#and the wider series is great. i love it i love daniel to the ends of the earth. but this is not representation lmao

[charlesswife]

Una Noche En Mónaco i

Vaya noche la de anoche. (What a night last night)

unem master list

pairing: charles leclerc x latina! reader

summary: after a one night stand between you and charles, charles continues on with his f1 career. until two months later, you come back claiming to be pregnant with his child.

warning: bad writing, charles is a bit of an asshole at first, is going to be a series. google translate because I do not speak french. teen pregnancy (very cliche, I know. I'm sorry)

a/n: this is based on the idea i posted yesterday, which you all seem to like a lot. i want to clarify that english isn't my first language so please be kind if you see any error, i am trying my best. Also I am very new to formula one, i am binge watching drive to survive and the races. also i hope the timeline is correct lmao. ALSO i am not very great at writing smut so don't expect to see smut until i get better at writing it. enjoy!

word count: 1,771

Just to clarify: If I'm not wrong. In 2018, Charles was 20, turning 21 in that year. Reader is going to have an age gap of two years. So reader is 18 turning 19.

gif is not mine! i love this gif tho, he looks so good.

March 2018

Everything from last night was a blur. I remember his green eyes on me. And then his lips. And then his skin. And then a bit more. 

The music was louder than my thoughts. Monaco is a beautiful country with even more beautiful people. 

Steph grabbed my hand and dragged me to the bar. "One Jack Daniel's with coke and one Cosmopolitan, please." She told the bartender. 

"Cosmopolitan?" I asked. 

"Oh girl, it's so good. It's vodka with cranberry juice, lemon juice, syrup, and..." She stopped for a second while her eyes drifted to something behind me. "Oh god, he's cute." I was going to turn around and look until she stopped me. "Wait, don't turn yet!"

By that time, the bartender put our drinks in front of us. I thanked him. "Girl, he's looking at you."

"Is he your kind of cute or mine?" 

"I would do it sober, on a Monday." Okay. I have to turn around and see said man. "If he wants anything, he'll come to us." She dragged me to another part of the bar. 

We danced and drank, and slowly I was forgetting about the 'gorgeous' man. I checked my phone. 12:00. 

It has been two hours since we got to the bar. 

When the song ended, we headed to the bar area, I asked the bartender for another drink. "Wait here, I have to run to the bathroom," Steph yelled in my ear and then made a beeline to the bathroom. I took the scenery in. The music was louder than before and everyone was dancing to a song I don't know of. 

The bartender put the drink in front of me, and I thanked him again. I lost count of how many times I have thanked him. 

"This is your fourth drink, is it not?" I heard a male voice next to me. I turned to see the owner of the voice. 

Green eyes. Dimpled smile. His body leaned to mine. 

"You're keeping tabs on me?" I asked.

"Hard not to," he said. He turned to the bartender and said, "Fermer la onglet. apporte-elle de l'eau. Je paierai la facture." (Close the tab, and bring her some water. I will pay for her bill.) The bartender nodded. The man turned to me again. 

"What did you tell him?" I'm not even going to lie. His accent was very sexy. 

"Nothing much. C'mon. Let's dance." he grabbed my hand and dragged me to the dance floor. 

He pulled me close to his body. Very close. His green eyes and hands were all over me. And I let him.

He leaned closer to my ear and said, "So are you going to tell me your name or will I only know as the beautiful foreign girl?" 

"You think I'm beautiful?" I asked laughing a bit. 

"Everybody in this room thinks you are beautiful," he smiled, "So?" 

"y/n," I told him. He repeated my name again, trying to see how my name feels on his lips. "And you?" I asked him. 

"Charles" I repeated his name and his smile got wider. Deepening his dimples. "Leclerc" 

Somewhere in the room, a phone rang. I was entangled with Charles that I just let it ring. His face is so calm, without worries. 

"I can feel you staring at me, mon cherie," he murmured. "do you always stare at people when you wake up?"

"Not always," I said. "you're the only exception." He smiled at my comment and opened his eyes. 

"Hello" 

"Hi," I whispered. 

"Was that your phone or mine?" He asked. 

"I don't know. If it's important, they'll ring again." As soon as the words left my mouth. The phone rang again. I let out a little whine that made Charles laugh. 

"That's your phone, that's not my ringtone." I got out of bed and looked for the phone. 

"I can feel you staring at me, mon cherie" I mocked him. 

"A sight like you should be stared at all the time." I smiled at his comment. I found my phone in between the pile of clothes that was left on the floor. Steph <3 appeared on my screen.

I lay on the bed again with Charles and answered the phone. 

"Hey bitch, I've been calling you all morning" 

"Sorry" I answered "I just woke up" 

"Are you still with the French boy?" Steph asked with a joking tone. I can't remember most of last night. But she knows about Charles and the fact he speaks French.

"I'm Monegasque," He said a bit loud, just for her to hear. 

"He says he's Monegasque" I repeated. 

"Uhhh, native. I like it. Well, text me when you're on your way back" With that, she hangs up. I looked back at Charles. 

"So, another round?" 

At first, Steph was excited for me. She was hoping for Charles to be the next thing to occupy my mind instead of my parents.

She wasn't wrong. The Monegasque lived in my mind rent-free for the past month. Especially after I found out I was pregnant. 

Two pink lines.

Positive. 

"So? What does it say?" Steph asked. I didn't say anything. Tears started to form in my eyes. "Oh god, I need a drink" She disappeared from the bathroom to the kitchen. 

Steph made me take a pregnancy test after several different random cravings that I had. She had enough of me after I ate a burger with extra extra pickles, and then more pickles on the side. For context, I hate pickles, with my life. 

Fuck. 

"y/n... what are you gonna do?" I haven't realized that she came back into the room, a glass of wine in her hand. 

"well... what's done it's done. it's my responsibility to take care so it." I answered. 

"Yeah! But so it's his! He has to be responsible too!" she yelled. 

I let the tears run down my face. "And how?! I don't have his number! It's not like I could just send him a text saying 'Hey! remember when we fucked a month ago? well, I'm pregnant now, congrats! be responsible and take care of it" 

Steph stayed quiet for a moment, just staring at me. After a while, she said, "Do you think he is on Instagram? I mean, think about it, almost everyone is on Instagram." she waved her wine at me. 

"And if he's not?" my voice broke for a moment. This is all too much for me. I am overwhelmed and drowning in my own feelings. 

"We can only hope so." She put her wine on top of the dresser and reached for her back pocket for her phone. "What was his name again?" 

"Charles," I said. 

"Love, I'm going to need more than that"

"Umm... His last name was a hard one. It was Lec... Lec-something"

For a moment, she looked at me and then back at her phone. "Leclerc?" She asked, doubt very clear in her voice.

"Yes! Leclerc. Why? Did you find him? You should get a job in the FBI" I commented while fidgeting with my hands. I was very nervous. 

"Is it him?" She turned her phone towards me. The first thing I see was a black and white picture of Charles sitting on top of a counter with an Alfa Romeo jacket. The date was March 4, 2018. Just a few days before we met. 

"Yes," I confirmed, "Wow, you are better than a PI" She slide her finger up a little and I looked at the username. Charles_leclerc with a verified check. "He's verified? Why is he verified?" I felt my heart going eighty miles per hour. 

"You fucked and got pregnant by a Formula One driver," Steph said, in a monotone voice. 

Oh fuck. 

"What do I do now?" I asked her as I made my way to my bed to sit down. 

"Well, you know who he is now. You just gotta find a way to find him and tell him." She said as she sat down and wrapped her arms around me. 

Yeah. Right. Like that's going to be easy. 

May 2018 

"When will the phase of puking stops when pregnant?" I asked Steph as I rubbed my small bump. 

"You're asking the wrong person. I am not Google" She replied. 

"You would be more awesome if you were Google" I joked as I sat at the dinner table.

The aroma of pho and fried dumplings is drugging me right now. Steph is a great chef. So am I, but I hate washing dishes. 

I am glad I have Steph to take care of me. Steph has been my best friend for the longest, she's a year older than me, but she treats me and takes care of me as if I'm her daughter. She was there for me when my parents died. She dropped everything and came with me across the world. And now she's taking care of me while being pregnant. I truly don't know what I would do without her. 

Steph served me chicken pho and eight delicious fried pork dumplings. I waited for her to sit down. 

She glanced at me for a second and then smiled. "You look like a child, waiting for permission to eat." 

I laughed. "Well, I'm sorry I waited for you," I said as I grabbed the spoon and put some of the broth in it, and then took it to my mouth. It is so savory. "This is so good" I grabbed the chopsticks and grabbed a dumpling. I blow a bit into it so I don't burn myself. I took a big bite. "Oh my gosh, this is the best dumpling." 

"You know what's better than a fried dumpling?" she asked while she wiggled her eyebrows. 

"A soup dumpling!" I said. As soon as the words left my mouth, I heard a ting! coming from my phone. I thought my phone was in silence. We both laughed a bit at the timing and sound of the phone. 

I turned my phone, immediately illuminating from the raise to wake mode. My smile dropped. 

+377 123 456 7890 

Hey, this is Charles. I'm in Monaco for a few weeks, mon cherie. Do you want to meet? 😉

I slammed my phone back to the table and looked at Steph. "What?" she asked. I looked back at my phone, making sure it wasn't a hallucination in my head. The text message was still there. 

With shaken hands, I hand her my phone while I eat the other portion of the dumpling. She looked at the text, then at me. "Oh fuck..."

Oh fuck indeed. 

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

Ahhhhhh!!!!! This is the first chapter of many more to come! Please let me know what you think of it. I would very much appreciate any type of comment, whether it is your opinion or just anything! It would def motive me more to keep going.

@mac-daddy-210 @infinite-wanders @rbrsavage @itsyogurlkel @bbygrlllllll @nerdreader @imnotcryingyouare1 @killerangel88 @obx-mylove-things-blog @triorion @daniellarogers @insssanemindd @bosinclairsgff

[aq2003]

ok so ive joked about this before but to me one of the most genuine glaring issues about cobra kai the show about karate and generational trauma is that the east asian rep amongst the new characters is. Very bad. like it is so clearly worse than the karate kid trilogy it's almost kind of comedic. in s2 the show has a joke going "haha look daniel got cancelled on twitter bc he isnt asian! hes white and thus everyone thought he was doing cultural appropriation! lol!" While at this time in the show every east asian character was either irredeemably evil (kyler) or so far in the background you barely notice them (nate) . i would be laughing if this wasnt incredibly sad

[allaboutthedongs]

Forbidden | Two

☆ Pairing: Jaehyun x Female reader

☆ Word count: 1.3 k

☆ Genre: Slow burn, angst, romance, fluff, eventual smut towards the end of the story.

☆ Warnings: Mentions of parents' death.

☆ A/N: I just want to thank you for your support of this series and for all your kind messages. I really appreciate them. As always, let me know if you want to be added to the taglist (sorry if I've left anyone out), and feel free to leave feedback, suggestions, questions, etc.

↳ index here

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An overwhelming dream woke me up, a nightmare that pearled most of my face with a cold sweat and forced me to open my eyes almost as hastily as I stood up. The horrible accident where my parents had died, had been projected that night into my dreams.

I looked at my watch, still on edge. It was 7:45 am. I sighed and got out of bed, I slept in the same clothes I had arrived in, so I first took a shower.

I went out to the kitchen, Wendy wasn't awake yet, so I had enough time to make our breakfast.

"Mmm, what smells so delicious?" she came out of her room straight into the kitchen, smiling at me.

"I wanted to make you breakfast," I put the plate on the table.

"Awww, it's wonderful to have you here!" she exclaimed.

We both laughed and then began to eat everything I prepared.

"What are our plans for today?" I asked.

"We're going shopping!! I'll take you to the best clothing stores you've ever seen," excitement leaped into her eyes.

"Great!"

Clothes. I wasn't a fashion addict or anything like that, so I was never that excited about going from store to store until finding the perfect outfit, but Wendy had always loved shopping and she also had excellent fashion sense. Every time we went to a store, she was the one who ended up with more than five bags in each hand.

It was a cold day and the wind ruffled my hair as my best friend and I walked through the beautiful streets of Gangnam.

"How did it happen? I mean, about Daniel. I never knew," she said and I looked at her quizzically. "No, I mean that I never knew how you moved on about him."

"Oh, well, I just decided to get over it and that's it, it wasn't a big deal." I shrugged and stared through a glass case at a beautiful brown jacket. Wendy's reflection was drawn next to me in the glass and a sudden curiosity came to me.

"Tell me, Wendy, how did you meet Jaehyun?" I asked without looking at her face and pretending to look closely at a beautiful coat in the sideboard, but I was nervous.

"In a café on a rainy day," she sighed as if suddenly seeing the sharp memory in her mind again and getting lost in it, then I looked at her.

"He came over me and we talked a little, he was so smart and funny!" she blushed a bit, "He told me that he is Korean, he was born here in Seoul but from a very young age his family moved to Connecticut, that's why he speaks English so well, however, he came back to Korea for the same reason as me... to forget past loves, although to this day he hasn't told me what happened to him..." she got lost in her thoughts, but then resumed her animated course. "After we chatted and laughed for a while, he asked for my phone number, and that evening he called me!" she smiled like a teen. "He said he just wanted to wish me a good night" and she sighed, theatrically.

