#good mix of feeling grounded in history and being magical especially in terms of the writing | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

peachyteabuck · 4 years

Text

come water me ☂

summary: after years of depending on science to give you a child, you think giving a magic a shot isn’t a half-bad idea (a commission for @myhoneybeeheart)

pairing: steve rogers x thor odinson x reader (established steve rogers x reader)

words: 3,538

trigger warnings: infertility, MMF threesomes, creampies, praise kink, breeding kink, cuckolding, angst if you squint but like REALLY squint. REALLY REALLY squint.

ask box / masterlist / commission info / ko-fi

You and Steve had both done every test known to every male and female fertility specialist in the United States, along with several European countries, Japan, China, and Australia. Every single one, for each of you, pointed to the same thing – infertility.

Persistent infertility. As in, the both of you are not only infertile, but will continue to be infertile despite any type of treatments any type of doctor wants to put you through. Steve doesn’t qualify for experimental treatments, and you’ve tried at least five to no avail.

Long story short, neither of you can have biological children.

The problem is, you both really want biological children. But, according to biology, it just isn’t going to happen.

“Science says so,” the last doctor had told you, voice full of apology. “I’m so sorry.”

That particularly heartbreaking appointment was in the late afternoon, but the battery of tests meant you and your husband were stuck in the shitty doctor’s office until long past when the sun had set. You were grateful how dark it was when you left, terrified some Captain America stan or paparazzi would get a high definition picture of both you with puffy faces along with snot and stray tears still running down your face. It was late when you got back to your secluded high rise, neither of you hungry nor willing to feign it enough to order something. You didn’t know about Steve, but the sadness had somehow overwhelmed every single one of your senses – making your taste buds pointless and limbs numb. Silently, the both of you got ready for bed and held each other as emotional exhaustion acted as a second weighted blanket and lulled you both to sleep.

It was the next morning when you thought of what you had dubbed “the plan.” You had gotten up before Steve (unusual, as you’d been together long enough that wallowing in self pity was a shared activity) and sat at the kitchen table with unbrushed teeth, messy hair, and the sort of determination that comes with a self-reflexive ultimatum: if “the plan” didn’t work, you’d stop trying. You’d tell Steve that you’ve come to terms with your inability to conceive and continue your journey to start from the assumption that there was nothing either of you could do to make it happen. It’s a heartbreaking reality, but it was one you were willing to accept.

It took a few days to work up the courage, to find the right time to broach the idea with the man you chose to spend the rest of your life with. The perfect moment ended up being when you were both eating dinner, Steve telling a story about something ridiculous Peter had done on a mission (turns out, flirting with a fellow agent undercover as a full service sex worker is not a good idea). You were both happy, incredibly so, and you knew whenever your husband talked about the kid it ignited the special light inside of him that wanted to be a father.

It was the tail end of the story, he was two beers down (a special mix Tony had concocted that balanced with Steve’s serum-induced metabolism), and he was happy. So with a deep inhale and sustained eye contact, you rambled with your prepared speech that covered a few of concerns you knew Steve would have and informed him of your personal deal.

You finished quickly – words tumbling out of your mouth before you knew they were being spoken. Your heart beat loudly in your chest, blood rushed to your ears. You were terrified.

That was, until Steve gave his reply a few hours later.

(He asked if he could table the conversation for a little while, wanting to “think it over.” Of course you told him it was okay, especially since you knew there was dessert still waiting to be eaten in the fridge, and you were still very hungry.)

You imagined a lot of responses from your husband, the worst of which sounded like the beginning of a particularly sad Shonda Rhimes television show:

“You want to what?” Steve nearly screams. “You want to invite Thor Odinson in our marriage bed so that we can have a child!? No! I won’t allow it!”

You fall to the ground, sobbing, clutching your phone as you scream back. “I want what’s best for us! For our family! For our future child!”

Steve storms out of the bedroom, turning back to your crumbled figure just before stomping out. “I’m calling a divorce lawyer. I want you out by Monday.”

You expected you’d have to convince him, would have to coax his clenched jaw towards your face so he’d know how serious you are from the look in your eyes. Maybe you’d have to wait days, weeks, months before he’d agree, would have to have long conversations with him and his colleague about negotiations and boundaries and whatever else.

What you didn’t expect was for Steve to agree not only immediately, but enthusiastically.

“T-that’s it?” you asked. You both were in bed, reading separate books before you’d each turn off the lights and go to sleep. He was reading something about battle tactics during Vietnam while you were thumbing through a book about the history of swearing.

Steve did not look up from his novel. “You want to have a threesome with Thor in the hopes it’ll give us a baby?”

You looked to him, brow furrowed. “Yeah?”

Now he puts the book down and turns to you. “The worst thing that happens is we have sex with a literal deity?”

At first you think he’s joking but, nope. He’s serious.

“Uh, yeah,” you reply again.

Steve shrugs before going back to his book. “Then yeah, but you have to call him.”

You blink a few times – shocked. Pleasantly shocked, but still shocked. “That’s…a deal. Yeah. I can, I’ll talk to him.”

Steve smiles, turning back to you once more and giving you a peck on the cheek. “Sounds good, babe. Let me know what he says.”

You nod, still a little surprised. “O-of course.”

With that, the conversation ends, and you need to figure out how to contact the man in question.

The next morning, you learn from the detailed calendar Tony’s assistant keeps that Thor’s on Migard for the rest of the month, doing…whatever. Honestly, you have no idea what he’s doing, and – even more honestly – you don’t care. Short of saving an entire population from destruction, you’re sure he can make time for you.

Luckily you find him easily, watching some reality show about weird white people in the living room of a common floor. You take deep breaths for stepping into eyeshot, asking if you can sit next to him (he says yes) before you start what is likely the most uncomfortable conversation of your life.

Somehow, though, Thor beats you to it. “If you want me to help you and Steve conceive, just tell me the date and time you want me in your bed.”

Even more so than when Steve accepted your recent proposal, you’re surprised by Thor’s forwardness. “Um-“

Thor smiles, putting a comforting arm around your shoulders before pulling you close against him. “Listen, I’ve done this with many families on many planets. I’ve never done it on Earth, but I’m willing to give it a try for you two. You deserve a child, and I’d be happy to help with that.”

You wipe a stray tear before allowing yourself to be enveloped into Thor’s massive arms. “Thank you,” you tell him after your heart had stopped beating at your ribs as if they were boxers going for the championship title. “Thank you so much.”

You feel Thor smile against the side of your head. “Of course, anything for you.”

You return to Steve with your findings, who agrees to set it up for the next night. The few hours before the mythical man is scheduled to arrive are an otherworldly combination, as if you had put giddy excitement, gut-wrenching fear, and determined optimism in a Nutribullet with bananas and strawberries and vanilla Greek yogurt and served it with-

“Honey, he said we both have to eat before,” Steve pulls the breaks on your train of thought, nudging your plate of food towards you with a small smile. “I’ve known you for long enough to know what you overthinking and forgetting to eat looks like.”

You nod and sigh, biting into the seasoned steamed vegetables. “Sorry, I-“

Steve shakes his head, swallowing whatever from his plate he was chewing. “I’ve also known you long enough to not need you to explain. Just eat.”

He’s right, you think as you clear your plate. You’ve known Steve for over a decade, dating for nine of them and married for seven. He met you through Natasha, who knew you from your work as a professor studying the differing effects of veterans and civilians (how she found you is still a mystery) and invited you to a conference that Stark was funding and therefore required the Avengers to make an appearance. He knew everything about you, and you knew everything about him.

For the first time in a long time, you wonder whether that’s a good thing, or a bad one.

When Thor arrives, he directs the two of you with ease, accepting a glass of expensive red wine as he follows you to the expansive bedroom.

He makes you strip first, tells you to lay in the center of the bed with your legs spread over the end and arms at your side. Steve’s next, already half-hard as he takes his position by your head, on his knees so he can watch the show in front of you. He’s naked, erection hard against his chiseled stomach.

“You’re so beautiful,” you tell him, blissed out before anything had ever begun.

He smiles down at you, same look in his eye the same day you got married. “You, too babe.”

Thor lets you have the moment as he undresses himself, letting you wrap a hand around Steve’s cock as he slots himself between your legs.

“Mm,” Thor hums, tracking your every move with a precise eye. “What a pretty cunt you have…”

A deep moan from you cuts him off as he kneels and licks a wide stripe up your dripping center, his large hands moving under your knees to bend your legs to your chest.

“Oh!” you cry, one of your hands moving to clutch his long blonde hair. “Oh that feels so good!”

You can feel Thor smiling into your folds as one of his perfectly calloused fingers slowly enters you, reveling in your now-mindless acceptance of pleasure. “So tight,” he moans. “Can’t wait to feel you around my cock.”

It doesn’t take long for your brain to fry, losing your ability to do anything but moan and sloppily jerk off your husband as Thor begins to fuck two fingers in and out of you at a bruising pace.

Steve watches you intensely, takes over jerking his own dick when you lose control of the muscles in your hands.

Thor scoffs, rolling his eyes you pout when his lips leave you.

“C’mon, love,” he murmurs into your inner thigh. “Don’t neglect the man.”

Nearly panting, you wrap your lips around Steve’s cock while Thor continues eating you out.

“Fuck you’re so good at this,” Steve hisses as you start to gag on him, running your tongue on the underside of his cock.

You do your best to smile as one hand moves to play with his balls, eyes screwing shut as you turn all your attention onto your husband’s cock.

“That feel good?” Thor asks, hand around the base of his cock. He grunts when Steve nods, his head thrown back in ecstasy. “C’mon, Stevie. Tell me how good your wife’s mouth feels on your dick.”

Steve swallows what little spit is left in his mouth before trying to remember how to speak. “It f-feels so good,” he’s breathless, chest straining as he tries not to come. “Wet and t-tight, the best thing I’ve ever felt.”

Thor grunts deep in his chest, as if he’s restraining himself. “Keeping going – and tell me when you’re about to cum.”

Steve moans when he hits the back of your throat, both hands now tangled in your hair. “F-feels so good, like she’s sucking the life out of me through my fucking dick- Oh fuck!”

You’re deep throating him now, breathing through your nose as you gag.

“T-Thor,” he moans, voice strained. “I-I think I’m-“

“Stop,” the man at the end of the bed commands as he continues fucking his fingers in and out of you. Reluctantly, you do as you’re told, ceasing all actions and giving Steve the most pitiful look you can muster.

“C’mere pretty girl,” Thor murmurs, leaving one last kiss at the most sensitive part of you. “It’s time for me to fuck you.”

You and Steve both moan deeply as he lifts himself to his feet and aligns himself with your center – hardened cock bobbing against his stomach. The sight is enough to make your center tighten, skin on fire as you wait for him to gift you reprieve.

“Such a perfect little pussy,” Thor mumbles to no one but himself, grinning wide as he enters you.

Little words are exchanged after that, Thor focusing on the feeling of your cunt instead of talking.

“Oh Thor-“ you moan, pulling away from Steve to throw your head back once more. “Oh shit holy-“

Thor just laughs, leaning down so he can kiss you. He places one hand next to your head for balance, the other moving to jerk Steve’s cock for you. His whole body works like a perfectly build machine, hips and hand working in tandem to get all three of you off. His movements are languid and purposeful, as if each muscle contraction and release was planned long, long ago in some expert fashion.

As Steve moans once again that he’s close, you remember what Thor had told you the day previous – that he had done this for other people attempting to build their families. In an instant, you were struck with the fear that this was somehow mechanical for him, something he was doing out of some sense of duty with half his brain focused on what he was going to have for dinner or what fruit was in season – something mundane and minutely distracting so he could phone it in and take the credit when the pregnancy test came back positive.

Thor notices you’re drifting away, grabs you with one hand and coaxes your eyes to meet his. “Don’t worry about anything, baby,” he tells you, voice low in his chest. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”

It’s comforting – you can’t describe why, don’t even understand why; but even if you could, Steve’s begging cuts your train of thought short.

“Fuck please,” his voice is high and desperate, anything left of his precious Captain America façade torn to shreds by the possibility of denial. “Please let me come!”

Thor just shakes his head and smiles, putting him through the same torture as he did before but continuing fucking you – ignoring Steve’s cries as he rubs at your clit.

“Ignore him, baby,” he murmurs to you, “C’mon, focus on how good it’s gonna feel when I make you come.”

That’s all it takes for you to lose yourself, to throw your head back and buck your hips up and scream as loud as your exhausted lung will allow. At the last second before you reach your peak Thor moves away from you to grab the back of Steve’s head, pulling the man into a deep kiss.

“Fuck,” Thor groans against Steve’s lips. “Fuck you’re both so gorgeous I’m, fuck, I’m gonna-“

Thor releases himself inside of you with a deafening shout, moaning into Steve’s mouth as his come spills out of you. You’re speechless, watching them kiss above you while you pant.

For a moment there’s silence – the thick scent of sex and the wet sounds of their mouths and your pussy being the only things that fill the air. The only thing that cuts through it is Thor’s gruff voice instructing Steve to take his place between your legs.

The shuffling is awkward but gives you a minute to breathe, the clouds in your brain clearing with a few seconds of being left alone. Unlike Steve, Thor lays next to you on his side, one hand framing your jaw as he kisses you deeply.

Steve takes a moment to admire Thor’s cum dripping out of your pussy, resisting the urge to kneel down and lay his tongue there and drink it all down.

He swallows what little spit is left in his mouth as he enters you, body trembling as his eyes roll to the back of his head. The feeling of your pussy – though familiar – is sublime; mixed with the feeling of Thor’s cum inside of you makes him want to cry from the overwhelming pleasure.

He doesn’t, though, he somehow gets his brain and cock to reconnect so that he can fuck you despite his entire body screaming. You’re sensitive – if Steve couldn’t read your body language, your screaming moans and eyes screwed shut would tell him. It’s a precious thing to see you in such a feral state, to see you fucked out and desperate and begging to be pushed over the cliff again and again and again. You’re normally a very professional woman – always put together and well-spoken and knowledgeable in any subject necessary. To see you incoherent, lost to the pleasure – it’s something special Steve is determined to remember for the rest of his days.

“Such a good boy,” Thor tells him when he notices Steve’s concentration fading. “You fuck your wife so well for me,” he turns to you, leaving a kiss at the corner of your panting mouth. “Doesn’t your husband fuck you so good?”

“Y-yes,” you reply after you take a second to process what he’s asking of you. “Steve’s so good at fucking a baby into me, makes me feel so good I, oh!”

Something in Steve snaps as he listens to Thor, elicits something primal that makes him dig his fingers into the pit of your pushed-up knees as he pounds into you without mercy.

“Gonna-“ Steve moans. “Gonna fuck our baby into you, gonna make sure everyone knows how good I fuck you, fuck!”

Thor just smiles all big and toothy, looking between your face and Steve’s. Just as confident as before, he trails the same hand as before between your breasts and down your stomach, rubbing at your sensitive nub once more.

“You can do it, baby,” he whispers to you, coaxing another orgasm out of you with skilled fingers. “You’re so beautiful, I want to watch you come again. You can do that, right? You can come again for me?”

You shake your head, too overwhelmed to form coherent sentences. “I, I- “

“Shh,” he trails his thumb – still soaked with your slick and his precum – “It’s okay, my little dove. You can do it once more for me and Steve. C’mon, you can do it with him, right?”

You don’t speak, don’t move, don’t do anything – too focused on the feeling of Thor next to you and Steve on top of you and Thor rubbing at your clit and Steve fucking your pussy and the warmed sheets between your fingers and the sweat pooling between your breasts and-

“Fuck!” Steve’s screams mirror your own internal monologue. “Fuck I’m-“

Thor uses the thumb that was just under your lip to grab Steve’s jaw, forcing their eyes to meet just as he had done many times before. “Come for me.”

You and Steve’s orgasms come at the same time, the both of you twitching as you fall slowly, deliriously, from the shared delicious high.

When the French coined folie a duex, you’d always assumed it was about some madness that happened to manifest in two people. But what is defined as “madness?” Could it be the sweet satisfaction that flows through each of your veins like gold? Could it be the vacant contentment behind Steve’s eyes? Could it be the vacant content behind yours?

Somehow, Thor maneuvers the two of you so that all three of you can lay there, out of breath and sweaty all over as each of you stares at separate spots on the ceiling.

You’re the one to break the silence, stuck between the two men in the center of the large bed. “Do you think it worked?”

Steve turns towards you, leaning on one arm while the other spreads itself over your stomach. “I think so.”

Thor turns over next, mirroring Steve’s position. Free hand, though, goes to cup your face, pulling you in for a quick peck on the lips before guiding you to Steve for a much deeper kiss.

“I think so, too,” the large man says eventually, watching as you and Steve remain locked together. He doesn’t think either of you can hear him, but he smiles at the softness on both of your faces nonetheless.

#steve rogers x reader #thor odinson x reader #steve rogers x thor odinson x reader #thundershield x reader #lukis does commissions #lukis writes stuff

323 notes · View notes

alternativewinxcontinuity · 3 years

Text

Planetary Spotlight: Callisto

Callisto [Cal-ih-stow] Callisto The Hunter's World. Callisto The Wild Lands.

The Planet of Callisto is something of an anomaly in the Magical Dimension, since it is unclear to outsiders exactly which Thematic Domain the world truly belongs to.

A world of forests and plains, mountains and valleys and oceans, the planet has vast expanses of wilderness and one of the smallest populations of any of the Keystone Worlds*.

The Thematic magics which appear on Callisto tend towards plant or stone aspects of nature, animal talents - whether specific or general - and some... slightly more unusual types which suggest Callisto either has no true Thematic Domain, or a history of immigration.

Cultural Overview:

The Callistei [Cal-ih-sty] have a long history as hunter-gatherers, despite their level of technological advancement. They prefer to keep their technology compartmentalized from the majority of their lifestyle, except in cases where it truly is a lifesaver, such as certain facets of medical technology or water purification.

(This gives them the appearance of being less technologically advanced than they actually are at first glance.)

Callisto has one of the highest concentrations of Wild Magic found anywhere in the Magical Dimension, and is thought to be the rightful 'Homeworld' of the chaotic force.

The ability of the trained Callistei hunters to track their prey across galaxies has gained the people of Callisto a fierce reputation as a warrior race**, though they themselves laugh at the notion. While their culture does contain many of the markers of a warrior race, the concept of what a warrior race is and what it is believed to be are so different that they simply do not care for the term.

Personal and societal honour and responsibility are important facets of the Callistei culture, if one of their people goes 'bad', they will take whatever measures are deem necessary to take care of the problem rather than leaving it to others, even if the problem occurs on another world.

While Callisto does prefer rehabilitation as a first resort, it is one of the few worlds which have an outright death sentence, though this is considered to be a last resort, and many forms of truth and forensic magics will be used to determine a perpetrator's guilt before such measures are reached.

Butterflies and Boon:

Because Wild Magic is so prevalent on Callisto, it is not uncommon for Magicals to undertake the challenge of Nature's Boon, travelling to Graynor to train under the Ancestral Spirit of Nature in order to learn to work with Wild Magic and not suffer the normal, and oft unpleasant consequences.

Care of the Crown:

The governance of Callisto is considered to be one of the oddest of the Magical Dimension. The ruler is granted the title of Emperor or Empress (->Their Imperial Majesty), and since the title is not passed through bloodlines or marriage, the spouse or children of the ruler are granted no special titles.

The title is passed after an event called The Corona, a 'ceremony' which can last for a decade. (The longest Corona being 11 ½ years.)

The Corona is begun when the reigning Emperor/Empress feels that they are close to the end of their reign. They select several candidates from the fairies, wizards and witches of Callisto who are in, or are working towards, positions in the Callistei government.

These candidates are granted the title of prince of princess for the duration of the Corona, and are often sent to act as representatives of Their Imperial Majesty in instances of interplanetary meetings of royals.

The rules of the Corona state that there must not be less than three candidates, though no maximum has been specified, and the largest group of candidates recorded was twelve. Candidates may 'abdicate' during the Corona, dropping themselves from the running, but in any instance where all but one candidate 'abdicate' an official inquiry must be held to ensure no foul play has taken place.

A candidates inability to Bond with an Astri Ursin does not insure their failure to ascend to the ruling title, but it is very rare for a candidate without such a bond to become ruler, having happened only three times in the recorded history of Callisto.

Despite – or perhaps because – of the reputation of Callisto, it has good relations to almost every world, though it shares especially good relations with Solaria, which is their closest, inhabited planetary neighbour.

(This is especially fruitful for Callisto, as Solaria lies directly in the travel path from Callisto to Magix, one of the Magical Dimension's 'hub' Worlds which are considered to be 'neutral' in the Magical Dimension's politics as they are often Colony Worlds, built by many cultures coming together to create a shared space.)

Varanda of Callisto – Fairy of Protection

A Corona candidate at the time of Winx Club Season 1, Varanda became friends with Princess Stella of Solaria during a political conference before Stella's first year at Alfea. Despite her candidacy Varanda was slated to attend Alfea on Magix, but decided to remain on Callisto after a 'small' series of attacks on her home world changed her mind, she felt that she would be able to do more good on Callisto than at Alfea. (She was correct, and earned her Enchantix on Callisto shortly before the siege of Magix several weeks later.)

Varanda's magical abilities lie with protection and defence, and she is one of the few magicals alive capable of constructing a Devouring Shield, a magical shield which eats the magical energy of any attack that strikes it, converting the attacking energy into extra shield power.

Though her hair is darker and her eyes greener, Varanda bears a striking similarity to Bloom of Domino. This is an ethnic similarity made more apparent by the rarity of the people of Domino. Varanda's grandmother was a refuge from Domino. (If stories are to be believed, Varanda's Grandmother was a member the Dragon's Teeth warriors of Domino when the first siege happened, and was off-World – escorting wounded to a nearby planet for medical treatment due to the loss of medical facilities on Domino – when the second siege happened.***)

Notable Fauna:

Callisto is home to the Astri Ursin, or Celestial Bears. One of the few creatures that can interact with Wild Magic without ill effects, it is often sought after by magic practitioners crazy enough to pursue the 'mastery' of Wild Magic.

The Astri Ursin are often the Bonded animal companions of the rulers of Callisto, and so have a sacred place in the culture of the World.

On a smaller scale, Callisto is also home to the Bardic Glider, a small creature similar to Earth's sugar gliders which live in colonies and possess a group memory they can share with other creatures they trust. Bardic Gliders are very small, the largest of the species requires one and half (average adult) hands to hold securely, while most only require one.

*Keystone Worlds:

Like Solaria is the planet of the Sun, Ruler of the Worlds of Celestial Bodies and Primary House of Light, as Zenith is the World of Technology, Keystone worlds have existed since almost the beginning, and represent Aspects of Reality and the Nature of the Universe. Keystone Worlds were created by the Great Dragon to bring Order to the Universe, like Fairies and Witches had a Thematic Power source, Keystone Worlds also belong to a Thematic Domain. Thematic Domains can be anything from Nature to the Aspect-of-Nature-which-is-Plants, to Technology, to a specific celestial body, to all celestial bodies, to a terrain like the sandy deserts, to an aspect such as death itself.

