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themonkeycabal · 6 years

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In between the surprise garage renovation and the now surprise front yard renovation, I’ve been strangely inspired to add a little to the darcy age-regression fic. (btw, they only had to rip out one and a half walls and not tear apart my bathroom! yay!)

"How are you, Tony?"

"Great, how are you? Coffee? Tea? There's some sort of blueberry, açaí cold-pressed juice thing there. It's pretty good."

Steve glanced over at where Tony was gesturing, a collection of pitchers on the counter, but he just smiled a little and shook his head. "No, I'm fine."

"You sure? Kale smoothy? Surprisingly not kale-tasting."

"Thirsty this morning?"

Tony shrugged and turned back to the Iron Patriot armor, working on the body. Steve couldn't make out what he was doing to it, but it involved a lot of cussing.

"Where's Darcy?"

"With Rhodey. It's his turn to try and keep her from disaster."

"And how are you dealing with all this?"

"Great."

"Tony."

"What? What do you want me to say? Darcy's five, I don't know why, I've got everybody I know working on it, and there you go."

"She's a handful."

"Yeah."

"You missed this the first time, didn't you?"

"I don't need that judgmental shit from you, Cap."

"No, no, that's not —" He ran a hand over his face and leaned against the desk. "That's not what I meant, Tony. She's a character at any age, huh? But five's kind of fun. Her cardboard 'plane', did you see it? Kinda looks like a B-29, except how the nose opens."

"I saw. She's got a weird fascination with bombers and cargo planes. I'll never understand how I couldn't get her to go into aerospace engineering. And believe me, I tried." He tapped his wrench on the table for a second then offered a little, self-effacing smile. "I was making circuitboards at that age. I like her creativity better."

"How old was she when you met? Ten, right?"

"Nine. She was nine."

"Probably too old for making planes out of boxes, huh?"

"She built forts in my workshop. Secret lairs. Shoulda known. Figures she and Howard would click."

"She reminds me of him. Of the Howard I knew, I mean." Steve paused, trying to find a way to explain it, a way that wouldn't put Tony's back up. Darcy was a lot like Tony, more like Tony than Howard, really. But, there was something wound tight and sharp in Tony that Howard and Darcy didn't have.

"Drives her nuts when you say that," Tony grunted, getting back to work on the suit. "Or, I guess, it did. Maybe it doesn't anymore since she met him."

"I don't know. We haven't really talked about it. Everything's been kind of a lot lately."

"Seems like it," his voice was flat and tense.

Whatever Steve was going to say next — and he wasn't sure — was interrupted by a high pitched sound, like a distant alarm, drifting down the hall. Steve's brows drew down as he tried to place the sound; it wasn't loud enough to be an emergency alert of any sort. But, it was growing louder. Almost like the alarm had feet and was approaching rapidly.

"CRUSSSSS-TAAAAAA-CIIAAAANNNNNSSS! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" Darcy darted past the door, her voice fading as she went.

"Huh," Steve said.

Tony sucked in his cheeks, trying to hold back a laugh. "Friday, lock down this floor. Don't let Darcy escape."

"Yes, Mr. Stark."

Steve cleared his throat. "I guess maybe—"

Rhodey skidded to a halt, looking at the option of two corridors leading off from Tony's work area. "Which way?"

Tony lifted and arm and pointed and Rhodey was off again.

Curious, Steve stayed where he was, waiting to see what, if anything, would happen next. Tony resumed his work, the clink of metal on metal and the soft hiss of an acetylene torch marking his unnatural silence. He was worried, Steve got it. They all were. Though, Darcy seemed to be incredibly unruffled. After the first couple of days of quiet disorientation, she'd come out of it to be talkative, active, and generally Up To Something at all times.

"THEY WILL EAT OUR FACES!"

Rhodey came back, Darcy slung over his shoulder. "We're in a skyscraper, they can't get to us."

She squirmed around on Rhodey's shoulder until she was able to get herself up right and slid down more securely in his arms. She took his face in her little hands and stared at him seriously. "The Lobsters in-fil-trate," she pronounced the word carefully. Steve wondered where she picked it up, "and eat our faces. We have to attack!"

Rhodey smiled then looked at Tony and Steve, his eyes weary. "Well, I better go do recon then, I'll see where they are. Gotta know the lay of the land, little bug. How about if you hang out with your dad for a while."

That caught Darcy's attention and she pulled back from Rhodey, pushing at his arms until he set her down. Then she scampered towards her father, but hovered a safe distance from the bench. "Daddy! I need a canon!"

Rhodey held up his hands, like it wasn't his fault the tiny terror was on a warpath against a mysterious lobster horde, then he pointed down the hall and mouthed. "I've got to go."

Tony waved his friend off and told his daughter, "No."

"Yes! And nuggets!"

"Nuggets of what?"

She gave him a steady look, like that was possibly the stupidest thing she'd ever heard. "Chicken! From Bu'Donals!"

"McDonalds and no."

"MAAAAAC Donalds and yes!"

Five-year old Darcy spoke almost entirely in exclamation points. Loud exclamation points.

Tony set down his torch, crossed his arms, and leaned a hip against his bench. "Kiddo, it's 9:30 in the morning."

"So?"

"So, it's not lunch time."

She stared back at him for a long moment, then glanced over at Steve and seemed to be evaluating him for something. Steve tried not to shift his feet uncomfortably; she was a small child, after all, and he was a grown man. But, the Darcy he knew was still somewhere behind those eyes, he could feel it, and it was weird as hell.

After a second, she shook her head, clearly finding them both wanting, and then her lips perked up and an eyebrow rose and she turn and ran out of the room. "HAAWWWWWKEYEEEE!"

"Shit," Tony swore under his breath. Whipping off his welding goggles and tossing them carelessly towards the bench, he dashed after his daughter. "Darcy, come back here!"

"I AM WILD AND FREEEEEEEE!"

#my fic #darcy lewis #darcy lewis is tony stark's daughter #darcy is inexplicably 5 #because trope #tropy trope trope!#this one's going to end up being published entirely as snippets #okay maybe not #anyhoo #fic bit

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tastic-blog · 4 years

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So, inspired by a recent first time viewing (how did i make it this long? No good answers) of The Holiday, I now present to you my Christmas gift to the internet

A Comprehensive Ranking of Romcom Sweaters by Sadness

Join me in an exploration of the knitwear of these dreamy eyed seekers of love, hearts full and arms covered! Their faith: true. Their choices: frequently bad. Their necks: cold.

Two notes before I begin! First- a lot of my very serious research came from the When Romance Met Comedy series of essays by @carolinesiede This series is one of my favorite things on the internet and you should all check it out

Second- my love for this genre is deep and sincere, as is my love for sweaters. Those who dismiss either out of hand may see themselves out.

OK LET'S DO THIS

0/10 Clueless

None percent sadness. Your hair is thick and shining, your schemes are manifold and successful, Daddy's sucky Italian roast is doing exactly what you intended. Let your arms bask in the sun in your sweater vest of youthful triumph.

(Note- the presence of sweaters in teen romcoms are rare. Sweaters are for olds. A teen wearing a sweater is generally a nerd, a cynic, or a cynical nerd. Just another reason why Cher Horowitz is an icon.)

1/10 When Harry Met Sally...

Only a slight tinge of melancholy. Sure, Sally's been on some bad dates recently and she could probably stand to get laid. But it's autumn in New York and she's a fucking avatar of emotional well-adjustment. The sweater is perfectly fitted and perfectly tucked. God, she's in such great shape.

+100 bonus points for Crystal serving proto Chris Evans in Knives Out realness

2/10 While You Were Sleeping

This ranking may appear controversially low, as Lucy Eleanor Moderatz is pretty fucking sad. She is alone at Christmas. Her beloved father is dead and she's fantasizing about an asshole she sees once a day from a public transit token booth. But you guys. This sweater. I've been searching for this sweater since 1995. It's enormous, yet beautifully shaped. It's the platonic ideal of coziness. SHE CAN LITERALLY HIDE PRESENTS IN HER SLEEVES. Sandy B is getting a break on the rent and peak Bill Pullman is about to lean over her, she's doing fine.

3/10 Bridget Jones Diary

Not great, but not precisely sad. Mark Darcy is at a shitty party wearing a dumb sweater and is about to thoughtlessly fuck up his romantic life. But his parents aren't the most embarrassing in the room, and he's got wine and gherkins. Things could be much worse.

4/10 Practical Magic

The sadness of Sally Owens is legion, but she cried in her PJ's and she's got more pressing concerns now. She's got daughters to take care of and a thriving skincare business to run and an undead rapist to send to hell. This is a sweater that acknowledges that your sister is a glamorous fuck up with terrible taste in men, and then is ready to get down to business. It's lightly fitted, with the breathing room for serious magicks.

(Maybe rethink the hair clips tho)

5/10 (500) Days Of Summer

This is where things start to take a turn for the more majorly sad. Tom is pretty pathetic. This is the saggy, washed out cardigan of a man who thinks that liking The Smiths is a meaningful character trait. It needs to be lain flat to dry, and so does Tom. But he still gets up in the morning, puts on a tiny tie, and goes to work. His depression is functional, and so is his sweater.

6/10 The Holiday- Cammy D edition

youtube

Amanda is sad in the way that only the thin, unhinged, and inexplicably wealthy can be. She has no friends. She doesn't know how to pronounce esophageal. The pristine whiteness of this cable knit is terrifying; the reckless abandon with which she waves a glass of pinot in front of it, even more so. You know that shit is dry clean only. Truly, a sadness touched with insanity.

7/ 10Love Actually, Colin Firth

The heaviest, darkest, most turtley-necked sweater to wear on a sadness vacation, sorry writer's retreat, in fucking France. What kind of whiny sack falls in love with someone with whom he cannot communicate at the most basic level? She's in her underwear, he's in an itchy monstrosity 3 sizes too big. This plot line can eat me like that collar is eating his chin.

8/10 Breakfast at Tiffany's

Who gave Holly Golightly the right to be so sad and look so good?? I spent my twenties sobbing on dozens of fire escapes and never came close. In a movie of iconic fashion, this sweatshirt is pre-American Apparel nonsense. Her soul is empty, but her hamper is apparently full because that's some laundry day shit. Her sad sweater is so sad, it trudged north and grew a depressive turban companion.

9/10 High Fidelity and Love Actually

Aka the asshole division. Above, a terrible boyfriend turned into a worse ex boyfriend in the worst fucking sweater I've ever seen. It's a Cosby sweater. A COSBY SWEATER. And below, a creep who turned filming his best friend's wedding into an opportunity to stalk and who keeps that video WITH THE REST OF HIS REGULAR VIDEOS AND IS THAT A DETACHABLE COLLAR?? At least Rob exhibits some growth, Stalker McGee over there gets a kiss on the cheek and a pat on the ass from his movie. These guys are jerks and their sweaters are terrible.

10/10 The Holiday- Kate Winslet edition

The nadir of sartorial desperation. Like its wearer, Iris' sweater has given up. It has no color, no shape, and no options. It is a formless mass that won't even keep your neck warm, thereby necessitating The Stringy Scarf of Sadness. It is literally a sweater in which to contemplate suicide. Thank god Eli Wallach is waiting in the wings, because this is as bad as it gets.

Ok, I'm gonna go watch While You Were Sleeping. THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT

#romcom #the holiday #love actually #when harry met sally #clueless #500 days of summer #high fidelity #practical magic #while you were sleeping #sweaters #sweater weather #Youtube

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morfinwen · 3 years

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5, 8, 9, 17, 34 for the ocs from stories we don't share (lauren, ian, etc) :)

I don't even want to know how old this is, but here's the long-awaited answer!

5. On an average day, what can be found in your character’s pockets?

Chris: Keys, wallet, phone, pocket knife, ticket stubs, a small pen or pencil, gum, anywhere from one to ten dollars in change and small bills, guitar pick(s), string, blurry bits of musical composition written on a napkin or the back of a receipt.