"Wow, It sounds... like a Tumblr fanfic," I chuckled feeling the urge to roll my eyes.

"I feel like I'm in one," she smiled even wider "God, I'm so happy," she hugged me hard, full of emotions, which she always did when she was like this.

"How old is he?" I asked, pulling back from her embrace.

"He's 24."

"There's not much difference, we're 22,"

"Do you know what does everybody tell us?" she asked.

"What?"

"That we're the perfect couple. That we're both tailor-made. That we were born to be together!" she sighed.

Something inside, very deep inside me, stirred uncomfortably and desperately. Like a small beast caged in the darkest part of a room, far away from the exit; nevertheless, eager to get out at any given moment.

"I'm so happy for you, my dear." I kinda lied.

"I know. We could all go out sometime, so I can introduce you to Johnny and then we-"

"Johnny?" I interrupted her.

"Yes! Jae, Johnny, you and me."

"Ok, but who's Johnny?"

"Oh, he's Jae's brother."

Suddenly, I remembered the conversation they had last night where he had mentioned a Johnny.

"Oh, I'd love to" I smiled, kindly.

"I'll tell Jae, so we can arrange everything," she hugged me again, bouncing up and down like a little girl. Wendy was like that, sweet, tender, loving, fragile, and enthusiastic, she was a little girl in the body of a 22-year-old adult.

"Hey," I said, suddenly changing the subject, "I want to go to the famous Han River, maybe I can take some good pictures there."

"Why do you want to go there? Honestly, it's not that great, it's just a boring river," she said, "If what you want is taking great pictures, then we should rather go to Gyeongbokgung palace, most of the people take their pictures there."

"I know, but I don't want something ordinary and tourist-like. You know me," I shrugged.

"Well, we could also go to the Dongdaemoon Design Plaza, it's really impressive and you could take awesome pictures of it."

"To the what? I can't even pronounce those places."

She laughed.

"Or go to the N Seoul Tower."

"Thank you, but will you take me to the Han river, or not?" She rolled her eyes at my insistence.

"Okay, I'll take you tomorrow."

"Thank you, Wendy. You're the best." and this time, it was me who started the hug now.

We continued walking through the streets of Gangnam, looking at almost every clothing store there. We ate at a fancy restaurant and then, we arrived tired as hell at the apartment.

It was 7:30 pm when there was a knock at the door.

"It's Jae!" Wendy announced and she got up like a lightning, striding towards the door. I turned my eyes away from the television, longing to see Jae's perfect face.

Wendy threw herself into his arms as soon as her boyfriend's figure was palpable, and he received her warmly.

My inner beast stirred uncomfortably.

"Please, come in."

I averted my gaze back to the TV, pretending I hadn't taken it off.

"Y/N, hello!" My name in his voice was so melodious and different from the other voices that had said it before, he made it sound beautiful, unique. I turned to look at him.

"Hello, Jaehyun" I smiled.

"How's your first day in Seoul?" he asked me.

"Tiring" I laughed remembering that I had used the same adjective when he asked me about the flight and I think he remembered too, because he laughed in the same way I did.

"I wish they all won't be always like that," he commented smiling widely at me, then looked at Wendy to talk to her.

I turned around, but to tell the truth, I was more aware of their conversation than the drama being projected on the TV.

"Are you nervous, Wen?" he asked her.

"About what?" she asked, confused.

"About your job interview tomorrow."

"Is it tomorrow?" Wendy's voice sounded alarmed, "God, I forgot it!"

Then I turned to look at them.

"Do you have a job interview?" I asked, really excited.

"Yes and... oh," she was silent for a few seconds, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she walked over to me, "I just didn't remember about the interview, I'm sorry."

It took me a second to understand why she was apologizing.

"Oh, Wendy, no! Don't worry, baby," I smiled. "We can go another day to visit the river."

"You're not mad?"

"Me? Not at all, on the contrary. What's the job you're applying for?"

"Nurse at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital. Oh, I have an idea!" she said suddenly as if the first part didn't matter too much. She turned to look at her boyfriend, "Honey, could you take Y/N to the Han River?

My eyes widened in surprise and then I looked at Jae's face, as beautiful as an angel. He was also looking at me with his beautiful eyes, smiling widely.

"It will be a pleasure."

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☆ Taglist: @lilacboba @itzel4120 @painted-hills @ahtisa02 @queenrachelpink @ncitylover

[tibby]

top 5 saw movies

saw: the ultimate the eternal the unbeatable...james wan here are my keys go home and fuck my wife!!! just a genuinely good movie in every aspect (directing writing editing acting sound etc etc) and even after all my rewatches (i think i'm up to 18?) i still discover new things every time and the ending still Hits like hello zep playing up until adam's screams which continue over into the credits? oh the things i would do to experience that on the big screen. amanda adam and lawrence reshaped my brain chemistry.

saw v: honestly baffling to me that people hate this one so much because it has some of THE best traps in the franchise and the fatal five are arguably the most interesting victims post leigh's involvement. brit and mallick and luba my beloveds...also the twist is SO good and opening with the water cube and ending with glass coffin...genius. rip peter strahm you lived served thrussy and died.

saw iii: so my thing about saw iii is that i've only watched it once solely because the thought of rewatching amanda's death is too much for me to handle but. god. the amanda/john/lynn stuff is probably one of the best A plots in the series after adam and lawrence in saw...maybe even better just because the amanda and john dynamic is the most fascinating one in the whole franchise. unfortunately it loses points for subpar traps (the rack is admittedly a cool concept but it's so grotesque and the one trap in all nine movies i simply cannot stomach) and how much i fucking hate the jeff plot. booo tomato tomato.

saw ii: possibly above saw iii honestly but my lynn loving heart is putting it here. anyway. i think saw ii gets better on a rewatch once the Layers to it are revealed and there's more of an attachment to the wider narrative that's being put into place. amanda is at her peak (oscar for her performance when she "wakes up") and her relationship with daniel is SO good. kerry is being sexy and reasonable as always rip queen. the nerve gas house victims make for such interesting dynamics and i am fond of everyone except for xavier and obi. the brutality of the traps is definitely Upped but most of them are very good even if like, needle pit is upsetting to watch because mandy :( also the safe joke still makes me laugh every time like love him or hate him you can't deny that john kramer has some comedy gold moments. eric matthews suffering <333333

saw vi: tbh i do Not Like william easton but i think he's the only victim post the amanda trilogy that rivals the fatal five in terms of how interesting he is and he's such a unique twist on learning jigsaw's message. because he DOES learn but at that point he can't change anything and...it WASN'T HIS GAME!!! god another excellent twist. love that the thing is set in a zoo where the fuck did they get an abandoned zoo. shotgun carousel top ten trap of all time and pound of flesh is the best opening game in my opinion. other great moments include the healthcare for all message, perez being sexy, hoffman being a fucking idiot and making things so much worse for himself, jill being The Player, amanda content, strahm's hand, lynnmanda rights, piranha, return of the reverse beartrap, an excellent ending, and rodrick from diary of a wimpy kid fucking losing it.

[365days365movies]

April 8, 2021: Swiss Army Man (2016) (Recap: Part One)

Don’t think about the Boy who Lived.

Daniel Radcliffe is a talented actor with a wider range than he’s given credit for. He’s been working since childhood, and has picked up quite a lot over time. While most famous for...a certain role that will go unnamed...he famously started his stage career in 2007 with the musical Equus, and that later progressed to How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, and Endgame.

Meanwhile, he also made appearances of television in varied roles, live-action and animated. He started his career in an adaptation of David Copperfield in 1999, voiced a character on The Simpsons three separate times, hosted Saturday Night Live in 2012, and also currently has an excellent role in the anthology series Miracle Workers.

And MEANWHILE, he also had quite the robust film career, especially after...the role which shall not be named. There were a few films made during that time period, like December Boys and The Woman in Black, but most of his time was understandably taken up, as was his public image. That, of course, ends in 2011. The first time I saw him in a role outside he who shall not be named was in the film Kill Your Darlings, about the collegiate career and romance in the life of famous gay poet Allen Ginsburg. It was very good!

The same year, 2013, he starred in Horns, a unique fantasy film that I considered watching for Fantasy March. His film career would be full of ups (The F Word, Trainwreck, Lost in London) and downs (Victor Frankenstein, Now You See Me 2, Playmobil: the Movie oh God REALLY JESUS). And right in the middle of those came one of his most famous weird roles. And that’s today’s focus. And I’ve been wanting to watch it for YEARS. And while we’re talking about him, let’s talk about this film’s other star: Paul Dano.

Dano’s career also began young, and in the opposite way to Radcliffe’s: in theatre first. After a stint on Broadway at the age of 12 (GODDAMN) in Inherit the Wind, as well as several other productions, he transitioned to film in 2000, around the same time that Radcliffe started as well. Eventually, he gained acclaim with his role in Little Miss Sunshine, and then...anybody else in the mood for a milkshake right about now?

Yeah, I haven’t seen that movie, but I really should this year. Consider it on my list...at some point. I’ll figure it out. Anyway, Dano’s role in There Will Be Blood only increased his acclaim, and found him acting in a number of indie films. Dano’s definitely not a blockbuster guy, but that’s not to say that he completely avoids them either. He’s been in Knight and Day, Cowboys and Aliens, and Looper, which all fall under that category. And except for the last one...they aren’t especially good, either. 

But again, he was also in 12 Years a Slave, Okja, Wildlife, Where the Wild Things Are, and Meek’s Cutoff, and all of those were critically acclaimed, and some almost reached blockbuster status themselves. So I don’t really know how to feel about his upcoming role as...the Riddler.

Yeah, we’ll see, but I’m holding my breath. Dano’s great, and I love the Riddler, but...I dunno. Like I said, we’ll see. But in the meantime, that’s enough navel-gazing. Let’s watch Swiss Army Man! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap (1/2)

We begin at sea. If you have thalassophobia, this is already terrifying for you. After seeing many plastics floating on the ocean, covered in written messages, we make our way to a deserted island, where Hank Thompson (Paul Dano) is committing suicide after being stranded there for so long.

However, as he does, he spies someone lying on the beach. The rope snaps, and Hank runs over to greet the body, hoping that he isn’t dead. Unfortunately, after a very loud burst of flatulence, it’s pretty damn clear that this is a dead body. And yes, this is Daniel Radcliffe, but I’ll introduce him formerly when the time comes.

Hank’s sad that the guy isn’t alive, but still speaks to him about his hopes and dreams in the past. He’d always wanted a life of parties and friends and love, and imagined that he’d see that kind of life in a flash before he died. Instead, he only saw the body, who responds with yet another fart. But with that, Hank goes back to trying to hang himself. 

And as he does...the body keeps interrupting with its INSANE gas. Like, it’s so bad that the body keeps shaking as if it were alive. The body washes into the sea, and its flatulence begins to propel it away from the shore. Hank sees this, and he uses the humming he was doing to make the Intro Song, which is strangely mesmerizing? Like, literally soundtrack-worthy, I’m not kidding. He also grabs a piece of his noose, uses it to grab onto the body, and rides it as the farts propel them both far away from the beach. It’s absolutely absurd...and kind of great. And then the titles play.

Hank wakes up on the short of a different island, or possible a larger land mass, and is overjoyed by the change in scenery. He shouts his name to the world, and credits the body with his rescue. No longer stranded in the Pacific, as far as we know, he tries to use his phone, to no avail. He decides to head out and look for help, grabbing a bag of Cheetos that washed up alongside them, bids the body farewell...and then comes back for it.

Carrying the farting body on his back (and kind of treating him as if he’s alive), he wanders through the forest to find help. He wonders if the gas is the result of decomposition (likely, if excessive), or if its the body’s soul leaving it. Either way, the trudge forward. They settle in a cave for the night, as it rains heavily outside. As Hank is want to do, he hums to himself, and shares more of his personal life with the body, as he sings to it. And yeah, I’ve been linking to these songs, because the soundtrack is genuinely fascinating to me.

Morning comes, and Hank awakes to a raccoon prying at the body, which he subsequently chases for food. In his desperation for food and water, he’s once again about to leave the body in the cave, but notices it leaking copious amounts of water from its mouth, which it had collected from the cave walls overnight. And yes...he drinks it. Which is absolutely disgusting when you think about it, which I now choose NOT to.

In the process, Hank squeezes the body for more water, and air escapes his mouth in such a way that it sounds like it’s speaking a name: Manny (Daniel Radcliffe). From that, Hank gets the body to speak his name and a simple greeting, but grows frustrated from the inability of the body to speak properly. This leads to him being a bit abusive towards him, reminding him unfavorably of his own father. Ooh, character revelations, me like.

Anyway, he apologizes to Manny for treating him that way...and Manny responds. Which FREAKS HANK THE FUCK OUT, understandably, and he punches Manny and flees the cave. As he comes back, Manny is indeed speaking outright, which is either a miracle or Hank just straight-up hallucinating. Either way, Hank asks Manny to try and remember his past life, but all he can get is the vague recollection of the Jurassic Park theme song. But Manny can’t remember the movie itself, which is when Hank says the most correct line ever said in all of film.

You’re goddamn right. Anyway, from, there, Hank tries to teach Manny about the ways of the world, and the nature of life and death. And the resulting conversation is absolutely fuckin’ ridiculous, and I love it all. Through the process, Manny learns about the world, and Hank asks him to help get home.