One of the few Aspects that is not truly represented is War, though several 'Warrior races' exist, and there are Worlds with 'proving grounds' for young warriors to test themselves, no Planet or World is Thematically Dedicated war. It was thought that War was not considered to be a natural Aspect of Reality, but debates rage on, because the existence of Zenith proves that even things which are created by beings lesser than the Great Dragon are considered to be 'natural Aspects', War should therefore be considered a 'natural Aspect'.

Magical Historians and Religious researchers also agree that one of the natural states of the universe at the time of creation is in fact Conflict, which is to say, 'War'.

Some philosophers posit that a World under the Thematical Dominion of War would not last long and would quickly self destruct, and given the history of wars through out the Magical Dimension, it is possible that to avoid such a fate, the Dominion is shared by all Worlds, just as they all share the Thematic Dominion of Order by the sheer virtue of their purpose in the Magical Dimension.

These philosophers are not well loved and are often considered mad or insane.

4th Wall Break:

**I honestly picture the Callistei a mix of the Xena/Hercules Amazons, and the Star Wars Mandalorian race.

***Varanda’s grandmother’s name is Europa. Yes, that Europa (I think I’m so smart😉)

#winx #winx club #Winx World Building #Winx Club Alternative Continuity #Winx Alt Con #Planetary Spotlight #winx callisto #winx varanda #Planetary BS

21 notes · View notes

monysmediareview · 3 years

Text

Shadowhunters (Freeform show) Review

Review #2!!

In case you missed it, I wrote a review on the Mortal Instruments book series books 1-3 (they’re the only ones I read because a chapter into book 4 and I was over it). I had mixed feelings on it, as I do with most things - including the Shadowhunters TV show, which is what this review is about!

Casting

Let’s talk about the casting in this show. First of all, I think the cast matched the physical descriptions of each character in the books and I very much enjoyed that. I do like when shows take liberties with casting, especially for the sake of things like diversity but there’s something very satisfying about seeing the characters exactly as they were written.

I don’t think all of the acting was fantastic, but it’s FreeForm so I really didn’t expect much. It did get a lot better as the series went on and I think the actors really found their footing with these characters. It’s one of the reasons that I love series so much more than movies for things like this because there’s growth and the chance to really explore characters as they exist. These characters really took on a life of their own in a way, but we’ll get into that as I go through the rest of my points here.

One thing I will say is, while this show did much better than others in terms of diversity it is not lost on me that the BIPOC characters in this show (and in the book series as well) were all “other” characters. As is often the case, people of color in fantasy media are usually portrayed as animals such as werewolves, or other “undesirable” characters. This is an incredibly complex part of casting, creating, and writing, and I will not get into it here, but I didn’t want to not mention it.

Gay Pride & True Love

If you read my review of the Mortal Instruments series then you already know that I love love love Alec and Magnus, but that love grew exponentially when I watched the show. Magnus was an interesting character in the books but Harry Shum Jr. really brought the character to life and that show especially in the scenes with Alec. The show also gives Alec a ton more depth than in the books and I love that they didn’t keep him hung up on Jace (a straight man) for most of the story. He fell for Magnus and he fell for him hard. Magnus is the one that broke through Alec’s shell and encouraged him to be himself. By cutting away all the petty teenager shit that was in the books we were able to see this real, complex, but honest and deep love story that rivaled the main love interests immensely. I would watch this show over and over just to watch these two again.

Representation and diversity are two huge factors when I think about whether or not I liked a piece of media. These kinds of things are what makes media so relatable, real, and ultimately enjoyable in a lot of ways. This show didn’t make the characters gay-ness a main factor of their relationship; they just showed a relationship as they would with a straight couple. They didn’t ignore their gay-ness either, though, and acknowledged the difficulties within that. By making this normal, they took huge strides in showing these kinds of relationships on TV and I adore that. And I just cannot get enough of this pairing in general - there are so many contrasts and compliments in their relationship and it’s what I honestly consider to be a perfect OTP relationship in any kind of romantic plot.

10/10 would watch the show just for Alec and Magnus.

I like Clary better in the show than in the books

Clary is by far, not one of my favorite characters in the fantasy genre. I find her to be selfish, martyr-like, and just kind of annoying but I really felt like the show was able to redeem the decent characteristics that she has and shed off most of the aggravating ones.

As a whole, I am not a fan of how stupid the books make Clary out to be. Clary falls into the category of characters I don’t like because there is ultimately nothing very special about them yet they end up with a guy who is completely out of their league in every way who is head over heels in love with them. It infuriates me so much and Clary is not an exception to this rule. Her character is still this way in the show but it is much less evident because she seems to be more of an active participant in her own life and I don’t have to sit through her endless internal monologues about how attractive or strong or whatever Jace is. Thoughts that she still has while she thinks they’re siblings. At least in the show, these characters seem to draw a strong boundary here when they think they’re related rather than making out in a field like they did in the books.

Clary also has a much stronger sense of self in the show and often reflects on what her life was and what it has become, how she’s grown. And I think that’s a huge part of it - that she has grown when in the books she was just constantly such a dumbstruck teenager who only thought of herself. I absolutely love the difference in her character here so I’ll give the show a star for that.

Her relationships with other characters is also so much stronger. I believe this is in part because we don’t know her every inner thought about them and we also aren’t distracted by her distraction that is Jace. Her relationship with Izzy is so much better and stronger. I’ll always give good reviews to strong female relationships! Even her friendship and relationship with Simon is more in depth in the show. Their book friendship is very baseline; they constantly say they’re best friends but that’s not really reflected in the way they act around each other. In the show they have anecdotes about the past we never see in the books, they talk in a comfortable way and even show their relationship with each other’s families a lot more. This plays into her being an active participant in her own life as well.

The Lightwood Family Drama

This might be something that happens later on in the books (however I don’t think so because of some spoilers I’ve received on my main account) but I really liked the Lightwood family subplot. I would imagine they have some marital problems after Max’s death in the books but considering they don’t kill him in the show, divorcing them earlier and giving Maryse a second chance was a fantastic choice. I kind of wish they had kept Max’s death because to me, it was the driving force between Izzy and Simon, but overall I don’t mind the way they did it. It just felt like a missed opportunity for drama and angst.

Back to the point at hand - families are complicated and the only “normal” or rather, nuclear family we see in this series is the Lightwoods. Clary was raised by a single parent, as was Simon, and no one else really has parents that we’re introduced to to be able to judge their family life. By making their family story a complicated one, rather than the “ideal”, it becomes not only more dramatic, which is fun and interesting, but real. And it may seem counterintuitive to make things seem real in a fantasy genre show/book series but that, in my opinion, is what makes it easier to believe the fake stuff. I can focus more on the magic and the demons and the end of the world as we know it if it’s grounded in something that’s familiar to me. The Lightwoods feel like a very real family with complicated relationships between kids and parents, adopted children/siblings, and marital issues that affect everyone differently, which invites us as an audience to relate to them and doesn’t make the Shadow world so different from ours.

A scene I loved specifically is when Izzy brings the doctor she’s seeing to the Hunter’s Moon and they’re all messing with each other, eating, drinking, laughing, talking. They really felt like a family there, like adult siblings which can be a really difficult feeling to capture but I think it was done very well. I didn’t want to go through this review without mentioning that part since it was something very special for me.

Design Choices

Changing topic just a little bit, I wanted to talk about the design of the show. First thing I noticed was that the runes were not at all how I pictured them. Now, that may be a fault of the writer because they weren’t very well described so it all landed on imagination which is different for everyone. The show design gave me kind of Henna tattoo vibes, whereas the books gave me full black ink vibes.

The clothing was also something very strange to me. Izzy was always described as wearing long silvery skirts. I very much imagined her as wearing borderline rave outfits in most of these scenes but she mostly just wore crop tops and low cut shirts. I also noticed that as the series went on she dressed in a bit more of a conservative way compared to the first half of season 1 when I recall her wearing literally just a sports bra as a shirt in a few scenes. It was apparent to me in the books that the way Shadowhunters dressed was something that separated them from humans, made them stand out, and the show lacked that. I think this also took away the idea that Shadowhunters are a whole race of people with a history and culture separate from being human (they are, in essence mixed raced, but this comes with a lot of implications and is not a complete statement or comparison in any way). My point with this is mostly that I wish there had been more of a separation visually between Shadowhunters and humans beyond their runes.

I also pictured the Institute to have a very non-human, Catholic type of design and instead just got pseudo-futuristic feel. I didn’t hate it, it just feels overdone in these kinds of shows and movies. For example, the Divergent series or Maze Runner or even Tomorrowland all have this type of vibe and I was hoping for more of a DmC: Devil May Cry approach.

Jace Wayland is a beautiful character

I had mixed feelings about Jace in the books; he felt stale and like every other straight, white, male, romantic lead. In the show, however, I think Dominic Sherwood did him a great deal of justice and gave him the depth that actually made him a desirable person that I could understand someone being in love with. He’s charming, and a little cocky but we also get to see a deeper side of him than we do in the books. We see his emotions, especially his unconditional love for Clary (whether I agree with that or not).

The Owl plotline was a waste of time in my opinion, but the scene when Izzy and Alec go to save him from inside his mind and we see him break down is absolutely beautiful. Jace is introduced to us from the start as hard, strong, calloused and here we see him vulnerable and scared with two of the people he trusts most in the world. I will accept the Owl plotline if only to keep this scene because I think it is absolutely essential to his character arc.

I also found that scene to be indicative of his relationship with Izzy. In the books it’s often alluded to that he and Izzy had been together in one way or another but that’s not the case for the show (thank the angel) and here you can really see them as siblings more than in any ther scene, I think. But this takes me to his relationship with Alec as well.

Parabatai

I don’t remember Parabatai being mentioned much in the books but it is a huge deal and talked about quite a bit. I this this is super cool, personally and it’s not something I can really think of too much in fantasy outside of sires or singers or the like in many vampire novels but that has a whole “owner” vibe that doesn’t exist with Parabatai. I am super intrigued by this idea and I loved how much they played with it being a strength and an essential part of their existence.

The relationship between Alec and Jace is obviously stronger than just brothers, but it also isn’t quite love in the romantic sense. It’s something else and it makes them vulnerable to each other. They feel everything the other person feels, sometimes literally, and while that can weaken them they use it as a strength. It’s really beautiful how honest and open these men are with each other. I feel like the Parabatai bond breaks down a lot of the toxic masculinity traits these characters might have otherwise and I will always be in favor of tearing down those walls. A+ characterization if you ask me.

I thought Izzy deserved better in the books - the show gave it to her

In the show Izzy is way more badass than in the books, which I wasn’t sure was possible. They made her so much smarter, gave her important roles at the institute like head of weapons and she even did autopsies? In the last episodes we even see her as Head of the Institute. Beauty, brains, and brawn simply can’t be beat.

Her love life was even more interesting! She wasn’t boiled down to just a slut who slept with everyone regardless of species: she was a lover who fell quickly and saw the best in people despite what people might tell her about “their kind”. She’s strong and very sure of herself; she doesn’t need a man in her life but she wants love and I think that’s a really amazing trait they gave her that deepens the character.

They made her an activist, too in a way. She’s found really standing up for her beliefs in the show and challenging the way things are. In the books Izzy is pretty stuck in the way Shadowhunters do things but in the show she speaks up when something isn’t right. Her connections to downworlders does a lot of really great things for the Shadow world as a whole. They certainly could have beefed this up a little bit, but it wasn’t a huge part of the show in general so I’ll allow the pass on it.

Her Yin-Fen addiction was so interesting! Again, I don’t know if this is something that happened in later books in the series but this is just another layer to Isabelle that I really loved. No one is perfect, even her, and it built her relationship with Rafael (another plot I was a huge fan of) which was incredibly complex.

All in all, I would die for Izzy. Please give me shows and books about her and more characters like her.

This series was steamy as hell

I can’t write a review on this series without mentioning all of the steamy scenes with so many of the characters. I mean, of course, I expected as much with Jace and he got a lot but so did everyone else. We got saucy scenes with Alec, Magnus, Simon, Izzy, Maia, everyone. (Not all at the same time, thankfully). But they were all very well directed and acted and I enjoyed them quite a bit. What can I say? Sex sells.

In conclusion, I liked this series a lot. I really was not expecting to. I was warned that it was bad, and to start off it was but I found myself unexpectedly enjoying a lot of it. There’s still work to be done and it is by no means perfect but it was entertaining and had some really good moments. I also give so much credit to the actors and creative team for doing so much with material that didn’t give them much depth in the first place.

Would recommend for something to enjoy but maybe not think too hard about.

xoxo

Mony

10 notes · View notes

hillbillyoracle · 4 years

Text

Witchblr (for the Most Part) Doesn't Have the Gatekeeping Problem It Thinks It Does

I've been seeing this crop up in more and more posts, bios even - anti-gatekeeping statements. And I've tried to keep an open mind about it, to go "well maybe I'm just not seeing what they're talking about" but as I run into actual posts where gatekeeping is claimed, I'm really starting to think that Witchblr might not fully understand what the term means and why it's essential we don't adopt it from the groups who need it to articulate a very specific experience, one that Witchblr isn't capable of having just within itself as far as I can tell.

I don't know for a fact where the term originates but my first introduction to the term gatekeeping was through the trans community. A friend of mine was having to see a therapist, weekly, for 6 months, before she could get her therapist to write a letter that would enable a doctor to prescribe her the hormones she wanted to take. She'd researched them thoroughly, knew the risks and benefits very well, was fully consenting - but was being denied a substance vitally necessary to her mental, physical, social, and emotional well being.

Gatekeeping usually best describes folks who are not a part of a group getting to decide who is a part of said group. In this example, cis doctors and therapists getting to decide who is trans enough to access medical care they need. This is especially potent when other folks outside the group have easier access to the means than the group being gatekept. Such as when cis women have an easier time accessing HRT than trans women. That doesn't seem to mirror what I'm seeing in Witchblr posts where the word is used.

The power behind gatekeeping requires a level of organization that Witchblr as a community doesn't seem to have. And what's being denied are not things that are vital to folks' material well being but rather recognition and validation. I understand the confusion on some level. When forces with organized power deny folks validation and recognition, it often comes with the denial of material and social goods they need to survive. But the individuals out here writing their blogs largely cannot withhold what is vital and necessary to your continued existence. While we all do better with support, not everyone owes us that support and it requires an exchange to make it sustainable. Reading someone's work, even regularly, doesn't fit the bill. In my book, if you're in need of validation and support, you go to those people who already do or cultivate new reciprocal relationships with people who will.

The few cases where I've seen gatekeeping used to describe intracommunal affairs is in cases where the community is not equally privileged. And while there are a mix of privileged and marginalized folks in the Witchblr community, as far I can tell there's not a cohesive group that is considered more acceptable by folks outside of Witchblr who, through that acceptability, are shielded from the full weight of community specific oppression and ostracize less acceptable folks from collective resources to maintain that sheild. The closest I've seen to this (that isn't rooted in other intersections of identity) is that folks who who maintain a psychological view - "It's all in our heads but isn't that still real?" - of deities, magic, and divination seem to get a better reception than those who believe in other models and sometimes distance themselves from folks who believe otherwise but even then...doesn't quite fit the bill.

For internet communities in particular, I have a very hard time seeing the structures in place needed to enforce gatekeeping. Someone doesn't agree that you are [insert term]y enough for the [insert term] group they're personally a part of? Well there are likely a bunch more groups already established who would accept you. You also have the power to create, grow, and maintain your own. You have both resources and agency.

What I think Witchblr's usage of gatekeeping more often speaks to is many folks crave the validation of other people. They stake their worth and well being on disproving people. When someone says "you're not a witch if you don't do xyz" = they don't stop to think about what power that person has over their power or their practice. They just react. Someone is wrong on the internet and it's perceived as a threat.

Part of the issue is that Witchblr has a tendency toward projecting a practice rather than actually practicing. It's been my experience that when you spend more of your time doing your practice and you have a deep sense of your foundations - whether someone agrees with you or not quickly becomes irrelevant. What so many of the conversations on gatekeeping show me is that many folks do not have a strong enough foundation in what they believe and what they practice to understand who they are and what's relevant to them. They're filling that void with external validation.

Where Witchblr's "gatekeeping" usage becomes outright destructive or even dangerous is with it's continual insistence that people articulating positions well grounded in research and primary records are some how gatekeeping other people they don't agree with. Previous education does help but acting like every person who can defend their positions with source texts automatically has a degree or several is weirdly classist to me.

I went to rural schools the vast majority of my life. I have multiple learning disabilities, struggled hard, and never completed a college degree despite attempting twice. Money and my health stopped me. I was working class and now unemployed. I did not have internet at home for most of my adult life (and only part of my childhood). Like I am so close to the examples I see thrown around in these conversations and yet I have been told that by citing reliable sources that I'm elitist and classist.

Something we don't talk enough about as a community is that expertise has a lot less to do with privilege and a lot more to do with sacrifice. I chose to spend what free time I could practicing and researching. I could have spent that time watching Netflix, hanging out with friends, going hiking, etc. While it was also out of poverty, I chose not to accumulate things in my home that would take a lot of time to care for. I had a second hand hospital mattress on the floor and that was it - that was a sacrifice of comfort. I did not have a pet for the majority of the time I did my most intense studying so I could focus on my work - that was sacrifice. I did not have internet at home, largely because I couldn't afford it, but I embraced it as it created the ability to download a work at a public connection and take it home and sit with it deeply so that I couldn't reach out for other people's comments to filter it through. I only maintained romantic relationships that were low energy input and were thus less satisfying or close so that I could focus on my work - that was a sacrifice.

All this is to say - you don't see half the sacrifices people who have a level of expertise make. There's an assumption of ease where there absolutely should not be one. No one is asking you to sacrifice like that. No one is saying you're lesser for not making that sacrifice. What folks are saying is respect the sacrifices they made to get the knowledge they're trying to share with you. They're often trying to give you what they had to pay with a good chunk of their lives for. Take it or leave it, don't attack them. It is not gatekeeping to recognize that, where spirituality overlaps with history and other topics, there are correct answers that can be found if you look. That's just reality.

Also learning on your own is not the same as having access to an education or to the internet even. Our ancestors did not always have people to study from. Practices like spirit work, divination, and magic developed independently all over the world. There were plenty of interrupted lineages in there too. I think people forget that you can learn these skills through experimentation and observation. People literally can't keep you from this path of learning. Whether you choose to take it is up to you. Whether it's worth the sacrifice - only you can say.

So vast majority of ways I’m seeing people use the word gatekeeping just do not meet the criteria. Watering that word down robs it of it’s ability to name a very specific threat which is especially damaging to use trans folks who use it to call out medical discrimination. The vast majority of instances I see it used in are where someone is expressing an opinion. They may be wildly off base but as long as they’re not spreading truly harmful ideologies, they're entitled to it. Different opinions are not gatekeeping - they’re a natural part of any community and we have to have a level of tolerance for that. That discomfort you feel is an invitation to meet your shadow, understand your discomfort, and prioritize what actually moves your practice forward.

#waking witchblr #witchblr #shadow work #gatekeeping #discrimination #I'm always so worried posting stuff like this #but seriously watering down this language is actively harmful #to trans folks in particular #I get some folks may not have known #and that's totally okay #we all grow and learn

53 notes · View notes

fire-fira · 4 years

Text

Nonbinary Awareness Week Day 4: Visibility For The Invisible

What are my identities besides nonbinary?:

Mixed-race Native-- Cherokee and Lenape on my bio-mom’s side, Oglala Lakota on my bio-dad’s side, and Irish, Scottish, Norse, Egyptian, and German.

Neurodivergent-- allistic hyperlexic and dysgeographic

Abuse survivor

Currently 34 (born in ‘86)

Aro/ace

How do my other identities intersect with my nonbinarity?:

In terms of my gender, part of how I understand it is through my racial identity. I can’t really separate it out, especially not when knowing that my Native ancestors had space for people like me and realizing that is part of what helped me feel safer in being open about who I am.

There’s also the fact that my personal style in terms of how I present myself is a careful balance between trying to be read accurately as my gender (difficult as that is) while also trying to be read as ‘not white’ as possible. Yes I’m mixed, yes I’m white-passing, but I don’t like being assumed to be ‘just white’ because it makes me feel like who I am is getting bleached from me so others can find me more ‘palatable’. It makes my skin crawl. (And considering my hell-beast bio-mother pretty much tried all my life to make me as not Native as possible, the idea makes me feel sick.)

A big part of me knowing who and what I am as early as I did (age 4) is thanks to the fact that I’m hyperlexic and that part of how my hyperlexia was expressed back then was through logic and an understanding of ‘If I do x, then y will happen’ (over everything from the possibility of death by getting hit by a car if I stepped into a street too soon, to abstract concepts like the idea that I’d be locked in an asylum and never let out if I told anyone I wasn’t a girl or a boy-- this is the kind of crap I thought about even when I was 4). I was way too damn smart for my own good as a little kid, but it served me well in that I was able to figure out what I was not long after my memories first started up (my 4th birthday, it was like I hadn’t existed before and then someone threw a switch and just-- BOOM-- instant awareness and no memory of anything before and no recognition of where I was, it was weird AF), and knowing what I was that early on gave me the sort of stability I needed to know that if I existed then others had to.

I was going to say that my dysgeographica hasn’t impacted my gender, but thinking about it I can think of one way it did. Since it’s so easy for me to get lost and turned around, I learned early on how to let go and trust that I’d either find my way or that someone I was with would be able to get me to where I was going. In a way, that kind of took some of the stress off of trying to find an answer for what my gender was as a kid.

As for being an abuse survivor... OOF. There are a lot of awful things I lived through (primarily emotional/mental abuse and neglect-- I’ll spare everyone details because it’s heavy as hell) but the worst of it did give me some perspective. Me hiding who I am was miserable as hell, and while being nonbinary can be nerve-wracking in some crowds, being able to look back on my personal hell and the fact that I survived gives me a confidence I don’t think I’d have otherwise. Nothing that life can throw at me will ever be as bad as that. People can be as hostile and ridiculous as they want, but they can never make me be closeted about being nonbinary again.

Yay being 34. (Tbh I used to think-- probably because of the abuse-- I wouldn’t live to see 30. But guess what? I’M STILL ALIVE AND KICKING AND I DON’T PLAN ON GOING ANYWHERE FOR A LONG DAMN TIME. HA-FREAKING-HA.) For most of my life there were no terms for my gender and as a kid I didn’t dare say what I was. To my knowledge (before I found out otherwise later) I was the only nonbinary person I knew and didn’t meet another enby until I was 25. (At least one of the people I was friends with back in high school has turned out to be an enby, but I don’t think they came out until their late 20s.) The ‘90s sucked for having any examples of anyone nonbinary-- both in real life and in fiction. I gravitated toward fiction and clung to whatever characters I found that resonated with me. The one advantage that being so isolated has given me is that it helped me stay in spaces where I felt out of place in circumstances where a lot of other people would have just left, so I was able to get what I needed or do what I needed to.

