Jason, he’s a real artist. He’s got this independent film called Jasmine, which you’ve got to see, man. He made that himself. It’s phenomenal. Because he’s an interesting dude and he’s got an artist’s heart, we just got on really well. Hopefully, we’ll do a film together someday. 

Now, you’re adding Chen Tong for Hong into the cast. I really love the trio of you guys. 

He brought a lot lightness. After Bolo [Rich Ting] unfortunately died, and Young Jun’s going through stuff in Season 2, Jonathan [Tropper] was like, “We need a bit of lightness to this,” and Chen Tang, he bought that. He was great casting for that.

How’s your body holding up with all the stunts and fighting?

Now, it’s doing all right because I’m in lockdown. The six pack’s gone or the definition of Season 2 of it has gone. It definitely takes a toll as you’re getting older. I’m 32 now and I’m going to be 33 in November, and, to be honest, it’s probably in better condition than it was before I started in Warrior, because I was living a reckless life back then. I was drinking a lot. I was eating whatever I wanted and now it feels all right actually, in comparison.

What’s been your favorite fight scene so far?

We’ll, I’ve got to give a shout out to Mike Bisping because he took that kick like the absolute man, multiple times, to his face and there was no ego about it. He knew that he was part of helping Bruce Lee’s story come to life. I’ve got the utmost respect for someone like him who can put himself in the room and literally put his life on line. The character of Ah Sahm, he would tear into shreds. I’d let him do so because I’ve got respect for the guy. Doing that just on a man-to-man level, to be able to have the experience of kicking a British UFC champion in the face multiple times… I don’t think many people would be able to say they kicked a UFC champion in the face and lived. So, that was the highlight. He’s a great dude and a really interesting guy. 

Filming-wise, things started to really ramp up towards the end of season. The highlights we used for the Episode 10 fight, which was a very, very tough scene to shoot, but was absolutely magic. I almost collapsed at one point filming that, but then the next day came back, dig deep, and we managed to make the day and managed to get everything we need to do on schedule. I think we managed to capture some the magic that we felt and the energy. That was literally a life-experience highlight shoot, that fight scene. It was such a team effort. 

How does it feel being the lead actor in a series that’s predominately an Asian tale?

It’s an honor, in a way, to help bring this story to life. I think the best actors don’t think of themselves just as lead actors. Their vessel might be who they are, the lead, but the lead doesn’t work if the other performances aren’t there and if everyone else is falling apart.

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Warrior Season 2: What to Expect From the Return of the Martial Arts Drama

By Gene Ching

I’m just saying this, but I’m an actor and I’m very picky with my acting. I can’t help but watch a film or a performance and not pick it apart. Probably 90% of the time I’m like, “That was a bad moment. That was a weird one. That was whatever.” There’s obviously very few shows, personally, that I look at and go, “Wow, everyone’s really on point and this is really good.”

When I see Warrior Season 2 and I see these great actors; Kieran [Bew], Tom [Weston-Jones], Hoon [Lee], Joe [Taslim], et cetera, et cetera, I’m more honored that I’m amongst this cast. When I see their performances I’m like, “Whoa, these guys are good, because they’re nothing like this in real life.” It’s more that it’s an honor to be able to work alongside these people who are just so good at what they’re doing.

Warrior is so much of an immigrant tale, and here in America, of course, immigration’s become a big issue, and in the UK as well, how do you feel about the current politics of that and how that plays into Warrior being shown now?

There’s a lot of coincidental parallels to certain things; the climate of the world and certain people’s attitudes towards certain people. That wasn’t the intention of Jonathan or the writers at the time. I know that definitely immigration issues happen all the time, but I think it makes the show more eerily relevant, and it wasn’t even its intention. They were literally just trying to tell the story of what happened roughly at the time, make the best show that they could and use bits of history.

It’s eerie because in certain aspects it’s clear that we have not grown as humans and we have not learned certain things. Those are real things that happened back in the day in 1817 or around that time of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Real things. It’s eerie to the point of being a bit like, “Wow. We need to learn. We need to grow. We need to get better.” History’s going to repeat itself until we just get over certain things, I think.

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins got delayed to 2021. How do you feel about that? You’re all in the can for that one, right?

Yeah. I think there’s more reasons too. I’m fine with that. I think we did the best that we could on that one. I’m hoping that I brought the most layered Storm Shadow and realistic kind of Storm Shadow to screen, even though there’s only one guy before me. I think it’s the current climate. I think the film industry’s suffering quite a bit, I’m hearing. If it’s best for the film, for the audience, for people… I don’t think many people want to go to the cinema right now. So don’t release the film. It wouldn’t be a good idea.

I got to ask you about Bullet Train. Brad Pitt and David Leitch, that’s awesome. Congratulations on that.

Oh. Thanks, man. That’s surreal, that one. I never thought I’d be working with Brad Pitt, ever in a million years. He was a distant legend, an icon. He’s someone who’s inspired me on my journey with films. There’s been countless films that have inspired me, and he’s produced them as well. This guy – he’s going to go down in history as this huge Hollywood figure.

Also, bear in mind, the fame and all that that he’s got, as a man, how he’s composed himself – I mean I don’t know him personally. I haven’t met him yet either. But he hasn’t let it get to his head, it doesn’t seem. It seems he’s a cool, chill dude and he’s not about himself. As a man, I think that’s quite admirable. It’s really admirable to be in that position of power and not become an absolute douche and abuse power, which most people do. I respect that dude, absolutely.

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TV

Warrior: The Historical Inspiration for Nellie Davenport

By Gene Ching

To get to work with him and then David Leitch who I know he’s made those million films before. Atomic Blonde, I liked, and Deadpool 2, I thought, was shot really amazingly. I’ve got a feeling he’s going to become something. Whether it’s this film or not, he’s going to do a masterpiece. He’s on his way to doing that, I think. Besides the box office billion-dollar film thing, besides from the business aspect that he’s done well with, I know he’s going to do something, or he will, or he’s doing something really good. He seems really cool so far. Warrior has helped me to be in this position to do this job, so I’m just bringing every skill that it taught me, and I’m bringing it to these ones in the future.

Man, Brad Pitt. I’m freaking out a bit. But, yeah. Brad Pitt, come on. I saw the article the other day. I was like, “What’s my face doing next to Brad Pitt’s? Nah. Nah. What’s going on?”

So, are you going to be ready for Season 3 of Warrior, if it comes around?

Yeah. Well, obviously, with the current climate it’s a lot less certain. All we know is if the fans make enough noise and help us by making that noise, it is in so many of our intentions to wrap this show up as I think it should. Not only for the show, the story, for the fans, but for that legend Bruce Lee. I think it deserves a conclusive ending.

It might be a story of Deadwood. It might be a story where it gets picked up, because it’s not like there’s someone up there going, “No, no. I don’t want you to make that.” It’s so many circumstances that come together that have led to the potential of not being Season 3. I think we all want to do it. We all feel like it needs to be done and it’s going to be in a bunch of our objectives to do that and to conclude it properly and fully when the time’s right.

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Warrior Season 2 can be seen exclusively on CINEMAX.