In the process, Manny inadvertently insults Hank, causing to walk off and once again look for help, only to eat poison berries and throw up for a sec. The two reunite, and their conversation turns to the topic of sex. See, there are some magazines in the cave that they’re in, which prompts some questions about women, sex, and love. To both of their surprise, this conversation causes Manny’s heart to beat! Spurred on, Hank continues, and Manny’s heart appears to reawaken...as does his penis. That’s a link to the soundtrack, I promise.

Hank and Manny both freak out, as his little Manny seems to have a mind (and motility) of its own. But in the ever absurd nature of this movie’s premise, this too has a secondary function: it’s a compass. Yup. And that prompts the next step of their journey, which is full of a conversation about fetishes and masturbation. Yeah, Hank’s surprised about that, too.

This leads to a conversation about his parents, as well as somewhat traumatic parts of his childhood, including his mother’s premature death. This makes Hank upset, and he lashes out at Manny, who briefly returns to being dead until Hank apologizes. As they go on, however, they encounter another denizen of the forest: a bear. This causes the two to fall off a cliff, and causes Hank’s phone to fall out of his pocket and turn on, allowing Manny to see the picture of a girl on his background.

Manny’s enraptured by the picture, and constantly asks to see her again, as Hank continues to struggle for food. The problem is that Hank needs to conserve the power on the phone, but Manny asks if Hank can dress up as the girl in order to help him remember, and bring him back to life to help save them both. He does so reluctantly, but Manny calls him beautiful, to which Hank reacts positively. This not only helps Manny come to life a little more, but also leads Hank to shave to look more convincing for Manny...and possibly for Hank, too.

As these two engage on a fake date and create a fake bus (while Manny listens to a fake self-sung cover of Cotton Eye Joe that I’m putting on my playlist), this is a good time to mention the one thing I know about this movie...maybe. I don’t quite remember where I heard this, but I have heard that this film is possibly a commentary on the transgender experience, or at the very least that Hank is transgender, but hasn’t come to terms with that as of yet. Now, I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I have heard that, and I’m definitely interested to see if that’s the direction this goes. This scene definitely seems to somewhat confirm this theory. Also, I will say (as I have said before when watching The Danish Girl), I’m a straight dude of the cissexual sort, so this is in NO WAY in my wheelhouse, but I still figured I’d mention it.

We’re also at the halfway point now, so this would seem like a good time to pause for Part 2! See you there!

[goblinconceivable]

i should not have watched that

I’m at that phase where I SQUEE’d through all the awesome that is Betty and Daniel and my heart blew up so I then spun around to look behind me and now hate it all.  Which is actually good, because the hating is a great place to write from.  Fix-It-Fic is a lifestyle.

In short, I’d previously skipped the Molly-Arc, and now I’ve peeked.  In shorter, Daniel sucks.

FFS.  FFS the abbreviation fails to convey what I would like to convey, which is FOR FUCK’S SAKE.  When Ignacio had a heart attack did Daniel literally send a shit ton of flowers, and not show up at the hospital?  Or even, apparently, do much calling and texting, during those 2 weeks?  And then when Betty comes back to a crap-ton of actual work, have her take his VACATION PHOTOS TO THE LAB.  And later has her abandoning her family to run around protecting Molly.

I am livid.  Capslock pissed.  To delve into the deepest recesses of disgust, wherein cold fury reigns through voice of stone: I Am Not Pleased.

I am almost, but not quite, without words.  Because this trend continues forcefully in Season 4, and some of that is pretty interesting regarding the fact that Betty has a wider support network while Daniel pretty much has her (Amanda as replacement was odd and did eventually fail.)

Look.  Daniel wastes about 2 hours of Betty’s time to rush over and tell him what damn SHIRT to wear on Thanksgiving Day.  She runs to the hospital when HIS dad has a heart attack, even though he’s hating her at the time, and she and her family literally are racing around to help Claire and then reunite his family.  Including, may I point out, Ignacio.  Betty is IN THE ROOM with his father when he died.  She watched the man DIE.   Granted unknowingly, he had her BEAR WITNESS TO DEATH.  And you know what, having someone stay with the precariously living inherently holds that possibility.  That’s why you ask them to stay.

Her father has a heart attack and Daniel... sends flowers.  Did he even immediately phone the hospital and have the best put on the case?  No.  I’m bummed Claire didn’t either, but she wasn’t privvy to the whole situation, probably heard second hand, and at least she brought it up and took care of it when she got back and spoke to Betty.

What should he have done?  Literally anything more than he did.  Even change one damn line: “How’s your dad?” to “Your dad came home (at time X) is that going okay?” would indicate he actually cared enough to know anything.

It’s not breaking news that he’s self-absorbed, but even in episode 1 he set aside his shit for a moment and gave her consideration.  This is mid season 3.  He managed to order a Christmas Tree while hideously hung over, ordering flowers takes the same amount of thought and effort.

What do I actually think he should have done, to be worthy of me not spitting on him?  Immediately hop on a plane and go be there for her, and her family, who have also done stuff for him.  The took care of him and welcomed him into their Christmas Tree decorating while Betty was off salvaging the situation that was his responsibility.

Molly could come back with him or stay in Florida, I don’t really care, my intense dislike of her character is plot based but from what I remember she’s a nice person so I presume she’d go back with him and they’d just vacation at home when he wasn’t with Betty.  And considering when she’s sick again Daniel flaked to spend time and energy on her...  I mean, I honestly believe she’d completely understand the whole situation and support his decision.  And, frankly, like him better for it, just as she was impressed when he threw himself under the bus for Betty.  Even though Betty was there because he’d thrown her under the bus for him so this was him not being a complete dick, but she didn’t know that part so whatever.

He’s kinda an honorary member of the Suarez clan and by this point he and Betty are best friends.  He should have been there.  Even if Betty told him to stay, he should have been there by phone and text and a bit of actual effort.

Which is where my horror of mid to late season 4 comes in.  Early on he’s overprotective of Betty, which is a reaction to Molly’s death but does also come from a place of loving Betty.  Then he ditches her for Natalie and the Order (um... your first Friend Lunch should not involve bringing a “date”...) and she’s still running around saving him.  And then we get a series of episodes where they have their one scene checking in with each other before diverging.  Which can be analyzed to conclude that:

They’re being less codependent and learning to stand on their own feet so they could come back together and have a healthier relationship/friendship and appreciate what they have.  But really it’s a drag because their closeness IS a foundation of the show.

When Matt leaves, is Daniel there for her?  Not so much.  But then, does Betty immediately call him?  No, she even goes to the Super to take care of herself.  Betty’s awesome because she's grown more independent, and has her family and even a friend family.  But there’s such a gulf of inequality where Daniel takes, and she gives, and when he’s there for her it’s often work based or insecurity based and smaller stuff and is this Daniel being emotionally stunted?  Still?  What?  Halp I do not compute.

I mean, my takeaway here is that in the first blush of romance Daniel abandons Betty in a moment of tragedy, and Betty remains hugely supportive of him, and when Molly dies he wants her to do what he knows she’ll do: run over to be his emotional support.  Which she does despite being in a dark place herself, because Betty is Betty.  But Betty cannot be some sort of Tardis ATM, if you keep withdrawing much more than you’re putting in, it should fail.

At least by the end of S4 it’s not that the ATM runs out, exactly.  But Betty has stopped putting him first.  They’re friends, but her family comes first, and then her and her career.  Daniel quitting Mode and planning to find himself wherever she is is quite impressive, especially since the promise of romance is not involved.  But for real, he wasn’t there when Ignacio had a heart attack so he’s still in the Black.

In conclusion, Daniel is not worthy of Betty, but I don’t want to throw the baby out with the bath water, not just yet.  There’s a lot of good in their relationship.  A lot of honest love and support on his side.  There’s just a lot of bad, as well.

Also I can’t believe I  had that much to say based off one scene.  I haven’t even watched the rest of their scenes this episode.  I hope it doesn’t get worse than what I suppose.  (I did read a summary, so I was going off that for the rest of it.)

ETA: In fairness, I feel I need to mention 2x01, where he knows she’s upset, knows where she’d be, finds her, is extremely supportive, and spends the evening with her chucking her memories of Henry in a hole.  He shows empathy, initiative, creativity: basically, he’s her Betty.  And later in the show bigger stuff happens to her and suddenly he’s MIA.  It’s peculiar and offputting.

[elliotjgdb427]

Gay And Lesbian Porn Groups And Programs

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[lauraisblogging]

ACTORS AND ACTRESSES IN QUESTION

This is going to be my favourite portion of this process, especially with my interest in getting to know the people behind the characters. I feel like I should focus on around 5 female actresses and then 5 male actors, meaning I’m gathering enough content but not too much that it’s overwhelming. 

1. Florence Pugh

Pugh is an English born actress who made her acting debut in 2014 in the film ‘The Falling’, but then began to gain recognition for her work in ‘Lady Macbeth’ (2016). 

Though her real breakthrough didn’t happen until 2019, her portrayal of the wrestler Paige in the biographical sports movie ‘Fighting with My Family’ produced by Dwayne Johnson. Following her success from ‘Fighting with My Family’, one of her strongest pieces ‘Midsommar’ was released with her portraying an emotionally damaged woman Dani. She finally peaked with her portrayal of Amy March in ‘Little Women’, which resulted in her receiving not only a BAFTA nomination but also an Academy Award nomination. 

While these are some of her best pieces of work have you heard about her upcoming movies or her past pieces that didn’t receive half as much recognition. 

2. Victoria Pedretti

Pedretti is an American born actress who made her acting debut in 2014, participating in two short films. During this time she was focused on her studies, though once she graduated she was represented by The Gersh Agency.

Some of you may know her for her portrayal of Eleanor Crain in the hit Netflix horror series ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ which was released in 2018, this resulted in her receiving both Saturn Award and MTV Award nominations. Though her real climb to success didn’t really begin until 2019 in which she starred in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’, then in the same year gained real recognition for her portrayal of Love Quinn in the Netflix Thriller ‘You’ and will return to the role for the third Season. 

While this is what she’s best known for you should check out some of her beginning projects, as well as those up and coming.

3. Ana De Armas

De Armas is a Cuban-Spanish actress who made her acting debut back in 2006, in the Spanish film ‘Una rosa de Francia’. Following this she went on to star in the television show El Internado from 2007-2010. 

She then began the transition to working in American films, her first being ‘Knock Knock’, which also starred Keanu Reeves. After this she made starred in two other movies, before making her initial breakthrough as the AI hologram Joi in Blade Runner 2049 (2017). Her next big hit was in the mystery film Knives Out (2019), starring as Marta Cabrera.

While this is what she’s known for she has a vast selection of other great projects, as well as her upcoming work in ‘Deep Water’ and the drama film ‘Blonde’ which is all about Marilyn. 

4. Letitia Wright

Wright is a Guyanese-English actress who began her professional career in 2011, starring in multiple British TV shows including Doctor Who, Black Mirror and Humans. 

In 2015 she began to make her breakthrough after starring in the award-winning film ‘Urban Hymn, following this her portrayal of Shuri in ‘Black Panther’ was the beginning of her global recognition. With this she reprised the role in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. In 2019 she received the BAFTA Rising Star Award. 

Although her role of Shuri in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is what she’s known for, she has a number of upcoming projects outside of it. Just to name a few would be ‘Guava Island’, ‘Death on the Nile’ or the recently announced project ‘The Silent Twins’ based on the true story of June and Jennifer Gibbons.

5. Maya Hawke

Hawke is an American actress and model, known for being the daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke. In 2017 she made her screen debut as Jo March in the BBC adaption of ‘Little Women’.

Though she gained real recognition in 2019 from her portrayal of Robin Buckley in the third season of ‘Stranger Things’. In the beginning Hawke was the main actress being consider for Sofia Coppola’s adaption of ‘The Little Mermaid’ but Universal pictures had other ideas. Another key point of Hawke’s career was her role in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’. 

As well as reprising her role of Robin in the next season ‘Stranger Things’, she also starred in ‘Human Capital’ and has the upcoming project ‘Mainstream’. Aside from filmography she’s also releasing music on the side. 

1. Daniel Kaluuya

Kaluuya is both a British actor and writer, who started his career as a teenager in the theatre. He made appearances in the hit television series ‘Skins’, in which he also wrote a few episodes for. He began to gain real recognition after starring as the lead in ‘Sucker Punch’, an award winning playwright. 

He then began progressing onto the silver screen, starring in ‘Black Mirror’ and two BBC series’ ‘Psychoville’ and ‘The Fades’. Following these projects he made steps towards film as Agent Colin Tucker in ‘Johnny English Reborn’ and Black Death in ‘Kick-Ass’. Though in saying this his breakthrough role came with ‘Get Out’, a horror movie that attracted critical acclaim, resulting in reviews highlighting the strength of his acting abilities. Following the success of ‘Get Out’ his next hit came with ‘Black Panther’ which was impactful to many, globally. 

While this only covers a few of Kaluuya’s successes and what he is known for, he has a number of other projects worth checking out such as ‘Widows’, ‘Queen & Slim’ and even an upcoming Fred Hampton project which currently remains untitled. 

2. George MacKay

Mackay is a British actor who started his acting career at an early age, after being discovered by an acting scout in 2002 asking if he’d be interested in starring in P.J. Hogan’s adaption of ‘Peter Pan’, which ended up being his big break. 