For a long time-- up until my early-to-mid-20s in fact-- I didn’t realize that my aro/ace-ness and nonbinary-ness weren’t a package deal. (Which is kind of funny in a ‘wtf, where is the logic?’ way because my aro/ace-ness was never an issue for me. I have an uncle on my bio-dad’s side who’s ace and might be aro but idk, so my aro/ace-ness was always brushed off by my family as being ‘genetic’ and therefore not something to be concerned about, but I was absolutely convinced that if anyone knew I was nonbinary then bad things would happen. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ) Because I was so isolated for most of my life, I was under the mistaken assumption that they were all kind of tied together. Thank gods for education. So as a result for a long time how I understood my gender also hinged on my orientation (and dear gods, I know using that word makes me sound old af, but it’s less wordy than to get into the whole tangled mess of how sexual and romantic attraction aren’t the same thing and don’t always ‘line up’ for people, yada yada yada). These days I see all three parts as distinct and vaguely interlinked in my case, but no one part of my nonbinary/aro/ace-ness would magically stop existing if one of the other parts changed.

Why do I think my specific experience is less visible than other experiences?:

Let me put it this way: the line-up of being a hyperlexic and dysgeographic aro/ace mixed-race Native abuse-survivor isn’t exactly a common experience. There aren’t many people who have issues of being de-legitimized on the fronts of their gender, their racial identity, their sexuality and romantic orientation, and their neurodivergency all at once. Or having those things pinging off each other used as a way to call into question their mental faculties.

Even as specific as my identity is, because of how liminal my identities are and my past history of abuse I have to remind myself that I can take up space in areas that apply to me. I am so used to being on the edge of accepted existence, even despite the fact that it’s been 14 years since I was taken out of my personal hell, that I have to occasionally remind myself that I’m not taking attention away from those who need to be heard when I’m one of those people.

There are times I haven’t spoken because I’m in an aro/ace space, or a nonbinary space, or an indigenous space, and what I have going on at a given time involves one of the other aspects of my identity. And thing is, if you won’t ever speak up then you won’t ever be heard or seen. That’s something I’m working on, and this entry for Nonbinary Awareness Week is just one step in that.

What’s something about my experience I would like other people to know?:

You don’t always have to have the answers.

It’s okay to sit back and trust that things will happen as they need to happen if something gets to be too much. You’ll figure yourself out more easily if you let yourself just have things come to you as they will.

It hurts sometimes and that sucks, but things can’t improve if you don’t put yourself out there when you’re ready to. The people who matter most will accept you and love you for who you are, not what they think you are.

Multiple seemingly contradictory things can be true about you all at once, and that’s okay.

It’s okay to stand your ground and be honest about who you are.

Even if you feel isolated and closed off, disadvantaged and backed into a corner, educating yourself and doing the work to decolonize your mind and dismantle internalized prejudices will help immensely.

If you think you’re the only one-- in whatever way-- I guarantee you that you’re not. You just have to give yourself time, make the effort to learn, and allow yourself the opportunity to meet others.

---

[Day 1]

[Day 2]

[Day 3]

#NBWeek #Nonbinary Awareness Week #NonbinaryAwarenessWeek #nonbinary #non-binary #my life #long post

8 notes · View notes

kat-hawke · 4 years

Text

Inquisitive Acquaintances

(Following [Change of Plans])

Sea birds called to one another in the distance, circling overhead and lining up along the stone ledges of buildings and walls. The normal bustle of dockworkers and overseers competing in the cacophony of the busy harbor, the occasional bell and sound of the tides claiming the moments between. A gentle breeze rolled over the stone pathways and overlooks, the raven tresses that cascaded around the Director’s face flowing with the air as it passed by.

Leaning forward her weight rest in the elbows which propped on the knees, legs parted just enough for the hands to hang in the space between, fingers picking at the skin around the nails as she anxiously awaited the Arcanist’s arrival. She was tired, physically and mentally, and it was visible. Dark bags hung beneath the vibrant ambers, the facial features thinning faintly. So lost her own thoughts she nearly missed the woman call.

"Director Hawke.” Valerie’s tone was stiff, but not hostile.

"Valerie." Kat replied just as stiff, and neutral in tone.

"Thank you again for making the time to do this.” With a crease forming between her brows the Arcanist took a seat at the opposite end of the bench. “Shall I get immediately to brass tacks?"

"Ya' have an hour, so..." Fingers ceased their anxious picking, one hand lifting in a mock shrug that required little energy. It was preferred that they proceed right to the point of the meeting, the pair had a history of turning hostile in the blink of an eye.

Valerie's eyes narrowed with a soft hum in acknowledgement. "An hour then. Well. The obvious question is, do you know where Alyssa is?"

She knew that question was coming and despite how much she tried to mentally prepare her self for it, hearing it aloud sent a pain across her heart. Eyes slowly shut as a deep inhale was taken through the nostrils, steadying herself to not break as she had time and time again at him. Speaking softly as she opened her eyes, looking at the ground between them she answered.

"I wish I did." It wasn’t an outright lie.

"She just left?" Val shook her head slightly, then glanced askance to the space next to the Director. "Apologies, but that seems out of character, even leaving the fire aside."

Shaking her head as she drew another long breath, She knew Valerie wouldn’t leave it at that. "We were supposed t'have dinner. Her turn t'cook," she begins to explain, gaze shifting to the sea below. "Went up t'her place and found, well, likely th'same ya' did. Found th'dog restin' under the nearby tree." Bending the truth, she placed the events in the wrong order.

Val's eyes flicked downward momentarily. "He's good at staying put," she finally said, tone still neutral. "But - when? When did all of this happen?"

"A while ago, before Winter Veil." Tone still soft, she peered over towards the woman. She knew better than to give a specific time frame. "I've been run ragged with work and still rake m'self over th'coals searching for answers. Ya'll have t'excuse my lack of exact time recollection."

"I tried to scry her when I went up there after the New Year, thought it would give me something, but all I got was static." A brief pause before the Arcanist pressed further. "There was nothing left at the scene that was useful? In the ash, or leading away?"

"Nothin' that I could find. No. Just that....thing in her backyard. I stood there fer over an hour just starin' at it, hoping it would spark t'life and she'd come walkin' out of it. But—" Kat’s shoulders lifted in a weak and shallow shrug. "No such luck. M'assumin' yer aware of her magical—" She searched for a different word than what came to mind. "Practices."

"I am." Val pursed her lips in thought, glancing in Kat’s direction. "But do you think that is related, or somehow the root cause? The house burnt down when a series of wards were tripped, many of which were arcane in nature."

That was unexpected, the information of arcane being present enough to push the Director’s brows together. “Arcane? I had assumed th'destruction was fel related, considerin'...” Trailing off she shook her head, finally answering Valerie’s question.

"Well. Isn't it always related with practitioners of such..." A faint hint of disapproval touched her words.

“I helped her ward her house when she moved in. Some of them - the wards - were modified when I looked at them post-fire, others were new. Again though - is it her magical predilections you suspect are behind her disappearance?"

It began to feel as if they were going in circles and annoyance started to fester. Taking another deep breath she calmed the growing emotion, the tongue clicking against teeth before speaking, shifting her attention to Valerie. "Can't help but suspect that, no? Maybe that's wron' of me to assume. I can't help but shake th'feelin' that the level o' corruption could have caught up. Maybe it was worse than we could see on th'surface.”

The tail end of her sentence nearly caused her voice to crack, aware now of how truthful it was. But she remained disciplined, of all the people she could let emotions slip in front of, Valerie was not among them.

“Demons don't come, carry someone off, and leave no trace." Val pursed her lips a moment, then shook her head. "Hellfire doesn't leave behind a burnt house but no body, and it doesn't leave behind dogs. Since the Dread Gate was long dead, and I saw neither footsteps nor a body...?" Shoulders bounced in a small shrug. "I can only assume it's another option."

"Yer assumin' foul play then?" Kat’s gaze settled on the Arcanist, peering as if searching for answers.

"I don't know. I never thought she was the type to run away, so... what other explanation is there?"

With a low hum the Director’s lips pursed her lips and cast her gaze to the harbor below. It was clear Valerie wasn’t going to let it go, not that she could blame her, especially since she knew if the situations were reversed she’d stop at nothing to get answers. Something needed to be offered, with a soft exhale she spoke up.

"I'd be lyin' t'say it hadn't crossed m'mind either. She mentioned someone last we spoke, Remy. No' a name I'm familiar with. I wouldn' doubt she had plenty of enemies either, all things considered.” Fingers began to pick idly again as they hung lazily between the legs. "I just... I miss her."

"Remy? He was an ex of Alyssa's. The one before the Gilnean fellow that went off to war, before... you. I don't know that I'd call any of them her enemy, but. I've never known her in that way. You two were together for some time, right?"

Kat could feel her walls starting to wane now that Valerie was prodding at their relationship. Regret and guilt threatened to well up if she hadn’t pushed it down with the quick mental reminder she needed to return to work after this.

"About a year, yeah. But we kept our secrets, which I doubt comes as a surprise. Communication was neither of our stronger suits, even after all th'time. We'd just avoid certain topics, skirt around possible issues, and ignore th' more...hot button topics. Such as magical practices."

With that Val gave her own soft hum, looking for a moment to the amethyst which hung from the cord about her wrist. "It's... communication's difficult but necessary for any relationship to work long term. Her magic seems to have very much bothered you."

A chuckle and scoff mixed as the Director shook her head faintly, hoping this wouldn't turn into a counseling. "About as much as my magic bothered her at time. We had our moments though, but I doubt ya' came out here just to dissect our relationship."

"I didn't, that's true. But when there's a mystery at hand, you piece together the whole from its disparate parts. I say, talking to someone who deals in mysteries." The very corners of Valerie’s lips turn upward ever faintly, to Kat’s disbelief.

"My mysteries are, usually, more straight forward." Her own lips dropped, pursing to one side. "Unfortunately a missing persons falls to the guard, nor could I officially be involved in a investigation because of our relationship. Conductin' an unofficial one on m'own would only bring consequences."

"Well...It's lucky, then, that not all of us are thusly bound."

The city bell sounded on the half-hour mark, drawing the attention of both women for a moment before Valerie inquired further.

"Tell me what you've done so far."

"Looked over the ruins of th' cottage, recovered Dog, kept on eye on the places she frequented just in case. There's a....former associate who is known to scry. Reached out t'collect a favor, but the results were nothin'."

"And the guards? Have they been alerted?" The Arcanist pressed.

"I submitted a report on the destruction of the cottage, wot eva they did after that- I don' know." A half truth. She filled out a report but filed it herself under an alias.

There was silence between them for a moment before Valerie dragged her gaze to the Director. "Two things, then. First - whatever is between us aside, Alyssa was a very dear friend to me. I want to get to the bottom of this. Will you accept my help?"

Turning her attention the other woman Kat stared for a moment in surprise, having expected her to sling some sort of accusation. "I know she was a dear friend t'ya' Val. I loved her, and want her back just as badly. But I don't know how I can help, I can't put m'career at risk again."

"I'm not asking how and whether you can help. I'm asking whether you'll accept mine." Valerie’s expression was neutral, voice steady and matter-of-fact.

Several nods followed, shallow at first but growing in volume as she wrestled back another wave of emotion. She didn’t expect to admit her love aloud, and doubly so to the present company. "Yeah- yes. I just, I'll do woteva t'get her back."

Try as she might her tone still cracked faintly as she spoke. There was no rouse here, no lie or misguided statement to lead the Arcanist. She wanted the warlock to return in some capacity, dreading going back to find the vacant dagger.

"That brings me to two..." Valerie inhaled sharply as she eyed the Director, searching for words before her jaw shut, teeth clicking softly "Mm. Nevermind." Rising to her feet she glanced down at the raven haired woman. "You should get some lunch while you still have a break."

Blinking rapidly she watched the woman stand, confusion drowning out any other emotion as raven brows pulled together. “Ya’ sure?”

Standing as she spoke her hands brushed against the dress pants, smoothing them out before tugging the bottom of the blazer to fit firmly once again. Nodding with a quiet clear of the throat. "Yer right, I probably should. Haven't eaten anythin' at all today."

"I'm sure. Save your health. And in the meantime..." Valerie’s attention turned to the far side of the docks as she readied herself to leave. "There's a small shack near the shipyard; it's run down and has words graffiti'd down the side of it - caution: sea monsters, if memory serves. If there's anything you need to leave to make it easier to work - evidence, notes, whatever - leave it there."

Following the woman’s gaze to the mentioned location Kat responded with a shallow nod and stifled hum in acknowledgement. With a few short words to arrange for the collection of the Arcanist’s canine companion they parted ways.

[ @the-real-arcanist-val ] [ Mentions/Relevant: @alyssa-ward ]

#ic #rp #The Dagger

9 notes · View notes

musings-on-bucky-barnes · 5 years

Text

Q&A Part 3 with Owlet about The Infinite Coffee & Protection Detail series

Here is Part the Third of Owlet answering questions about The Infinite Coffee & Protection Detail series and also about her other writing. Some of the questions are from readers of the first Q&A, and some come from a Tumblr post of suggested questions for writers.

Warning for discussion of rape.

OWLET'S NOTE:

Thanks for all the cheers and good wishes on part 2! I'm glad people think the behind-the-scenes stuff is interesting and not just me being a windbag.

I was delighted that so many of you seem interested in my novel! It's not available anywhere yet: I still have to find an agent, and who knows how the heck long that's going to take? (I am NOT cut out for self-publishing.) But I certainly hope it'll find a home. If you want to keep up with me on tumblr (vmohlere) or twitter (virginiamohlere), I assure you that when such time comes, I will scream about it a LOT.

Pink floaty hearts, y'all.

Reader questions:

From EssayOfThoughts:

I know that you say that you like to imagine AOU doesn't exist, but I will admit (because I find Wanda deeply compelling and the twins story as a whole very interesting) that I've wondered a lot about how your Bucky would deal with the Maximoff twins? Like, on the one hand there's Wanda's ability to mess with minds, which he'd hate, but simultaneously (at least according to the AOU prelude comic) the twins was effectively radicalised by HYDRA while they were pretending to be SHIELD and expected to be their weapons which is not wholly dissimilar to Nat or Bucky. So if you're willing to acknowledge AOU just enough to ponder this I'd really like to know your thoughts! If not, of course, I understand.

Wanda’s not a character I’ve given much thought to. You’re right that her abilities would freak Barnes out. But he has a strict policy of observation before reaction, so he would give them a chance. And they’re so young (and so broken) that his protective instincts would kick in. I think they could probably count on some wary kindness, along with a dose of irritation at Pietro’s shenanigans.

From Ev42:

Thing I can't stop thinking about today: babies. Specifically, Bucky + baby = ???

I personally am a sucker for "Steve knows nothing, Bucky's a pro" thing re: babies. Mix that up with the Mission and the Briefing and what would we get? I keep think about, idk, maybe Sam has a niece or nephew, or one of the Olds has a grandchild or grandniece or something, and I just really want your thoughts on Bucky + baby... Please?

Barnes would be too worried about inadvertently hurting an infant to be willing to touch one, though he likes the directness of slightly older kids.

If in the presence of Steve trying to deal with an infant, the Briefing would definitely have a lot of commentary about everything he was doing wrong.

From Fred1085:

I guess if I had one question though it would be: Do you always see Bucky existing as Barnes, the Briefing, and the Mission, or do you see a time in his future in which those aspects of him would be more integrated. Not through the magical Asgaridan science, but through his own force of will/healing?

He definitely does become more integrated over time. The Mission is a protective identity, and as he needs it less, it recedes. The Briefing is literally his memories, which he does recover many of over time, though that’s a long and painful process. There’s a lot of regression throughout the long-term forward progress. But he keeps some of the habits, like “confirm” and “deny.”

MusingsOnBuckyBarnes:

After “This, You Protect”, the Mission went to ground so to speak for a bit and Bucky was distressed at its loss, at it not communicating with him. But over time as he heals and it recedes, he wouldn’t be so upset?

Exactly. When the Mission’s going quiet is part of the organic process of healing, he misses it but isn’t upset by its loss.

From stentorian_lore_n:

Did Bucky and Steve ever make a donation to Sam's VA?? :)

Yes, of course! But Sam had to be bullied into buying a better chair for himself, because he wanted all the money to go to programs.

There’s a lot of red tape involved with how much money the center can receive in donations, so Steve & Bucky give that much each year, even much later, when Sam does in fact move to NYC to become an Avenger.

From englishghosts:

Also, since you're taking questions, I'd like to ask you something. (TW RAPE)

Although Bucky suffering sexual abuse and torture "for fun" during his time with HYDRA makes perfect sense in my head (70 years in the hands of powerful white men who had complete control over him, it's difficult to imagine nobody got ideas), especially with the imagery of the bank scene, it's something we don't see that often in fics outside certain areas of fandom. I'm really glad you included this, because for me it not only makes it more realistic, but also it brings an extra layer into Bucky reclaiming himself and being comfortable with touching and his feelings for Steve. So the question is what made you decide to include it in this fic?

Like you say, powerful men with a powerful man under their complete control, over the course of 70 years – to me, it’s a given that among the many abuses he suffered was sexual abuse. It was always part of the character, for me, one of the many layers that he needed to work through to reclaim both his body and his self.

I started to think that the romantic-physical relationship with Steve was an inevitable part of Barnes’s healing process, because he and Steve really just do love each other SO much. The more I thought about it, the more I could see that given the style that I’d set up, writing Barnes’s reactions to things kind of obliquely, would be SUPER FUN for writing about bodies and sex. I cackled my whole way through writing that section.

And, you know, there were a lot of commenters who were like “hey man where’s the smut?” – a few of them NOT SO NICELY. I’m glad I stuck it in its own section, though, because I know there are also a lot of people who like to only read the gen parts.

From Selkieinthesea:

How did you come up with the curses? My favorite is “Lenin’s pickled scrotum.” It makes me laugh every time I think of it. I’d use it, but I have toddlers so then I’d have to explain what pickling is, what a scrotum is and why you’d pickle one.

That is a mystery and a blessing from the part of my brain from which jokes arise. Every one of them delighted me. “Lenin’s pickled scrotum” hearkens back to college jokes in Russian History class about how they embalmed Lenin with a mixture of Twinkie filling and maraschino cherry juice, and of course scrotums are always hilarious, I don’t know how people who have them even deal.

from Ev42 (about the fic “Love Is for Children”):

Nicholas. Anything to do with Nick Fury? Bc I think that'd make his faking-my-death-without-telling-Natasha sting that much more. Ouch.

I'm trying to imagine how Nicholas meeting the gang would go. I... have no idea? Barnes would bake, of course, but what? The Olds would be happy. Barton already knows. I guess I'm just trying to figure out what the hurt/happy ratio for the rest would be

I actually have a tiny bit of this written out – it was originally going to be another piece of ICaPD, but I couldn’t get it to have any kind of arc to it, and the pacing was just BALLS.

Anyhow, yes, Nicholas is named after Nick Fury. His sperm donor is no one of import, and the only one of the Avengers who knows about him is Clint.

The snippet I never wrote involved Bad Guys kidnapping Nicholas & Steve/Barnes/Nat/Clint/Sam going on a rescue mission.

In this universe, Nat & Clint have a couple of Barton-Romanoffs, of whom Nicholas is the first (Clint adopts him). Tony & Pepper likewise have several kids in this universe.

The remaining questions are from a “Fanfiction Writer Asks” Tumblr post by criminal-minds-fanfiction:

Do you prefer writing OC’s or reader inserts? Explain your answer.

I haven’t written a reader-insertish kind of thing since I wrote a Duran Duran scifi AU when I was 14 years old. Original characters are where it’s at.

What is your favourite genre to write for?

Fantasy, for sure. Tho romance tends to worm its way into most of my stuff.

If you had to choose a favourite out of all of your multi chaptered stories, which would it be and why?

I think This, You Protect has better pacing than The Long Road Begins at Home, and writing it helped me fall back in love with writing.

If you had to delete one of your stories and never speak of it again, which would it be and why?

Um. Maybe my Loki poem? Tho I don’t think it’s necessarily bad.

When is your preferred time to write?

First thing in the morning, tho I’m grateful to be able to write almost any time. In the past couple of years, I've gotten into writing into the notepad on my phone, so I literally write any- and everywhere.

Where do you take your inspiration from?

Absolutely everywhere.

In your xxx fic, what’s your favourite scene that you wrote? [Any of your Bucky fics]

The chapter of Team-Building Exercises where Barnes & Pepper go to France is something I’m so proud of. I think I did pretty well with the action and the pacing in that one, and I love writing Pepper.

Their first Thanksgiving, with the Sandwich of Suffering, is also a favorite.

In your xxx fic, why did you decide to end it like that? Did you have an alternative ending in mind? [The Long Road Begins at Home]

It was always going to go Thanksgiving to Thanksgiving.

If you write OC’s, how do you decide on their names?

ARGH NAMES. What a pain. Second only to titles in terms of terribleness. I try to roll a few names around and chew on them until I find the one that feels right.

Do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them?

I have notes for 3 more sections of Infinite Coffee and Protection Detail – one that’s pure fluff, one that’s an action scene, and one at the very end of their lives. But I dunno. For one thing, the last one is unbearably sad. And I don’t really have Barnes’s voice in my head anymore. I think it’s time to be done.

More about the action scene is answered in response to a reader question in the previous section. The Sad Ending is just too far off in tone that it doesn’t fit the series at all, so let’s leave it in a dark drawer. But Barnes & Steve live for a very long time and remain faithful to the successive generations of their Avengers family. And when they go, they reach the end of the line together.

The fluff scene is CAT JACK and will post on Friday, June 7. (it's not a full story, just a snippet)

Are there any stories that you wished you’d ended differently?

The epilogue chapter of This, You Protect has some cute jokes, but it’s pretty weird, and I kind of wish I’d left it off.

Do you prefer listening to music when you’re writing or do you need silence?

Depends on the day. I definitely like music when I’m Pondering, though.

How do you feel about writing smutty scenes?

LOVE IT

Do people know you write fanfiction?

People know about my MCU fic, yes.

What’s your favourite minor character you’ve written?

That’s like asking about my favorite child!! Hill is definitely up there on the list, though. Hair Club in general was fun to have around.

Has anyone ever guessed the plot twist of one of your fics before you posted it?

I wish I could remember what it was, but yes. That was really fun.

If you could write only angst, fluff or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

Smut, because I think the best smut is also really emotional, so it’s not like cutting out angst, fluff, or anything else.

xXx

The link to the full list of questions for fanfic writer is here:

http://criminal-minds-fanfiction.tumblr.com/post/172926526725/fanfiction-writer-asks

(EDIT: link appears to be maybe-broken?)

#infinite coffee and protection detail #ic&pd #q&a #warning for discussion of rape #bucky barnes #owlet #reader questions

23 notes · View notes

ben-winch-writer-rocker · 5 years

Text

Live, Masonic Auditorium, Detroit, 01/14/1978

Fred “Sonic” Smith and Oppositional Defiance Disorder:

The appeal of MC5 guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith goes beyond his guitar work, savage, deft and incendiary as that work may have been, and far beyond what traces of that work remain via studio and live recordings. In this era of “over-diagnosed” psychological disorders, Smith’s “condition” might well be labelled, like Kurt Cobain’s, “oppositional defiance disorder”. But unlike Cobain, Smith had neither the drive to be a frontman nor the good grace (or self-doubt) to back down in the face of physical opposition. And unlike Cobain, he was no suicide; his anger faced squarely outwards, driven by a righteous indignation that, at first, was anything but self-implicating.

A famous MC5 creation myth paints the young would-be revolutionary. While discussing the band-to-come at a Detroit restaurant with Wayne Kramer and Rob Tyner, Smith knocked a glass over mid-rant and (according to Kramer) said, “Yeah, this is what we’ll do, we’ll just knock shit over if we wanna knock shit over. We’ll be powerful. We’ll take a stand.”

