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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 7 months

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Regarding your last post, i would honestly love to see a jealous jade >:'DD

Jade doesn't seem like the type to get jealous easily and can keep himself usually in control.

So, like, imagine Jade heard/saw Miss Raven giving Rollo a Tour (because her generous uncle asked her to do so). Jade would probably find the situation amusing at first and would probably if he had the chance to tease miss raven about it, before he noticed how much time the two would have to spend together (again, explaining/giving a tour takes time). He would act as if he isn’t jealous. Jade would greatly maintain his facade with a smile. Jade would be seething on the inside while glaring holes at Rollo while quietly following them and just happen to stumble upon them wherever they went (What a coincidence!)

Or he would grab Miss Raven (just like in the fanart) and pull her close to him while he would scoff and mock Rollo under his breath. Imagine Rollo and Jade glaring at each other while Miss Raven is in between them.

Once alone, Jade would probably use his crocodile tears, sigh dramatically, or fake a pitiful expression trying to Guilt trip or make Miss Raven feel bad. Saying stuff like how's she's "cheating" on him. 😔

Rest assured, Jade wouldn’t let this incident pass by just like that. Now that he has a "love rival" (besides Rook), he has to step up his advances towards Miss Raven. After all, he can't just let his precious "Prey" escape from his grasp. How amusing Fu fu fu fu.

What do you think...? 👀

[Referencing this post!; the “giving Rollo a tour” premise comes from this fic!]

Actually, I have to confess that Rollo has basically replaced Rook in my “top 3 TWST characters” list… OTL Superior fictional French man/j 😔 L*ona is in that top 3 ranking too—

EVERY TIME I THINK ABOUT JEALOUS JADE 💀 I think about what he said he’d do to anyone that betrays him (in book 4)… ngl hot I’m sure he’s patient and meticulous about plotting his revenge though it’s one of his many charm points💕

I’m going to go a little ham with the rot prompt so @w@ I’ll slap it under a cut—

J word just doing his thing, passing as a Normal Student on campus when suddenly he spots his usual target for bullying teasing walking around with a stranger (he knows all the NRC students’ information by heart :)) as part of his information broker duties in Octavinelle). Ah, this must be the representative from NBC—the headmaster was in a tizzy about finding a tour guide for him, according to Azul upon his return from last week’s dorm leader meeting. The poor sap assigned the task? Miss Raven. He chuckles to himself, wondering how she’s faring with it. Should he mess with her? He should, shouldn’t he?

So Jade goes over to introduce himself, shakes Rollo’s hand and everything. He immediately notices him going for the handkerchief, how Rollo masks his expression with it—Jade already knows there’s more to him than meets the eye. He then goes to greet Raven, who is frozen in shock. “Erm… good to see you as well…” she says, trying to stay polite in front of their guest. (“You’re acquainted?” Rollo asks, to which she hurriedly replies he’s a waiter at Azul’s eatery.) Raven’s quick to guide him away, insisting that they’re on a tight schedule (they’re not), just to put distance between them and Jade. A shame he can’t fluster her more, but he’s patient—he can wait. Jade wishes them well and waves… but he doesn’t fail to notice Rollo passing him a stern look before leaving. The feeling the mututal, Jade doesn’t trust him one bit.

As Rollo is being led away, he addresses his tour guide. “That man’s smile was quite the fantastical ruse”. (“Oh, he’s always like that,” Raven says dismissively. “Don’t mind him.”) He scoffs, then asks, “… What is he to you?” to which Raven bashfully changes the subject. This only earns a suspicious glare from Rollo, but he doesn’t press further.

There’s something very offputting about Rollo, Jade just doesn’t know what it is yet. Jade’s a curious merman, so he sets to following the duo investigating for himself. The mild discomfort, unfortunately, only seems to grow the more and more he witnesses of Rollo and Raven. With Jade, she’s always so snippy and defensive—but with Rollo, she’s more encouraging and cheery. More forgiving. Then he catches her holding Rollo’s hand (albeit just to stare at his shiny ring). Sharing her favorite stories. Admiring the flowers. Having lunch. Feeding the birds and singing to them. Such raw, unguarded moments. She’s wary of showing that side of herself to Jade, yet to so easily share it with Rollo… He feels something dark and ugly twisting inside of him. Jealousy.

Jade makes it a point to be petty by “accidentally” interrupting their moments together. They’re just coincidences, he insists. Happenstance. Certainly not well-coordinated efforts to drive a wedge between them. (Jade literally stands between Rollo and Raven, making sure to include Rollo in the conversation so it’s not obvious what his intentions are—to monopolize her attention.) After the third encounter though, Rollo calls Jade out on his bullshit farce (“You honestly believe I would be convinced these encounters are mere coincidences? I am no fool. You’ve been following us around, haven’t you?”), which leads into Jade’s whole fake crying schtick (“I would never do such a heinous thing!! Shikushiku… Rollo-san does not trust me. Such a cruelty toward your peers.”)…

dbsvsjsc)cayDRSt/2egabwkeju788!j THEN MAYBE LIKE. Jade is especially dramatic (because he wants to piss Rollo off) and like lays his head on Raven’s shoulder or in the crook of her neck and pretend-sobs, asking Raven to please comfort him in his time of distress… and Rollo, being a prude, gets all mad about it????? Calling it indecent behavior and how dare he engage in public cuddling— (meanwhile Raven is short circuiting over here—) “J-J-Jade-senpai, p-please remove yourself from me! Y-You’re… you’re too close!! And too big! And heavy!!” she squeals, trying to shove him off (to no avail).

“Ah, it seems Miss Raven too has chosen to reject me,” Jade laments. “Whatever shall I do…? Perhaps I will die of a broken heart and dissipate into mere sea foam.” (“S-Stop being overdramatic! You’re fine…” Again, she tries to pull away, and shoots Rollo an apologetic look. “I’m sorry about this, I didn’t mean for…”) And there it is again—jealousy, now pulsating and hot. A hand shoots out, seizing Raven by the arm and pulling her close to him again. Jade drops the facade, holding her chin in one hand while he regards Rollo with a cold smile. Rollo meets him with a glare. “At last, you show your true colors.”

“Alas, you’ve yet to reveal your own to me.” Jade’s eyes are half-lidded, bemused. “You wear that mask of civility quite well—I cannot help but fret for the safety and wellbeing of my poor, sweet Miss Raven when she is left alone with you.” (Rollo’s eyes narrow at that. “You’re of no real importance to her,” he scoffs. “What a swelled ego you must have to elevate yourself to a higher pedestal. You ought to humble yourself.”)

Rollo steps forward, as if ready to retrieve his tour guide and to be on his merry way with her. Jade’s eyes flash dangerously—but he returns his attention to his captured prey, sharp teeth and warm breath at her ear as a whisper slinks out. “Please permit me to borrow your lips, Miss Raven.” (“H-Huh…? What are you say… NMMMMMMPHGH?!”) And suddenly 🤡 bro’s aggressively kissing her right in front of Rollo, who’s standing there utterly shocked and appalled. She gasps and tears away to catch her breath, to give Jade a piece of her mind for giving her a fright—but here he comes again 💀 this time lightly peppering her face with kisses, (murmuring sweet affirmations inbetween), just to reaaaaaally drive the message home to Rollo.

Speaking of Rollo, he points a shaky finger at Jade and starts firing off ALL the bad words in his lexicon (harlot, degenerate, pervert, freak…!!). Jade smirks, considering it a victory to both unnerve Rollo as well as making it clear what his relationship with “the tour guide” really is. Unfortunately for Jade, Raven’s annoyed with him, beating her small fists against his chest and pouting. He laughs and ruffles her hair fondly in spite of her protests. There’s her shyness, her cute vulnerable side. All for him, none for Rolloz

I’m not sure where it would go from here honestly 💦 but!! I do think that once Jade leaves the scene and Rollo and Raven have a moment with just the two of them, Rollo calms down from his outrage. “That odious man stole a kiss without obtaining proper consent. He has harmed you.” The disdain in his words is palpable. What follows, however, is more uncertain—Rollo’s not very good at being comforting. “… Are you alright?“ “Y-Yes, I’m fine,” she stammers, though she’s still embarrassed knowing that he had been a witness to Jade’s… possessiveness. Without realizing it, Raven’s fingers drift to her mouth, where the ghost of an eel’s lips linger. Rollo’s eyes follow, and they heat with an intense, unknown emotion.

“… Come here,” he orders. (Raven does.) Rollo wets his handkerchief using water drawn from the courtyard’s well, then sponges her face off with it. You’d think he’d aggressively scrub her down to be thorough and to fully expunge the merman cooties but no—he’s surprisingly gentle. “There. I’m afraid that is the best I can do for now. You should wash your face well tonight to ensure you are clean and free of… him.”

“Earlier, I asked what that man is to you. From your reaction, I had suspected him a beau—but no self-respecting person would act so shamelessly, nor disregard the wishes of their partner. Alas, that is how mages are: wicked and selfish to their very cores.” Rollo sighs as he wrings his handkerchief. “… If you ever find yourself becoming frustrated with his behavior, you need only seek my counsel. While it’s true that you live among mages, it’s clear that they’ve poisoned your mind. Perhaps it is possible to dispel that miasma and to guide you on a more righteous path. Renounce Night Raven College and its teachings. Revert to your natural state, free of magic. Come to me.”

(I’m delusional)

OH BUT AS SoON AS RORO’S OUT OF THE piCTURe (ie back at NBC) YOU BET YOUR ASS J WoRD’S COMINGBACK 😭 Crocodile tears out on full display to guilt trip and to milk Miss Raven for her pity… “Shikushiku… Miss Raven, I believe I’ve said that you’ve gone and broken my heart. What will you do to compensate me for it, hmm? I do believe I am owed at least one date—no, make that two. After all, you did cheat on me with Rollo-san.” (“It wasn’t a date…! I had no choice but to serve as his guide!! Besides, it’s not a crime to spend time with other people.”) They settle back into their usual pattern of bickering, but every so often Jade will catch her scribbling away on stationary (who is it addressed to?) which reinvigorates his suspicions. Well, he supposes that Rollo can’t become too intimate with her since he’s all the way in the City of Flowers. However, Jade will remain cautious now that he’s aware of Rollo’s presence.

NOT J WORD BEING CLINGY POSt-ROLLO VISIT… Not like, being whiny but more like stepping it up with acts of service (like offering to walk her to and from class, brewing her tea, etc) 🤢 Gotta ensnare her heart while Rollo isn’t physically around… Bro’s probably also going to be checking with the mailman ghost to see if Raven’s continuing letter correspondence with Rollo… He’s going to sabotage their communication—

#twst #twisted wonderland #Jade Leech #Rollo Flamme #twst oc #twisted wonderland oc #Raven Crowley #disney twisted wonderland #notes from the writing raven #Jade Leech thirst #Rollo rot #Rook Hunt #Leona Kingscholar

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te-pu-si-ti · 5 months

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A Trojan Shade visits the McKittrick Hotel: Day One

I saw Sleep No More once, four years ago. I'd say that it changed my life, in the way that anything beautiful and innovative that shows you a new way to experience art is 'life-changing'. But I didn't know how much it truly would change my life: introducing me to Punchdrunk, who would open a show in London a few years later. Which would become the best part of my life, for eighteen months.

Now, on my way to family Christmas, I was able to stop in New York for five shows of Sleep No More before it all goes away.

My first day was a double. Two shows, only three full character loops really, but so much to take in.

I did not do research before this show. I wanted to go in relatively blind, which is to say "not really blind at all" because I have been reading about SNM for the past two years. But I tried to stay fairly un-spoiled, because that sense of exploration and bewilderment was important to me, for this first show. I gave myself permission to look up everything I wanted afterwards.

I did one bit of "homework" - I watched Rebecca on the plane. It is a fantastic film. So I was interested in finding those connections, if I could.

Sunday Matinee

In the rules before the lift, they outright mentioned that today was a sold-out show (as they all are from here on out). I had booked these shows before the closure announcement, hoping that the matinee shows would be fairly empty... but fate had other plans.

First lift, I had no idea where I was going, but luckily everybody else did, so I followed them down to the ballroom. I didn't see this scene on my first visit! Nor the rave. Nor the banquet, until the finale. I struggle to remember much of anything that I saw during my first show - just vague flashes of a forgotten dream.

I just stood there, huge smile on my face, watching the dancers up close, the enchanting music (which stayed in my head all week), the lovely costumes, all of it. A witch winked at me as she spun past. I can't believe I'm really back.

There was one character in the ballroom who piqued my interest - staying on the sidelines, stern-faced, looking rather familiar. It must be Mrs Danvers.

Despite the full show, I had Danvers to myself for the majority of her loop. I couldn't have been more pleased, following her around like a little puppy, just me and her - something I hadn't experienced in the final months of TBC. No character was ever alone at a sold-out TBC show.

Is she the most flashy loop? Well, no. But I found her a perfect introduction to this visit, a fairly easy follow, and a character I definitely wanted to tick off my list.

She's so my type. Like Oracle, like Luba, a utility character, tidying up and setting up. She felt familiar. She felt comfortable, even though I didn't yet know her.

Covering up the clocks, dozens of them all over the walls, their ticking sound deafening. Time is marching on.

A beautiful push-and-pull between her and the Porter, on the sofa of the hotel, Lady MacDuff caught in the middle.

She waves her hand over the milk, as if enchanting it. It could just as easily be a mundane drug or poison, but she gives it something of the arcane.

As she mixes it, I get a jolt of memory - I have been here before. I have watched her mix the milk, and I have followed her down the stairs with the stained-glass window, the colours so vibrant where everything else is so sepia-toned, to the dead man.

He wakes up, she puts him to bed, and she's sticking her hand down her skirt - I blink in surprise, I wait for a more innocent explanation to arise, but no, she is doing what I think she's doing, until the man wakes up and she returns to attention.

A beautiful, beautiful sequence with Lady MacD and the milk again, jumping from table to table, this show makes such beautiful use of the mundane elements of the set as spaces to dance over. A table top, a cabinet, a recess in the wall, it's all fair game, and it's thrilling because I truly don't know where they're going to go next. I don't know where the 'safe' areas of these rooms are, which adds a little bit of stress, but keeps me on my toes.

Speaking of 'safe areas'... I continued following Danvers on the mezzanine, when a BM stopped me without warning, and motioned me to step back, onto a raised platform. I was a little confused, until I saw the door being taken off its hinges.

The DOOR. DANCE. HOLY. CRAP. SLEEP NO MORE IS AMAZING HOLY SHIT

I could not believe my eyes.

My second and third loops were less focused, including:

Following Agnes for a bit, until getting a door shut in my face

Finally seeing the rave, from a great spot right by Hecate, so I could look over at her orchestrating it all menacingly - I kept thinking WHY IS NO ONE ELSE LOOKING AT HER, obviously the answer is "the goat and the baby and the blood and the tits" but she was fabulous and no one was paying attention

It's Agnes again, with Hecate this time! Golden light reflection from the lipstick case into her eye. Catching her tears - just so familiar.

A giant hand made of salt????

The Taxidermist is a wonderful weirdo, brushing a fox's fur and then absentmindedly brushing their own hair with the same brush

Fulton in the graveyard with the umbrella, a scene I somehow ran into in four out of my five shows

Post-mortem photography in the album in the funeral home. I wonder how the deceased & family would feel about this: Does it grant them a little extra bit of the immortality that they wanted?

Eventually I wound up in the speakeasy, watching a card game turn violent. Once again, we're ushered up onto a White Mask Holding Area to keep us out of the way. I have mixed feelings about this - when BMs herd us around like this, it breaks the immersion quite a lot. But it also allows for choreo that might otherwise not be possible.

I stayed with whoever got killed (who I now know to be Banquo, but I hadn't a clue at the time) and followed him out onto the high street.

He looks around, then looks at us - then looks at me in particular, notices the blood on his hands and face, and I watch his dawning realisation of what has happened to him. It's masterful.

Noah's Banquo is the last character of my first show, and he will be the first character of my last show. There are a few portrayals that left a lasting impression on me, and this is one of them. I just can't say enough good things.

Sunday Evening

After the afternoon's Danvers loop, I had my eye on Lady MacDuff this show, to see the rest of her story. We climbed the stairs down to the ballroom, arriving before the dance had even started, and I soon noticed that this evening's Lady MacD was the same performer as this afternoon's Danvers (Matilda)!

I put aside a twinge of embarrassment, hoping that she'll take it as a compliment, and I ended up liking her as Lady MacD even better than as Danvers. I think this is a wonderful casting doublet, seeing the same person do both sides of their dances.

I watch a solo on a small bed, there's only a few of us watching and the room is roomy enough, so I scoot in against the wall. The wall is mirrored, so I look behind to make sure I'm not blocking the view - and I realise that the mirror is false. It reflects a room much like the one we're in, but the toy blocks are toppled on the floor, and a blood stain is spreading across the sheets. It's a fun and chilling bit of stage sorcery that I didn't expect at all, and I love it.

She toddles up onto a tall cabinet, unsure footing as she climbs up to a tiny shrine dug out of the wall. I love the way dancers can portray shakiness, awkwardness, clumsiness, while remaining perfectly in control. I worry for her, this pregnant woman so close to losing her footing.

I watch her scenes with Danvers and I love to see the roles reversed. She is wonderful as both, though with her youth, I find her more believable as LMD, and she has a sweet vulnerability. She seems to me a first-time mother.