Reagan: Keys, phone. Stretching this to include purse: wallet, lip balm she never uses, pens, and a knife.

Neal: Keys, phone, wallet, receipts dating back several weeks, one or two odd items (bottlecap, glove, AA battery, candle) that he picked up at some point and forgot about.

Angie: Nothing. In her purse, keys, wallet, phone, lip balm, gum, small notebook, pen.

Elarin: Identification, whatever kinds of keys they have, several credits, some kind of tiny datapad with random notes on it that make no sense to anyone but her.

Meaghan: Identification, spare credits she forgot she still had, small rocks or small carved item that feels good rubbed between her fingers.

Avery: It’s random. On one day, nothing; on the next, exact change for that set of armor she’s had her eye on and a roll she grabbed at breakfast but forgot about; on the third, enough herbs to fill her herb drawer because they went outside the city walls and she harvested everything in sight; on the fourth, nothing again.

Leah: Her bag is always stuffed full -- spare clothes, food, scrap, medical supplies, weapons, ammo, etc. Some reliable things are a comic book (she enjoys Grognak, but prefers Astonishingly Awesome Tales), Blamco Mac and Cheese (irradiated or not, it tastes like childhood), at least four different guns, and a haphazard collection of toys she’s recovered from burned down houses, trash bins, the ocean, etc.

Ian: Wallet, keys, phone, random bits of change, and a button, inexplicably.

Lauren: She keeps her phone and keys in her pockets. In her purse, wallet, lipstick, lip balm, lotion, nail clippers, tweezers, backup phone (cheap disposable with all her contacts in it), change purse, napkins, tampons (all times of the month), Swiss army knife, hand sanitizer, small sewing kit (buttons, needle, thread, patch), and anything else she suspects she might need. She’s not paranoid, she’s prepared!

Kira: If she picks something up for any reason and gets distracted, there’s a better-than-50% chance it will end up in her pocket, and Kira picks up a lot of random junk and gets distracted easily. Each day’s assortment is different, random, and largely useless.

Darcy: Pencil and paper.

Susanna: Don’t ask.

8. Has your character ever fired a gun? If so, what was their first target?

Chris: A friend in college took him to a shooting range once. Everyone present described Chris as “worryingly enthusiastic” and “alarmingly good”.

Reagan: Nope. Her aunt wouldn’t have let her growing up, none of her college or work friends are into guns, and she lacks the interest to find and shoot one on her own.

Neal: Never. He hates even being in the same room as a gun. His dad owned a handgun; when Neal was ten, he (his dad) developed a habit of cleaning it in the living room, and pointing it at people as a “joke”, increasing in frequency and aggression until Rigby “lost” it a few years later.

Angie: One of her relatives took her hunting when she was eight and, perhaps inadvisably, allowed her to fire one of his rifles. She can’t remember what she shot at, or how close she came, but she can still remember how loud it was.

Elarin: May have fired a blaster in the past she can’t remember. Did try firing one on the Endar Spire during its final battle. Her targets were invading soldiers. If she hit one, it was by accident. She’s not really a “blaster” person.

Meaghan: Started using a blaster after she got exiled from the Jedi Order. Her first target was a droid.

Avery: What’s a gun?

Leah: Yes, so many guns. Her first target was at a gun range.

Ian: If bb guns count, then a paper target his dad set up in their backyard.

Lauren: Never.

Kira: Nope.

Darcy: Nope.

Susanna: Someday (be very afraid).

9. Is your character’s current socioeconomic status different than it was when they were growing up?

Chris: He’s always considered himself to be in some nebulous position between middle and upper class. Based solely on net income, it’s been probably closer to middle both as a child and as an adult, as even on a lawyer’s salary living in New York is not cheap, especially with private school tuition, music lessons, and extra curricular activities tacked on. But as noted elsewhere, both of his parents came from wealthy families who were always willing to contribute money whenever asked. If he wanted, he could live with either of his grandparents and probably never have to worry about money again.

Reagan: Maybe slightly less middle class than she used to be, but not a huge shift. Neither she nor her aunt have ever made a ton of money, but it’s enough to keep her off the street and in a (mostly) decent apartment.

Neal: He’s doing better than his parents were. Which means things like “lives within a budget” and “doesn’t spend half his paychecks on alcohol”.

Angie: Depends on how you define her socioeconomic status growing up. Based on her mother’s income, she was lower middle class at best, and now she’s solidly middle class, so maybe.

Elarin: She’s still a Jedi, though what precisely that means has changed since she was a child.

Meaghan: Same as Elarin.

Avery: At one point, yes. She came back from an expedition with a considerable fortune that enabled her to buy back her mother’s old home, and her mother grew up as nobility. For several years money was not a concern. But while she’s managed to hold onto some of it, after everything that happens in Kirkwall, she’s more or less forced on the run, which is how she spent most of her childhood. At least it’s familiar.

Leah: She was raised middle class. She is now the head of the Minutemen and a valued member of the Railroad, manages more than two dozen settlements with their own economies, owns property in Diamond City, and regularly scrounges caps and resources from the wastelands. So, yeah.

Ian: Nope, pretty much the same.

Lauren: Nope, also pretty much the same.

Kira, Darcy, Susanna: Still growing up.

17. What was your character’s favorite toy as a child?

Chris: K’nex. His grandparents bought him and his sister multiple sets for a couple birthday/Christmas presents, and they would spend hours constructing huge contraptions in their apartment -- Chris would come up with the ideas and Marie would figure out how they could build them. It was sometimes exasperating to come home and find the living room had been renovated as an amusement park made entirely out of K'nex, but their mother was usually too impressed to scold them for it.

Reagan: Simon Says. She would bring it to school and challenge other kids with it, and routinely creamed them.

Neal: Remote controlled airplane. It didn’t last very long, but he and his brother got a lot of use out of it first.

Angie: A Winnie-the-Pooh stuffed bear her mother gave her when she was a baby.

Elarin: I have no idea what kind of toys Jedi children play with, but from what i know of Elarin, her favorite was probably some piece of scrap or tech she wasn’t supposed to have that she used as a jumping-off point for her imagination.

Meaghan: Colored blocks, made of wood or whatever they used instead of wood. She loved the texture.

Avery: Wooden sword. Her mother was not best pleased.

Leah: A dollhouse. A big, expensive wooden one, with an elevator, dozens of pieces of furniture, a car, a fireplace that lit up when you flipped a switch, and all kinds of other cool things. She almost spent more time setting up the rooms than actually playing with it.

Ian: Some kind of toy construction truck, highly-realistic looking and very movable. His parents are holding onto it and many of his other toys, as his mother hopes they might get used by grandkids someday.

Lauren: Her stuffed dog Patches. He’s lost a lot of his stuffing and has actual patches now from where he’s been repaired, but he sleeps on her pillow during the day and with her at night. Only Ian knows.

Kira: Her Barbies. At fifteen, she’s too self-conscious to play with them still, but she’s got a box in her room of the dolls and accessories she loved the best.

Darcy: Not that he’d tell anyone, because he gets called a nerd enough as it is, but he’d spend hours playing with his dad’s scientific and graphing calculators from college.

Susanna: Back in Kansas, her grandfather built a few playground structures for Kira, Darcy, and Susanna even before they came to live there -- a swing set, a tower that was both clubhouse and climbing wall/fireman’s pole, monkey bars, etc. They weren’t super fancy, but they were solid quality, and Susanna designed her own obstacle course around them. It was getting a little small for her when they moved, but she still misses it, especially since in their cramped Chicago apartment she's not likely to get a replacement any time soon.

34. Is your character more likely to keep trying a solution/method that didn’t work the first time, or immediately move on to a different solution/method?

Chris: Different, unless he really believes in the first method and can reasonably expect the failure not to reoccur.

Reagan: She’ll give the first method another try or two, then move on to something different.

Neal: He’ll usually approach the problem from a similar but noticeably different angle, and just build off from that.

Angie: Could try the first one once or maybe twice again or go straight to a different one, depending.

Elarin: Has never used the exact same method twice in her entire life.

Meaghan: The same method slightly different.

Avery: If the first one isn’t working, she’ll change to a new one right in the middle of it.

Leah: She’s got a couple different methods she cycles through, but won’t use the same one on a problem if it didn’t work.

Ian: Different methods, assuming he stuck with the first one long enough to give it a proper try.

Lauren: Modified same method.

Kira: New method.

Darcy: He doesn’t have that many different methods of problem-solving to try more than one.

Susanna: The same method, but harder.

Thanks for asking!

#ask #answer #OCs #christopher hardie #angie mckendrick #neal fairchild #reagan travers #elarin (knights of the old republic)#meaghan caoilfhionn (knights of the old republic 2)#leah tolkien (fallout 4)#avery hawke (dragon age 2)#ian grayson #lauren winston #kira raines #darcy raines #susanna raines

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darkpoisonouslove · 4 years

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Ranking the Winx Club Finales

I recently finished my rewatch (and first watch of a season and a half) of Winx Club and wrote out my thoughts on all of it. However, to send off a year that was in experience a lot like watching this series - meaning, generally frustrating and downright disappointing whenever I got excited over a thing with a few highlights that actually stuck the landing - and to get out any remaining feelings over the series, I have decided to rank the finales from least to most favorite. I just have a lot of rage to spare over season 8′s finale and needed an excuse to do so. Plus, I am being thematic here goddammit! Here we go:

8. Season 8

Yeah, I really spoiled that already. To sum it up:

But let me elaborate. Like I already said, this finale enraged the living fuck out of me. I just cannot comprehend whatever possessed them to write a finale so, so... excruciatingly devastating... to a season that started out with a lot of promise and had some extremely solid decisions (except for the art style, which is just NOT IT). This finale is an absolute disaster in every way. First, there is a new plot point introduced mere minutes before the finale and it is never tied into the overall narrative of the season which doesn’t do it any favors, especially after the two halves of the season already have trouble connecting together into one overarching story. The reason they brought in the creatures from the Dark Dimension was to distract Valtor while Winx make their attempt at stealing the stars which could have very well been a role filled by Arken confronting Valtor in an opportunity to clear up all the muddy details around their partnership and bring together the two halves of the season. The Winx’ plan had potential that was completely wasted by their own interruption instead of seeing each girl (provided Layla was playing Icy, Stella - Darcy and Musa/Tecna - Stormy) doing her best to pretend to be the Trix she’s posing as to give the Trix the due role they should have had in this finale. Instead, we get an Icy that is a complete opposite of the character we’ve known her to be for seven seasons all for the sake of a wish she doesn’t even get fulfilled despite her decision to help. Her motivation is a direct contradiction to the original plan of the Trix and disrespects her character from all previous instances of her being on the show for absolutely no reason as she is left with nothing in the end and the whole backstory they invented for her out of nowhere and couldn’t fit in any way with anything previously known about her was in vain because it was never resolved. Winx essentially manage to defeat Valtor once they wish for their own power-up and are gifted powers they haven’t really earned only to be pronounced great heroes who even get their own constellation in the sky. Come again? There was no narrative tension in this episode, no big climax to resolve what is supposedly the biggest threat in the universe at the moment, and no actual emotional conclusion to the season. It can’t even be called a messy wrap when so many threads were left hanging in there. A true disaster on every front.

7. Season 6

Even if you count both 6x25 and 6x26 as the finale of season 6, the structure is still lacking big time. Acheron who is the main drive of the entire season is defeated before the end of 6x25 and the Trix who are the other main villains were also more or less neutralized at that point to leave absolutely no stakes for the last episode so they had to pull some bullshit to fill it. The Winx are useless for the entire episode, including Bloom whose battle with the Trix is an absolute joke. Like, they can’t even think of syncing their attacks so that she can’t protect herself from all three of them with her ridiculously small shield and Bloom couldn’t even bother to actually buy herself enough time to leave the Legendarium. The only saving grace of that fight is the little emotional moment it causes for Bloom but that was also not really set up at any point of the season so it was just out of the blue. Selina changing her affiliations permanently even after the imminent threat for her life was neutralized made about as much sense as her turning evil in the first place and the fact that they needed her to lock the Legendarium made everything 1000% shittier because of how convenient it was that she just decided to turn good again without any justification for her course of actions. That coupled with the lack of consequences for any of her actions (she nearly killed Flora for heaven’s sake and no one even brought that up?) plus the dreadful info dump monologue they gave her just brought the whole thing down. The wrap-up of the season was also underwhelming after they had an entire episode that was mainly free of villains in order to close the other storylines... but, of course, there were no other storylines. Pretty disastrous.

