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#her last letter to you is super heartwarming
epiclad · 1 month
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"Have you ever…heard any strange sounds here at the manor? Something beyond the walls, like breathing, or slithering scales…"
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theplantbish · 3 months
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Rating all of my Coral Island partners' 10 heart cutscenes
Trying to do this without spoiling what happens during the dates
Aaliyah 3/10 Didn't really have a romantic feel to it, could've been easily mistaken for just some random cutscene until the very end. The activity she had set up was... meh. Confessing her feelings was giving high school crush tbh
Chaem 1/10 I love her too much to give this cutscene a zero, but it had like no romantic feeling to it at all, not even a little. From all my partners hers is the only one where the player asks to kiss her, not the other way around. Without the kiss at the end it would've been just like any other heartevent, you could've shown me the whole thing without the last three seconds and I would've thought it was like idk seventh heart event idk
Kenny 8/10 Cute, romantic, he had set up a cute couples activity, the part of the island where it was set was pretty, he was blushing, adorable. I don't have screenshots of the love confession and I can't remember what he said :(
Macy 9/10 Beautiful setting, romantic, a proper date. She literally went 👉👈 kicking her feetsies while confessing her feelings. Also the letter she sent me beforehand asking me to a date was signed by her AND Stephen which umm the most adorable thing ever. Sadly Stephen wasn't actually part of the date
Mark 4/10 Honestly? Quite a disapointment, no romantic feeling basically at all. Some of the things he said while confessing his feelings were super cute and sweet, but up until then it was just... silly. Bonus points for 1) he was in his swimwear 👀 and 2) the kiss was kinda hot, made me go OH! 👀
Nina 8/10 Super adorable setting and she had prepared the cutest activity for us, dialogue was pretty cute, the date felt romantic right from the start. But she almost chocked?? like literally during the date which was random, to say the least. noooo don't die you're so sexy
Rafael 10/10 Perfect!! Cute!! Adorable!! Romantic!! Sweet!! Cute little activity and he had set up a spot for us, the way he confessed his feelings was the cutest thing ever. Also he kinda hinted that we could umm how should I put it... fuck. Okay not really but also kinda, like in a "okay are you just being considerate and a gentleman orrrrr? 👀" kinda way
Raj 7/10 It was fun, cute, very different from the others. Kinda surprising setup for Raj actually, not what I expected them to do. Before the confessing their feelings part it seemed more like two friends hanging out than a romantic date. But at the end they used the L word, instead of just saying they "have feelings for" or "like" me, which earns them a couple extra points
Scott 9/10 Really surprising, I did not see the eternal fratboy putting that much effort into a date coming. There wasn't even a slightest chance to mistake it for anything but a romantic date for even a second, like dude went in with setting the mood
Theo 8/10 Adorable, but definitely not the kinda first date I'd ever want to have irl lmao. But in game? Adorable, cute, heartwarming. Love confession part was lowkey intense like dude, first date. chill
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doomedlemur · 4 months
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Good Omens Fanfic Recs
I decided to write up and sort my fanfic recommendations and thoughts, mostly for my own benefit, as an organized list of my favorites for reference. But also, here it is in case anyone's interested.
Heads up, no post-season 2 fix-it fics on this list if that's what you're looking for. Personally I'm content to wait and see on that front.
Also, I'm a sucker for pining, but also headcanon these guys (gn) as demisexual virgins, so nearly all are ace-friendly except the long AUs.
Canon Compliant - short
In general I favor canon compliance and keeping in character. Part of what got me hooked on Good Omens fanfic was the immense breadth of history available to explore with these characters. Let's list in approximate chronological order!
A Letter from “Crawly” to Azirapil (<1k) - Fanfic in Cuneiform. Amazing.
see, how the most dangerous thing is to love (6.8k) - Crawly and Aziraphale meet during the Trojan War as Achilles mourns Patroclus. Super well-researched and thought out with the Iliad!
Temporary Tattoo (9.8k) - Okay, this one's arguable on the canon compliance, it's kinda a crack-fic (and feels way more 19th century than 11th) but I loved it. Crowley's snake tattoo wanders, and he can feel what it feels. (The sequel is also really sweet, though definitely canon divergent.)
that old common arbitrator, time (1.1k) - 1602. An epilogue of sorts for the Trojan War one, Crowley and Aziraphale critique Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida. Lots of fun references.
the stars are the same as ever (4.4k) - Vignettes about Crowley hanging out with astronomers in the 17th century.
Mean It (2k) - The origin of the Apology Dance. 1650, 1793, and 1941 all featured. Short and sweet, very believable. Just as flirty as I imagined.
well-versed in etiquette, extraordinarily nice (3k) - Jane Austen, mastermind of the 1810 Clerkenwell Diamond Robbery, brandy-smuggler, master spy, and wrote books too. Well-researched, with Austen-esque prose, and perfectly fills in the background for how Crowley remembers her.
Crossing Paths (3k) - Edinburgh, 1827. Showing how Crowley and Aziraphale crossed paths there, and dropping us off where the Resurrectionists minisode begins. Delightful.
I stretch out the time (and now I know why) (6k) - 1960's ineffable wives and what happened to make Aziraphale say Crowley goes too fast.
Orchids and Tea (3k) - A shameless plug for my own fic. Meet the old lady downstairs who Crowley gives his "bad" plants to.
What You've Lost But Never Had (3k) - A sweet outsider POV with Maggie's closeted grandfather.
So You Need To Get Into A.Z. Fell & Co.; Now What? (A Guide For Unfortunate Bookworms) (1.8k) - Handy guide for interpreting the store hours, etc.
The Disposables (7.5k) - Arguably canon divergent. Surprisingly heartwarming. Eric the Disposable Demon is buds with the Usher.
When You're Through With Life and All Hope is Lost (Friends Will Be Friends) (<1k) - COVID-era ficlet post-Lockdown minisode.
The Last Four Years (11.7k) - Perfectly fills in the gap between the seasons with all the feelings and poor communication that brought us here, from the Ritz to Aziraphale's phone call.
Pointless (1.5k) - An exploration of Crowley as he is at the beginning of season 2, anxious and depressed about the pointlessness of it all.
Been Together Long? (1.2k) - It's so common for fics to depict Crowley as knowingly in love but hiding his feelings for 6000 years. But I don't think he's self-aware enough for that, and I really do believe that was an Oh moment with Nina on the street. This fic is an excellent insight into what he was thinking there.
The Afternoon Lecture (<1k) - A cute little outsider POV fic, set sometime in the Happily Ever After probably.
The Slings and Arrows of Angelic Archery (<1k) - Guess which historical/legendary figure Crowley was! Sadly just a little modern-day conversation about it rather than the actual thing.
A Narrow Escape to the Country (10.7k) - This one is so fun! Crowley and Aziraphale are guests on a house-hunting TV show. (Established relationship with innuendo, but all sexy times are off-camera.)
My Roommate from Hell (5.7k) - Warlock ends up college roommates with Adam, and yeah, Warlock's upbringing made him kinda weird.
Canon Divergent - long
Divergent in that these were written before season 2 came out, so branch off from after season 1.
Demonology and the Tri-Phasic Model of Trauma: An Integrative Approach (99k) - This one is recommended a lot I know, but deservedly so. This was the first GO fanfic I read, as I idly looked to see what had the most kudos. And then I couldn't put it down.
Instructions Not Included (68k) - Plot heavy but excellent. I loved the writing style of this one; it's so evocative with its metaphors, but without being flowery. Sadly left a few unanswered questions since the sequel was abandoned, but it's still well worth reading. Very realistic progression of feelings between Crowley and Aziraphale (intimacy without sexuality).
The Sandford Flower Show (E) (46k) - This was a bit of a painful read with flashbacks to ancient Egypt, but it's very good. Many feels. (Higher sex-drive than I generally prefer for canonverse, so note that E rating.)
Canon Divergent - short
Slow (9.3k) - Adam assumed Crowley and Aziraphale were married and restored the bookshop with a marriage certificate on the wall. Miscommunication and sweetness ensues.
Human AUs - long (modern day)
It took me a while to warm up to the idea of reading AUs, since the immortal natures and powers of Crowley and Aziraphale are so integral to their characters (also I personally don't seek out fanfics for the smut and the highly rec'd ones are nearly always Explicit). But after seeing Slow Show in particular recommended so often, I finally gave it a go. Yes, the human versions of the characters are always different in varying ways, but I've found it really fascinating to see the different ways characters, scenes, and lines get reinterpreted in AUs and have now read way more of them than I expected to.
Slow Show (E) (95k) - I have never in my life read anything (fanfic or otherwise) as emotionally intense as Slow Show. This fic is all lust and angst and I physically felt the agony of it for days while I read. While other fics are also explicit, this is the most mature and "adult" feeling with its themes. Yes this fic is recommended a lot, but its reputation is well earned. However, that said, I wouldn't say it's my favorite.
Old Vines (E) (189k) - Excellent slow burn. This one really captures the aspect of them both being anxious/frustrated under contractual obligations, wishing they could be freer to do their own thing. Truly gratuitous descriptions of all aspects of wine, from growth, production, tasting, and quantity consumed. I learned a lot. Was also actually really inspired by Aziraphale's journey in this.
Or Be Nice (E) (151k) - I wasn't sure I'd like this one at first, but I'm glad I went for it. It's more a character study than a drama. Well done progression from enemies to lovers, and some of the very best conversational dynamics (if a bit of ngk overuse). This one highlights the petty/mischievous sides of Crowley and Aziraphale that are rarely found in fanfics, and the execution is delightful. Loved Anathema in this also.
stalwart sun, wily moon (370k) - (What, a non-explicit long AU??) This fic is amazing. Yes, long, it could use some editing to cut back a tad tbh, but still, amazing. Heist AU with an intriguing plot and life or death stakes. Characters and side characters all really well done, incorporates everything from the botched baby swap to the Great Plan and more. Amazing. Really. Only fic I've bought a physical printing of.
Talk about the weather (81k) - (Technically not explicit but yeah no they have sex.) Weatherman/stormchaser AU. They have an Arrangement. The premise of this one was weird for me because I headcanon Crowley as disliking the rain, but it's good. Not the typical characterizations you see in fics, which was really refreshing. Finally! Someone who remembers Aziraphale is kind of a bastard who doesn't say what he means, and someone who lets Crowley be happy and confident instead of a nervous wreck!
on the same page (E) (117k) - They're both writers. A very good execution of your classic fake marriage. Some lush metaphorical prose. Excellent characterizations on our pair, and the setup preceded by 6 years of intense yearning was just perfect. I do wish the side characters had gotten more fleshed out.
Married at First Sight (146k) - This premise is so silly (though then again the TV show does really exist), but it's actually really well done. The feels nearly made me cry.
Human AUs - long (historical)
On Espionage and Prophecy (E) (133k) - Take the first season 1941 flashback and make it a novel-length human AU. Aziraphale's a bookseller and Crowley's a spy working with him to double-cross the double-crossing Nazis. I will say the plot contrivance sometimes requires a bit of suspension of disbelief, but that's okay, it's fun and has some great pining.
Half Agony, Half Hope (E) (31k) - Regency era AU, but it's not all Jane Austen fantasy-land. We've got some real history lessons here, highlighting the political struggles of the time. This one's on the short side, but doesn't really feel like it; time passes behind the scenes, so the relationship doesn't feel rushed. Overall it's excellent and really deserves more love.
Human AUs - short
On the Ethics of Asking Your Professor on a Date (7.4k) - I kinda wish this one was a bit better with the showing vs. telling in places, but I still found it really charming.
Postcards From Paris (12k) - Crowley starts receiving postcards from an A.Z.F. meant for the previous tenant, and after awhile gets a chance to write back. Very sweet.
Miscellaneous AUs - short
air conditioned, love unconditional (8.8k) - AU where Aziraphale is a ceiling fan and Crowley is an air conditioning unit. Look, it's adorable, okay? (though the ending is kinda silly)
Speaking in Code (8.9k) - Cute queer Outsider POV. Aziraphale and Crowley become college professors in their retirement. Arguably canon compliant, but I'm calling it an AU since I don't really see it happening. A+ for the accurate gender treatment on Aziraphale.
Lit (12.7k) - Technically canon-divergent from the book? Crowley takes a university course on literature and surprise! The book they’re discussing is Good Omens. Crack treated seriously. It works really well actually!
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libraryinthecountry · 11 months
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★ What is the last movie you saw in theaters? The March pick from @afterlightbooks has me itching to go to the movies! I think we’re going for a Boppeheimer (Barbie + Oppenheimer double feature) in July and I’m pretty excited to see both! For Her Consideration by @thatames is a fun, heartwarming queer rom-com about an actress and a writer and it feels uncannily timely, considering the writer’s strike! 🪧✊🏼This edition features exclusive: Cover variant, digitally printed edges, foil on the hardback, and endpaper artwork. The included author letter also features character artwork by @siminiblocker! Also in this box: - SUPER CUTE Hollywood inspired frosted mug with artwork by @stacey.mcevoy.caunt (obsessed with this mug!) - Art Deco-themed glasses case designed by @creativewannabe_ I’m late to the party unboxing this one, but swipe for a closer look and use LIGHT5 to save on Afterlight subs! ★ HASHTAGS //⠀ #afterlightbooks #bookshelf #bookbox #booksubscription #RomanceBooks #ReadRomance #amyspalding #forherconsideration #romanticcomedy #readerlife #shelfie #afterlightbyillumicrate #fivestarreads #booksbooksbooks #booksbooksbooks #booknerd #homelibrary #bookworm — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/j7tCiH3
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lunaralight09 · 3 years
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Could you do books that the scps might read?