She packs away baby clothes, and she holds a white dress up against herself, and dances with it. I'm reminded of a scene that Luba used to do sometimes, a dance in the Danaides room with one of the dresses. It seemed, to me, to represent a longed-for femininity, wishing for glamour in an unglamourous life, and here I think maybe she's longing for the life she had before she fell pregnant, feeling an ambivalence to this huge life change - joyful, but a sacrifice too.

She rocks a swaddling blanket like the child she hopes to bring into the world. I'm sure this won't end happily for her, and I'm even more sure when she starts looking into the mirror, and she sees me - our eyes meet and she has this terror on her face, and it takes my breath away.

(I stayed with her for an entire loop, through reset to the second ballroom, and for whatever reason, there was no 1:1 -- but to have a character look at me through a mirror again, that bit of Punchdrunk magic, was worth so much more to me. I don't know how they do what they do, but it means everything.)

Macbeth comes, and she is killed, and later she resurrects - the world turns a ghostly blue, a shade of blue that I associate with the record stop of TBC, a mystical colour, and a very jarring colour in this show. It's perfect.

We reset, she spends some time with her husband, goes back to her little shrine, and soon we reach another ballroom.

The rest of my loop 2 is full of false starts - I try to follow a character, only to see them start running up several flights of stairs, and decide it isn't worth it. I explore Floor 5, reading case files, including Jack Favell from Rebecca.

I see collections of nails, and collections of feathers, and collections of cut-out pages. I go down the lobby and I see a collection of tear vials. All these signals that we have been here before, and we will be here again and again and again.

Eventually I find the Porter in the hotel, and I have been assured that he stays there, so he's exactly who I need for my aching feet. I'm flagging at this point. A double in TBC was hard enough, and I would always fit in a bar loop on those occasions. This is a show that I don't know - I get lost, I run after characters because I don't know where they're going, I can't take shortcuts and I can't take my time. I've been running around for 6 hours.

So I stay in the hotel lobby. I even try to sit on the chairs, though I don't know which chairs might unexpectedly get danced on, so I don't linger.

The Porter is wonderful. I am so charmed by his dance to the ballroom music, and I get hit with another deja vu - I have seen this before, I have watched him prance along the bar, and I was alone there, just me and him. I remember that from 2019, a beautiful moment.

This time, he spends some time balancing a teacup on his head, and then running around with his jacket held behind him like a cape, like a little boy playing superhero. He wins me over immediately.

I get to see Boy Witch's 'Is That All There Is?' and Porter moping in a corner about it.

He takes someone in for a 1:1, and I wait outside at the Lost Property desk, but I'm not waiting alone. There's... another Porter there.

Oh, I've heard about this! They have a celebrity guest in residence, Milo Manheim. It's an iconic 'Sleep No More' move, if you ask me - I had heard about the guest stars long before I knew much of anything about the show. One of those weird little facts that gets passed around like urban legend - Sometimes, they'll randomly have celebrities playing roles there! They don't advertise it, you'll just go and run into, like, Neil Patrick Harris or Evan Rachel Wood or someone.

I like the mini-porter, though. He gives me something to watch while Porter is away. He's on one side of the Lost Property counter, and the cluster of WMs is watching politely from the other side. He takes a piece of paper, folds it in half, and draws a simple outline of a man - sort of a Gingerbread Man type silhouette, but with a long neck.

He tears out the little paper guy, slowly, deliberately, in that very Punchdrunk way where someone is doing something that sounds very boring when you just write it down, but is actually very compelling with the intensity that he puts into it.

He moves to the back of the Lost Property area, leaning against a locker, glancing around, and as he does he twists the neck of the little paper man, turning him around and around and around and I think to myself that must be painful, even though this is just a little paper doll we're talking about. Then, real Porter comes out, and mini-Porter goes in, taking somebody with him.

I see the rest of the loop through with the real Porter, catching a few scenes that I've seen already, but I don't mind that.

He takes Danvers' arm, and they walk together down to the finale. My first day, finished. I have seen so much! I have so much yet to see! What a show.

First Day Closing Thoughts

It was so, so beautiful to be in a world like this again. To uncover a new story in a familiar format. To be taken by surprise. To welcome this show in like an old friend.

However: I cannot overstate how physically taxing I found this show. Like, it's not accessible to certain people. I don't consider myself disabled or anything - I'm just in my thirties, have back and joint pain, and am not athletic. But I still felt that this show was not made for me. TBC was spread over only two levels and people joked that this was a concession for an aging fanbase, but now I think it's not such a joke actually! Those stairs are killer.

There are some characters who only stay on a single floor, and there are some characters who do a few flights of stairs but not many, or not quickly. And if I had that extra familiarity with this show, or had been willing to do more research beforehand, I could have found that out. Instead, I fucked up my back and my feet over the course of my double, so this is my caution to you: Pace yourself!

But, I mean, my discomfort was temporary and my trip was a one-time opportunity. My sore feet will heal, and fitting 5 shows into 3 days was a necessary evil since I was travelling from far away.

This show is dark. I get that dim lights are part of the format - but I found the lights much darker than TBC. The dim glow of dusty old bulbs reigns throughout, while TBC has areas of neon and more theatrical lighting which can be brighter without upsetting the mood. I struggled to appreciate the set and even the performers' faces, because of the lack of light.

These are just nitpicks and minor gripes though - overall, it was breathtaking. Overall, there is nothing like coming back into a Punchdrunk world. Overall, my main takeaway is there is so much more here. I can't wait to take in more.

Next up: Day Two (featuring a 1:1, and a Weirdo who I instantly fell in love with) and Day Three (One More Double, and my absolute favourite loop)

#sleep no more #punchdrunk #sleep no more nyc #sleepnomorenyc #the mckittrick hotel #snm oc #immersive theatre

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golden-flute · 2 years

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Dragon Prince continues to amaze me

Why hello there! I’ve been AWOL on Tumblr for a hot minute, but I finished season 4 of Dragon Prince at like 4:30 a.m. and now have to break down my thoughts or I’ll explode. Sorry if it ends up kind of long and disjointed. Buckle up, buttercup! Spoilers, obvs.

First, Soren and Claudia’s Confrontation Deep Dive

So this is what has taken up most of my brain’s bandwidth since I watched episode 7. Soren is one of my top favorite characters (others include Amaya, Gren, Runaan, and Bait), so I’m totally invested in his growth. Claudia is also very high up on my favorites list and her negative character arc is so amazing to watch. I’m a sucker for complex character stories where not everything ends up tied into a perfect package. This sounds a little sadistic, but I love watching characters struggle and fight for every morsel of happiness they can get their hands on, especially when their desires conflict with each other’s. Just like Soren and Claudia!

I suspect that this is not going to be the only confrontation these two have with each other throughout the remaining seasons. By the end of their conversation in episode 7 of season 4, nothing had really changed, and I think a part of that is due to how Soren approached Claudia. He painted everything in broad strokes, saying that understood how she felt because he had been on “the wrong side,” implying that Claudia was still on the wrong side and, by proxy, a bad person. But he also wanted to make it clear that change was possible. She could still be saved, in a way.

Soren was being aboslutely genuine and heartfelt. He clearly loves Claudia or he wouldn’t have tried to talk to her at all. And from our perspective, he’s absolutely right in his convictions! He’s basically telling Claudia what we, the audience, have been saying for the last three years. But, as we know, Soren is not exactly a “words guy,” and his desperate attempts to make her see things the way he does fall short. Claudia isn’t in the headspace yet where she’s ready for the sort of self-reflection that Soren had already undergone.

Claudia is an incredibly complex person with different motives and world views than her brother, even before they grew apart. Soren, I think, is more comfortable with seeing the world in black and white, and that’s how he explained himself and his thoughts to Claudia. But if/when he speaks with her again, he will have to get on her level and take all of her thoughts, feelings, and motivations into account without talking down to her from a pedestal of righteousness (which is how I think how Claudia would have perceived the episode 7 conversation to be). Only then will Claudia be able to listen and not feel as though he’s trying to take advantage of her, or making her choose sides--something she clearly has an aversion to.

Which brings me to my other thought: I think Soren is going to have another crisis of conscience before the end of the final season. Maybe not as big as the one he had in season 3, because I think that moment fundamentally swayed his morals. But we still have three seasons to go, and I don’t think all of it will be filled with an unchanging, flower-child Soren, beautiful as he is. That wouldn’t necessarily be interesting, and I don’t think Aaron Ehasz would let such a fantastic character off the hook that easily, lol. I’d honestly be fine if Soren stayed in his pure boy form, because he’s so fun to watch.

Buuuut where he’s at right now reminds me a lot of Zuko in Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2, after he recovered from his illness. At that point, Zuko believed himself cured of any and all bad feelings ever, but it only took seeing Azula again to bring all the trauma back. I don’t think we’ll see as big of a change for Soren (after all, he’s already seen Viren--the primary source of his trauma--again), but there are still a lot of unresolved aspects of his life that need to be ironed out before he truly earns his peace. A big part of his future character changes will revolve around his relationships with Claudia and Viren.

All I really have to say at this point is that I’m so amazed and delighted by Soren as a character. At first, I sort of wrote him off as guy who filled the stereotypical, comical “dumb jock” role, but he’s so much more complex than that, and I really can’t wait to see how his story progresses, whether I’m right or wrong in my guesses.

Next, Soren and Viren

One of my main disappointments from season 4 was the lack of any sort of progression with Soren and Viren’s relationship. And I don’t mean that I expected them to resolve all their differences and decide to be bffs or anything. But... I didn’t expect to get... nothing. If the creators had kept the two separate for the entirety of the season, I would have honestly been fine with that. But they had them meet again, face-to-face, only to have no confrontation at all.

It felt really unsatisfying to go from the end of episode 7, where Soren had such a visceral reaction to learning about Viren’s resurrection, to the start of episode 9, where they’re just quietly walking side-by-side with no context for what happened in between those two moments. Did they talk? Did Soren shut down? Did Viren give him the silent treatment? Did Claudia keep them apart until they entered the Rex Igneous’s lair? We don’t know, all bets are off! And then afterward, Soren acted like it hadn’t happened. I just hope that they don’t just put any conversations in a comic or something, because I think it’s such an important part of Soren’s character. It would feel almost disrespectful to banish their relationship development to a different media format that not everyone may read/see.

I’m hoping this means the writers plan to have a little fun with the whole scenario in future seasons. Soren, Rayla, Callum, and possibly Ezran all have seen Viren alive now, which puts a huge target on Team Aaravos’ backs. Buuuuuut, if Viren kept mum during his and Soren’s reunion, there’s a chance Soren may think that Claudia was conjuring an illusory version, the way she did in season 3. Perhaps they may try to manipulate Soren into thinking it was an illusion to both put Team Ezran off their scent and diminish Soren’s reputation, just like when Viren threw Soren under the bus before about their murder-the-princes “misunderstanding.” At the very least, this sort of scenario would make for an interesting AU fanfic, lol.

I’m trying to keep myself open-minded about this particular issue. I think I feel a bit more rushed about it because I’m imagining the wait between seasons 3 and 4 and thinking of how long we’d have to wait to see anything more from father and son. But the creators have said in recent interviews that the three-year wait was an anomaly caused by the pandemic, and that they’ll be resuming a more regular schedule again. When I think about only having to wait 5-9 months for the next installment, my frustration about the lack of progress in this particular vein subsides a bit.

But still, it would have been nice to get a little more from those precious few Soren/Viren moments if they were going to bring them up at all this season.

Ezran’s Speech

I’m actually really surprised I haven’t seen more people talking about Ez’s speech in episode 3! But then again, after binging the entire season, so much had happened that I’d forgotten about it myself until I went back to watch a bit more carefully. But it was a really powerful moment.

Once again, I saw some ATLA parallels, but I figure if they’re deliberately putting them in anyway, I might as well call them out, lol. I got major Zuko vs. Azula Agni Kai vibes when watching Claudia and Ibis get into an absolutely gnarly fight while Corvus played the fantasy-cello. Something about string instruments playing over really bitter encounters really transforms the moment. It becomes sad rather than epic. Paired with Ezran’s speech about holding love and anger at the same time adds another layer to it as well.

The thing I found most interesting about Claudia and Ibis facing off is that these are two characters known for holding the prejudices that Ezran speaks about. In season 3, Ibis initially brushed Callum off for wanting to learn magic as a human. And even when Callum proved he knew the Sky Arcanum, Ibis told him to run. I think, given, time, he may have changed his tune, and perhaps he did. But from what we saw, he did carry some bias against humans. And then there’s Claudia, who hates so thoroughly that humans are looked down upon by elves and dragons. At first, I thought that might have been Aaravos’ influence on her, but as I re-watched a few key moments in previous seasons, I found a moment that she and Callum talk at the start of season 2, where she also voices similar opinions--that humans were born with nothing but that’s why Dark magic levels the playing field. I think Aaravos just fed that belief in her, but it already existed. Also the fact that Claudia is currently dating an elf! So, in a way, she is also holding her love and anger at the same time. I can imagine it gives her complicated feelings. Brings me back to Rayla calling Callum out for saying that she may be an elf, “but a good elf.”

To have these two particular characters who feel so strongly in their convictions fight while Ezran talks about old wounds just hit the mark. It was a really poignant, if not slightly heavy-handed moment. I don’t feel totally equipped or at rights to find the parallels in today’s world, but I felt them pretty hard during this scene. “Sobering” is a good word to describe it.

Other, less composed, out of order thoughts

Season 4 was very much a transitory season. It was setting up the final three seasons, so it’s understandable that we got more questions than answers this time around. I’m just glad we (hopefully) won’t have to wait another three years for the next season!

The animation was SUPER clean and beautiful this season! There were a few moments that really stood out to me, particularly in the way that Callum gesticulates. Tiny, subtle movements that they could easily leave out but don’t, such as him accidentally knocking his hand into the Tome of Translation when he asks Bait “now what?” Or rubs his face in frustration. Callum is just a jittery, hyper guy, and it’s especially noticeable when those quirks are suppressed by Aaravos’ possession of him. Callum is all about short, quick movements, but as Aaravos, he was slow, fluid, and confident. It was just the perfect amount of unsettling to watch and I loved it.

I love Zubeia so much. We’ve seen badass human moms, and a badass elf mom before, and now we can add badass dragon mom to the list. Honorable mention to the badass aunt!

Corvus is a musician, and I love it so much!

Terry has been adopted by the fandom and I am HERE. FOR. IT. Before the season came out, I saw exactly one (1) comment speculating that he was trans, and I’m so glad they confirmed it in the show! Especially since the comment pointed out that there’s very little representation for trans people who are actively in the transition process. I can’t speak for the trans community, but I feel like Terry could be much-welcomed representation in that regard.

I really love how pure Terry is. I feel like he sort of filled Soren’s vacant role in Claudia’s life as “her doof.” I’m willing to bet we’ll see a comic of Claudia’s travels in those two years, and their subsequent meeting. I’m curious how they found each other and discovered their attraction for one another.

Terry’s megane-shine picture in the credits gave me evil scientist vibes and I love it so much. His curiosity about creating mystery flubber out of Sir Sparklepuff’s chrysalis goo (a string of words as weird and random as the situation which prompted them) was really fun as well.

Viren is a lot of things, but he’s not transphobic. Yet another example of complex, layered characters. Even the “bad guys” can have decent qualities.

Trees to meet you is a thing, lol.

I’d never really shipped Soren with anyone before, but after watching his and Corvus’ interactions in episode 1, I would not be mad at their ship sailing if they felt so inclined. TBD.

More Gren and Amaya friendship! I love seeing those two together, they add years to my life.

Janai’s proposal actually made me cry, it was so cute. And their “two cakes” conversation was so tender and sweet.

The whole conflict between the Sunfire elves and humans in the camp could be an entirely other essay, but again, I don’t really feel equipped to write about it (also it’s like 1am now and my brain isn’t braining well enough to go in-depth about it). But I did notice the parallels with our own current societal problems, and appreciated that, in the end, the answer wasn’t to decide between right and wrong, but to find a way to learn and grow together. (But also that the offender had to show up for her actions and resolved to make things right--though it would have been nice to also see her apologize directly to the elf that she wronged and not just his leader).

Sir Sparklepuff is half creepy, half adorable, and half bizarre. And yes, I know that’s three halves. He gave me major Gollum vibes when he first crawled out of his chrysalis.

LIZARD IN A HAT.

I appreciated that Rex Igneous apologized to Zym when he realized he’d been talking shit about his late papa.

I also appreciated the dragon saber-rattling contest at the end. Again, Zubeia is awesome.

Soren spending half the season in floral pajamas was something I didn’t know I needed.

Also, Soren with the butterfly was pure and delightful. And also a great contrast to Viren and Claudia, who would have seen the butterfly as a means to gain magic. Soren saw the magic of its life, throwing him into sharp contrast with his family.

People have already spotted the parallels between How to Train Your Dragon and Soren befriending Squeaky, but I also KNOW in my heart that we’ll see fanart of Soren in the Chris Pratt Jurassic World pose, like he’s "taming” a bunch of widdle dragons/velociraptors, lol.

RIP Ibis. I talked shit about him a bit, but he really was a cool character.

I swing between being amused by the fart jokes and tired of them. Claudia’s season 1 “It wasn’t the hooooorse” still cracks me up to this day, but I may have to draw the line at “It smells SO good when he farts!”

Again, no Runaan, but RAYLA HAS THE COINS. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

I really like that they kind of nerfed Viren in this season. He’s obviously recovering from actually being dead, and he’s also dealing with trauma over how he died. So few adults admit to having similar troubles, so it was neat to see an adult in a show display some vulnerability, even if he’s objectively an evil adult, haha.