Following this he went on to star in ‘The Thief Lord’, which was a film adaption of Cornelia Funke’s best selling novel. His focus changed television projects before once again delving into film. In 2008 he starred in the movie ‘Defiance’ and although he ended up injured before even shooting his first scene, he was eager to still eager started. He started gaining real recognition in 2013, in which he portrayed Eddie in ‘How I Live Now’ alongside Saorise Ronan, followed by the role of Davy in the musical film ‘Sunshine on Leith. 

Some of his work that’s definitely work checking out would be ‘Pride’, covering the journey of a young 20 year old and the struggles of being gay in homophobic Britain, ‘Where Hands Touch’, which is about the relationship between a member of Hitler Youth in Nazi Germany and a biracial girl. His most recent piece of work which gained recognition was his role of William Schofield, a young World War I soldier in ‘1917′.

3. Kedar Williams-Stirling

Williams-Stirling is a British actor who began his professional career in 2007 starring in an episode of ‘The Bill’, since then he’s worked on multiple projects in both film and television. 

He started to gain recognition after his roles in the British films ‘Shank’ and ‘Montana’, another key part of the beginning of his career was his role in the CBBC television series ‘Wolfblood. Williams-Stirling began to become familiar with a wider audience of people with his role in ‘Sex Education’, alongside Gillian Anderson and Asa Butterfield.

While this is what he’s known for he’s had quite a few other projects such as ‘Will’, ‘Two Graves’ and ‘Changeland’. 

4. Dacre Montgomery 

Montgomery is an Australian born actor best known for his portrayal of Jason Lee Scott in ‘Power Rangers. Alongside acting he also uses his spare time to share his poetry via his podcast “DKMH”.

He started his professional career in 2010, starring in a short film called ‘Betrand the Terrible’ and then in 2011 starred in a TV Pilot entitled ‘Family Tree’. As well as doing short films he also had a part in a music video for an Australian deathcore band. 

His breakthrough onto the big screen came with ‘Power Rangers’, starring as the Red Ranger. He also reached an even wider audience in 2017 thanks to his portrayal of Billy Hargrove in Netflix’s hit series ‘Stranger Things’, reprising the role in 2019. Another project he was a part of was ‘The True History of the Kelly Gang’, alongside Nicholas Hoult and Russell Crowe. 

While this is what he’s known for he has a few other projects called ‘A Few Less Men’, ‘Better Watch Out’ and the upcoming project ‘The Broken Heart Gallery’.

5. Logan Lerman

Lerman is an American actor who is best known his portrayal of Percy Jackson. He started his career early staring in the likes of advertisements and commercials before moving towards the series ‘Jack & Bobby’, followed by the movies ‘The Butterfly Effect’ and ‘Hoot’. 

He began to gain recognition for his roles in ‘3:10 to Yuma’, ‘The Number 23′, ‘Meet Bill’ and of course ‘Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightening Thief’. With such a vast filmography focusing on various different genres, he went from starring in ‘The Three Musketeers’ one year to starring in ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ the next. The height of his career was in the late 2000s, early 2010s after this time the amount of projects he had slowed down slightly. Alongside acting he’s also featured as an executive producer in both ‘Indignation’ and ‘The Vanishing of Sidney Hall’. 

Recently Lerman has made it back onto our screens through the Amazon Prime series ‘Hunters’, as well as the upcoming film project ‘Shirley’.

[paradisobound]

I Want It, I Got It, Chapter: 28

Summary: Phil Lester was a worker for the BBC in London. Working in the advertising department, he was content being alongside his friend and fellow coworker PJ during every shift. However, the BBC is temporarily being used as a film set for a new movie staring Hollywood ‘It’ star, Daniel Howell. Being stuck as an extra on the set, Phil finds it’s hard to ignore the famous star. And maybe, just maybe, Dan finds it hard to ignore Phil as well.

Word Count: 2.3k (this chapter)

Warnings: Occasional swearing and sexual content

Rating: Explicit

**MASTERLIST | READ ON AO3 | WATTPAD**

A/N: Here it is guys, the final chapter! I never thought we’d get to this point. I decided to post it today since I work tomorrow and wouldn’t be around for any of your messages or comments if you decided to talk to me about the ending. This is a shorter chapter, but that’s because I’m posting the epilogue in just two hours to complete the entire fic in one day. This fic has been life since January and it’s going to be so different to not have this fic to work on anymore. I’ve actually become so invested in this that I think I’m going to rework this and turn it into a novel to purchase. (I might also sell the phanfic version for no profits too), if you’re interested let me know! I’ll have a longer note on the chapter on Ao3 if you want to read that. If not, happy reading :) 

They’re all sat on Phil’s couch, bleary-eyed and yawning. PJ has been dozing off for the last hour and Phil has just let him go. Martyn came by a few hours before that, yelling at Phil about how stupid he was for ignoring calls and how worried he had their mum but Phil just explained to him the entire situation and Martyn warmed up. He eventually took a seat on the sofa with them and that was where he currently was. 

Phil was exhausted and fighting to stay awake. But he told Dan he would watch Jimmy Fallon tonight with him on it and it was about to start in another ten minutes. He could do this. He’s been seeing commercials all night for Dan’s appearance on Jimmy Fallon along with some other musicians that Phil didn’t bother to pay any attention to. 

His nerves were running thin and his heart was beating so fast that he thought he might actually pass out. He figures that it’s either from the lack of sleep he’s gotten tonight―or really over the last few days―and the anticipation of what Dan was going to do or say tonight. 

Suddenly, the show begins and Phil holds his breath as he watches along with Martyn, who is eating some stale popcorn they made earlier, and PJ who is sleeping on the couch. He waits for Jimmy to say what he needs to―Phil’s never actually made an effort to watch him before. 

They watch in silence as Jimmy does his opening monologue and then finishes it up and there is already a commercial break. Phil feels like he’s going mad. He wants to see Dan so badly and he wants to see what Dan is going to say. 

The commercials are average American ones and he finds himself feeling on edge as he wraps his fingers on his thigh from wanting to fast forward even though he can’t. Maybe this is why he never watches cable TV. 

“You’re going to put a hole through your pants.” Martyn says, pointing to his fingers. 

“I just wish the show didn’t have so many commercials.” Phil mumbles, not breaking eye-contact away from his television. 

“Maybe we should just record the rest of this and wait until tomorrow to watch it. It’s clear you’re going mental.” 

“We’ve made it this far.” Phil says, just as Jimmy comes back on and this time, he’s sitting at his table. “I’m not going to stop watching.” 

“I might fall asleep.” Martyn says with a hint of a smile on his lips. 

Phil turns his head briefly and smiles before turning back and watching whatever Jimmy has to say. 

He’s going on and on about President Trump, but not in an overtly political way. And then he’s talking about his son and Phil finds that to be really wholesome. But before long, Jimmy says that after the next break, Daniel Howell will be on to discuss his new movie. 

During this commercial break, Phil doesn’t sit still. He gets up and paces a bit around his flat before he goes into the kitchen and grabs a can of diet coke from his fridge and opens it, taking a long sip. The acidity burns his throat but he welcomes it. 

He makes his way back into his living room where now both Martyn and PJ are sleeping on the couch on different sides and he snickers as he pushes himself into the middle and watches. 

When Dan walks out, Phil feels all of the breath leave his body. Dan is wearing some nice black and white striped shirt and a pair of very nice black trousers. His hair is perfectly styled and any hint of the crying he did earlier on the phone was completely gone behind layers of make up. But he looked beautiful and Phil could actually cry seeing him. 

“Thank you for joining us!” Jimmy says to him. “We hear that you just finished your new film so can you tell us a bit about it?” 

Dan nods and flashes a blinding smile. “My pleasure. I just got done with filming my next film with Mimei Lake called This is Life and it’s about a young male, who I play, moving to New York City to find himself and he begins to work for a fashion magazine and he falls in love with the CEO who is played by Mimei Lake and I won’t spoil the rest.” 

Jimmy nods and laughs. “That sounds amazing so I’m glad you don’t want to spoil the film.” He looks down at his desk and Phil watches him before he looks back up. “We also heard that you have been recently casted as Christopher Robin in Disney’s new live adaption of the popular children series. My son loves the books.” 

Dan smiles wider. “Thank you! I’ve always been a fan of Winnie the Pooh since I was a kid and so this is honestly a blessing. I went into the audition thinking that I was in way over my head but I’m very excited.” 

“It’ll be amazing to see how they make a realistic Pooh without totally scaring off everyone in the audience.” 

The audience laughs and Dan does too and Phil even finds himself chuckling a bit. Martyn stirs beside him and opens his eyes and then looks at Phil. “He’s on?” 

Phil nods and then shushes him as Martyn readjusts himself on the couch and sits up straighter, his eyes a bit wider. 

Then Jimmy speaks again. 

“So, I’m sure everyone out there is thinking the same thing but your social media has been a bit crazy these last few months haven’t they?” 

Dan nods and Phil watches as a blush spreads over his cheeks. “Yeah, they’ve been a bit of a mess.” He laughs it off. 

“Is it something that―uh―you’d be willing to talk about?” Jimmy asks and Dan nods. 

“The paparazzi hasn’t exactly been kind to me or my boyfriend, Phil, these last few months.” Dan says and Phil’s mouth drops open. 

Martyn elbows him in the side and Phil turns to him. 

“Oh so you have a boyfriend?” Jimmy asks and Dan nods. 

“Yes, I’ve been with my boyfriend Phil since February.” Dan says. 

“Well, that’s great!” Jimmy says. “Despite all that everyone has been seeing on social media, I think it’s quite amazing that you’re able to sit here and talk about him so openly.” 

Dan nods again. “It’s taken a lot of time but I really love him and I don’t want to hide him anymore.” 

“That’s fantastic and I’m sure everyone here is happy to know that you’re feeling better too.” 

Dan smiles and blushes and Phil feels his eyes well up a bit. 

“After the break, we’ll still be here with Daniel to play the Best Friends Challenge.” 

The screen goes black for a moment and Phil feels the first tear come down his eye. 

“Dan just called you his boyfriend on live TV.” 

PJ’s voice cuts through the silence and Phil turns to see his friend sitting with his clothes rucked up and his glasses slightly askew. 

Phil just nods. “I can’t believe it.” 

Phil clicks off the telly even though he knows Dan isn’t done but he needs a moment to just sit in shock. Dan just told everyone that they were together. He told the world that Phil was his boyfriend. It was official. Everything felt cemented and he felt a bit overwhelmed. 

He tries to talk through his feelings with Martyn and PJ but it doesn’t really work when both of them are nearly asleep beside him. He eventually gives up and leaves them be just as they both curl up on opposite ends of the couch and are sleeping with their heads on the pillows of his couch. 

Phil walks to his bedroom with Spike in tow and gets into bed, his eyes feeling extremely heavy and weighted. He’s not sure he can fight sleep any longer. He’s just shutting his eyes when his phone begins to vibrate and he picks it up and answers it with a mumble. 

“Hey.” 

It’s Dan’s voice. 

Phil shoots up in bed and answers back. “Hey!” 

“Did you watch Jimmy Fallon?” Dan asks. 

“Of course I did.” Phil says. “I wouldn’t have missed it.” 

“So you saw what I did?” 

Phil nods, but then remembers Dan can’t see him. “Yeah, I did.” 

“You’re okay with me saying we’re boyfriends?” 

“I love it, Dan.” Phil says. “Nothing made me happier than hearing you say it.” 

“Good.” Dan says. “Because I meant everything I said. You’re my boyfriend and I love you.” 

“I love you too.” 

“I have to get going but I’ll text you tomorrow?” 

Phil smiles and lays back down, shutting his eyes. “Okay.” 

“Goodnight, Phil.” 

Phil doesn’t answer because his eyes are already shut and his brain is already asleep, his phone laying limp in his hand and Dan laughing on the other side. 

***

There is a loud crash that wakes Phil up sometime later. His body feels sluggish and his arm feels stiff from where he had slept on it and he feels a bit shaken up if he’s being honest. 

What was that massive crash? 

He gets up from the bed and notices Spike isn’t around. Phil figures he must have gone out into the living room sometime in the night…or morning? What time did he even go to bed last night? He feels hungover but he knows he isn’t. 

He walks down the short hallway and comes into the living room to see Martyn and PJ both standing up in front of the couch and…

Dan is standing there too?! 

Phil feels all breath leave his body as he walks closer. “Sorry for waking you both us.” Dan says. “It’s past noon and I figured Phil would be the only one here.” 

“No, no, you’re fine!” Martyn stutters. “I need to get going anyway.” 

PJ nods in agreement and then they’re both barreling around Dan and grabbing their things as they walk out of Phil’s flat. Phil feels a bit embarrassed by that entire ordeal. Plus, he’s a bit embarrassed at the mess. There are empty glasses, diet coke cans, and stale food sitting everywhere. He needs to clean but he doesn’t feel like he can right now. 

“Hi.” Dan says, dropping his bag onto the floor as Spike immediately runs over to it to sniff it. 

“Hi.”

“Surprise?” 

Phil rushes over and gathers Dan in his arms as he picks him up and spins him around, Dan laughing and giggling like they’re young teenagers again. When he lets Dan down, Dan reaches up and presses his hands on Phil’s jaw as he moves forward and connect their lips. 