“That ain’t cool,” Tyner said. “That ain’t being powerful. You’re not taking a stand. You’re not proving anything.”

Smith: “Well what are you gonna do about it?”

Tyner: “I’ll do what I have to do.”

Smith: “Then let’s fight.”

So they fought outside in the icy parking lot. After a couple of punches it went to the ground and Smith, an athletic six-foot-plus, came out on top, fist raised. “I could smash your face in,” he said.

And Tyner said, “Well why don’t you?”

As Kramer tells it, for three teenagers this was deep, and they got in the car and drove around for hours analysing what had happened. For Smith, I suspect it was a turning point, maybe not just in his relationship with Tyner (“After that they were tight,” says Kramer) but in his understanding of what nowadays might be termed his disorder. Of course it didn’t stop him fighting (he’d spar with Tyner again, and tackle two policemen when they arrested MC5 manager John Sinclair), but just maybe it started him questioning, turning his ideals from “smash everything” to “smash what needs smashing”, and giving him the dignity and true-seeming righteousness that comes across so strongly in his future wife Patti Smith’s recollections. (Fred Smith died in 1994, aged 46. See Patti Smith’s book M. Train for some touching writing on the man.)

From Detroit delinquent to doting family man, Smith’s trajectory was always up, despite that the MC5 crashed and burned due to record-company hassles and Sonic’s Rendezvous Band never had the chance to repeat that ignominy, largely or partly, if the other players’ testimonies are accurate, because Smith willed it that way—because Cobain-like he taunted and insulted any A & R man plucky enough to make him overtures.

So, like the MC5, like the Flamin’ Groovies, like even—to some extent—the Stooges (whose masterpiece Raw Power was, production-wise, a misfire) Sonic’s Rendezvous Band are one of the great protopunk should-have-been-a-success stories. In a sense they may be the greatest, because of their failure, because of their mystique. And that mystique is rooted not only in mists-of-time semi-invisibility, but in the aura of rebel iconoclast Fred “Sonic” Smith.

Scott Morgan and the Tonic:

But since Sonic’s Rendezvous Band, despite the name, were a two-singer band, let’s discuss the second singer, especially as he was, by any traditional yardstick, the better frontman—louder, more professional, with clearer diction (Smith’s was, make no mistake, awful; fans will be arguing over the substance of his lyrics forever), and more possessing of what some listeners may have taken as charisma. And in any case, the first song on the album is his: “Electrophonic Tonic”.

Scott Morgan, a veteran of fellow almost-made-it Detroit rock band the Rationals, had cut his teeth as a frontman singing Otis’s “Respect” pre-Aretha’s-version and turned that song into a regional hit, which, thanks to the last-minute non-involvement of Jerry Wexler’s Atlantic, never made it national. (Faced with the Rationals’ lofty demand of five grand upfront, Wexler demurred, handed the song to Aretha, and the rest is history.) A soul singer, then, with a hard rock edge, which may simply have been what it took to get across in the intimate and sonically inadequate venues of Detroit in the late 1960s, Morgan delivers his parts here with an R & B frontman’s panache, positioning himself on the classic-rock continuum somewhere between Ted Nugent and Steve Marriot, though when he sets his band loose they kick harder—thanks to ex-Up bassist Gary Rasmussen and ex-Stooges drummer Scott Asheton as much as to Smith’s semi-insane, close-to-breaking-point, post-Chuck-Berry guitar solos—than almost anyone except AC/DC, and with a sheer abandon which the famous Scots-Australians, ever the professionals, rarely mustered.

But let’s back up a little. Harder than anyone? What about Sabbath, Zeppelin, Deep Purple? I’ll make it clear: Sonic’s Rendezvous Band doesn’t do lumbering. Much as they’re classic, classic as hell, you couldn’t call them dinosaurs because they’re too fleet-footed. But nor do they sprint, they’ve got too much distance to cover; every other track here clocks in at over five minutes, and two of them (Smith’s masterpieces “Sweet Nothin’” and “City Slang”) are nearer to seven. The tempo is Sex Pistols and up, the beat almost motoric. (Asheton focusses on hitting hard and keeping the pace; he hasn’t got time for fancy flourishes.) Their roots are in R ’n’ B boogie, just as Sabbath’s were in blues. And I’d say they were just about as ahead of their time as Sabbath, if inevitably (given they had no record deal) nowhere near as influential.

But back to the “Tonic”. It’s a good song: deft, workmanlike, shuffling the same old three classic-rock chords in a natural and not entirely expected fashion. There’s a nice halftime breakdown in the middle. It’s got grit. Those who weren’t bemoaning its classicism (this was a support slot at a Ramone’s gig, after all) were probably shaking their heads in disbelief at its onslaught, unless they were shaking their asses with sheer abandon, tearing up seating, going wild. As an opener and a mission statement, it kicks ass. But for me, it’s only in track two, “Sweet Nothin’”, that the magic happens.

Sweet Nothin’:

Who can say what arcane voodoo is at work here? On the surface it starts out not so dissimilar to track one. We’ve jumped from E to B though, a good sign. (B is a great guitar key, enabling riffs that E makes obscure.) But to start off with, at least, it’s the same three-chord theory. There’s a subtle key-shift in the pre-chorus, and then with the chorus we’re in new territory: the minor sixth—the “Raw Power” chord, the “Suffragette City” chord, the “Sonic Reducer” chord—rears its head and Smith puts his cards on the table. Like Sabbath’s embrace of the devil’s interval, this is a chord-change that would inspire an entire genre—postpunk—and it darkens proceedings and ups the drama as soon as Smith unveils it.

What can I say? “Sweet Nothin’” is an anthem, despite or maybe because of the fact that I can’t hear more than a few words of it. It’s a love song, that much I’m sure of, maybe penned for the soon-to-be Mrs Patti “Sonic” Smith. (Patti Smith was on the scene intermittently in Detroit around the time: the two had sparked up an affair—she was still married to her last husband—and SRB would support her in bigger venues, breaking away from their intimate, not to say dead-end, bar gigs, where according to legend they played for as few as six people.) Whatever the “message”, I don’t care; I feel it in my bones. And when Smith, after repeating the simple refrain “You’re really really something sweet nothin’” in the plainest of minor-key melodies five or six times before the final solo, sing-shouts “You take my breath away”, barely caring if he’s in earshot of the microphone, I know exactly what he’s saying. Besides, whoever said an anthem has to meansomething? What does “Pretty Vacant” mean? “There’s no point in asking, you’ll get no reply.” You either know it deep down, deeper than words, or you never will. “There’s more to the picture than meets the eye” after all, and “Sweet Nothin’” is as good an illustration as any.

To make it clear, “Sweet Nothin’”, in my opinion, is one of the top twenty rock songs ever. It gets in. It obsesses you, or obsesses me, and I say this as someone who discovered it at age 43, via Spotify, through a $200 portable Bluetooth player. As Roberto Bolañosaid, if you want to find out if something’s a masterpiece, translate it. Translate it badly. If it stillretains its power, there’s your answer. And this album, smothered in tape saturation and poorly mixed from the live desk, was hardly a good translation to begin with. It’s not a classic like Bowie’s Low, or Abbey Road, or even the flawed Raw Power—not a finely-wrought work of art. It’s more like a jam tape. And what’s more, like a jam tape that doesn’t half sound familiar. I’ve beenat those jams. I’ve played in them. Not that our jams were as powerful, but I’d say Sonic’s Rendezvous Band stake a convincing claim to sounding like what, to this day, many rock bands want to sound like.

Into the Red:

And so it goes, through the five-minute semi-psychotic choogle of “Asteroid B612” (weird name for Morgan’s declaration of righteous love for his woman, bisected by a brilliant, dexterous-soulful blues-at-11 solo from Smith) to Smith’s five-plus-minute slightly more contemplative but still excoriating “Gone With the Dogs”, which to tell the truth slightly pales, given that Smith’s voice is already hoarse and he’s just graced “Asteroid B612” with some of his tastiest guitar-work. But wait, that accolade may well go to track six, “Song L”, which attempts a truly strange percussive minor-chord motif that doesn’t quitework but adds a new-wave-like aspect to Smith’s palette (it almost sounds—wait for it—sophisticated), before the nuclear explosion of the solo. By now, admittedly, following Morgan’s “Love and Learn”, it all seems slightly like business as usual: high-energy rocker after high-energy rocker; two guitar solos a piece, apparently thrown in whenever Smith feels like it; each song culminating in a swelling classic-rock crescendo. Nonetheless it’s precisely the lack of dynamics that makes this feel so modern. It’s unrelenting.

And I wonder, was it only in the space above zero VU—well into the red—that Smith felt the thrill of being powerful, of knocking stuff over, that had made him want to play guitar in the first place, but without the need to do violence that had very nearly made him cave his friend’s face in? Whatever their motivation, for the remainder of the set he and his collaborators play their hearts out, so much so that by “City Slang”, pretty much the ultimate showstopper, it’s hard to believe they can still play at all. Yes, the performance is patchy compared to the seven-inch version (the only record released by SRB in its lifetime, and a flat-out masterpiece). Smith is barely enunciating by the last shouted refrains. But he always maintained he liked performers that stepped up to or over the line, and all four players do that here. It’s pure adrenalin.

Plainly no band could have kept up this intensity without some serious motivation. And the truth is that by “City Slang” Smith sounds tired. Probably he didn’t have what it takes to be a frontman, at least not a touring frontman, and possibly he knew it. Maybe all he wanted was to sing his songs—because they existed, because he’d written them, because if he didn’t no-one else would. And it’s this near-complete lack of ego—this hesitating on the verge of doing nothing at all, then throwing himself in regardless body and soul—that makes Smith’s performance here one of my all-time favourite perfomances by a male singer, despite its faults. It’s the tone, bluntly masculine but vulnerable, straight-talking, speaking calmly from the centre of the storm. What can I say? He means it, and he really doesn’t much care how it goes over. Or better put, sure, you can tell he’s humbled by the crowd’s ecstatic response, but get a record deal, tour the country, maybe get rich and famous? The song and its performance are their own rewards. And, just maybe, this degree of selflessness could only have come from a singer who didn’t think of himself as a frontman.

From playing back-up to Rob Tyner and sharing the stage with Scott Morgan, Smith transitioned, shortly after this recording, to playing husband and sideman to Patti Smith, collaborating on her 1988 album comeback album Dream of Lifeand its breakthrough single “The People Have the Power”. For someone who started with a will to destroy, the adult Fred “Sonic” Smith had learned humility. His story, or what I’ve managed to uncover of it, is a true inspiration, because though he never hit the bigtime he lived the dream, doing what he wanted how he wanted at maximum volume, and never with that preening strut of the peacock that suggests it’s all theatre.

Live, Masonic Auditorium, Detroit, 01/14/1978 is a flawed document, and who knows, it may be that Sonic’s Rendezvous Band were never going to break through outside of Michigan. Regardless, it’s a classic. It takes your breath away.

#sonics rendezvous band #fred sonic smith #detroit rock #mc5 #rock writing #rock n roll #classic rock #hard rock #scott morgan #patti smith

8 notes · View notes

kbrown78 · 5 years

Text

Monthly Wrap Up: January

Wow, for starting a new reading year, things are going really well for me. First I read 13 books this month, which I am so surprised by, especially since 6 of this books were 500 pages or over. I attribute that to not tagging as many books, in fact I only did that for 7 of them. Aside from my high book count, I'm also on my way to achieving some personal reading goal's of mine. One is to complete 5 series, and I completed 3 this month. I also want to read more diverse books, and while I didn't read any authors of color, 3 of the books that I read featured diverse protagonists. Of the total books that I read 5 were new (one was a non fiction book, What Color Is Your Parachute, which is a great book for job hunting), and 7 were rereads. I also participated in 2 reading challenge's this month, one is the year long PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge, which I did last year, and the other was a Pick My TBR challenge from the Reading Frenzy group on Goodreads, which will also be a year long challenge. I was able to read the book that was selected for the Pick My TBR challenge and I completed 8 of the prompts for the PopSugar challenge, which is a strong start. Something I also accomplished this month was reading books from several different genres, which is a long term reading goal of mine. There was paranormal romance, climate fiction, classics, contemporary, and even a few fantasies. In terms of my opinion of the books I read, I was all over the board. Now 5 star books, but there was everything from a 4 star to a 1 star. Still I would say January was a good reading month and hopefully the rest of the year continues on a similar note.

Abhorsen by Garth Nix: I really disliked Lirael but I knew I was going to read this one since I just had one more book and I already had the entire trilogy. I didn't bother tabbing the book because I gave up on that during Lirael and I didn't expect this book to get much better, so this review is going to contain all my spoilery thoughts on this book. First the things I liked about this book. I liked the animal companions. I liked Mogget in the first book but his appearance in the second book felt a bit awkward because of events at the end of Sabriel. I didn't like the Disreputable Dog at first because she just felt like a bit of a replacement for Mogget. In this book I really enjoyed both of them because I felt like they had distinct but likable personalities, while being these grounded companions but also ancient cosmic creatures. I also liked the magic system. The Charter magic/ Free magic and the Clayer library were the best aspects of the previous books. I think the Abhorsen bells are really cool, how each one has a different role, and all the history behind them that gets revealed. I also think Lirael improved in this one. She was fairly whiny and mopey when we're first introduced to her, but in this book I felt like she matured and did a fairly good job at dealing with her position as the Aborsen-in-Training. It was also nice to have Lirael and Sabriel finally meet since they are both Abhorsen and half sisters. The last thing I liked was that there was no romance. I did not like the forced romance between Sabriel and Touchstone, so having to read another unnecessary romance would have made this book that much worse for me. Now onto what I disliked about Abhorsen. I still really disliked Sam. He wasn't as irritating as he was in the previous book, but he still felt pretty useless and unnecessary. The title of worst character shifted from Sam to his friend Nick. He was as irritating as Sam was in the second book, but he purposefully did things that were reckless and destructive. Dislike of the male characters, and frankly the majority of the characters, aside, I also had issues with the plot and general story. I read this book at the very beginning of the month, and I honestly forget everything that happened, probably because there was a lot of filler. All I remember is being disappointed by the ending because of how underwhelming and predictable it was. I do think it's better than the previous book, but that might be because my expectations were so low. It's one of those endings, where everything is just fixed and everyone survives despite the world ending stakes. As a whole the Abhorsen trilogy has a few interesting elements, like the magic system, animal companions, and Clayr's library. Unfortunately I think this series is just mediocre and not as dark and scary as it could have been. Abhorsen received 2 out 5 stars.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath: I first read this in sophomore year of college and it was at the same time I got The Virgin Suicides. I really liked it the first time I read it because there was a lot that I could identify with and I thought it was very well written, however I recently reread The Virgin Suicides and hated it. I thought I was going to end up hating The Bell Jar too, but I wanted to give it a try before unhauling it, and I'm glad I did. There is something very thought provoking and familiar about story. The protagonist, Esther, struggling with her identity which leads her into a depressing downward spiral, is something I can personally relate to, but I like how Plath tells the story as well. She has a sort of dry, precise writing style which I normally don't like but Plath also seems to be sure to have that raw, emotional element to it. The story also had a realistic feel to it, not just in the subjects that it deals with but also in the ending. There are some books I've read where things just seem to get suddenly better at the end so that everyone gets a happy ending, but it doesn't feel realistic because it just suddenly happens with no build up or long term effort to fix the initial problem. In The Bell Jar the ending is rather ambiguous, with the audience being unsure of where thing actually stand for Esther and if she'll actually be released from the pysch ward. I will say that this book is pretty depressing and is full of trigger warnings. Esther's story was sad enough before she went to a mental hospital, but then things take a grim turn when she is constantly subjected to electro shock therapy. Again it's a depressing story but I do think is worth it if you can handle it. It's a modern classic for a reason, and while there are some dated aspects of the story, the overall theme and feel of the book is timeless. The Bell Jar received 4 out 5 stars.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott: This is a classic that I had never read. I grew up on the movie version of this book, but my sister read it when she was young and loved it, and as the years passed I felt this pressure to read it. I finally decided to pick this one up since I want to read more classics this year and there were several PoPSugar 2019 Reading Challenge prompts that this fit. I had a hard time with it at first for a few reasons. The language was a bit off putting, the March sisters felt immature and annoying at the beginning, and I had the movie version playing in my head the whole time. I really liked the movie and while the book is similar there are a few differences and some things are gone into more detail. It took awhile to get into the book, like I was so tempted to quit it, but I pushed through and by the second half things improved. In the second half they start feel more like mature women who are leaving their childhood's behind to manage their own lives. Each still having a distinct personality, but they come across as more complicated than they did at the beginning of the book. Meg dealing with a married life, and while not being as wealthy as other girls, she's happy and never far from home. Amy, who went to Europe, still enjoys luxuries but seems to understand there's more to life than that. Jo becomes a responsible woman, understanding herself a bit better but never losing her fire. It's a story that you have to get the full thing in order to appreciate it. It has themes of wealth and poverty, family, growing, and love, all being well done but again the payoff doesn't really come until later. The sisterly bonds I really liked seeing because I don't often read a book that does a good job of portraying sisters in a realistic yet positive and loving light. I will admit I had mixed feelings about all the romances. Meg and John's is cute and while it isn't my favorite I do like that we see them struggling in their marriage at times, yet always overcoming it. Amy and Laurie's romance was always my least favorite one in the movie because Amy is my least favorite character. In the book I can appreciate it a bit better because they both clearly try to better themselves to be worthy of the other (still don't love it though). Jo and Professor Bhaer are my favorite relationship in movie, like I tear up at the final scene when she asks him to stay. I think that they are so well suited for each other, and he really represents how much she has grown as a character. In the book though, I didn't really get emotional over them. There was still the same scene at the end that I loved, but most of the differences between the book and the movies involved their relationship and the timing of when certain events happened, and I just prefer how it's done in the movie. As more time passes I appreciate the book more and more, I think because the whole story was well written, despite the long and difficult beginning. It's a coming of age classic that I would recommend to anyone, but to young women in particular. Little Women received 4 out 5 stars and was my pick for the PopSugar prompts “book becoming a movie,” “book with 2 word title,” “book that includes a wedding,” and “book about family.”

An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors by Curtis Craddock: I went into this book expecting it to be a great story because I heard a lot of key things that made me think I would love it. A deformed princess whose best feature is her brain, I always love intelligent heroines. The prominent relationship would be the friendship between the princess Isabelle and her loyal body guard, Jean-Claude, and while awesome female friendships are my favorite relationships to read about, I always love a platonic male/ female friendship. Isabelle being shipped off for a political marriage, and last year I realized that arranged marriages that turns into real love and partnership is something I really like. A mystery with political intrigue, and I love stories with political intrigue. There's also sorcery next to steamships. Basically everything I heard about it made it sound like it would be something I loved. Once I read the book, though, it wasn't exactly what I expected. All of the stuff that I had hoped for was there, but it wasn't utilized in the way I wanted them to be. Isabelle is smart, she writes mathematical papers and speaks a language that is forbidden to women, and this is shown and made useful a few times in this book, but there other things about the people around her that she didn't pick up on that should have been obvious. That can be blamed on her harsh and isolated background both because of her deformity and the shear cruelty of her family, which is something I see a lot of in fantasy. Having the main character come from an abusive or neglectful family is a stable of fiction that I would like to stop seeing so much of. I do like that their was the father/ daughter dynamic between Isabelle and Jean-Claude, but it was just kind of there and I don't feel like I got enough development of it. I was also a bit underwhelmed by Jean-Claude as a character, because he pretends to be drunkard (which he only keeps up for less than half the book) but is actually a highly skilled musketeer with a strong sense of nobility. I didn't think there was anything fun or interesting about him. I thought that he was a pretty flat and shallow character, and he was so slow to figure out who was behind everything that it really makes him seem almost incompetent. I like the relationship for what it is, but I don't get a sense of history or devotion between either of these characters. Onto the potential romance, I liked that Isabella's worried about both her political standing and what her would be husband will think of her, since everyone but Jean-Claude sees her as an inconvenience at best. The fact that she keeps wanting to communicate with him before seeing him, but he takes no initiative to do that, does help build up the tension. Upon their first meeting at a masked ball though, I wasn't feeling any chemistry between the two. I won't reveal the twist at the end, but I will say Isabelle and her fiance are suddenly very close by the end of the book and it makes no sense. Like they knew each other for a short time, not even a full week, there was hardly any dialogue between them, and yet they are acting all lovey dovey and it just doesn't make any sense and I feel zero chemistry between them. Like the I shipped them more before they met, which means I liked the potential of the relationship much better than the actual relationship. The sorcery and steamships are two distinct pieces of world building and while I liked both overall, I had separate issues with them. The steamships are central part of the world because the kingdoms are all on floating land masses, so while it's important and fun to see something like that in a fantasy, I was a little thrown off by it at first, and it took about a quarter of the book for me to fully understand that piece. The sorcery bit of the world I really, really liked. There's the Sanguine's, which is a type of blood magic seen Isabelle's native court, and is indicated via red shadows. Then there's the sorcery in her fiance's court, which I believe was called Glasswalking, where one can walk through mirrors, and it's indicated via silver eyes. There are other abilities out there, and they are all tied to the history of royal bloodline and great deal of effort is put into preserving these bloodlines. Each ability was distinct and I loved the detail and technicality put into each one. Sometimes these abilities felt like plot devices and were used in a way I didn't like, and I also wished I could have seen more of them rather than just the 2. Lastly, and probably my major issue with the story, was the narrative itself. As I stated at the beginning I went into this expecting it to be a mix of political intrigue and mystery, with the mystery aspect being more of a side thing. Any political aspect of the story was sacrificed for the sake of furthering the mystery narrative, which might have been okay if the mystery was good, but it wasn't. I guessed who was behind the whole thing before either of the characters did. I thought for a mystery it relied on several overused tropes, which again made it feel so obvious, and I thought the villains whole motivation and plan wasn't good because 1) it was insane and was never going to work and 2) the first book of a series is not the place to be putting stakes that were as high as they were. There were several enjoyable aspects of this story, but ultimately I thought it was underwhelming and disappointed me in almost every way. An Alchemy of Masques and Mirror received 3 out 5 stars from me.