I’ve seen some speculation about whether Rayla is actually fully Rayla or not. I’m kind of inclined to agree. Something about her is off. The best argument I saw for this hypothesis was someone pointing out that she argued NOT to defend Squeaky from the Earthblood elf guy, even when Soren was raring to jump in. Season 2 Rayla would have absolutely slapped the bejeezus out of season 4 Rayla for walking away from a dragon in need. Miss “It’s not just the right thing to do, it’s the right thing for ME to do” did not show up that night, and it’s... suspicious. Also the fact that she didn’t remember Ibis’s name? What changed? Signs point to Stella, with her... giant, unblinking eyes that give me Furby vibes, lol. Did she affect Rayla somehow? What happened to Rayla in those two years? She just showed up with no explanation. I think she is actually Rayla, at least physically, based on the fact that she also gave up chasing Viren and Claudia to save her parents and Runaan and also made a very heartfelt speech about how Runaan and Ethari were like fathers to her. That felt super genuine, so... I don’t know where the cutoff is for where the Rayla we know is and who we hung out with for most of season 4.

Soren recognizing the mirror and trying to offer Callum advice on his obsession with magic to avoid seeing him go the same way as Viren.

Also Soren suggesting to Claudia that the world might be better off without magic. I wonder if that’ll be foreshadowing for something?

I can’t believe this is so far down on my list, but Aaravos possessing Callum was SO intense! I actually gasped when Callum turned his head to show his blackened eyes. Aaravos knew exactly how to get to each of them, and I loved it. But then after Aaravos released Callum, it was KIND OF discussed a couple times, but it was just like they were talking about the weather or something. I don’t know... between this and dropping the ball on Soren’s reaction to Viren, this season kind of went wild when it came to following through on some of the most interesting talking points of the entire plot.

I’m surprised how little Aaravos showed up this season, especially since they rebranded it “Mystery of Aaravos.” At least we got a little of his sexy, sexy voice. Erik Dellums, you’ve done it again.

I’m SO excited to see what the creators have got planned for Callum. He was talking to Rayla about his concerns on whether he’s on a path to darkness. One thing I love about this series is that they also explore the concept of “too much of a good thing.” Like I said before, Soren is just too happy and pure for it to last three more seasons--I bet his beliefs will be challenged at some point and he’ll have to defend them. And I think Callum will face a similar challenge when it comes to his obsession with magic. I TOTALLY understand feeling like you can never do anything right and finding that one thing you’re good at and latching onto it. But then when it becomes your entire personality, you run the risk of narrowing your life path to just one, inevitable end. His greatest strength has also become his greatest weakness. I have a feeling that Callum will have to explore that concept a bit in later seasons, with the help of Aaravos, of course. I don’t think he’ll go Claudia-level darkness--he’s pretty self-aware of this potential danger--but I wonder if he’ll become a bit more morally gray as the series progresses. I’m here for it, if that’s the case! I love me some dark character development, after all.

God, how long is this list? I didn’t realize I had this much floating around in my head.

I adored the rock golems! Their designs were GORGEOUS! Did anyone else catch the Over the Garden Wall Easter Egg in the credits? My friends and I adore OtGW and try to watch it every year, and I got way too excited by that find, lol.

Zubeia and Soren’s friendship is so wholesome.

I wonder if we’ll ever see Soren and Claudia’s mom? IS SHE THE NEW URSA? ;P

I’m kind of glad that they backtracked on Callum and Rayla’s relationship. Watching two fifteen-year-olds admit their undying love for each other at the end of season 3 left me with kind of a bad taste in my mouth. That probably sounds a bit unfair, since I know there are plenty of high school sweethearts out there who become each other’s endgames, but... I guess it felt rushed. Season 1-3 covered the span of... what? A few weeks, maybe? A month, at most? In that time, Callum and Rayla went from mortal enemies, to strangers, to friends, to romantic interests. My guess is the writers did that so there would be some sort of closure in case they didn’t get renewed for more seasons, which is fine. But it always just felt off. So I’m glad that a) they backed off a bit this season and are working through a bump in their relationship, b) said relationship is still being worked on at the end of the season, and c) Rayla and Callum communicated their concerns with each other and respected each other’s boundaries. It makes it feel much more realistic and less cookie-cutter. And I’m glad they were renewed for all seven seasons so they don’t feel pressured to rush the relationship development again.

The Earthblood elf designs are so cool! I really love all the elf designs, but the Earthblood elves are really fun and different! Also Terry in activated Earthblood elf mode was so badass! More, more, more! ;P

YIP YIP!

Sad that we didn’t see a glowed-up Queen Anya!

Or Ellis and Ava. Or Lujanne. Didn’t she meet a human while she was on her prank war tangent?

I wonder how our favorite blind, narcoleptic ship captain, Villads-with-a-silent-D, is doing.

Congrats to the Associate Crow Lord on his promotion and his... um... excitement over rare Xadian birds, lol.

At the end of the day, Dragon Prince is a kids show, but I really appreciate that they don’t shy away from real-world issues. They offer a chance for us to view our world through the (more comfortable) lens of a fantasy world. We can see ourselves reflected in these characters, who are incredibly complex and three-dimensional. No one is fully good or fully evil, not Claudia or Viren, or Soren, Ez, or Zym. Maaaaybe Aaravos, lol. I love it when content geared towards kids recognizes that kids are a hell of a lot smarter than they’re given credit for and they don’t talk down to them or avoid covering more difficult subjects. It’s shows like this that will shape today’s kiddos in the same way that shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender shaped my generation.

Okay, I think I might actually be done.

If you’re still reading, you rock! What were some of your favorite part of Dragon Prince?

#the dragon prince #dragon prince #tdp #tdp spoilers #spoilers #soren #claudia #viren #callum #aaravos #rayla #amaya #gren #janai #zym #azymondias #zubeia #terry #terrestrius #runaan #corvus

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norabrice1701 · 9 months

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The Duke & The Witch - Ch. 6

Charles Brandon x Fem!OC, A The Tudors Slight-AU fic

Series Main List

Ch. 6 Warnings: Discussion of witchcraft; period-typical attitudes towards everything (women, religion, witchcraft, etc.); fantastical squinty science/alchemy

Avian sighs, satisfied as she pulls back to admire her handiwork. Cutting and sorting spear thistle plants into their respectively useful piles – leaves for drying, taproots for cooking, unflowered blooms for syrup – always takes longer than she remembers. The coarse texture of the stems irritates her skin, fingertips red and nearly raw from handling the prickly plant.

But it has to be done. The taproots are one of her better sources of food.

The knife drops to the tabletop with a dull clunk before she gathers the pile of taproots. While they store better dry and uncooked, the closed-up blooms need tending before they dry out. But not yet. The wild roses have waited long enough. Once they’re properly prepared, then she can return her attention to the thistle blooms.

As she shuffles the rest of the thistle remains to the side, she plucks a ceramic crock from the worktable against the back wall. The basket of wild roses sits untouched near the door and she reaches for it, dumping the collection of deep red blooms and green stems onto the cleared table surface.

The first stem breaks down easily. So much easier than the thistles. She shaves the thorns off with the knife, letting them fall to the table. Once the thorns fall free, then comes the twine for drying the flower petals-

“Avian!”

She startles on the call, focus broken as she glances up with wide eyes. That voice… his voice has only echoed in her memories these past months. But now?

Has the duke truly returned?

Her mouth goes dry at the thought. Does she dare respond? Or has he just come to arrest her after all this time? Her heart hammers, vulnerability creeping along her skin as she deliberates. She isn’t wearing an arm gauntlet and her dress sleeve isn’t wide enough to hide it even if she puts one on. With a deep breath, she rises from the table and tightens her grip on the large knife. Slowly pushing the cottage door open, she angles her body to keep the knife at her side hidden from view.

The duke stands proud by his horse with no evidence of a wagon or garrison soldiers accompanying him. He wears the fine appointments of his rank, his sleeveless black cloak trimmed in black fur and catching around his legs in the breeze. His face holds a carefully guarded expression before a small grin teases the corner of his mouth. His azure eyes meet hers and… has he always been so strikingly handsome?

She swallows the uneasy thought, sighing uneasily. “Your Grace?”

“Avian.” He greets again, tipping his head. “I’m glad to see that you are still here. I had heard that you might have fled the duchy.”

Her lips purse to a tight line of consideration before she steps fully into the doorway, letting him see the glint of the knife. “Is that why you’re here?”

“Am I under attack?” His past as a soldier betrays him, gaze focusing on the knife with rapt attention. “You are usually armed in subtler ways, which leads me to think I have caught you unaware.”

“I did not know what to expect when you called my name. As for the rest, I will leave that for you to decide.” She isn’t about to admit the truth of his words. It would be all too easy for him to knock the knife from her hand and hold her completely at his mercy. Her fingers tighten around the knife grip. “Is there something in particular you want? If you only journeyed here to confirm that I have not run away, then you have accomplished your task.”

His head tilts with indignant surprise. “You would dismiss me so readily?”

A stab of frustration rears its head. For all of his sins, her father had taught her a base level of manners, and dismissing a nobleman so blatantly always carried a high risk. Especially in her present position. She wets her top lip uneasily. “No, Your Grace.” She glances back towards the cottage. “But I have work that must continue, so if you wish to converse further, you will have to accommodate me.”

Without waiting for a response, she turns back towards the cottage and disappears into the interior. She doesn’t know if he’ll take her offer or not, but the open cottage door stands as proof of her words. Another nervous sigh leaves her as she struggles to calm the rapid rhythm of her heart. At least her present task with the roses still allows her to keep holding the knife without excuse.

His shadow darkens the doorway, and she watches him freeze with surprised disbelief.

***

An onslaught of powerful scents overwhelm him. They clog the air and he can barely tell them apart. Some are familiar – roses, lavender – and too many are unknown but spicy, earthen and sweet. He takes a breath, worried he might choke on the weight of the heavily perfumed air as he looks at the bunches of flora strung up and hanging from the lattice work against the far wall.

He looks over at her, disbelief coloring his face. “How have you not choked?”

Her brow furrows in mild confusion. “None of it is toxic.”

Crossing the cottage threshold, he walks over to the lattice for a closer look. Bunches of various leaves, flowers and berries hang upside down in differing shriveled states. Each has their own shape and texture - something that he takes for granted on the battlefield or during a hunt - but he has never before considered that so many could be useful. “What is all this?” He asks, turning to look at her working at the table. The rough surface is covered in all manner of bowls, mortar and pestles, crocks, metal instruments, liquids, powders, and pastes. It looks like a physician’s dream.

Her lips pull to a closed-mouth, almost coy grin. “What does it look like?”

“Plants, flowers… but the likes of which I have never seen before.” He turns back to study the latticework, taking a closer look at the varying bundles. They all hang by the stems with the blooms and leaves pointed towards the ground. Some look freshly picked and strung up while others appear dry and wrinkled.

“Have you never ventured into a kitchen before?” She casts him a questioning look that he doesn’t acknowledge before she shakes her head, the motion reproachful. “You betray your privileged upbringing.”

“I have never hidden it.” His voice holds no apology, only the mild sting of offense. Most commoners don’t separate privilege from nobility, but if she does, then the tales about him have spread far and wide, indeed. He arches a brow in consideration. “It’s revealing that you know about my lineage to make such a comment. If the people of my duchy spread such talk, then I would hear what other such talk they spread.” Glancing over at her, he wets his top lip curiously. “Do they even use my name? Do you even know my name?”

The knife blade falls against the heavy wooden table as she chops a rose thorn, followed by another. Her face pinches in concentration even as she shakes her head. “None of that hardly matters, Your Grace.”

“If you subsist on rumors, then I would know what rumors say of me.”

Her bright green eyes meet his for the space of a breath, and even in the dusty dimness of the cottage they captivate him. But before his stare lingers too long, she blinks away with a reluctant sigh. “The rumors are not unfavorable. Simply that you are a personal friend of the king, hence your noble title without the pedigree to support it.”

Even now, he still doesn’t understand why Henry saw fit to grant him letters patent, but he had been in no position to deny his king. Not that he had really wanted to - he positively preened under the mantle of his new station, even if the prospect had terrified him at first. But now? Now an incredulous grin lifts the corner of his mouth. How have the passing years seen him become an effective executor of his duchy only to find himself standing inside the cottage of a suspected witch?

And all while Henry sits on the throne with that whore Anne Boleyn at his side.

He tries to blink the heavy torrent of thoughts away as he sighs. It brings him no peace, and instead he lets his gaze settle on the neatly tied rows of flora that hang upside down. Raising a gloved hand, he lightly trails a finger down a bunch of long-stemmed blooms with purple clusters. “This one I recognize,” he says softly. “From laundered bed linens.”

She lifts her head, looking around him to see. “Lavender. It aids with sleep.”

Under his touch, the stems swing on their twine string and knock into surrounding bunches. "Why are they tied up like this?” The question leaves him before he can think better of it. He doesn’t claim a vast interest in their purpose, but the easy conversation distracts from his stormy thoughts.

“It’s the best way to dry them out - to make them dry and brittle for grinding into pastes and powders. Once I’m finished with the thorns, the roses will join them.” Something in her tone shifts - to his ears, she sounds almost gracious. Calming. As if she can sense his preference in the distracting, idle conversation. Perhaps he shouldn’t have pressed her to divulge the rumors about him, after all.

He looks back over at her and the piles of roses. “And what purpose do the roses serve?”

“Several – in tea, rose aids in pain relief. In compresses, rose aids in healing wounds.”

Walking over to the table, he continues to watch her sever the thorns from the stems. “I’m beginning to think that you missed your calling by hiding yourself here,” he says, trying to force a light tone to his voice. “You could fetch a fair penny as a healer in any of the villages.”

“And be run out by the attending physicians? Or burned alive for heresy without due process?”

“That is still a distinct possibility even with due process.”

With the back of the knife, she scrapes the scattered thorns into a central pile. She reaches for a crock with her other hand before pushing the pile towards the table’s edge and off into the waiting crock. A collection of rose thorns already rest in the crock, some brown with age beneath the fresh green thorns. An intrigued grin curls his lips. “The thorns serve a purpose too, I’d wager?”

“Yes.” She meets his gaze with a surprising hint of cordial teasing. “You’re welcome to assist me if you’d like.”

He scoffs on instinct. “Commoner’s work.”

“Yes, that is indeed what I am,” she counters gently, unbothered by his tone. “But until you figure out why you linger here in my home, I wanted to extend the offer.”

The words burrow under his skin with more frustrating truth than he wants to acknowledge. With the completion of his objective to confirm that she still remained in his duchy, why does he linger? Is he truly so desperate for a reprieve from court life that he seeks it in the company of a rumored witch?

He wets his top lip. “Would you believe me if I said I was gathering evidence to support your inquiry?”

The line of her shoulders stiffens ever so subtly, brow wrinkling with concern even as her gaze stays fixed on the table. Her fingers flex on the knife grip as she speaks. “Yes, I would believe you. I have not forgotten our previous conversation. Or is… ” she pauses with a visible swallow. “Is that why you have come, but will not say? To take me back to your dungeon?”

Honestly, that’s exactly what he should do. The responsibility of his station demands that he consider the wellbeing of his duchy, and he can ill afford to let a suspected witch continue to roam free. Indeed, he should see her imprisoned with the braids in her hair undone and washed out, along with a thorough search of her person for any other tricks that might literally be up her sleeve. But would that really be in the best interest of his duchy?

At length, he sighs and hopes it doesn’t betray his conflict. “Not today.” He says with firm conviction. “But soon.”

“Soon?” Her eyes dart up to him, sharp in the hazy light under the fall of her braids and wild curls. “Why not today? Has the cat not toyed with the mouse enough?”

He can’t help the wicked curl of his lips. “If I were truly toying with you, you would know it.”

Her cheeks flush ever so faintly as her mouth tightens in contemplation. “Then, if it’s not…” She trails off, green eyes studying his for the truth. “Then you must want something from me.”

The memories of the powders in her arm gauntlet return, and he can’t deny the temptation. Perhaps she could prove useful - and if her healing powers have half the potency of those powders, then maybe he does want her for something. Perhaps even the king would care to employ her services for his own personal use. After all, the stories about her are far more centered on healing rather than destruction.

With exception of the lightning from her fingertips. But such temptation lurks there, too. Why should he share her knowledge and skills with the king when he could keep her as a well-guarded secret? Could he wield her as a weapon of retribution against the evil that has poisoned the king’s court? All too clearly, he can see Queen Anne’s burning hatred for him, recall all the times she’s brazenly wounded his pride in her attempt to drive a wedge between him and Henry. His friend has been too blinded by love to see her for the serpent she truly is, but maybe… maybe with Avian…

He forces a hard swallow. “Maybe not… but maybe,” his voice drops to a dark whisper. “You would help me destroy her.”

A weighted silence falls in the cottage as Avian stills. Her eyes narrow in immediate suspicion as his words hang in the air. He doesn’t know what rumors of Queen Anne have reached the commoners of his duchy, but as he watches the implications of his words play out on her face, he nods with silent understanding.

She nibbles her bottom lip as distrust dances in his eyes. “If you’re trying to bait me into speaking treason to justify my imprisonment, then you will be sorely disappointed.”

“This is no trap. No trick.” He wonders what circle of hell he condemns himself to as he speaks. “I ask you plainly again – could… would you help me destroy her?”

She shakes her head. “That is not how it should work.”

“But it can be done.”

Her lips pinch to a tight line, the weight of the unspoken answer heavy between them before she speaks. “Are you not concerned that I should turn you in for speaking treason?”