The post Warrior, Snake Eyes, and What’s Next for Andrew Koji appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2TcbQJy

[energonalucard]

Killer Kyoudai AU (pt. 3)

AU: The Killer Brothers are Magnum Ace’s brothers and the Silver/Fighter Brothers were made just to counter the murder sprees they go on as detectives. They also adopt Magnum at one point.

Robot Harem Animes-Today at 12:50 AM

they're scared of them and they're scared of them

Chaoit-Today at 12:50 AM

but they know that they're not welcome

Robot Harem Animes-Today at 12:50 AM

…geez, how to get around this

Minion tO WHO?-Today at 12:50 AM

Garret

Chaoit-Today at 12:51 AM

oh that's gonna be fun

Minion tO WHO?-Today at 12:52 AM

The UN is gonna be a major part of this and they're gonna bite hard. They don't buy out SC, they buy out a middle class League team and rebrand all the mechs and femmes for war. But they take it to the field.

Chaoit-Today at 12:54 AM

and holy shit it's going to be fun for SC

Minion tO WHO?-Today at 12:55 AM

This team rebrands as a casting call to all those who were Iron Soldiers. They named their teams after letter combinations and their moves based on things like the Black Box, X Section, and Dunk Guns. It's not a fun reminder for everyone who sees this and knows...

Chaoit-Today at 12:55 AM

because how are they supposed to relax or practice when the Killer bros are in their base? and mental games ahoy

They have to work it out. This is where things look better. They have to work together for this threat, and it's been about a year that they've joined SC.It goes...

Bad ➡ Good ➡ Better ➡ Gets Worse ➡ Oh shit no it's bad ➡ Gets better ➡ Tear jerker happy ending. We're at "Good" now

Chaoit-Today at 12:59 AM

that would be good

Minion tO WHO?-Today at 1:00 AM

This is where they start to get along and actually practise during the day. The team try to play as soon as they wake up but due to their neglect of their newer members, they noticed the KK are nocturnal now, as they'd do everything when SC was asleep. So they push them to sleep closer to sunsets to wake up at daybreak, and they slowly work them back into a normal schedule. They play baseball together, soccer, and a bit of hockey but that's dropped when the season is all soccer and baseball.

Robot Harem Animes-Today at 1:04 AM

I would like to point out that you writing 'oh sh!t no it's bad' on the plot chart fills me with terror

Minion tO WHO?-Today at 1:04 AM

The KK talking outside of each other for once as Magnum has a whole day planned for his main team to force the KK to speak up to win at practice. It works after day 42 of this and Killer B shouts during baseball, "Outfield, catch it already!" and since it's Magnum's plan for this, Windy jumps to catch it as told.

(( Thank you! ))

Integrating them into after games activities other then Ruri forcing them to watch TV with the team include; showering with the team at a comfortable distance, going to festivals, going on walks with Juurouta to clear their minds and souls a bit, and just having fun in general.

Chaoit-Today at 1:08 AM

((yeah, it kinda scares me too))

Minion tO WHO?-Today at 1:10 AM

(( I feel flattered! 😇))

Top Joy winding a wet towel and snapping it at Killer Q's aft in good nature in the shower as he's not looking... 

Killer B gasps, expecting his brother to break down or scream. But Killer Q just balls his fist, turns on Top Joy, and wraps Top Joy's face in a towel. "Eat cotton, pinky!" Q cries as everyone laughs, especially Killer B.Going to sleep and snuggling just because they want to instead of in fear.

Chaoit-Today at 1:14 AM

just flings it at Topjoy's face

Minion tO WHO?-Today at 1:15 AM

Wraps it. Threw it to surprise him, and pulls in tight in a knot to make sure it stays! He deserves it!

Robot Harem Animes-Today at 1:15 AM

it makes a 'whap' and top joy yelps in surprise, but the noise he makes it just too funny

Minion tO WHO?-Today at 1:16 AM

Killer Q walking out of the shower, hips swaying and shoulders bouncing as today's the first days he's been carefree for so long.

Mixing oils with Lavenders to see what they can take in late night after practice games. "Chug! Chug! Chug! HE DID IT!"

Games start in summer, and it's spring. Valentines Day!

Killer Q and Killer B just wanting to retreat to their room because they're not Valentine fans. And Top Joy says, "You guys are the literal colors of VA day" and makes B almost pop out paint to hide it.

Robot Harem Animes-Today at 1:20 AM

valentine's day is my favorite holiday, LOL!

Chaoit-Today at 1:20 AM

Q would actually have his hands on the paint before someone stops him

Robot Harem Animes-Today at 1:20 AM

ruri gets little cans of chocolate oils and hands them out to everyone. including the killer bros

Minion tO WHO?-Today at 1:21 AM

Q finds pride in rocking pink and Killer Q would down chocolate like air. Killer B would sip it regularly. Killer B trying to get Killer Q out of their before he thinks about getting drunk/overcharged and he's already drunk, okay this isn't ending well

Chaoit-Today at 1:24 AM

B having to haul his drunk bro's aft out of there and to their room

Minion tO WHO?-Today at 1:25 AM

Q just crying out like a kid, "But I wanna stay with the nice mechs! They don't harass us or hurt us! Please, can I stay?!"

*Pregnant pause*

The party grows quiet.

Chaoit-Today at 1:26 AM

B moves faster

Minion tO WHO?-Today at 1:26 AM

B flat out picks his brother up and fireman carries him out like "shit shit shit shit"

"In front of the team? Really?" B asks his drunk brother as he runs down the hall.

Chaoit-Today at 1:27 AM

dead lifts into a fireman carry and books it

Minion tO WHO?-Today at 1:28 AM

Bye felisha!

Killer Q was growing queezy from the bumpy ride, "But it's true... They don't hit us, and they help us..." he let's out a sad drunk noise. "I miss Magnum..."

"He's back there! You'll see him tomorrow!" B says as he books it.

"I miss Frontier... I miss Aniki..." Q groans on his shoulders

Chaoit-Today at 1:32 AM

"Don't throw up on me! We're almost there!"

Minion tO WHO?-Today at 1:33 AM

Killer B jumps down a stairwell more then use the steps but once he got to the private quarters, he stopped running and used the time to think. "My too Irepid. Me too... And you better wait till we get inside to puke, I have rags you ass!"

"I won't... it's just spital running down your back..."

"You always were the cute one, Q."

"Thank you... Wait, was that sarcasm...?"

"Oh look, pretty and smart!"

"Fuck... You..."

"Love you too, Q."

He shifts his bro on his shoulders so he can type the code in and goes into their room. He lays him down on his side and brings a bucket to him just in case. He gets a rag, places it in subspace and cuddles his brother from behind as he licks their door. Not tonight... They didn't want to be disturbed tonight.

Q purging about thirty minutes later and he just wakes up to a hand outstretching a rag from behind him. "Thanks... b."

"No prob, Q... Go to sleep when you feel better." He hugs his brother closer to him to reassure him as he wipes his face.

"I'm feeling more sane too... sorry for ruining Valentine's Day... And our lie..." Q said as he gripped the foul smelling rag.

"It's okay... They're smart... They'd find out eventually." B murmurs behind him.Q makes a sad noise. And he throws the rag across the room. 

"Damnit! I miss him so much now! I used to not care, now I want Frontier back and it hurts to sleep without him!"

"I know... I know..." He pats his brothers back gently.