It’s a bit messy, their teeth clacking, but Phil doesn’t care. 

They eventually end up in bed together and it’s just as messy as the kissing but Phil just….doesn’t care anymore. He’ll never care as long as he has Dan again like this. Well, maybe not like this as he thrusts into him, but he definitely wants Dan in his life for the future. 

There is just something about Dan that struck him when they first met all of that time ago at the BBC. There was something about Dan that made Phil feel things for him that he never would have imagined otherwise. 

Dan’s smile, his beauty, and most importantly, himself. Everything about Dan was perfect and Phil wanted nothing more than to never let him go and leave him be. Maybe it’s too soon to think that he wants to spend the rest of his life with Dan, but he does. 

He wants to marry him and maybe adopt another dog for Spike to play with. He wants to move in with Dan and eventually have a little child running around that they have to chase. 

But he also wants right now. He wants to travel with Dan as he films and goes to shows. He wants to support Dan unconditionally and be with him through all of his inevitable ups and downs. 

Dan cuddles onto Phil’s chest and Phil kisses the top of his head, his hair tickling his nose. He inhales Dan’s scent, memorizing it as he takes a deep breath. 

“What are we going to do now?” Dan asks. 

“Well, what are you going to be doing now?” Phil asks, looking down at him. 

“I’m going to be beginning filming for Winnie the Pooh in a few weeks in England?” Dan says, a smile playing on his lips. “Care to join me?” 

“Of course.” Phil says and Dan leans up, pressing a kiss tight on his lips. “But I have to do something first.” 

Dan sits up and Phil turns on his side as he reaches for his phone. He looks through his contacts and clicks on the one that he needs and as soon as the person answers, he says the words he’s been wanting to say for a while. 

“Louise, I quit.” 

A year ago, if someone would have asked Phil where he was going to be, he’d have said still working at the BBC and barely making it. He’d say he’d have a dog and probably be so painfully single he’d consider extreme measures to try and find a partner. 

But the world works in mysterious ways and there is something that’ll never quite settle with Phil. And as he looks down at Dan who is laying on his back, naked as the day he was born, with his phone in his head, he’ll never stop thinking about it. 

He’ll never stop thinking about how the BBC brought Dan into his life over something as simple as forcing Phil to be an extra on the set. And now, nearly five months later, he’s convinced Dan is his soulmate. 

Phil never fully understood what he wanted in life, but he’s realizing pretty quickly that he’s gotten everything he could have wanted and then some. 

[readingaway]

Danielle Babbles About Books - Isla and the Happily Ever After (Anna and the French Kiss, #3) by Stephanie Perkins

Rating: 5/5 stars

Adult content: sex, etc. 16 and up

Review: I think when I actually sit down and read a book I tend to enjoy it more with the exception of those books that are better formatted as audiobooks and that are just really well done. There were a lot of things I loved about this book. I loved the characterization and how Isla and Josh work together. Their relationship felt organic and right. I wasn’t completely put off by Josh being a disgruntled jerk most of the time but actually being depressed and upset over some real problems in his life. That trope has bothered me before because I felt it was being used to excuse a person’s bad behavior because “well they’re actually suffering and only the love interest is deep enough and sensitive enough to see that this person is hurting! See, they’re made for each other!”. It’s a complex situation in real life and I don’t subscribe to purity culture and the demand that everything in books be crystal clear and right or whatever but the trope still bothers me. Anyway! I really appreciated that there wasn’t a love triangle and that Isla got to keep her relationship with Kurt, and that she got called out for how she was treating Kurt while she was with Josh. I loved the character growth and that the lessons Isla learns come about naturally. This book was just fantastic overall and a great ending to the series.

Favorite Quote: “I’m…getting there. I’m beginning to think that maybe it’s okay to be a blank canvas. Maybe it’s okay that my future is unknown. And maybe,” I say with another smile, “it’s okay to be inspired by the people who do know their future.” “It goes both ways, you know.” I link his icicle fingers through mine. “What does?” “Artists are inspired by blank canvases.” My smile grows wider.”

[adamwatchesmovies]

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)

As I began marathoning the Star Wars films in production order, countless friends told me Episode II - Attack of the Clones was the worst of the prequels. Really? I remember enjoying it with the big armies, grown-ups actors (goodbye Jake Lloyd!), no Jar-Jar Binks, and addition of Christopher Lee as the villain. Having seen it again, I'll call it a better Star Wars movie than Episode I but purely as a movie, it's rough. Tin-eared dialogue, countless moments of “sequel-itus”, and a romantic subplot so poorly handled it comes off as genuinely creepy often make it hilariously bad.

Ten years after The Phantom Menace, Annakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is nearing the end of his training under Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). When the Jedi are assigned to protect Senator Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) she and Skywalker fall in love - a forbidden infatuation. Meanwhile, an assassination attempt on Amidala reveals the secret construction of a clone army and an impending attack by a Separatist movement seeking to topple the Galactic Republic.

Nothing can prepare you for the abhorrent performances but don't blame Hayden Christiansen, or Natalie Portman. Their dialogue sounds like the romantic letters I wrote when I was in high school. Everything's melodramatic, forced, and artificial-sounding. The blame must be forwarded to writers George Lucas and Jonathan Hales.

Assuming you overlook the dialogue and miss Christensen's creepy glares, you’ll still have to contend with the film's obsession with references. Why are C-3P0 (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) in this film? Their origins were unnecessarily told in the last movie, and now they just HAPPEN to participate in what turns out to be one of the most important events in the universe? And then, they'll go on to help destroy the Death Star? It makes this galaxy feel like a neighborhood. You could forgive their inclusion if it wasn’t for an origin story to Boba Fett thrown in as well. I get that he's a cool-looking character and a fan favorite but in-universe, he’s just some random mercenary. He isn't important. Except now he is 'cause we get to meet him as a kid. Does this give you more insight into his character? No, so what's the point?

Attack of the Clones has plenty of scenes that evoke the movie serials that inspired Star Wars. There's an immense gladiator coliseum complete with weird monsters, dizzying chases, exotic locations, and cliffhanger scenarios with multiple plotlines and our heroes being taken prisoner or awaiting their doomed fate. On paper, the movie sounds like it should work. It's the sloppy execution that's at fault.

Despite the mountain of problems I still kind of like this movie both ironically and earnestly. As a movie that’s so bad it’s good, this is great. The wooden, stilted performances make the bad dialogue more memorable and quotable. There are some cool moments throughout like an insane assembly line gauntlet no one should be able to traverse… unless they are as lucky as our heroes. It’s a mix of visual razzle-dazzle and coincidences so ludicrous you’ll be howling. It’s a fun movie to discuss because of the strange decisions made throughout and most importantly, it’s never boring. The monster and character designs are great, the action scenes keep getting bigger. There's also something comforting about seeing the series moving towards much better material. This is a much worse film than The Phantom Menace but as a Star Wars movie, I’ll take this sequel over its predecessor.

As The Clones Wars began, I wondered how I could have ever thought this was a good film. The dialogue kept getting worse, the plot holes kept getting wider until I reached serenity and enjoyed it. Not as it was intended but that's fine. If you ever get a craving for Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, get some of your friends together. Set aside ample amounts of time. You’re going to need at least a half-hour to discuss what you just saw, and then, to cleanse your pallet (and restore some faith into the franchise) you’ll need another 2 hours to view the follow-up micro-series: Genndy Tartakovsky’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars. It’s the only way to do it. (On DVD, December 4, 2015)

[glitterrhowell]

Apples Are My Favorite Kind Of Kisses

Title: Apples Are My Favorite Kind Of Kisses

Series: Spooky week 2018

Pairing:  Daniel Howell & AmazingPhil (Phan

Word count: 2.5k

Warning/Genre: fluff, cute, adorable, getting together, strangers to lovers, kiss, first kiss, high school AU, sweet, fluff fluff fluff, oneshot, drinking, Halloween, Halloween party

Summary: Dan Howell isn't much one for parties but he finds himself very grateful for Louise his overbearing best friend for dragging him to a certain Halloween party.

Read on Ao3

Read on Wattpad

This is part of a collection of eight stories I have written over the last few months for Autumn/Halloween. I am titling this series spooky week and will continue to update every day up until Halloween day!

A huge thank you to my other half Christy (Fadingcrystalvoid) for being with me since the start of the series listing to me rant and proofreading for me. Also for last minute betaing all these stories for me!

Dan fidgeted with his hair as he looked himself over in the mirror, his costume was pretty simple, a bear onesie and he had colored his nose in and drew dots on his cheeks. Dan had never been one for Halloween parties, hell he never went to normal parties either but his best friend Louise was dragging him to one this year.

~~~~~~

“But Dan you have to come. We hardly ever hang out anymore and I really want to go,” Louise whined.

He rolled his eyes, electing not to mention the reason they hadn’t been hanging out recently had been her newest boyfriend Evan. It wasn’t Dan’s fault he took up almost all her time.

“I don’t know Lou, you know I’m never the best at parties. Besides I have an English assignment due the next day.”

She huffed, “But Daaaan you can work on your assignment sometime this week and get it done then you can go.” She looked at him with pleading eyes. She huffed as she tried one more time, “Come on; I’ll even let you wear whatever you want. Even if it clashes with my fairy costume.”

“Fiiiiine, but I’m not being the designated driver.”  he sighed. He knows better than to argue with Louise because she always ended up getting her way regardless.

“Yay!” she squealed pulling him into a hug. “Don’t worry Emma has a maths test the next day she already said she’d drive all us home!”

Dan rolled his eyes “Of course she would already have it all planned out.”

~~~~~~

“Dan, Louise is here,” his mum yelled up the stairs.

“Be there in a minute,” he hollered back down.

He took one last quick look in the mirror, almost opting to wipe the black makeup off his face worrying it made him look childish. Screw it, he decided, he was already going out of his comfort zone going to a party so why not go a little further.

Louise was wearing a crop top with a cute pink tutu and pink fairy wings. She also had her face all done up in bright pink sparkly makeup. She looked really good but when didn’t she look good?

“You look great Lou,” he said pulling her into a hug.

She laughed, “Thanks, hun. But is that really what your wearing.”

He looked down at his costume, “What you don’t like it?” he asked. “I mean you did say I could wear whatever I wanted,” he reminded her.

“I know I know. I like it. It actually really suits you makes you look sweet.”

He rolled his eyes, “Cute or sweet wasn’t really what I was going for. Rawr!” He held his hands up in the air and attempted to look voracious and scary.

She just laughed and tugged at his hand. “Come on, let’s get going!”

They rode to the party with a couple of Louise's other friends and luckily they had been able to find parking close to the party. He really didn’t want to have to walk in the cold, drunk off his ass, to make back to the car at the end of the night.

The party was in full swing when they arrived and almost instantly they were swarmed with people offering them drinks. He took one of the cups offered and chugged it down. If he was going be forced to be here then he was going to at least get buzzed.

As the party went on he continued to down drinks. He had drunk enough to feel the effects of the alcohol but not enough to be considered drunk. Louise had abandoned him not long after they arrived. She ended up on the dance floor drunk and messily dancing with Evan. He knows she doesn't mean to ditch him, she was an extrovert and he was very much an introvert, it must be hard being friends with him sometimes. He sighed as he watched her dance, she really did look like she was having a good time.

After watching people dance for a while he decided to walk around a little bit. Liquid sloshed around in his cup as he tried to avoid bumping into anyone. If it wasn’t people snogging, it was people grinding against each other on the dance floor. They were literally people everywhere. But while he had succeeded in not bumping into any people he did manage to hit his knee on a hard plastic tombstone that was sitting in the corner of the room. He cursed and bent down to rub he knee. He straightened himself back up and nearly headbutted someone in the process.

“Hey watch what you're doing!”

“Sorry,” he squeaked. But the guy had already turned back around and started talking to his date again.

He squeezed by a couple snogging between the sofa and the wall and continued to walk. As he made his way back to the alcohol table his eye caught boy he had never seen before. The boy wasn't dressed like everyone else at the party; in fact, he was dressed pretty similar to himself. As everyone else was wearing something that you could have picked up at an adult shop. The boy was wearing a simple purple checkered hoodie a pair of cat ears sat atop his raven black hair that was styled into a fringe much like his own. And to top his outfit off he had drawn cat whiskers on his face.

The boy was talking to a group of kids from his school. But Dan had never seen him at school before so he assumed that this mysteries boy must be new. He didn't realize he had been staring until a giggling Louise slurred in his ear, “Why are your staring at Phil?”

He jumped, clearing not expecting her, “Who? What do you mean?” he stammered.

Louise giggled again, “The boy you're staring over there, his name is Phil,” she said pointing to the boy.

“I wasn’t staring,” he said defensively.

Louise just laughed and grabbed his arm pulling him across the lounge weaving in and out of people dancing and talking, or full-on grinding against each other.

“Hey what are you doing?” he protested.

“I’m going to introduce you,” she said insistently.

“Louise, wait no.”

But it was already too late she was shoving her way throw the last of the crowd to where Phil was.

“Hi, Phil! You remember me, Chris introduced us a little bit ago.”

The boy looked confused for a moment before he must have recognized her.

“Oh yeah, it’s Louise right?”

She giggled and nodded her head.

“Phil this is my very best friend Dan. Dan this is Phil. Phil Lester. He is new and will be starting school on Monday.”