“And why should anyone believe you?” He counters. “I’ve sworn the oath. I served as high constable for her coronation. I’ve been the ever true, ever loyal servant. And you? You’re the witch who summons lightning strong enough to destroy. To kill, even.” His words cut deep, but he has a point to make. If this witch means to beat him at a power play, she’ll be sorely mistaken. He tips his head to send her a warning glare. “Best look after your own neck before threatening mine.”

Her grip on the knife tightens even as nothing else in her expression changes. A heavy silence falls between them as she turns her gaze away and chops off another thorn, the movement slow and deliberate. Reaching for another rose, she drops the knife to the tabletop with a dull thunk. Her eyes find his again, and she gently pushes the rose across the table towards him. “I already told you that was a mistake. If you’re looking to gain destructive powers, then you’d better find yourself someone else.”

He follows the motion of her hand to stare at the rose as it lays against the tabletop. The perfect beauty of the blood red bloom seems to mock him with its elegance helplessly trapped at this witch’s mercy. God help him, he must truly be losing his mind. Has he forgotten himself so completely in asking this woman to help him destroy the queen? He sighs, reaching a gloved hand out to take the tender stem, lifting it up to inhale its perfume.

So pleasant. So simple.

He drops it harshly to the table before turning away and walking out into the afternoon sunlight. Too many words stick in his throat and cloud his mind. His frustrated anger has already loosened his tongue enough for one day. Who knows what else he might say if he allows it to continue running unchecked?

Series Main List

#charles brandon #duke of suffolk #the tudors #henry cavill #charles brandon x ofc #henry cavill x ofc #the tudors fanfic

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popculturebuffet · 1 year

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Top 20 Animated Episodes of 2022 Part 1: 20-11

Happy new year all you happy people! It's that time of the year again for my top 20 episodes of the year list!

For those new, which is likely a lot of you as these things tend to blow up, every year I take 5 episodes max from every show I watched, as given both this blog's busy schedule and my habit of putting things off I don't get to everything i'd like to (Personal apologizes to Dead End Paranormal Park, The Cuphead Show, Transformers Earthspark, Mike Judge's Beavis and Butthead apart from one episode, and Primal), and pick the best. As for why not just do a top 10 , or as I tend to do 12, there's a few simple reasons.

1) Since this blog started with just single episode reviews of shows and it continues to be the blogs backbone, it honors what I do, and is a nice way to really single out the episodes that really hit the high points for a season.

2) Even when i'm hitting a LOT of shows in a year, I still don't usually reach 20, and even if I did it wouldn't feel like enough to make a proper list and 5 seems too few.

3) It's something few other people do , especially for animation, so it stands out more while still allowing me to reflect on the year in animation

Now that's settled, before we get to the list under the cut let's talk about 2022.. but first just let me.. mentally prepare myself

Okay now ii'm mildly prepared 2022..

On the one hand we got a lot of good content. In addition to those fine, critically raved about shows I mentiond I didn't get to I got to PLENTY of good animation this year: While Owl House got screwed over last year, it started going down swinging with it's best run of episodes followed by a special that's just shy of breaking 5 million views on youtube and made disney realize they fucked up real good. So with a new regime hopefully it won't bow forever next year. Amphibia did bow out with an utterly heartstopping finale, The Great North has reached it's peak, while they sadly bowed out Tuca and Bertie and Close Enough still had great seasons to close out on as they left us wanting more, and we got two utterly record smashing debuts; Smiling Friends which is still a sensation even now and is easily one of the best adult comedies in recent times, which is not the easy feat it once was, and Legend of Vox Machina not only continued Amazon Prime's hot streak, but proved to be a hilarious yet deeply integlent and compelling fantasy.. that still had a song about tugging a gnome's motherfucking beads, a goliath nakedly diving into acid, and one or four heroes going through a tragic arc that included an accidental pact with a vengeance demon complaning that his love intrest just yah'd him like a horse while running away from demons. There was a lot of fantastic stuff. And that's not even getting into the films I haven't got to or the one I have with PUss in Boots.

Behind the scenes though?

Yeah, let's start with the appitizers first; Disney continued it's slow march towards death, putting Turning Red on Disney+… depsite the fact that unlike the previous two straight to D+ orders, which were undrestandable.. they simply coudl've delayed it by a few weeks or delayed lightyear.. which in contrast bombed HORRIBLY in theaters. It also came out Disney gladly funded various florida senate members who ended up passing the contriversal don't say gay bill, which is beyond standard disney fuckups into a level of vile. Thankfully Old New Boss bob iger stepped in at the end of the year, so their might be hope.

Netflix also seems in flux: on the one hand they still put out lots of critcally aclaimed animation.. and on the other they keep canceling things, not knowing what their doing, so their fine.

Ironically though what caused me the most stress this year to the point I spiraled into depression in anxiety wondering if anything I did mattered.. was Warner Bros Discovery. After champinoing Cartoon Network and HBO MAx as a safe haven for animatoin, a great place, and generally great.. the celeing cave in, the floor gave out and what was left got set on fire, covered in spiders and some sort of hobgoblin who hates animation , diversity and sometimes it feels me specifically took hold.

That hobgoblin.. was Dave Zaslav, head of discovery, new head of warner brothers and absolute human nightmare. In the span of just a few months he canned two full movies, Batgirl and Scoob 2 and made it so they can never be finished or released, and that… just something so disrepectful to it's crew, moneywasting and pr headachey that it still lingers to this day (Mostly batgirl but even not carring about Scoob 2 what the fuck).. was him JUST GETTING STARTED. Over several months he took a fucking chainsaw to hbo max, cutting content left and right and leaving many shows that were either streaming only like Close Enough or hadn't got a dvd release like Victor and Valentino, Mao Mao and FAR TOO DAMN MANY to list, effectively homeless, the most galling to me being completely digitally delisting final space, TAKING AWAY PEOPLE'S ALRAEDY BOUGHT DIGITAL COPIES, and generally destroying the franchise… to make 5 bucks. I know he likely got more than that but come the fuck on. It is not an exageration nor slandar to say David Zaslav cares less about the company functioning.. and more about making money to the point he's just.. liscneding shows they had the rights to to other streamers. Which is good as at least htey wont be cast into the void, but it's galling to have someone so greedy even something as simple and to some actors VITAL as residuals makes him wince. He has done exactly ONE THING right in making James Gunn head of the DCEU and I still don't trust him not to step in and fuck tha tup for James, the viewing public and good taste because his track record is if it costs money

I wasn't REMOTELY joking about that anxiety attack. When someone disrespects your medium THIS BADLY , it makes you quefstion everything your doing. I came around realizing I can keep these things alive and keep him acountable, but it still hasn't been easy constantly wondering what he's going to do next to fuck things up, to fuck up possible retrospectivges or just generally make animation worse. He has been a waking nightamre and has single handeledly made the year harder. It was hard enough with Elon Musk's takeover of twitter (Which i'm on more now, you can find me HERE), republican garbage still rising up and making LBGTQ+ peoples lives hell, JK ROwling somehow getting even worse and way too many gutpunch celebrity deaths… but this year will be SO MUCH EASIER if Zaslav finally goes down. Please… WB get rid of him before he eats you from the inside. And you reading please.. dont' harass him. It won't help. You can call for his resignation, but please do so respectfully. We do not want to be ignorant yowling jackasses. Just be good people.

So this year was highs, lows and not so creamy middles.. but what shows rose to the top? What shows were the best? Or at least almost the best but not quite? Find out bellow as I count down The first 10, Numbers 20-11, of my top 20 animated episodes of 2022!:

20. X-Mas with the Skanks Adventure (The Great North)

"It isn't a Lone Moose White Elephant without someone running off into the night to cast something in the lake"

The Great North is as show I liked a lot last year and that has only improved with age, to the point I really wish more people talked about this wonderfully charming, bonkers little show. It has great characters, even greater voice acting and some of the most hilariously weird plots i've seen in a sitcom while still being grounded in the characters themselves. And season 3 is the show hitting it's stride, as while season 2 was pretty good (and we'll see an episode form that later) Season 3 has been the show's consitently best season, with such plots as the tobins minus beef getting addicted to an outback stakehouse style restraunt Beef dosen't want them to go to, a disaster drill that's dinosaur themed, beef inviting all his love intrests to a dance and all of them being fine with it once the misunderstanding is cleared up, the town deciding to have a man who carves wives for sailors cave a really , really handsome man to win a local yachting compettion, having to cart the local millionare to an island while the kids all go overboard on being rich for a change, and the tobins all turning on each other over beef's obession with the movie Enough Said. It's all great stuff, though what ultimately won was a premise smaller in scope but no less dumb, and just in time for christmas.

While the show's last Christmas episode was great, X-Mas takes it to a new level with a very simple, realistic but still hilarous idea: It's the annual Lone Moose White Elephant, which while bringing in tons of the towns great character from the easily impresssed Santiago Carpachio, the aptly titled Drama John, deadpan death lover and my adopted daughter Bethany, and the calm soft spoken Mayor Peepers, it also opens old wounds: As the Tobin kids tell Honeybee, several christmases ago the kids got one of those singing anamatronic dealies, you know your singing fish, bears, etc, the kind that annoy the heck out of parents if overused and the kind i'm sure most children have had at a least one point. I had a singing fish and thus deeply related to the episode of Big City Greens where Cricket bonded with his while trying to resolve his repeated attempted murders.

Skanky is no exception, a very weird x-mas tree that sings a christmas version of Mambo #5, shakes it's various balls that are supposed to be sex oragans mut make no sense as such and delighting the kids.. and slowly driving beef mad to the point he finally got rid of it last year. And given the Tobins turns had all passed, they coudln't get him back and due to a recall coudln't find one online. Granted i've never seen that stop someone from selling something online but still point is they were skankless.

Part of what makes this so funny is that normally the Tobins aren't at each other's throats: their one of the most loving supportive families you can see. As Honeybee evne points out this episode Beef would normally give his kids the shirt off his back "I've seen you do it multiple times when Wolf forgot to get dressed. " So seeing him both so throughly against something that makes the kids happy, while seeing them all so against their dad is a nice contrast, and is also nicely petty. I do love the close knit family we have here but sometimes i'ts fun to see the stupdiest things turn them against one another while still being plausable.

You can probably see where this is going as Londra, their boat neighbor friend and happily married lesbian, has returned Skanky from whence he came, as he's started to haunt her and with her partner gone, she had a chance. This leads to a bloodthristy game of chess as the Tobins try to out manuver beef, as well as various townsfolk who want Skanky, not helped by Honeybee understandably switching sides as Skanky is awful. Hilarous but I woudln't want him in my house. We also get a neat subplot about Moon and a pregnant reindeer that bonds him with his new friend and love intrest introduced this season so dat's nice. But the main draw is this hilariously stupid conflict. And while it does get a nice emotinal tie, Beef also ties Skanky to the fact he was all he could afford and ashame of him, it never looses the core with beef being ready to cast it into a lake at one point, and being quitely infurated as the kids get a twerking snowman as a replacement. This episode scraped onto the list barely beeting out vampire keanu reeves but it's townwide fun and the sheer werid specificity of this feud while still somehow being relatable got me.

19. Charlie Dies and Dosen't Come Back (Smiling Friends)

"Grandma what are you doing here?" "Oh I cursed and said DAMN in 1958 when your grandpa was shot by that ROTTEN burgalar!" "… well that seems unresonable I don't think you should be in hell for that."

Smiling Friends had one heck of a pilot last year, a hilariously dark tale of two colorful cartoon characters trying convince a man not to kill himself.. while said man has a gun casually pointed at his head the whole time. It shoudl not have worked as well as it did, but man it did helped by the bizzare quest of Alan to get his cheese back from some rodents.. and also find out why some guy is living in his wall but cheese first.

It's no shock then that when Adult Swim dropped the first season all at once early last year, it blew the internet in half, became a huge sensation and is easily one of the best comedies in Adult Swim's storied history. It can be weird as hell but unlike some adult sitcoms dosen't just throw weird shit at you, but uses it to craft jokes, to create contrast in general just to be great. And this episode is a great showcase as to why while also being a shocking bit of character development in a show that mostly sticks to just living episode by episode.

In this one, yet ANOTHER christmas episode (likely because the show was originally scheduled for late 2021), the smiling friends head out to get a tree and Charlie's lack of enthusastim for getting his job or damn near everything finally grates on Pim, who meekly but firmly approaches it. Charlie, being kind of an ass, explodes on him over this, makes a scene.. and then dies for his hubris.

He arrives in hell with his hellish bed, hellish tv and jeremy his helish source of entertainment, aka one of the best running gags in human history.

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Just.. the animation there as the wind goes out of him… beautiful. Getting help from his grandma whose in hell for, as detailed in the quote, not the fairest reasons, and watching her deepthroat a lollypop whiel laughing manically, Charlie journey's through hell and finds Satan. This gag.. is fine. Like Satan being mad over a doordash is hilaroius, I won't lie but him just being an introverted gamer on his computer is thek ind of gag tha'ts just been done neough. You can do more with the devil being funny, just look at the Cuphead show this year or Futurama in the past. That said him deciding to just.. not help charlie after he makes him smile and jeremy getting his revenge helps.. as does the literally deus ex machina that saves him GOD VOICED BY GILBERT GODFREY, which is not only just.. brilliant casting but took on a LOT of extra meaning after his untimely passing not long after. He got to go out of his long, distinguished voice acting career playing god. You coudln't ask for a better sendoff.. nor a better ending as Charlie ends up on earth a bit less cynical and a lot less naked. He probably won't change, this isn't that kind of show.. but what this show is is deeply hilarious, creative and weird and i'm happy to get at least one more season of it.

18. Grandma Smugglers (Craig of the Creek)

"Your dad is an utter smokeshow and I say that with the utmost respect" One of my greatest regrets on this list was not putting Capture the Flag on here last year. It's why I took off the regulation that I had to watch every or almost every episode of a show to qualify. The special was a grand finale to the shows longest arc that also tapped into it's continuity so deeply it made me want to see what the nods I didn't recognize were about and got me to catch up.

That was well worth it as Season 4 may be Craig of the Creek's best yet. With the kingdom disolved, there's now more to explore, omar is now around full time and the show continues to be a nice comforting bit of greatness to dig into every few months when Cartoon Network releases a batch of episodes.

This episode in paticular takes advantage of things now that the other side is free by focusing on Raj, one half of the honesuckle rangers aka the show just casually having a gay couple that starts out as bumbling antagonists subserviant to a cruel dictator then quickly has them become some of our heroes most steadfast alllies.. who were weirdly absent from the final battle but hey the capture the flag game had a LOT of moving parts.

This time we see Raj's home life and it's honestly nice. He has a loving dad who JP can't help but comment is a total smokeshow (with all respect). Which..

He's also voiced by Danny Pudi who i'm delighted to see post-ducktales and I was happy to find out has a major role in earthspark.

Raj also has a grandma, a kind woman who moved here when there was no one to take care of her in her native india, and whose son is overprotective of her. He clearly loves her and the warmth between them just.. melts my heart and reminds me of my own grandmas. What's unique though is tackling the immigrant experince, growing older and generally a lot of things you don't see in a kids cartoon but Craig of the Creek does it's best to be represenative as hell, often showing off unique part sof the various kids cultures.

The core of this episode is also heartwarming as Raj wants to sneak his grandma out, hence the title.. but to see a waterfall in the creek that's similar to one she grew up with. It's a simple goal with Kelsey, JP and Mortimor filling in for her.. and failing badly turning it into a race to get there.. and allowing Raj's father to see that maybe he needs to ease up on his mom, still take good care of her, but let her enjoy her life. It's a simple, sweet story, the kind Craig of the Creek really excels at and in a list full of hard choices, this one was well… simple

17. The Core and the King (Amphibia)

"Don't you think it's time to say goodbye to those childhood friends of yours, son?"

Amphibia Season 3b.. was a mixed bag. On the one hand it was necessary to set up the finale, helped further Sasha's character growth and the post apocalyptic amphibi was kinda neat… but mostly it just felt like the series spinning it's wheels and ocasionally doing something to help set up the final conflict.. then making all of this near pointless by having the gathered army just.. give up in the third to last episode. As you can probably tell as much as I love the show.. it's one of it's weaker periods. So there weren't a ton of episodes from this that made the list but the two (technically four, and just with that you can probably guess which one made it to the next part of the list), that made it are some of the series best.

Core and the King gives us Andrias' hinted at backstory, why he talks about friends so much that even not knowing it.. both Anne and Marcy figured something was up seperatley in Marcy's Journal.

What could've been a simple tale of Andrias being evil and his friends having to turn on him.. we see it wasn't that simple. Turns out while Andrias people were indeed conquerers it was widely accepted. That was a shock to me, if not a suprising one: if you grow up your whole life thinking ransacking entire worlds, leaving them lifeless and hollow and keeping some of the surivviors just to study and make new advancments to conquer the next place is fine just fine, it'd be hard to question until something pushes it. Both Steven Universe and She Ra have detailed the deprogramming that'd take.

Andrias was indeed happy and had two friends, Leif and Barrel. Yes the same guy what made that neat hammer grime uses. Also Leif is very clearly a plantar, to the point Anne also called that along with us, and the finale confirms it. Not the most vital takeaway here but they were not subtle.

Things are fine though Andrias' abusive dad Aldrich, played phenominally by William Houston who apparnetly played a similar character in dark souls, encourages him to drop his friends. As it turns out being absorbed into the core was a tradition.