Chaoit-Today at 1:48 AM

((depending on if Ace is shipped in this or not, that's gonna be interesting))

Minion tO WHO?-Today at 1:48 AM

"We were such assholes! What the hell did Girochi make us that way for?!" Q growls. "It's not fair!"

((Ship as you please, I don't care!))

B can only nuzzle his back as Q just faints from drunkenness. He makes sure to sent positive waves to his brother's prone form. Everyone outside their door. Magnum had tried the code to unlock but he got a red lock screen. Well... He doesn't try to barge in and they all filter in as they heard Q vomit and rage.It's quiet in the hall until everyone but Magnum leaves.

'I miss Frontier... Why did Girochi make us... It's not fair!'

Minion tO WHO?-Today at 2:00 AM

NEXT DAY is a little awkward for everyone except Killer Q, he's got a hangover so he can't focus. He can't play with his stupor but B gets bombarded with stares. It's just... unnerving and he almost loses his edge while playing and having to stare at Magnum. Killer Q has reopened an old wound and hes feels lightheaded and just... he misses every swing he does and quits after strike 11. He tells his brother to follow him, he's not in the mood for playing today.

Q just falls on the couch as his brother fetches coolant to drink and sat at the end of the couch that Q wasn't taking up. Q groaned as he tried to find the remote.

B turned the TV on with the remote and handed it to his brother's searching hand. "Watch what you want bro. I'm going to sleep... We stayed up late last night..."

Killer Q only watched TV for twenty minutes before someone threw a blanket over him. He assumed it was B and snuggled up to sleep again. Killer B had been asleep for ten minutes before this and he too got a blanket and the empty coolant taken from him. Magnum watched them and turned the TV down low, not changing their environment too much just incase they had their Soldier systems.

He leaves the room to see everyone gathered at the entrance way to the room. Some were concerned, others just had neutral faces."Are they...?" Ryuuken asked quietly.

"They're asleep, yes." Magnum says in a quiet voice. "Don't be too loud on this floor if you don't mind."

Everyone was silent. The air was serious.

"Look... what we heard last night was an invasion of privacy and was a very personal moment." Magnum saids as he makes to look at everyone. "Even I shouldn't have been there."

"Personal? They're both breathing anxiety." Top Joy says in concern. "It's really bothering..."

"They both radiate fear, anger, and dark energies of all kinds," Juurouta said with a deeper frown. "With a cloud of happiness around it. We made leeway but it's far from enough."

"Who cares." Windy says as half his team look at him in shock. "They're apart of this team, so they'll have to spill eventually."

"Windy!" Magnum warns. "This is dangerous ground. We don't know what's happened to them since last time we've met. We need to treed carefully."

"Can't be as bad as what happened to Gold Mask or-" Windy was cut off.

"WINDY!" Magnum's voice raised just enough to drowned Windy out. "We. Will. Treed. Carefully."

That was Magnum's final sentence as he walks away. He calls back, "Please don't wake them up. It's easier for mechs who are sad to sleep in, it's also healthier."

He makes it to the room he wanted. A call room and makes his way over to a stall. He turns on the screen and types in some numbers. He waits two minutes before two faces show up on screen.

"Nii-san." Magnum says as he looks at the two on video chat. "I need your guidance."

"Magnum, we're close to practising, we can't stay long." Silver Arrow says as he looks at Spirits who was holding a few too many bats for him to handle as he moved them around for the team. "Is it about them?"

Spirits perked up and came running, the bats making a thub as Spirits dropped the bats to come over.

Magnum almost laughed but he continued nonetheless. "They miss Frontier... They miss being able to call me brother."

They looked between each other and they seemed to have a silent conversation. They looked back. "That's up to you Magnum. If you think they can benefit from this and you are comfortable with it, go ahead. But no one-sided stuff."

There was a Leaguer in the background that slipped on the bats."Gotta go, Magnum. Practise calls." Spirits says as 'Who's the f#cking genius who did this?' was heard before the screen went black.

Magnum sighs at the short talk and walked back to the room he'd found the KK in and they weren't disturbed a bit. He let out a happy smile as he notices a show he likes was on.

He looked around and closed the door quietly as he grabs an oil can and looks at the shared couch. He gently pushed Q's feet up to make him curl up and make room for him. He gently sat down, covered himself up with a secondary blanket and reached for the remote. He turned it up so he could hear his show when B stirred.His eyes never opened but his head boded in his tired state. 

"Q... stop moving." 

Q heard his name being called from the realm of sleep and replied, "You moved asshole... I haven't..."

They both reached their arms out sleepily to smack at Magnum's thighs, thinking they hit the other.

Did they....? Oh my god they were cute.

Magnum sat back as he smiled widely. "Goodnight... Nii-chan."

"Goodnight Q..." Killer B mumbled and drifted away.

"I love you, B... G'night..." Killer Q said as he fell asleep as well.

It's 11:56 AM.

They were adorable. Magnum undid his straw and drank as he watched his show for a while...

Chaoit-Today at 2:57 AM

((is magnum being a troll?

Minion tO WHO?-Today at 2:57 AM

1:19 PM

They were all asleep on the couch, Magnum leaning against Killer B and Killer Q on his side. They had never been so soundly in oblivion.

((Nope, he's genuine!))

Chaoit-Today at 2:58 AM

((yaaaay

[eah-exchange]

Two Things Darling and Duchess Notice About Each Other, and One Thing They Both Realize.

To: @baenareff​

From: @claws-of-fame​

Summary:  Duchess and Darling are students of ever after's academy for young girls, and they realize varying things about each other. // can be read as somewhat modern au but it's intended to be a 50's au! set in the winter.

Rating: G

Word Count: 1528 Characters: Duchess Swan, Darling Charming, Sparrow Hood, C.A. Cupid, Maddie Hatter, Apple White, Raven Queen, Justine Dancer (mentioned)

Ships: Duchess x Darling, platonic Sparrow + Duchess, Apple x Raven Author’s notes: ho ho ho happy holidays gaia!! you mentioned loving seasonal things and 50s things and rarepair so i am here to deliver!! i rlly enjoyed writing darling and duchess together and i love it so i am on the bandwagon as well heehee,, happy holidays!! hope u enjoy <33

Darling first notices the grace in how Duchess moves.

Darling’s in the expansive studio that the school has, and winter light streams through the big windows as a teacher tapped her baton on the barre, giving instructions and time counts.

“Un, deux, trois, un, deux, trois, un, deux, trois…”

She watches as a handful of girls go and execute a routine that she feels like would be very painful if she tried it, but her eyes are drawn to one of them.

A tall, olive-skinned girl, with the prettiest and most determined eyes she’s ever seen this side of Ever After’s Academy for Young Ladies (of course, second only to Apple’s) does a big jump, a grand jete if she heard right, and lands with impressive finesse. She goes back into the routine with ease, and Darling is enchanted by it.

Darling’s eyes seem to spin around in tune as the girl did a triple pirouette, in awe at the precision she did it with.

Soon enough, the routine ends and the ballet dancers are breathing in and out, in an end pose.

“Perfect, girls. Especially you, Duchess.”

The tall girl (who had the prettiest name, Darling thought) smiled even more and breathed in.