She shoved Dan closer to Phil, he tried to protest but she had already turned her back and walked off. Phil looked at him and smiled.

It was Phil who first broke the awkward silence, “So it’s Dan huh,” he stated more than asked.

Dan was terrified, here he was stood in front of the most beautiful boy he had ever seen and he was acting like such an antisocial loser.

“Uhh yeah,” he said trying to rack his brain quickly for something else to say.

But once again it was Phil who spoke, “If I would have known this shithole of a town had such pretty boys I might have moved here sooner,” he said cheekily.

This boy was definitely more confident than he had been a few minutes ago.

Dan blushed, “Yo-you think I’m pr-pretty?” he stuttered.

Phil smirked, “I do princess.”

Dan didn’t think it was possible to blush any harder than he already was but his veins seemed determined to prove him wrong. Normally he would be offended by the name “Princess” but for some reason when the word was coming from the mouth of Phil. he didn’t mind. In fact, as much as he hated to admit it, he might actually like it.

They really hit it off and they ended up talking for over an hour. He learned that Phil’s dad had recently gotten a new job which is why they had moved. He also learned him and Phil shared a love for video games and a lot of the same music, not to mention films. When talking to Phil, it didn’t feel like he was talking to a stranger he just met an hour ago it felt like they had known each other all their lives.

They seemed to naturally click with each other and that scared him a little bit because he had only known this boy for a little over an hour and he was already starting to fall in love with him. Or, least that what it felt like to him. He had never been properly in love before but this definitely felt like love to him.

Their conversation was soon interrupted though when the music stopped and Hazel, the party hostess, shouted, “Who’s ready to bob for some apples?”

Several people cheered and a few groaned angrily because their make-out session had been interrupted.  

“Come on let’s go!” Phil turned to him.

He was about to protest but he could see how excited Phil was he wanted nothing more than to please this boy so he nodded his head in agreement. Phil grin grew wider and pulled him over to the crowd that was forming.

Phil pushed his way through the crowd to the front pulling Dan along with him. And now that he was closer he could see a big metal pot just big enough for two people to stick their heads in.

He blushed and turned his head when Hazel bent over the pot and starting pouring the apples in. Her dress was revealing a little too much and if she hadn’t been drinking so much she surely would be embarrassed.

Once she was done she yelled “OK, who’s wants to go first?”

There were some cheers and glasses raised in the air but before any of them could step forward Phil pulled him up to the bucket. “We’ll go first,” he said smiling at her.

“Ok great!” She beamed.

“But both of you have to take a shot before you do.” she giggled.

A shot was thrust into his hand. He was already pretty tipsy he probably shouldn’t drink anymore but he couldn't resist as he watched Phil down his. So he poured the liquid down his throat, humming lightly to ease the burn on the way down.

Hazel took another shot, “Ok hands behind your back and you start on the count of three! Ok?”

“Yeah,” they said in unison as they both put their hands behind their backs.

“Ok, here we go!”

“One..”

“Two..”

“Three!” Hazel screamed.

He was a little late in diving into the pot as he was starting to feel the effects of the drinks he had early and the shot he had just taken. Phil had his head in the water by the time he submerged his under.

It was harder to get ahold of the apple then he thought it would be. He had to bring his head up several times for air before diving back in. Apparently, Phil was having as much trouble as him as he still hadn’t succeeded in obtaining his apple yet either.

The fifth time he dunked his head his teeth caught on the skin of an apple. He bit down hard but he lost in the process. He pulled his head up again took a big deep breath and went back in. This time he succeeded in catching the apple between his teeth. He pulled his head up out of the water with the apple still in his mouth.

There were cheers and screams and Hazel gave him a pat on the back. He blinked the water out of his eyes grinning at his success. Phil huffed as he saw Dan had succeeded before him.

Dan let out a muffled laugh from around the apple as he noticed Phil’s whiskers were now running down his face.

Phil glared at him. But the glare quickly turned into a smirk and winked at him. He leaned over the pot and attached his teeth into the other side of the apple and took it from him.

“Hey that was mine!” he protested.

Phil grinned at him as he pulled the apple from his mouth to only bring it back up to take a bite from it, “Well I guess it’s mine now.”

Dan glared at him but before he could say anything else Phil leaned over the pot and had his lips on his. He yelped in surprise and he froze for a moment.

Phil moved his lips against his. It was sweet and gentle and he soon found himself melting into his touch. He tasted of the alcohol and apples he’d just had in his mouth. He tasted absolutely heavenly -even with the mild left-over burn of alcohol he felt off Phil’s tongue- and like nothing else, he had ever tasted before.

There were cheers and wolf whistles from everyone around them. But Dan barley heard any of it all he could focus on was Phil. His brain was short circuiting and his heart was beating so fast he thought it might explode. He savored every single moment of it but soon Phil pulled his lips from his with a smug grin plastered on his face.

He grinned and handed Dan his apple back, “Here you did say this was yours didn’t you?”

“Uh.. uh.. Yeah,” Dan breathed out, still flustered from the kiss as his cheeks dusted a light pink.

Phil chuckled, bent over and gave him a kiss on the cheek, “See you tomorrow Dan,” he said as he cheekily walked off. His face burned in both excitement and embarrassment.

He watched Phil walk back into the crowd and disappear. He felt a slap on the shoulder and turned around and saw Louise grinning at him.

“Did I forget to mention earlier that Phil had been staring at you all night too?” she giggled.

He smiled as he pulled her into a hug.

“What was that for?” she teased.

“I’m just happy you dragged me to this fucking party.”

She grinned and took his hand, “Come on let’s go we need to pick you out the perfect outfit for tomorrow.”

He smiled the whole way home he couldn't wait until tomorrow.

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 2 July 2018

Quick Bits:

Ant-Man & The Wasp #3 is another fun issue in this mini as Scott and his tiny alien friends try to come up with a way to rescue Nadia. I’m still highly impressed by Javier Garrón’s art on this series, as it continues to push inventive designs, combined with Israel Silva’s bright, bouncy colours.

| Published by Marvel

Astonishing X-Men #13 begins Matthew Rosenberg and Greg Land’s run on the title and it’s very well done. It kicks off what looks to be Havok’s redemption arc, but the road is very rocky and unlike say, Magneto or Sabretooth, he’s not being given too much slack from his former compatriots. This first issue has a good deal of Rosenberg’s trademark humour and some pretty decent art from Land, Jay Leisten, and Frank D’Armata.

| Published by Marvel

Avengers #4 made it dawn on me what this run reminds me of, Grant Morrison and Howard Porter’s run on JLA. It’s intelligently crafted, widescreen action with Jason Aaron, Paco Medina, Ed McGuinness, Juan Velasco, Mark Morales, and David Curiel pulling it off very, very well.

| Published by Marvel

Captain America #1 is great. Ta-Nehisi Coates’ debut on the series finally addresses the fallout of Secret Empire on a personal and emotional level and it leads to an incredibly compelling story of war and pieces, as a new threat begins to surface and we’re left in a world where people don’t know who to trust. The story is enriched immensely by Leinil Francis Yu, Gerry Alanguilan, and Sunny Gho’s artwork which is just incredible. Yu is a consummate storyteller and this book is just flawless with its visuals. I’m very interested to see where this creative team is going to take this story.

| Published by Marvel

Cosmic Ghost Rider #1 continues the fun that was to be had during Donny Cates, Geoff Shaw, and Antonio Fabela’s excellent run on Thanos, with Cates’ Interceptor/Reactor collaborator, Dylan Burnett taking on the art chores. You don’t need to have read the earlier Thanos series to come in here, but I still highly recommend reading that run. “Thanos Wins” was a damn good story and so is this. The irreverent humour is here in spades, the art is glorious, and Frank Castle’s new mission should be interesting.

| Published by Marvel

Dark Ark #8 takes a very interesting turn as Shrae confronts the monster of the deep plaguing Noah’s ark. Juan Doe’s designs for even more of the monsters, and the deep one, are amazing.

| Published by AfterShock

Deadpool #2 has more glorious art from Nic Klein. This is among the best art in a Deadpool series and the character has seem some pretty incredible artists work on him. I can again easily recommend the title on the art alone, but I do have to say that the story is growing on me. I like the somewhat serious yet patently ridiculous interplay between Klein’s art and Skottie Young’s dialogue, with some very nice humorous moments here.

| Published by Marvel

Death of the Inhumans #1 is going to break your heart. Even if you hate the Inhumans, this is pretty harrowing. Donny Cates, Ariel Olivetti, and Jordie Bellaire are crafting a tale of loss here and this issue really makes that loss feel real, the threat possibly inescapable, as the Kree threaten genocide. This is pretty epic and I’m anxious to see what happens next.

| Published by Marvel

Death or Glory #3 is a harrowing issue, cutting deep twice, once as we go on a trip through Glory’s past and once again in the present, with a few other punches for good measure. Rick Remender and Bengal are delivering an incredibly nuanced, well-thought out, well-illustrated crime tale here and I recommend it highly for everyone. Loving this series.

| Published by Image / Giant Generator

Delta 13 #3 reaches the point in the horror story where there are weird shenanigans going on, but the creature(s) haven’t yet revealed themselves to the crew. Steve Niles and Nat Jones are really milking the atmosphere they’ve established, it should be very interesting when the story explodes.

| Published by IDW

Doctor Strange #3 is labelled as an Infinity Wars tie-in and given that it advances the plot and whereabouts of the Time Stone, it is absolutely essential to the overall story (even if “Infinity Countdown tie-in” might be a better label at this current point). Mark Waid and Jesús Saiz deliver a mostly standalone story here, fleshing out some of the character development between Strange and Kanna, but this issue should have interesting ramifications on the wider Infinity Stones arc.

| Published by Marvel

Giant Days #40 sees the welcome return of Max Sarin to the art chores, coinciding with Ed moving back in from the hospital. I’m impressed with what John Allison does with the confrontation between Ed and Esther. It’s not at all what I would have expected, but it feels right.

| Published by Boom Entertainment / BOOM! Box

The Gravediggers Union #8 is the quiet before the storm, with Cole having a talk with his daughter before the end, trying to convince her to walk away from destroying the world. I still love how Wes Craig, Toby Cypress, and Niko Guardia have turned this huge, weird epic into a deeply personal story of a girl who feels betrayed by her parents. Very much looking forward to seeing how this concludes next issue.

| Published by Image

The Highest House #5 is another brilliant issue in this series that everyone should be reading. Everyone. The layers of characters, the intricacies of the plot, the absolutely amazing artwork, Mike Carey, Peter Gross, and Fabien Alquier are crafting a masterpiece here.

| Published by IDW

Hunt for Wolverine: Weapon Lost #3 takes a turn as the detective group searching for Wolverine find a Wolverine. As with the other Hunt for Wolverine minis, most of this looks to be shaping up to be a wild goose chase, but for the most part these are still interesting stories in their own right. Charles Soule gives us another cliffhanger at the end here, I wonder if it will end up like last issue’s?

| Published by Marvel

Immortal Hulk #2 I’d probably argue is even better than the first issue. While that feel of the lonesome wanderer that’s reminiscent of the television series and the Marvel Knights run from Bruce Jones is still present here, of a Bruce Banner terrified of the Hulk, the story here twinges a different flavour, Len Wein and Bernie Wrighton’s Swamp Thing. This issue taps into that feel of the reticent monster, hunting down things that are even worse. This is a great standalone tale from Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, Ruy José, and Paul Mounts.

| Published by Marvel

Incognegro: Renaissance #5 concludes this wonderful series, working out the final details leading up to Xavier’s murder. Like the original Incognegro graphic novel, Mat Johnson and Warren Pleece have crafted a wonderful mystery that weaves into it some very important, very interesting history and sociological themes. I’m hoping that there will be more.

| Published by Dark Horse / Berger Books

Infinity Countdown: Champions #2 makes some big changes, huge developments really, that make this issue absolutely necessary if you’re a regular Champions reader. Jim Zub, Emilio Laiso, and Andy Troy conclude this tale on a bittersweet note, including an epic confrontation between the team and Warbringer.

| Published by Marvel

Joe Hill’s The Cape: Fallen #1 reunites the team who adapted Joe Hill’s short story the first time around, Jason Ciaramella, Zach Howard, and Nelson Daniel, for a new mini set between the panels of the original story. While reading the original certainly informs this, I feel like you can still enjoy this new mini so far on its own merits.

| Published by IDW

The Last Siege #2 brings us round to gathering the pieces for the conflict between this last bastion against an upstart king, as well as the ramifications of capture and exile of Sir Feist. Like the first issue, the art from Justin Greenwood and Eric Jones is perfect.

| Published by Image

Medieval Spawn & Witchblade #3 incrementally advances us forward, giving us a fight between Spawn and one of the Queen’s minions and delivering a bit of exposition on the Witchblade’s legacy. I’m not sure if it’s in Brian Haberlin’s originals, since it kind of looks like he’s using digital models, or ultimately completely Geirrod van Dyke’s work, but the rendering on Spawn and Scourge’s armours looks incredible.

| Published by Image

Paradiso #5 returns with some incredible world-building as we learn more about the religion of the world as it is now and of some of the history and landmarks throughout the city. Everything about this series is amazing, with Ram V, Devmalya Pramanik, Alba Cardona Gil, and Aditya Bidikar, creating something very unique here.