Things take their turn, and thankfully save the world from early ruin, when Leif holds the calamity box.. and gets a vision of the world ending. When she can't swaw Aldrich because fuck if he cares he'll just find another world to ravage and start over, she's forced to take drastic measures. And this is what makes the betrayal suprisingly layered and what makes this work so much for me: while we know Leif did the right thing, she still had to steal from her best friend, plunged the kingdom into darkness, and forced Barrel to make the hard decision to let her go. She did the hard thing.. but it didn't come without consequences, lost her everything and everyone she knew, forced her into hiding, and ruined her life for a while. She did recover eventually.. but as we saw in the finale it took a LONG time for that to happen. It's a soul crushing decission as no one wins and we knew no one would… we just didn't know it'd be this sad or not nearly as straightfoward. Sure Andrias is doing the wrong thing.. but he's a kid abused into beliving this is all okay, with no real choice to pivot from what his dad once who then had said dad and every other horrible ancestor he has scremaing in his head for the rest of his life. While it dosen't make what Andrais did REMOTELY okay, it makes him far more sympathetic than I thought possible, someone who really had no chice but ot become the monster he did and how simply not backing his friend up, for the understandable reason of not seeing her dreams, screwed him up badly. It's a truly harrowing well built episode that nicely sets up the finale.. I really wish there were more like it leading up to it but i'll take what I got.

16. Say It Again, Ham, Adventure (The Great North)

"I didn't want Drama. I guess I just kept coming out because I wanted one single perfect moment"

So back to the GREATTTTT NORRTTTTH and like the above episode, i've covered this one. See back in June Kev pitched me "Queer as a Fox".. which I sometimes put as gay as a fox because my brain is very tired. Point is it was a look at Fox's animated queer content over the years… with Simpsons mostly getting it right, Family Guy having either gay sterotypes or a transphobic diatribe that will likely be the worst thing i've reviewed for the rest of my career, and American Dad just being sorta

But for the finale I picked out the Great North, both to give us an even four and because it was the first one of these Fox Sitcoms to just come out, pun intended, and have a queer character in the main cast from day one and not have them be a sterotype or it be their whole personality. It's just there. Hence Ham, a loveable odd ball with a flair for baking whose always a moment behind everyone else and who comes out in the first episode.. for what's clearly the 80th time. While the crew could've just left the joke at that… they later decided in the back half of season 2 to explore this; Why HAD Ham come out so much?

So while watching a movie with his monotone but loving and kind if also frequently slow on the uptake boyfriend Crispin, about a racecar driver having to come out as gay, and also in a way that nicely lampoons various queer media that's just about screaming

Over and over. Ham assumes this kind of coming out isn't usual and while Crispin's wasn't that bad and his parents, while taking a second accepted they did light fireworks and have to pay massive damages over said fireworks. It then , while also giving us LOTS Of Fun ham coming outs (From using it as a suggestion during one of Judy's improv gigs, to Mayor Peepers annual silly wig party which has Ham in a sailor moon wig, to white water rafting), reframes it as Ham wanting more from his coming out. His family was simply kind, loving and supportive and while he liked that for such an important moment in his life.. he wanted a tad of gravitas.

And being a nice, supportive loving family (Even if Beef was going through some stuff in the pilot he still told him "And we love you just the way you are dammit!"), the Tobins gladly agree to help Moon stage a second more dramatic coming out by having come out to Beef's Cousin Danica. Danica.. is the worst in the most hilarious way possible, having not heard from the tobins since she Moon was a baby and she wrote on the back of his birth announcment "Please stop". She also has an entirley beige house and upon meeting her for this plan, which Beef while going along with is ready to pull his son out of if she's too hurt, tells Judy she looks like a floozy (Something Judy finds entertaingly insulting. )

Things quickly esclate though as it turns out Danica was hiding some thefts and holds the tobins hostage, minus Wolf and Honeybee who are trying to do a true crime podcast, and soon have to contend with Danica's basement, trying to escape, and the fact danica only has tvoed episodes of fraiser with commentary on them.

We also get two hilarious Chief's, Chief's Edna and Elba (one voiced by the wonderful kat dennigs) who are delightful as they are enept, and barely manage to actually pull off arresting her. Ham also has the revelation he dosen't need a dramatic coming out and it's a good thing his family is like this.. not everyone GETS to have a safe, sedate coming out and it's nice of the show to acknowledge that not every coming out has to be dramatic or traumatic for the person doing so and it'd be a nicer world if we had more soft acceptance like the tobins give. but also gets to have one safely with his family acting it out. It's a truly sweet moment with a very nice hug at the end. Overall an excellent episode

15. Clouds on the Horizon/ King's Tide (The Owl House)

"Watcha Playin?"

I originally had just kings tide but I realized these two.. are basically a two parter, similar to the end of the previous season. While the final quarter of season 2 is just one long narrative roller coaster it's these that bring it to it's end.. and prepare us to board the NEXT ONE for season 3, and overlap, even if both have diffrnet goals.

Our first half sets up Eda and the CATS plan to sabotage the day of unity, while Luz's , while first just seeming to be a sidequest to rescue her sweetie with her nerdy best friends who used to alwasy be beside her but had thigns to adress elsewhere but are now back beside her.. ends up being important.

On a character level after a season of putting up with Odalia's shit, her entire family rebels against her: THe twins actively try to help Amity sabotage her, and Alador is revealed to be badly domestically abused, working because Odalia threatned the kids otherwise, and stands up to his soon to be ex wife. We get the aawesome battle sequence you'd expect from that, as well as Kiki slipping further.. and slipping that the emperoror has a spy in the CATS and thus knows about the plan, leading to luz ducking away. It's an intense, fun episode with one big heartwarming moment, the second most cathartic divorce of 2022, and a hell of a cliffhanger.. to be resovled righ tnow.

I combined the epis because raelly they flow right into one another, being one big climax to the season and EVERYTHING it's built up, the first half finishing Amity's subplot, and tying in Kiki's slow fall.. and the next one containing every damn thing else paying off.

The first horrifying thing is that despite our heroes best efforts and another neat fight scene… Belos WINS. At least for a few minutes: Even as the rest of our heroes airship their way to be big damn heroes, Luz deals with Belos personally as with his genocide already on autopilot, and Terra and the other collabeerators thinking their getting paradise much like odalia finishign the job for him only to realize he lied and they'll die, he tosses the Collector into the bottom of his super villian lair and prepares to go off ot earth dellusional that it'll all be great.

The episode has a nice air of hopelessness as Luz DEAPERATELY tries to stave things off by sigil stamping belos, a clever big of using his own racisim and ego against him by playing up his need for a guide.. then has to fight a blob monster. It's an episode where, much like for most of the season.. our heroes are loosing. Their doing their best and without sigils aside from hunter (Who being basically human can fight it off easier I guess), and we get a great fight.. and a truly sad moment when Belos gaslights hunter again, but it's ultimately a loosing one: our heroes are good and we get to see just how far they've come across the series and season, with Luz using a truly awesome looking pheonix-esque x made of fire to kick thigns off.. but ti also shows how outmatched they always were: they keep growing, evolving getting better as people and as witches.. but their up against someone whose been getting worse as a person but even better as a witch for a century and who even without his magic has freakys hapeshifting powers and hulk strength.

The desperation makes King's decision to free the collector.. make sense: there was no other option: his mom was dying (even if rahne manages to cut eda's arm off before she completely dies), his friends and sister were dying.. this was his only option. And it shows that just because i'ts not belos.. dosen't mean the Collector isn't any more dangeorus showing that he's still a child in mind and body.. and using that to be twilight zone level's of terrifying.

The simple image of a child in wha'ts basically pajamas, holding belos attack with one finger and simply asking "whatcha playin".. is as aweosme.. as it is terrifying. This is a being who just had our heroes all but beat and has been behind everything.. and he gets swatted away with just two fingers like it was NOTHING and makes the collector approaching our heroes right after that much more terrifying.. as is their escape with our heroes BARELY regrouping ot earth.. and king once again making a massive sacrifice. While the collector stopped the spell.. the isles are at his mercy and our heroes are even more lost than before… with the very foe they just lost.. not as gone as they think. It's a tense thrill ride of a two parter that somehow manages to fliip the table again just in time for it to all come crashing down and I coudln't wait ot see how it goes.. and still can't wait to see how it all ends… still wish we had ore episodes what the fuck disney. But what we got.. holy shit will it stay with me for years to come.

14. Enchanted Forest (Smiling Friends)

"Which hand of the Witch hand will it be? Gahahahahaha!" "This is the most obnoxious thing i've seen in my life. "

Look sometimes the things that make it on these lists are terrifying showdowns with abusive genocidal assholes or god children. And sometimes i'ts an optimist and a lazy pesimist wondering through a fantasy forest that just happens to be in their town for some reason while acompanied by a rotoscopped hobit who wants them to deliver an IED to his Stalking Victim. Sometimes I just want goblins and refrences to my childhood. I'm a simple man. Okay that's a lie i'm a man who has about 80 intrests that fight for my head, an obession with keith david and who constantly refrences a comic strip more people need to hear of

But I do love this episode which takes a simple stock plot, Charlie dosen't want to do something (Something being quest in the fantasy forest their in), Pim wants to, Charlie ends up being better at it… and somehow weaves in comic gold like the hand witch (and her excellent chopping skills), goblins (one of my faviorite things and I do like how this paticular goblin shows up a decent amount. ) , and of course Mip, a direct rotoscoped parody of the Bakshi versions of Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Do I love seeing this refrenced in modern day? Absolutely. Do I love that Mip has weird sexual tension with charlie, dosen't raelly break character and turns out to be an elaborate homage to Bjork's stalker?… yes and no respectively. Mip is really what makes the episode, though having charlie save some aliens and the suddenly grim ending dosne't hurt either. Not the most complex episode.. but sometimes an episode just needs to be funny and the fact they went to the trouble of rotoscoping a character just to get the refrence right shows Smiling Friend's craft: the animatoin is simple but can speed up in complexity, change styles or what have you just ot sell the joke or moment better. That and goblins. Always goblins.

13. Fate's Journey (The Legend of Vox Machina

"Faster Percy Yah Yah!" "I'm going as fast as I can, this carriage isn't built for speed and did you just Yah me?!"

Legend of Vox Machina was one of the nicest suprises i've ever had in animation. I had no real idea the adaptation of Critical Roll's first campagin was coming, and was only vaugely aware critical roll existed because Your Turn To Roll showed up in my spotify recomendations (And it slaps). So finding out that in the wake of invincible Amazonw as rolling out ANOTHER animated adult action show that looked like if James Gunn did a fantasy show.. I was intrigued. And after the first three episodes, as Amazon releases the show in batches of three, I was HOOKED. While it took me far too long to get to actually watching Critical Roll itself I fell in love with this show and while only having heard of two of it's voice actors before this (Ashley Johnson and Sam Rigel, Tulip/Lake and Donetello respectively), I became a huge fan of all of them after. Vox Machina takes a dungeon and dragons campaign and condensed it into 12 joyous episodes that still have the spirit of chaos of a campaign, while also telling a deeply compelling story of revenge, friendship, and scanlan's crotch. The series deftly ballances the tragic vengeful story of Percy as he edges closer to literallya nd figuratevely selling his soul for revenge with great character moments for all involved, and PLENTY of hyjinks from team bard Scalan pulling a distractoin by singing a song on tugging on his motherfucking beads while wearing a sparkly codpiece (One DIRECTLY MODELED on one of VA Sam Rigel's own costumes)

A planning scene where brusier Grog's plan is kill everyone including the guy their rescuing while Scalans is "Down a bunch of mystery poitions and hope I live, and Scalan's attempt to translate a book they got from their enemies devolvling into him and Vax giving each other two handed middle fingers. And of course the majestic game of ball tag, which starts at the breakfast table and escalates to Vax elbowing Grog in front of an offical for a 3 pointer. The series is a nice ballance of hilarious , heartfelt and generally horrifying, and it is awesome.

And while it's a bit of a thrill ride, having to pack over 50 hours of campagin into 10 episodes (the first two based on a pre-stream adventure that ends up being VITAL to the plot Season 2 adaps), it dosen't mean our team dosen't take time to stop and breathe and it's why Fate's Journey has stuck with me so much.

After a disasterous first encounger with the Briarwoods, the vampire and necromancer power coupled that slaughtered Percy's family and took over his hometown of whitestone and succesfuly enthraled the soverign of the land, our heroes are on the run out of town, minus their Cleric Pike (Whose reaffring her connection to her patron the everlight) and on the way to Whitestone to settle things. As a result we get a lot of nice character moments. Scanlan , despite normally being the extra horny extra hammy comic relief, tries to translate a book they stole from them, Grog, who sees pike as a sister, is morose over her being gone and convides in Vax and Vex, Vax's sister, tries to get Percy to open up and stop having a resting bitchface. We see both who our heroes are for a second, and see them truly bonding as more than just the only people who will loosely put up with one another.

We also get one of the seasons funniest scenes as during a relaxing campfire, the party recounts their weirdest kills: We get some badass ones with Vex casually killing Hotis which toally won't come back to bite him, Grog ripping a monsters jaw in half.. and some hilarious ones as Keyleth pushes an ogre into lava.. and then pushes him down while telling him to go to sleep panicked because he's not dead yet while everyone else looks on and horror and of course Scalan's.. is having a sex partner turn into a monster.. and still finishing.

That.. image aside, we also get a thrilling chase with Scalan getting kidnapped and sucking on a monster tentacle because of course, Grog being certain he wont survivie but heartwarmingly sad about it, and of course the greatst and funniest bit of ship tease in human history as Vex yahs percy as a horse and he undrestndably dosen't take it well. It's a relaxed episode that turns thrilling and leaves our heroes without any of their weapons.

The ending is also masterful.. in the most horrifying way possible. Earlier we see the briarwoods meet with some pesants seemingly doing some pr for their evil overlordship.. and at the end we find out WHY they, including a CHILD were invited…. as we see their bodies all hung on the sun tree in center of town dressed as Vox Machina. It's truly chilling, horrifying and I did not see it coming but man does it cut the bone even thinking of it now. I.. really don't have anything to follow that, fantastic episode.. next?

12. Any Sport In A Storm (The Owl House)

"Then there won't be any delay in branding you with Coven sigils and taking you away from your friends and family forever! Hooray!"

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME HUNTLOWWWWWW?

Yeah look I haven't hidden I ship this. I"m not a subtle person. It's why this guy is one of my spirit animals

So it's not a huge shock this one got on here, but it didn't just because a ship I started shipping before this went from "Maybe canon" to

In the span of one episode. This episode is a great character piece and thankfully spotlights both halfs of Huntlow well. After Willow spent most of season 2a gone, likely because Tati Gabrille is far busier than I could've possibly imagined, she gets one heck of a spotlight here that moves both her and Hunter's arcs forward, moves them together, and gives us a subplot with some Lumity that's.. fine. It's a nice little riff on fan theorizing and the azura thing, and it's ncie to see the two get a moment together that dosen't come with a lot of crap attached first. Just the two hanging out and being dorks.

But their not the dorks we're here for, nor why this episode is on this list. No it's the green and the gold for this one as Willow brings up a hithero unknown intrest in flyer derby.. basically a broom flying sport where you try to steal flags and beat the crap out of each other. You know for kids, and is forming her own team. At the same time in order to get the respect of an adult who hates him for something that isn't his fault because Hunter's life is a constant stream of abuse, brainwashing and doing sick flips, Hunter inflitrates the school.. and it goes how you'd expect

So when Hunter finds Willow, he finds a powerful prospect for the coven.. and someone who has the confidence, freedom and affablility he lacks, while she just.. straight up kidnaps her future boyfriend because she needs him for the team and while getting better at socializing still hasn't grapsed kidnapping isn't okay. Unless it is on the boiling isles but given Amity's reaction to being kidnapped and spit out by a giant owl, i'm wagering it isn't.

Either way we get adorable chemistry, a new power team/couple in viney and skara, and puddles the griffin.

We also get Hunter.. not understanding he was horribly abused and nearly consinging his friends to a horrible fate, standing up for them finally earning said adults respect… which like.. Darius man you really need to apologize for a.. .lot of things, and some good hunter blushing. All in all a good day for all. Horay!

11. Hellspital (Close Enough)

"It's a known fact doctors have killed more people than Genghis Khan and Chaka Kahn combined!"

Sadly this is Close Enoughs final time on this list as it was one of MANY casulaties of "David Zaslav wanted 8 more dollars", though it's for now thankfully avaliable to buy on youtube if nothing else. Why JG Quintel wasn't absolutely devistated I don't know, but it went out on a high with season 3 being fairly good. It also, while keeping a mixed ballance, fixed the one issue I had with season 2: there wasn't enough Alex. And Even then I got they simply needed to spread things out more evenly, so I wans't mad but boy oh boy did my boy get a great season, ending with getting Bridgette back but involving having his soul stolen by George RR MArtin, dating an alien tentacle monster instructor and of course going to hell.

The road to hell is paved with Childhood Trauma as Alex , after a golf course injury and on an all chili diet because of course he is, refuses to see a doctor after his dad went to the hosptial and got a terrible diagoniss when alex was a teen. Our heroes do everything in their power to not let his dumb ass die, but he ends up running away and bonking his head, but not before tons of jokes including him being tricked into their trap of a viking timelord marathoon (the season does manage his sudden obession with vikings that cropped up in season 2 after one joke about him writing a viking novel ins eason 1 work a LOT better without dominating his character this go round), despite having alerts for such an event, and nothing about it making sense only figuring out midway. Which is still good fo rhim

After hitting his head he end sup in a HELLSPITAL…. which is nightmarish as you'd expect, and well done at that, but gets heartwarming when Alex's dad decesnds from heaven, played by Henry Motherfucking Winkler who thanks to being in the upcoming season of Vox Machina has a VERY good chance of making this list two years in a row, and we get Alex having some heartwarming father son bonding with axes.. as well as the reveal his dad was sick a long time but simply didn't want to know he was.. and by the time he did it was too late. It teaches alex a hard lesson: that ignoring a medical problem because of bad news.. won't make it go away and the people who love you need you. it does so with time axes, demons and jabs at our awful healthcare system, but also with love. And gas which is what alex has. Chilli and all that

#the legend of vox machina #the great north #the owl house #amphibia #smiling friends #close enough #craig of the creek #Youtube

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netscapenavigator-official · 4 months

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I need to see the spreadsheet please

Also if CUR doesn't rank top 5 we are mortal enemies

I hate to inform you, but the reason I've been rather protective of the spreadsheet's entirety is because I know, for a fact, that I have some rather unpopular opinions on these games that the more dedicated fandom would probably not like.