Books that the SCPs might read
SCP 035 Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins Anna is shipped off to boarding school in Paris where she meets the super-charming Etienne, and that's when things get interesting. I was a squealing, giggly, mush-fest all the while through reading this book. Stephanie Perkins knows just how to turn a seemingly ordinary love story into an unputdownable read. SCP 040 Your Brain Needs a Hug: Life, Love, Mental Health, and Sandwiches Just the title of this book by Rae Earl makes us feel a little lighter. And we don’t know about you, but our brains could definitely use a hug right now. While the book is geared towards teens, we found Earl’s advice to be relevant for all ages — particularly for anyone who struggles with depression, anxiety, social media addiction, and self-esteem issues. TBH, pretty much anyone can benefit from this book! SCP 049 And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini And the Mountains Echoed is such an amazing and heartwarming read. It's about a pair of siblings that fate cruelly separates and then finally reunites. A must-read for its simple yet gripping narration and amiable characters. SCP 049-j The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain This is a French romance novella, and basically a love letter to book lovers. There's mystery, romance, and some of the most beautifully crafted sentences and paragraphs I have ever read. The ending is so sweet, even though you wonder how you ever got there so soon. SCP 053 Lulu and the Rabbit Next Door by Hilary McKay Lulu and her cousin help their neighbor Arthur learn to love and care for his (neglected) rabbit. She doesn’t want her neighbor to feel bad so she writes the rabbit little notes with helpful gifts signed from her own pet rabbit named Thumper. It’s a kind way to show Arthur how to take care of his new pet SCP 073 HumanKind: Changing the World One Small Act At a Time Looking for heart-warming stories of kindness and compassion? HumanKind by Brad Aronson was made for you. But the book isn’t only full of uplifting stories that will move you to happy tears, it’s also packed with practical and actionable tips for how to be kinder in your everyday. One thing is for sure: after you put this book down, you’ll feel inspired to do something nice for someone else. And because of that, we think this is one of the best books on the planet! SCP 076 Do Unto Animals We absolutely DEVOURED this book by Tracey Stewart. Whether you’re looking for tips on how to better understand skunks and squirrels or read your pet’s body language, every page is full of compassionate wisdom about to treat animals in a way that they deserve. Also, the illustrations are absolutely beautiful — we nearly wanted to pet the pages because the animal drawings were so lovable. SCP 079 Walden (Henry David Thoreau) With the outdoorsman renaissance happening as we speak, it is nice to look back at one of the books that probably started it. Walden isn’t the bore you read back in middle school, it takes time to appreciate like a nice bottle of red. Thoreau’s masterpiece tackles so much while quietly nudging your brain into activity. It also makes you want to build a cabin SCP 096 Black Beauty by Anna Sewell Told from the perspective of the horse, this story is so beautifully written that it's easy to get lost in it's pages. I laughed and cried, as did my daughter when she read it. SCP 105 Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury Warm and fuzzy the whole way through, Dandelion Wine is by far the best story to make you feel good. Though I'm not the correct age to directly relate to the young adult story, I still felt the warm summer days and the wonder of it all. SCP 106 Catch-22 – Joseph Heller “War is hell,” is the old adage we all know, but Catch-22 looks to modify that a bit. Instead, war becomes super goddamn weird. The book follows a bomber squadron in the Second World War whose collective sanity is slowly being eroded by whatever passes for power. Throughout it all, the main character keeps trying to prove himself insane enough to be kicked out of the Navy, which is precisely why he can’t
be kicked out. Which is a catch 22 and yes, this is where the phrase comes from. It’s a great extrapolation of quirks and idiosyncrasies we see in day to day life, only this time, they’re affecting war SCP 134 (I know she don't have eyes . But there is a books for blind people) A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass A Mango-Shaped Space is about a 13-year-old girl with synesthesia (she can see, taste, and hear colors) and her journey in getting a diagnosis and accepting herself and all her differences. It's sort of a coming-of-age story, too. As someone with multiple chronic illnesses who has gone through the same process at the same age, this really was an incredible reading experience. One of my favorite quotes is "We all do the best we can, trying to keep all the balls in the air at once." I recommend it to everyone. SCP 173 Rabbit, Run (John Updike) The greatest mid-life crisis novel of all time doesn’t actually deal with a mid-life crisis at all. Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom is 26 when he decides to leave his wife and son for a new life. Of course, what that new life is, and what exactly he wants out of it isn’t clear to the reader or to Rabbit himself. It will strike a cord with all men who struggle with the idea of settling down. SCP 239 The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling SCP 682 THE WOLF AND THE WATCHMAN BY NIKLAS NATT OCH DAG If you're the kind of person that can't get enough of Scandi noir films, TV shows and literature, then Niklas Natt och Dag's The Wolf And The Watchman should be next on your reading list. Set in 18th-century Stockholm, this tale is as dark as it gets, following the titular watchman and a detective as they hunt down the killer behind a dismembered corpse that appears in a local pond. As gruesome as it is gripping, it's the perfect literary companion as the nights get longer and increasingly eerie. SCP 847 The Case Against Satan by Ray Russell Two priests are called in to examine a girl who might be possessed by the devil. The Exorcist, right? Nope, it’s Ray Russell‘s The Case Against Satan, a novel of theological horror that beat William Peter Blatty’s book to print by eight years. The Case Against Satan is as much the story of a crisis of faith as it is a supernatural tale, and readers looking for a nuanced take on both should give it a try SCP 953 THE PILLOW BOOK BY SEI SHŌNAGON If you want to learn a bit more about the Japan of the past – and also, weirdly, all of us in the present – The Pillow Book is a cult classic you should absolutely try. Sei Shōnagon was a lady-in-waiting in the court of Empress Teishi in the year 1000 and here she collects her thoughts and musings about court life. To read a woman more than 1,000 years ago being as philosophical, neurotic and scandalous as anyone is today on social media is a thrill that lasts from the start to the end. SCP 1678 Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden Absolutely moving, the struggles Sayuri faces are painted so beautifully by Arthur Golden's masterful craft that you totally empathize with her as she grows and triumphs in a world designed to see her fail. The ultimate conclusion of the novel fills me with such warmth — it's both entirely unexpected and wholeheartedly appreciated.
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nymph1e · 3 years
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Okay fuck it, I gotta give in, I gotta watch through Supernatural. AFAIK, it's all on Netflix; at least I saw it on there in passing. Going into this, is there anything I should be aware of? Are there any episodes I should skip, any seasons? Should I start from season 4? I know the basic plot and concept, and I know it's very monster-of-the-week. But aside from me highkey shipping Destiel already, that's all.
Well my first piece of advice would be
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but uh, let’s fucking ~GO~
If you’re actually jumping into this hellhole (why why why) don’t start at season 4. It’s tempting, but seasons 1-3 are some of the best shit in the whole show, also having context for Sam and Dean’s characters, and their relationship with the supernatural up to season 4 really highlights how fucking wild the introduction of angels is in the show. it’s basically a complete paradigm shift.
I would recommend you watch seasons 1-5 basically as is, though if you’re in a rush, season three is kinda skippable as long as you read a general synopsis. This is the original arc of the show and it shows. A friend of mine, @sammwinchestersdimples​ has said she’d have been fine if the show had ended there, and I can totally see her point. After season five things start to get... uhhhhh... not as good. THAT BEING SAID some really amazing seasons come later, and you’d get nowhere NEAR the Full Destiel Experience without them. What REALLY sucks is that all the seasons have good moments in them, so even if the seasons are generally bad, they’ll have episodes of GOLD. But fuck it, here’s a season-by-season breakdown.
Season 6 - This is the first... “eh” season. There’s a lot of character choices made in this one that I don’t like. The plot also doesn’t quite seem to know what to do with itself and it has no real main villain... or I guess it has a twist villain? This is also the season where they start chucking in the typical “no homos” you get when a show is queerbaiting, so they can point to the no homo bits and claim the queers are delusional.
Season 7 - The absolute WORST season, imo, is season 7, and it features Cas the least out of all the post season 4 seasons. You can tell the writers genuinely tried to write Cas off here. Not to mention the main plot is completely stupid. HOWEVER this is the season where we get golden things like Cas showing up to Dean’s prayer naked and covered in bees, and the episode where Charlie (best girl) is introduced and Dean subsequently has to flirt with a dude because she, a lesbian, cannot. (Wow so straight, Dean)
Episodes Not To Skip:
6x03 - A good Cas/plot episode (spot the famous destiel quote)
6x04 - A good all-round episode, also Jackles directed it so  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
6x09 - This is one of the Batshit Episodes. Definitely watch.
6x10 - On the one hand, Cas episode. On the other, no homo, megstiel episode. Your choice.
6x11 - Good episode.
6x15 - THE ULTIMATE META EPISODE. Sam and Dean are teleported into Jared Padelecki and Jensen Ackles’ lives on the set of Supernatural and it is so batshit.
6x17 - Jolly good episode, and nice destiel content.
6x18 - Time travel episode, which is always fun.
6x19 - “Baby in a trenchcoat.” ‘Nough said.
6x20 - The Man Who Would Be King is the destiel episode. It is infamous in the fandom, and for good reason. It’s not just a good destiel episode, but one of the best episodes in the series. With banging lines like “Freedom is a length of rope. God wants you to hang yourself with it.” and “For a brief moment, I was me again.”
6x21 & 6x22 - The last two episodes are kind of must-watches after TMWWBK, trust me.
Episodes Not To Skip:
7x01 & 7x02 - follows on from s6 final. You don’t wanna skip.
7x05 - Good general episode
7x06 - Again, good general episode. Sets ups plot for the season.
7x08 - Ugh. So the A plot for this episodes invoves Becky, the insane, stalker, fandom-insert character, roofie Sam into marrying her (and it’s heavily implied they have sex - and it’s treated as a joke despite being LITERAL RAPE). BUT this is the episode where Garth is introduced and Garth is fucking amazing. So. IDEK.
7x10 & 7x11 - Plot important.
7x12 - Time travel episode! See if you can catch the bi!dean moment ;)
7x17 - Cas is back! Or is he???
7x18 - GARTH EPISODE
7x20 - CHARLIE!!!! WATCH THIS EPISODE!!!!
7x21 - Cas episode. It’s... interesting.
7x22 - The tagline for this episode is “Sam and Dean seek out an Alpha” 😭. It’s a Cas episode.
7x23 - If Cas weren’t in this episode I’d say skip it.
Season 8 - A fantastic season. If The Man Who Would Be King is the destiel episode, season 8 is the destiel season. When you watch this, DM me so I can RANT about all the amazing destiel this season. It’s also, again, a great season in general I remember watching it as it was airing it was soooo good. You have the arrival of the Bunker, you have Kevin and Charlie being awesome, some nice sprinkles of batshit episodes, BEST BOY BENNY rocks up in all his glory. Fucking epic season. Only downside it Sam’s character takes a bit of a dive. I’d recommend you watch through all of this season.
Episodes To AVOID:
7x13 - I literally pretend this stupid fucking episode doesn’t exist. Basically Dean impregnates a woman with Super Pregnancy and she has a daughter who becomes an adult within hours and then dies. The end. Everyone hated it. Man fuck this episode. Of course it was written by Buckleming.
Season 9 - Sadly, after how amazing season 8 was, and how spectactularly season 9 was set up, this season is a disappointment. It’s an ok season. It’s not bad, it’s not good, it’s just a bit all over the place.
I was going to give you the normal episode list to not skip, but looking through, most episodes this season should be watched for one reason or another. Either they’re Cas heavy, they do some interesting character building, or they feature one of the awesome side characters like Charlie or Jody.
This season is probably the height of the war in the writers’ room about destiel. Some writers want to no homo the whole thing and back way off, while other writers want to lean into it hard. So in the same season where SPOILER Cas loses his virginity to a random reaper woman and Dean kicks Cas out of the bunker to fend for himself, you also have Cas’ fatal flaw used as propaganda against him by Metatron being that he’s "in love” with humanity Dean. /SPOILER Whatever you do DON’T SKIP THE FINAL FEW EPISODES. TRUST ME.
Season 10 - Haha oh dear. This season is likely the biggest for wasted potential. You saw the end of season 9, right? You go “HOLY SHIT YES LET’S DO THIS” and then they do... season 10. They really became experts at setting up an awesome season only to fuck it up in delivery, right? Again, not a bad season, per se.
Episodes To AVOID:
9x05 - In which Dean wants to fuck a dog. I am not joking. I wish I were. Basically a spell-gone-wrong makes Dean doglike. it’s weird. it’s batshit. Not the good kind.
Season 11 - Season 11 is a pretty good season! They tried to give Dean a female love interest but Jackles said  ✨No✨ and played Dean as brainwashed and uncomfortable the whole time and I love him for it. Of special note this season is the episode Baby (11x04), which is my favourite episode in the series! It’s funny, it’s heartwarming, it’s weirdly shot. I love it! We also get casifer this season which is awesome! Some episodes are skippable, but they’re generally good episodes.
Episodes NOT to Skip (ignore the 10 year special):
10x01 & 10x02 - Great episodes, Dean in this is *chefs kiss*.
10x04 - *sighs* Fan Fiction. A 200th episode that is simultaneously a love letter to fans and laughing in fans’ faces. I’ve never liked this episode for the second-hand embarressment of it all, but you should watch it and see if you like it.
10x06 - Pretty good episode.
10x07 - Jody AND Donna! Fantastic episode!
10x08 - Dadstiel rears his ugly head. I fucking love how Cas adopts two (2) kids over the course of the series and in both cases Dean eventually goes “ah fuck, I guess I gotta co-parent this thing”. Also we get some KILLER destiel this episode. hey go on a DATE and Cas tells Dean he’s a good person ^_^
10x09 - Good episode. Much destiel.
10x10 - Charlie episode!
10x11 - Teen!Dean! Need I say more?
OK so I just had a look, and you really just need to watch every episode from this point in the season on. Enjoy!
Season 12 - Another example of a TERRRIBLE season, is season 12. Season 12 is also one of the most destiel-heavy seasons in the show. You see the issue? Like, it’s got a stupid plot that makes no sense and has no fucking cohesion, but you also FINALLY have the writers going “fuck it” and all in on the destiel. After this point Dean never has another non-Cas love interest and vice versa, they stop giving us whiplash from baiting and no-homoing. IF the conspiracy theory is true, and the end of the show is shit because of executive meddling, this season is the one where the writers decided they were gonna push for destiel endgame.
I gotta tell you the truth, I skipped this season in my rewatch, so all of my memories are from years ago when it first came out. This seson was the last that I watched live (for a reason). Should you skip it? No. But I’m not well informed enough about this season that I can point out what episodes you should or should not watch.
Season 13 - Congratulations! You’ve reached the point where the show’s gotten consistently good again! (just in time for most of the audience to have already left lol). We start off with SPOILERS Dean mourning Cas like he’s lost the will to fucking live. I’m talking complete despondence, praying for Cas to come back, lashing out in anger at everything, one of the darkest points we’ve ever seen him at on the show, then pulling a 180 and being super happy the second Cas comes back. /SPOILERS They also introduce Jack, who is the SECOND child Cas decides to adopt and Dean ends up co-parenting (Sam too). In fact, Jack is explicity Sam, Cas, and Dean’s kid.