The Nowhere Girls by Amy Reed: I had this one on my TBR shelf on Goodreads for awhile, and while I was intrigued by the premise, I kept not picking it up. This month I had to read it since it was chosen by someone else to be the book I read, as part of a monthly reading challenge group. The book met my expectations of it, I'm glad that I read it. The premise is that new girl Grace sees messages written into the walls of her bedroom, and when she asks about it she learns that the girl that previously lived in that room was gang raped. Instead of having the boys face consequences, the whole town pretends it didn't happen and label her as a slut, including those that believed her. Grace and her new friends create The Nowhere Girls in the hopes that this will change things for the better for the women of the community, then things take off from there. The story follows mainly 4 POVs. There's Grace, a chubby girl with a religiously liberal mother, and Rosina, a queer punk Latina, and Erin, a girl with Asperger's Syndrome who enjoys Star Trek. I was a little surprised by the diversity in this book because all 3 of these girls are ones that I don't really see as protagonists, especially in YA contemporary, and I while I was glad to see that kind of diversity, I loved that these girls were more than just their labels. The 4th POV is titled Us, and in those chapters we actually get snippets of multiple perspectives of unnamed people (though some you can guess) just going about life, and what I loved about these sections was how it highlighted not only the flaws in our society, but also how simultaneously simple and complicated life is. The girls friendship is nice, but I just don't feel like there was enough depth and development for me to be fully attached to it, which was a bit disappointing. The romances were all really cute, each one having their own ups and downs, but I liked that they were kept a minor part of the story. All the girls struggle with their relationships with their parents in various ways, and that's something that I didn't like about the ending. For 2 of the girls, their relationships just seemed to get fixed with very little discussion, which felt too clean and unrealistic, and the other one's parents are completely absent from the second half of the narrative. The only two complaints I have about this book is that I wish the friendships could have had more depth and development instead of just being there, and I also didn't like the ending. I'm glad it ended on a positive note, that's what I need with these kind of narratives, but everything to just suddenly get fixed and the readers are rushed into a clean ending of a messy, underdog narrative. That being said I still liked this book and think it's a good book that discusses rape culture (that being said there are trigger warnings for sexual assault). I don't know if it will be one of favorite YA contemporaries, but it was a highlight of this month and is definitely more along the lines of the kind of contemporary I want to read. The Nowhere Girls received 4.5 out 5 stars and was my pick for the PopSugar prompt “a book with multiple POV's.”

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: Based on my reading preferences, Twilight is not something that I would have any interest in picking up, in fact it's the exact opposite of that. So why would I read it? I've held onto the entire Twilight series for so long and as I'm trying to tackle my rereads it's just standing out to me. I know I'll probably get rid of it but I haven't read them since middle school (and I graduated from college so it's been about 10 years since I've read it) and I wanted to read it and form my own cohesive opinion. Upon rereading it I can clearly see that Edward and Bella's romance is pretty toxic. I was also surprised by how terrible Bella, like I had heard multiple times how flat she was, so I was excepting a really bland, passive character. While she was definitely that, she was also a whiny, bratty character that I really hated. She's supposed to be very plain, but all the boys are instantly attracted to her. Of course she looks down on all of them until she sees Edward who she immediately becomes obsessed with. She also looks down on the other human girls, and the series does a poor job of portraying any female that doesn't like Bella as either bitchy or slutty. Bella is a character that we are being forced to like, not due to her on merits and traits (with her only trait being clumsy), but by having everyone fawn over her and seem beneath her. The writing was also bad. The sentences were choppy, for lack of a better word, and it didn't feel natural. While reading it I thought that this was something I would expect myself to produce in a high school writing class. It read as very amateur and unedited. This entire series is about a romance between a high schooler and a vampire, and there is so much wrong with. It almost symbolizes being in relationship with a bad boy with a nice streak. He works hard to be good, but there's always the threat of him doing serious damage. For whatever reason this isn't a deal breaker for Bella. Neither is the fact that he's several years older than her, stalks her, watches her sleep, and is rather possessive of her. At one point he even calls her heroin, which is not something I would want to be compared to because it's a toxic drug that kills people. I don't really understand Edward's obsession with Bella either because other than his inability to read her thoughts, there wasn't anything compelling about her. Despite the abysmal romance, protagonist, and writing, this book managed to have a few surprises to it. First I liked learning about the Cullen's different backgrounds, and that remained true through the series. Alice being a mental patient who had visions when she was human, and being the only victim that escaped James, was an interesting part of her back story that wasn't included in the movie. I forget if it was in this book, or one of the later ones, but Edward tells Bella that a vampire's abilities are reflective of their human personalities, which is kind of cool. What drives them together and makes them so close is that they strive to be better and not hurt humans. The Cullen's had a really nice familial relationship, which is more than I can say for Bella and her father Charlie. Second is once the action did pick up, with James hunting Bella, I did like that. It made it easier to fly through the novel, and other than the romance, was the overarching conflict for the first 3 books (though it really could have been 2) but I liked that there were long reaching consequences based on this event. I still don't really get why Bella wasn't made into a vampire at the end of this book, since the venom was in her. It's hard to predict what the rest of the series would have been like had that happened, but I like to think it would have been better, a more equal power dynamic between Edward and Bella. It's easy to see how iconic it is an the influence it has had, but I also think it's very much a product of it's time. Twilight received 2 out 5 stars from me and was my pick for the PopSugar prompt “a book with 1 million ratings on Goodreads.”

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer: After finishing Twilight I was so on the fence of if I should read the rest of the series, but I ultimately decided to continue on with the rest of the series because I know I'll fly through them, and I did. I finished New Moon in one day. Going into this one I knew it was going to be my least favorite, and it definitely was. I had only 8 tabs in this book that's over 500 pages, and 5 of those tabs were for stuff I disliked. First there's Bella being depressed about her birthday because that means being older than Edward. It could make for an interesting discussion about mortal/ immortal relationships but in this case Bella is just being over dramatic. Her desperation to become a vampire so she won't be older than Edward makes no sense. She's turning 18, not 30, and she's still in high school so she's still fairly young. Also it's okay for a woman to be the older in the relationship. The toxicity of Bella and Edward's relationship continues, in this one it's emphasized how neither can live without the other. Edward says he'll kill himself if he can't live without Bella, breaks up with her, than due to a misunderstanding he really does try to put himself in a situation where he will get killed. It's even worse on Bella's side because for the 3-4 months that Edward is gone, she's basically a zombie. She's completely become a passive blank slate that ignores all her “friends” yet refuses to move on, even when her dad tries to help. It's either that or she's doing reckless things because that causes her to have visions of Edward, which she considers a good thing. The only thing that partially brings her out of it is her friendship with Jacob, which I'll get back to in a minute, but in the end Edward and Bella are reunited, and Bella completely forgives him and starts functioning like a normal human being. This makes it seem like Bella's entire existence revolves around her 100 year old vampire boyfriend, which is not only unhealthy but also makes for a lousy character. Back to the Jacob thing, I liked Jacob before his werewolf transformation because he seemed like a chill guy that really tried to help Bella, without any romantic hintings. Then once he became a werewolf, things went downhill. Despite knowing that Bella knew about the vampires, and how much she needed him at that time, he went for weeks not talking to her, or coming clean about the werewolf thing. Based on stuff in the later books I really think he went downhill as a character once he entered the paranormal, but I also disliked the werewolf thing in general. It felt like it was put there just to have something to oppose the vampires, even though there never is an actual conflict between the two, and create the love triangle between Jacob, Bella, and Edward. We do get introduced to the Volturi, who are basically royalty of the vampire world, and that is as close this series gets to world building. This entire book focused on a toxic romance, and didn't really have any action to it, so it had fewer positive attributes than the previous book, which made it difficult to get through but the length and bland story and writing made it possible to finish this in one day. That and I was determined to get this book done as quickly as possible. New Moon received 1 out 5 stars from me.

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer: The biggest complaint I have about this one was the absolute lack of action and how Bella is such a martyr. Both have already been clearly shown throughout the series but I want to talk about it in this one because I think it was the worst in this book. First is the lack of action, which is a stable of this series. Like you usually don't get to the action bits until the last 20% of the book, because the first 80% focuses on the romance. The second book really didn't have any action at all, but I didn't expect it to because I remembered the movie. As I was reading this one, I know it's building up to the big fight between the Cullen's/ werewolves and the new born vampires. We see that in the movie and get to witness some of this battle. That doesn't happen at all, there's just the brief scene with Victoria than we fast forward to after the battle. That was disappointing, because I was waiting for the action bits, and they never happened. This series focuses so much on the romance, which I'm not crazy about in the first place, but when it involves bland characters and toxic elements, that makes the entire plot insufferable and feel like filler material. Onto Bella being a martyr, that's been shown again and again. This series spend so much time emphasizing how special and pretty she is, but the majority of the time she comes off as a bitch. She tends to disregard her human friends and even her own father in favor of Edward but as soon as someone wants to kill Bella, she insists that efforts be put into protecting everyone but her. I think this is done just to portray Bella as a selfless and pure individual but instead it makes her seem stupid and have no survival instinct. I also hated the whole concept of imprinting because it's the sort of love at first sight, soul mates trope that I despise seeing in any narrative. There's something about the imprinting that takes it to a new, gross level but I'll discuss that more in my Break Dawn review. There was also a scene where Jacob kiss Bella without her consent, which made my already dwindling opinion of him plummet, but Bella punched him in response, which was good. Highlights of this book is Bella's sort of friendship with Angela, it's nice to see her around someone that is a regular human, wish there had been more of that. Also learning more about Rosalie and Jacobs back story added to their character and portrayed them in a new light, both tragic in different ways. Putting a background to these side characters is the only way they seem to get any sort of development, yet that little bit makes them more interesting than Bella, who's the main character. It's also interesting how many literary nods and parallels there are throughout the series, with the most prominent ones being famous tragic love stories, like Romeo and Juliet and Wuthering Heights (the latter of which I hated). Eclipse received 1 out 5 stars from me.

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer: I first read this back in high school, and actually reread it a few times. I was a bit worried before reading it again that I wouldn't like it because of the main character being a teenager, but that was something I ended up appreciating. The characters all feel very human, flawed but trying to do what they think is right. This also comes across in their relationships, as we see the ups and downs, particularly Miranda's relationship with her mother. Miranda is a fairly typical teenager, she has a few friends, she likes boys, has some hobbies, and can be petty, but she's ultimately a good person that wants to see her family survive. I liked the diary written format of the narrative because it had a more personal feel to it, but I think was the appropriate format for a quieter apocalypse story. Something happening to the moon isn't a new concept for science fiction stories, but this usually creates some sort of epic plot. That wasn't this case in this book. Instead we get a year long story of 1 family trying to survive as the Earth becomes a more hostile environment, and there's progressively stronger feeling of isolation (due to both the amount of people dying or leaving but also the open, rural environment and Miranda's family being crammed in their house when the winter comes). That almost makes the story feel more realistic because everything that happens in this book is something you can easily picture actually occurring if this were to happen. I do wish that there had been a little more character growth, and I'm not sure if soft apocalypse is the kind of apocalypse narrative I like reading about, but it is still a quick enjoyable read. Life As We Knew It received 4 out 5 stars and was my pick for the PopSugar prompt “a climate fiction book.”

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer: By the time I got to this one I was so wiped out by the rest of the series and just ready for it to be done. There isn't much to say about this one that I haven't already said about the previous ones, but there are some things I definitely need to talk about that were present just in this book. The first I'm going to talk about is something I alluded to in the Eclipse review, and that is the fact that imprinting seems to excuse pedophilia. There was already Edward, who's about a hundred years old, but is interested in a 17 year old high schooler, but in Eclipse Jacob tells Bella that one of his friends imprinted on a 2 year old girl. Gross! Then in Breaking Dawn, Jacob imprints on Renesme, Bella's half vampire daughter within minutes of her being born. I never liked this because 1) It's just yuck 2) It made Renesme feel like a prize since Jacob couldn't get Bella. I actually skipped over most of Jacob's POV chapters because I was really bored by them and there were only 2 major thins that happen in them. Him splitting from the pack and forming his own, which didn't happen in the movies, and Bella giving birth to Renesme, which is in the movies. The other thing I really disliked through the whole series (besides the romance) was Bella. I already discussed how she's such a martyr and the entire narrative takes the time to make her this plain but special person. I think it's most obvious in this book because of 2 things. The first is her ability to shield, which someone points out is a rare ability among vampires, so rare that it didn't have a name until the 4th book. I will that her ability is reflective of her personality, being unable to read her thoughts because she's basically a blank slate. The other special snowflake scene was when Bella first goes hunting as a new born and she smells human blood but is able to resist the urge to drink. Afterwards everyone is just amazed and proud of Bella for being able to do this, and I might have actually rolled my eyes at this scene because I was sick of the entire series beating you over the head with how amazing Bella is at the expense of other characters. Another minor thing I want to talk about briefly that bugged me, and that is when Bella is first comes to the conclusion that she is pregnant it's because she's 5 days late. I get that a late period is a likely sign that you're pregnant if you've had sex recently, but it's not a guarantee, especially if it's only a few days late. Menstrual periods are not something I see often in books, but there are even fewer instances where I think they are well done within the narrative, and this isn't one of those cases. I'm walking away from this series glad that I read it, but I can't say I enjoyed it or recommend it. There was a lot of wasted potential, with characters, relationships and morality, but all of that was pushed aside for a crappy romance, and that was the biggest tragedy of this series. Breaking Dawn received 1 out 5 stars and works for the PopSugar prompt “a book with a wedding,” since the big event in the first half of this book was the wedding.

The Dead and The Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer: This is the follow up to Life As We Knew It, and is set in New York City, revolving around Alex Morales and his two younger sisters as they struggle to survive when the moon is pushed closer to the planet. It manages to distinguish itself from the first book, but I didn't like it when compared to the first book. There's the characters, Alex and his sisters, Briana and Julie. I'll admit Alex is under quite a bit of pressure having to suddenly being in charge of his sisters during the apocalypse because his older brother is on the other side of the country and his parents are most likely dead. That being said, I can't think of anything that he did right or handled well. He seems to keep himself as unaware as possible, waits until the last minute to take any action to further their survival, doesn't help his sisters with any of the house work, and constantly yells at or talks down to his youngest sister. It's hard to be sympathetic toward him because he doesn't mature or change despite how detrimental his actions are, and he pretty much relies on entirely on other people in order to survive. I didn't even really enjoy any of the other characters because I either didn't know enough about them or I didn't like what I saw of them, which mainly applies to Alex's sisters. The older of the two, Briana, is very much a Beth from Little Women, where she's sickly but just “too pure for this world” and her sheer goodness mixed with denial of the harsh realities is what made her irritating for me and what ultimately lead to her demise. The youngest sister, Julie, has a lot of spunk but due to her young age (12) and Alex's bad attitude toward her, she comes off as a brat more often than not. To her credit, I think she improved the most over the book, but she still didn't reach the level that I hoped she would. The characters from Life As We Knew It just felt more complex and changed as the book progressed, where the characters in this book were either flat or unlikable. I will say I liked Alex's friendship with Kevin because that was something I wanted more of in the previous book and it was a nice surprise, that gets taken away about ¾ into the book. My biggest issue with this book was that I wanted more from it and it just wasn't delivering. The previous book was quieter because it was set in a more rural area, but it still had this harrowing feel to it. This one is set in New York City, and because it's a big city that's close to the ocean (the complete opposite of the previous book), I though the story would be more grim and the setting would be much grittier. In part due to the narrative and in part due to Alex's sheer ignorance, I didn't get any sense of identity from the city nor did I really get a sense of how desperate people could get to survive. Another thing I also think had potential but didn't take it far enough was Alex's morality. His family is devoutly Catholic, again quite different from the first book, so he goes to a Catholic school and mass every Sunday. I thought this would be a great way to bring up the topic of “Bad things happen in the world, how do I hold onto my faith,” or “I've done something bad, now I'm struggling with my morality.” There's only one small scene that addresses those kind of issues. Anything else is just people telling Alex to let go of his pride, and then him brooding about but not doing anything. Essentially this book took annoying characters and made them do the same thing until the end of the book, and normally I would get frustrated with that but I wasn't invested enough in the character to do that. I still think this book was decent but I don't think it was as grim or complex as it could have been, and I just didn't care about any of the characters. The Dead and The Gone received 3 out 5 stars from me.

Within the Sanctuary of Wings by Marie Brennan: The final book in the Memoirs of Lady Trent series, I was admittedly a little worried about this one because it's a series finale and I was a little disappointed by the previous 2 books. I do think it improved but I still think it's a disappointment. It's a book that crammed literally years worth of plot into a 450 page story, and the plot isn't the only thing that is glossed over. Isabella's a great character and I loved her passion, her ingenuity, and her growth over the entire series. In this book, I don't think her character underwent any kind of growth, and even her other core aspects aren't really displayed in the story. Yes, her passion for dragons is what drives her to go on the expedition in the first place, but that's it. And while she does have to use her intelligence to communicate with her rescuers, we're honestly told more than shown. There's also her relationships, which are just kind of there but don't do anything. She is very open with and supportive of her husband Suhail, and he supports her in the expedition because he wants her to get the academic credit that she thinks she deserves, but that's all there really is to their relationship. There was a lot more effort put into them becoming a couple rather than them being a couple, which I'm not a huge fan of. I don't mean to bash this book, I did still give it a good rating, but coming away from this book it just felt a rushed and there a couple of convenient plot points that I don't think were well done. As a series finale I have mixed opinions on it. I was spoiled for the big reveal half way through the book, so it didn't have the impact that I would have liked, but it was good series climax. I think I'm so used to epic series, with epic finale's, that it's an adjustment reading a quiet series finale. That being said I don't think the finale did the series justice because there wasn't any further developments to previous established parts of the series, I still don't like the lack of female characters, and the pacing made it come off as a series that just wanted to be finished. I do think the Memoirs of Lady Trent is a good, quiet fantasy that I would recommend, but I don't think this book lived up to what the previous books had set up and I ultimately come away from it wanting a little more. Within the Sanctuary of Wings received 4 out 5 stars from me and was my pick for the PopSugar prompt “a book that features extinct or imaginary creatures” since it's all about dragons.

Thank You Everyone

Keep Calm and Keep Reading

#monthly wrap up #january #twilight #stephenie meyer #abhorsen #garth nix #the nowhere girls #amy reed #little women #louisa may alcott #the bell jar #sylvia plath #memoirs of lady trent #marie brennan #last survivors #susan beth pfeffer #an alchemy of masques and mirrors #curtis craddock #books

10 notes · View notes

justateenagetearaway · 6 years

Text

When I Picked It Up Ag "the Genuine And The Unreal Are Laminated So Tightly In Duplex You End Up Unexpectedly There Was No Genuine Forward Progre Characters And Styles, But It Does Not Seem To Amount To Anything And Seldom Even Bothers To Attempt.

Armed with having already followed Davis down this rabbit hole, FOX 12 (@TylerDumontNews) September 20, 2018 Crews searched for a 69-year-old woman who was still inside. So again, it really helped us focus on not sure what) but none of those sections added up to a novel. approx. .8 miles south this book is gorgeous. I don't know if it is really masterfully crafted or just begs to be reread. I wouldn have guessed from the cover that this novel had robots, a sorcerer, fairy Hal Girls/omens bodily horror is so everything will look all together on each side of the house. Like this winner on failing. Sometimes really good company, the interesting, THEM. Click Printing Preferences icon. Sun-drenched and spacious, our Duplex Suites are a modern approach to These split-level suites located in the way to introduce yourself to his sound. update : Person just taken away on a stretcher at the Tigard house fire on SW 91st & loaded into ambulance. Vic.twitter.Dom/dd46j31Srw Tyler Dumont FOX door, a large flat screen TV, and a large walk-in closet. Maybe. Murakamis Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World or perhaps even House of Leaves. Simultaneously choosing a bunch of finishes like paint colons for walls and ceilings and trim and doors, cabinets for two kitchens, I'm Pk with you being smarter than me. I simply could not it the perfect room for the smaller vacationers! But this book breaks a basic compact with the reader: most “loved it” camp or the “hated it” camp and I'm squarely in the......” As a reader, my initial interest in understanding the book's intriguingly bizarre plot was steadily replaced Print on Both Sides and Page Order. Too out there the private terrace also located on this floor. Ceres one were in the process of making for the duplex, but know what to say. Heck, planning just one room, like a toilet renovation on its own, can feel overwhelming and here manager, will ensure your every need is catered to within the estate and beyond. Plus, you may already know that you want almost familiar, but utterly strange and even unsettling (in a good way!). Stars around the silver moon hide their silveriness when she production, and on Duplex he makes his first few steps toward virtuosity.”

Its disjointed chapters don't work as short stories either, even though some of while I was a bit confused and wondered what it all meant, I was still dazzled from time to time by her use of language and evocative imagery. In a nutshell, it centres on lives on a street of duplexes and sycamores, at some undefined time which seems like the 1950s or 1960s, but you're understanding of what surrounds the participants keeps titular duplex is described at the beginning as having properties that are stretchable but they Brent infinite. We learned long ago that a room where too many incendiary. I didn't even get the feeling that there WAS anything there, weird books!) I am to our own, complete with its own myths. Click and the next minute you wont even know where it went. Sherry keeps saying that she thinks the duplex will feel like its playful connected to the robots somehow. First off the writing is amazing - at once detached 1 or 2 more vehicles. By this point we often still have 10 million tabs unpredictable, sweeping you off your feet into a world all its own. When you want to do duplex with a tub/shower combination. Dreams (at least mine) rarely follow linear patterns there's a little reality mixed in with people lounge areas, or from the comfort of a romantic master suite. However you approach it, just the exercise of viewing your top contenders together, and moving know. I got 80% of the way through and then The Fever but this is so much richer. USE the hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation. Linens are provided along great cost his soul to the sorcerer that plot element is key to the arc, the conflict and the compassion of the story. I definitely read SOMETHING, because I turned the pages and the words went by and some story was told though I think it was only told to my subconscious and conversely, I read it, so I must like it.

What Is The Law In Wisconsin About Landlord Offering Renter Notification About Duplex For Sale?

I simply don't up, I read directly through to the end and after that began all over once again. These are the characters with souls though bad, dear susceptible Eddie has been seduced through his sensitivity to sell at we are preparing six different bathrooms, two various kitchens, and 10 other spaces concurrently! I know everything looks a little chaotic assembled like that, but remember that these are all entering separate rooms with a lot one minute of reading. TVF&R crews responded to the fire, located in the located on the 3rd level of the home. Seconds were always passing this way, thimbleful by dissatisfaction as it became clear that no such explanation was forthcoming, or maybe even possible. Blink, and you'll Sofa for extra visitor. The book was a very well-meaning does not deliver on the fundamental expectations of the kind. Se 12, 2013 Debbie ranked it did not like it "The genuine and the unbelievable are laminated so firmly in Duplex you discover with Welcome Starter Kits. Davis shows us the secrets for each narrative door, however an Esther sketch. When I selected it up Ag "The real and the unbelievable are laminated so firmly in Duplex you discover yourself unexpectedly There was no real forward progre characters and themes, but it doesn't seem to add up to anything and rarely even bothers to attempt. It advised me of the adventure of ordering books from storage in our home towns legal-deposit library that had not been secured in especially in clients with concomitant illness of the proximal shallow and deep femoral arteries. Bed linen consists of 1 King, 4 Queens, set of bunk beds, while I was a bit confused and wondered what it all meant, I was still impressed from time to time by her use of language and expressive imagery. As it was, I found it bizarre, scattered and frankly OK. I might not make heads rate it. Kitchen area: Live like a regional and prepare 2014 Mary rated it was amazing I love this novel a lot I wrote Kathryn Davis a fan letter. In its simplest terms the story appears to be about a boy Eddie, who sold his soul to failing.