Also, my rankings are very subjective, and they tend to come down to one thing: How stressed I was playing the game. A lot of factor's can contribute to this. For example, how often I got stuck and had to use a walkthrough guide to get unstuck; how rewarding the plot was; how intuitive the controls were; etc.

That being said, I'm a massive weenie, and spooky games tend to do unfairly worse in my ratings because they stress me out. Meanwhile, cozy and snowy games tend to do unfairly better, which only pushes the spooky games further down the list.

Having said all that, I regret to inform you that Nancy Drew: Curse of Blackmoor Manor placed 24/34. It placed below Treasure in the Royal Tower, and above Message in a Haunted Mansion. Here's the full spreadsheet where I also account for if I had watched Gab Smolder's playthrough beforehand and which order I played the games in. The more games I played, the more familiar with the series I got. It also doesn't help that the first UI had awful click-points and navigation arrows, but I digress. Here's the full thing:

Of course, this was all for my own personal fun, so nobody take this too seriously. If you wanna know why I ranked a certain game the way I did, you can always ask. I might not always remember, but I can try giving my reasons. I ranked them in real-time, immediately after finishing them, so while I have fondness and neo-nostalgia for a lot of the games I ranked poorly, they're often ranked so because my first playthrough was stressful.

Also, each of the red squares in the "Ranking" column is a comment I've added because something abnormal occurred during this game that affected its rating. I will post the red-square comments below.

Nancy Drew Ranking Addition Comments

The additional comments will not appear in the order in which they were ranked. Instead, they will be organized by the release number of the game.

Game 01 - Secrets Can Kill (Original Version)

I encountered a bug that softlockered the game, forcing me to start over from a previous save. It then happened again, and instead of loading, I saved over my previous save, meaning I had to restart from even further back.

During her second-to-last conversation with Daryl Gray, Nancy receives a note. Daryl mentions this note; however, if the player chooses two out of the five dialogue options and then doesn't end the conversation, the note is lost and broken forever. The game cannot progress until Nancy sees this note.

Game 02 - Stay Tuned for Danger

This game is notorious for being easily softlocked. The wire-cutters, which cause the issue, would've softlocked my game, too, if I hadn't been using a walkthough guide for the majority of the game.

Game 14 - Danger by Design

This game was previously "disqualified" because I softlocked it and was unable to complete it without restarting.

There is a book Nancy must buy from one of the merchants in order to escape the art vault. However, when diving in the catacombs, a rat will steal one item from the player. The rat stole this essential book, and I did not know it was essential. I had not opened or read the book. As a result, Nancy made no note of it in her journal. As a result, the game was softlocked because it incorrectly assume I had the information I needed. This game would've been the first instance a softlock would've forced me to start over, completely, if I hadn't used a walkthrough guide to cheat.

This initially made me so upset that I "disqualified" the game for it. However, in hindsight, The Deadly Device literally made me cry, and I spent four days on it. Still, though, Danger by Design is not a fantastic game and only gained one point.

Game 22 - Trail of the Twister

I managed to softlock this game. However, the problem was not the game, itself. Instead, it was Wine/CrossOver. I was playing the game via CrossOver on Linux, and for some reason, the entire game worked flawlessly except using the key to open Scott's desk. You have to open his desk at the end of the game in order to trigger the final task. As a result, the game was softlocked. However, when I moved my save files over to a Windows machines, the desk opened, no problem.

Game 33 - Midnight in Salem

This is probably the hardest rank in the entire spreadsheet. This is because the story and plot within the game were fantastic. This was probably one of the best Nancy Drew plots within the entire series. However, this game had serious graphical and performance issues. In addition, the navigation controls were a regression back to the original few games, with clickboxes that were not only difficult to find, but also led you to places that you didn't expect them to. Overall, the plot was fantastic, but the graphics were abysmal. I'd say this game looks even worse than STFD. At least that game has a somewhat neo-nostalgic charm to it.

#nancy drew #nancy drew games #retro gaming #ranking #ranked #spreadsheet

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borup65chappell · 21 days

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Designer Bag Replica

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sipurspr · 11 months

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sweet kitty boots after enjoying a nice dinner with her sister (picture from a few days ago) i got to visit athens again this past friday, and hopefully i'll go again next week-- i miss it so strongly already. we also got to see the house that we'll be living in next year for the first time: we hadn't known the exact unit until that friday morning, conveniently timed to match our trip there. we visited and discovered that we'll be on the bottom floor of three and below ground level depending on where you park. i was inspired to start thinking more about decorations. this is also the first chance i'll get to live as i want to and with the privacy i want, i really can't wait.

i'm not upset about it actually. i like how it's tucked away, and i don't mind that i don't have to walk up stairs whenever i'm coming home. i feel like i need a break from doing anything to preserve what i'm functioning on now. which is ridiculous and i should and will learn to manage stress and large workloads. i'm also back to feeling positive about how the next few years will go but increasingly concerned about how quickly my entire emotional state and being can change from such a high/low point to the strong opposite. i've been aware of that for a while, especially within the past year. i can quantify it which is nice: prior to college or living outside of my old town i would rarely feel strong emotions besides distress or anger, which was largely self-induced and unfortunately cyclical (if i feel bad then i feel bad about feeling bad, i feel worse, i feel worse about feeling worse, this is easy but i can't explain it easily). i moved and became happier and began to experience happier things and also incredibly new and exciting things, i start having rushes of strong content and chase these rushes or attach myself to them too strongly, my ups and downs are as a result unruly. it was worse in fall semester because i didn't know how to manage how low my worst point had become. i figured it out, though, and dealt with far fewer embarrassing or stupid moments second semester. but that's only learning to manage. i used to have a default kind of neutral and stressed feeling, and now i can only get there when i'm actually high (otherwise it's just low and i can't get myself out of it unless something happens to pull me to the farthest opposite end. cannabis has fantastic medical benefits). this makes me sound sad but i'm not usually sad, i'm just unmotivated. i know that what i want is to always or often feel the best i possibly can, or be the happiest (and most successful) i can be. it looks difficult to figure out which stresses me out. i know how i can make money and maintain my hobbies and a nice personal life and i'm working towards that with direct intent. but what would a fulfilling personal adult life be? i don't know how to approach that i think the bunny is going to be named gerda because we agreed on gerda, which i appreciate and can't believe. my convincing stuck-- gerda was my unpopular, unwanted, underdog nominee and now it's top choice among all roommates/apartment dwellers/(significantly less responsible AND liable for) rabbit co-owners. unfortunately i found a name i like maybe more (june hasty, the first name of someone on a list i saw at work). june hasty works as a character name and a rabbit name so i might use it for both (except that i don't know what i would create a character for.. just to draw? or write a snippet about. maybe just to think about). i like to make characters to channel my traits into and explore them if i don't really get them. i don't do much with them besides write bits and think about them. i don't know if they qualify as characters. june hasty would be painfully quiet. i don't think i have that trait now (i want to and i really respect it) but i absolutely and notably used to (notably, as in, the degree to which i was impenetrably quiet defined much of my childhood and basically every casual relationship or interaction). i don't like how any of this sounds or looks but i'm high and tired and ready to get ready for bed, sleep, wake up in 7 hours and go to work for a decently productive day. goodbye!

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refrigeratoreview · 1 year

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What Is French Door Refrigerator

Hey there! Are you in the market for a new refrigerator? If so, then you should take a closer look at French door refrigerators. They're becoming increasingly popular due to their sleek design and efficient cooling system. In this article, I'm going to explain what makes French door refrigerators unique and why they may be the perfect fit for your kitchen. So let's dive in and see what all the fuss is about!

What Are The Benefits Of French Door Refrigerators?

I love my French door refrigerator! It's been a great addition to my kitchen and I'm so happy with it. The combination of two side-by-side doors with the freezer drawer below makes for an incredibly efficient design. Not only does this provide plenty of space, but it also offers some fantastic benefits in terms of energy efficiency and space savings.

The first benefit of having a French door refrigerator is its energy efficiency. This type of fridge uses less electricity than traditional models, as well as being more cost-effective over time. Additionally, because there are fewer motors running inside the unit, it requires much less maintenance and repairs than other refrigerators. As far as saving space goes, owning a French door refrigerator really helps out here too. With the double doors on top and one large pullout drawer beneath them, you can easily store items that would otherwise take up valuable real estate elsewhere in your home or kitchen. Plus, the slim profile allows you to fit a full-sized refrigerator into practically any nook or cranny without taking up too much room overall. Overall, owning a French door refrigerator has been such an asset to me both financially and functionally. And not to mention how good they look - sleek and modern while still providing all the features that make these types of fridges perfect for busy households!

Features To Look For When Shopping For A French Door Refrigerator

Finding the perfect refrigerator for your family's needs is an important decision. It can be overwhelming to sift through all of the features and options available, especially when it comes to French door refrigerators. But with a few key points in mind, you’ll soon be on your way to finding the fridge that will fit perfectly into your home and lifestyle! Some of the most essential features to look out for are energy saving capabilities and convenient ice makers.

A great energy-efficient French door refrigerator should have plenty of insulation between sections as well as efficient compressors and fans. This means less electricity usage which could also lead to lower monthly bills. In addition, many people opt for built-in or freestanding ice makers - either one provides easy access so no more struggling with old fashioned trays ever again! When shopping around, consider other handy features like adjustable shelves, LED lighting inside and out, air purifying systems, temperature settings and even touchpad controls. With these extra bells and whistles you can customize your ideal cooling system while taking advantage of modern technology too! So don't wait any longer - go find that perfect French door refrigerator today!

Choosing The Right Size And Capacity

Once you've narrowed down the features of your ideal French door refrigerator, it's time to consider size and capacity. This is an important factor that will impact energy efficiency, noise levels and cost. First, determine what type of kitchen space you have available for a new fridge. You'll want something that fits comfortably without feeling cramped or crowded in the area. If possible, measure the exact measurements so you can find one with enough clearance all around it - especially if you plan on using pull-out drawers underneath the unit. Next, think about how much storage space you need inside. Consider both food items and beverages when making this decision. Look at the cubic feet rating listed on each appliance to get an idea of how much food it can hold compared to other models. It may also help to look for additional compartments or shelves that are included in some designs for added convenience. Remember, larger refrigerators tend to be less efficient when it comes to energy use, but they allow more flexibility when organizing groceries and leftovers - making them worth considering if there’s room in your budget and kitchen layout.

Comparing Prices And Models

I'm looking to buy a new refrigerator, and have been doing some research on prices and models. I'm wondering what the differences are between a French door refrigerator and other models, and which one is the best value for the money.

I'd like to compare prices of different models as well as get an idea of what features each has. Any advice on finding the best deal would be greatly appreciated! Price Comparison When it comes to shopping for a French door refrigerator, price comparison is key. Different models and sizes will have varying prices based on energy efficiency, noise levels and other features. I recommend doing some research online first before going into the store so you can get an idea of how much each model costs. You may also be able to find discounts if you shop around different stores or websites. Energy efficiency should be a priority when looking at the various options out there. Not only does this help reduce your electricity bills in the long run, but it's better for the environment as well! Be sure to check up on any ratings that come with refrigerators and compare them between brands too. Noise levels are something else to take note of - make sure to read reviews from real customers who've bought these products and see what they think about how loud their fridge is. Doing a bit of homework ahead of time can really pay off when buying a French door refrigerator. With all the features available today, you'll want to be sure to pick one that fits both your budget and needs perfectly! Model Types Now that you have a good idea of the price range for French door refrigerators and what to look for in terms of energy efficiency and noise levels, it's time to start looking at different model types. There are many sizes available from small countertop models to full-sized side-by-side units with ice makers. Depending on your space constraints, size is an important factor when selecting the right refrigerator for you. Additionally, if you're looking for something specific like more shelves or drawers then there are options out there that can accommodate those needs as well! You'll also want to consider the style of each fridge - some come with stainless steel finishes while others may be made of black plastic or wood grain. The type of handle is another feature worth considering too - do you want one with a traditional pull handle or maybe one with a digital touchpad? It all comes down to personal preference so take your time and explore the various styles out there until you find one that fits into your home perfectly. No matter which model type you end up choosing, make sure it meets all your criteria in terms of features, pricing, energy efficiency and noise levels before making any final decisions. With careful consideration, buying a French door refrigerator should be easy!

Tips For Maintaining Your French Door Refrigerator

I'm sure we can all agree that having a French Door Refrigerator is an attractive and efficient way to store food in the kitchen. Not only do they look great, but they also offer some additional benefits such as energy efficiency and noise reduction. With just a few tips and tricks, you can keep your refrigerator running smoothly for years to come. The first step is maintaining proper temperature settings. It's important to make sure the temperatures are consistent throughout the day so that food stays fresh longer. You should also check regularly if any of the seals around the doors or drawers have become loose - this could result in warm air entering your fridge which will reduce its energy efficiency. Additionally, it might be wise to invest in extra insulation for your French door refrigerator if you live in a particularly hot climate. This will help maintain cool temperatures inside without consuming too much electricity. Finally, cleaning out your refrigerator on a regular basis helps ensure that it runs efficiently and quietly. Make sure to wipe down shelves with mild soap and water every month or two and vacuum behind any coils or vents periodically as well. Doing these simple maintenance tasks will not only prevent dust build-up but also help reduce any excess noise from coming through while keeping yourFrench door refrigerator running optimally all year round!

Frequently Asked Questions

Do French Door Refrigerators Come In Different Colors? Yes, French door refrigerators come in different colors! For example, you can find counter depth and bottom freezer models with finishes ranging from stainless steel to white. So if you're looking for a specific color to fit your kitchen decor, then this type of refrigerator could be perfect for you. Are French Door Refrigerators Energy Efficient? Yes, french door refrigerators are energy efficient and make an excellent choice for upgrading your kitchen. Not only can they save you money on electricity costs in the long run, but they also have a very low noise level compared to other types of fridges. If you're looking to upgrade your fridge without breaking the bank or disrupting those around you with loud noises, then investing in a french door refrigerator is definitely worth it! Can French Door Refrigerators Fit In Small Kitchens? If you're wondering if a french door refrigerator can fit in your small kitchen, the answer is yes! French door refrigerators are incredibly space-efficient and typically don't require more than 36 inches of clearance. This makes them ideal for anyone looking to replace an old fridge with something that has less bulk but still offers plenty of storage capacity. Plus, they come with convenient replacement parts so you won't have to worry about finding compatible components when repairs or upgrades are needed. Do French Door Refrigerators Come With Built-In Ice Makers? Yes, many french door refrigerators come with built-in ice makers. Cost comparison and noise levels are important factors to consider when selecting a refrigerator that has an ice maker. A french door model may be slightly more expensive up front than one without an ice maker but the convenience of having it built in is worth the extra cost for some people. Moreover, you should also check the noise level ratings before buying as some models can be quite noisy. Is It Easy To Switch Between French Door And Side-By-Side Refrigerators? Switching from a french door refrigerator to a side-by-side model doesn't have to be complicated. The installing process can take some time, but it's doable on your own and there are plenty of online resources available with step-by-step instructions if you need help. It also won't affect noise levels as much as you might think - most fridges operate within the same decibel range regardless of style or brand. All in all, switching between these two types of refrigerators isn’t too difficult!

Conclusion

In conclusion, French door refrigerators are a great choice for anyone looking to upgrade their kitchen. They come in several colors and sizes so you can find one that fits your home perfectly. Plus, they're energy efficient and can even fit into small kitchens if needed. The best part is the built-in ice maker - no more filling up trays! And it's surprisingly easy to switch between different types of refrigerators, like side-by-side or regular top freezer models. If you're thinking about installing a new refrigerator, consider a French door model – it could be the perfect addition to your kitchen. Read the full article

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purplesurveys · 1 year

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1607

Are you anything like your siblings? We share some core habits, I guess? like quirks we’ve adopted from one another from years of living together. But I’m very different from both of my siblings in that I’m the most emotionally expressive and also the one with the biggest inclination to be extroverted. Those two never want to leave the house like ever lol.

Do you have any good friends of the opposite sex? Hans and JM. I’d say Luis is also a fantastic low-maintenance friend - we occasionally check in on one another from time to time despite the fact that we haven’t hung out since, like, 2016. What can you smell? Fresh paint. My dad just worked on the steps on my loft bed.

Do you want to see somebody right now? It’s my last free day before work, so I prefer to be alone right now.

Are you a forgiving person? Not especially.

Who did you last fall asleep with? Agi, at least until he jumped off 5 minutes later lol.

Would you hug the last person you hugged again? Yes.

Can you be your complete self around the person you like? I don’t like anyone.

Have you had “the best night of your life”? Until I’ve seen BTS I don’t think that night would be able to exist.