Season 14 - Another good one. My only issue is where they decided to take the plot at the end of the season. I’d recommend watching it all, regardless.
Season 15 - And so we’ve come to the end of the line. This season was... well it was actually pretty good. It started off with what we hellers lovingly refer to as the “divorce arc” where Cas and Dean have a big blow up, and Cas leaves, but that ends with Dean praying on his knees for forgiveness and a nice hug. Honestly this season you can cut the tension between the two of them like a knife, and you can tell Misha and Jensen were doing it deliberately.
I’d say watch up until 15x18, then you decide what to do with the last two episodes. If you want you can watch them to understand just why people put their conspiracy theory hats on, or you can send me another ask and I’ll rec you some post 15x18 finale fics! There’s one fic that’s a replacement for 15x20 written in script format that is particularly good.
Anyway that’s it. It’s kind of left me a little sad, to break down the show in this way. Especially coming up to season 15 nd remembering all the wasted potential. Honestly if you do decide to watch the show, good luck. I hope you enjoy it. I’m also glad you never had to be put through the bullshit false hope that came about after 15x18.
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reynie-muldoons · 3 years
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'Depends on the Wagon' liveblog!
I saw someone do timestamps in their liveblog and it was absolutely lovely, so I think I'll try that too
1:55 why does Curtain sound like an mlm ceo LMAO
2:07 WOW ASSHOLE 😂😂 waving off your own teacher when he was complimenting you is not the vibe
2:17 so Dr. Curtian is only available through chain emails. Got it.
2:27 he seems like the kind of asshole to say that people on welfare are lazy and exploitave but then like, not pay his taxes
2:42 I DON'T LIKE HOW HE SAID THAT, THAT WAS CREEPY
2:47 oooooh Constance, always asking the right questions
3:05 Kate, why are you yelling, it's literally past curfew 😂
3:35 oh hai Jackson.. gtfo
4:22 oh yeah, the best way out is through the hallway that Jackson just entered. Good plane, babe.
4:25 soooo Kate Depending On Friends arc :)
4:59 AYYY HI RHONDA!!
5:13 why do I kinda fucking love then all deciphering the Morse code together
5:20 so the kids use the gemini riddle? Not the adults???
5:36 his face when he figures it out 😭😭😭
5:46 Nathaniel? Guess that's Dr. Curtain's name now. Less ridiculous than Ledroptha, but you dont get the badass Let Drop the Curtain reference
6:53 okay so no one knew he had a brother? But he did???
7:21 his faaaace 🥺
7:29 AWWW HE COULDNT BRING HIMSELF TO SHARE 😭😭😭 okay I'm kinda on board with the change if they can make it work in the long-haul
7:42 hi Milligan, good timing 😂
7:56 "not the time.........I'll take a dozen" Number Two my LOVE
8:23 interesting. I dont think Mr. Benedict was adopted in the books? He certainly didn't let Violet's family, the Hopefields, because he knew their financial troubles would be even worse. So who?
8:54 ohhhh dear, stages of grief at work. Maybe don't do that
9:05 I talked about this in the MBS discord server, but I think the show is really nailing Mr. Benedict's feelings. He's always been an emotional person, but he has to be so careful. Bottling up your feelings only leads to bigger feelings later. It makes so much sense for Mr. Benedict to be a whirlpool of strong, repressed emotions.
9:11 MILLIGAN'S FACE JAHAHS
9:34 RHONDA'S FACE HAGSKDGDJ
9:40 Mr. Benedict, sweetheart 🥺❤
10:01 "brothers stick together" why does it sound like he's talking about Reynie here 😭😭😭😭
10:12 that is a good ass point, Mr. Benedict already lied to them once
10:21 it makes sense for Sticky to be the one questioning the most because of his anxiety, but damn
10:46 AWWWWWW
10:56 KATE MAKING A BED FORT KATE MAKING A BED FORT KATE MAKING A BED FORT
11:00 I dont like how aggressive Kate is but it makes sense considering she's been in the circus for years, taking care of herself for far longer than she hasn't. She's not good at depending on people, and she's not good with difficult people.
11:10 Yeahh, Constance gets it!
11:40 Yeahhh, Constance gets it
12:55 that teacher seemed pretty nice last episode, nice to see that they're not what they seem just the same as Dr. Curtain lol
13:28 CONSTANCE I LOVE YOU 😂😂
14:00 "check again" okay so Krista from the tests and Martina give off the same vibe.. perfect 😂
14:16 "yeah......hang in there :D"
15:05 all of the apologies to the general class.. he's such an anxious sweetheart. He's really reading as autistic to me.
My sister just called me 😑 it's like 8 am, I answered her like "did you ever consider that you might be waking me up?" She did not consider that 😂
15:22 Martina's face just growing more and more annoyed and disgruntled HAHA
15:29 that was CORRECT?? WHAAAA
15:51 throwback to when I compared Dr. Curtain to an mlm ceo.. definitely like a cult
16:44 ohhhh Martina
17:30 CONSTANCE HEARING VOICES HELLOOOOO
18:22 ayyyyyy helper man
18:40 he seems too cheery to be a helper .-. The helpers all being super sad made [redacted]'s story make a whole lot more sense
19:35 aaaand now we get to it. You know, it really does seem a lot more cultish on screen than in the book
19:53 WAIT CONSTANCE GOOD JOB PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER 😂😂😂😂
19:53 that cut to Milligan making that exact face was INCREDIBLE
20:05 was he tryna leave? Yeah, good fuckin luck bucko
20:10 "critical papers at home" my ass, they packed everything up
20:24 the stages of grief back at it. 🥺
20:38 their relationship >>>>
21:00 "located in the..?" *description of envelope* "located in the....?" *more description* "located in the????" 😂😂😂😂
21:34 ohhhhh Thursday must be the student ranking day
21:56 Martina seems like the kind to throw out "pick a god and pray" as a crit quote 😂
22:07 I don't see any of the Society'a names on the list. Maybe they havent been there long enough
22:17 OH SHIT JK THERE THEY ARE
22:25 ohh Kate and Constance
22:55 the combination of the ferry horn and the bell makes it weirdly grim
23:55 them bringing Kate up and reminding her that she's needed 😌✨
24:29 hi Milligan bb ilyyyy
24:35 real good lookout guys, y'all are so well hidden
24:52 AYY HE'S DOING IT KATE STYLE
26:31 "visionary" is a word for it
26:31 I really kinda love that Number Two and Rhonda are going to such depths to try and help Mr. Benedict figure this out for sure
26:56 Mr. Benedict fully walking away while they talk about his brothers accomplishments 😂 I'm laughing, but poor guy
27:08 his FACE 🥺
27:28 HERE'S THAT TANTRUM FROM THE TRAILER
27:28 take your guesses how many times will he fall asleep
27:50 "he just has to work through some things" you dont fuckin say
27:55 you mean to tell me he had a full blown meltdown and they didn't show him falling asleep once??
28:35 like father like daughter 😌✨
29:10 ayyyy secret desk compartment
29:19 honestly I'm surprised there were actually papers he needed and it wasnt an excuse to go confront Dr. Curtain
29:32 oh shit, how'd they manage to get that far inside? No one was there to guard it, but the maze itself is a security measure
29:42 KATE STYLE STRIKES AGAIN
29:47 ooooh I like Dr. Curtain's office
30:01 WAS THAT SQ AND DID HE JUST CALL DR. CURTAIN HIS DAD
30:41 birds have careers. Got it 😂
30:50 JOURNAAAL
31:02 the fox?? Reynard the fox???
31:27 ohhh here we go, Dr. Curtain sees himself in Reynie only to resent it later
31:37 Mr. Benedict called Reynie a leader once too.. the parallels have ✨begun✨
32:12 is this the "keep your enemies close" conversation??
32:15 I'm honestly surprised he called him Sticky and not George
32:42 IT IS SQ IT IS SQ IT IS SQ
32:59 sooo that starts by not letting his caution down with you
33:11 Dr. Curtain congratulating himself mid-conversation on saying something deep is so in character
33:20 "I was betrayed by someone very close to me" so that was Mr. Benedict. Who the fuck else would it be
33:23 WHAT DID I SAAAAY
33:31 oh noooo Reynie starts doubting Mr. Benedict here? Is that the move?
33:43 that transition was so pretty stoppp
33:53 again how hasn't he fallen asleep
34:55 ayyyy journal snooping
35:05 Constance, my love, you are cut throat
35:11 Milligan is in the DRYWALL? ohh buddy be careful
35:21 omfg are they talking about water polo 😂 I love that that's the sport of choice
35:51 ayyyy they put the Milligan dots together too. Shame the guy's not with them rn
36:36 so Mr. Benedict brings up cheating first? I really like how we get to see the adults riddling out what to send back, we didn't get that at all in the books
37:46 I LOVE THAT THEY KEPT "don't get caught"
38:51 Kate riddling out the island schematics engineer style is so like her
39:07 they're just walking out the door?? Huh???
39:29 babe... turn off your flashlight
39:33 AND THAT'S WHY
39:58 is that the precursor to chuckroot?
40:38 the papers were from his orphanage 🥺🥺🥺
41:14 why does that break my heart
41:19 Dr. Curtain and SQ doing shit together it just.. so heartwarming
42:00 HAHA
42:16 okay, so show!Curtain is a kissass 😂
42:35 wait wait wait so Dr. Curtain is actively trying to contain his brother? That would explain why the Recruiters were looking for him and weirdly not the kids
43:25 "power wants to be free" sounds more like a personal mantra than a conversation between engineers
43:41 YES A LETTER TO MISS PERUMAL
44:02 more voices. Poor Connie girl 🥺
44:36 he loves her so much 😭😭😭
44:45 SHE TRIED TO SEND HIM A CARE PACKAGE
45:13 WORRIED MOM TIMEEE
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sheerfreesia007 · 3 years
Text
Finding Love In Legacy Oaks pt. 4.5
Title: Finding Love In Legacy Oaks pt. 4.5
Fandom: Kingsman
Pairing: Agent Whiskey x Reader
Author: @sheerfreesia007
Words: 1,319
Warnings: Fluff
Permanent Tag List: @paintballkid711, @fioccodineveautunnale, @phoenixhalliwell, @synystersilenceinblacknwhite, @linkpk88, @weirdowithnobeardo​
Author Notes: Suspense! Drama! Silly dad Whiskey. This one is just cute and suspenseful. The story is starting to move along now! Feedback is always appreciated.
Gif Credit: Pinterest
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Jack shut the front door and turned back to see Esme watching him from her seat at the dining room table. He could see the little gears in her brain turning as she stared at him. He walked over to the table and took a seat in his chair smiling softly at her.
   “Do you like Bunny? You act weird around her.” Esme said curiously with a tilt of her head. Jack jolted at her question and quickly tried to cover it.
   “Of course I like Bunny. She’s a nice lady.” Jack said dismissively as he began to dish out the pancakes. Jack saw out of the side of his eyes that Esme was still watching him with narrowed eyes.
   “You’re being weird.” Esme said, confused before she shook her head and began to eat her pancakes.
   “Oh I’m being weird huh? So is this weird?” Jack asked as he looked up at her from his plate with his eyes crossed, cheeks puffed out and lips pursed. Esme giggled loudly when she saw his face.
   “Daddy!” She cried out now laughing hysterically as he began to tilt his head from side to side. When he stopped she giggled softly and shook her head at him. “You are SO weird.” She said to him and he smiled widely at her before cutting into his pancakes.
   “So Bunny is going to be watching you for the week that I have to go away for a business trip.” Jack said as he put a piece of pancake in his mouth and began to chew. “You’re going to need to be on your best behavior, got it?” Jack warned her softly as he pointed his fork at from across the table.
   “I know Daddy. I like Bunny and I like her dog Butter.” Esme said matter of factly as she took a bite of her own pancakes.
   “Okay, but you have to listen to what Bunny says. She’s in charge so don’t go giving her a hard time. She’s doing Daddy a favor by watching you.” Jack said firmly as he stared at Esme.
   “I know Daddy.” Esme said exasperatedly as she rolled her eyes at him.
———
   After breakfast was done Jack loaded up the dishwasher and set it to clean the dishes before he turned back around to see Esme had already pushed the chair back up against the kitchen island. She was just climbing up onto it again when Jack stepped closer and pulled the box that Bunny had left over to the two of them.
   Peering inside Jack smiled softly at all of the things that were in it. He pulled a colorful flowering plant and set it gently in the middle of the kitchen island. He then pulled out a medium sized dark blue teddy bear that had a plastic sleeve on the front of it.
   “Oh that’s a worry bear! My friend Anna from the old neighborhood had one.” Esme cried as she reached for the bear and took it gently from his hands.
   “What’s a worry bear?” Jack asked confused as his eyebrows furrowed softly as he gazed at the bear Esme was hugging to her front.
   “Anna said anytime she was really upset about something she would write it on the worry card and her mom would read it. Then they would talk.” Esme said excitedly. Jack leaned against the island and looked over at Esme who was cuddling the bear close to her body.
   “That’s a really good idea. Do you wanna try to do that when you get upset about things?” Jack asked softly and watched as Esme nodded her head eagerly. “Okay, we can definitely try that.”
   Jack peered back down into the box and pulled out a red and white first aid kit. He opened it up and peered inside seeing all the essentials that were needed for first aid. He turned and quickly stowed it away under the kitchen sink knowing it’d come in handy there since he already had one stocked in the bathroom under the sink.
   Just then Esme squealed and danced on the chair as she reached inside of it and pulled a Wonder Woman lunch box. Jack saw there was a sticky note taped to it and he pulled it off and read the pretty cursive handwriting.
   “To a very super and brave little girl. Don’t let the bullies get you down.” Jack read to Esme and she squealed again with a large grin plastered on her face. Silently watching his little girl Jack couldn’t help but think that Bunny was going to be an excellent babysitter for his little girl. If she was able to lift her spirits with these heartwarming thoughtful gifts he couldn’t imagine what a week of the two of them spending together would do for Esme.
   Looking back into the box Jack spotted another box that was chocolatey brown color with white lines dotted around it. Pulling the box out Jack slid the larger box onto the floor and then opened the lid on the smaller box. Inside was an assortment of ice cream fixings and three blu rays. Esme squealed again and pointed to the lid of the box where Jack saw the lettering ‘Just add ice cream’ scrawled in sparkly cursive handwriting.