Her eyes keep on darting towards Duchess, but she couldn’t help it. She exudes passion and poise, even when she’s slightly sweaty and breathing heavily.

And if these feelings reveal themselves again at the recital, she pretends to be nonchalant about it.

--

Duchess notices how Darling seems to be quite swift, especially when she saved Duchess from (what Duchess would say is) a horrific accident.

The accident occured in practice for a winter presentation at the theater.

Somehow, no one seemed to notice that the floor was slippery (and why? Nobody knows, they were probably too busy with the presentations, Duchess thought) and it was the ballet class’ turn to run through.

She did her usual routine, feeling the music and enjoying the little audience that watched her, entranced by her movements, and her confidence (she knew she was picked as a lead dancer for a reason) was giving her the drive to do everything right.

But, oh, there’s a sudden wrench in the works.

As Duchess did the triple pirouette, she felt her foot connect with the slippery floor and soon enough she started to waver, almost tumbling to the ground.

She vaguely hears Justine gasp and the other students murmur.

Duchess thinks of her ankle spraining or something getting bent or broken and she wants to scream at the thought of that, and how it might spell out the end of her ballet dancing dreams and future prima ballerina career, but it was over in a second.

Darling seemed to have came out of nowhere and caught Duchess before she fell, hearing the skidding of shoes on the stage floor. The teachers and other ballet students breathed sighs of relief, as Duchess’ hears Darling’s heavy breaths.

Duchess looks at Darling, who gives her a breathy smile.

“Are you alright, Duchess?”

“I’m fine and dandy now, thanks to you. How did you get here?”

Darling giggles.

“A girl never spills her secrets.”

The two laugh before Darling helps Duchess stand up.

They vaguely hear the teacher say that practice was postponed for a while and Duchess sighs in exhaustion.

She’s very thankful for that Darling.

--

Darling notices how Duchess seems to be rather isolated from the other students.

She’s heard several girls moan and cry about how Duchess was “off-putting” in the lunch hall, but she disregarded that, rolling her eyes and set her tray of food down next to Maddelyn and Chariclo, who seem more interested in the snow outside rather than the ongoing discussion Apple and her girlfriend, Raven are having.

Chariclo smiles as she sits down, and Maddelyn waves excitedly at Darling.

“So, what are the two gals discussing right now?”

Chariclo sighs.

“Something about the winter ball. They’re arguing over how the acts are going to be.”

Darling frowned a bit.

“But shouldn’t Apple take it up with Maddelyn?”

Maddelyn piped up, raising her cup of tea.

“Hey now, I’m not the party planner. Raven was put to be in charge of the entertainment.”

Darling blinked slowly, then shook her head as she tuned out the little discussion (which seemed more to be a lover’s spat) and started to eat her lunch.

She notices Duchess sitting in a table, eyebrows furrowed as she read a book and angrily ate an apple.

Darling feels a bit of a pang of hurt at how Duchess sits alone.

“Hey girls, I’ll just sit with Duchess, she seems lonely.”

Maddelyn and Chariclo hum in agreement, while some of the other girls at the table murmur uneasily. Chariclo glares at them and the murmuring dies down.

Raven and Apple are too involved in their little argument and are now pouting at each other, so Darling definitely takes this as her cue to bring her things over to Duchess’ table.

Darling taps the table with her fingers, getting Duchess’ attention.

She seems to glower angrily for a moment before realizing it’s Darling, and she gives her a small smile.

“Hello there, Darling.”

“Hi, Duchess. I noticed you seemed awfully alone and I just wondered if you wanted some company?”

“Oh. Um. Sure. That would be lovely, I guess.”

Darling smiled widely and sat down across Duchess, chatting her up and asking her about the book she was reading.

After that lunch break, they start to hang out more; Darling always shows up at the practices for the ballet class.

--

Duchess notices that Darling absolutely loves sweet things.

They’re at the nearby ice cream parlor after Darling asked Duchess out on a date. Snow be damned, ice cream was a great idea as per Darling’s insistence.

Duchess looks in awe at the various toppings that Darling put on her monstrosity of an ice cream sundae.

“Darling, dear, are you going to finish that all?”

Darling hums to say yes, and begins to dig in.

Duchess’ eyes widen and she starts to giggle, finding Darling absolutely adorable as she chomps down the sundae.

Darling looks up from the sundae and mumbles a “what?”

Duchess grabs a napkin and wipes away the mess on her mouth.

“Nothing, you just look so enthusiastic and adorable when you’re digging in.”

The door dings and Duchess immediately waves hi to the person who walked in.

“Sparrow! What’s up?”

Sparrow waves back, and walks nearer to them.

“Nothing much, Dutch. Say, who’s the pretty girl with you?”

Duchess blushes a bit.

“Oh, her name’s Darling. We’re on a date.”

“Wow, a cute name. And nice moves, Duchess! I don’t want to keep y’all waiting though, gotta beat feet, my boyfriend is waiting for me as well.”

“Alright, Sparrow. It was nice seeing you. Say hi to Dex as well for me, alright?”

“Sure! Gotta get this ice cream and go. See ya!”

Sparrow waved and walked towards the counter, leaving Duchess and Darling alone.

Duchess had to hold in a laugh, because Darling just finished the sundae and is smiling with fudge in her teeth.

“Can we get more?”

Duchess laughed.

“Of course, dear.”

--

They both realize that they are absolutely in love with each other.

It was the day of the winter presentation, and Duchess just finished performing. The crowd’s applause made her feel incredible, and she bows with her head held high. She goes for a group bow, and she smiles at her fellow ballet class members. The curtain falls and they go off towards the backstage area.

Darling was waiting for her and she smiled widely, proud of her girlfriend.

Duchess immediately hugged Darling, and smiled against her hair.

“You did so great out there.”

“I was inspired by you.”

They hugged for a while before the teacher called Duchess over.

“Duchess! They want to see the potential prima ballerina.”

Duchess gasped and started to tear up, but Darling put her hand on Duchess’ shoulder.

“See? They liked you.”

The teacher leads out Duchess and Darling follows behind.

It’s a blur of emotions and people congratulating Duchess, and Darling is there for every single moment, holding Duchess’ hand or holding her shoulder.

They’re in the dressing room backstage, and everyone else is outside, milling around or talking with others. Duchess has changed from her ballerina outfit into a simple dress and her makeup has been wiped away; her hair is now down and held by a headband, and Darling still thinks she’s as pretty as she was in the ballerina costume.

Duchess is sat next to Darling on a couch seat, holding each others’ hands. It’s a comfortable silence, and it’s only broken when Darling speaks.

“Can I kiss you, Duchess?”

Duchess flushes but can’t contain her smile as she nods, and they share a chaste peck that lasts for a few seconds, but feels like eternity for the two.

“I love you, Duchess.”

“I love you too, Darling.”

They sit in silence, holding each others’ hands again, but they sit closer to each other this time.

It’s comfortable, they both think.

They wouldn’t have it any other way.

[myheartofmusic]

Apparently this thing has rules but saltnhalo wanted me to break them so...

1. last drink: Milo, but probably water, I’m attached to a drink bottle.

2: last phone call: A close family friend who is basically my sister

3. last text message: I texted my boss “no worries”

4. last song you listened to: “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” by Meatloaf

5. last time you cried: Last Monday. I basically had a breakdown at the medical clinic. Was not a good day.