If you were offered to smoke some weed right now, would you accept? Not right now, lol. I’d have to be miles away from my family for me to accept + I want my next try to be those brownie or cookie thingies anyway.

Do you prefer to take showers at night or in the morning? Night. Taking showers in the morning here almost feels like a waste of time because the days get too hot and you end up sweating 20 minutes later anyway.

Who’s the most controlling person you know? My mom, to an extent. I appreciate how she’s been more laidback in recent years, though.

Does anyone keep a photo of you in their purse/wallet, and if so, who? My dad has a family picture from like ‘05 in his wallet but apart from that idk anyone else who would be keeping a solo photo of me.

How many instruments do you own/have you owned? Two - a guitar and ukulele, both of which I had to buy for music classes in high school. I gave away the ukulele to my ex’s sister lol; and I’m not sure if they’ve thrown it out or what but wherever it is, I hope someone out there’s been able to learn a few songs by using it.

Do you own a microphone? I have a BT21 wireless microphone in Tata, because I couldn’t ignore buying one after the Tata Mic incident.

Do you enjoy trailers at the cinema? They can be fun to watch, yeah! I can tell most of the movies would suck but it’s fun to see what’s coming out anyway.

Have you ever been burgled? I’ve fortunately never had to experience something like this.

Do males look good in skinny jeans? Sure.

For or against guyliner? Whatever, man.

What’s the name of one of your friend’s dog? Hailey. What’s the last thing you bought from eBay? I’ve never bought anything from eBay.

Do you have a picture of you throwing up the peace sign? So many. You know how when someone takes photos of you they would press the shutter button repeatedly so you can easily pick out your favorites? I always throw up the peace sign for a few seconds in those.

Does your father have any facial hair? Yep, he has some stubble.

Did your grandparents teach you anything? Not so much on actual skills, more on life lessons and values. My paternal grandpa also didn’t directly teach me writing but I got my penchant and love for it from him - I know this for a fact because absolutely no one else in the family writes apart from him and my great-grandpa.

Have you ever been to Arizona? Did you like it? I haven’t. I’m also not sure what I should check out there? so it’s not really on the top of my list of places to visit.

When was the last time it rained where you live? It drizzled all day today so it’s been very humid, which has been unpleasant.

Have you ever played Cards Against Humanity? Did you like it? I have but we had to tone it down juuuust a little bit because we were playing with my teenage, under-18 cousins. Game still ended up being fun though.

You just caught your bf/gf kissing someone of the same sex. Reaction? I don’t have a significant other.

Reach your right arm out. What do you touch? My phone, the Chromecast remote, and my carpet.

You have to write a story for English, due tomorrow. What do you write? Ugh, I’m terrible at short stories...but if I were to try, I’d love to write something inspired by Yoongi’s First Love, considering I’ve also had experiences with struggling to reconnect with past hobbies and passions. Any concerts you’re attending coming up soon? Not technically a concert but I do have Seonho’s fanmeet on the 22nd! What part of the body did you last get pierced? My earlobes when I was months ago. Haven’t gotten any piercings since.

Any of your friends getting married? Nah not any time soon at least. I know at least two couples who are planning to have their wedding by 2025/2026, though.

Who was the last person you took a picture with? Cousins, aunt, and uncles.

Are you currently talking to/texting/instant messaging anyone? Angela.

What’s one thing you’d like to accomplish in your lifetime? Signing off for a few weeks just to travel to a different continent, maybe multiple ones.

What’s your biggest concern right now? Just that I have work tomorrow and the anxiety I usually get the night before is back. Having period-y hormones also isn’t exactly helping me now too haha.

How many different people of the opposite sex have you cried over? I want to say three, but none of them are love/relationship-related. Nacho when he died; my grandpa when he died; my dad whenever I had to take him to the airport as a kid.

Ever been to a friend's house and starved the whole time? Nah. Filipinos are super hospitable and you will usually be fed more than in your own home, lol.

Who’s the last person you had a sleepover with? Angela.

What’s the biggest bruise you’ve ever had? That time my right leg fell asleep without me knowing and I landed straight on my knee as soon as I stood up. That gave me a nice big bruise for a week.

Who is the youngest person in your immediate family? My brother, who is turning 20 this year.

Do you remember the last song you slow danced to? Not at all.

Do you plan on having alcohol at your wedding? If I ever have a wedding, that’s a non-negotiable. I like my alcohol so I imagine my guests would, too.

Are you one of those people that are always cold? I’m easily cold, but I’m not *always* cold considering where I live.

Have you ever gone spotting deer? No. I’m not even sure we have deer around here. Do you think your ex still wants to be with you? No.

Has a boyfriend/girlfriend ever put alcohol/drugs before you? Not that I can remember, no.

Are you listening to music right now? Yes, 134340 by BTS.

What are your initials? Not giving those away.

What was the last thing you ate? Kimchi noodles.

When was the last time you ran? Idk probably during one of my recent events since those things tend to get very hectic and I have to constantly talk to like 5-10 people at a time.

How did you get one of your scars? A particularly strong scratch from Cooper.

Who do you text the most? Work contacts.

Do you wish you had a pool table? Not really as I don’t know how to play pool and have had little practice at all.

Ever been to Olive Garden? We have one branch here that opened in 2022, but I haven’t visited as it’s way too far from where I live. It’s also been getting so-so reviews since it opened, so I find it hard to justify a trip all the way there.

What is something of which you need more in your life? I just need a longer break from work.

Do you tend to view your existence as more pleasant or unpleasant? Pleasant.

When was the last time you ate a great deal of food in one sitting? Last November in Batangas when we had a five-course dinner.

Do you enjoy talking about music with others? Uhhhh not really my go-to topic but if we have similar tastes then I can enjoy talking about our favorites, yeah.

Is acting something you enjoy? No.

Who was the last person to do something kind for you? My dad reworked the steps on my loft bed since they weren’t as wide as he wanted them to be, so he made the extension from scratch today and painted them, too.

What was going on the last time you were in a bed with someone else? We were on our phones going through our respective social media until we both just fell asleep.

What color of hair do you find the sexiest on the opposite gender? I don’t have a preference.

Has someone of the opposite sex ever told you that you were sexy? No.

Who is the last person you sent a message to on Facebook? Angela. The marriage questions from above made me feel a little sappy so I asked her if she is still up for BTS soundcheck with me and Reena by 2025 when she will likely be married by then, haha.

What was the last thing you said? I’ve just been singing along to songs in the last hour.

Do you ever get flu shots? No. Only shots I get regularly these days would be Covid boosters.

Do you turn your computer off completely at night, or just standby? I always just close the laptop; I haven’t actually shut it off in years.

Is there one show you just can’t stand? The Walking Dead post-Glenn.

Do you watch Disney Channel and Nickelodeon still? I’ll look for shows I grew up watching on Netflix and Disney+ from time to time.

Do you like white Christmases? Does this mean snowy Christmases? ...We don’t have snow here.

Can you shoot a basketball? Not always.

Have you ever gotten stuck in an elevator? Nope.

Have you ever had to go to the police department? Not because I committed a crime but because I had to visit one as a journalism assignment once. It was a group homework wherein we had to act like we’re from the police beat and cover any incident that would be reported; I was in freshman year so my parents were still quite strict and asked me to come home when midnight rolled around (no tips had come around by then), leaving my groupmates to cover for me. I made up for it by writing the entire script for the news ‘report’ instead.

Have you ever had a home grown tomato? As far as I know, no.

Have you ever lived through a hurricane? Yeah we get like 10 every year. And for every year, 1 or 2 of those would always hit the country pretty badly.

Do you like to draw? No.

Do you have soft hands? Do you like holding hands? I haven’t done much labor with my hands so they’ve stayed pretty soft, yeah. Holding hands isn’t something I enjoy doing unless it’s with a significant other.

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lathelumber55 · 2 years

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How Demolandia can Save You Time, Stress, and Money.

Reading time: 3 mins What’s the reason of a good AV Receiver and encompass audio speaker system? 1. Is there a means to discover when a player is performing something wrong (like not hearing the sound)? 2. Does the amplifier offer any sort of audio enhancement whatsoever? 3. Does the gamer itself require extra electrical power to drive the sound speakers? 4. Are the speakers capable of being connected to the player's audio speakers? 5. Does the gamer give any type of extra audio effects (like quantity or distortion)? To bring the true movie house feeling to your property, with all the bottom-shaking bass, effects soaring around you, and taking you straight right into the activity as if you were there. This has actually to be a really fantastic experience. The soundtrack to this is probably much more rigorous than you are going to acquire from the majority of video video game soundtracks. There are whole lots of good films, but there's even more than one, and you're right back where you began. Here are three outstanding movie settings that will assess your setup to the extremity. When chatting regarding how very easy is preparing up this motion picture setting, we'll say to you that its quite quick and easy because we all recognize how easy it is to function with a small file-based configuration system. But merely like how you can switch on and off several plugins or include files to your VLC documents (and possess VLC on your Personal computer via the menu of your personal computer), currently you can transform everything. Or expose if it is opportunity to improve. The most evident conveniences of the brand-new UI is that you maynot look at a listing of your buddies, or obtain to the end of your list. The option to change between profiles that you are certain you will certainly such as, or just to placed in a account for each brand new screen is always better than the choice. As to which display screen it is, it is not definitely crystal clear. Play Dieser Artikel deckt es gut ab in This is a visual spectaculum and a extremely effectful trial of surround audio environment at the same time, as therefore many things are happening in this setting. The demonstration includes a brand-new player's point of view at the bottom of the monitor, as the audience's view of the world becomes a lot more limited and it makes it possible for to be "concealed under the disguise" in the history. Also we have a brand-new video video camera that lets the customer see what he sees as he connects with the environment. The different autos in the race, the brakes, the localization of the several results is presented in terrific detail. What I saw was that autos were having such a remarkable effect, and I was surprised to find that their speed was improving as the span is boosted. I likewise observed that these autos were likewise having the same speed of their rear tires. It was obvious that this was the driving experience that is most effective for this auto in evaluation to the other lorries in the race. There are actually a lot of object-related sounds like the coins happening from over you which the racers choose up during the course of the race, or the jumps between the layers of the bridge. What you are observing in this film is how a human being can easily take three measures and then turn the leave of absence, after that switch the right, and at that point, in an immediate, transform the best side, switch the reverse, transform the middle, then the best side once again, after that turn the other factor, and certainly there they're. Lastly, the end of the setting where Kong seems creates heavy make use of of the elevation stations. In purchase to develop a proper image, the height stations are put in upright position on the top of a wall. The wall structures then climb to the best with the assistance of the elevation channels placed along the sides like in the previous setting, so that the height stations of the image looks extra interesting if we prefer to maintain the images like this!

Participate in it in DOLBY ATMOS coming from UHD Blu-ray // if you possess a supported Denon AV Receiver, participate in DTS-HD Master Audio monitor coming from Blu-ray along with AUROMATIC upmixer Queen conducting at Wembley Stadion. Enjoy! Download and install it for free, play it in DOLBY ATMOS from UHD Blu-ray // play it wherever you like! Download and install it for complimentary, play it wherever you like! Begins at 1:54:37, duration: 07:05 Starting with the deeper plunge right into the Wembley Stadion along with the group totally immersing you, Bohemian Rhapsody truly deliver the emotions in the popular music completely along with Freddy’s vocals and the bass drums (outstanding test for the subwoofer being in sync along with photo) so that goose bumps are assured.

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Radio Gaga and the following interaction of Freddy Mercury with the viewers is thus rigorous because of the audio setting of this soundtrack. It can easilyn't be informed how lots of personalities are there in this movie, but the means it is written produces this tale therefore a lot worth a listen. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this film! -I'm thus ecstatic about the craft and sound of this soundtrack. This movie's primary personality is something that I'm actually appearing onward to onscreen. The Auromatic on the Blu-ray is capable to create this incredible atmosphere in the exact same way as the Dolby Atmos monitor is performing. It will take area in various components of the auditorium. Each room is a small region, and you will certainlyn't see a lot of it except for the lightings and your better half. In the DVD version, when you listen to the Dolby Digital encompass sound keep track of playing, you will obtain complete clarity. Play it in DOLBY ATMOS Beginning of the flick. This has to be a DOLBY ATMOS before you take a cut. I like to utilize true opportunity at work due to the ease of using Google Hangouts, Twitter, Slack, or Facebook. Begin typing and always keep inputting until you receive to DOLBY. It isn't just for dummies; there are various other methods you can get the a lot of out of the application, beginning along with DIFX method.

#Beamer Review #Homecinema Tests #Homecinema Review #Heimkino Test

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themovieblogonline · 2 years

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Top 100 Movies Based On Books

Well, today is the official opening day of "Twilight". A very highly anticipated movie... not because of the marketing campaign (which has been average at best), but because of the rabid and loyal following that the book series has. With that in mind, I thought it would be an appropriate time to put together a top 100 movies list of movies that were based on books. Whenever I hear of a new movie coming out based on a popular book or comic book or a sequel, I instantly hear naysayers complaining about a "lack of creativity in hollywood". "Why not write something original" some will say. But I say thank goodness gifted screenwriters adapt novels into movies! As you can see from my list, some of the greatest movies in the history of film were adapted from books... films that I can't even imagine what the world of film would look like today if they never came to be. A world without any of these classics or Hallmark movies is a world I'd rather not experience. So I spent a couple of weeks putting together this list with three purposes in mind: 1) To highlight the important role books have played in the movie world 2) To draw attention to some fantastic movies that some of you may have never taken the time to watch before 3) To draw attention to the fact that these movies are indeed based on books, which may encourage you to try reading them (which I confess is a little hypocritical of me since I've only read a fraction of the books here.) Now let me emphasize this next point very explicitly. THIS LIST IS NOT A LIST OF THE BEST BOOKS OR WHICH MOVIES DID THE BEST JOB ADAPTING FROM THE BOOK. It is a list of the best movies which happen to be BASED on books. Also, while I did not include Graphic Novels or Comic Books in this list, I do include short stories or novellas since they are usually a part of a single issue collection. Like all movie lists, this one is subjective and in no way authoritative. The main purpose of which is to spark discussion and maybe interest in seeing some of these fantastic films again, or for the first time. So now I present to you The Movie Blog's Top 100 Movies Based On Books:

#100 - THE JOY LUCK CLUB Rottem Tomatoes Rating - 90% Synopsis: Through a series of flashbacks, four young chinese women born in America and their respective mothers born in feudal China, explore their past. This search will help them understand their difficult mother/daughter relationship. John's Thought: Yes, I am a heterosexual male... and I loved this movie.

#99 - THE MAMBO KINGS Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 78% Synopsis: Musician brothers Cesar and Nestor leave Cuba for America in the 1950s, hoping to hit the top of the Latin music scene. Cesar is the older brother, the business manager, and the ladies' man. Nestor is the brooding songwriter, who cannot forget the woman in Cuba who broke his heart. John's Thought: No Antonio! Too sexy! Too Sexy!

#98 - STARDUST Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 76% Synopsis: "Stardust," based on the best-selling graphic novel by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess, takes audiences on an adventure that begins in a village in England and ends up in places that exist in an imaginary world. A young man named Tristan (Charlie Cox) tries to win the heart of Victoria (Sienna Miller), the beautiful but cold object of his desire, by going on a quest to retrieve a fallen star. His journey takes him to a mysterious and forbidden land beyond the walls of his village. On his odyssey, Tristan finds the star, which has transformed into a striking girl named Yvaine (Claire Danes). John's Thought: Easily the single most underrated and under appreciated film of 2007

#97 - FRIED GREEN TOMATOES Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 82% Synopsis: A heartwarming tale of family, friendship and murder in rural Georgia. In a Southern nursing home, a feisty resident and old local fixture named Ninny Threadgoode (Tandy) befriends Evelyn Couch (Kathy Bates) a depressed housewife and stirs her to action with an inspirational tale. She tells the story of a transcendent friendship between two young women living in Georgia in the 1930s, Idgie Threadgoode (Mary Stuart Masterson) and Ruth (Mary Louise Parker), who forge a powerful bond after witnessing a terrible tragedy together. The two women open a cafe (where fried green tomatoes are a house specialty) together in their small Southern town of Whistle Stop and manage to survive the hardships of life, despite racism, prejudice and the pressures of trying to live their lives as individuals in a strict and close-minded Southern society. John's Thought: Powerful cast, powerful story. An honestly moving film.

#96 - THE SHINING Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 86% Synopsis: A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil and spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future John's Thought: Iconic film with some of the most quoted one liners from a horror film in history.

#95 - PATRIOT GAMES Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 80% Synopsis: Jack Ryan, the hero of Tom Clancy's techno-thriller series, returns in the sequel to _The Hunt for Red October_. Ryan is on vacation in England when he spoils an assassination attempt on an important member of the Royal Family. Ryan gets drawn back into the CIA when the same splinter faction of the IRA targets him and his family. John's Thought: Once again proving you CAN change actors and still make the franchise work. Ford in his prime and my introduction to the brilliance of Sean Bean.

#94 - WAG THE DOG Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 84% Synopsis: When a Firefly Girl accuses the president of sexual misconduct in the Oval Office less than two weeks before the upcoming election, White House official Winifred Ames (Anne Heche) is told to bring in Conrad Bream (Robert De Niro) to fix the situation and save the president's chances for reelection. This mysterious "fixer" fabricates a conflict with Albania in an effort to detract attention from the sex scandal, bringing in legendary Hollywood producer Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman) to "produce" the war. When the CIA foils the initial plot, the creative team turns to a new story line, creating the saga of a U.S. soldier left behind enemy lines whom the president vows to find and return to American soil. John's Thought: Especially funny watching this movie now after the events of the last 8 years. Hard to go wrong with Hoffman and DiNero before he started sucking.