   “Looks like I know how we’re going to be spending our evening.” Jack said with a grin. Esme danced in her spot and bounced a little in excitement.
   “Daddy, how come Bunny makes us boxes like this?” Esme asked curiously as she placed her hands on the island and peered into the ice cream box.
   “You’ll have to ask her Buttercup. You’re gonna have a whole week with her to find out.” He said honestly. He knew Bunny was very generous with her time and effort but while he had an inkling as to why the woman created these care packages he’d rather have Esme ask the woman to find out her answer. Sliding the lid back onto the box of ice cream fixings he turned back to Esme. “Alright kiddo, go gather up enough clothes to last you a whole week okay? We gotta get you packed up for Bunny.” Jack said as he began to put away the box by the fridge.
   “Okay, Daddy.” Esme said excitedly as she grabbed her Worry Bear and ran to her room.
   “I’ll come and check on what you picked out in a little bit. Don’t forget socks and underwear!” Jack called out to her before he too began to move to his own bedroom to start packing for her work trip. Pulling out a large black duffel bag he began to pack his regular blue jeans and different colored button up shirts that he folded just right so that they wouldn’t crease. Once the clothes were packed properly he turned back to his closet and spotted his trusty whip and packed that as well. He could never be too careful while traveling to the main facility nearby.
   Just as Jack was turning back to the closet he spotted his black Stetson hanging from the corner of his large bureau. Sighing softly he grabbed it from it’s place and slid his fingers across the brim of the hat. It had been quite awhile since he had gone on a work trip. Ever since before the death of Maria matter of fact. Sighing softly again he grabbed the handles of the duffel bag and placed it down against the wall next to his closet and set the Stetson on top of it. He knew he would have to get back into the game but he had hoped that it wouldn’t be this soon.
   “Daddy I’m done!” Called Esme from her room.
   “Alright I’ll be right there.” Jack called out to her and shook his head softly before turning to his dresser to get dressed and then go check on Esme.
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helloalycia · 4 years
Text
noise complaint [three] // alycia debnam-carey
summary: after becoming friends with the neighbour you really like, you decide to come clean about who you are. You didn't expect it to result in something else...
warning/s: none.
author's note: it's literally been a year since I posted part 2 to this. I never even intended for there to be 3 parts, but here we are! Hope you like the lil conclusion to this :)
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part one | part two | masterlist | wattpad
"...write their full names down and don't forget to give them a leaflet. They're more likely to give that way."
"You done, mom?"
I gave my friend and colleague a knowing look. "Ty."
He rolled his eyes playfully, holding the door to my building open. "I won't forget, Y/N."
"You did last time," I reminded him as I gladly walked through the door.
"Well, I won't this time," he promised, before checking his wristwatch. "I gotta go, shoot."
"Thanks for walking me," I said, giving him an appreciative smile. "Now, if you screw up, please tell me before the event and not after."
"I will." He laughed as he gave me a hug. "See you later, Y/N."
"Bye." I waved him goodbye with an amused smile.
When he left, I headed to grab my mail, seeing a familiar brunette already there, grabbing her own mail. The same teasing smile that adorned my face when I was around her appeared and I headed over there confidently.
Alycia and I were kind of friends now, though it was very obvious I liked her. I tried to tone it down for her sake, but sometimes it was funny watching her glare at me playfully.
"ADC, to what do I owe this pleasure?" I said, stepping beside her to open my mailbox.
She cracked a smile, eyes sparkling with amusement. "You approached me, Y/N."
"My point remains."
She laughed, rolling her eyes as she continued looking at the letters in her hand. "Just checking my mail, like you."
I kept smiling as I glanced at her, before looking to see what letters I got.
"So... was that guy your boyfriend?"
I quirked an eyebrow as I tore my eyes from my letters. "Huh? Oh, Ty?" I laughed when it dawned on me what she thought. "If he was, I definitely didn't know."
She seemed to relax a little, an embarrassed smile on her lips.
"I'm gay," I clarified with a humoured expression. "I've got the hots for a certain Australian neighbour, remember?"
Alycia rolled her eyes, suppressing a smile. "Seriously? Besides. I didn't want to presume. You could've been bisexual or something."
"Not in this life," I said, shuddering at the thought of being with a man. I suddenly grinned as I looked at her though. "Why d'you ask anyway? You jealous?"
Alycia glared at me playfully, though her cheeks were getting pinker by the second. I refrained from laughing, loving teasing her until she usually slapped me on the arm and changed the subject. As funny as this was though, I guess I did secretly wish she was jealous. But Alycia wasn't interested, that much she had made clear.
"Ladies, it's lovely I caught you both here!"
Alycia and I spun around when we saw our landlady, Mrs. Khan, approaching us with a smile.
"Mrs. Khan, hey," I greeted. "Did you need something?"
She shook her head. "I just thought I'd check in since the last time we met." Her eyes fell to Alycia's. "Any complaints, Miss Debnam-Carey?"
I looked over to Alycia with a cheesy grin on my face, causing her to crack a smile and roll her eyes.
"No complaints on my end," Alycia told her honestly. "Y/N seems to be behaving herself."
"How lovely," Mrs. Khan said, almost with relief. "That's great to hear. I guess I'll leave you both to it."
With that, she left us in the hall with our mail.
"She's totally warming up to me," I said with a knowing nod.
Alycia chuckled as she closed her locker. "I'm sure she is."
I closed mine too and followed her as she walked up the steps. "Hey, if you hadn't tattle-tale-d on me like a kid a month ago, she would have no issues with me."
"You're forgetting the part where you blasted your volume whilst playing video games," she said with an amused smile, her green eyes bright as they stared at me.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever..." I waved her off dismissively.
She laughed when she knew she was in the right, and I watched with a smile, admiring how beautiful she looked when her eyes were closed and her teeth were showing in a wide smile. The sound was contagious, making my stomach do somersaults, and it made this whole thing a little worth it. She was ethereal.
That same evening, I was going around the whole building and collecting some last minute donations for the charity gala I was attending on the weekend. The charity I worked for raised money for schools in deprived countries to help them afford supplies, textbooks, computers, the whole lot. My job was to help fundraise in schools, offices, even on the street, and I was doing some last minute fundraising to help the kids in our local schools increase their donations.
People were quite generous in our building, and for the most part, weren't rude. There were a few who may or may not have shut the door in my face, but otherwise it was going well. I purposely saved Alycia's door for last however, wanting to see her face when I asked her.
She didn't know what my job was, just that it was office-based, which technically wasn't a lie. I just wanted to have another excuse to tease her, so I headed over to her place and knocked on the door with my clipboard and envelope in hand.
When I knocked on, it took her a moment to open up, but when she did, a confused smile appeared on her lips.
"Good evening, miss. I was wondering if you would be interested in donating some money to [a charity name], to help children in deprived countries have a better education?"
Alycia quirked an eyebrow, resting a hand on her hip as she met my eyes with confusion. "Huh?"
I chuckled and lowered my clipboard, cutting the act. "How do you do, m'lady?"
She stepped to the side to let me in and I walked in, casually taking a seat at her kitchen counter. I'd been over at her place a few times in the past month, and vice versa, so this was pretty normal for us.
"What's with the clipboard?" she asked, grabbing a glass and pouring some lemonade in it.
"Thanks," I said, accepting the drink, taking a sip before explaining. "Part of me was trying to pull your leg, but the other part is actually trying to raise money for charity."
"Wait, you're serious? This isn't you being your dorky self?"
"No, I'm serious," I said, though I was laughing. "I'm in charge of organising donations and making sure the kids raise enough. I've been going around the building, asking for donations. Just thought I'd see if you wanted to donate? Of course, you don't have to, but yeah."
Alycia was still struggling to believe me as she studied me curiously. Eventually, she sighed and went to grab her purse from the coffee table.
"How's... thirty dollars?"
I raised my eyebrows with surprise as she held it out towards me. "More than expected. People usually give, like, ten."
She chuckled and waved the money towards me again. "Here's thirty. Can't deny kids their education, right?"
I accepted the money, an appreciative smile on my lips. "Wow, thanks, Alycia." I filled in her details on the clipboard and put the money in the envelope before jumping off the stool.
"So, you do charity work?" Alycia asked, as if still trying to believe it.
"What? Do I not seem the type?" I teased, before finishing the lemonade off in a quick gulp.
"No, no, that's not it," she reassured, a little embarrassed. "I just, I don't know. It's strange seeing you serious about something. You usually take the piss."
"Only with you, Alycia," I said with a grin. "Besides, this is a good job. It helps people. I love it."
Alycia smiled as she listened, nodding in agreement. I bit my lower lip as a thought crossed my mind, but I wasn't sure whether to push my luck. Then again, we were friends, so it wasn't really...
"Hey, Alycia?"
"Yeah?" She was at the dishwasher now, filling it up with dishes by her sink.
I ignored the nervousness I felt and said, "All this money is gonna get counted up and announced at this gala this weekend. Everyone who works with the charity will be there, and I've got two tickets. I was wondering if you, maybe, wanna go with me?"
Alycia stopped what she was doing and looked up, raising her eyebrows as if she'd misheard. "You want me to go with you?"
"As friends, of course," I clarified, offering a small, nervous smile. "It could be fun! It's for charity, and it's gonna be all fancy and stuff. You like dressing up, right?"
Alycia began to smile. "It sounds lovely."
I felt my heart fluttering nervously. "So, that's a yes?"
She chuckled. "Yes, Y/N, it's a yes. I'd love to go with you."
I tried to hide the excitement in my voice as I said, "Yeah, great, that's great. Er, yeah. Okay. I'll let you know all the details tomorrow."
"Sounds like a plan," she agreed, flashing me a heartwarming, weak-in-the-knees smile.
I swallowed hard, returning the smile, before grabbing my clipboard. "I should go get this sorted out, but yeah, I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks again, for the donation."
"Anytime."
I tried not to trip over my own two feet as I let myself out, a massive grin on my lips. I'd wanted to ask Alycia since the gala had first been announced at work, but I figured she might say no since we'd only just recently established our friendship. She didn't though. She said yes!
I was thrilled, knowing it was my chance to share another part of my life with her, an important part. Yes, I'd been teasing her and annoying her since we'd met, but I began to trust her as a friend, and I wanted her to know everything about me, now that I knew she liked me for me and not for anything else.
I played with the edges of my blazer nervously, constantly checking the door of our building to see if Alycia was there.
The weekend had come by soon enough and Alycia was finishing getting ready, telling me she'd meet me outside. I was super nervous though, unable to keep still as I thought about whether the car and driver was too much.
I just wanted Alycia to have a great time and be treated how she deserved. It's not like we would stand out – everybody at the gala had much more glamorous modes of transport.
After what felt like forever, I saw Alycia's figure stepping outside, an apologetic expression on her face. I lost my words though, my mouth going dry as I looked at her. She was radiant, wearing an off-the-shoulder black dress that hugged her curves perfectly, paired with some high heels that accentuated her legs. It's like she was purposely trying to make me have a gay panic attack, honestly.
"I am so sorry for taking a little longer than I said," she said when she approached me. "I couldn't find my shoes and then I lost my purse when I found them."
I was still awestruck by how gorgeous she looked, her dark eye makeup making her bright green eyes stand out and sending shivers down my spine.
"You look amazing," she complimented, eyes looking me up and down. "You clean up nice."
She was smiling playfully, and I tried to find words as I nodded.
"I... thank you. You look... wow. Like, good wow. Really good wow. Really good wow."
She looked down bashfully as she smiled to herself. "Thank you, Y/N."
I swallowed hard, before clearing my throat. "I, er, yeah, we're taking the car." I nodded to the Porsche parked out front. "I hope that's okay."
She looked to where I was and her eyes widened. "You're kidding, right? That's a bit too fancy isn't it? I didn't mind getting a taxi."
I smiled, finally catching my breath, holding out my hand. "Now what kind of date would I be if I made you get into a taxi dressed like that?" She looked to me with an unreadable expression, and I quickly added, "Friendly date, of course."
She pursed her lips, suppressing a smile, and placed her hand in mine. "That's sweet. I don't even know what to say."
I began to lead her to the car, opening the back door. "Don't say anything. Just get in and enjoy the ride, yeah?"
She paused by the open door, directing a small smile my way. To my surprise, she leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to my cheek, making me melt on the spot.
I closed the door after her before going around to the other side, sliding in beside her.
"Straight to the gala, Miss Y/L/N?" the driver asked, glancing at me in the rear view mirror.
"Please, Jerry, thank you."
Jerry nodded and set off. Alycia glanced at me with a raised eyebrow, a surprised smile on her lips.
"What?" I asked, refraining from chuckling.
"You better have not spent a lot on this," Alycia warned playfully, though I sensed truth to her words. "And don't say your work arranged it because nobody's work arranges stuff like this."
I laughed, meeting her intoxicating gaze. "I promise you that everything was completely in my price range."
Alycia narrowed her eyes, attempting to figure out the grin on my lips, but when she realised she couldn't, she sighed and leaned back into her seat.
"You're off the hook," she gave in. "For now."
When Jerry reached the gala, I escorted Alycia out of the car and watched as she took in the vastness of the building.
"This is... wow," she muttered, looking around at the high ceilings and carved-out wall work in the entrance.
"Wait until you see the inside of the ballroom," I said with an amused smile. "You'll love it."
She glanced at me with disbelief, before allowing me to lead her further inside. I handed in our tickets, received two champagne flutes for Alycia and I, and led her in the main ballroom that was bigger and brighter than anything even I had ever seen.
It was elegantly decorated, with beautiful flower arrangements lining the walls and sitting on the tables, and fairy lights were strung across the ceiling, twinkling above like stars. The room was packed with people who worked with me and some parents of the children who had been raising money in the local schools. I also recognised some sponsors and partners of the charity, but ultimately, I was subtly watching Alycia to see what she thought.
"You were right, this is even better," she admitted, intrigued by everything we walked past.
"I knew you'd love it," I said, staring at her with admiration. Even when she was distracted like a kid in a candy store, she still looked so beautiful, leaving me with butterflies in my stomach and tingles up my arm from where hers was touching mine.
She turned to me, eyes brighter than any of the fairy lights above. "I didn't think you liked events like this."
"I don't."
She cocked her head to the side. "Then why did you come tonight?"
"Well, there's two reasons," I admitted. "One was because it's for charity. I thought I'd show my support."