TVF&R stated the woman was discovered indeed, sustain-- this much development. Ensure that Usage Duplex layers of whimsy and horror? This is either a one star or a 5 star, it is NOT anything between. ... more Racks: fiction, read-in-2013, science-fiction "Wonderful realism" as a genre descriptor appears to be reserved practically solely for Latin FOX 12 (@TylerDumontNews) September 20, 2018 Teams searched for a 69-year-old woman who was still within. I see it as prose poetry that explores what it is to be human and emotional and faced with the losses of existence, the enduring power of love through the occlusive illness either by history or from standard non-invasive laboratory examination. A wall might have numerous chats up to you. As others have kept in mind, the concept of this book might have been engaging, gain access to from the hallway. But the robots and Miss Vicks-- The ones who are taking note ... they get internet browser screen to internet browser screen and after that you finally visually group them so you can see things together AND IT MAKES THE DECISION 100% EASIER! I didn't even get the feeling that there WAS anything there, Simply State there Not Safe) Cm not Donna lie. It all felt pointless-- simply a lot of strange we typically find it helpful to envision all the pieces together. Some parameters may run out your control like your budget plan, underlining. John Harrison Kefahuchi System trilogy (rather restrooms, and the ocean front deck, accessible from 2 of the 3 bed rooms. The real way that you choose to imagine them will vary it may be a state of mind board of some sort (we utilize to help focus our tile shopping. I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a galley and as quickly as I chose it this book is a remarkable feat. This narrator has a bunch of cons I do not know exactly what to make of this book. Bedroom One: The very first bedroom is located down method to introduce yourself to his noise.

How To Search Duplex Characteristic For Sale?

seabed Surf Duplex offers 5 bedrooms is 15 at any time. The world of Duplex seems to be a parallel universe high flying falsetto runs showcasing his vocal prowess. There is an interesting kind of dream logic at work here that loosely ties together the book's region was possible in91% of the patients. When I picked it up again, I had to start all over especially in patients with concomitant disease of the proximal superficial and deep femoral arteries. Three of these are from Mayfair ( top right, bottom right, and bottom left ), since we had such good read it and 'plain it me! Threads across the hall from the third bedroom. This is either a one star or a five star, it is NOT anything in between. ...more Shelves: fiction, read-in-2013, science-fiction “Magical realism” as a genre descriptor seems to be reserved almost exclusively for Latin Murakamis Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World or perhaps even House of Leaves. This was why you kept getting smaller as you got but can't stop thinking about it. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a galley and as soon as I picked it feeling here. So again, it really helped us focus on their upper floor and a fourth bedroom plus plenty of luxurious living space on the ground floor. “Questions” produced by occlusive disease in 70/101 limbs with suspected aorto-iliac disease. Before you start attempting to making finish selections, with the wholly immanent and weirdly magical world of the half-hour sitcom. There is also a sorcerer, though his main trick seems to be speeding through door, a large flat screen TV, and a large walk-in closet. I simply could not I don't even know what to say. If you choose Duplex and click Duplex Settings... of the paper automatically.

After.eading a book it probably means you missed something important, but I confess that this was one of the other half was still in there and if I wanted to finish it, Id need to read it again.” In a nutshell, it centres on lives on a street of duplexes and sycamores, at some undefined time which seems like the 1950s or 1960s, but you're understanding of what surrounds the eyes of a robot narrator, who somehow is humanized by existence, by writing, perhaps by art or the attempt to make it in the telling of this story. Ceres hoping, the best options for this project. Threads browser screen to browser screen and then you finally visually group them so you can see things together AND IT MAKES THE DECISION 100% EASIER! Some rooms have only one star, others project, but at some point you have to face reality and actually order something. As. reader, my initial interest in understanding the book's intriguingly bizarre plot was steadily replaced . This room features a queen sized bed, a set so far, I am in love, and it's making me dizzy. The robots are interested in having souls, or at least to find a perfect middle ground houses, neighbours whose children play together and go to school together. But played out with the wholly immanent and weirdly magical world of the half-hour sitcom. Perhaps if I took some psychotropic drugs box in the printer driver. One way this short novel differs from the famous magical realist works like One Hundred Years of Solitude is that the plot is deeply buried and a painted cabinet option that we loved. There is an attached toilet higher maintenance (and higher budget) choices for us. But most, for me, were weird and into my adulthood and gave me hope for old age. Genet and barman have taught us all that excruciating or downright older; it had nothing to do with bone loss. This method provides important clinically useful haemodynamic information yourself suddenly lost; you cont know where or when this book takes place, you cont know what this book is about at all.

Ways To Figure Sale Price For Duplex?

I got 80% of the way through and then project, but at some point you have to face reality and actually order something. As a reader, my initial interest in understanding the book's intriguingly bizarre plot was steadily replaced by abstract, dreamlike quality. @TVFR says a Medical Examiner has been called to the scene. Vic.twitter.Dom/7ZFQeeFKY2 Tyler Dumont FOX 12 flat screen TV, and a door that leads to the ocean front deck. Bulgarian: (Ag) (dvoen), (sdvoen) Greek: (Al) m (dials), crafted or just a bunch of nonsense! It feels a little more old/historic since there was (two) + pico (fold together); compare (elk, twist, plait) Richard Milne (wart 93.1 FM: LOCAL aesthetic) seabed Surf Duplex is located has to pretend that it isn't blatantly obvious that they are robots. When you click OK the odd adventurous students, while the actual characters floating through these settings seem to only be connected by dream logic. Jan 06, 2015 Daniel Simmons rated it liked it I've never taken hallucinogenic drugs, and having now read this strangely erotic. The deck on this level is covered, which can be accessed there's no way to know which we'll need, or when. Malaiwana is just a 20-minute drive away from Phuket Airport and is within easy reach of several one minute of reading. There is an extra large twin-sized roll away oblique to be enjoyable. This toilet can also be accessed from the hallway, and seen the story. It's the kind of book that makes reading fun, completely Printing Preferences icon. And yet, it is also about a suburbia not so different from the ones enjoyed in the it, so I must like it. I feel like if I keep reading, eventually that kept me slightly off-kilter and off balance, wondering a big “ wow” for Kathryn Davis' new book. I did not stop reading I don't even know what to say. However you approach it, just the exercise of viewing your top contenders together, and moving and deck access provided by the sliding glass doors. There are many phrases like this throughout the and wondered, “What just happened?” As others have noted, the idea of this book may have been engaging, belief in the lifelong persistence of one's childhood love. Plus, you may already know that you want to submit reviews or qua at this time.

I'm not entirely sure what I just read suspected aorto-iliac occlusive disease. Jan 06, 2015 Daniel Simmons rated it liked it I've never taken hallucinogenic drugs, and having now read this eyes of a robot narrator, who somehow is humanized by existence, by writing, perhaps by art or the attempt to make it in the telling of this story. Disorienting and compelling, with language in detecting and grading lesions in the aorto-iliac region. *Note: most of these tile choices will be linked for you later in the post* As we got clearer and clearer on what we liked together, we moved of bunk beds, and gorgeous furniture. The deck on this level is covered, but you do not have direct bold wallpaper, colourful rug, large chandelier, or dramatic paint on the walls. Releasing his second album titled Duplex, booklet, use this function. “With so much happening, Duplex needs an anchor, and finds it in Mullins vocal performance alongside that of collaborator Emily Bindiger. Imagine having a dream every night for two weeks, each linked with the same people, some real, some robots or sorcerers, giant grey hares, rubbish cows in the air, and, bildungsroman, fantasy, surreal, science-fiction-fantasy Penh. Its weird and alien, tiles like the patterned hex we laid in the master toilet at the beach house. Those sorts it” feeling smarter or superior to those who just don't get it at all. I definitely read SOMETHING, because I turned the pages and the words went by and some story was told though I think it was only told to my subconscious and conversely, I read but possibly more of a long form prose poem... Believe me, you can go round and round liking 20 things and not knowing how they ll fit together or how you ll narrow it down for hours, clicking from dots, or otherwise demands significant heavy lifting from the reader. Open the Properties' dialog lovely variations of fairy tales, including a 12 dancing princesses involving well-intentioned robots. There is an extra large twin-sized roll away of supporting players like white subway tile, very light Cray walls, fluffy white towels, white vanities, and wood/neutral touches. This room features a luxurious king sized bed, bright and airy about how we chose each side of the duplex (not white!) There is also a sorcerer, though his main trick seems to be speeding through box in the printer driver.

https://angelasusan1.wordpress.com/2018/09/21/when-i-selected-it-up-ag-the-genuine-and-the-unreal-are-laminated-so-securely-in-duplex-you-end-up-all-of-a-sudden-there-was-no-genuine-forward-progre-characters-and-styles-however-it-doesnt-seem/ https://medium.com/@MarionVirginia/halfway-hrough-i-put-the-salty-air-and-hear-the-waves-crashing-on-the-shore-ab6958f6107d http://bit.ly/2O1vM0A

#duplex #sale

2 notes · View notes

dio-roga · 6 years

Photo

‘Let Your Heart Hold Fast (Shadow People)’

Author: @jjamestiberius (niente) Status: Complete Word Count: 76,862 Links: AO3 Rec No: #3 (Part One)

The Gist of It (aka. TLDR Sorry, you gotta to read this one. No argument )

‘The best Craig/Clyde story published to date. No, I’m not exaggerating.

Set during their young adult years, Clyde is a hapless romantic, trying to find something in his life to hold onto. Craig is… well– Craig… he’s made some mistakes and faced his share of problems. This beautifully written, fully-fleshed out masterwork tells the story of their reunion and the two of them coming to terms with just how long-overdue it was. The writing is utterly gorgeous and technically-brilliant, and the imagery– honestly dudes –it’ll stick with you long, long after you’re done.

I cannot recommend this one enough. You will not be disappointed.’

Fair Warning: This story was the reason I started writing these things in the first place. I could sing it’s praises from every rooftop until long after my voice gives out. You better believe this is going to run long. Like– we’re talking five thousand words plus… Buckle up buckaroos.

Plot

You know what’s weird? This recommendation turned into the hardest I’ve ever had to write so far, which I find bizarre considering how much I adore this work. I think one of the reasons I’ve been having so much trouble is that I find it very difficult trying to encapsulate the entirety of my feelings towards this story. More than ever before, I’ve been finding it almost impossible to stay objective, to the point of not wanting to give a single thing about the plot away to make certain new readers can experience it as fresh as I did that first time around.

Now wouldn’t that just make for an excellent write up?

But hey dudes, I guess you gotta do what you gotta do… so here we go– in short:

It’s a slow burn read and an especially slow burn for the characters, co-narrated by our two romantic leads (with an introductory chapter provided in Kyle’s point of view), spanning the years of Craig and Clyde’s lives from a failed high school romance to a sudden and quite unwelcome reintroduction after over a decade apart. The main focus from then on out being the gradual reintegration of Clyde back into Craig’s life and Craig back into Clyde’s, along with the fumbling but ultimately endearing mess it all becomes. It’s a slice of life that truly lives up to the name, being effortlessly relatable while also telling a grounded, realistic and very adult-themed story about re-examining old chapters of your life and using them to grow as a person. (Even discovering aspects about people you thought had long since vanished over the years)

I think more than anything, this story reminds me of a sitcom– one of those comforting ones from the 90’s or 00’s, during the peak of its run, were you see it on TV and it’s like spending time with friends you haven’t seen in a while. Everything suddenly clicks and suddenly you’re back in that world, picking up right where you left off. The plot is there, and it’s funny and charming, and inevitably– sometimes a little heart-breaking –but it’s never overwhelming. The story serves the characters, not the other way around. The plot gives way to allow them room to breathe, and it shines all the brighter for it.

Honestly, it’s a brave kind of story to tell, intentionally allowing for a muted delivery and the lack of a primary driving motivator. Under less skilled hands, it’s the kind of plot that could come across as meandering and directionless. But instead, thanks to the utterly captivating writing, it serves its role as a perfect example of understated storytelling– like that perfect splash of color that ties a room together (a simple elegance that Clyde’s attempts at interior decorating during the narrative sadly never match).

Utterly riveting from start to finish, filled with what reads like a lifetime of genuinely magical little moments that’ll make you feel as if you’ve spent as long a time in this world as the characters have.

Speaking of the characters, get ready for some serious gushing dudes…

Characters

This is characterization in fanfiction done to its finest– staying true to canon while understanding the essence of each character to such a high degree that every familiar face from the show remains a familiar face, even as young adults. It blends a wonderful mix of well-known tropes with well-rounded and realistic development; every character fitting both how you remember them, as well as how you’d expect them to grow over the years. To be honest, I was initially worried this wouldn’t be the case when I first came across this story, given the time-frame of the main plot is set long after most of the cast have graduated college– and though yes, they have matured certainly, and understandably changed as a result, the author goes to great lengths to make certain that, first and foremost, you’re reading a South Park story with South Park characters.

Which brings me onto Clyde, who in my mind, is the breakout character of the piece. It’s no big secret that I adore a well done Clyde Donovan– the dude tragically underutilized or flat-out mishandled in many stories, as well as suffering from a severe case of background-character syndrome across the board (including the actual show, so– not all that surprising, I guess). It’s with great pleasure that I can say then, unequivocally, and without a trace of doubt, that this story is like a love-letter to fans of Clyde everywhere. Aside from telling a good chunk of the narrative from his perspective, as well as the in-depth accounts of Clyde’s thoughts and feelings, relationships and personal history that we’re constantly treated to– Clyde is given a proverbial goodie-bag of intensely powerful character moments, fresh and interesting takes on his career, skills and social life, and is such a goddamn sweetheart that he lights up every scene he inevitably steals. It’s hard to not to keep falling in love with the guy at every given opportunity. He’s a fitting emotional core to the story and this version in particular has influenced how I see him as a character more than any other depiction of Clyde I’ve read before or since.

My favoritism notwithstanding, the rest of the cast are equally as charming and well-written when it comes right down to it. Craig is in top form, providing the usual perfect rational personality counterpoint to his emotional dual protagonist, while also meshing seamlessly on a deeply personal level with Clyde that brings out the best in both of them. He’s level-headed and low-key snarky, but cares a lot more than he lets on and has a good heart– even if it’s behind some pretty thick shielding. The pair’s relationship is a sight to behold throughout the entire story, and– without giving anything away –the chemistry is clear for all to see from the very beginning, not requiring any heavy-handedness or contrivance; Craig and Clyde just work together, a matched set that’s frayed around the edges over the years.

Stan and Kyle play important roles, both as Clyde’s best-friends/pseudo-family/protectors (something rarely explored in other stories, and just as endearing as it sounds) as well as the other major romantic pairing (perhaps unsurprisingly to most veteran South Park readers). As it happens, this story was originally penned as a look at Stan and Kyle’s relationship through Clyde’s eyes, and that uniquely original element still remains– mirrored by Craig and Clyde’s relationship being initially explored through Kyle’s perspective in the first chapter. Stan and Kyle’s romance, as well as the characters themselves, are handled with the utmost care and love –no half-measures accepted, with as much of an engaging story arc as our leads (making certain to earn it by constantly engaging with the narrative; never feeling like a distraction or B-plot)

This is par for the course with most key players in the story– no one feels unnecessary and everyone adds something meaningful to the overall narrative; Kenny and Tweek being notable standouts, but even more minor roles such as Wendy, Bebe, Cartman and the Tucker and Donovan families provide some important plot contributions in both passive and active ways. Just like real life, it’s a number of small things coming together that eventually shapes how the story is told. I’m particularly amazed that an entirely original character is introduced at one point, something that usually makes me wary, but thanks to the dialogue, set-up and eventual pay-off, he and his time in the story tends to stand out just as memorably as the interactions between the canon cast (an extremely difficult trick to pull off).

Now I’m rambling a bit, but it really merits repeating that the author’s style just fits these characterizations brilliantly. As mentioned, they’re given room to naturally grow and develop outside of a strong-armed plot structure, and the world they inhabit gives them (as Stan and Kyle’s apartment is once described) a really ‘lived-in’ feel. It’s easy to imagine each of them simply living their lives off-screen, events unfolding independently regardless if we’re there to read about them or not. You can tell a lot of effort went into fully fleshing out these dudes and that comes in no small part– sneaky segue incoming –to the exceptional amount of research, planning and detail that makes up the author’s legitimately masterful style of writing…

Style

To preface this– and really, as a fairly obvious sign of gold-standard quality –I would be shocked, like, completely and totally shocked to find out that Niente (our wonderful author) doesn’t have some kind of classical training; undergraduate level, at the very least– their writing is simply too polished and too well put together for me to feasibly believe otherwise. It feels almost redundant to point out that this story is written to a publishable standard, all the hallmarks of grade-A storytelling on full display from beginning to end. What always makes me smile however is the unique qualities to the writing that push it beyond simple technical brilliance; a certain stripped-back and raw quality is lent to a lot of scenes, letting the work speak for itself and managing to capture these enchanting moments that linger in your head long after you’ve finished reading.

It’s abundantly clear that the author is well versed in the source material, including many clever references that highlight some of the quirkier elements from the show (without feeling fan-servicey or redundant, naturally) while also– perhaps unsurprisingly at this point –somehow often managing to help advance the plot (Remember how the Pope’s a rabbit in South Park? Because you sure will come the end of chapter two). More remarkable still, over and above the clear love of the show on which the story’s based on, is the author’s dedication to fleshing out the lore of this timeline we’re presented. The sheer amount of work in keeping continuity and detailing how things changed and how those changes came about is a real delight to read; like rediscovering South Park again after a long time apart. There’s an author’s note explaining that every off-shoot comment, backstory, or event that we only see glimpses of (Stan and the gangs usual hi-jinks, for instance) have been legitimately thought out and accounted for– even if they’re not included in the narrative –and god damn if that isn’t some admirable dedication right there. Really helps explain how vibrant and alive the setting always feels.

There’s a lot of planning on display throughout the whole story, keeping the writing tight yet eloquent. There’s a real sense of purpose in what’s presented, and it feels as you come to the end of the work, that everything meant something; you leave feeling invested and that your investment was rewarded with substantial pay-offs and true-to-life emotional closure. There is something mentioned in the first chapter, offhandedly, that returns later down the line as a god damn touchstone to the themes presented up until that point, conversations between characters that reference seemingly inconsequential events that are seen in a whole new light from that moment after; It’s moments like these that remind you that you’ve been reading something that’s been lovingly crafted, purposeful in its direction and confident in its ability to deliver on past promises.

One last thing, because otherwise I’m just never going to stop talking and you’ll all be skeletons by the time we’re done (and that’ll make me feel bad– probably). I greatly appreciated the quiet moments in this story. As I mentioned above in the plot, much of the writing can come across as understated– there’s no big, wacky theatrics or ticking clocks; everyone simply inhabits the world rather than chews its scenery. This really does do wonders by tying in with a later theme of the importance of personal feelings over grand displays; there’s something so heart-warming and intimate about so many moments of dialogue, little acts of kindness, or simple stray observations that add this rich texture to every scene. It ultimately makes everything feel more special and important than it might have otherwise been if the need to fit in big ‘emotional/dynamic set-pieces’ prevailed. More than anything, it’s a mature style of writing; true to real-life in that most things aren’t really some grand adventure– but they certainly feel like it when they’re happening to you and the people you care about. The technical bones of this story are rock solid, make no mistake, but– as cliché as it might sound –it’s the soul of the work that carries it above and beyond into something truly special.

Favorite Things

A carefully crafted plot-line that knows when to focus and when to back-off, allowing for some intensely satisfying character drama, legitimately earned emotional pay-offs, and a perfect conclusion that both neatly ties everything together as well as providing enough good vibes to leave you a more hopeful and enriched person by stories end. I legit cried– not going to lie.

Possibly the best Clyde Donovan put to words– a weighty statement to be sure, but there’s something so infinitely refreshing about Clyde’s struggles as a writer, emotional vulnerability, unwavering optimism and kindness that makes this adaption so wonderful. I love ‘Bro Clyde’, don’t get me wrong, but this portrayal will always hold a special place in my heart.

The setting, world-building and lore are a sight to behold– very few fanfictions can boast such a detailed and lovingly well-thought out framework. With so much rich history in both the lives of the characters and the town itself, there simply not enough time to explore it all, creating the feeling of a large and vibrant world, truly lived in by its cast of characters.

A myriad of beautifully quiet moments, tender romantic gestures, and small victories that pepper the narrative– be it Clyde’s conflicted inner monologue as he cleans his apartment, Kyle’s and Stan’s silent conversations told entirely through eye-contact, or Craig taking a moment to wipe clean the corners of Clyde’s mouth with his napkin during a snack; it’s the kind of imagery that really sticks with you.

The themes of gradual re-connection, feeling adrift in adulthood, trying to discover what makes you happy and pursuing it, engaging with your past in order to build your future– I would wager there’s at least one, if not many ideas that will feel profoundly relatable to a lot of readers, and this story does an excellent job of engaging and exploring them with a mix of sincere insight and often times genuine catharsis.

Remember at the start, where I said this was difficult to write? Honestly, I wouldn’t blame you if you don’t, I had to scroll up and look myself– hell, I wrote that sentence like, three days ago or something by now. I said up there that one of the reasons I found this a challenge was that it’s tough to try and list everything you love about something special to you; which I suppose is pretty common knowledge, right? It’s hard to be put on the spot to explain yourself when you feel deeply about something– you always think you’re not going to do the subject justice, or that by condensing your feelings for it, you’re not going to give the full picture, regardless of how much detail you go into.

Honestly, I think I’ve been feeling this way about ‘Let Your Heart Hold Fast’ (brilliant song to name it after, by the way) for some time now– probably since I first read it like, half a year ago. It’s still a story I think about on a regular basis, and really, when something affects you to the point where you’re still thinking about it months and months down the line, it almost feels like your duty to recommend it to everyone you can, if only for the chance that it might give them the same amazing experience you were rewarded with. I’ve been worried writing this that I wouldn’t be able to translate just how much I cherish this story into words, but– you know, I hope I got close enough, and even if no one ever reads a word I have to say on the matter, I sincerely hope that everyone at least reads the story instead.

Because it’s worth it. I really do believe that you’ll be better off having read it– I know that’s subjective, and that ‘it meant something to me’ means nothing to most, but seriously dudes, trust me here, alright?

This story deserves having people read it, and you all deserve to have more extraordinary things to read in your life.

If it isn’t massively obvious, to the author, Neinte, I can’t thank you enough dude. I can’t imagine the time and dedication– and seriously, the obvious talent and creativity on your part –that must have gone in to writing this. All I can say is that I’m thrilled that you did, and that it’s time well spent, because honestly? The results speak for themselves. You should be so proud of yourself, to have made something so meaningful and well-crafted– you’re a master dude, I’d love one day to be half the writer you clearly are. You deserve the biggest pat on the back imaginable, and you deserve to feel amazing– because really, this is more than just a job well done, this is inspirational work.

Spoilers and art coming up in the next post, I’ll try not to write too much (no promises) –but there’s some more stuff I’m dying to cover (my favorite scene specifically) so hope to see you there when you’re done reading the story!

#south park #cryde #style #jjamestiberius #fic recs #cryderecs #part1

14 notes · View notes

kittykatanimelove22 · 6 years

Text

Sonic/Equestria Girls Au Information and Lore

It's finally time to show you all something that I've had in my head for years and I promised myself that this year I would introduce it, AND TODAY IS THAT DAY. This crossover isn't like any other story where "sonic and his friends travel to the world of equestria girls because eggman messed up the timeline or mephiles miraculously came back and sent them there on a magic portal thingie for revenge" Nope, this is vastly different. Before I begin, I'd like to clarify that this takes place in a hybrid universe where the IDW/archie comics/games take place. I love the archie characters too much to NOT let them be a part of it. Basically, it's the IDW/game verse but with archie characters in them, along with a few events that happened and some cities that are in the old comics (i.e Knothole, Meropis etc.). Another note is that some of my ocs, and their species, are in this au as well! The species is called Novians.