6. Season 7

Just like in season 6, Winx were pretty useless here as they really didn’t do all that much for the plot. Luckily, the fact that the Trix were brought in allowed for the villains to have a battle that was more intriguing and provided some action as for a finale. The other key elements of the season (fairy animals, Trix, wild magic, Kalshara and Brafilius and the time travel) were actually woven together pretty well to make for a pretty satisfying finish to a season that really lacked any solid plot. The mini worlds and the Tynix transformation did not have use in the last episode but that wasn’t too catastrophic. There was actually a pretty emotional moment between the fairy animals and Winx that would have been even better if their relationships had been better developed throughout the season... You’d really think that since fairy animals were the main point of the season and there was no solid plot to account for, they would have taken the time to pay attention to Winx bonding with their fairy animals but nah. I am still impressed with how touching their goodbye was given the fact that they didn’t really have all that much time to actually become close so bonus points for that. The very last scene is a little generic but what else to expect from a season that has sung all its songs already (thank god that there were no musical numbers in this because I have a feeling it would have been even worse)?

5. Season 5

Season 5 could at least pat itself on the back for dealing with the main villain of the season even if there were a couple iffy things about the whole deal. I’m taking away consistency points for a) the fact that the Throne was supposed to be activated with the seals from the Pillars of the Infinite Ocean, yet suddenly stealing a random Sirenix would do, b) Tritannus being defeated by simply having his trident taken away even though he literally grew in body mass implying that the power of the Emperor’s Throne had seeped inside of him (also confirmed by Mystery of the Abyss) and c) the mutants inexplicably turning back into people once Tritannus lost his powers even though they never turned back during his times of relapsing back into a human thanks to running out of pollution. His defeat was just ridiculously easy and Bloom got to do it even though Layla was the one with the personal connection to Tritannus and the one most directly impacted by his actions as her family fell prey to him. Instead of getting to shine in a season that focused heavily not just on her home world but on the environment from which her powers come, she got benched in favor of Bloom getting to do everything again with only mild assist from Layla’s cousin. They should have kept it in the family and left Layla and Nereus deal with Tritannus. The Trix were blasted out of the narrative extremely conveniently and the rest of Winx were saved twice by the mutants just turning their back on them instead of destroying them right then and there and then being turned back into their original form as well. There wasn’t the usual teamwork of the whole Winx unit which I am still salty about despite being sick of all the time they reached for convergence in that season. Theredor fighting alongside Winx (different from his own daughter) was a nice touch but the king and queen of Andros coming off as so helpless (and apparently the only people in the castle unless you admit that everyone else drowned) was frustrating. Where was the Andros army? We only got Tressa, Roy, four of Winx and a handful of mermaids. Is that the whole population of the Heart of All Oceans? Additionally, the finale left no time for any emotional resolution of the season’s events, especially considering the big deal that Daphne’s revival was. Instead they opted for a musical number at the end. Not the best form.

4. Season 3

Season 3 had a finale and then another finale. Granted, better than season 6 that had a finale and then filler but there was not a lot of glory to the ending of a story with such a strong opening and emotional moments that send you bursting into tears. The spell of the four elements was pretty decent in its first appearance in 3x25 but the way Valtor lost it all was a real let down after the climatic confrontations between him and the Winx girls throughout the rest of the season. His return was more or less a desperate last attempt at personal revenge against Winx as his goal was mostly out of reach at this point. The spell of the elements was brought down in both its use to create clones of Winx’ boyfriends and in its power as it was much easier to undo in its reappearance. The saving graces of this season’s finale are the couple emotional moments sprinkled through both 3x25 and 3x26. Bloom’s willingness to sacrifice herself for her friends and the world was the thread that the finale hangs on as she is mostly the one resolving the whole conflict which was a bit dissatisfying after the emotional damage Valtor inflicted on all of them directly or indirectly. There is a few moments left to recover from the emotional intensity of their battles against Valtor but nothing that really addresses the seriousness of the trauma they had to survive because of him. The Trix didn’t even get to have a last stand of their own in either of the last two episodes despite the position in which they started the season but that was more or less unnecessary anyway since we’d already seen they can’t hold their ground against Enchantix Winx even with a boost from Valtor. Overall, the finale is pretty weak, especially as a follow-up of the dynamic and strong experiences that the season put them all through. It was the first finale that was confined to a single episode (or rather two separate battles spanning over an episode to end the season) and there wasn’t enough tension building in the confined storyline an episode told.

3. Season 4

The season 4 finale is overall a solid conclusion that delivers both a final battle with the Wizards and enough time left to address all the other storylines left unfinished. The final battle was pretty short but there was enough intensity in the previous couple episodes to have covered the action demand that the season had already set up and it also provided the opportunity to have Winx come back together as a team after Layla split up. Not only that, but Nebula and Roxy also get to play their part while the Wizards make their last desperate attempt to regain the upper hand. It’s pretty climatic for something that length that also left about 15 minutes of the episode still to fill. Everything that had to do with the closure of the Earth fairies storyline was emotional beyond belief and gave more depth to all of them and Layla’s decision to join them. Winx had to face all of the separate responsibilities they have on their shoulders and find a way to balance them all so that they can pursue their dreams. There was a plethora of emotional moments and a deserved spotlight shined on Layla’s situation and how she’s dealing with it, plus the others’ feelings. It was a really touching finale and also an inspiring one to see Winx stand behind their dreams while still balancing their responsibilities. It seemed to achieve the initial goal of the season to have them adapting to the adult life they were shifting into.

2. Season 2

I’m gonna be honest, I had a very hard time deciding whether this would be number one or two because the season 2 finale had a lot more character moments that were very moving. It really corresponds to the season since it was more character driven than the first one and the finale suited that. However, ultimately I decided that it would take silver because of a couple minor things that bring it down. To get that out of the way, the second portal to Realix that led Winx there was imo a copout that destroyed pretty much all of the tension that the entire season spent building around the search for the Codex. It just felt so wrong for there to be another way to enter that dimension and to me it was a big disappointment. Especially since the key to activating the copy of the Codex was the color riddle that was a ridiculous panicked attempt on the writers’ part to show that Stella isn’t useless and has what to give the team but it only made her look worse in my eyes. Also, minor gripe for the fact that there wasn’t that much of a final battle since everything ended with a single convergence. Of course, there were several battles across the episode between different sides that made for good action and tension and there was magic involved in more ways than simply the convergence in order to defeat Darkar but it was still a bit of a letdown to never truly see him put his everything in battle. And the fact that Griffin and Faragonda held him off for as long as they did on their own actually hurt his credibility as a threat as well. But hey, on the plus side, remember when the teachers actually helped and did not leave the fate of the whole universe in the hands of 16-year-olds? Good times! The MegaTrix and her? their? battle with Darkar was epic. 20/10 on that concept alone, plus it really brought a great feeling of vindication after the number Darkar did on them and felt so satisfying even if they were also part of the villain team of the season. They were portrayed as three-dimensional and weren’t cast out of the narrative without care just because they were villains and that was actually probably the most solid moment that the Trix have ever had on the show (just minor gripe for the fact that they were supposed to be trapped in Realix when the dimension was sealed forever but they were later somehow brought out of there which was never explained). Sky’s speech to Bloom was actually a pretty emotional moment and the payoff from it felt earned and allowed for Bloom’s victory against the darkness to feel natural and in place. It was probably one of their best moments as a couple. Plus, the cute little interactions that we got during the celebration party to send off the season on its merry way made for a great finale. (And a shoutout to the Musa x Riven scenes both in 2x25 and 2x26 because that was some good shit and some cute shit and it was exactly what we deserved).

1. Season 1

Season 1 reigns supreme with its finale. There is just no other finale that can rise to the level of the first one that was built for about one third of the season so that the last episode could dive right into the action without wasting time on setup. This is also the only place where we truly and fully get to see each of the Winx and the Trix (well, minus Layla who hasn’t been introduced yet) showcase their powers but especially Bloom and Icy. It is the longest battle we have seen and it builds a lot of tension on top of what was already there to leave you on the edge of your seat. The exploration of magic in this episode makes it so iconic and such a great watch even on the 300th time. There isn’t really much more to say than simply “It is epic”. What makes it even better though is the fact that there is enough time left in the episode to wrap up everything else and not in a rushed way. The battleground is extended to the locations that have already suffered the previous battles to show the full extension of the action and to setup the wrap-up that comes at the end. They even find the time to let some of the minor characters have distinct and touching moments as well and thus expand the universe of Winx further than just the main characters. Speaking off, they all get their moments, too, and the Specialists aren’t left out of that (you will never catch me not fangirling over Sky and Riven fighting back to back). The finale also doesn’t forget about the overarching story about Bloom’s origin which is commendable considering the constant lack of consistency the show suffers. This is really the only finale that isn’t lacking in any of the departments and manages to provide a truly fascinating story that keeps you entertained and in suspense while at the same time does not discard the emotional payoff or the logical continuation of events. It just excels in every way.

Well, this is my analysis on the finales of Winx Club. What started out as a bitch fest actually left on on a positive and uplifting note to make for a great ending to a harsh year. Let’s see what beginnings 2021 will bring! ;)

#winx club #winx club meta #winx meta #winx analysis #analysis #winx club season 1 #winx club season 2 #winx club season 3 #winx club season 4 #winx club season 5 #winx club season 6 #winx club season 7 #winx club season 8

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buckybarnesbingo · 4 years

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BBB Week 38 Roundup, Part Two of Four

We’re halfway there! (Yes, I’m gonna have “Livin’ on a Prayer” stuck in my head all day.)

Go give these collaborators some love!

Title: Into the Fray (Voluntarily or Not) Collaborator: InTheShadows Link: AO3 Square Filled: K4 - phobias Ship: Bucky & Tony & Loki Rating: Gen Major Tags: Developing Friendships/Relationships, implied/referred triggers all around for the boys, but nothing too serious Summary: Bucky listens to Stark complain to himself as he settles himself down in the cave. Outside the blizzard blows on, as strong as ever. He has been complaining ever since they landed here. Jotunnhiem. Loki assured them he can get they back home, but for now they must wait for th storm to die down. And if Stark doesn't shut up it is going to be a long wait. Judging by the way Loki is snapping back at Stark, he agrees. A long wait. Word Count: 1405

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Title: Bean There, Brew That moodboard Collaborator: rebelmeg Link: Tumblr Square Filled: Y5 - AU: coffee shop Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: moodboard, coffee shop AU Summary: Clint owns a coffee shop made entirely of puns, and leaves Darcy in charge when he takes a vacation. The shop gets a new regular (clearly some kind of hobo/assassin) that likes to purr at his coffee. With a pack of snarky baristas and a whole lot of sugar, Bucky finds himself living just a little bit more.