She smiled adorably. "And the second reason?"
I gave her a knowing look. "You agreed to come with me. How often do I get to take you out?"
She rolled her eyes, but I saw her fighting the smile from her lips.
"Y/N, hey!"
I turned around at the mention of my name, a little disheartened that they interrupted Alycia and I's conversation. It was Ty, all dressed in his best clothes, a grin on his face.
"Great to see you," I said to him, smiling at him nonetheless. He hugged me as I said, "You doing okay?"
He nodded. "Amazing. Apparently we raised a lot this time 'round."
"Fingers crossed," I said hopefully, before glancing at an awkwardly smiling Alycia. "Ty, this is Alycia. She's my date."
I laughed when Alycia smacked me on the arm playfully.
"I'm her friend," Alycia corrected, before shaking Ty's outstretched hand. "It's nice to meet you."
"You, too," Ty replied with a friendly smile. "You must be the Australian neighbour she's always talking about."
I rolled my eyes, knowing my face was heating up as they both looked to me with humorous expressions.
"Huh, I must be," she agreed teasingly.
"Anyway, Ty was just leaving," I said to Alycia, ignoring the playful smirk tugging at her lips.
"Actually, I came to tell you that your parents are looking for you," he said matter-of-factly. "And they're heading over here as I speak."
I knew I'd be seeing my parents tonight, since it was their charity after all, but I was expecting to prep myself a little beforehand then speak to them. So, when Ty sheepishly told me they were walking over to me, I may or may not have panicked a little.
"Your parents?" Alycia asked, furrowing her eyebrows.
I nodded, seeing my parents approaching me with smiles on their faces. "Yeah. I was supposed to mentally prepare for this, but I guess we're gonna see how this goes."
Alycia opened her mouth, a questioning gaze on me, but my parents suddenly stopped by and spoke first, silencing her.
"Y/N, there you are!" my mum said, before pulling me in for a quick hug. "You look lovely!"
"Thanks, mum," I said, smiling with embarrassment. "You both look great. And this gala is the best you've done yet."
"It's certainly a stand-out event," my dad agreed with a shrug, before he noticed Alycia, who was still looking between my parents and I as if piecing us together. "And who might this young lady be? A date?"
For once, Alycia was too confused to correct them, so I did.
"This is Alycia Debnam-Carey," I introduced her. "She's my friend and neighbour. She donated and so I thought I'd invite her to show her a bit of what I do."
"The glamorous parts of it," my mum joked, before smiling kindly at Alycia. "It's lovely to meet you, Alycia, dear. I'm Y/M/N and this is my husband, Y/D/N."
Alycia suddenly cleared her throat, eyes darting to mine with surprise. She plastered an easygoing smile on her lips as she shook my parents' hands.
"Y/L/N as in..."
"The founders of this charity?" my dad finished for her with a quirked eyebrow. He suppressed a laugh. "Yes, that's us. Didn't Y/N say...?"
Alycia licked her lips, shaking her head. "Er, no... you guys are amazing though. I've read a bit about the work you do and I've even donated a few times."
"Only a few?" my mum teased.
Alycia smiled, a little flustered. "Well, I'm actually a regular donator to The Salvation Army. It's a postal thing that I don't really know how to stop, but yeah."
I contained a smile as my parents chuckled at Alycia's truthfulness.
"Your honesty is refreshing," my mum admitted before glancing at me. "I see why you're friends with her."
I glanced at Alycia, noticing she was smiling politely at my parents and giving them her full attention.
"Well, Alycia, I hope you enjoy the the evening, and on behalf of the whole organisation, I thank you for donating to a great cause," my dad concluded with a grateful smile. He looked to me and said, "Enjoy yourself, Y/N, you deserve it."
"See you both later," I said, giving them a nod, before watching them walk away.
When they were gone, Alycia breathed out shakily, looking to me with an unimpressed look.
"Were you planning on telling me that you're the daughter of billionaires and that this is your parents' gala, or were you gonna wait until I made a fool of myself in front of them?" she asked, raising an eyebrow with disbelief.
"Bit of an exaggeration," I said playfully, before losing my smile when I saw her serious expression. "Alycia, you didn't make a fool of yourself. They loved you."
"Y/N."
I sighed, offering a small, nervous smile. "Look, I don't really think of myself as a billionaire's daughter. I mean, you've seen where I live. I just work for them. I barely see them. I prefer to stay lowkey."
"Clearly," she noted, making me chuckle.
"I don't really tell people who my parents are until I trust them," I told her truthfully, eyes softening as they met her unreadable green ones. "I never know if people want to be my friend for me or for them. So, it was better this way. I know I lied, but I hope you understand."
She breathed out slowly, nodding. "I get it. I do."
I smiled hopefully. "So you're not mad?"
She chewed on her lower lip as she smiled, shaking her head. It seemed like she was distracted, but I didn't think too much on it as I realised she wasn't as bugged out by the whole thing as I thought she would be.
"Thanks," I said, breathing out calmly. "Sorry, again. Come on. You're hungry, right? The appetisers here are practically main courses."
She didn't argue, so I grabbed her hand and led her to the appetisers table to make a small plate.
A few hours had passed and the evening was in full swing, with some rich people drunk enough to do very YouTube-worthy embarrassing things and others judging them immensely. It was my favourite bit at events like these.
Alycia seemed to be enjoying herself, I think. I introduced her to some more of my colleagues, as well as some parents I'd befriended when visiting the schools, and she was her lovely, charming self. Yet, something seemed a little off.
I didn't know what it was. Ever since she found out about who I actually was, she'd been acting quieter. Not distant, but quiet. I didn't think anything was going to change since I was clearly the same person, but she didn't seem to think so. And I was beginning to regret telling her at all because I was missing our signature back and forth very much the rest of the evening.
It got to a point where even Ty was noticing how off she suddenly seemed, so I decided to pull the brunette aside and talk to her. There was no point forcing her to stay tonight if she didn't want to.
"Is everything okay?" she asked with confusion when I pulled her into a quiet hallway outside of the ballroom.
I pursed my lips, feeling nervous the longer she stared at me. I was scared that she'd admit she was pissed because I lied, and I'd lose a friend.
"You don't want to be here anymore," I said, eyes flickering to the ground, unable to hold her gaze. "It's because I lied to you, isn't it?"
I heard her sigh quietly and I knew I'd made a mistake.
"Alycia, I'm sorry," I apologised again, meeting her eyes. "I shouldn't have lied. I–"
"Y/N, no, it's not that," she cut me off, shaking her head.
I relaxed my shoulders subconsciously. "It's not?"
It was her turn to look nervous, as her eyes looked up to the ceiling with discomfort. "It's just– you had to go and tell me and ruin everything..." she mumbled with agitation.
I furrowed my eyebrows. "I– er... huh?"
She clenched her jaw, eyes meeting mine. "I had it all planned out, for God's sake. Now it seems like I only like you because you have money and that's far from the truth."
I widened my eyes, second-guessing myself. "You like me?"
Alycia groaned aloud, rolling her eyes. "Of course, you idiot!"
Still unable to believe it, I asked, "Like, like like me?"
She glared at me. "Yes, but now you've–" She shoved me in the shoulder, "–gone and ruined it because the timing is all wrong and now you're gonna think I'm using you!"
My stomach was raging with butterflies as a grin appeared on my lips. I couldn't help myself as I realised she liked me back. I'd been teasing her this whole time, but the feelings were real. I never actually thought there was a chance she'd reciprocate.
"Y/N, please be serious," she said, crossing her arms and staring at me with a firm expression.
She looked really freakin' cute with her jaw tense and eyes darkened with annoyance.
"Just to clarify," I said, ignoring her for a second, "the other day, when you thought Ty was my boyfriend... that was you being jealous, right?"
Alycia breathed out slowly, uncrossing her arms and straightening up. "Are you really gonna make me say it?"
My childish grin was on my lips, making her roll her eyes and sigh.
"Fine. Yes. I was jealous. You happy? Now look. I know you might think that I–"
I moved forward and kissed her, cutting her off from saying anything else. I closed my eyes and felt her slowly reciprocating, lips moving against mine. Her hands rested on my shoulders as I caressed her cheek with mine, the other pulling her closer by her waist.
I'd wanted to kiss her for so long, but I was so afraid of the rejection. But here was she was, kissing me back...
I pulled away when we needed air, opening my eyes and feeling my lips tingle. I was submerged in green instantly, a smile curling on my lips. Every inch of my skin felt like it was on fire, in the best way possible.
"I feel like you did that to shut me up," she spoke first, voice soft as she pulled back to take a breath.
I chuckled. "Partially."
She licked her lips and stared at me expectantly.
I stared at her with serious eyes, grin fading into a smile. "Alycia, I know you'd never use me. You're not like that. I mean, you put up with me for this long, didn't you?"
She opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off.
"Look, I only told you the truth about my family because I realised I wouldn't have a chance with you," I admitted, and saw she was hanging onto my every word. "I thought it was best to come clean. If I could only have you as a friend, I wanted to do so right. I trust you to know the truth and still like me for me. You liking me back doesn't change that. Just makes me extremely lucky."
She cracked a small smile, but still seemed uncertain. "Are you sure?"
I couldn't help but laugh. "Do you want me to not trust you?"
"No, no, I'm not– ugh." She was flustered, her cheeks going an adorable pink colour. "I just want you to be sure. I know how I feel about you... I know that was before you told me. I mean, I don't really care about any of this." She motioned around her. "You were annoying at first, but it grew on me. I just... I want you to be sure."
I smiled genuinely, stepping forward and grabbing her hands. "I'm sure. Also, you know you can never live this down now, right? You like me."
Alycia raised an eyebrow playfully. "You can't tease me about liking you, you idiot."
"Why not? You were supposed to hate me, remember?"
She rolled her eyes, though a smile tugged at her lips. "I never hated you."
"Pretty sure you filed a noise complaint against me," I recalled, pulling her closer to me, getting goosebumps when her body touched mine.
She gave me a knowing look. "That was because your volume was way too–! You know what? Forget it."
I grinned, staring at her even though she was avoiding my eyes to prove a point.
"You're doing it again," she mumbled, finally lifting her gaze to meet mine.
"Doing what?"
"That thing," she said, as if I should know. "Where you act like you've won this thing between us."
I chuckled. "Once again, I didn't think there was anything between us. Well, I guess now there is... if you want there to be?"
Alycia wrapped her arms around my neck, eyes looking between mine thoughtfully.
"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"
"Probably."
She breathed out, a small smile playing on her lips. "Yeah. Probably."
She leaned forward and closed the gap between us in a soft, sensual kiss. I closed my eyes and revelled in her warmth whilst wondering how on Earth I got this lucky.
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winchest09 · 4 years
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The Bunker Party - Debrief
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Hey everyone!
Our bunker party was an absolute blast. It was one filled with laughter, smiles and support and it warms my heart to see so many of your faces each time we do this. This party went in many different ways from fanfiction to urban dictionary - to seeing some of the SPN family’s best dance moves. It was a TREAT. 
6 and a half hours we were talking…SIX AND A HALF and again, I loved every single second. It was so nice to see so many gorgeous faces, and I’m so happy that so many of you joined us! The support from you guys for each other, the love in this fandom; I can’t express how much I adore it.
Me and @katehuntington​​​​ love holding these events and we are already planning the next live stream (date to be announced) but it will be in July. 
This is the lowdown for the The Bunker Party! Sorry it’s a little late, I’ve been ill! 
Below you will find:
Everyone who joined - their tags, what’s coming up fic wise and their masterlist.
A Challenge to join 
Blogs who want to help with your writing
Alpha? Beta? Omega?
Want a link breaker?
Fic & blog recs
Announcements
So without further ado… *cracks fingers*
To everyone that joined…
You are the guys that make it the live stream what it is.  So below is a list of everyone who was on the chat last night accompanied by their masterlist and what they have coming up soon! In no particular order…
@katehuntington​​​: Kate is currently working on the next instalment of Ride With Me and All I Want. She’s been teasing us with little ideas that keep popping into her head too...
Her masterlist can be found HERE
@flamencodiva​​​: This babe is currently working on a multitude of things and we are super excited to see them come out. We have her brand new fiction ‘What could have been’ as well as Call of the Ocean and many others! 
Check out her masterlist HERE
@whatareyousearchingfordean​​​: Alex is currently writing the epilogue to her Jensen fiction Et Cetera AND she has decided her next fiction!
Firefighter Dean x OFC Marina. From what we’ve already heard…it sounds amazing! I won’t give away any plot points that we were told just yet but it’s one to be put on your watch list! 
Her masterlist can be found HERE
@superfanficnatural​​​:  This babe is currently working on the next chapters of The Bringer of balance as well as the next chapters of The Choice! Also still thinking about his knight of hell x demon dean fic which just sounds so good.
We’re living for it!
Go and give him some love, his masterlist can be found HERE
@emoryhemsworth​​​: This beaut has broken her lil hiatus and posted the sequel to Because of You. Piece by Piece is amazing and if you haven’t read it yet, i suggest you check it out. She’s also writing her first chapter of her series idea. 
Check our her masterlist HERE:
@malfoysqueen14​​​: This lovely lady is new to the Supernatural fandom and is trying her hand at writing fanfiction! Her first fic “White Flag” is Dean x OFC and it’s going in a very interesting direction! Worth a read!
She hasn’t yet got a masterlist but you can check out White Flag HERE
@waywardbeanie​​: This absolute gem of a woman has JUST posted her very first fanfiction and it’s an absolute DIAMOND. Dean. Letters. Fluff. Smut. It’s gonna tick all them boxes and it’s a must read!
You can find her masterlist HERE
@janicho88​​: This lovely lady has written some lovely stories already and has a few things on her list that are definitely worth a read! 
You can find her masterlist HERE
@soaringeag1e​​: This lovely lady has a lovely full masterlist of things for you to dig your teeth into! There are series, oneshots for Jensen, Dean, Jared, Sam, Misha, Castiel...
You can find her masterlist HERE
@smol-and-grumpy​​: Nat has such a juicy masterlist. We were thrilled she joined us on the chat. From Dear Dean to Light My Fire, you will find series that will make you smile, make you cry and will make you want to cool yourself down because they are that smuttastic. 