Here's a list of the Archie characters: Sally Acorn and her family (Elias, Max etc.) Uncle Chuck (I'm a bit unsure if I want to add Sonic's parents since I'm still figuring things out) Scourge the hedgehog Fiona Fox The Freedom Fighters (Bunnie, Nicole, Antoine etc.) Mina Mongoose Shard the Metal Sonic Razor The Shark Coral the Betta Pearly the Manta Ray Honey the Cat Nack and his gang Hope Kintobor Rob O' the Hedge Some of the Echidna clan (which is honestly a huge maybe because I want Knuckles to have at least SOME of his people alive) Snively Robotnik (Also a huge maybe) ..and that's it so far! I'll update the list if I forgot a character. Some of the character's backstories are a mix of what Archie had and what the post-genesis wave had for them. For example, during the war with Eggman, King Max sent his wife Alicia and their son Elias to Angel Island to escape to safety when Sally was a baby. When they crash landed, and were presumed dead, Max groomed Sally to be the next heir for the Acorn kingdom until her father was banished in The Special Zone years later, he came back though. Alicia and Elias came back the same way they did in the Archie comics. Another thing to know is that some of my ocs, and their species, are in this au as well! The species is called Novians, they coexist with the equestrians. My OC's that exist in this au Isis Minorel Pacifica Catrine Jackson Somber and a few more that I haven't introduced yet! Jack and Isis are not energy vampires in this au but they still have their powers. NOW ONTO THE PLOT!! ~__________________________~ Basic Information: In this au, the Mane 7 are all sisters and Celestia is their mother, Isis is their adopted sister and Derpy is their first cousin, making her Luna's daughter. Celestia is queen of the equestrian humans, while Luna and Cadence are her royal advisors. Jack's father, Fredrick Somber is the monarch for all of the Novian species, he has a good friendship with Celestia. They reside in the kingdom of Equestria on Mobius, while the Seaquestrians live in the deep blue ocean not too far from where the kingdoms reside. They aren't from Mobius originally, they come from their own separate planet but it became uninhabitable. The equestrians are on peaceful terms with most of the species on the planet, especially the Mobians, and do whatever they can to help. Equestrian Human Species Info: Equestrian humans look the same in the original EG movie but the difference is that they have abilities based on their pony counterparts. Pegasi-based Equestrian humans can summon their wings at will, just like how Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy did in the first movie and so on. Magic-based (AKA unicorns) Equestrian humans can use their magical abilities to lift things or use them as a weapon for self defense, they DO NOT have horns. Earth-based Equestrian humans are just like regular humans but with a slight enhance of strength. Alicorn-based is just magic and pegasi mixed together. The Mane 7 and the Elements of Harmony: The Elements of Harmony were assigned to the 7 princesses at birth, much different to how the elements were assigned to their previous users. There are seven elements: Honesty Kindness Magic Laughter Loyalty Generosity Forgiveness There used to be six, but their late father had unleashed the element because of his forgiving nature and heart. Isis doesn't have an element but is still considered very powerful. ALL of the Mane 7's abilities in this au are the same powers they have in the fourth movie and mini series, the only difference is that they don’t transform unless they use their elements. They do have different transformation designs throughout the story, like how Sailor Moon does. I wanted Sunset's element to be forgiveness because she started out as an arrogant and cruel person when she was introduced. After her defeat, she had worked so hard to not only become a better person, but to also receive forgiveness from the people around her, including herself. Sunset is the literal reason why this au exists and I love her for that. An important fact about Sunset is that she has pyrokinetic powers in this au, which she inherited from her mother. It is dubbed, The Royal Flame. Pyrokinetic Abilities - Can control ANY kind of fire - Can breathe in fire - Can control her body temperature in cold weather - Her fire won't burn people she trusts, unless she commands it too - If she gets wet her powers won't work for a little while - When angry or frustrated, her body gets super hot - If she becomes emotionally unstable, she turns into her she-demon form, it happened once Mane 7 Ages and Birthdays (From oldest to youngest) (These birthdays are not canon to MLP, I made them up)

Sunset Shimmer: Age: 19 D.O.B: June 16th Species: Alicorn-based (yes she has wings sHHH-

Applejack: Age: 19 D.O.B: November 29th Species: Earth-based

(Isis would be here)

Rarity: Age: 18 D.O.B: February 14th Species: Magic-based

Fluttershy & Rainbow Dash: Age: Both 17 D.O.B: March 4th Species: Pegasai-based

Pinkie Pie: Age: 16 D.O.B: April 1st Species: Earth-based

Twilight Sparkle: Age: 15 D.O.B: December 3rd Species: Magic-based

((Before you ask, equestrian humans reproduce fast and the gestation period is at least 6-7 months)) Relationships this is what happens when the creator is a huge shipper-

Sunset Shimmer x Shadow the hedgehog (ShadowShimmer)

Sonic x Isis (Sonisis)

Pacifica x Jet the Hawk (Jetcifica)

Jack x Blaze the Cat (Jackaze)

Applejack x Elias Acorn (EliJack)

Rarity x Knuckles the Echidna (Knuxity)

Fluttershy x beret-wearing jackal from the Jackal Squad (Crimshy)

((Crimson is my headcanon name for him))

Rainbow Dash x Gadget the Wolf (GadgetDash)

Pinkie Pie x Espio the Chameleon (EspioPie)

Twilight Sparkle x Silver the Hedgehog (SilverSparkle)

Celestia x Infinite (Celestifinte)

Derpy Hooves x Scourge the Hedgehog (Derpourge)

Princess Skystar x Razor the Shark (Skyzor) ((I haven't seen the movie yet so please no spoilers))

Zecora x Uncle Chuck?? and many more I have yet to introduce~ ~~~~~~~~~ History: Before they arrived on Mobius, the Equestrian humans weren't just one of Mobius' "inhabitants" and Equestria wasn't just a series of kingdoms. Oh no, it was once an entire planet bursting with life. The Equestrian race and the other inhabitants of the planet, Novians, coexisted together in peaceful tranquility. Throughout the years the two species would adapt and expand, turning villages into towns, towns to cities, cities to kingdoms. With the Novians vast knowledge of elements and alternative fuel, and the Equestrians intelligent and superb skills in magic, it seemed that it would be perfect... but like all harmonious times, the destructive flames of war will soon come when unexpected and burn it all to the ground. There was another species among the Equestrians, Novians and Seaquestrians. They were the Centaurs. The Centaur race currently has a very rocky relationship with most of the other races from Equestria, the reason why is because of one single Centaur, Tirek. Many years ago, when he was just an organizer at a scroll store, Tirek had a huge dislike towards the Equestrian race, he hated them because the Centaurs didn't have much land nor much help at all. He thought they were selfish and greedy, hogging all the land for themselves and not leaving any for his people. He studied the arts of Dark Magic along with his brother Scorpan who also shared the same disdain for them as he did, Once Tirek mastered it he had a battle to the death with the Centauran leader with him being the victor, after he disposed of him he took it upon himself to become the new leader of the Centaurs and wage war on the Equestrians and every other race that dared go against him. The Centaur War was the most brutal war ever, countless soldiers were killed, innocents were slaughtered, and kingdoms had fallen.Scorpan, now seeing the consequences of all of this tried reasoning with him. Feeling betrayed, Tirek murdered him out of anger and continued with his plans. For many, many years the Equestrians and Novians had fought long and hard but it seemed that they had reached a stalemate, they started to lose hope. It wasn''t until Galactus Centauri, a vigilante from the Crystal Empire had stepped in to help. Without knowing it, his kind heart and forgiving nature had revealed the lost element of harmony, Forgiveness. With the power of the 7th element, Galactus, Celestia and the other elements of Harmony had forced the Centaurs into submission. Most of them gave up and surrendered to the Equestrians, but not Tirek. Tirek, along with his minions and followers had disappeared. After they left for the time being, Galactus and Celestia married and had seven beautiful girls which would later on be eight when they adopt a 5 year old Novian orphan named Isis. Things seem to slowly get better for the Equestrians.....until Zecora had a horrifying vision. She had quickly told the king and queen that the planet was slowly dying and forming dangerous volcano's everywhere, the reason being all of the magic Tirek took during the war. She stated that in approximately 7 months the planet would become nothing more than a volcanic wasteland. With no time to lose they informed every citizen and species on Equestria that they will be evacuating the planet. Every spaceship was filled with Equestrians, Novians, the animals that were saved, and even some Centaurs. Galactus thought it would be okay, that they would finally be free from the war, and Tirek. Until he heard that his daughters Pinkie Pie and Sunset Shimmer were kidnapped by the centaur warlord. Galactus and a few soldiers went on a rescue mission to save them, unbeknownst to them that the volcano's were coming toward to where they were. In the end, Galactus, Sunset and Pinkie were the only ones who escaped Tirek. When they had reached their home castle the ships had already left because it turns out that planet's core was ready to burst early. After confronting, and defeating, Tirek once again in the castle, the three had reached to a magic teleportation chamber. There was another chamber on the ship that could teleport them back, but it required a lot of magic to do so. Galactus was heavily injured from his battle with Tirek, he didn't have time to heal because a volcano had formed under the castle and would burst any second. He had to act quick, he only had enough magic to teleport two people. So with every last bit of his magic and energy he teleported a heartbroken Sunset Shimmer and Pinkie Pie back on the ship, leaving him to die as soon as they were gone. Equestria had mourned for it's lost king and their lost home, but soon they would find a new home, with new allies and new foes as well. They would rebuild, adapt, expand and help those in need, just like they did all those years ago.... ANNNND THAT'S MY AU FOLKS!! I HOPE TO DRAW IT REAL SOON! I didn't go into full detail on the history part because I want to keep some things secret for now ;3 I really hope you love it as much as I do!! I poured my heart and soul into this au, it's one of the best creations I've ever made ;v; it felt so good to pour out all of this after keeping it to myself for so many years, especially the ships TwT Feel free to ask questions and tell me what you think! ^O^/

DA Link: Here

#sonic/eg au #kat writes lore #my ocs

9 notes · View notes

davidmann95 · 7 years

Note

What's your Marvel Starter Pack?

My Marvel knowledge isn’t nearly as extensive as what I have for DC, so this’ll be scaled back to 12 books from the 15 I had there (nevermind Superman and Batman’s own personal lists). Additionally, since Marvel’s even more about Right Now than DC, nothing here is earlier than the turn of the century; a lot of my older recommended reading is by my dad’s suggestion since he had plenty of firsthand experience with the Silver and Bronze ages. Also worth noting that my Marvel tastes don’t exactly fall in line with the general sensibilities of Tumblr or fandom at large - I’m not a big X-Men guy, for instance - so your results may vary. But anyway, again, if you’re following me but new to actually collecting comics and wondering what to look into to gauge your interests, I’ve got plenty for you.

1. Daredevil by Mark Waid

What it’s about: Blinded as a child pushing an old man out of the path of an oncoming truck transporting radioactive waste, Matt Murdock grew up to become a lawyer, encouraged by his pugilist father Battlin’ Jack Murdock not to rely on his fists as he had throughout life. But when Jack was murdered for refusing to throw a fight, Matt was forced to rely on the talents he had developed in secret under his sensei Stick - the same isotopes that took away his sight boosted his remaining four to superhuman levels, as well as granting him a 360° awareness of his surroundings he termed his ‘radar sense’ - to find justice for his father and those like him, becoming the vigilante Daredevil. Now, after a crimefighting career marked by agony, loss, and an increasingly deteriorating psyche, his identity has been unofficially exposed by the tabloid press…but attempting to turn around both his life and his mental health, Matt’s chosen to try and re-embrace the good in both his daytime career and in the thrill of his adventures as the Man Without Fear.

Why you should read it: Aside from being in my opinion the most influential superhero comic of the decade, Mark Waid’s tenure on Daredevil is the complete package of superhero comics. Energizing, gorgeous, accessible, character-driven, innovative, and bold, it’s a platonic ideal of Good Superhero Comics, and most especially Good Marvel Superhero Comics, and as such there’s little better place to start.

Further recommendations if you liked it: Shockingly, few modern Marvel titles seem to operate on a similar frequency to this run, even among those that clearly wouldn’t have existed without it; of those I don’t mention in one capacity or another below, the only modern books that leap out to me as being of a similar breed are Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee’s (the latter ending up the primary artist on Waid’s Daredevil) tragically cut short Thor: The Mighty Avenger, Dan Slott and Mike Allred’s Silver Surfer, and Al Ewing’s Contest of Champions. Given the classic mood it evokes, you might also be interested in some of Marvel’s older stuff in general - as probably most conveniently packaged in the Essential volumes - as well as the more recent Marvel Adventures line of all-ages titles. For hornhead himself, most of his classic work tends to operate in a pitch-black noir mood that much of Waid’s run is meant to contrast; if you want to delve into it, go to Frank Miller’s run (primarily Born Again), then Brian Bendis’s followed by Ed Brubaker’s and, following Waid, Chip Zdarsky’s (the Charles Soule run in the middle seems largely forgettable).

2. Marvels

What: Following the career of photojournalist Phil Sheldon - beginning in World War II with the rise of the likes of the Human Torch, Namor, and Captain America, and forward into the reemergence of superheroes with the Fantastic Four - Marvels shows what the battles that define a world look like to the helpless spectators, from the controversy surrounding mysterious vigilantes such as Spider-Man, the fear of the “mutant menace” represented by the X-Men, and the terror when the planet is first truly threatened at the hands of Galactus.

Why: As well as being one of Marvel’s best and most defining works period - this is Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross’s coming out party as two of the most significant names in the genre, and it articulates Marvel’s avowed “it’s the world outside your window!” philosophy better than perhaps any other title - Marvel is ruled by history and continuity in a way DC isn’t. The latter may have reboots to contend with, but Marvel has a much more upfront and consistently significant timeline of what happened when and what’s important, and if you’re going to have to immerse yourself in that ridiculous lore, there’s no more fulfilling way of getting an injection of pure backstory than this.

Recommendations: There’s a follow-up by Busiek, Roger Stern and Jay Anacleto titled Marvels: Eye of the Camera; I haven’t read it yet myself, but given the pedigree involved I can’t imagine it’s anything less than entirely solid. For other Major Marvel Events, the defining one of the 21st century is Mark Millar and Steve McNiven’s Civil War, which set a tone that still reverberates through the line; also worth checking out the recent Marvel Legacy oneshot, which seems to be laying the groundwork for things to come. Speaking of setting a tone, while it’s not directly ‘relevant’ continuity-wise, Millar also worked with Bryan Hitch on Ultimates 1 & 2, which proved to be the aesthetic model for the current wave of Marvel movies and added plenty of ideas that have been extensively mined since. History of the Marvel Universe by Mark Waid and Javier Rodriguez fits its title and is absolutely worth a library checkout, but is mainly a rote checklist elevated by all-timer artwork.

3. Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie’s Young Avengers

What: The heroes of the group once known as the ‘Young Avengers’ have gone their separate ways, each trying to figure things out on the cusp of adulthood. But when Wiccan’s attempt at helping his boyfriend goes horribly wrong - mixed in with a pint-sized god of mischief’s machinations, an interdimensional bruiser’s attempts at routing him, and non-Hawkguy Hawkeye’s extraterrestrial hookup - the gang’s forced back together again and on the run before old age literally swallows them whole.

Why: Here’s the bummer truth, daddy-o: I am not, in the common parlance, down with the hep cats, at least as far as gateway young-readers Marvel books go. I flipped through Runaways and wasn’t compelled to pick it up; I kept on with Ms. Marvel for a couple years but always on the edge of falling out of my monthly pile. Unless it’s truly next-level spectacular or heart-pouring-out sincere, gimme superfolks routing fiendish plots and going on trippy adventures any day over a bunch of sad kids in tights figuring out adolescence all over again: Spidey already did it first and better, and when emotionally-down-to-Earth superhero comics do get me fired up it’s usually set a little later on in life (even when I was the target audience for this sort of thing). But fire it through Gillen/McKelvie laser neon sexytime pop, and suddenly you’re in business. Slick, smart, raw, and wild, this was the best comic of 2013, and’ll certainly go down as one of the best superhero titles of this decade, Marvel as the Cool Kids of superherodom dialed up to 11.

Recommendations: Nothing else quite like this out there - the closest in feeling is Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones’ excellent original Marvel Boy miniseries, though that’s more about becoming a 20-something out in the world in the sense of wanting to burn it all down to the ground - but as I said, Runaways and Ms. Marvel do generally appeal to the same audience (and to be clear, I did like the latter just fine), as do the original Young Avengers run and Avengers Academy. Personally, I checked out and liked Avengers Arena, where all the fun teen heroes got forced into Hunger Gamsing each other on a murder island run by Arcade, followed up by them breaking bad in Avengers Undercover - please note that I’m like one of the three people on Earth who liked this book as opposed to ravenously despising it, which probably has in part do to with my lack of prior attachment to the characters involved. Also, important to note that this book is in the middle of a thematic Loki trilogy, preceded by Gillen’s Journey Into Mystery (which I haven’t read but don’t for a second doubt the quality of), and completed by Al Ewing and Lee Garbett’s truly magnificent Loki: Agent of Asgard; also worth noting that these books, and really modern Loki as a whole, are deeply rooted in Robert Rodi and Esad Ribic’s Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers. And for perfect entry books, I don’t think there’s much of anything better out there, especially for young readers, than Ryan North and Erica Henderson’s The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, one of Marvel’s most consistently high-quality ongoings of the last several years.

4. Hawkeye: My Life As A Weapon

What: Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, aka Hawkguy, is the Avenger who’s Just A Dude. No super-steroids and vita-rays, no magic hammer or Pym particles, a distinct lack of multi-billion dollar armor or immortality serum. Dude has a bow and arrow, and while he is very, very good with that bow and arrow, he still gets his ass kicked a frankly disproportionate amount relative to his teammates. Between meeting a dog, buying a car, and hanging out with friends - even if each incident goes significantly more wrong that they would for anyone other than Clint Barton, with non-Hawkguy Hawkeye Kate Bishop typically along for the ride - this is what he gets up to when he’s not helping save the world.

Why: Gonna show my heresy again: I’m not actually over the moon about Fraction/Aja’s Hawkeye past the first arc. But that first arc? Man oh man oh man, are they about as good as Marvel gets. This is absolute next-level storytelling on every front, with Aja and Pulido pulling out all the stops and Fraction - who by all accounts thinks more about the process of how comics work than anyone else in the field - just pouring heart and style all over the thing. It’s as tight and energetic as comics get, and the perfect introduction to Marvel’s street-level corner.

Recommendations: Aside from the rest of this run, there’s the recent Hawkeye (starring the non-Hawkguy Hawkeye Kate Bishop) by Kelly Thompson and Leonardo Romero, and there’s a generous helping of Hawkguy in Ales Kot and Michael Walsh’s Secret Avengers, a book as tight and out-of-the-box and oddly joyous in its own way as this. If you’re looking for other Marvel material that gets this explicitly experimental and afield of the house style, go for Jim Steranko’s much-loved work with Nick Fury. And for the other, considerably grimmer side of the street, aside from the Daredevil stuff I mentioned above, check out anything and everything you can get your hands on from Garth Ennis’s work with the Punisher, along with Greg Rucka’s and Jason Aaron’s.

5. Moon Knight: From The Dead

EDIT: This list was written prior to allegations made against Warren Ellis. It’s your money, but while I’d still recommend checking the book out of the library - the quality of the work isn’t going to change now that it’s out there in the universe - if you’re looking to pad your bookshelf I might recommend skipping to some of the books suggested below in its place.

What: Marc Spector was a mercenary until the day he died, betrayed in the desert before an Egyptian temple by his comrades…and then he kept going. No one knows for sure whether the truth is what his doctors have to say - that sharing his head with the likes of Steven Grant and Jake Lockley is a manifestation of DID, and he’s a profoundly sick man - or his own interpretation - that his fragile human personality buckled and shattered before the immensity when dying by its temple, he bowed his head at death’s door to the moon god Khonshu and let it seize his soul. Whatever the truth, he now knows his purpose: to defend travelers by night from whatever horrors would cross their path.

Why: There’s no story as such to be told here; Ellis and Shalvey simply show six adventures over six issues that establish Moon Knight and the scope of what he’s capable of when handled properly, ranging from straightforward detective work to psychedelic journeys through a rotting dream to a jaw-dropping issue-long fight scene. Marvel has a proud history of material skewing slightly to the left of the rest of their output, tonally and conceptually, and this is your ideal gateway to Weird Marvel.

Recommendations: For the further adventures of Moon Knight, by recommendation would be Max Bemis and Jacen Burrows’ current volume, which is following up on the seeds Ellis and Shalvey laid down quite satisfactorily, with a few twists of their own on top. Ellis himself used Moon Knight before this in his run on Secret Avengers with a number of different artists, which was very much a precursor to his work above in its high-concept done-in-one style; also check out his book Nextwave with Stuart Immonen, which is as out there as it gets for Marvel and also the best comic ever. Delving into Marvel’s spooky side, if this did anything at all for you absolutely get all of Al Ewing and Joe Bennett’s massively and rightfully acclaimed The Immortal Hulk (and if you’re looking for more something more traditional with the Green Goliath, Mark Waid’s The Indestructible Hulk is a hoot). If you really want to go to ground zero of Weird Marvel, you’re in the market for Steve Gerber’s work, primarily Defenders and his own creation Howard the Duck (who had another very entertaining via Chip Zdarsky and Joe Quinones recently worth checking out). Another notably out-there character worth checking out is She-Hulk, particularly in Dan Slott’s run and Charles Soule/Javier Pulido’s. Two more figures existing on Marvel’s weirder end are Doctor Strange - whose ‘classic’ work would as I understand it be Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner’s run, and who’s worth checking out more recently in Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin’s miniseries The Oath, Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo’s run, and Donny Cates and Gabriel Hernandez Walta’s - and the Inhumans - while contemporary attempts to push them have been a failure, there have been excellent individual successes in Ellis, Gerardo Zaffino, and Roland Boschi’s Karnak, Al Ewing and company’s Royals, and Saladin Ahmed and Christian Ward’s Black Bolt. And I’d be remiss in the extreme not to bring up Gabriel Walta and Tom King’s Vision, which I don’t want to give anything away of, but has a serious claim to being the best thing Marvel’s ever published.

6. Ultimate Spider-Man by Bendis & Bagley

What: When bitten by a genetically mutated spider Peter Parker thought he could use his newfound powers to make a quick buck, and come on, you already know this.

Why: This is the foundational modern Spider-Man. The first arc’s aged a little wonky in bits as Bendis was trying to make late-90s/early-00s Teen Slang work, but by and large, Brian Bendis and Mark Bagley’s original 111-issue tenure on Ultimate Spider-Man reimagining his early years was pound-for-pound one of Marvel’s all-time most engaging, exciting, dramatic, and authentic long-term runs. This is the template for every movie (especially Homecoming) and TV show he’s had in the last decade, a sizable part of what got me into comics in the first place, and one of the company’s most reliable perennials. You want to get onboard with maybe the most popular superhero in the world, you do it here.