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Title: No Question is a Good Question Collaborator: InTheShadows Link: AO3 Square Filled: U4 - waiting for extraction Ship: Bucky & Ava Starr Rating: Gen Major Tags: dehumanization Summary: The Asset cleans its weapons and waits for its handler to arrive. The mission is complete. The mission had been successful - anything else is unacceptable. Beside it is its partner for this mission, also waiting. But this partner is new. Does not know the rules. It talks and it takes off its mask. Doesn't it know that neither is allowed? The Asset is a weapon. That is what Ghost needs to be. Ghost still has much to learn. Word Count: 642

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Title: Through it all, you were there Collaborator: honestmischief Link: AO3 Square Filled: B5 - Pain Ship: WinterIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: Nightmares, drowning, blood and injury, torture Summary: Five times Tony felt like he was dying + one time he did not. Word Count: 607

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Title: The Strength that Now You Show Collaborator: starjargon Link: AO3 Square Filled: Y5 - Expendable Ship: Bucky & Steve Rating: Gen Major Tags: Self-esteem issues Summary: Bucky and Steve have a conversation before Steve takes the stones back. Word Count: 663

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Title: Sent to a different dimension Collaborator: Menatiera Link: Tumblr Square Filled: B5 - Sent to a different dimension Ship: Stuckony Rating: Gen Major Tags: dimensional travel, AU, magical creatures, mer!tony, dragon!steve, alien!bucky, soulmates, moodboard Summary: Bucky has been sent far away by a magical blast. He suspects it’s a different dimension at least, because things are… different. Steve, for example, has been turned into a dragon shapeshifter by the serum, and Tony is a merman. Bucky has no idea what’s the deal with his counterpart whose body he’s currently inhabiting, but he has both of his arms, and occasionally wings too, which is cool, but was quite disturbing to find out at first. Oh, and the three of them are in a relationship here. But regardless of that, Bucky has to find out what’s going on and how to get home, because the clock is always ticking in the background, not to mention the mysterious paths appearing in the forest in the mist that calls for Bucky. However, Steve and Tony don’t want to let him go.

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Title: Relevant Experience Collaborator: 27dragons Link: AO3 Square Filled: Y1 - Missing Scene Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: none Summary: The missing end-credits scene that they inexplicably left off of Endgame... Word Count: 519

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Title: What Lies They Told Us Collaborator: darter-blue Link: AO3 Square Filled: C1 - AU: Mobsters Ship: Stucky Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Enemies to Lovers, Minor Character Death, Mafia AU, Angst, Mutual Pining Summary: Steve Rogers might still see his ma every Sunday, but he isn’t the dutiful son. He gave up that life a long time ago. Bucky Barnes may be following in his fathers footsteps, but he wants to set a path to something more than where they’ll take him. Steve and Bucky’s lives have always intersected. There is something between them that exists, real and palpable. But they are opposite sides of a coin. Opposing families in a war for money and power. Blood and pain. And fate may bring them together, again and again, pulling them closer. But it always finds a way to rip them apart. What they need is a way to fight fate. To fight their families. To reach each other. To keep each other. Word Count: 4839

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Title: Occupational Hazard Collaborator: Ibelieveinturtles Link: Tumblr Square Filled: Y4 - Occupational hazard Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: Harry Potter AU, Quidditch, moodboard Summary: During the first Quidditch match of the Inaugural Wizarding Olympics, Bucky is involved in an accident.

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Title: He Did it Again, Didn't He? Collaborator: TheMadHale Link: AO3 Square Filled: C2 - Sunglasses Ship: Platonic Bucky/Reader Rating: Mature Major Tags: Domestic Violence Summary: When the reader turns up to see Bucky her eyes are covered by huge sunglasses. Word Count: 329

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Title: The Masseur and the Assassin Collaborator: buckybarnesdeservestobehappy Link: AO3 Square Filled: B5 - AU: Spy, Secret Agent, Assassin, or Hitman Ship: Stucky Rating: Mature Major Tags: assassin, guilt, massage, happy ending, poor life choices Summary: Bucky Barnes needed a vacation from his job. What he found was a happy ending. Word Count: 3293

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Title: Hiding The Present Collaborator: TheMadHale Link: AO3 Square Filled: U4 - Picture Square Ship: Bucky/OFC Rating: Gen Major Tags: none Summary: When it comes to protecting his family Bucky takes it very seriously. Word Count: 289

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Title: n/a (to be decided) Collaborator: ibelieveinturtles Link: Tumblr Square Filled: C2 - Diner/Restaurant Ship: Bucky/Darcy Rating: Gen Major Tags: moodboard, holiday romance, reunion, surprise baby, unplanned pregnancy Summary: 5 years after their summer holiday romance, Bucky and Darcy meet again. It’s a huge surprise for both of them.

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Title: "Come On Alice!" Collaborator: TheMadHale Link: AO3 Square Filled: B4 - Alice in Wonderland AU Ship: Stucky Rating: Gen Major Tags: Bucky in a dress Summary: A bet between Ellie and Nat results in a shock at Tony Stark’s party Word Count:372

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Title: Bucky Barnes: Accidental Bondmate Collaborators: ABrighterDarkness & betheflame Link: AO3 Square Filled: Y3 - Alpha/Beta/Omega, ABrighterDarkness Ship: Stuckony Rating: Teen Major Tags: Reference to forced bonding Summary: He walked out to the yard to pull parts from an old car to use in a different one. He wound up back in his house with not one, but two, bondmates. Word Count:3545

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Title: The Ins and Outs of Family Collaborator: Starjargon Link: AO3 Square Filled: B1 - Labyrinth Ship: Bucky Barnes & Eliot Spencer, Bucky Barnes & Rebecca Barnes Proctor Rating: Gen Major Tags: Panic attack Summary: Bucky finds his family again. Or rather, they find him. And they're not letting him go this time. Word Count: 1394

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Title: The Midnight Fox – Chapter Two Collaborator: Minka Link: AO3 Square Filled: C3 - free space Ship: Stucky Rating: Mature Major Tags: bodyguard AU, royalty AU Summary: Amid the flashing lights, high fashion, and crystalline champagne flutes of the royal court of Estia, a deadly intrigue is brewing. There are whispers in the night; talk of a plot to assassinate the king and an uprising forged in blood and stolen art. With the bars of his gilded cage closing in, Crown Prince James Barnes faces his own struggles. Dealing with a city more enamoured with a masked vigilante than him is starting to get old fast, and his stuffy new bodyguard is as infuriating as he is potentially dangerous. As chaos threatens to rip the country apart and the list of Royal allies begins to run thin, the Prince is forced to face the demons lurking in his past. After all, no party can last indefinitely, and no secrets remain buried forever. Word Count: 15,858

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Title: Clint’s Big Secret Collaborator: pherryt Link: AO3 Square Filled: B4 - nerds Ship: WinterHawk Rating: Gen Major Tags: fluff, food Summary: Bucky can't believe that's what Clint is eating right now. What. The Fuck. How does Clint look like this when he eats like that? Word Count: 2535

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Title: The Ghosts of Me Collaborator: ibelieveinturtles Link: Tumblr Square Filled: C1 - Ghosting Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: art edit Summary: Is it possible to ghost yourself?

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Title: Barton-Barnes Family - Chapter 1: The Barnes/Barton Baby Collaborator: TheMadHale Link: AO3 Square Filled: C3 - Free Space Ship: WinterHawk Rating: Gen Major Tags: Bucky softness Summary: Bucky finds a baby in his room Word Count: 917

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Title: Recovery Collaborator: ibelieveinturtles Link: Tumblr Square Filled: U3 - Soft Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: another moodboard for the Harry Potter AU Summary: When Bucky wakes up after his quidditch accident the first thing he’s aware of is the soft murmur of his team’s worried voices, followed rapidly by the heavy, comforting weight of the blanket draped over his body.

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Title: Restoring the Shield - Chapter 1 Collaborator: Politzania Link: AO3 Square Filled: U5 - AU: A/B/O Ship: Stony, past Stucky, endgame Stuckony Rating: Mature Major Tags: a/b/o dynamics, semi-canon compliant, recovering!Bucky Summary: The man who was once the Winter Soldier (and before that, Bucky Barnes) is brought before the Avengers to face justice... just not the kind he had expected. Word Count: 1101

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Title: Approach With Care Collaborator: ibelieveinturtles Link: AO3 Squares Filled: Chapter 1, C3 - Free space Chapter 2, U1 - What doesn’t kill me makes me mad Chapter 3, K4 - Sensory overload Chapter 4, Y1 - Accidental feelings Chapter 5, C5 - pining Chapter 6, Y5 - Bed sharing Chapter 7, B3 - Enemies to lovers Ship: Bucky/Darcy Rating: Teen Major Tags: bad first meeting, violence towards innocent cars, sensory overload, accidental feelings, pining, bedsharing, enemies to lovers, description of a panic attack Summary: Bucky’s out for a quiet walk when he gets hit by a car. The car does not win. Darcy isn’t impressed. Word Count: 2233

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Title: The Asset Hates the Cold Collaborator: buckybarnesdeservestobehappy Link: AO3 Square Filled: Y2 - Survival in the Wild Ship: Steve & Bucky Rating: mature Major Tags: assassin, wilderness survival, missions, memory loss, canon compliant Summary: The Asset is forced to survive in the wilderness. He’s cold and alone, but he wasn’t always that way. There were once people who loved him. Word Count: 480

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Title: Brooklyn Barton-Barnes Collaborator: TheMadHale Link: AO3 Square Filled: U1 - Parenthood Ship: Father!Bucky Barnes and Child!OC Rating: Teen Major Tags: Non-Binary Character, Homophobia, Asshole character Summary: When Bucky gets a call from Brooklyn’s school his anger is directed the opposite way than the principal hoped. Word Count: 522

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Title: Pull the Guinness Collaborator: buckybarnesdeservestobehappy Link: Tumblr Square Filled: U1 - Dungeons & Dragons Ship: Stucky Rating: Teen Major Tags: bartender Bucky Barnes, nightclub, attraction, protective Steve Rogers, bouncer Bucky Barnes Summary: Bucky’s irritated he has to work on his night off, but there’s one patron who makes it worth it. Word Count: 1071

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Title: Check Collaborator: 27dragons Link: Tumblr Square Filled: C4 - Board Games Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: drabble Summary: What kind of weird alternate dimension is this, anyway? Bucky’s not sure he really wants to know. Word Count: 100

#buckybarnesbingo2020 #bbb2020 #bingo fill #bbb weekly roundup #bbb week 38 #week 38 part 2/4

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ylizam · 4 years

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going to continue the trend of saying, DO THIS IF YOU WANT TO. look, a shiny time-wasting internet question thingy! just like Ye Olde Livejournal days! tag, you’re all it.

1. Name/Nicknames: I do not tend to use my real name here, so call me whatever. if you do know my real name, I absolutely prefer my full name to any traditional nicknames of same! but also initials are good!

2. Gender: non-binary

3. Star Sign: leo

4. Height: 5′1.5″, aka I was once measured as tall as 5′2″ but I’m really not quite. (apparently my lack of height comes from my Italian great-grandmother’s side of the family. everyone else is, if not tall, at least over 5′4″.)

5. Time: 13:57 EST.

6. Birthday: august 17

7. Favourite Band: I’ll go with Fleetwood Mac, as they are both band and soap opera combined.

8. Favourite Solo Artist: Dolly Parton

9. Song Stuck in My Head: Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger! (um, mostly because we sing it to our (tiger) cat.)

10. Last Movie: Judas and the Black Messiah, which I enjoyed but also the main characters are cast Too Old. which kept taking me out of it a bit. (the actors are very good, mind, but the real people were so young.)

11. Last Show: we’re (re)watching Babylon 5 right now (which is a surprise to ... no one following this tumblr, I am sure, what with my Ivanova and Delenn spirals). (“re” in parentheses because I’ve watched it all the way through before but roommate has not). I’m also watching Dix Pour Cent when I have the brains to watch something in French (which I find takes more concentration than watching things in other non-English languages, as I understand just enough that I tend to both read the subtitles but also simultaneously try to interpret the spoken French and anyway!), so it’s taking longer than it might otherwise take (but also means it feels like there’s more of it somehow, so bright side there?).

12. When I Created This Blog: apparently December 2016? but I had a sideblog with this name before that, only I got frustrated with the limitations of that set up and just created this one.

13. What I Post: mostly photos and gifsets of the fictional women about whom I obsess on the regular, ditto ships I am into; on the rarest of rare occasions, I even post fic.

14. Last Thing I Googled: hahaha where to get a covid test (I was ill yesterday, but am better today so fingers crossed I won’t have to use this information right now because wow is testing around here very car-centric).