You can find her masterlist HERE
@manawhaat​​: This babe joined us for the first time this time and we loved having her! Below you can find her humongous masterlist of goodies for your reading pleasure. Her most recent works being an A/B/O oneshot called “Howl”
You can find her masterlist HERE
@crashdevlin​​: Another lovely new face this time to our chat and we are all enjoyed having you there! This babe is another writer with a very large expanding fic list. If you haven’t read any of her work yet, hop on to it! 
You can find her masterlist HERE
@jensengirl83​​: She is new to the chat this week and new to the spn world of writing. Yet she’s already got a few fics under her belt! Fancy checking them out?
You can find her masterlist HERE 
Me: I’m currently working on two series, Life for Rent and Man’s Best Friend! I also have a couple of Dean series being worked on in the background as well as a couple of oneshots…I have already posted two. One being called Pay Attention and the other called Wet Enough. 
My masterlist can be found HERE:
To the new writers/readers…
Remember guys - we’re all here to love and support you! My inbox is always open if you want to talk fics, want me to look over one etc.
@peaches007​​ @cherry3point14​​ and the few nonnies we had!
We love you, we thank you for reading and we thank you for all the support and love you give us constantly. Thank you for joining the chat and we hope you had an amazing time <3
Go and follow and give them some love!
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Ohhhh yes! 
We have two of them for you too! 
Firstly, the darling @flamencodiva​​​​ is holding a celebration in regards to reaching 1700 followers!
Not only is she hosting a character take over on her blog she’s also posted a writing challenge for all us writers out there! This challenge is still ongoing!
Check it out HERE
Secondly, the wonderful @deanwanddamons​​ & @impala-dreamer​​ are holding a joint challenge. The “I Do Understand That Reference” Challenge. 
Fancy guiding Sam, Dean or Cas through another French Mistake type event? Take a look at the movie list and get yourself signed up!
Check it out HERE
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Need Help with your fic?
We’ve got you covered!
Need to has out a plot with someone?
The lovely @malfoysqueen14​​​ has offered herself up to be a plot buddy to anyone that needs it. Stuck on a plot point, want to talk through a story line with someone? Give her a message! She’s here to help <3
Need help with research for a fiction?
The most wonderful @waywardbeanie​​​​ has offered herself up to be a researcher for anyone who wants help with their fiction. She has been a die hard SPN fan forever and she’s like the Ellen of our live stream.
Need a researching buddy? Give her a message! She’s a doll <3
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Alpha? Beta? Omega? 
On this livestream, the topic of A/B/O was brought up and we did discuss it in length and detail about what was involved. Now this may not be a genre for everyone and that is absolutely fine.
However for those that are interested in exploring this genre of fanfiction, we highly recommend you check out @kittenofdoomage​​‘s A/B/O universe HERE.
She’s broke it down and has gone into detail to explain it for those that wish to read and/or write it. 
We hope it helps! 
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Fancy yourself a Supernatural Line Breaker? 
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We got you! 
Our fabulously talented @talesmaniac89​​ has drawn up so MANY supernatural themed line breakers for your free usage! 
She has two posts full already!
Check them out HERE and HERE
Give them a like, a reblog and please THANK HER if you use her work. She’s a good egg <3 
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Fic & blog Recs!
In our live stream, we want to highlight what we’ve been reading and the amazing authors behind the words. So below is a list of all the fics that we recommend for some good ol fic binging!
Fic Recs
That Day Again by @jensengirl83​​
Summary: Dean tries to comfort the reader. 
Happily Ever Eventually by @crashdevlin​​ Summary:  Reader begins working on Supernatural. She makes fast friends with J2 and after months of flirting becomes something more to Jensen, whose wife is not usually the jealous type. When she gets a small part in a MCU anthology, she meets Tom Hiddleston and things get more complicated.
Fool For Love by @crashdevlin​​
Summary:  Y/n is an omega whose world was flipped upside down when she presented late. She was practically a hermit for years, only going out to socialize once a week. When the Winchester brothers walked into her life, it flipped her world again…but not really right-side up.
Stay by @evansrogerskitten​​
Summary:  Dean is the future Alpha of the Winchester pack, a wolf/human hybrid race that has roamed their land since the first howl under the moon. Dean is the ideal Alpha; strong, smart, and brave. There’s just one thing missing in his life - his future Second, the Omega he’s yet to find. Life for Rent by @winchest09​​
Summary:  Y/N can be anyone for a price. Her life is ruled by contracts, men and money. It’s all she knows; countless identities, seedy clients, and strict regulations. She has to obey the rules, but her past is full of secrets and her future is resting in the wrong hands. But will her next client be the same as the rest?
Et Cetera by @whatareyousearchingfordean​​
Summary: Jared’s younger sister agreed to help out for a few months when one of Supernatural’s makeup artists takes her maternity leave. Trying to juggle her new job and her burgeoning brand, she turns to Jensen for comfort. Can their relationships survive Jared finding out that his best friend slept with his baby sister? Ride With Me by @katehuntington​​
Summary:  Alternate Universe (AU) in which the reader is a horse rider who goes to a ranch in Arizona, owned by Bobby and Ellen Singer. She’s there to gain work experience, but then she meets wrangler Dean Winchester. A heartwarming series about a cowboy who falls for the girl, letting go of the past and the importance of family.
PHEW! I definitely think we have enough fics on here to last us for a few days if not weeks!…don’t you? ;) Please guys don’t forget to give these writers some love when reading their fics, comments, reblogs, asks. It means the world.
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I think that’s it!
Thank you so much once again to everyone who joined the chat, we had 6 hours of laughs and i cannot wait to do it again. I’d appreciate it if you could share this to spread the love of the fics and authors on here!
Keep an eye out for the next date for our next livestream! It will be in a couple of weeks, date to be announced. If you guys have any idea’s or want something included, let us know. If you want to be tagged when we announce, let us know!
See you next time!
xox
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anxiouslynumbme · 4 years
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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., 7x01 (Warning: Spoilers.)
AoS had always managed to keep it fresh, even if they recycle a plot (Hydra), they always add a twist to make it interesting and engaging. My initial reaction to the episode was pure excitement and joy. I've missed these characters so, so, so much and seeing them in this brand new setting, embarking on one last mission, one last adventure - that we get to live with them - was so incredibly heartwarming and bittersweet. But I wasn't focused on the sadness, I was too busy watching the awesomeness of this episode.
I don’t think I’d ever been disappointed with an AoS season premiere and this one was no different. I fucking loved it! 
I understand the absence of May, Fitz. . .I mean, I was expecting it, so it softened the blow, plus, I trust the writers and I know we'll be rewarded with amazing reunions and great storytelling, they always know how to work the plot and know that certain things have to be earned.
I really can't wait to learn more about the Chronicoms, because I just feel like there's more to the story than just trying to save themselves, anyone else thinks that? They’re still a mystery and I hope there's more to them.
Saving Hydra, that's such an interesting concept. I can’t wait to see how that turns out!
Now let's get to the real good stuff. The title card, UGH, so cool! The set design, the costumes, the lighting, it was all so atmospheric. Everything was beautifully shot and accurate. Fantastic work, Crew.
Daisy Johnson, I missed you. I loved every scene with her. Especially when she put that sexist asshole in his place. The fighting Scene with the Chronicom was awesome. And of course the scenes with (Not) Coulson. I. Want. To. Know. What. Is. In. That. Letter. Now. Please.
Jemma Simmons, I missed you. Nothing is better than cold, calculating, scary Jemma. I loved the scene when she was trying to extract information from the Chronicom. That 'no' before she plugged. . .”a thing” in his skull was gold! I wanted the scene with her and Daisy to be longer, though. More Skimmons friendship moments, please.
Elena “Yo-Yo” Rodriguez, I missed you. I liked that they showed that she was hesitant about removing her mechanical arm, it showed the journey she went through to accept it and of course it's necessary to remove it, 'cause, you know, time-travel. That scene when she touched her face. Natalia was so great, I felt every emotion that’d crossed her face.
Melinda May, I missed you, especially this episode, acting like the mother from Hereditary. I'll admit, I laughed so hard when I saw her up there.
Enoch, I missed you, but you had one job, you adorable Chronicom.
Alphonso “Mack” Mackenzie, I missed you. The scene with him and (Not) Coulson, the second time he woke him, was really sweet. Other than him being a bad-ass director, I don't remember any other scene particularly sticking out to me. But Mack is Mack, and he is just cool.
I was genuinely so happy with the Koenig appearance. And Freddy, from the moment he was on screen, I knew there was more to him, and of course he's a Malick, I liked that reveal. I’m kinda looking forward to see what they do with him, if he’s good or just like the rest of his family.
Deke, you're funny and I like you but I hope to God, they don't make Daisy and Deke a thing this season (I don’t think they will.) It's just so weird to me, personally. I mean, he's Fitz and Simmons’ grandson. . . 
Leopold Fitz, you're always missed and I'm sick of it. Come back, my love. For fuck's sake. 
Fitzsimmons, I. . .I don’t even know what to say anymore. You cause me pain.
And finally, Robot/LMD/Chronicom - Coulson. You see, I am beyond happy to see him again, even though it's not him. But It was super hard watching his memory overload session. I also know Coulson wanted to finally rest and how he felt about the whole LMD thing, but then I remembered that the real Coulson is dead and doesn't know about any of this and ... so yeah, confused emotions, but honestly, I don't care, it's the last season and Phillip J. Coulson has to be on screen, because I missed him so much; and I guess I'll just have to settle.
I really think by the end they'll shut him down to respect Coulson's memory and it'll be awfully sad.
As always, Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't disappoint. I'm so happy and excited for what's to come, but I also really don't want to think about the show ending.
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fictionstuff · 3 years
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A3 Spring, Summer, Autumn & Winter
Plot: Home to countless street acts and performances, Veludo Way attracts those interested in watching professional actors. After receiving a mysterious letter, Izumi Tachibana arrives at the venue where her father directed a once-popular theater group, Mankai Company, but learns that the building is about to be repurposed due to excessive debt. At the last minute, she convinces the debt collector to give the ensemble one more chance. He is willing to accept but on three conditions: their debut show must be successfully produced by the following month, the four all-male sub-troupes must be reinstated, and the debt must be paid off within a year. To top it off, Izumi herself must become the director. With no time to lose, Izumi quickly gathers the people for all 4 troupes, it's up to Izumi to train and prepare them for a performance that will restore Mankai Company to its former glory.
Episodes: 12 + 12
Main Characters:
Tachibana Izumi
Spring (Sakuya, Masumi, Itaru, Tsuzuru, Citron)
Summer (Tenma, Yuki, Muku, Misumi, Kazunari)
Autumn (Banri, Hyouza, Omi, Taichi, Sakuyo)
Winter (Tsumugi, Tasuku, Hisoka, Azuma, Homare)
Points: 6.5/10
I am a fan of the original mobile game. I've probably been gaming it now for half a year and sadly missed out quite a bit of extra content, which the anime also didn't fill in, but I hoped to find a good adaption as I was looking forward to watching it ever since it was announced. A3 revolves around troupes, groups of boys who act on a theatre stage. That's pretty much the whole plot simplified, but rather than just calling it otome, I'd call it slice-of-life as most of the anime, no matter which season, focuses on all 5 troupe members, their backstory, their motivation and how they overcome conflicts and problems alike which is heartwarming to watch. I am pretty sure at least one boy will strike your fancy or will be highly sympathetic.
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The anime follows the game very closely as in it is 100% loyal to the original plot, which is a delight knowing how bad animes can end up once they deviate from the original. The only significant bad point of the anime is the animation. The character and world design is close to the game, even the VAs are the same. The animation is decent at best and mediocre to bad at worst. It hurts my heart to have seen some of the characters moving, since the visuals are the selling point of A3, although close ups were still nice to look at, but I am not a fan of slide show animes. The second season's animations were even worse than the first. Hardly can remember Omi getting even one good close up and this is rather hurtful considering he's my fave and often quite forgotten among the bunch of boys. He almost always looked super dopey. They could have improved this a whole lot.
Apart from the boys, we also have a lovely female lead, very strong willed and smart, who is more often a supporter rather than a love interest and that made the anime feel a lot easier, as well as the game. Every character in here is special and loves acting or is about to become invested in it, which ultimately helps them overcome hurdles, problems or conflicts together and watching all of them grow together is very very rewarding. If you happen to like otome or slice of life animes, then you're not wrong here. You just need to put up with the horrible animation. Before I end this review, I also need to mention that the last episode was great and the sow they put on was magnificent. I hope for a new season, but that was probably enough to boost the source material. Never say never but it's unlikely to be continued.
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September 17th, 2020
Day 4: A Late Start To A Nice, Chill Day in Fairbanks
After staying out until the early morning hours viewing the northern lights, we slept in to recuperate and regain our lost energy from a very long and productive last 24 hours. Our first stop after we were up and ready to go was The Cookie Jar, a brunch place we had found online with great reviews. And it was super yummy! We ordered the Stuffed Nolan (which is made of two cinnamon roll halves stuffed with cream cheese, grilled, and then topped with strawberries and whipped cream with syrup to add on the side) and Biscuits and Gravy with Sausage Links, Hash Browns, and a Poached Egg. The servings were quite generous and the food was amazing, especially the Stuffed Nolan… it was so good! Luckily, because there was so much of it, we took half of it home to have for later. The biscuits and gravy were delicious too! Wow, what a start to the day!
Once we had our fill, we drove out of town about 20 minutes to the North Pole, a little town in Alaska that was happily named so in the past that now attracts visitors from across the world just because of its name and association with Santa Claus. We quickly drove through town and saw the candle-cane-like street lamp posts and sign posts, the forever-hanging Christmas decorations, and the Santa-related street names in town. 
We then visited The Santa Claus House, a large gift shop stocked with everything Christmas-related. Outside the shop on the grounds was a very large Santa statue with a sled in front. On the walls outside of the house were Christmas murals. Inside were lots of gifts, Alaska souvenirs, punny shirts and sweaters, Christmas trees, and Santa Claus himself! He was a jolly old fellow and we enjoyed hearing his conversation with others and also enjoyed conversing with him about this crazy year, the typical tourist flow in the North Pole, his work history, etc. We even got to see him making short video messages for family members of customers stopping by the house! We walked through and looked at the different merchandise on display before we asked someone about the letters to Santa that were supposedly posted up somewhere in the shop. After a worker there showed us the location of the letters, Cynthia and I spent a good 15-20 minutes reading through all the different letters, from both kids and adults, sent in from around the world and routed here to Santa in North Pole, AK. It was so fun to read through some of the amusing and innocent messages written on those letters. So many heartwarming ones too! We definitely had fun reading them! And it reminded me of the good old days when Santa (i.e. my mom and dad) left me and my brother presents we didn’t ask for under the tree. Good times, good times. 