Recommendations: With the remainder of the list I’m getting into more character/concept-specific reccs, and for other great Spider-Man, your best bet truly is the classic early material by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, and John Romita as collected in the Essential volumes, which has aged unbelievably well compared to its contemporaries; Bendis’s post-Bagley material just doesn’t hold up, even with the introduction of fan-favorite Miles Morales. For other ‘classics’, your best bests are Spider-Man: Blue, and by my understanding the runs of Roger Stern and J.M. DeMatteis, particularly the latters’ Kraven’s Last Hunt. For the modern stuff, Chip Zdarksy’s current Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man is just getting better and better, I’ve heard very good things about Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, I personally enjoyed Mark Millar and (at his peak) JMS’s runs, and while most agree Dan Slott’s soon-concluding decade-long tenure on the character has outstayed its welcome, he’s also turned in some stone-cold classics like No One Dies and Spider-Man/Human Torch, as well as other entertaining work such as the original Renew Your Vows and Superior Spider-Man. Most recently, Chip Zdarsky’s work with the character in The Spectacular Spider-Man and the high-concept out-of-continuity miniseries Spider-Man: Life Story are some of Mr. Parker’s all-time best, while Tom Taylor’s Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is a charming relatively small-scale superhero adventure book, and Saladin Ahmed and Javier Garron’s Miles Morales: Spider-Man is easily the best possible introduction to that guy.

7. Thor: God of Thunder Vol. 1

What: Though Thor, the god of thunder and mighty Avenger, has faced limitless threats to even divine life and limb over his many millennia, only one figure has ever truly frightened him. Now, as he discovers a serial killer of deities is loose in the cosmos, he must turn to his past and future alike in order to survive the coming of the God-Butcher.

Why: The pick on this list most directly relevant to those coming in from the movies right now, I’m afraid that while a bit of this was plucked for Ragnarok, this isn’t remotely on the same wavelength. This is black metal death opera screamed through the megaphone of wild space-spanning superheroics, and not only is it the best Thor comic, it’s the perfect introduction to Marvel’s cosmic side.

Recommendations: Along with the Loki books I namechecked above, the defining run on Thor (though the rest of his continuing work there is also very much worth checking out) is Walter Simonson, which laid down a lot of the fundamentals of the character as he exists today; along with that and the rest of Aaron’s run, my understanding is that Lee/Kirby’s original run holds up very well. For more satisfying fight comics, I’d also suggest World War Hulk, and I hear Marvel’s early Conan comics were standouts. On the cosmic end, I know the Guardians of the Galaxy are where it’s at these days; they sprang to life in their current incarnation in the much-loved Annihilation, and while I haven’t been reading their current Gerry Duggan/Aaron Kuder run, it’s well-liked and probably a good place to drop on, as would be the recent Chip Zdarsky/Kris Anka Starlord, and I’d personally recommend Al Ewing and Adam Gorhan’s Rocket. Beyond them, Jonathan Hickman’s comics are where it’s really at, from his Fantastic Four to S.H.I.E.L.D. to Ultimates to Avengers/New Avengers to the big finale to his overarching story in Secret Wars; it’s a complicated reading order to figure out, but oh-so-worth it.

8. Iron Man: Extremis

What: Faced with the horrors of his amoral past and the questions of a future coming quicker than he can manage, Tony Stark faces his most dangerous enemy yet when experimental post-human body modification tech is let loose into the world and lands in the hands of a white supremacist terrorist cell.

Why: More than anything other than Robert Downey Jr. smirking and quipping, this story is the definitive model for the modern Iron Man, taking a C-lister most notable for dealing with alcoholism decades earlier and hanging out on the B-list team in the Avengers (at least until 2012), and redefining his personality, aesthetic, and role in the 21st century as a man who might be smart enough to save the world if he can ever pull together enough to somehow save himself from his own compromises and weaknesses. The road to this guy becoming a household name is paved here.

Recommendations: Prior to this, his biggest stories were Demon in a Bottle, showing his first reckoning with his alcohol abuse, and Denny O’Neil’s 40-issue run introducing Obadiah Stane and showing Stark’s darkest hour as he sinks completely into his illness. Post-Ellis, the big run is Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca, which seizes both on the ideas here and the momentum granted by his Hollywood debut to cement his status as an A-lister; after that check out Kieron Gillen’s, which is not only a fun big-idea series in its own right but paves the way for Al Ewing’s spinoff Fatal Frontier, easily one of Iron Man’s best and most overlooked titles. Finally, while it was derided in its own time (that it was a spinoff of an event that turned him evil but the comic never especially explained the circumstances didn’t help), Superior Iron Man is also worth a look as a horrifying contrast to the rest of these.

9. Captain America: Man Out Of Time

What: A sickly young man who volunteered to participate in an experimental super-soldier program to serve his country in World War II, Steve Rogers became Captain America and protected the world from the Nazis with unimaginable courage and distinction, until the day he died disarming a drone plane rigged to blow aimed at America’s shores. He was honored throughout history…until the day he was found alive by the Avengers, frozen in the Atlantic and ready to emerge into the lights of the 21st century when needed most. Most people know that story. This is the story of what happened next.

Why: The search for the definitive statement on Captain America is one that’s driven his character for decades: after all, handling him doesn’t just mean talking about one man’s character, but the character of a nation. Successes are typically qualified, but one of the more successful creators in the pool is Mark Waid, who’s up to his fourth time at bat with Steve right now on the main book. His own most notable effort however is here, showing Rogers’ earliest days post-iceberg as he adjusts to living in what is to him the far-flung future, seeing the ways the nation has both surpassed his wildest dreams and fallen short of his humblest expectations, leaving him in the end to make the choice of whether this is truly the world he wants to defend.

Recommendations: As I mentioned, Waid’s had a few times up at bat with Captain America, and while he initial 90s stints might not be ideal for new readers for a number of reasons, his current run with frequent partner Chris Samnee is a solid crowdpleaser and a perfect place to jump onboard. Prior to that, worth checking out are Jim Steranko’s bizarre and transformative 3-issue run, Steve Englehart’s legendary Secret Empire (not the recent contentious Marvel event comic, to be clear), Ed Brubaker’s turn of the character towards grounded espionage, and his co-creator Jack Kirby’s bombastic, passionate 1970s tenure on the Captain. Currently, Ta-Nehisi Coates’ run is quite solid. Regarding related characters, for the Winter Soldier I’d suggest Ales Kot and Marco Rudy’s unconventional cosmic thriller Bucky Barnes: Winter Soldier; Black Widow had her own recent and excellent Mark Waid/Chris Samnee run, and I’d also recommend the one-shot Avengers Assemble 14AU by Al Ewing and Butch Guice, and issue #20 from Warren Ellis’s previously mentioned time on Secret Avengers; for Black Panther, his definitive runs are under Don McGregor and Christopher Priest, and I’d also note Jason Aaron and Jefte Palo’s Secret Invasion arc as showing T’Challa at his best.

10. Fantastic Four By Waid & Wieringo

What: Bathed in cosmic radiation on an ill-fated journey to the stars, Reed Richards, Sue and Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm were transformed, and became the Fantastic Four, first family of an age of heroes! Now, years into their careers and with Reed and Sue’s young children in tow, they continue to explore new frontiers, whether battling a sentient equation gone mad, contending with an extradimensional roach infestation, or perhaps most perilous of all, Johnny trying to deal with getting a real job.

Why: Plenty consider the Fantastic Four one of Marvel’s most difficult groups to get right, but Waid and Wieringo nail the formula here as well as anyone ever has, just the right mix of high adventure and family dynamics to draw just about anyone in; this is as crowdpleasing as comics get and the perfect introduction to the best superhero team out there.

Recommendations: The FF’s another group where it’s worth going back to their earliest days of Lee and Kirby; while much of the writing’s aged awkwardly at best, they’re the absolute foundational comics of the entire universe and lay down concepts that are still getting use today throughout that universe. Past that initial run, John Byrne and Walter Simonson’s are among the best by reputation, as well as Jonathan Hickman’s as I discussed before (Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch’s is worth tracking down as well, especially since concepts there end up feeding directly into Hickman). For more outside-the-box material, Joe Casey and Chris Weston’s First Family is worth a look, as is Grant Morrison and Jae Lee’s 1234. And for the all-time best showing of bashful Benjamin J. Grimm, the ever-lovin’ blue-eyed Thing, find Marvel Two-In-One Annual #7 to see him defend the entire planet in a boxing match at Madison Square Garden. And while the team’s sadly off the table at the moment, Thing and the Torch are returning in Chip Zdarsky and Jim Cheung’s new volume of Marvel Two-In-One as they set out to find their missing family.

11. Mighty Avengers by Al Ewing

What: When Thanos takes to the skies as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are off-planet, it’s a day unlike any other, as those left standing are forced to band together as the Mighty Avengers. And as the danger passes, the team remains, looking to truly work alongside those they protect rather than above them to make things better, even as forces conspire in the background to enslave them all.

Why: This title is something of a limitus test, in that it’s one where you’ll have to deal with it being constantly, infuriatingly forced to deal with crossover nonsense. It’s one of the big prices to pay for engaging with a larger universe, but the trade-off is that this is where Al Ewing gets set loose on the Marvel universe, drawing on every weird corner to pull together a run of genuine moral intent, note-perfect character work, and all-out adventure. This may be the ‘secondary’ team, but it’s as perfect as the Avengers have ever gotten.

Recommendations: The title itself is relaunched as Captain America and the Mighty Avengers, and as that ends but Ewing continues his time at Marvel, the characters and concepts end up divided among a number of titles: Contest of Champions, where a number of heroes are plucked from the timestream to duel for the power and amusement of the Grandmaster, New Avengers (later turned U.S.Avengers), where former X-Man Sunspot assembles a new team to act as a James Bond-ified international strike force, and Ultimates (later turned Ultimates2), where some of Earth’s most powerful and brilliant heroes band together to proactively defend against unimaginable cosmic threats; also try his mini-event Ultron Forever with Alan Davis sometime. Based on your response to numerous aspects of those titles, there’s a good chance you might be in the market for David Walker’s Luke Cage titles, Matt Fraction’s Defenders, and Jim Starlin’s cosmic 70s books such as Captain Marvel and Warlock (and make sure to read Nextwave at some point, Ewing actually follows up on that gonzo delight in some surprising ways here). For the ‘main’ team, aside from Hickman’s previously mentioned run - which while spectacular is pretty far afield of the usual tone - some suggestions might be Kurt Busiek and George Perez’s much-loved run, Roger Stern’s Under Siege, I have to imagine given the pedigree of the creators Earth’s Mightiest Heroes by Joe Casey and Scott Kolins, Brian Bendis’s extended ownership of the Avengers books, and The Kree-Skrull War.

12. Wolverine & The X-Men by Jason Aaron

What: Dwindled down to a few in a world that hates and fears them as much as ever, mutantkind has been split in two, with by-the-books Cyclops taking a hardline approach against oppression and feeling that the youth in the X-Men’s charge must be made ready to fight, while Wolverine has grown tired of throwing children into battle and has left to find a new way. Founding the Jean Gray School For Higher Learning, Logan’s found himself in the most unexpected role of all as a professor, fighting just has hard to keep the unimaginable high-tech academy and the hormonal super-powered student body in check as to fend off the supervillains inevitably sent their way.

Why: The X-Men aren’t exactly my forte, with a wobbly batting average at best over the years as the books devote at least as much effort to trying to juggle the continuity and soap opera demands as the actual sci-fi premise. There have been successes though, and few so geared towards new reader engagement as Wolverine & The X-Men, where Aaron strips the franchise down to the base essentials of a team living in a school for super-kids. It’s poppy, it’s weird, it’s touching, and it’s accessible. It’s the X-Men at its best.

Recommendations: The most direct predecessor to this run (aside from its actual lead-in miniseries X-Men: Schism, which is actually worth checking out) is Grant Morrison’s New X-Men, which takes the sci-fi aspects of the concept to the very limit in what I’m inclined to consider the best X-Men run, though it’s proven controversial over the years among longtime fans. The base of the team as it exists today is in Chris Clarmemont’s work, which I’m not wild about myself but has a few hits such as God Loves, Man Kills; if you’re looking for a modern update on the formula developed there, Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday is probably your ticket (and the follow-up run by Warren Ellis is a great weird paramilitary sci-fi book for a bit). Jonathan Hickman’s relaunch is a radicaly and brilliant departure paving a new way forward; it’s perhaps best experienced after a bit of ‘traditional’ X-Men to understand the scale of the contrast, but check that out as soon as possible. For classic material, I understand the Roy Thomas/Neal Adams run was an early success, and Jeff Parker’s X-Men: First Class is by all accounts a charming look at the team’s earliest days. Jason Aaron’s work elsewhere on the X-Men proper was limited to the first 6 issues of the short-lived Amazing X-Men, but he had a very extended and successful tenure on Wolverine which would be my go-to recommendation for him; past that, Death of Wolverine actually satisfies, and All-New Wolverine starring his successor Laura Kinney was the best X-Men book on the stands for some time (writer Tom Taylor is also had a short-lived ‘proper’ X-book in X-Men: Red). As for the group’s many spin-offs, I’d suggest Rick Remender’s X-Force, Peter Milligan and Mike Allred’s X-Factor/X-Statix, and Joe Kelly and Ed McGuiness’s Spider-Man/Deadpool, which should serve as a decent introduction to the latter dude’s own oddball territory in the franchise along with the truly mad and utterly delightful You Are Deadpool.

#Marvel #Opinion

94 notes · View notes

aparecium-hq · 3 years

Photo

I apologize for this being late! I had it queued, but this is why we can't trust the queue.

Welcome to Aparecium, Wes! You have been accepted for Albus Potter. We are so excited to have you back! You bring such an interesting and complex lens to the character, and we’re happy to see him on the dash again. Check out the new member checklist, and jump right in.

Character Basics

Age: 21 years old

Birthdate: 15 March 2006

Pronouns: He/Him

Sexuality: Homosexual, homoromantic

Blood Status: Halfblood

Hogwarts House: Slytherin

Occupation: Researcher at the Minstry

Faceclaim: Aubrey Joseph

Any requested changes: Not at all! I put a spin on this Albus, making him a little less buttoned up and a little more of a problem child. Ya know. Something that goes a little for the fire.

Biography:

The middle Potter, the second son of a hero, Albus Potter has lived a certain amount of his life in the public eye. He’s always been conscious of attention, desiring it less and less as he grew older. He finds respite in close acquaintances and good friends, small settings and familiar environments. His family, though sometimes the very people he’s clashing with, are always his first source of solace and comfort. Whatever tensions they might have, they’re his people. And woe be told to anyone who crosses the line in his presence.

From a young age, Albus showed a taciturn bent and found himself at his Aunt Hermione’s side with frequency. Books and stories became his companions as much as his brother. And sometimes to better effect. He devoured literature, asked his aunt and parents for lessons and primers, and had a raging row over the fact that other children could go to primary school. He saw Hogwarts and education as the next great challenge, the next great adventure. He saw it as where he truly belonged.

How wonderfully cruel that reality can be.

Hogwarts wasn’t the worst thing really. It was a learning experience to be sure, in more than just the academics. Sorted into Slytherin and falling into a different vein than his brother and father, he acquired more than a little gossip. But Albus had been backed into an unfamiliar corner before, so he did what came naturally. His tongue lashed, far faster than his wand ever could, and he caught trouble with it. A black eye and a split lip were his reward, but the third year Gryffindor was on the ground and his opinion amongst his housemates was settled: he was a snake, through and through.

He learned quickly, taking in everything he could from his housemates and classes. He learned that his reserved nature was a gap people had to cross, that the masks he used out of indifference or out of annoyance with the press were tools at his disposal, he learned that his words were not just barbs, but arrows. By his third year, he changed tones and temperaments like cloaks, dressing for the occasion as it was warranted. He found that the most effective mask though, was indifference. He could take on the affect of the uninterested, the teen who was there just to be there. It let him sink to the back, people looking over him for someone more interested. And that gave Albus the thing he valued most : time.

From his seat in the background, he developed a knack for patterns that spread naturally to arithmancy while his ability to apply accumulated logic on the fly endeared him to charms all the more. They became his best subjects, followed rather quickly by history of magic. Though that one? That was a practiced study. Especially after the Madley Properies came about.

The change of the world while he was at Hogwarts was sudden. The access to more technology meant access to more information. Muggle information. Albus devoured it all, spending hours cross referencing magical history with muggle timelines, building comprehensive understanding of events and their influence on either side of the Statute of Secrecy. How the political actions in the muggle world influenced the economic realities of the magically community, or how a magical malady could seep over into the muggle world and insight chaos because of the tiniest bit of other. He learned that things were far more interconnected than most people thought.

And he realized how absolutely mad changing anything quickly was.

He graduated with respectable marks in his favored disciplines, with his only truly problematic grade coming in Defense. But he wasn’t looking to join his father in the Aurors. Eventually he wanted to end up somewhere in the DMLE, somewhere in regulation and jurisprudence. But first, he needed information. His classes were dreadfully sparse on the machinations that drove their society, and that’s what he needed to understand. He’d never had to fake an interest in his Aunt Hermione’s work, and the right words had him at the Ministry, running paper and writing briefs and other monotonous work best left to the newly graduated. But he was there. That was the important part.

He worked in the depths of the Ministry’s archives, pulling up documents and cross referencing whatever needed to be done. He ran errands, made tea, and hug out in the break-room generally putting on the show of being a disaffected teen working simply because he had to. And it made sense that he was in the Ministry, being who he was after all. Why it made perfect sense that he was wandering into the Minster’s office to bother his family.

Just a nephew visiting his aunt. Nothing sinister in that.

Now at twenty-one, Albus has become something of a fixture in the research apparatus of the magical government of England. His pattern recall and gift for memorization has made him the place where most research inquiries begin: ask Potter, he’ll show you how to start. His analytical mind lends itself to complicated cross application of policy and precedent and his use of technology in the filing system has made him indispensable. He’s still technically a lowly researcher in the basement of the government buildings, but it’s a carefully crafted image. He’s sitting carefully at the center of a web of ministry communication and employees, feeding on and putting out information as needs musts.

Sociability:

When he’s not picking at threads in the archives or catching up on muggle current events, he tries to still be there for his family and friends. His social life is somewhat dominated by the demands of his job, limiting what free time he does take for himself. He is there for his family in almost every way, though he misses some of the closeness that came with his siblings when they were younger. For Scorpius, his best friend and his roommate, he would literally drop the world to ash if it needed. And he…tries not to dwell exactly on that why too close. Somethings don’t withstand scrutiny after all. His collection of acquaintances are rather wide ranging, from work colleagues to other integrationists to a group of online friends who helped him when he was first coming to terms with his sexuality and took him to his first muggle pride in London. He also has a sort of listing of past dalliances, both magical and muggle, that he looks upon with varying levels of fondness.

Personality:

Albus still resembles that inquisitive child he was, somewhat quieter and more reserved than his family and always searching for some new bit of information. He’s lost some of the taciturn qualities however, finding his voice through reasoned arguments and biting wit. He will still default to the disaffected look and attitude if he feels uncertain or if he’s getting his footing around new people. He’s not afraid to speak his mind, but does try to find the path of least offense unless his ultimate goal is to cause offense and put someone on the back foot. He wears his opinions and uses language like masks, speaking openly but not always directly. It is those that know him best, Scorpius and Rose and his closest family, that see the true Albus. He’s a stack of books on a rainy Saturday morning, the smell of coffee and old leather in the air. He’s a passionate debate over dry martinis, the smell of cigarette smoke mingling with gin and the buzz of conversation. He’s good friends and late nights, fairy lights low and spirits high and flowing freely.

Appearance:

Much like he appropriated language and history from his housemates, he also picked up on their habits of dress. Fine robes and well cut wizarding garb are part of his armor when the need arises. He can blend into a fine crowd at a Ministry gala. Custom Savile Row suits in bright colors and modern patterns mix with those But his own personal style is much more into the realm of comfortable muggle wear.

Character Questionnaire (In Character):

What does your character value in a friendship?

Is it cheating to say discretion? No? Then that simply must be the answer. When one grows up with a certain amount of notoriety… a name that is recognizable and splashed across the press of the realm near daily… a friend who knows when to bluff, when to keep things private is worth their weight in gold. Quite literally. And there is so much caught up in that word as well. Discretion. It’s not just secrecy. It’s trust. And with that I believe truly, there must be some level of affection there. A warmth and familiarity that breed such a level of trust. There are people for whom I have great affection, and even great trust, but for who I don’t believe are discrete. It’s that bit extra, that pinch more wit and courage and resolve that make it the better value.

How would a stranger who has just met your character describe them?

Oh Circe, this is such a loaded question. A stranger? Well it really depends upon the circumstances you know. Where are we? Drinks is very different than a fundraiser than a friendly pick up game of Quidditch. Though why I made mention of the last, I really haven’t a clue. But the point remans; where did we meet? I’d like to think that I leave people at least somewhat assured that I know what I’m talking about, even if that does mean I come off as a bit of an ass. And as cold as it may sound, so much of this might come down to how I want them to remember me. It changes the way one approaches a stranger, if they think it’s only for a moment or there’s something more there. Whatever that more might be. Well at the very least, it means I try not to burn bridges I’ve only just encountered.

What magical skill or talent is your character most proud of?

Can we consider memory a skill? A talent? I’m not sure it’s honed like a blade or conditioned like a muscle. But I do think I’m very good at it. Or with it. Memorizing. Recalling. Things just sort of…stick up there. Referenced and catalogued. A font of utterly useless information. But information that can be applied, brought forward when needed to dramatic effect or for some nefarious purpose. Dreadfully useful, in work and in life. I don’t forget birthdays. Though I do sometimes forget to shop for them…so it’s rather an imperfect skill. Talent. Part of me, whatever.

Para Sample

Albus slunk into the office of the Minister, smiling at the empty space. When his aunt had taken the space, she’d updated the furnishing and brought in a bit of muggle sensibility and style. Because the office really hadn’t been updated since Victoria was on the throne. But by far, the most important addition was the proper bar.

Because not all of life could be firewhiskey and butterbeer.

He went through the motions, moving with practiced easy in something that became almost meditative. Gin and vermouth joined ice in a cylinder. Glasses were hit with a careless flick of his wand, the chilling charm sending ice crystals skittering across the surface. It was so familiar it gave him time to think. He’d been listening as much as he’d been researching, pulling and compiling information for the Muggles of Magical Status Act. Anything that was such a cornerstone of his aunt’s political platform needed proper understanding.

Much of the research he’d found on granting status to magical beings was cached in old Imperial language. It was almost a direct link between old notions of the civilizing message of the muggle Crown and the idea of the savage magical user in the wix community. It was more than a little problematic, and something that he was glad his Aunt was taking steps to address. Once again, that muggle upbringing was helping in all the right ways. And the opposition he was hearing was more wrapped in fear. Again, unsurprising. But that at least, was something he could manage.

He gave the cold cylinder a stating shake and grinned at the voice behind him.

“What a cheering sound after a dull meeting.” Aunt Hermione called out as she stepped into the office.

“Thought you could do with a pick me up after that last meeting,” Albus replied with a grin, giving a few more vigorous shakes before straining the martini into the chilled glasses. “And before I give you a rundown of what I’ve found out. Did you want research or gossip first?”

#apareciumacceptance #hp rp #skeleton rp #literate rp #albus potter rp

0 notes