15. Other Blogs: a largely unused anymore DW that every so often I think about using again, also a tumblr that I use for just non-fannish stuff basically (and to which I pay only sporadic attention).

16. Do I get asks?: sometimes! I am terrible at answering them, though, especially if I don’t immediately know what to say.

17. Why I Chose My URL: it’s my LJ/DW username, but backwards because someone had already claimed my actual old username.

18. Following: 115

19. Followers: 182

20. Average Hours of Sleep: never enough

21. Lucky Number: 7

22. Instruments: I played clarinet through middle school? um, piano for a bit, guitar for a bit. mostly I sang—choirs, musical theatre, madrigals, lessons, etc. (please note that I do none of the above now.)

23. What I Am Wearing: grey joggers and my A’ja Wilson hoodie.

24. Dream Job: one that I’m not required to hold down due to money/healthcare/etc.?

25. Dream Trip: lately I’ve been fantasizing about going to New Zealand and/or Australia during the Women’s World Cup? like taking a long stretch of time off, catching at least one match, and mostly just visiting friends and spending too much money traveling between places in Australia and New Zealand when I really ought to split them into more than one trip. (clearly, in this dream trip, we’ve somehow perfected transporter technology because I know that much actual traveling between various locations during a vacation would stress me out.)

26. Favourite Food: probably pizza (and now I am thinking fondly back on the days of buying a slice from the local place and staking out a booth for everyone, sprinkling on the parm and red pepper flakes, not even bothering to soak up any of the grease). things with vinegar. bread (particularly with good butter or good olive oil). eggs are pretty miraculous. chocolate.

27. Nationality: american.

28. Favourite Song: but there are so many songs! how does one choose? so let’s just say I’ve had a soft spot for Billy Joel’s Scenes from an Italian Restaurant forever, which is not at all a surprising fact about me.

29. Last Book I Read: what is this reading thing? honestly, though, it’s been a rough stretch; I think the last thing I actually finished reading (as opposed to skimming through to the end because I feel guilty borrowing an ebook and not finishing it because I know there are limits on usage and whatnot, but also I just couldn’t actually read the book in question anymore) was Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger?

30. Top 3 fictional universes I would love to live in: hm. the Star Trek utopia (the version it claims to be, at least) is probably the big one. after that? this is very hard! maybe the Galavant-verse, as I too inexplicably break into song at any occasion? I can’t think of another right now, but it would have to be a gentle space setting, possibly a station; stars everywhere but no capitalism, no war, plus community, plus magic, plus joy.

#a true story about me #long post

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mysunfreckle · 6 years

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Sunfreckle’s Podfics

I thought I’d make a list of the podfics I’ve recorded so far, to remind people I do these and to remind myself that I’d like to do more! All links go to AO3, with my very warm thanks to the talented authors that gave me permission to podfic their work~

Les Mis:

The Life and Times of a Sullen Coffee Shop Employee; a hilarious (sarcastic) series by @vintage-jehan from Montparnasse’s POV including Enjoltaire, Courferre, Marisette, JBM, Bahorel/Feuilly and Jehanparnasse. Full duration 2 hours and 15 min, split into 5 parts of 20-30 min, with outro music and sound effects.

The Flowers of Carterhaugh; my own writing, a Jehanparnasse version of the legend of Tam Lin, about a lover that needs to be won back from the faerie queen. Running time 30 minutes, read simply, kind of like a bedtime story.

Paint With Me; a heartwarming Enjoltaire story with Grantaire as the host of a PBS painting show which he keeps a secret, by @fishandchipsandvinegar. Full duration 35 minutes, with music.

Oh, we’re so disarming, darling; a dazzling Jehanparnasse 1920′s AU by @mardisoir, featuring Jehan and Montparnasse playing tricks on Paris’ high society. Running time 10 minutes, with music and sound effects.

Conference; a very clever bed sharing fic by @kjack89 with that staple of Enjoltaire: courtship through political engagement. Full duration 50 minutes, with music and sound effects.

Austen:

The Grim and Inexplicable Courtship of Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Elliot; a witty and elegant one-shot set in @amarguerite‘s enchanting Soulmark AU, from Col. Fitzwilliam’s POV. Running time about 1 hour, with music and some sound effects.

#podfic #sunfreckle's podfics #let me dabble in other arts

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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Marvel’s WandaVision Episode 5: MCU Easter Eggs and Reference Guide

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This article contains WandaVision spoilers through episode 5, possibly beyond, and for the wider MCU.

WandaVision episode 5, “On a Very Special Episode…” took everything we liked about the first two episodes and shook them up. For the first time, we have a fully blended approach to the storytelling, with the episode alternating between the altered “sitcom” reality of Westview, NJ and the actual, current MCU events. And then there’s that multiverse-shattering ending to contend with.

There’s a lot to break down with this week’s WandaVision, so we’d better get to it…

Sitcom Influences

WandaVision took us to the ‘80s this week, with a little Growing Pains, some Family Ties, and maybe a hint of Full House thrown in for good measure. The living room set itself looks very much like the standard seen on shows of the era, specifically Family Ties and Growing Pains.

Family Ties

The aging up of Billy and Tommy is much like Andy Keaton from Family Ties. In season 4, Andy was born and spent the whole season as a baby. As of the beginning of season 5, Andy was suddenly about 5 years old with zero explanation.

Also from Family Ties is the beginning of the opening credits, where it would show someone painting a colorless sketch of the family.

Bettany’s Michael Gross impression was extremely disturbing in how good it was a couple of times.

Growing Pains

Wanda and Vision getting vaguely horny for each other while doing regular domestic stuff is reminiscent of the way the parents would occasionally get it on on Growing Pains and Family Ties.

The sitcom theme lyrics and feel are extremely Growing Pains. And yes, as you might expect, they are very appropriate for these characters.

Here are the full lyrics for you (courtesy of the Disney+ closed caption feature):

“You wander the world with a vision…Of what life could be But then the years come and teach you…To just wait and see Forces may try to pull us apart…But nothing can phase me If you’re in my heart Crossing our fingers Singing a song We’re making it up as we go along Through the highs and lows We’ll be right, we’ll be wrong We’re making it up as we go along And there will be days…We won’t know which way to go But we’ll take it higher…You’re all I desire When the going gets tough…When push comes to shove We’re making it up Cuz we got love we got love we got love We got WandaVision”

Darcy also refers to Vision “playing Father Knows Best,” a callback to the sitcom style of the first episode.

We wrote in more detail about the sitcom influences of WandaVision episode 5 here.

Scarlet Witch

For the first time, we get the names of Wanda’s parents: Irina and Oleg Maximoff, but in the comics they were known as Django and Marya.

Wanda was born in 1989, the same year as Elizabeth Olsen.

We learn here that the “Scarlet Witch” codename has never been used in the MCU

Darcy refers to the anomaly as “the hex” after the hexagonal patterns that were noted in the previous episode. In the comics, Wanda’s powers are often referred to as “hex bolts.” She could also produce “hex spheres” and the town seems to be enveloped in a large one here.

Wanda’s accent, missing since Avengers: Age of Ultron, makes its triumphant return here.

Wanda talking to the kids about how “my brother is far away from here” is technically true: his corpse is…nowhere nearby. Although given how the episode ends, she could very well have been referring to another corner of the multiverse. We’ll get to that soon enough.

SWORD seems to refer to what’s going on as “The Maximoff Anomaly.”

Vision

We now know that Vision’s corpse is physically present in Westview and he isn’t just a manifestation of Wanda’s powers, nor was the horrific image of him glimpsed at the end of episode 3 a hallucination: it was Wanda seeing him as he really is.

Vision is working on a Commodore 64 at Computational Services. This early personal computer was a terrific gaming machine, with graphics and sound that were far better than early home gaming consoles of the era.

Vision apparently had a “living will” about what he didn’t want done with his body in the event of his untimely demise. Think of it like the MCU equivalent of a DNR. No, not a “do not reveal.” The other thing.

House of M

Before Agnes shows up the second time around, Vision is reading a newspaper with the headline, “LOCAL HOMEMAKERS INNOVATING RECIPES.” Moments later, he folds the newspaper in a way so that it only says “HOM.” HOM is short for the big Scarlet Witch comic event House of M.

The Twins

While it’s used as a setup for the twins inexplicably growing up, Wanda and Vision are horrified to find that the babies have simply vanished. In the comics, the first time we really get an idea that something is wrong with the children (as well as Wanda’s mental wellbeing) is when they show us that Billy and Tommy would cease to exist when Wanda wasn’t around.

This episode is the first to really feel like it’s borrowing a lot from Wanda’s most important story: the Dark Scarlet Witch story from Avengers West Coast. In that book, the first clue that something was wrong with Wanda was how the twins would disappear when she wasn’t looking a them. This would often happen when Agatha Harkness (presumably Agnes here) was babysitting for them. And later, Wanda’s personality started to shift towards full villainy and she was very cavalier about the use of her powers, something we start to see in this episode.

For most of the episode, the twins are dressed in red and green. This more than a nod to their parents’ favored color schemes, but it appears to mirror the colors they adopt when they grow up to be superheroes themselves. William becomes the hex-wielding Wiccan, who favors red, while Tommy favors green (like his Uncle Pietro) as Speed.

Sparky

Poor Sparky. Good boy.

The name “Sparky” is a reference to Tom King and Gabriel Hernandez Walta’s brilliant Vision story, in which Vision and his “family” (not the Maximoffs) move to the suburbs and try to live a “normal” life. Part of that includes a synthezoid canine named “Sparky.” He didn’t meet a good end there, either. Stop letting dogs die in our stories, you monsters! It’s too sad.

Lagos

This week’s commercial is for Lagos Brand Paper Towels, with the catchy slogan of: “For when you make a mess you didn’t mean to.”

This references the opening scenes of Captain America: Civil War, when Wanda used her powers to stop Crossbones from detonating a bomb in a crowded marketplace. While she reduced the number of casualties overall, a number of innocent civilians still died when he exploded. It’s the first indication that Wanda’s grief and trauma in Westview are driven by far more than just the loss of her lover.

The Lagos ad is also another reference to the Infinity Stones. Previously, we’ve had the toaster (Power), the watch (Time) and the Tesseract-shaped bath powder (Space). Here, we have a red liquid spill in a sly nod to the Aether (Reality). Only the Mind and Soul stones to go – which means two more commercials.

X-Men

These are definitely not the only X-Men references in the episode (of course), but we’ll get to that big one down below…

The scene of Wanda confronting SWORD agents looks to be directly inspired by the scene in the first X-Men movie where the police try to take down Magneto. Much like Wanda, he uses his powers on their guns, causing them to be aimed at the cops themselves before escaping. Considering the payoff to this episode and Magneto’s role as Wanda and Pietro’s sometimes-father in the comics (not to mention Pietro’s definite father in the X-Men movies), this was more than likely set up.

Vision says he was reading Charles Darwin’s “The Descent of Man” to one of the twins, a book that deals with evolution. (David Bowie voice) “Gotta make way for the homo superior!”

The Twilight Zone

Serious Twilight Zone “It’s a Good Life” vibes in the episode throughout, particularly when Agnes is visibly weirded out by Wanda with her “take it from the top” moment (unless she’s deliberately screwing with everyone), and the mailman telling the twins “your mom won’t let [Sparky] get far.”

Also, while we’re on the subject of The Twilight Zone, Agnes appears to live at the corner of Maple St. and Sherwood Drive. “The Monsters are due on Maple Street” is a notoriously paranoid unpacking of suburban paranoia.

Westview

The opening credits feature a “Greetings From Westview, NJ” postcard in a pretty common format, but one made most famous on the cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Greetings From Asbury Park” album.

We wrote more about Westview in general here.

“For the Children

Vision points out that there are “no other children in Westview,” which calls to mind the creepy “for the children” chant from back in episode 2.

Captain Marvel

Darcy draws the connection between how both Wanda and Carol Danvers got their powers via an Infinity Stone. Similarly, they acknowledge Wanda almost took out Thanos in Avengers: Endgame but that this feels outside the scope of her powers. Still, the fact that both Wanda and Carol stood up to Thanos isn’t something that’s being glossed over in the MCU.