| Published by Image

The Quantum Age #1 begins a new ongoing series in the Black Hammer empire, with Jeff Lemire riffing on the Legion of Super-Heroes, and Wilfredo Torres and Dave Stewart providing some beautiful artwork. I’ve loved what Lemire and his artistic collaborators in Dean Ormston, David Rubín, Max Fiumara, and Stewart have done previously, deftly working through the various different eras of comicdom (mainly with analogues to DC stuff), while still telling engaging surface level stories. This looks to be no different, although featuring a future gone wrong rather than the optimism of the usual LoSH stories.

| Published by Dark Horse

Submerged #1 is an enthralling first issue, with Vita Ayala, Lisa Sterle, and Stelladia capturing an almost perfect balance of magical realism, juggling between the fantasy and horror of the descent into the underworld and the mundane of Elysia’s family life.

| Published by Vault

Thief of Thieves #38 comes a little more than a year and a half after the last issue, with a transition from Andy Diggle to Brett Lewis on writing duties for this final arc. There’s a decided stylistic shift, from all out action to Lewis’ epistolary narration, but with Shawn Martinbrough’s art it still feels like a continuation of the overall story. It does a decent job recapping what happened previously in story through a flashback of Conrad’s last moments, but even as someone who’s read the rest of the series, I feel like I need to go back and re-read them again for full impact.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Transformers: Lost Light #19 adds a step away from zombie robots to the mix as the series races towards the end. There are a lot of moving parts coming together in James Roberts’ script, plot threads and characters converging from years of storytelling, and the payoff is pretty epic. It’s also really nice to see a return of IDW’s original Transformers artist, EJ Su. It seems fitting as everything starts coming to an end to return to the beginning.

| Published by IDW

Unnatural #1 begins republishing in English Mirka Andolfo’s Contro Natura, which was originally published by Panini in Italian. It’s definitely different for North American markets, but I welcome more translations and more funny animal books. Especially ones as good as Andolfo delivers here. The art is phenomenal and the story, putting forth a society that is oppressive in its reproductive rights, making taboo any number of unions that don’t follow conception, is a much needed one.

| Published by Image

Weapon X #20 continues this transition into a new incarnation of the team. It’s not as hard a break into the new as the solicitations and some of the ads would have you believe, continuing on the story of Omega Red and the Russian mutant death camps, but it’s working towards setting up a new status quo under Sabretooth’s lead. The humour and action from Greg Pak and Fred van Lente is still present, but they’re joined here by Ricardo López Ortiz, just recently having finished an arc on Hit-Girl, who brings a decidedly different verve to the story.

| Published by Marvel

Other Highlights: Ask for Mercy #2, Assassinistas #6, Cloak & Dagger #2, Dungeons & Dragons: Evil at Baldur’s Gate #2, Elephantmen: The Death of Shorty #2, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark #1, Ghostbusters: Crossing Over #4, Go Go Power Rangers #11, Hillbilly #11, Jazz Maynard #12, Jeepers Creepers #3, Jim Henson’s Beneath the Dark Crystal #1, Jimmy’s Bastards #9, Judge Dredd: Under Siege #2, Lowlifes #1, The October Faction: Supernatural Dreams #5, Paper Girls #22, Prism Stalker #5, Pumpkinhead #5, Red Sonja/Tarzan #3, Ruin of Thieves #3, Spawn #287, Spider-Man vs. Deadpool #35, Spidey: School’s Out #3, Star Trek: Discovery - Succession #3, Star Wars #50, Star Wars: The Last Jedi #4, Throwaways #14, Transformers: Bumblebee #1, Vagrant Queen #2, Xerxes #4

Recommended Collections: Animosity - Volume 3: The Swarm, Betty & Veronica: Vixens - Volume 1, Doctor Strange: Damnation, Fear Agent - Volume 2, James Bond - Volume 2: Eidolon, Quantum & Woody! - Volume 1: Kiss Kiss Klang Klang, Rogue & Gambit: Ring of Fire, Scales & Scoundrels - Volume 2: Treasurehearts, Skin & Earth, Sleepless - Volume 1, Spider-Man - Volume 4, Transformers: Wreckers Saga, Witchblade - Volume 1

d. emerson eddy often feels like a stranger in a strange land

[recentanimenews]

FEATURE: Why Paleontology Is So Important To Pokémon

  In the last few decades of the twentieth century, there was an invigorated interest in paleontology. It was likely the most intense era of fascination with the prehistoric since perhaps the Great Dinosaur Bone Rush of the late 1800s, with scientists not only focusing heavily on the extinction event that ended the reign of the dinosaurs but also on their beginnings and how they evolved in intricate and surprising ways to become the dominant creatures on the planet. It was the age in which novelist Michael Crichton wrote Jurassic Park, a science fiction novel that would eventually become the highest-grossing movie of 1993. And a few years later, it was the age that gave us Pokémon.

  Now, Pokémon has many ties to paleontology. First and foremost, there are the "Fossil Pokémon" in the games, monsters that can be revived from their long-dead bones and turned into warrior pals for you to add to your team. Many of these Pokémon are based off of real-life prehistoric animals. Tyrantrum is a souped-up Tyrannosaurus Rex. Anorith is based off of the Anomalocaris, a kind of big, ancient shrimp. The Cranidos is very obviously derived from the Pachycephalosaurus. And the Aerodactyl is, well, a pterodactyl. And that's not even mentioning how many real-world animals have been named after Pokémon.

  Image via Pokemon

  The existence of these creatures, like the existence of dinosaurs did when they were revealed centuries ago, opens up numerous questions about the Pokémon world. Did they exist with modern Pokémon? How did they die out? What was their ecosystem like? In some cases, they're shown to be still around and living — like in the anime episode "Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon" where a dynamite mishap reveals a cave full of dozens of them. But for the most part, they provoke our curiosity. What other ages are there in the grand scheme of Pokémon history (and pre-history)? What other species roamed the planet in the age of the Aerodactyl and the Omanyte? How different would a Pokedex look millions of years ago? 

  This widespread passion for paleontology and dinosaurs gave kids a perfect foundation for their eventual acquaintance with Pokémon. Coinciding with the scientific research was a pop culture revival as well, one that sought to transform dinosaurs from the bloodthirsty titans of the Creature Feature-filled 1950s and '60s to a more benign and ultimately complex classification of animals. Stuff like the 1985 documentary Dinosaur!, featuring narration by the late Christopher Reeve, and the critically acclaimed Microsoft Dinosaurs interactive computer game gave us an image of dinosaurs as wonderful reptilians rather than terrifying, clumsy brutes. Popular films like Jurassic Park and The Land Before Time showed a more multi-faceted depiction of these creatures than had ever been seen before — they were scary, intelligent, caring, and even beautiful at times.

  Image via Pokemon TV

  So when Pokémon came out, a franchise that took what looked like RPG enemy monsters and filtered them through a lens of companionship and growth, kids were primed to receive them as such. The images we'd seen of dinosaurs roaming across the screen, whether they were solo or in herds, was not too different from what we'd see in the Pokémon anime. Being a fan of Pokémon did not directly imply that you were once a fan of dinosaurs or vice versa, but the connection in their presence and in their representation is clear. 

  Finally, both foster a need for exploration. The case of the dinosaurs is one that is ceaselessly intriguing. They reflect how the earth changes, how species evolve to survive, and how the way we study something can change drastically over the years. To become fascinated with dinosaurs is to become fascinated with natural history in total. Similarly, it's hard to be a fan of Pokémon without becoming interested in the bigger picture — how it relates to other RPG series, how its many, many monsters have become simultaneous characters and branding iconography, how the series evolves in some aspects and doesn't in others. Both are stepping stones into wider areas of interest in ways that are borderline profound.

  Image via Pokemon TV

  I write this because starting in July 2021, various museums in Japan will be hosting a touring exhibit called Pokémon Kaseki Hakubutsukan. There, visitors can learn about how various dinosaurs and other examples of prehistoric life relate to the Pokémon franchise. I desperately wish it was coming to the United States, so if you're in Japan this year — or next year, depending on the museum — check it out if you're able to safely.

  I grew up loving dinosaurs and then I grew up loving Pokémon, and to see them be so intertwined over the years makes me ridiculously happy. The former lived in a real world that almost seems fantastical, the latter exists in a fantasy world that, thanks to many, many Nintendo handhelds, I've been able to visit over and over again. 

      Daniel Dockery is a Senior Writer for Crunchyroll. Follow him on Twitter!

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: Daniel Dockery

[cassatine]

Hi! Can I ask what makes West End Games the "genesis point" of Star Wars old cnaon? Isn't it just the movies?

MY TIME HASCOME. Have a [tl;dr] of my notes on WEG. 

Okay so - are the WEG games the genesis point of the old canon or is it the movies is the kind of question I’m not super interested in, so i’m more going to focus on what makes West End Games key, and the part they played.

Let’s dothe time warp – we’re in the mid-eighties, let’s say 86. Return of the Jedi was released in 83, the movies have been adaptedin as many forms as possible. There’s been children books, storybooks, activitybooks, nonfiction, etc. There’s been magazines and strip comics in newspapersand two trilogies of novels published by Bantam, plus Foster Splinter of theMind’s eye, there’s been Atari games and toys beyond counting. There’s been publishedscreenplays and artbooks, a Guide to the universe compiled by a fan andofficialized, some odds and ends I’m notcounting, and that list may seem long, but it’s ten yearsof content – the rate of release was nothing like today’s or the nineties’. Towrap it up, between 84 and 86, there’d been the Ewoks and Droidstv series, as well as the Ewok movies (I think a lot of kids loved them, but olderfans, not really) but the overall release rhythm was winding down: Kennerstopped producing SW figurines in 85 (they’d start again in 95); in 86 theMarvel run of comics ended (they published two spin-off series til 87, Droidsand Ewoks, tho). Star WarsInsider, still the Lucasfilm Fan Club Magazine at that point, would start its runin 87, but it featured little about SW for years - outside of themerchandising pages at least. Fandom was certainly active, but the rate of official content had dwindled next tonothing, and nothing new was on the horizon.

In myperiodization, that’s the end of the First Legends Era, and at this point SWwas basically dying, nevermind the Ewoks and Droids stuff. Again, I don’t meanthe core fandom, but without regular new content the wider audience was justlosing interest.

Somethingchanged that of course, otherwise I wouldn’t be here typing this, and somethingwas West End Games, a small company who, until then, had mostly publishedhistorical and fantasy RPGs. They could buy the license because… well, no onewas interested. Again, Star Wars had stopped being a hot property.

That didn’tlast long, and West End Games kicked off the Second Legends Era, expandingon the universe in a way none of the previous spin-off products had.

Their firstpublication was Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game in October 1987, covering thefirst movie’ events. It was followed a month later by a Sourcebook and until the license changed hands at the end of the nineties, WEG released over ahundred books, sourcebooks and miscellaneous stuff, including the Adventure Journal, which arguably kickedoff the long tradition of SW short stories that other official magazines wouldlater continue. Many of these first short stories were later reprinted, mainlyin the Tales anthologies - and a lot of people were angry when some of the Special Editions changes invalidated bits of these stories (the very first Canonpocalypse). The West EndGames material also started the tradition of in-universe works; most of theirguides and sourcebooks had in-universe passages, but some of the sourcebookswere fully written from an in-universe point of view.

There’s anumber of factors behind the success of the WEG Star Wars line; for thecore fandom, it came at a time when there was very little new content: WEG’s shortfictions were the only new fictional content (bar Ewoks/Droids stuff) from 86to 91, and with the Lucasfilm Fan Club Magazine, WEG was basically the only regularsource of content. It was also an encyclopedical exploration of the GFFA, more on that below. It was aninteractive kind of fictional content; a way to become an active participant in the galaxy-sized storyof Star Wars rather than remain a passive audience, more accessible thanthe electronic games of the times. 

And it wasgood. Like, critically-acclaimed good.

The WestEnd Games publications had a hugeimpact on the franchise in their time, and their products remained being ratherinfluential in later years. They’re still being so, as that “roleplayinggame material published in the 1980s” alluded to in the 2014 Canonpocalyseannouncement – i.e., the source from which the Inquisitorium, the ISB andSiennar Fleet Systems, and a great many other elements since, were pulled andbrought to the NEU.

But to goback to your actual ask, there’sa reason for looking at the West End Games products specifically as a the base of the old Legends canon (and also a source ofelements and concepts for the NEU). The RPG outlook is a very specific one; oneof statistics and numbers and rules that users learn to navigate the setting ofthe adventures. To create a RPGfrom an already existing world,you’d define a number of categories and subcategories for worldbuildingelements, break down those elements to measurable characteristics – but alsoelaborate on context and fill in many blanks. It’s a very methodic way to doworldbuilding, one oriented towards a specific purpose.

Inpractice, that meant the West End Games books, although not planned as such,doubled as a set of incredibly detailed reference books, something without equivalent at the time. Althoughthe first publications centered around the movies and, once the ExpandedUniverse really took off in the early 90s, some of the novels, comics and games,the company had soon started to create as much as adapt, branching out to new,unexplored grounds. With the adventures came details about the galaxy’sgeography and history, its inhabitants and its technology, the inner workingsof the Empire and the Rebel Alliance. And if some of these publications tied tothe movies or other products, this was no-one way relationships: from theTarkin initiative to COMPNOR, the ISB or foundational texts such as the Declaration of Rebellion and otherelements great and small, the galaxy was laid out in West End Games’publications, comprehensively and extensively.