6. dated someone twice: No

7. kissed someone and regretted it?: Yes. He was gross and kept pressuring me into sex. He was quite the fuckwit.

8. been cheated on?: No

9. lost someone special?: Yes. My grandpa.

10. been depressed?: Yes

11. gotten drunk and thrown up?: Nope! I don’t generally throw up when I drink, my body just hates me later.

fave colors

12. Blue

13. Green

14. Aqua

in the last year have you…

15. made new friends?: Yes. 

16: fallen out of love?: In a way, yes.

17. laughed until you cried?: Of course

18. found out someone was talking about you?: Not that I know of.

19. met someone who changed you?: Yes. I finally got to meet Misha. 

20. found out who your friends are?: Lol I’m pretty bad at making friends in the first place, so if you’re friends with me, it’s pretty obvious you’re not fake.

21. kissed someone on your facebook friends list?: Hmm. Gimme a sec. (later) that would be a no.

general

22. how many of your facebook friends do you know irl?: Majority of them are family. But there is a good portion who I met via the internet.

23. do you have any pets?: Yes, a Border Collie x Kelpie named Shelby. She’s energetic and a little shit, but the cutest, loyal and most loving pet I’ve ever had.

24. do you want to change your name?: Naahhhhh, mum and dad did good.

25. what did you do for your last birthday?: Watched the season premiere of Game of Thrones season 6. Bestie made a shit ton of kickass GoT deserts that were to bloody die for.

26. What time did you wake up today? 9am

27. What were you doing at midnight last night?: Reading fan fiction lol

28. what is something you can’t wait for?: Bestie’s wedding. It’s gonna be good.

29. What are you listening to right now?: Crickets outside, mixed in with people driving down the highway.

30. have you ever talked to a person named tom?: Indeed I have.

31. something that’s getting on your nerves?: Not being paid correctly at work lol

32. most visited website: Jeez it would probably be Twitter or AO3

33. hair color: currently it’s a weird browny-reddy thing. Naturally, it’s mousy brown.

34. long or short hair: It’s currently very long. One day I will shave it and I will play with different hairstyles as it grows back.

35. do you have a crush on someone?: No. I don’t really have crushes.

36. what do you like about yourself?: Eeeerrrrrrrrr I never manage to break my phone screen? *touches wood*

37. want any piercings?: Nah. Got my ears pierced, all I need.

38. blood type: A+

39. nicknames: Nat, NAT, N A T N A T Bratalie, Barry, Natski

40. relationship status: Single and not ready to mingle because I don’t know what that is lol

41. zodiac: Cancer

42. pronouns: she/her

43. fave tv shows: Supernatural, GoT, B99, OITNB, Suits... idk, I watch a lot of shows. 

44. tattoos: Nope

45. right or left handed: right-handed, but I eat with my knife and fork in opposite hands.

46. ever had surgery?: Nope!

47. piercings?: Ears

48. sport: Reading as much Destiel fan fiction that is humanly possible. 

49. vacation: Tbh all I wanna do is be surrounded by books in a 18 degree glass room on the most comfortable bed I’ve ever laid my back on and be surrounded by a fucking amazing view of nature outside the windows.

50. trainers: wtf does this mean (this was Emma’s answer and I concur)

more general: 

51. eating: Nothing, but I did have spag bol for din dins.

52. drinking: Watah

53. i’m about to watch: Nothing. I’m about to go to bed.

54. waiting for: Someone to magically transfer me $10,000 lolololol

55. want: To not have so much goddamn anxiety.

56. get married: Maybe, one day.

57. career: God, idk. I get bored very easily so I don’t think I could ever have a solid career.

which is better:

58. hugs or kisses: hugsies

59. lips or eyes: eyes

60. shorter or taller: Eh

61. older or younger: Older, I guess, but I can’t go any more than a couple years younger.

62. nice arms or stomach: Eh

63. hookup or relationship: Relationship, I suppose. It’s not something I think about.

64. troublemaker or hesitant: ...Both? 

have you ever:

65. kissed a stranger: nope

66. drank hard liquor: Yes, bring on the fireball.

67. lost glasses: lol yeah

68. turned someone down: Yes.

69. sex on first date: One would need to go on a date for this to ever happen. 

70. broken someones heart: Maybe, I don’t think so, though.

71. had your heart broken: A little.

72. been arrested: Nope

73. cried when someone died: No, I’m heartless (jk). But um, actually, I’m pretty good at shoving down tears when I need to, so...

74. fallen for a friend: Naahhhh

do you believe in:

75. yourself: Lol not really

76. miracles: Eh

77. love at first sight: Maybe for some people, but it will never happen to me. 

78. santa clause: Why am I questioning Santa’s existence? Of course he’s fucking real, gosh.

79. kiss on a first date: ...Yes? idk man

80. angels: Misha Collins is real, so, yeah.

other:

81. best friend’s name: Erin, Natalie, Cassie

82. eye color: Green

83. favorite movie: Many. If I had to choose though, Moulin Rouge.

84. fave actor: Misha Collins. Hands down.

where’s the 85th you little shit (Emma also said this and, once again, I concur)

@saltnhalo

[pomegranates-and-blood]

if I’m not too late, i have a nostalgia winter question! the line from Hríð “no winter was ever like this one” truly took me Out but it made me think about how different spring is going to be for ivar too. I was curious if you thought about whether he’d feel differently about sailing back to England now that he actually has something to lose? the priestess notices in Κόρη that he’s watching the strengthening of the walls like a hawk, but do you think there were other ways that worry manifested itself that she didn’t catch? if you’re done with these, feel free to ignore me but thanks for taking them til now it’s been so fun to read your answers!

Hi lovely! Of course you're not too late, I always welcome these!

I'm glad you liked that line, I did too! I wanted to show a bit of Ivar’s realization that yeah, holy shit, his whole life is gonna be different than it always was and than he imagined it would now that she is staying

That's a very interesting thing to think about! Now that there's a whole spring for him to spend (as a whole or most of it) away from Kattegat and by extension his wife, it's a very different process to leaving it that Ivar would take. I’ll go into it under the cut!

Thank you for asking lovely!

Okay, so there’s a thing that I want to explore more in other works (and this one) but that I kinda brushed over in Chapters like 32 Ivar’s PoV of his return in Ch35 (Atfǫr); and it is the effect Lagertha’s overtaking of Kattegat had on the brothers not only on the personal level of losing their mother, but on the trauma it left them with.

Ivar would never leave her in Kattegat undefended, because the last time he left someone he loved behind in Kattegat while he sailed to England, he came back and his home was not his anymore, and “the only person who had ever loved him” (which, y’know, not true, but that is how he sees it) had been murdered. Same for Hvitserk, he wasn’t there to defend his home, to protect his mother.

That is why Ivar is so insistent in Ch32 that he will leave his best fighters with her in Kattegat to keep her safe, that is why Hvitserk doesn’t argue on it and that is why he stays behind with her instead of going with his brothers.