Note Monica’s reaction when the name “Captain Marvel” is said isn’t exactly what you’d call enthusiastic.

Monica Rambeau

Monica’s test results coming back blank seem pretty significant. Is this a signifier that her molecular structure has changed, whether from the blip or passing through the hex barrier? Are we witnessing Monica’s superheroic origin story in slow motion?

Who is the Villain of WandaVision, anyway?

Despite the implications from the end of episode 4, Wanda isn’t completely in control of what’s going on. At various points in the episode she seems to be manipulating everything, but at others seems to be completely immersed in this reality.

But if she doesn’t remember how this all started, that sets up a potential villain reveal (or more than one) down the road.

What’s up with Agnes?

Agnes is complicit but was disturbed by Wanda’s ability to “resurrect” so how much can she really know? Unless, of course, she’s just “acting” this way to continue with her cover.

On the other hand, Agnes “helping out with the kids” is kind of in line with our Agatha Harkness theory for the character.

Reed Richards?

Monica mentions that she has a particular “aerospace engineer” in mind to call for help. Based on all the other subtle Fantastic Four clues that were in the fourth episode, could this individual be Reed Richards?

If they aren’t taking that big a swing, it could be Adam Bernard Brashear, known as “The Blue Marvel,” another prominent Marvel scientist, and one who has led the 616 version of the Ultimates with Monica on the team.

Evan Peters is Pietro

“She recast Pietro?”

Yes, you are indeed seeing Evan Peters returning as Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver here. This is (at least until it’s revealed that the MCU Wanda and Pietro were indeed mutants whose powers were merely “activated” by Strucker’s experiments) now officially the first appearance of a mutant/member of the X-Men in the MCU. Peters, of course, played Pietro in three films,X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Dark Phoenix. While Aaron Taylor-Johnson played Pietro in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Peters played him in Days of Future Past, and he was generally more warmly-received by fans.

And does this indeed mean that Pietro is alive again, albeit in “recast” form? Or is Wanda so powerful that she ripped open a hole in the multiverse itself in order for her brother to “make a guest appearance” in Westview? This could very well be the first indication of what’s to come in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and the possibly Spiderverse-y Spider-Man 3.

Unless…what if this isn’t Pietro at all? What if it’s someone manipulative merely taking the form of Pietro to mess with Wanda even further?

Also, Pietro’s “bad boy” appearance very much feels like it fits with the Family Ties aesthetic. His “New York tough guy” look and persona is much like Nick, Mallory’s idiot boyfriend. Coincidentally, Nick also starred in an episode of the show where he got a dog and it died soon after from an accident.

We wrote much more about the shocking WandaVision episode 5 ending here.

We Are Kind of OK With the ’80s

Jazzercise was indeed a real thing, god help us.

For those of you thinking the internet was a whatever a reverse anachronism is, we made the same mistake too. But it turns out it has been around in some form since the 1960s, when the Advance Research Projects Agency (precursor to today’s US government mad science agency, DARPA) networked a few computers and sent messages back and forth.

Unanswered Questions

Dennis the Mailman is back from episode 1. His little aside to the kids is an indicator that he is vaguely aware of what’s really going on. Not necessarily in a sinister way, but a reminder that the people of Westview aren’t really enjoying this.

One of the camera feeds we see is from Satellite 348. Avengers #348 had a Vision-centric cover and story.

Is there a significance to the stuffed animal on the chair at the beginning? I thought maybe it was a stuffed Bova or something, but I think it’s just a bunny.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Spot anything we missed? Let us know in the comments!

The post Marvel’s WandaVision Episode 5: MCU Easter Eggs and Reference Guide appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3pZW8jy

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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marvelousbirthdays · 7 years

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Happy Birthday, probablyunnecessary!

July 5 - “Why are you looking at me like that?” Pepper/Claire Temple/Helen Cho for @probablyunnecessary

Okay, so this kind of ended up more pre-slash than anything, so I’m sorry about that :S, but I hope you enjoy anyway! <3 <3

Written by @cinnaatheart

She applies for the job on a whim.

ON-CALL NURSE. LUCRATIVE PAY, EXCELLENT BENEFITS. MUST HAVE EXPERIENCE WORKING IN HIGH STRESS SITUATIONS.

She doesn’t really know what to expect out of it, truth be told. The ad seems skeezy, really. Just a blip on the endless scroll of employment pages; the kind that doesn’t bother specifying the actual kind of pay involved, nor the hours or hell, even the employer. At best, the advertiser isn’t interested in actually finding someone. At worst, it’s a scam.

Still… money is money, and it’s not as though Claire’s lacking in the experience department. God knows she’s experienced enough high stress situations to last a damn lifetime.

She sends the application away with no small amount of trepidation, and in her mind, that’s that. She doesn’t expect a call back.

She certainly doesn’t expect Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Industries, to call her about the job eight hours later.

“I’m sorry,” she says dumbly, staring in shock at the end of the diner, where her mother wipes the counter down, very clearly Not Listening. “You what?”

“We’d like to interview you, Ms Temple. You come with some outstanding references.”

Claire bites the inside of her cheek to stop a strange, hysterical giggle from escaping. Her mother has been scrubbing the same section since her call started. “I’m surprised you followed up on the references so fast.”

“Stark Industries likes to work quickly.”

“Right,” she says, feeling dazed. Part of her wonders why she’s even surprised by the fact that Pepper Goddamn Potts is talking to her like it’s perfectly normal for the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company to call someone up to arrange an job interview. This should just be part and parcel of her life by now.

At which point does the extraordinary just become the ordinary? It’s a question to ponder later, Claire imagines.

“Of course, I can’t go in the specifics of the job over the phone. This is something of a… sensitive matter. You’ll be expected to sign our non-disclosure agreements if you’re interested, but I promise you that Stark Industries is not interested in signing your soul away to the devil. Everything will stay strictly above board.”

A giggle slips out. She can’t help it.

There’s only one ‘sensitive matter’ that she can imagine Potts is referring to. The fact that Tony Stark has been funding the Avengers post-SHIELDRA has been SI’s worst kept secret for months now.

The ‘on-call’ part of the job description makes so much more sense now.

Abort, her mind screams. Abort. This is everything she’s sick of being involved with, multiplied by three thousand. ABORT.

“Sure,” Claire’s traitorous mouth says instead. She pulls a face, and her mother doesn’t even bother hiding her interest anymore. “Uh- what time. And where?”

Potts rattles off a time and Claire scrambles to write down her instructions for the interview on a napkin. The rest of the call doesn’t last long, and Claire finds herself saying her goodbyes before she’s truly comprehended exactly what it is she’s agreed to. Her mother descends upon her the moment she hangs up, and it’s all she can do to act like she’s not just been thrown completely off kilter by the call.

This is her life now, she thinks with resignation. Doomed to spend her life healing superheroes who should know better.

On the face of it, Avengers Tower nee Stark is nothing remarkable. Its eighty-plus floors spear the sky in an endless stretch of metal and glass, like every other building in Manhattan, and its first floor reception and atrium is filled with the same kind of clean, modernist (and perhaps more important, boring) furnishings that she can find in any other sky scraper. Still, for all its pristine and simplistic trappings, its wealth is evident, and Claire can’t help but feel scrappy and unpolished in comparison to the pristinely dressed men and women that walk with purpose across the white marble floor.

She breathes out slowly through her nose and squares her shoulders. Claire knows- almost unreasonably- that she’s going to get the job. After everything she’s done- everything she’s been through- it feels suspiciously like fate.

This is her life now, she reminds herself. This time, the thought doesn’t feel so… unattractive. She walks with confidence over to the reception desk and pastes on a smile for the friendliest-looking receptionist. The man smiles back, distracted, but warm. “Hi,” he says. “Can I help you?”

“Hi. Claire Temple. I have an appointment with… Happy Hogan?” she asks, still somewhat dubious about the name. Still, it must mean something, because the man- his nametag reads ‘Gibran’- grins with understanding.

“Sure.” He taps away at something on his computer. “He’ll be down soon.”

Claire nods and thanks him, moving away to stand off to the side, out of the way of the constant flow of people that enter and leave the building. Belatedly, she wonders what it is people actually do at SI. She knows the company has thrown itself into green energy and information technologies since its break from weapons manufacturing, but Claire can’t really picture these polished men and women as lab monkeys or researchers.

A broad man with solid and serious face, approaches her, and she finds herself straightening up on instinct. “Mr Hogan?”

“That’s me,” Hogan says, and he shakes her hand firmly. He has the same, distracted look that the receptionists do, his attention clearly directed elsewhere. His badge says ‘Harold Hogan: Head of Security’ and Clair feels inexplicably guilty for calling him ‘Happy’. “This way please.”

Claire does as she’s told, and Hogan waits patiently as she goes through security, clipping the badge that gives her temporary clearance onto the lapel of her blazer. The motion is familiar; it’s something she had to do every day at the hospital, and she finds herself calming ever so slightly as it bounces against her breast, the two of them walking quickly over to what looks like a private elevator. Certainly, no one else seems interested in using it. The doors slide open almost instantly when Hogan presses his hand to the featureless panel of black glass. Biometrics then.

The ride upwards is quiet and a little awkward. Claire wishes she could be more of a conversationalist, but she finds herself unable to think of anything to say to break the silence. It’s a relief when the elevator slows, and the doors open into a long hall, the offices beyond hidden behind opaque glass.

“Down the end of the hall,” Hogan says, his attention already drifting down to the smart device on his wrist. “Take the left door.”

“Thank-you,” she smiles, stepping out, and he sends her a distracted nod, the door already closing between them.

A hush descends upon her and Claire breathes out. Beyond the frosted glass she can make out the indistinct shapes of people, likely as absorbed in their work as Hogan is. Her footsteps on the marble tiles sound strangely muted, and she clutches a little tighter to her portfolio. She hesitates outside the door down the end of the hall. Claire can’t help but feel like she’s about to walk into something big. Something that will have a huge and irreversible effect on her life. She can’t really fault the premonition; if her suspicions are correct, a direct association with the Avengers would leave nobody unscathed.

She knocks.

The door swings open automatically, and Claire walks through; the room is large, but still manages to come off as modest, with a small collection of white leather couches and a tall desk for Miss Potts’ PA. The young woman grins at her entrance and offers her a short, informal wave. There is a large and heavy textbook on her desk and unbound notes strewn over half of it. Claire empathises, thinking back to her own time at college.

“Claire Temple?” she asks. The little plate on her desk says her name is Darcy, and Claire nods, struck by a sudden and unwelcome bout of nerves.

“I’m here for the job interview?”

“Yup,” Darcy says, winking at her. She clicks something on the phone on her desk and says, with a distinct lack of ceremony, “Temple’s here. You want me to show her in?”

Potts must say something, because Darcy nods, hanging up and standing all in the same smooth movement. Claire wonders how the woman managed to snag a job like this. “They’re keen to meet you,” Darcy says, the tone of her voice implying that she is speaking in confidence. “I hear you come with some very good references.”

“Um,” Claire says, wondering exactly who they got those references from. Darcy snickers and opens the door to Potts’ office for her. She’s grateful that she doesn’t trip or make a fool of herself when she steps across the threshold.

“Good luck!” Darcy mouths at Claire, and sends her a pair of thumbs up as the door closes behind her.

“Ah, Ms Temple,” a familiar voice says and Claire twists. Potts is getting up from her desk, hand outstretched. There is another woman in the room, but Claire doesn’t recognise her. “Welcome. It’s lovely to meet you.”

“Likewise,” she says dazedly, taking the other woman’s hand. Her grip is firm and surprisingly warm, as though she’s held her hands beneath hot water.

“I’d like you to meet my associate, Doctor Helen Cho.”

Helen Cho.