Thing is, if many of the books featured pre-written adventures or “adventure seeds”, the fundamental goal of sourcebooks and the overall worldbuilding of the WEG stuff was to create a universe for the players to tell stories – stories in which the narrator has no control over the characters, but stories nonetheless. In a way, the sourcebooks were reference books intended for storytellers.

Which is why they became the base of the “old canon”, when it took off in the early 90s, with the Dark Horse comics and Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy – and make no mistake, the only reason these happened at all was because WEG had made Star Wars a viable brand again. Their success had proven there was a market.

And as we’ve seen, they’d already done the worldbuilding, extensively; Lucasfilm has always had final approval on the WEG books too, so the content was considered as “official” as could be, and continuity already mattered (if always with the caveat that Lucas could invalidate it if he came back to SW, as finally happened). It’s well known Zahn was sent WEG sourcebooks by Lucasfilm (who would later develop an internal “canon bible,” way before the holocron database, but wasn’t there yet), and over the years, writers used the sourcebooks as resource materials; I wish I could give you a list but I’m working on it. Recently Jason Fry said he still used the sourcebooks. Hidalgo talks about them here and there.

Moreover, anumber of Legends (and NEU) writers, of fiction as well as of nonfiction, first contributed to StarWars through WEG; Troy Denning, later to write novels for the franchise,authored two “gamebooks,” i.e Choose your own adventure books, and a sourcebook;Bill Smith wrote and co-wrote a number of books for WEG before writing twotitles for the first series of Essential Guides ; Daniel Wallace alsowent from WEG to the Essential Guides, though he only contributed to thefinal published issue of the AdventureJournal, and the rest of his RPG writing was done in the context of Wizardsof the Coast publications. Peter M. Schweighofer, who would also go on to writefor WOTC, wrote or co-wrote a number of WEG books; he also edited the Adventure Journal and wrote a number ofshort stories. Pablo Hidalgo went from playing the WEG games to writing forthem before joining Lucasfilm. There’s more but I’m still working onthat list.

[kichanzo]

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Review

Samsung DEALS

Jumia

ksh120000 VIEW

Ghulio

ksh120000 VIEW

Samsung has spared no expense in terms of the features, prices, and specs with its powerful flagship, the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra in Kenya.

The company announced on August 5th 2020, that they will release the new phone in the market. Going for around Ksh. 120,000 this is the most expensive flagship smartphone it has released.

It comes with the 5G, and yes, you pay the extra money for the 5G. Though 5 only people in Kenya might end up using it!

Put 5G aside, we review the improvements that in this device such as the S pen, cameras, software, battery capacity, and everything. We’ll also look at some reviews online from others who have used it. It’s always good to get a second opinion.

The Samsung’s Galaxy Note20 Ultra is competing against its cheaper sibling , the Galaxy S20 Ultra, which have a lot of similarities. Read on to find out the minor improvements made to the Note 20 Ultra and S20 Ultra. Then you can decide if the device is worth all that money!

What You Will Read

Things to Consider Before Buying Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G

Chipset /iOS

Display

Performance

Battery Capacity

Camera

12MP AI Dual Rear Camera

Front AI Beauty Camera

Space Zoom camera

The Front Camera

Colors

Extras

1. Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra S pen Stylus

Features

Communication Connectivity

Accessories

Social Proof

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Price in Kenya

Alternatives

Samsung Galaxy S20 series

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 series

OnePlus 8 Pro

Verdict of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Review

Things to Consider Before Buying Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G

There is only one thing you should consider when buying this phone. That is fact that it heats up.

JerryRigEverything tore it apart and found out that the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has a multi-layered graphite thermal pad. Causing the phone to heat regardless of use.

This is where the S20 Ultra beats the Galaxy Note20 ultra. It has a copper heat pipe and vapor chamber that allows the device to cool.

Chipset /iOS

The Note 20 Ultra operates on OS Android 10,One UI 2.5

The Chipset Exynos 990 (7 nm+) Snapdragon 865 Plus has improved the overall performance. It’s its standard hardwarer the latest apps. It’s standard hardware is impressive.

Display

The design of the phone is naughty altruistically.

Samsung phones are famous for being big, and the Note 20 Ultra isn’t any different. The phone has a gorgeous screen of 6.9 inches, the device takes the perfect shape of a slab. This will make you feel as if you are using a notebook, which i guess its the whole idea behind the Note series.

Dynamic AMOLED 2X capacity touchscreen, 16M colors display is great. It sets you to enjoy your scrolling when you turn on the adaptive motion smoothness.

The resolution 1440 x 3088 pixels (~496 ppi density) is great. One thing you should know that you cant have max refresh rate at 120 and still get the maximum resolution on the screen. Though the fresh rates save on the battery life that would otherwise be consumed by the device.

The back of this smartphone has a matte finish, which looks better than a glossy finish, though its slippery than normal phones.

Both the front and the back of the phone have a Gorilla Glass Victus, which strengthens your phone and more resistance to scratch compared to normal glass being used on other phones.

JerryGigEeverything conducted a test on the phone, and he is quite impressed with it. He also found out that the device is covered with both plastic, gorrila glass and aluminum foil.

Cnet also, placed the gorilla glass under intense pressure to test its limits, turns out, it breaks. I guess glass is still glass.

Performance

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has 12 GB RAM, which is enough for an android phone to perform a bunch of tasks without running out of storage. It also has a 126GB storage space. Allowing you to save up all the important content.

You can expand the storage up to 512GB using a SD card, and expense you will incur extra charges.

The processor of this phone is qualcomm snapdragon 439 Octa Core. They ensured that this flagship device is 5G enabled. This is great for those with ideas of a smart home.

Battery Capacity

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has a 4500mAh High-capacity battery. You can use the screen time for up to 9 hours before you recharge it again. At night, the device is draining about 6-10% of the battery when on stand by.

You can fast charge it at 25 watts, reverse wireless charge at 4.5 watts and wireless charge your battery at 15 watts. This non-removable battery performs great for a big phone as the Note 20 ultra.

Camera

The camera owns the 20 ultra with laser autofocus. They create it in such a manner that you would think it is a Lego, yet it has a domino effect when taking photos or videos.

Everyone is raving about it’s new camera

Night Mode on the Note 20 Ultra.

This was on almost pitch black. #Note20Ultra pic.twitter.com/qGJRneKKFz

— Daniel (@ZONEofTECH) August 16, 2020

  12MP AI Dual Rear Camera

The ultra-wide 12 MP AI rear camera produces okay but not amazing photos, which is basically what you would get with any android ultra-wide camera.

Front AI Beauty Camera

The selfie has 10 MP with a f/2.2, 26mm, it will make the images you take look soft. Such that even without makeup, you will appear as if you have make up on. What they are trying to achieve with their phones is to make you look good. You are free to love or hate them for that!

Space Zoom camera

Good news, the telephoto has 12 MP and 5x optical lense zoom. What’s more intresting is the fact that you can have a digital zoom up-to 50X zoom.

This feature ashamed iPhone 11 Pro Max’s because they don’t come anywhere close to it. The cheaper version of this phone, Galaxy S 20 has lower zoom count and megapixels.

The Front Camera

Finally, the big camera has a triple 108 MP with an aperture of f/1.8. You will take some incredible master pieces.

The best part is the fact that it has a Samsung pixel sensor behind the lenses. The juice is right here. The company wants to differentiate itself from Google and Apple in the photography world.

Techradar tested it and concluded it is amazing

One thing is for a fact though, you will have a blast taking photos/video. Makes sense why they are selling it for ksh. 120000 in Kenya.

Colors

The phone is available in three color Mystic Bronze, Mystic Black, Mystic White. I especially love the bronze color.

Extras

1. Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra S pen Stylus

Finally, the note lovers get to write on the best note pad invented in the technology world.

The company has improved their note app user experience. It has done things that Apple is still trying to catch up and Microsoft will never get close to. So, you can only imagine how good the note pad is.

Tomsguide said that the S pen feels better than pen and paper

You can highlight your hand writing and then copy it into plain text. You could record a meeting, then later convert it into a text file. Best part is that you can export to docs and power point and share it.

This year 2020, the S pen has been placed on the left side of the phone. making the left-handed feel more special. Whichever hand you use to write, the note pad will transform your horrible handwriting into delightful notes that is easily and understandable.

One last thing, you can now organize all of your notes into folders, taking chaos out of your note pad.

Features

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 ultra has the following sensors:

Fingerprint Sensor (under display, ultrasonic),

Accelerometer

Gyro

Proximity

Compass

Barometer

The device is audio enabled and you can clearly hear when playing music with the stereo speakers

Communication Connectivity

WLANWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6,

Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot

Bluetooth5.0

RadioFM radio

USB connectivity

wireless charging

Accessories

When you buy the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra in Kenya, the following should be included in the package:

Ejection Pin,

Travel adapter

Quick Reference Manual,

Data cable,

Terms & Conditions

Health & Safety Guide

Social Proof

Rodolfo Lopez a verified Amazon purchase left a 4 star review said,

Whites are a bit dull not as bright as my note 10+. Almost a perfect phone .

Cry Dante a verified Amazon purchase left a 5 star review and said

Fantastic

i am in love with this beautiful phone

John left a 4 star Amazon review and said.

I say it’s the best, with a grain of salt

– AMAZING display, I had so many high end phones, including the IPhone 11 pro max and Google Pixel 4XL & even the note 10, but this screen here bests all of them. The high refresh rate, the beautiful colors, and the better ratio (it’s a little wider than the S20 ultra for example), all this makes for an outstanding screen.

a little that cropping a 108 MP picture didn’t yield the perfect result. The videos are even better. You won’t find a phone with a better main camera on the market.

– The S pen is pretty useful for taking notes! I didn’t feel like I needed it for anything else except, may be, for a selfie, so even though it isn’t the biggest selling point, it’s worth mentioning.

– It looks great! Yup, design wise, that phone looks really good, that it feels bad putting any covers on it. I just ordered a very slim, transparent case & I wouldn’t recommend anything else.

  Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Price in Kenya

The Samsung galaxy note 20 ultra price in Kenya is about ksh. 12000. Is this smartphone worth the price of a hybrid cow? At ksh. 120,000, it had better be. This is one of the most expensive flagships released by brands in the year 2020.

But is it worth the premium price? My answer is yes. It is more than just a phone. If you can appreciate all that we have reviewed above, you would agree of the same thing.

Alternatives

Are looking for a less expensive smartphone. Here are three alternative you should look at that are worth your time and still on the same category:

Samsung Galaxy S20 series

Earlier we mentioned that Note 20 Ultra is competing against the Galaxy S20 series. The two devices have a lot of similar specs such as wireless charging, One UI, 120Hz OLED screen and they both have IP68 design on the phone.

The S20 is a great phone so long as you don’t care about the camera improvements made on the Note 20 Ultra and the S Pen. If you want a cutting edge experience, then consider purchasing the Note 20 Ultra.

If money is a factor to consider when buying a new device, i would recommend that you pick the S20. You will have a great device and save up on a few thousand shillings.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 series

If you love the Note family and want to save money, then picking the Galaxy Note 10 is also a great option. Both the Note 10 and Note 20 Ultra have Snapdragon 865 Plus, OLED 60Hz panels, 10 MP selfie camera and a flexible front camera.

Note 10 is a relatively cheap flagship that comes with an S pen. It comes with a big battery capacity of 3,500mAh. also has a big battery capacity of 3500mAh, fast charging, and it supports wireless charging of 15 watts.

OnePlus 8 Pro

If you want to take a break from Samsung, consider the OnePlus 8 Pro. It has lots of similar features. Such as a 120Hz refresh rate, 30Watts wireless charging, Snapdragon silicon and IP68 rating.

One plus 8 Pro also has a quad main camera with 48 MP, 48 MP Ultra-wide camera, a 5MP color filter and a 8MP 3X telephoto. Pretty much of what we have seen on the Note 20 Ultra.

Verdict of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Review

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra in Kenya is a great phone. What makes it perfect is the minor improvements made by the company. Better low light photography, all options when shooting video, no fingerprint smudge on the back of the phone and the variable refresh rate saving on the battery.

Could Samsung’s Galaxy Note 20 do better? Yes, for a flagship of 2020 costing this much, they should expand the storage they are offering from 126 GB to 256 GB. But then again, every time you buy a phone there, a trade-offs you have to make.

Would i recommend you buy this phone? The answer is both Yes and No. Buying a Samsung Galaxy Note 9 or 10 would still perform a decent job and they are less expensive.

One reason why people upgrade their devices is cause the latest smartphone is super nice and flashy. But that’s not with Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, the phone is not classy but it is a tech bump. it has better improvements from what there is on the other note smartphones. Making it worth your time and money when you buy this phone.

Check out more of our reviews here.

The Review

Samsung

4.4 Score

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra in Kenya sets the bar in how smartphones should behave. With it's incredible Camera and unmatched processor, Samsung has outdone itself with this one. It is the ultimate in flagship phones.

PROS

Dynamic 6.9-inch 120Hz display

Smoother S Pen performance

Very good battery life

5x optical zoom camera

CONS

It's Expensive

Review Breakdown

Battery

Display

Camera

Performancy

Value

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