It is irrational to some degree, and that is why she doesn’t quite catch on to it, Hvitserk refusing to leave his family unprotected in Kattegat (he refuses to leave again) and Ivar fearing something/someone taking the people he loves from him while he is not there; because them being there would have changed nothing regarding Aslaug’s murder (Ubbe and Sigurd couldn’t stop Lagertha, as you know). But yeah, Ivar would trust no one more than Hvitserk to keep the woman he loves safe while he isn’t there, and the little look they share with one another in Chapter 32 is that understanding. That understanding, that pact of sorts, will extend to this spring as well.

Now that I’ve said my peace about that, let’s consider those fears, those anxieties, that trauma, now that Ivar has everything he’s ever wanted. A wife that may be with child soon, a woman that loves him, her. Do you think those fears lessen?

Of course not, but this time it is a more strategic approach, this time he is defending and he has time to prepare for it. A battle that may not be fought, but he’s preparing for it regardless.

He oversees the strengthening of Kattegat’s defenses, there’s men designated to keeping her safe that will undoubtedly be of the best, and I always headcanoned that during the winter/preparation for spring Ivar was forced to do something he wouldn’t usually. We know in season 5 that he has an escape route for himself that he tells (presumably) only Freydis about, and in Nostalgia he has the same thing and of course tells his wife about it, but now, before leaving for England again, he tells Hvitserk about it, because a) their relationship is different, they trust one another much more, and b) he trusts him above anyone to keep his family safe.

Like I explained above, Ivar’s fears/anxieties about leaving Kattegat for the spring are only made worse now that the’ve promised each other forever, because...well:

“In all my life, nothing…nothing has come easy,” He explains quietly. After a moment, he offers another flickering smile, though this one does speak of softness, “You certainly didn’t either, but lately things are different, and I can’t help but think it a…a vision, a mirage, that once I get close enough to having will just…vanish.”

(That is from Chapter 31)

And:

You are standing in front of him, wide smile and the faint shine of tears in your eyes, and he realizes in the quiet that you bring that he has had this small voice whispering that it would all turn out to be a mirage all this time.

Because this is real, because this is his; Ivar’s hand is certain on the back of your head, and he brings you to him and claims your mouth.

In the warmth you bring he realizes there truly was a part of him that believed that when he returned everything that had changed before he left would turn out to be nothing but a dream.

(From Atfǫr, his PoV of Chapters 33 to 35)

He will always have the fear (almost the certainty, because pain is sometimes the only thing he knows it’s real), especially as he grows happier and happier, that the ground will cave from under his feet, and that is because, to once again quote my own work like the moron that takes herself too seriously that I am:

He still remembers when he allowed himself to be human before his legend of a father, in that cold and damp cell that made his bones ache, and he remembers how Ragnar looked at him with a broken smile and whispered happiness is nothing.

When he returned to Kattegat and found his mother dead and gone, when he had to grieve for a mother that had never left his side, until he left hers and left her to die; when he had to grieve for a father twice over, for the one he had been and all the name Ragnarsson had granted him, and for the one he never could have been; Ivar believed it to mean that happiness isn’t real. That it is a trick of the weak mind, a mirage, a chimera.

When he found you and had you at his side, when he learned to love you and to let you love him, when he lost his breath in the thrill of your kiss, and every piece of his armor at the touch of your soft hand, and his heart to your smile; Ivar believed his father meant that happiness is a rare but fragile thing. That it does exist, but it is something so easily lost, a dream so easily shattered, that it is not worth the pain.

(This one is from Tethered, one of my 250 Followers Celebration Drabbles)

And, just to hint at the Ivar PoV that I have set up after Dagblik, called Hrygð (which means affliction, grief, sorrow): leaving Kattegat will not be the only thing to make Ivar fear he is going to lose it all, and bad things happen when he feels powerless. I’ll leave it at that until I post Hrygð, which should be out on the 10th if the muses are kind to me lol

I hope this answer was to your liking! If there’s anything else you wanna know, or some clarification on anything, please do let me know!!

Thank you so much for asking, these are so much fun! Sending you my love!

[minnamarie1983-blog]

Jo, purpose, trials bible verses 2-26-2018

Joy bible verses

Hebrews 13:17 Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you. NIV

Acts 20:24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace. NIV

3 John 1:3 It gave me great joy to have some believers come and testify to your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. NIV

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. NIV

2 Corinthians 2:3 I wrote as I did, so that when I came I would not be distressed by those who should have made me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy. NIV

Luke 2:10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people." NIV

3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. NIV

2 John 1:4 It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. NIV

2 Timothy 1:4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. NIV

Psalms 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. NIV

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit NIV

Matthew 13:44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field." NIV

Zephaniah 3:17 "The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing." NIV

Luke 15:7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. NIV

John 15:11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. NIV

Matthew 25:21 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'" NIV

Nehemiah 8:10 Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." NIV

James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds NIV

Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. NIV

Hebrews 12:2 Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. NIV

Romans 5:3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance NIV

Luke 1:14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth NIV

——

Purpose bible verses

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness NIV

Acts 2:38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." NIV

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. NIV

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. NIV

Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: NIV

—-

Trials bible verses

James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds NIV

John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." NIV

2 Thessalonians 1:4 Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. NIV

1 Peter 1:6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. NIV

2 Peter 2:9 If this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. NIV

Luke 22:28 You are those who have stood by me in my trials. NIV

1 Thessalonians 3:3 So that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we are destined for them. NIV

Deuteronomy 7:19 You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the LORD your God brought you out. The LORD your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear. NIV

[junker-town]

Ranking all 23 USWNT players by how important they are to winning the World Cup

Everyone’s good, but a handful of stars will be counted on to perform at their best.

The United States women’s national team has released its 23-player roster for the World Cup, and it contains a handful of surprises. Allie Long, Ali Krieger, Morgan Brian and Jessica McDonald have all found call-ups tough to come by over the past year, but found their way into Jill Ellis’ final squad.

But those players are the ones who are least likely to play a big part in the USWNT’s campaign in France. Ellis has settled on a core of starters and key bench players ahead of them, and unless things go south for any of those players very soon, we can predict who’s going to be counted on to deliver results at the World Cup.

Here’s every player on the roster, ranked in order of importance to the team.

First up, the stars

These are the players who are locked in as starters when healthy, and who Ellis knows she can count on to perform.

1. Tobin Heath, RW

If you are revisiting the USWNT for the first time in a while, you may remember Heath as a player with a lot of tricks and little end product. That’s changed dramatically over the past three seasons, and Heath is now the attacker the USWNT counts on most. She’s coming off a 7 goal, 7 assist campaign for Portland Thorns and has scored 10 USWNT goals since the start of 2018.

Why she’s key: Tekkers

OK, but the tricks are awesome though. Heath is often left out on an island with little support, which means she has to do something crazy to create scoring opportunities for her team. Her ability to make something out of nothing is why she’s the most important player on the team.

2. Lindsey Horan, CM

Horan is still just 24, so her NWSL MVP campaign felt like the start of a rise to superstardom, rather than her peak. The only question is whether Ellis can get the best out of her. She gets into shooting positions a lot more often for Portland Thorns than she does for the USWNT.

Why she’s key: Everything

In addition to being an immovable tank of a midfielder who won the ball 321 times last season — 118 times more than any other player!!! — Horan is a slick passer and regularly bangs in goals from 25 yards out.