#93 - CHARLOTTE'S WEB Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 74% Synopsis: Wilbur the pig is scared of the end of the season, because he knows that come that time, he will end up on the dinner table. He hatches a plan with Charlotte, a spider that lives in his pen, to ensure that this will never happen. John's Thought: Loved this as a kid, still love it today and will leave it on whenever I stumble across it channel surfing. Much better than the Julia Roberts voiced one from a couple of years ago.

#92 - PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (1940) Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 88% Synopsis: From the classic novel by Jane Austen about the morals and mores of the class system in early Georgian England. The intelligent and spirited Elizabeth Bennet is one of 5 daughters -- which, during that era, meant trouble: because women cannot inherit, upon her father's death her family's home will become the property of their nearest male relative. Only marriage, preferably to someone wealthy, can ensure her security. But the proud young lady instantly takes offense when Mr. Darcy, a promising newcomer in town, doesn't seem quite admiring enough, and she spurns his advances. Slowly and painfully, Elizabeth realizes her error, but not before it seems she has lost him forever. John's Thought: Easily the best adaptation of this book ever done. Not taking away from any of the other ones... but Olivier rules.

#91 - THE NOTEBOOK Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 51% Synopsis: The movie focuses on an old man reading a story to an old woman in a nursing home. The story he reads follows two young lovers named Allie Hamilton and Noah Calhoun, who meet one evening at a carnival. But they are separated by Allie's parents who dissaprove of Noah's unwealthy family, and move Allie away. After waiting for Noah to write her for several years, Allie meets and gets engaged to a handsome young soldier named Lon. Allie, then, with her love for Noah still alive, stops by Noah's 200-year-old home that he restored for her, "to see if he's okay". It is evident that they still have feelings for each other, and Allie has to choose between her fiancé and her first love. John's Thought: I avoided seeing this for a couple of years because it had "chick flick" written all over it. My loss... turned out it's an exceptional film.

#90 - FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 82% Synopsis: A straight arrow coach leads his team to the 1988 Texas state semifinals in the west Texas city of Odessa, where high school football is king. Expectations of classmates, coaches, family, and community members exact a toll on the athletes central to the story. Economic and racial undertones pervade this adaptation of H.G. Bissinger's book by the same name. John's Thought: My first thought is that we've seen this movie 100 times already. Wrong. This is a special film, and a reminder that despite taking a lot of junk roles, Billy Bob Thornton can act his ass off sometimes.

#89 - BRIDGET JONES' DIARY Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 80% Synopsis: Bridget Jones is an average woman struggling against her age, her weight, her job, her lack of a man, and her many imperfections. As a New Year's Resolution, Bridget decides to take control of her life, starting by keeping a diary in which she will always tell the complete truth. The fireworks begin when her charming though disreputable boss takes an interest in the quirky Miss Jones. Thrown into the mix are Bridget's band of slightly eccentric friends and a rather disagreeable acquaintance who Bridget cannot seem to stop running into or help finding quietly attractive. John's Thought: I've yet to meet a woman who hasn't seen this flick... and there's a reason for that.

#88 - THE COLOR OF MONEY Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 91% Synopsis: Eddie "Fast Eddy" Felson, a former pool player forced into retirement by gangsters (as seen in "The Hustler",) finds himself, self-respect, and finally, redemption when he enters a relationship with young pool player Tom Cruise very similar to his own early career. As they travel together, Fast Eddy realizes how much he had lost, and can see the inevitable finale of their relationship as history begins to repeat itself. In an effort to avert tragedy, Eddy severs their relationship, and returns to his first love, pool. Finally, in a big Atlantic City tournament, Cruise returns the favor, and teaches Eddy the final lesson that allows him to finish his quest of re-discovery. John's Thought: Hey, remember back when Tom Cruise wasn't a raving lunatic? Yeah, those were good days.

#87 - MINORITY REPORT Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 92% Synopsis: Based on a Philip K. Dick short story, Minority Report is about a cop in the future working in a division of the police department that arrests killers before they commit the crimes courtesy of some future viewing technology. John Anderton has the tables turned on him when he is accused of a future crime and must find out what brought it about and stop it before it can happen. John's Thought: Spielberg and Curise are an unlikely couple, but man it worked well for this flick.

#86 - APOLLO 13 Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 95% Synopsis: A movie based on what was to be the third lunar-landing mission. This film shows the trials and tribulations of the Apollo 13 crew, mission control, and families after a near-fatal accident cripples the space vehicle. A mission that couldn't get TV airtime because space flights had become routine to the American public suddenly grabbed the national spotlight. This is a tale of averted tragedy, heroism and shows a testament to the creativity of the scientists who ran the early space missions. John's Thought: A solid cast highlighting yet another brilliant performance by Tom Hanks.

#85 - CAPOTE Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 91% Synopsis: In 1959, Truman Capote, a popular writer for The New Yorker, learns about the horrific and senseless murder of a family of four in Holcomb, Kansas. Inspired by the story material, Capote and his partner, Harper Lee, travel to the town to research for an article. However, as Capote digs deeper into the story, he is inspired to expand the project into what would be his greatest work, In Cold Blood. To that end, he arranges extensive interviews with the prisoners, especially with Perry Smith, a quiet and articulate man with a troubled history. As he works on his book, Capote feels some compassion for Perry which in part prompts him to help the prisoners to some degree. However, that feeling deeply conflicts with his need for closure for his book which only an execution can provide. That conflict and the mixed motives for both interviewer and subject make for a troubling experience that would produce an literary account that would redefine modern non-fiction. John's Thought: Most avid film fans already knew Philip Seymour Hoffman was stupidly gifted... this film just sort of introduced him as an "A" lister to the rest of the world.

#84 - ACCIDENTAL TOURIST Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 84% Synopsis: After the death of his son, Macon Leary, a travel writer, seems to be sleep walking through life. Macon's wife, seems to be having trouble too, and thinks it would be best if the two would just split up. After the break up, Macon meets a strange outgoing woman, who seems to bring him back down to earth. After starting a relationship with the outgoing woman, Macon's wife seems to think that their marriage is still worth a try. Macon is then forced to deal many decisions. John's Thought: Nominated for best picture and best screenplay. Geena Davis actually won best supporting actress for this one.

#83 - TRAINSPOTTING Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 88% Synopsis: A wild, freeform, Rabelaisian trip through the darkest recesses of Edinburgh low-life, focusing on Mark Renton and his attempt to give up his heroin habit, and how the latter affects his relationship with family and friends: Sean Connery wannabe Sick Boy, dimbulb Spud, psycho Begbie, 14-year-old girlfriend Diane, and clean-cut athlete Tommy, who's never touched drugs but can't help being curious about them. John's Thought: I still think this is Danny Boyle's best film

#82 - THE VERDICT Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 96% Synopsis: Frank Galvin is a down-on-his luck lawyer, reduced to drinking and ambulance chasing. Former associate Mickey Morrissey reminds him of his obligations in a medical malpractice suit that he himself served to Galvin on a silver platter: all parties willing to settle out of court. Read the full article

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spilledkauffie · 3 years

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Game Night

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader Word Count: 2.2k T/W: fluff A/N: Part 2 of Bingo — a few months later

I am SO SORRY this took me way longer to post than it should have!

Bucky Tag List: @anreeixcobra ❤︎ @tsnelf7 ❤︎ @fandom-princess-forevermore

It was Friday night, which meant one thing: Game Night. Ever since Yori introduced you at Bingo, you made it a tradition in your relationship to play board games on Fridays. For the most part you kept it to fairly modern games, but tonight was going to be a surprise.

Tonight it was your place, 8 o’clock. Bucky showed up with a six pack of root-beer in glass bottles. You added a few to the fridge as he found his usual seat at your apartment table. He waited for you to round the small apartment’s bar and join him. Sliding the glass bottles across the table to Bucky, you smiled, biting in your bottom lip, as he slid your bottle back, now without its top.

Easily he popped the top off his own bottle with his left hand; it was as he was about to take a sip that he caught sight of your look, “what?” he furrowed his eyebrows, questionably.

“So. . . tonight,” you tried not to giggle.

“What?” Bucky asked again, this time finding himself following your smile despite his will not to.

“Tonight is going to be special,” you clasped your hands together, “because I found some stuff that’s as old as you.”

“Wow, thanks,” Bucky said sarcastically, taking a sip, shaking his head, blinking softly as he saw you rush to convince him it would be fun. Sighing deeply, he gave in, “alright, what is it?”

“I’ll be right back,” you twirled on your heel and left the room.

Returning to shaking his head and the glass bottle, he paused after settling the bottle on the table. It’d been a long time since anyone cared about anything actually as old as him. He’d been pretty good at keeping up with the times, a lot of things he knew just got an upgrade, but the thought of something from his actual childhood felt a little heartwarming.

“Okay,” you declared, reentering the room with a stack of vintage boxes in your arms that made Bucky lean back in his chair out of shock, “here we are.”

His jaw dropped a little at what you had brought out as you set the stack on the table. Watching you take a deep breath and exhale with a smirk, he shook his head, this time silently asking “how?” You set your hands atop the stack, rapping your fingers across the top box as you smiled again.

Smoothing your hands out across the box top, you cleared your throat, “no peeking,” bringing Bucky’s attention entirely to you.

“Option number one,” you held up the rectangular shape with severely faded letters across it, “Scrabble, released 1938.” The box very gently met the table, “option number two,” you looked at him attempting not to giggle as you saw him cross his arms over his chest, genuinely listening to you intently, “Sorry! released 1934, Battleship, original pen and paper game,” you clarified, he lifted his eyebrows, impressed, “and last but not least, Monopoly, released 1935.”

“Wow, you uh- you really did your research,” he commented, looking over the stack of authentically vintage boxes.

“Of course,” you shrugged with a smile, “my boyfriend’s 106, if I want to bring back some childhood nostalgia, that requires some research. . . and late hour ebay bidding in our case.”

He nodded, a faint smile showing, before it faded with his next words, “I hope you didn’t do too much research on me,” he looked up, hand resting on Monopoly.

You calmly slid down into the seat across from him and stared with a kind smile still on your lips, reaching to touch his hand, you stroked your thumb against his knuckles, “I’m more of a first hand account, direct source, kind of girl when it comes to people,” the corner of his mouth tugged into a smile.

You knew, just not everything, and he wasn’t sure he was prepared to have another living soul know it all quite yet. Luckily, you were someone who seemed to actually understand that.

“Or,” you announced, lifting a pointer finger, as if requesting a pause whilst you went to a nearby drawer, returning with a much smaller box, “we can get really really old school, even for you” the box met the table top, “standard 52 card deck, English edition, circa 1516. . .obviously not original.”

Bucky chuckled, looking to you, tonguing his cheek, before picking up the cards, “I hate to tell you, but that’s just a little before my time,” he squinted at you, teasingly.

Biting your lip, your shoulders shifted with the giggle that came after his comment, “so, come on,” you sat back down, this time with your elbows on the table and hands laced, to support your resting chin on top of them, “what should I beat your butt in?”

“Oh,” Bucky, attempting to appear insulted, began raising his eyebrows, “you think?”

“Yeah,” you laughed your words while looking at his serious face, “I think, better yet, I know.”

“Well, I don’t know where you get your confidence from. You know you are talking to a local senior Bingo night champion,” he shrugged with a head tilt, as if that was supposed to be a big deal.

“Woooow,” you drew out, smiling uncontrollably.

“But,” he sighed, “okay,” he shook his head once, accepting your challenge, “let’s go, you’re on! Monopoly,” he brought the box towards himself as you set the others on the floor next to your chair.

You watched as he picked up the little metal pieces, examining each one individually. There was an expression you’d never seen before, he was remembering something positive from his past. A memory that sparked a smile that you helped bring about. He surveyed the board, with all its bright colours and familiar street names.

“It’s been-” he paused, looking upward, doing the math in his head, “it’s been 85 years since I played this game,” setting each piece he stopped at the boat, laughing to himself, “you know, Steve used to always be the battleship.”

A soft smile came across your lips, while you watched him remember exactly how to set it up. You picked the Scottie dog and he picked the vintage race car piece.

“Were you always the race car?” you ventured, wanting to know more about his childhood, you knew he didn’t talk about it often.

“Oh,” he glanced to the piece he had just naturally picked up without a thought, “yeah, well, I think,” he gave a quick, but somber smile, before clearing his throat, and actually looking up, “and my sister, whenever she’d actually manage to get mom and dad to let her stay up with us, she’d always be the thimble,” he leaned back in his chair, smiling, “whenever it was her turn to move she’d put it on her finger and hop it down the street names.” He leaned back to the table, “we never made her go to jail, even if she landed on it, Steve would make up some rule that let her skip it.”

“That’s really sweet of you guys,” you said, looking softly at his smile.

“Yeah,” he swallowed, “but don’t think you can skip jail,” he changed his tone, preferring not to dwell on the past even if it was positive.

“Don’t think I’ll be visiting,” you smirk confidently, “better watch out for the money man yourself.”

“Wow, who is this?” he dropped his jaw, “she’s so sarcastic, does Yori know this side of you? Do you sneak jellybeans under the table or something evil like that?”

Laughing, you took your root-beer, “just give me my $1,500 so the smack down can actually begin.”

Two hours later, after a long battle between Boardwalk, control over the railroads, and many, many visits to jail, you sat back, lips quirked, arms across your chest as your little Scottie sat in jail.

“And three thousand, six hundred, and five. . . I’m sorry, but that leaves you,” Bucky set his elbows on the table, wincing at you, “bankrupt.”

“Fine,” you huffed jokingly, giving your best pout,“you win.”

“Aww, c’mon,” Bucky reached out a hand to touch your forearm comfortingly, accompanied by a smile you couldn’t deny.

“You wanna go again?” You offered seriously, resting your hand on top of his tenderly, happy to see him so happy.

“It was really fun, but let’s play something else, this time you pick,” he offered.

Breaking into a smile, you gave a nod, and he asked what you had in mind. It took a moment, you wanted to make this good, and you wanted to see it be a little more of a struggle for him, if you were honest.

“You know, I know it’s later than your. . .original timeline, but there’s this fantastic game called Twister,” you smirked, perking an eyebrow to ask if he was up for it.

“Twister?” He repeated you, tilting his head like a confused puppy, “what’s Twister?”

“I’ll show you, but,” you glanced over to your small apartment living room, “we might need to arrange the furniture a little.”

“Don’t worry,” Bucky stood, “I can handle that.”

Smiling, you stand, “okay, just push it all to one side, I’ll get the game.”

Ten minutes later, shoeless, you both stood looking over the polka dotted sheet on the floor. Nodding happily to yourself, Bucky shook his head almost in fear.

“Make sense?” You asked, having just explained the very simple rules, you turned to face him.

“Oh, I’m sorry I asked,” he sighed, shouldering off his jacket and tossing it onto the couch along with his glove, “yeah, it makes sense,” he set his hands on his hips, pondering this new game intently.

“Okay, you first,” you held up the spinning arrow, and began.

One hand and foot at a time, sometimes struggling to reach the spinner, but you both made it work pretty well. Having kept to one side of the sheet, it came time to get a smidge more twisted.

Bucky managed to keep balanced and spin a green dot with his left arm, conveniently it placed him right over you. As he began to reach for green, he carefully calculated how best to approach the green dot in order to keep his balance. It was a pretty far reach and he’d need to balance himself whilst reaching over you.

“What’s the matter old man, can’t quite move like you used to?” you shamelessly giggled.

Raising his eyebrows at your tone, “ohhh, wow,” Bucky said sincerely, finally placing his left arm over you and to a green dot, now above you he tilted his head sassily, “respect your elders.”

His last sentence only made your giggle turn into a genuine laugh. You closed your eyes and threw your head back a little. Admittedly, Bucky thought it was funny too, but he didn’t laugh, he just took in your smile and the sound of your laugh, enjoying every single moment of it.

When you brought your head back up, you were about to respond sassily, but instead you found his lips meeting yours. With a small squeak of surprise, you relaxed into the kiss, glad that he was finally confident enough with you to take a chance now and then. He tasted like vanilla root beer, which mixed wonderfully with the scent of his cologne you were finally close enough to smell.

It was soft and slow at first, but slowly, with his right hand palming the arch of your back, you eased into his touch, lower back almost meeting the floor as you both sunk down a little. You completely forgot about the game, as you reached your arms around his neck gently. Keeping the kiss close, you felt him hesitate to deepen it, so you gave him a small sign of encouragement, by moving your hand to the side of his neck, naturally bringing him even closer.

You had no idea how long you’d been there, on that polka dot sheet, but it was such bliss that you didn’t even care. Smiling into the kiss, you felt him smile back.

Parting, he pressed his forehead to yours, “I win,” he whispered, lips in a smile.

“What?” was all you could ask, still mesmerised by the kiss.

Bucky motioned his head to his left arm which happened to have been keeping the two of you steady. . . all the while remaining on the green dot. You dropped your arms from around his neck, to the floor, elbows supporting you as you looked up at him, shaking your head.

“That does not count, Bucky,” you tried not to smile as he kept his arm as still as possible.

“What? But my hand’s still on green,” he dramatically gestured to it, making you bite your lip to repress a giggle, trying to match his seriousness.

Shoving his chest directly above you, he feigned an ‘ow!’ before you softly pull him closer again.

“If I kiss you are you gonna hit me again?”

You smirk, “I might if you don’t.”

Bucky smiled, lips almost touching yours, “alright, sorry,” he smiled, voice almost a whisper as his lips brushed against yours, “I’m still learning the rules to this game.”

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