Claire’s knees almost buckle beneath her. Pepper Potts and Helen Cho. Cho’s work- though certainly built upon the break-throughs of others- has revolutionised the future of healthcare around the world. She remembers reading an article about Cho’s ‘Cradle’ in one of the magazines in the hospital’s break room and being completely floored by the knowledge of just how much they could do with even one of those things. She feels a little lightheaded to be standing in the same room with her.

“Hi,” Cho says, and she shakes Claire’s hand like everything is perfectly normal. “It’s lovely to meet you.”

“Doctor Cho,” Claire breathes. “It’s an honour. I… your work with genetics and nanotechnology is a game changer.”

The doctor pinks and Potts smiles in approval. “Thank-you,” Cho says quietly. She seems the reserved sort, and unfairly- rudely- cute. “Alright.” Potts claps her hands together, “I think we should get this interview underway. Although before we begin, I do ask that you sign our NDA’s; as I said over the phone, this is a sensitive matter, and it’s not exactly something I’d like sold to the tabloids. Or worse.” She blinks, as though suddenly realising what she’s just implied, “Not that I think you would do that, Ms Temple,” she amends, “but you have to understand I’m nothing if not thorough.”

“It’s fine,” Claire shrugs, and they sit. “It won’t be the first NDA I’ll have signed.”

Funnily enough, she’s had a newfound appreciation for secrecy this past year or so.

Potts slides the documents over and Claire reads through them carefully whilst the other two women talk quietly between themselves. It seems to be pretty standard stuff, just as Potts had promised her over the phone. She signs it all and pushes the forms back over, and the conversation breaks off.

“Wonderful,” Potts says with a bright smile. “Shall we begin?”

Claire seems almost disappointed to learn that her hunch is in fact correct. The job is as an on-call nurse for the Avengers, mostly working with (swoon) Doctor Cho during the more serious cases, and accommodation within the Tower itself during her shifts. She surprised at how attractive the job sounds, all things considered.

The rest of the interview seems strangely ordinary, though the company certainly isn’t. It’s difficult to pin down, but Claire gets the impression Cho and Potts may possibly be together together. There is some kind of… intimate camaraderie in their speech and glances. A familiarity and affection in the way they conduct themselves that speaks of something more than simply colleagues or friends, and she wonders if they even know how much they’re projecting. She feels unreasonably dismayed by the revelation that either woman is taken.

They talk for a good hour, and Claire does her best to impress upon them her suitability for the role. She was made for this job. She was one of the best nurses in the hospital, and a colourful (if not entirely above board) history with emergency first aid and surgery. By the time the interview looks to be wrapping up, she feels confident she’s made a good impression.

“Would you like to see it?” Cho asks suddenly. Claire blinks.

“I’m sorry; see what?”

“The Cradle. Would you like to see it?”

Her mouth falls open unflatteringly. “You mean… you have one in the building?”

Cho’s answering smile is wry and amused. “Of course.”

“And you’d let me see it?”

“I did ask.”

Claire swallows. Nods mutely. Potts looks between the two of them with an indulgent kind of affection and they stand, leaving the office. Darcy sends her another thumbs up and a wink, obvious already clued into the fact that the interview has gone well. Claire smiles at her as they leave.

The walk back down to the elevator is quiet, but not awkward, and Claire is content to the other women talk about the Tower and its medical facilities and the job that’s on offer as they travel skywards; only about ten floors this time. She gets the distinct impression that both are trying to sell her the job, each in their own ways.

The elevator opens into what looks to be a large, open-plan living room and kitchen, and beside it are a set of stairs that lead up to another large glass room. The place is empty, but she doesn’t doubt for a moment that these aren’t the Avengers quarters. She wonders where they are, but doesn’t comment on it.

Cho seems to vibrate with undisguised excitement as she leads her up the stairs and into the med bay (so close to the living quarters… it seems a strange set up until she think about the helipad, just outside the glass door. “This is the newest version,” she tells Claire, earnest and sweet and blindingly smart. “We’ve been working on the synchronisation for months, but I think it’s finally coming together.”

Claire nods, and her attention lands on the sarcophagus that sits in the middle of the room. It seems almost larger than life; an odd thing to think about what is essentially just a really, really fancy piece of machinery.

“Is that…?” she breathes in wonder.

“Yes,” Cho says proudly, and Claire walks over to it quickly, hand hovering reverently over the machine, too afraid to touch. “Of course, it’s not really ready for public consumption yet,” she explains as Claire inspects the gorgeous piece of tech, “it’s still far too expensive for large-scale manufacture, but we’ve been working on optimising the technology with Professor Wood’s aerosol-delivered cell-clusters for burns units.”

Claire nods. She can just imagine the kind of wonders they could manage with a marriage between the Cradle and spray-on skin. Revolutionise the world indeed. “That’s amazing,” she murmurs. “What about organ regeneration? I know there’s been pretty significant advances with 3D bioprinting the last couple of years.”

Cho and Potts share a significant look. “We’ve… made much progress,” Cho says slowly. Claire suspects there’s more to that statement, but she doesn’t press. “But we haven’t perfected the copying process, and it’s far too expensive for public consumption.”

“Shame,” Claire sighs and looks back at the Cradle, thinking of the countless people who come through the hospital’s doors for dialysis. “The number of lives you could save with this… it’s astronomical.”

She turns back and blinks. Both women are staring at her with identical, unreadable expressions. “What?” she asks dumbly. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

They share another one of those looks; the one that speaks volumes to those that can hear it. Claire is enviable not one of them.

“It’s nothing,” Potts says eventually. She strides over to her and offers Claire her hand. Again, she is struck by how warm it is. And is it just her, or does her touch seem to linger, fingers trailing down her palm as she lets go. She smiles. “It’s just that you seem the perfect fit. Welcome to the team, Ms Temple.”

#Pepper Potts #Helen Cho #Claire Temple #femslash

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aplaceofnonsense · 7 years

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The Ask Meme to End All Ask Memes

WELL LOOK AT THIS

finally getting to this tag @lupintyde ;) this is gonna be fun it only took me my entire life to do this aha -

anyway the rules! o,o

RULES

1. Always post the rules 2. Answer the questions given by the person who tagged you 3. Write 11 questions of your own 4. Tag 11 people (or however many you want)

my answers and more below the cut!

1. Do you think the red M&M friendzoned the yellow M&M or are they secretly a couple?

I think it is strictly platonic sorry :P

2. For those who watch Miraculous, which side character would you want to befriend? For those who don’t watch Miraculous, go watch Miraculous >:)

Why must you ask such a hard question - Nath, or Nino? or both? Both

3. Have you ever cosplayed?

Once as Fem!Chat - wore a black dress and a horrible, horrible blonde wig - and yes, i did have cat ears that i got from ebay

4. Do you have any famous relatives?Ok so fun story- Machel Montano? my grandma claims he’s my (distant) cousin and because you know, west-indies, I’m related to half the Trinidadian island I swear– anywho– he’s a reggae/calypso/socca artist! i don’t believe the hype though…I need DNA test to prove this

5. Have you ever actually laughed yourself sick? What’s the story?

laughed myself sick? don’t think so but if i did it was probably because of whatever anime i was watching at the time

6. What is the thing you didn’t do in your life that you regret the most? Hmmmm…..honestly? I’m a very ‘screw it’ kind of person who typically does what she wants; so the only thing i can really answer this with is never studying in time for exams and having to cram…much like i am doing now….

7. What piece of advice would you give to someone that you wish someone had given to you?

grades don’t define your worth? it’s ok to say no to get togethers you don’t want to go to? people are jerks, don’t let the 3 people who hurt you discourage you from trusting the one person whos always stuck by you? its ok if it takes you all day to get small tasks done with huge breaks, you gotta do what you gotta do to stay sane/mentally stable?

8. What is the most memorable online username you’ve seen?

honestly? don’t remember- I don’t pay attention to peoples usernames, I kinda just know online peeps by their avatar?

9. What animal’s fur is He-Man’s underwear made of?

if its he man wouldn’t it then be made of his own?

10. Have you ever experienced something inexplicable and/or paranormal?

No,unless you count the time I saw my aunt who passed away in my dream one time that was sweet, we were at a party or something and she had a gold dress! it was also the last time i ever ‘saw’ her- never dreamed of her since which kinda makes me sad…. 11. If you take your age times the atomic number of Palladium plus the number of followers you have plus the total square area (in km) of Luxembourg, in what year will cats completely take over the internet?

I am an arts student. You are making me use numbers what is this? anyway apparently in the year 3785 cats will take over the internet and i am sad I will be long gone by then

My Questions!

1. If you were a meme, which meme would you be?

2. You’re in a fight, which meme do you use as backup?

3. describe your life in a gif

4. you have a chance to rewrite history- what do you do?

5. you can stay in any dream you ever had, creating your own au- where would you go?

6. pusheen or peep the frog?

7. describe your life using a movie title

8. the worlds thrown into chaos and the only meme to save us all is-

9. are you more of a protagonist or antagonist?

10. you have the power to create anything. What do you do with it?

11. If you could revisit any unfinished dream what would it be?

I tag!

@grimmforest @deceptiveskull @animelunatic @hey-mr-darcy @ha-tep @erikaszostak @morning–d3w @teresatc24-blog

&anyone who wants to do this!

idk guys but have fun! ;D

#that last question #math why #no numbers #get to know meme #this was great #its not 11 people #but you know what #rules are meant to be broken so ha

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anghraine · 7 years

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The original post is unsnippable, so replying with a new one!

#‘god bless you’ probably *is* the most romantic thing he says in the text #expressing his desire for her to be well and blessed and loved (via @ladytharen)

Exactly! He wants her to have the best, happiest life she can, even if that life (as it seems) does not include him. It’s a gesture of both pure good will and forgiveness, I think; it’s immediately preceded by telling her that all the mistakes she made about him were totally not her fault and she couldn’t possibly have known (sure, Darcy). Especially given that simply saying “God” (no hyphen or anything!!) was such a big deal. Elizabeth describes it as “charity”—in the sense of purely selfless love—and, yeah.

#also #'declarations of love don’t do as much for me as love shining through a conversation supposedly about something else altogether' #I see you cassian’s hangar speech #everything I did I did for the rebellion #I'M #WAIT A MINUTE #THE HANGAR SPEECH IS CASSIAN’S LETTER #*curls up into a ball* #look I made it about rogue one

Haha, nobody could be happier to have their post derailed :D

AND YES EXACTLY

You know my theory, but it really does fit—well, it’s the second half of the letter, but yeah. We’ve got:

1) Jyn has a bad first impression of the Rebellion—obviously in the prison break (Cassian isn’t there but Kay and Cassian are a package deal) and then more specifically at Yavin, where Cassian is harsh and overbearing in person. There’s also Kay saying that Cassian has been shit-talking her while Jyn sees him talking to a third party (not quite the same thing as overhearing, but next thing). In any case, they’re mutually unimpressed off the bat.

2) Cassian ~inexplicably~ starts to feel more positively towards her, pretty much right away. He’s quickly impressed by her abilities and character, though he’s very bad at expressing it (in P&P, Darcy has to work himself up to actually talking to Elizabeth—<3—so he starts with just hovering nearby). She’s befuddled by the shift in his behaviour.

To add a wrinkle: he has issues with her family, based both on their very real awfulness and his own flaws.

3) Toppling head-over-feels for her doesn’t prevent him from heading off to fuck with a beloved family member, for what he sees as a greater good. While he’s not quite as personally responsible as Jyn thinks, and she’s pretty far off about his motives and underlying character, he’s still deeply complicit in what happens due to his ambivalence over the whole situation.

4) She lambasts him, and he responds with a bitter, angry explanation of what actually drove him.

(i.e., Eadu = Hunsford and the first half of the letter. Darcy says that the only reason he didn’t explain himself during the fight was because he knew his rationality was compromised, and he needed to take time to calm down and think it all through first. Cassian doesn’t give a fuck. Ravenclaw vs Gryffindor, lol.)

((I do think the individual personalities are very different, both Darcy/Cassian and Jyn/Elizabeth. It’s the dynamic that’s so similar.))