3. Julie Ertz, DM

If you like watching high work rate players who show up everywhere on the field, you’ll really like Ertz. She was a center back — and a great one — at the last World Cup, but she was moved into midfield a couple of years ago. But no matter what position she plays, she’s always a huge threat to score on set pieces.

Why she’s key: Messing people up

While Horan wins the ball back a lot, she accomplishes it mostly by being stronger than her opponents and casually shouldering people off the ball. Ertz is stylistically the opposite: she flies into challenges and wins the ball in the most dramatic way possible. And she does it A LOT.

4. Alex Morgan, ST

Morgan just tallied her 100th career national team goal, in case anyone had any doubts about where she stands in the hierarchy of all-time great international strikers. But her role in this USWNT isn’t all about scoring goals.

Why she’s key: Off the ball work

Generally, goal-scorers of Morgan’s caliber don’t take kindly to being asked to take up a role that features a lot more dirty work than trying to get on the end of service into the box. But Morgan runs her ass off all game to make life easier for her teammates, and regularly gets the pass before the assist. The non-scoring aspects of her game are wildly under-appreciated.

5. Megan Rapinoe, LW

After an ACL tear limited her at the 2016 Olympics, very few people thought Megan Rapinoe would still be this good at 33. But she’s playing the best soccer of her life, and she’s a locked-in starter despite younger, faster challengers for her spot.

Why she’s key: Big goals and assists

Morgan and Horan do all the stuff that isn’t very fun or flashy so that Rapinoe can shine. Her teammates sacrifice and create space for her because she always delivers.

6. Becky Sauerbrunn, CB

The former best defender in the world has not quite been that for the past three years, but she’s still excellent. The USWNT don’t need her to be the 2015 version of herself to win the World Cup, but they’ll still need her to step up her game a bit from where it’s been recently.

Why she’s key: Leadership

As by far the most experienced player in the defensive unit, it’ll be on Sauerbrunn to call the shots and organize her team. This is especially crucial given that Ertz doesn’t play like a traditional holding midfielder and is asked to play very aggressively, which often leaves the USWNT defense to make some tough plays in space.

7. Kelley O’Hara, RB/LB

Once an elite winger, O’Hara’s late-career transition to fullback has gone extremely well. She’s as good going forward as any fullback in the world, and she didn’t take long to become a great one-on-one defender out wide either.

Why she’s key: Lack of depth

For various reasons (bad youth player pool management, Jill Ellis’ stubbornness, Jaelene Hinkle’s homophobia), the USWNT is very thin at fullback. Whenever O’Hara’s been hurt, Ellis has gone through a cavalcade of completely unsuitable replacements. If she can’t go 90 minutes in every game that has stakes, the USWNT is in trouble.

Starters with question marks

We’re being a bit harsh — the USWNT has been the best team in the world for a couple of years now — but four of the starters give Ellis some reason for concern.

8. Crystal Dunn, LB/UT

It makes me mad that the best attacker in NWSL is the USWNT’s left back, but this ship sailed a while ago and it’s too late to make a change. For better or worse, world class attacking midfielder Crystal Dunn is going to be playing left back at the World Cup.

Why she’s key: Versatility

If the USWNT is in a situation where their back line isn’t being threatened and they really need a goal, they have the option of shifting Dunn into any attacking position. She’s like a game-changing sub, except she’s already on the field.

Big question: Can she defend elite wingers?

That Dunn can play left back at a competent level at all is incredible, and she doesn’t deserve any criticism for getting beat by world class attackers. But the USWNT is depending on her to contain world class attackers, so uhh... she’s gonna have to figure out how to do that.

9. Alyssa Naeher, GK

The post-Hope Solo era has been shaky at best, but Naeher is still a very capable goalkeeper. Her superb performances at club level suggest that her USWNT issues are more down to the defensive structure in front of her than any deficiencies she has, but no one is going to care about that if she lets in some bad goals.

Why she’s key: Even the best team needs a goalie sometimes

The USWNT will out-shoot almost all of its opponents by a huge margin, but they’re not going to hold anyone to zero shots on target.

Big question: Can she make the right decisions coming off her line?

Naeher’s shot-stopping and aerial claims have been excellent, but she’s been shaky when faced with a decision about whether or not to close down aggressively. Her recognition just hasn’t been quick enough for the national team.

10. Abby Dahlkemper, CB

On a dominant club team with a box midfield in front of her, Dahlkemper looks like a world class defender. At national team level, on a team that leaves a lot more space in front of her, she looks more average. Hopefully that changes?

Why she’s key: Sauerbrunn needs cover

Becky Sauerbrunn is not slow, but she’s not as fast as she was four years ago. And even then, Julie Ertz was the one doing most of the running. Dahlkemper will need to cut out the passes that go behind the defense into space.

Big question: Is she the starter?

All signs point to Dahlkemper getting the nod over youngster Tierna Davidson at the moment, but don’t be too shocked if Ellis makes a change.

11. Rose Lavelle, CM

There’s no one in the USWNT who’s more exciting to watch with the ball at her feet than Rose Lavelle. Unfortunately, she’s on the physio table more often than she’s on the field.

Why she’s key: Creativity

Lavelle’s ability to dribble at full speed, pick an early through ball, or play a creative backheel are second-to-none, and that’s why Ellis persists with putting her in the lineup despite her fitness problems.

Big question: Can she stay fit?

Sorry, I know, the horse is dead, I will stop beating it now.

Key bench players

These players aren’t in Ellis’ starting lineup right now, but they’re certain to make a big impact at the World Cup.

12. Christen Press, ST/UT

The biggest deficiency in Press’ game is that she’s not quite as good as Alex Morgan. Unlucky.

What she brings off the bench: Speed

I can’t imagine getting beat to hell by the work rate and physicality of Morgan, Horan and Ertz, then seeing a track star like Press enter the game in the 60th minute. My legs hurt thinking about trying to play against this team.

Why she’s not starting: Consistency

There isn’t a higher-ceiling player in this team than Press. Her best games are as good as anything Marta or Abby Wambach ever produced. Unfortunately, she’s never done it against a top team two games in a row.

13. Sam Mewis, CM

Other players rack up the goals and assists, but the key to North Carolina Courage’s NWSL success is Mewis. It’s a testament to the USWNTs depth that a coach can even consider not starting her.

What she brings off the bench: Complete CM play

Ertz and Lavelle both have one elite skill, and Horan has the potential to be the best midfielder in the world, but the most well-rounded midfielder in the pool is Mewis. If you were to give her a grade at every aspect of midfield play, you wouldn’t give her worse than an A- at anything.

Why she’s not starting: Lmao you tell me man

The thing I disagree with Ellis most about is not finding a place for Mewis in her starting XI. I’d sacrifice just about anything to have my most balanced midfielder in the team.

14. Tierna Davidson, CB

Davidson left Stanford early to turn pro and prepare for this World Cup, and she already has 19 caps at just 20 years old. And in those 19 caps, she’s proven that she’s one of the best defenders in the country and deserves her spot.

What she brings off the bench: More physical tools than the starters

There are a lot of great athletes in college soccer. It was Davidson’s brain and technical skills that allowed her to make the step up. But she’s also faster and more agile than the players she’s competing for time against, which could prove very useful.

Why she’s not starting: She’s played 2 pro soccer games

Davidson is a very mature 20-year-old, but yeah, she’s 20.

15. Carli Lloyd, ST/AM

If you last engaged with The Carli Lloyd Experience by watching her score a hat trick in the World Cup final, I regret to inform you that some things have changed.

What she brings off the bench: A direct goal threat

The USWNT has shifted towards developing and selecting a lot of crafty, technical, tricky players. That’s a good thing. But sometimes you need to switch things up, and Lloyd has a one-track mind. She goes for goal.

Why she’s not starting: A lot of reasons tbh

Besides being 36, Lloyd hasn’t played well at club level since the World Cup. She’s also just always been more of a mega-clutch athlete than someone who’s really good at playing soccer.

16. Mallory Pugh, LW/RW

Pugh may eternally be a teenager in your brain, but she’s 21 now and has 50 (!!!) national team caps. She hasn’t delivered on her early promise yet, mostly because she was playing for a very bad club manager, but she’s still a great impact sub.

What she brings off the bench: Dribble dribble dribble dribble

Along the same lines as what Press does, Pugh often comes in for Rapinoe to make the opposing fullback have to deal with a different type of winger. Instead of looking for early through balls and diagonals, Pugh runs right at people.

Why she’s not starting: Rapinoe and Heath are too good

Her time will come soon enough.

Fringe players

You probably won’t see a lot of these players on the field, but you will see people on the internet arguing that someone else should have made the roster ahead of them.

17. Allie Long, DM

Long has been on the outside looking in for the past year, but was named to the roster in place of other players that Ellis has selected ahead of her recently. Not sure how that happened!

What she brings off the bench: She’s the only real holding player

For most of her national career, Long has been a box-to-box midfielder miscast as a holding player. But she finally got really good at playing as a holding midfielder (shouts to Vlatko Andonovski). The USWNT doesn’t really have a proper one of those, so she gives Ellis a different look.

Why she’s not starting: The other midfielders are just better

No shade, Long is a good player, but four other midfielders are better.

Who she beat out and why: McCall Zerboni

The “why” is presumably that Zerboni is similar stylistically to Ertz, and Ellis wanted a different kind of player. But Zerboni has been one of the best players in NWSL for the past three years straight, is the emotional leader behind the success of the Courage, and wants you to know that we are fucking winners. She should be on the team.

18. Jessica McDonald, ST

Forwards are egomaniacs by nature. And if you’re a forward good enough to make the USWNT, you probably don’t like coming off the bench. But McDonald has been the best substitute striker in NWSL for the league’s entire existence, so she’s a great choice to reprise that role for the national team.

What she brings off the bench: Energy

No one’s better at getting up to full speed right off the bench than McDonald, and giving a team 90 minutes of effort in 30 minutes of game time. She might be even more dangerous than Press in this respect.

Why she’s not starting: Playing for NC Courage appears to earn you a demerit

Mewis isn’t starting, Dunn has to play left back, Zerboni and Lynn Williams didn’t make the team, and Merritt Matthias didn’t seem to be seriously considered despite the lack of options at fullback. Ellis doesn’t seem to think Courage players can perform at the same level when they leave the Paul Riley Cult Commune.

Who she beat out and why: Savannah McCaskill

McCaskill had an unbelievable NWSL offseason campaign in Australia, but she also got hurt during it, and she didn’t get a chance to show her best at Sky Blue FC last season. You’ll get to see more of her soon.

19. Emily Sonnett, CB/RB

While Emily Sonnett is the undisputed MVP of posting, she’s the unheralded fourth defender on this squad.

What she brings off the bench: No-nonsense defending

Every team needs a defender who just Does Their Job, and that’s Sonnett. It’s also very helpful that she can play center back or right back.

Why she’s not a starter: Good question!

Sonnett has been excellent for the Thorns. There’s not really a clear argument for or against her starting over Dahlkemper or Davidson. They’re all about as good as each other, but Sonnett is a clear fourth on Ellis’ depth chart.

Who she beat out and why: She didn’t really have any competition

While Ellis has rotated in a lot of fringe players to try out for every other spot on the roster, center back has been set in stone for a year.

20. Morgan Brian, CM

Hello there, hero of the 2015 World Cup. We didn’t expect to see you here. Brian’s been really good for the Chicago Red Stars since she returned to NWSL, but up until this point, she appeared to be out of Ellis’ plans. Her call-up is a pleasant surprise.

What she brings off the bench: Smooth touch

Like Long, Brian is here because she’s stylistically different from the starters. She’s the smoothest on the ball of the American midfielders, and is a great player to bring in if you want to kill off a game.

Why she’s not a starter: Chronic injuries

When Brian almost singlehandedly turned around the USWNT at the last World Cup just a few months out of college, she was expected to become a superstar. Unfortunately, she’s had at least one bad injury per year since then.

Who she beat out and why: Andi Sullivan

While a bad coach and club season did not cost Lavelle and Pugh their spots on this team, it was the primary factor behind Sullivan not having a chance to prove herself. She already looks much better for the Spirit, though, and she’ll be back on the USWNT in no time.

21. Ali Krieger, RB

Hello there, REALLY did not expect to see you here! Krieger has been inexplicably exiled from the USWNT over the past two seasons in favor of whatever random player Ellis could dig up to play right back instead. It was very bizarre. Finally, Ellis has swallowed her pride and admitted she needs Krieger.

What she brings off the bench: She’s an actual right back

Dunn and O’Hara are converted wingers, and Sonnett primarily plays center back, but Krieger is an honest to god right back. Sometimes it’s good to have one of those.

Why she’s not a starter: She’s an actual right back

At fullback, Ellis wants converted wingers who bomb forward and contribute in attack more than she wants defenders. Krieger isn’t bad going forward, but she’s no O’Hara or Dunn.

Who she beat out and why: Casey Short

Short has been very good for Chicago and can play right and left back, but she contributes even less going forward than Krieger does, which is probably what cost her a spot.

22. Ashlyn Harris, GK

I haven’t checked, but I assume Ashlyn Harris is the reigning NWSL Save of the Week winner. Much to the annoyance of her fans, she is still Naeher’s backup.

What she brings off the bench: Elite shot stopping

Harris certainly has her detractors (me), but none of them can say anything against her shot-stopping abilities. Her highlight plays are more spectacular than anyone else’s. She makes saves that no one else can.

Why she’s not a starter: Big errors

She also fumbles the ball into her own net about twice as often as anyone who we could reasonably call an elite goalkeeper.

Who she beat out and why: Jane Campbell

Campbell has been on a USWNT contract for the last couple years, and she was very good for Houston Dash last season. But Harris has never lost her spot on the depth chart despite shaky club form, and Campbell wasn’t as good as...

23. Adrianna Franch, GK

Winning NWSL goalkeeper of the year two seasons in a row will apparently get you on the plane to France, but not much else.

What she brings off the bench: Big plays off her line

As far as we can tell, Franch is the third keeper, so she won’t be getting off the bench at all. But if she does play: She’s way better at coming off her line quickly and making clearances than Naeher or Harris.

Why she’s not a starter: Inertia

Naeher became the starter before Franch started playing like the best keeper in the pool, and she hasn’t been bad enough to lose her place. The USWNT is like Ivy League schools: It’s hard to get in, but once you’re in, you stay in.