5) The first thing he says to her after the fight is very gracious and explains his real history, as a gesture of trust and conciliation and support for her. She’s overwhelmed and what remained of her earlier view of him is largely shattered. So are her earlier views of herself.

(Second half of the letter, arguably early Pemberley scenes; she sees him with his people, who turn out to be intensely loyal to him because he’s actually an A++ person.)

6) Their next interaction is PHENOMENALLY awkward but also positive. She’s uncertain but receptive; he’s bowled over but eager for the chance to be his best self.

7) In a reversal, it’s Jyn who has the history with Krennic (former friend of her family, betrayed her loved one’s trust, superficially pleasant but actually a whiny social-climbing sleaze). He is on the point of attacking Jyn (and thereby ruining her family’s reputation forever!), but Cassian has unobtrusively been working—at great personal sacrifice—to prevent him, and succeeds in doing so. Jyn is very profoundly touched. When we next see them, they’re staring longingly at each other (*cough*why do they exise that scene from P&P adaptations why why why why).

SO YEAH ANYWAY ALL THE OTP FEELINGS WRAPPED UP TOGETHER GOODBYE WORLD

#obviously not 1:1 but i do think there are legit a lot of parallels!!!#ladytharen #respuestas #anghraine babbles #otp: welcome home #otp of otps #star wars #austen blogging #fitzwilliam darcy #elizabeth bennet #jyn erso #cassian andor #anghraine's meta #maybe lol

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straight-outta-starfleet · 7 years

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All about me

Rules: tag some blogs you’d like to get to know better Nickname: DeForest Zodiac Sign: Libra Height: 5′8" Last thing you googled: ... Antman fanfiction... Favorite music artist: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. If you want a whole album dedicated to murder stories, here you go. Greek mythology? Right here. Christian Mythos? Love? Sex? Longing? Story-telling? All right here, babe. Song stuck in my head: There Is A Light That Never Goes Out- The Smiths Last movie you watched: Sex and Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll, which is a biopic starring Andy Serkis (Gollum) about one of the first British punkers, a disabled singer by the name of Ian Dury. What are you wearing right now: magenta undies, my skin, and a blanket. I'm prepared for a sleep. Why did you choose your URL: I thought of it in the car while listening to the song and came up with lyrics and here we are... Do you have any other blogs: Technically, but I rarely use them. I have a playlist blog that I've been meaning to update, which is @starhobbit What did your last relationship teach you: That I will fuck guys for drugs if they're cute enough. Also that I get hot for losers. Religious or spiritual: Raised Catholic, have a general belief in a higher power, but that they aren't specifically interested in us. I believe in aliens, too. Favorite colour: Olive green and black, sometimes gunmetal gray. Average hours of sleep: If no one bothers me, ten hours. Yay, depression!🎉🎉🎉 Lucky number: I am attached to the numbers 13, 7, 17, and 36. The first three are prime numbers I like the look of, and 36 gives me a nice feeling when I think about it. Favorite characters: Leonard McCoy, Urahara Kisuke, Q, Mr. Darcy. How many blankets you sleep with: One. A comforter for the colder seasons, a sheet for the summer. Dream Job: Traveling Bard with inexplicably good luck when it comes to food, money, drugs, and cars. Tags: @gruffmuff @thecuriouscaseofkatie @freyja-not-freya @belleweed go do the thing because we're all narcissists on the inside.

#fab life of deforest #about me

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writingmylifesstory · 6 years

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Book Review: First Impressions by Charlie Lovett (Spoilers)

This book beyond irritates on multiple levels but let’s start at the beginning...

It had the potential to be GREAT. The book is split between two time periods, one with Sophie the bookish modern woman, and the other being Jane Austen pre-fame. Sophie learns to love books from her Uncle Bertrand as Jane Austen learns that love supersedes age as she develops a non-physical relationship with her quasi-writing mentor (but more like a sounding board) Richard Mansfield. Bibliophiles will like the beginning of the book, but then it takes a dark and dramatic turn with the murder of the very lovable Uncle Bertrand. Nefarious men are out to prove that Jane Austen plagiarized Pride and Prejudice from Richard Mansfield and they were under the impression that the original copy was called First Impressions and in the possession of Uncle Bertrand.

In a National Treasure kind of way, Sophie takes it upon herself to steal books, run around the city, break into historic houses, visit cemeteries, and try to prove Jane Austen’s innocence. I could have been onboard with this plot had it not been for the exceedingly low stakes and unbelievable reactions/actions of Sophie. Her beloved uncle was murdered and she barely even registers it. There’s no shock, there’s no PTSD, there’s really no dark night of the soul... There are even some weird campy jokes about it at the end of the book... His death needed to be dealt with more realistically instead of brushed aside for the action/romance plot.

Don’t get me started on the romance plot. Despite the enormous grief and stress of her Uncle being murdered in the house she now lives in (this is sarcasm. Sophie is somehow inexplicably fine and so is her libido) Sophie entangles in two romantic relationships. One with the American, Eric, who is a direct descendant of Richard Mansfield, and the other is Winston, who Sophie multiple times suspects of murdering her Uncle but she keeps BANGING HIM anyways. WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD DO THIS? Also, as it turns out he WAS the one who MURDERED her Uncle and her reaction was so underwhelming I once again questioned her sanity. Winston ties Sophie up in a burning house to destroy the evidence that Jane Austen was the sole author of Pride and Prejudice so he can publish First Impressions at his publishing house and make a fortune (seriously? I mean how much money would he be making to justify two murders? The intentions just didn’t add up) But Eric and Sophie’s sister save the day, cementing Eric as the Darcy to her Liz in Sophie’s mind. Jane Austen’s reputation is saved!

For a book that focuses on preserving Austen’s reputation as a fine author in her own right, it seems a weird choice of Lovett’s to completely create the fictionalized Richard Mansfield. As if Austen couldn’t have been great without the help of an aging man. There I said it. I would have rather had a more historically accurate portrayal of Austen. My Creative Writing teacher always said to never write as the opposite gender because you could never understand them fully. I bristled at this strange gender limiting comment. But in the case of Lovett, I might agree.

First Impressions: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Check it out for yourself 📖

⭐️⭐️⭐️out of 5 stars

#Charlie Lovett #booklr #book review #first impressions #writingmylifesstory #amazon associate

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footyplusau · 7 years

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Nathan Buckley’s quest is Collingwood’s prayer

Inexplicable things happen in football. Scott Pendlebury cannot pick up a ground ball and plays his worst game in years and all insist he is not injured. Alex Fasolo cannot miss last year, cannot kick a set shot this year. Meatloaf is chosen to sing.

Collingwood knew what not to do and were told what not to do against St Kilda. Then did it.

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Lee Spurr pranks Jeremy McGovern

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FootyFix: Tiges facing massive test …

FootyFix: Tiges facing massive test against Crows

Rohan Connolly previews all the footy action ahead of round 6 in the AFL.

Lee Spurr pranks Jeremy McGovern

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Lee Spurr pranks Jeremy McGovern

Fremantle’s Lee Spurr’s prank phone call on West Coast’s Jeremy McGovern on Heidi, Will & Woody. Audio: Hit 929

Buckley: Pendlebury dirty on performance

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Buckley: Pendlebury dirty on performance

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley says his leadership group will be hard on their own form after their loss to Essendon.

Essendon break Anzac game drought

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Essendon break Anzac game drought

Jo Daniher delivered one of his finest games to win the Anzac Day medal, as Essendon held on by 18 points against Collingwood.

Collingwood and Essendon prepare for ‘must win’ ANZAC clash

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Collingwood and Essendon prepare for …

Collingwood and Essendon prepare for ‘must win’ ANZAC clash

Scott Pendlebury and Dyson Heppell preview their sides’ upcoming Anzac Day clash at the MCG.

AFL plays of round 5

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AFL plays of round 5

Young Lions impress to keep the Dogs honest, flying Kanga takes a screamer, Cat chases down Jack Steven’s mullet, Cyril rolls out the genius playbook and Riewoldt has a night out in the wet to sink the Dees.

Cometti on Eagles ‘You’ve got to throw the forward line around’

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Cometti on Eagles ‘You’ve got to throw …

Cometti on Eagles ‘You’ve got to throw the forward line around’

Dennis Commetti calls on West Coast to change up its forward mix. Vision: Mix 94.5

FootyFix: Tiges facing massive test against Crows

Rohan Connolly previews all the footy action ahead of round 6 in the AFL.

Collingwood knew what not to do and were told what not to do against Essendon. Then did it.

Collingwood knows what not to do and were told what not to do in the wet. Then did it.

Captain and coach: Scott Pendlebury and Nathan Buckley. Photo: AFL Media/Getty Images

The messages as they were relayed did not get through.

Confidence is positively and negatively contagious. When it disappears it leaves behind a clouded polluted mind, when it grows all suddenly becomes clear. Collingwood is playing with a foggy mind. It is a coach’s job to clear the fog.

Players knew they must run and carry the ball at pace, but didn’t. Players who can kick exquisitely on Bob Rose Oval cannot kick on the oval on the other side of the train tracks. Players who can make smart quick decisions make dumb ones when people are watching.

All of this is not the coach’s fault, but equally it’s not not the fault of the coaches.

Missed set shots at goal are not the coach’s fault. Until it happens every week and then it is the coach’s fault. Or if not his fault then it is his job to understand why and help the player fix it. Collingwood is afflicted by a series of problems that do not directly suggest the fault of any one person (other than Alex Fasolo’s yips). But one person is entrusted above all others – at all clubs – to pull it together with an answer.

Collingwood make it easy for other teams to win. Collingwood would like to play Collingwood right now.

They have a chicken and egg problem now in the connection between two-thirds of the ground and the last third. Or as the late John Clarke would have said of Collingwood now: “The front fell off.”

Collingwood’s problem is the ball movement is so slow and the turnovers by foot so regular the forwards don’t know where to run. But the forwards not knowing where to run makes the ball movement slow, twitchy and hesitant. The bad kicking, well, that is more scrambled egg than chicken or egg.

In part, it is personnel. Not that they are the wrong personnel – save for Jordan De Goey who has one more week in purgatory, this was about Collingwood’s strongest team in a year or two – it is the way that personnel is playing.

Darcy Moore is adrift in the forward line, dropping chest marks he is playing as if second-guessing his every movement. (That is, he is playing like a lightly framed third year player playing as a basically lone key forward.)

On Tuesday Levi Greenwood marked at half-back over the back of Essendon’s press and with the field in front of him he stopped. There were no lone or leading forwards obviously available but stopping was not the answer. Fast ball movements worry defenders more than forwards and right now Collingwood’s forward line has enough worries.

Ben Reid was flipped forward from back midway through the third quarter as an emergency move that Reid himself had the day earlier said the club would resist doing. When he then did shift only his upper body got involved in the job. He waved his arms for the ball but didn’t run enough to be alone to get it.

Travis Varcoe was moved behind the ball last week to improve disposal coming out of defence. Asked after the game if more personnel change there was needed Buckley offered that “Smithy” would come in this week.

The first query for many would be “who’s Smithy?” Then upon realising it’s Josh Smith who was dropped last week for poor form the query was – other than allowing Jackson Ramsay a bit of me time in the VFL – how was Smith to significantly improve the side’s ball movement out of defence from the first five games, four of which he played in?

The list of trials in Matthew Scharenberg’s career is well thumbed and he is yet to establish at the level as a result of those injuries but he was drafted as a smart player and good ball user. That should set him above some others so he would help with disposal if not speed.

Collingwood does not have the fast creative rebound runner like Jayden Hunt or Zach Tuohy on their list. They need one. They hoped Ben Sinclair would be that player – he has the speed for it if not the reliable kick – but hamstring injuries and concussions have halted him.

Rupert Wills is a big-bodied player and might come into the midfield this week. But he has played five games. He, too, is not going to make the big difference. The problems at Collingwood are clear and known, for they repeat weekly. Time is running out for coach and club to deliver the answers.

The post Nathan Buckley’s quest is Collingwood’s prayer appeared first on Footy Plus.

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