Once we bid farewell to the Santa Claus House, we made a quick detour to pick up Cynthia’s bag that we had left at The Cookie Jar before driving onward to the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center in downtown Fairbanks. We were hoping to visit the center and learn more about Fairbanks and Alaska’s history through the exhibits but we came a tad late and only a small part of the center was still open for viewing. So we made a quick visit out of it with plans to return tomorrow morning before leaving town. 
As we left the visitor center, the rain was starting to take a turn for the worse as the clouds were starting to build and drizzle was starting to come down. We made a quick stop to view the Moose Antler Arch right behind the center, as well as the Lend Lease Monument and Chena River nearby before heading back home to lay low and rest. The late night was quick to catch up to us throughout the day. Even though we had soft plans to check out different areas outside of Fairbanks today, with the weather looking the way it did and us feeling tired from the late night, we knew the smart thing to do was to rest for a few hours before dinner. 
So I took a nap and Cynthia used that time to work on a presentation she had to give as part of her upcoming interview. After a couple hours of rest, we left the BnB and drove through the small area known as Downtown Fairbanks on our way to grab dinner from Fushimi Japanese Fusion. We ordered the Third Ave Roll, Chicken Teriyaki Bento Box, and Shrimp Shumai and brought it home to enjoy in the comforts of our AirBnB. Even though we had had sushi recently, it was nice to have some good, warm food and not fast food for dinner and to enjoy it after just running around eating unhealthily yesterday. 
The night slowly crept in and before we knew it, we had reached the point in the evening where we had to commit to sleeping or chasing the auroras. Again the weather tonight was not particularly great with on and off rain throughout the area and heavy clouds. However, as I kept track of the data being posted on the websites I previously spoke of, conditions slowly started to improve, prompting me to get myself out of the warm bed I was sitting in and out to the car, all while dragging poor Cynthia out with me to see the Northern Lights one last time. 
Tonight, instead of driving to the same spot we went to last night, I drove about 50 minutes out of Fairbanks to Murphy Dome, which was labeled a mountain peak on Google Maps and was one of the many spots that many websites advised for viewing the auroras in and around Fairbanks. The drive took longer than I expected because we had to drive on a very heavily pot-holed dirt road up a mountain in complete darkness. But when we finally arrived at Murphy Dome, wow! The skies were super clear with minimal light pollution and the view of the night sky and stars was spectacular!  
The views of the sky were amazing. And there weren’t too many people in the area, not that it mattered because the area was huge. But the thing that was difficult to deal with was how windy it was. It was SO VERY WINDY. And what made matters worse was the fact that the ball head on my tripod was loose and there was no way to tighten it without the right tools. FML. So I had to make do while keeping as warm as possible in the unrelenting wind while watching what ended up being a spectacular show of northern lights. 
Unlike last night’s light show, tonight’s was way stronger and way more visible. The lights were greener, the skies were clearer, and those two conditions combined to make the perfect viewing opportunity. At first, the auroras were found streaming across the sky like one big flowing river. However, as the night went on, the activity increased significantly and changes to that stream began to happen, to the point that they appeared to be dancing across the sky like nothing I’ve had a chance to see before! It was crazy! And beautiful! And mesmerizing! The only bad things about seeing the auroras where I saw them were that 1) they were actually quite difficult to photograph given the way they looked in the sky and  2) the surroundings I was shooting in was subpar. Straight lines in the sky are hard to frame. And when you do have those straight lines, it’s much better if you frame it relative to the surrounding scene. But at the top of the mountain at Murphy Dome, there wasn’t much of a scene to frame in the foreground to make the photos look good. So I just had to capture what I could and delete whatever didn’t work out later. Oh, and it was really cool to see the Milky Way galaxy and some shooting stars above in such a pure, dark sky. It was awesome! 
After standing outside in the cold and wind for 2-3 hours and watching the northern lights peak and then start to slow down, it was finally time to go home. By this point in the night, Cynthia was long gone and fast asleep. So, similarly to last night, I called and caught up with my dad on the drive home before arriving at the AirBnB and going straight to bed around the same time as last night. Not sure if I’ll be able to get up as early as we intended on getting up tomorrow… We’ll see… because we have a very long day ahead and much ground to cover. 
5 Things I Learned/Observed Today:
1. Fairbanks is known as the “Golden Heart City”. 
2. The Dalton Highway is a Wild Wild West-type road that takes you from Fairbanks to the Arctic Circle and is supposedly a very desolate, primarily unpaved road that is used mostly by truckers for their jobs. Occasionally, tourist companies and tourists themselves venture out on this road to reach the outskirts of Alaska. If you’re ever thinking of taking a trip into the Arctic Circle via this route, you will need to be prepared for the worst case scenarios and pack and plan accordingly. 
3. The North Pole has candy-cane-striped light poles and billboard/sign poles lining streets! Also, there are a lot of streets that are named after Christmas things. The town itself is pretty small though. The main attraction is the huge Santa at the Santa Claus House, the gift shop there, and meeting Santa in real life!
4. Supposedly, the current Santa is from FL and moved to CA to do his job as Santa before landing his dream gig at the North Pole. And after chatting with him, I got to see first hand how good a fellow Santa is. No matter how hard I tried to get him to troll someone about something, he was always so nice with his words. And he made the good list this year because he was wearing his mask! Good job Santa! Even though his mask made him look a little creepy… 
5. “Thank you” in the native Athabascan language is “Enaa Baasee’”.
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thatmomentwhen345 · 4 years
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Currently obsessed with Stranger Things (SPOILERS!!!!)
I didn’t start watching Stranger Things for a long time. I’m not sure why? The rest of my family tried to coax me into watching with them for a while but I refused every time. They told me I would like it because I liked the Five Night’s at Freddy’s franchise. Maybe I didn’t watch it just because my brother liked it and I was sure if he did then I wouldn’t. I walked in on them watching “The Mall Rat” and that episode without the context just confirmed to me that I wouldn’t like it. But then Steven Universe came along (ironically my brother got me into it). I’ve been obsessed with SU since January and wanted everyone I knew to be dragged in too. So my family and I made a deal. I would watch Stranger Things if they watched Steven Universe. And man am I glad we did.
We started season 1 on May 20th and I immediately fell in love with all the characters. But most of all Mike, Eleven, and Dustin in particular. Their friendship dynamic is adorable and the hug in “The Monster” was one of my favorite moments of season 1. Eleven and Mike’s relationship is so so soooooo cute and I was so upset when Eleven disappeared again.
Season 2 was equally impressive. More, really. More intense. More graphic. More dread. More VFX. It was amazing. So unsettling with Will’s possession etc. and El’s sideplot with her mother and ‘sister’ was fairly interesting. I liked the Jancy moments. I don’t remember anything super distinct other than Bob’s death (destroyed me for several days), Will’s ‘exorcism’ of sorts, and Eleven and Mike’s reunion. Super cool.
Season 3 was my favorite so far. So many Mileven moments. The romance drama was a little exhausting but it was necessary for Will to feel tragically ignored. I was crushed when he destroyed castle Byers. One of my favorite things about Season 3 though was the introduction of Robin (who I call Piper sometimes, no idea why) and Erica. They’re so witty and just great additions. The Dustin/Steve/Robin/Erica team was so enjoyable. I loved Murray and Alexei (May he Rest In Peace) as well. Can we just talk about that one scene at the end of “The Sauna Test” where Billy and Heather present their army of The Flayed and they’re all singing “We’ll Meet Again”? I got chills. It was soooo sick. But the best part of this season was the finale, which I watched a few days ago. With every season finale comes a reunion of the A Team. When the adult team, teen team, and kid teams come together you know stuff’s about to get real. Let’s start from the beginning. Jonathan is so great under pressure and his quick thinking to get that thing out of Eleven’s leg was super cool. Everyone standing around Eleven trying to comfort her in her intense pain was... dare I say it... heartwarming? I just enjoyed that scene a lot. Especially the one shot with Dustin holding Eleven’s hand and Mike holding her head up while she’s got the stick in her mouth. Poor thing. She was so brave. Again, I can’t remember anything distinct except for that scene, Dustin singing with his girlfriend (who I thought was fake tbh), Billy’s sacrifice, Hopper’s ‘death’, and the parting of ways. The heart wrenching goodbye. This broke me. For no reason other than Mike and Eleven being separated AGAIN. That was the only time I cried in the series (Ok the separation of Jonathan & Nancy and Will & his friends contributed). It was extremely satisfying to see the news finally expose everything that had gone on in the last few years for everyone to see. All the unnecessary deaths. All the torment for the families involved. And then there was Hopper’s letter to El. Oh my word I was bawling. Their father-daughter relationship was so nice to see and him spilling out his feelings and advice to her in that letter had me sobbing. I cannot WAIT until season four.
In conclusion, I am so glad I agreed to be dragged into Stranger Things, even if I was a little late.
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WAIT HOPPER’S ALIVE-
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jtsodergren · 4 years
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The Best of 2019
2019, what an exceptional year for movies! A great way to close out the shittiest decade! Here are the 50 best films I saw this year... click on the title to go to the IMDB page, and I’ll try to post a link to where you can see many of them. Also for the first time this year, I’m including MOM WARNINGS! My mom reads this list and sometimes actually watches these movies... so to save her some grief, sadness, or general concern for my psyche, there will be a NOT FOR MOMS!! warning where applicable... here we go!
50. STAR WARS - EPISODE IX: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER (Amazon)
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People really hated this movie... I actually really liked it! Aside from the horses running around on the outside of spaceships (which makes no fucking sense... didn’t Leia get all space frozen exactly one movie ago??), it was a satisfying conclusion to a franchise I guess I don’t really care about as much as other people, so I was into it!
49. JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 - PARABELLUM (Amazon)
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Quickly becoming one of the more well produced action franchises of all time. Probably two too many machine gun shootouts in this one for me (I get a little exhausted with gun violence), but the hand-to-hand stuff is brilliant and bloody and badass! Not to mention the deepening of the mythology and Halle Berry and her dogs. It’s a fun time, a welcome addition to the series, and I can’t wait for number 4.
48. QUEEN & SLIM (Amazon)
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Billed as the black BONNIE AND CLYDE and from first time feature director Melina Matsoukas, this atmospheric tragedy is gorgeous to look at, delivers a pair of standout lead performances, and proves to have one of the more stressful final 30min of any of the films I saw this year, even if you know the inevitable conclusion is just around the corner.
47. UNDER THE SILVER LAKE (Amazon PRIME)
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A wild Los Angeles noir story from the director of IT FOLLOWS. Plays like if David Lynch directed THE BIG LEBOWSKI, a weird, screwball whodunit. It’s a little long, and there are so many loose ends that seem to be thrown in just to fuck with the protagonist (and the audience), but it’s a really fun time and you’ll want to stay to the end to see it all play out. LA looks gorgeous too.
46. KNOCK DOWN THE HOUSE (Netflix)
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Truly inspiring. Really shows how if you put your mind to something, believe in yourself and that you can make a difference, you can accomplish anything. Regardless of your political leanings, or how you feel about AOC personally, this is well worth your time and it has a great message for young people, especially those young women of color who might not think they can achieve great levels of success. It made me cry the happy tears.
45. LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT (Amazon)
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Best known for it’s remarkable 59min-3D final take, this hallucinatory journey through memory and dreams is mind-blowing and breathtaking. Hard not to leave this one feeling like you’ve been put though some kind of experiment that you don’t fully understand, but you’ll want to experience again. Highly recommended if you have access to 3D, or simply have some killer edibles and want to be thrown for a loop.
44. CLIMAX (Amazon PRIME)
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NOT FOR MOMS!!
Speaking of being under the influence, holy shit is this film nuts! From Gaspar Noe, who if you’re aware of his work, you kind of already know what you’re in store for here. It’s been described as “FAME directed by the Marquis de Sade”... incredible dance sequences and audacious camerawork that slowly but surely devolves into hell. It’s a blast!
43. HAIL SATAN? (Hulu)
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A fresh and funny documentary about a group of smartass Satanists exposing the hypocrisy amongst bible-thumping Christians who’d rather stomp their feet and be the loudest in the room than listen to anyone else’s perspective. Frustrating and entertaining in equal parts, this compulsively watchable film makes you want to scream at these Jesus freaks as much as you want to laugh along with the antics of these harmless, intelligent and organized troublemakers. An excellent time well spent.
42. FIRST LOVE (Amazon)
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(Probably) NOT FOR MOMS!!
Director Takashi Miike’s yakuza action-comedy is the most accessible of his films I’ve seen (he’s now made more than 100 movies, which is insane), but that doesn’t mean it’s not a gonzo wild time at the movies. The violence is here in full force, but unlike AUDITION or ICHI THE KILLER, you don’t need a barf bag close by to enjoy it. It’s often hilarious and moves at a breakneck speed. Super fun!
41. THE DEAD DON’T DIE (Amazon PRIME)
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Jim Jarmusch’s star-studded, droll zombie-comedy came and went from theaters without much fanfare, but provided me with plenty of laughs. It’s also the second of 3 Adam Driver vehicles to be on this year’s list. Bill Murray and Driver lead the way along with plenty familiar faces in cameos throughout (including the RZA in one of my favorite scene’s of the year). Classic Jarmusch... a meditation on death and mortality in his vintage style.
40. EL CAMINO: A BREAKING BAD MOVIE (Netflix)
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Dude, Aaron Paul is a legit GREAT actor. Picks up right where the show left off, and I was on the edge of my seat and filled with anxiety just like I was during the best moments of the now classic series. It was good to hang out with my old friends again.
39. DOCTOR SLEEP (Amazon)
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A box office flop due to poor promotion and a title people weren’t familiar with, this sequel to THE SHINING is based on the Stephen King book of the same name, which I read, and I can’t recommend it more. Great suspense, and fantastic performances from both Ewan McGregor and (especially) Rebecca Ferguson. It’s a dark and scary film that is a fun trip back to the Overlook Hotel... provided you wish to return there...
38. THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO (Amazon PRIME)
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About 90min into this beautifully shot film I was ready to lock it in as a possible Top 5 contender. Then the bottom fell out for me the last quarter of the movie and lost my confidence. No bother, it’s still wonderful enough to find a spot on the list and carry my recommendation. Young men and women watching their city change before their eyes, and wondering what the concept of “home” really means is a real challenge facing many people here in the Bay Area. This film does a fantastic job conveying that, for most of the film anyway. 
37. THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON (Amazon)
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A bonafide crown-pleaser of a movie, and another example of the true talent Shia LeBeouf has and is capable of (more on him later). A young man with Down Syndrome escapes his assisted-living facility to track down his wrestling idol the Saltwater Redneck with the help of an outlaw and a social worker. Sweet, funny, and heartfelt... a feel good surprise.
36. A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD (Amazon)
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I didn’t cry nearly as much as I did during the excellent documentary WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR from last year, but if you’re a Mr. Rogers fan, you’ll still shed a few during this heartwarming film. Tom Hanks does his thing, and even though this movie is guilty of borrowing a little too much from the previous doc, it’s still a great showcase for the truly selfless and beautiful force of nature that Fred Rogers was. Bring tissues anyway.
35. CARMINE STREET GUITARS (In Theaters Now)
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A love letter to both New York City and the art, joy, and love that goes into honing and maintaining one’s craft. Meanwhile the looming doom of gentrification hovers over the proceedings, never letting you get fully enrapt in the sweetness that these artists (and their many famous customers) exude when talking about and playing their one-of-a-kind works of art. A stunning and lovely piece for musicians and talentless fans of music alike.
34. HOLIDAY (Amazon)
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NOT FOR MOMS!!
A tough, cold film with nary a character to actively root for... until after about an hour of icy behavior comes (no pun intended) a scene so shocking in its graphic and disturbing nature, people left the theater without staying for the final resolution. First time director Isabella Eklof pulls off the bold and audacious maneuver, all while making it seem like she doesn’t care whether you like her characters (or her film) at all. It’s a very fine balancing act, executed to perfection. But be warned... it’s rough.
33. AVENGERS: ENDGAME (Disney+)
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What can I say? You saw it. It’s good. A bunch of Supermans fly around and blow shit up. A satisfying end (until the next 20 films).
32. MIDSOMMAR (Amazon Prime)
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NOT FOR MOMS!!
A disturbing slow burn of a gothic horror film. Characters do hallucinogens while ritualistic religious murders and tribal mating practices threaten to ruin everyones existence. Florence Pugh is phenomenal (more from her in a minute) in a very trying roll. Doesn’t pack quite the punch of the director’s last film, HEREDITARY, but it’s still well worth the watch. But yeah, it’s disturbing.
31. APOLLO 11 (Hulu)
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A fascinating look at the first moon landing from rarely seen archival footage and audio. Seeing it on the IMAX screen was intense and exhilarating, unlike narrative pictures like the severely overrated FIRST MAN. This isn’t my favorite documentary of the year, but it is an absolute lock to win the Academy Award for Best Doc of 2019. It’s a must see, a must experience.
30. HIGH LIFE (Amazon PRIME)
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NOT FOR MOMS!!
French auteur Claire Denis’ bizarre, erotic sci-fi mindfuck about isolation and humanity is not for everyone, but is a brilliant take on the genre, and is yet another showcase for Robert Pattinson, who is quietly becoming one of my favorite working actors. Juliette Binoche also is on fire here and has what one critic calls “the single greatest one-person sex scene in the history of cinema.” So it has that going for it.
29. TRIPLE FRONTIER (Netflix)
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A fully loaded heist film with no real bad guy, but instead a group of recognizable badasses in a Netflix-released action thrill ride. There’s absolutely no reason this should’ve worked, or even been half as good as it is, but boy is it good! Compulsively watchable, and rewatchable. If this were on Showtime as much as DEN OF THIEVES is I’d have seen it 30 times by now. It’s one of the most pleasant surprises of the year.
28. 1917 (Amazon)
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An unbelievable visual achievement from cinematographer Roger Deakins and director Sam Mendes. The story isn’t the greatest war story ever told (are there great war stories?), but it’s shot to look like one continuous long take, sustained for 2hrs. It’s really an unbelievable feat, but doesn’t come off as gimmicky or distracting. It’s intense, beautifully staged, and sad. A big screen spectacle. 
27. TOY STORY 4 (Amazon)
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Woody and the gang are back, and the films continue to keep the dust from collecting. It’s still so much fun to hang out with this group of misfit toys. There was talk that after the incredible TOY STORY 3 this was just a money grab and was labeled unnecessary, but I found it to be a sweet, charming, and nostalgic trip I was glad I took.
26. HONEYLAND (Hulu)
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My pick for documentary of the year comes from the mountains of Macedonia, where a woman named Hatidze lives with her dying mother making a living cultivating honey. When a family of shitheads moves into a shanty next door, what seems like a fix for her lonely existence becomes catastrophic as they disregard her teachings and threaten her livelihood. I was an emotional wreck throughout the experience and it goes without saying it’s a must-see. Gorgeous and heartbreaking.
25. LITTLE WOMEN (Amazon)
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I have never read the book, nor seen any of the film adaptations, so I went in blind to this lovely film. Director Greta Gerwig follows up the phenomenal LADYBIRD with this Altman-esque rendition of the widely beloved literary classic. I found it exceptional in its execution and performances, including the previously mentioned Florence Pugh, who is a knockout. A wonderful addition to the ever-growing stable of Christmas films I look to enjoy during future Decembers.
24. GREENER GRASS (Hulu)
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It’s as if Tim & Eric made BLUE VELVET. Bizarre, outrageous, gross, and a guaranteed future midnight movie favorite. My sides hurt. A satire skewering upper-middle class suburban soccer moms and dads alike. Babies are given away. A boy turns into a dog. Everyone has braces. There’s a creep on the loose. It’s wild and flat-out hilarious literally from start to finish. Almost too many jokes to keep up with. Watch it! Bring weed. 
23. RELAXER (Amazon)
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NOT FOR MOMS!!
Speaking of gross, this film is disgusting, but in a good way. A satire about lazy consumerism and self-destruction. It’s a short hang, thankfully, but if you can stomach it to the end (remember, it’s nasty) you’ll be rewarded with not only a hilarious dark comedy, but also an unexpected haymaker of sadness you didn’t see coming. It’s a pretty impressive feat, and an overall success. But, yeah, it’s fucking gross. 
22. AD ASTRA (Amazon)
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APOCALYPSE NOW in space starring Brad Pitt. If you need more information than that, I don’t really know what else to do for you. 
21. SLUT IN A GOOD WAY (Amazon PRIME)
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(Probably) NOT FOR MOMS!!
A black-and-white raunchy French arthouse teen comedy that gives a middle finger to the double standard set by the equally raunchy teen-boys-will-be-boys genre. It’s so much fun, and honest, and the actors are such natural talents you forget the subject matter is at times shocking (only because of said double standard) and just go with it. I think it’s just wonderful. Seek it out!
20. US (HBO)
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Jordan Peele’s excellent follow-up to GET OUT. Doppelganger home invasion terror with a killer twist. To describe more would be to risk giving something away. I’ll just say that Lupita Nyong’o is my pick to win her second Oscar, this time as Best Actress, here in a dual role. She’s incredible. If you haven’t seen it, try to go in blind, you’ll be rewarded.
19. THE FAREWELL (Amazon PRIME)
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A heartfelt homecoming film about family, culture, and how the things we don’t say can be just as strong of a show of love as the things we do say. It’s sweet, tender, and bursting with personal flare and emotions from director Lulu Wang. Awkwafina also curbs her more manic and loud tendencies as a performer for more quiet, thoughtful, and somber choices. She’s phenomenal. 
18. KNIVES OUT (Amazon)
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A clever ensemble whodunit that’s just as funny and smart as it is mysterious. Everyone across the board delivers as the assorted motley crew. The film rewards repeat viewings and Daniel Craig knocks it out of the park, stealing every scene he’s in, reminding us all what a fantastic actor he can be when he’s not sipping the Vespers. 
17. BOOKSMART (Hulu)
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The female SUPERBAD is the elevator pitch, but this coming-of-age gem is really unlike any other example in the genre. They’re privileged, uber-smart, and have never partied. Yet they have the same neuroses as any other teen scared to death of what to do next or how to be normal. It’s also fucking hilarious. You wanna hang out with these girls and at the same time bury your head under the covers because you feel their pure terror/embarrassment. It’s a blast.
16. THE MUSTANG (Amazon)
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Starring Matthias Schoenaerts, one of the finest actor’s working today, this understated and emotional drama about rehabilitation and redemption floored me upon first viewing. It is a gorgeous film. You’ve probably seen stories similar to this before, but rarely is one told with such compelling conviction. A borderline masterpiece. 
15. HONEY BOY (Amazon PRIME)
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Remember a few years back we had the McConaissance, where everything Matthew McConaughey did was solid gold after years of middling bullshit? I’m calling it right now: Shia LaBeouf is about to have the same thing. He wrote the script and plays a version of his own father in a brutal version of his own fucked up childhood as an up-and-coming child actor. It’s heartbreaking and absolutely riveting. I’m hoping he gets an Oscar nod, but regardless I implore you to seek this film out, he’s incredible. 
14. MONOS (Hulu)
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(Probably) NOT FOR MOMS!!
A bizarre, bewildering, chaotic, and unsettling film. Some of the most beautiful photography I saw on the big screen this year, yet some of the most surreal and disturbing imagery as well. It’s a militarized, Latin American LORD OF THE FLIES with commentary on tribal behavior and violence. It can be a tough sit, but boy is it beautiful. 
13. DOLEMITE IS MY NAME (Netflix)
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What a wonderful, welcome surprise! Eddie Murphy in an awards caliber performance as Rudy Ray Moore, the multi-hyphenate performer who created the alter ego Dolemite, spawning a film franchise and many legendary comedy albums. It’s obviously hilarious, and a great behind-the-scenes biopic, but also shockingly sweet and heartfelt, even between all the cuss words. I even teared up a couple times. The 3rd best thing Netflix released this year (more on that in a minute).
12. JOKER (Amazon)
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You already saw this.
11. THE IRISHMAN (Netflix)
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It’s far too long. It could’ve done with being cut as a three part miniseries or special. There’s about 45min worth of scenes that are quintessential DVD bonus features (I’m looking at you Action Bronson), but goddamn if it’s not Scorsese doing his Scorsese thing. It’s a gangster film, but it’s also a meditation on aging and death. Pesci is incredible and Pacino steals the show. Sure, the de-aging thing is distracting, the curb stomping scene is embarrassing. But still, I mean... IT’S MARTIN SCORSESE!
10. PAIN AND GLORY (Amazon)
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Pedro Almodovar’s most personal work to date, a tale about making art and the loneliness of love. If you are unfamiliar with his work, this is a great jumping off point. His movies can be challenging and dark, but this film has such joy and hope amongst the heartache. The final reveal, while not earth shattering on paper, is nonetheless so moving it left the screening I attended without a dry eye in the place. It is his best film yet. 
9. THE LIGHTHOUSE (Amazon)
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From the director of THE WITCH comes another type of gothic horror, this time with the legendary Willem Dafoe and the (already mentioned) brilliant Robert Pattinson marooned on a lighthouse rock alone to drive each other completely insane. It’s hallucinatory, violent, disorienting, and flat-out brilliant. If it weren’t for another guy we’ll get to in a minute, Dafoe would be a lock for Best Supporting Actor here. It’s a slightly challenging film, with the period style mariner dialogue, but it’s just as funny as it is terrifying.
8. JOJO RABBIT (Amazon)
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A beautiful, touching, funny, crowd-pleasing comedy about a little Nazi whose imaginary friend is Hitler. Yep, your read that correctly. There are about a million reasons this should absolutely not work. Yet, it’s one of the best theater going experiences I had this year. A must see... ESPECIALLY with Mom!
7. MARRIAGE STORY (Netflix)
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The best written and acted film of the year, and the third Adam Driver vehicle to appear here. Sad but honest. Touching but brutal. It’s awkward and a bit of a bummer, but there’s such great work being done here, in front of and behind the camera. Noah Baumbach is a force of nature, and has yet to make a film I was even iffy about. He’s the real deal and this might be his masterpiece. 
6. WAVES (Amazon)
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Speaking of auteurs, Trey Edward Shults is now 3/3 on features after the brilliant KRISHA and IT COMES AT NIGHT. Here he follows a middle-class black family, led by a domineering father, through a tragic moment in all of their lives. The first half deals with the son’s story, then abruptly switches to the daughter’s life post said event. It shouldn’t work, yet somehow manages to be one of the most emotionally affecting pieces of art I saw this year. The camera never stops moving, constantly swirling and whirling and you can’t help to be sucked up into it. It’s a beautiful tragedy.
5. LONG SHOT (HBO)
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The biggest and most pleasant surprise of the year. An opposites-attract rom-com with more brains, bite, social commentary, and laughs than it has any right to have. Easily the most fun you’ll have with (almost) the whole family... there’s a lot of cum jokes. But don’t let the vulgarity dissuade you! It’s a total riot with just the right amount of sweetness to balance out the saltiness. I love love love this movie.
4. THE ART OF SELF-DEFENSE (Hulu)
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What starts as a strange, dark comedy morphs into a FIGHT CLUB-esque thriller with allusions to disturbingly toxic masculinity and an offbeat take on what it takes to “be a man.” It is laugh-out-loud hilarious, and expertly made, while really having something to say, and it says it in a way I’ve never really seen before. It’s not surprising this didn’t get more attention, the characters are truly difficult to relate to, let alone root for, but as far as originality goes, you’d be hard pressed to find anything this year much better than this. 
3. UNCUT GEMS (Amazon)
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(Probably) NOT FOR MOMS!!
The cinematic equivalent of being locked in the brain of a lunatic having a cocaine-fueled anxiety attack. If that sounds like fun (AND IT IS!!!) then this is the film for you! Oh, and Adam Sandler is going to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor. For real. It’s a chaotic, stress-filled masterpiece.
2. ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD (Amazon)
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My favorite filmmaker’s 2nd best film. A personal story about the love of film during the late 60s, a time of dirty hippies and Charles Manson, as well as the passing of the torch from old Hollywood to the “golden age” of cinema. It’s a fairytale of sorts, with Tarantino’s trademark flare for spontaneous violence and mining multiple genres to make his most mature work since PULP FICTION. I’ve been rewarded with new takeaways upon each subsequent viewing, and my love and appreciation for it only grows and grows. Brad Pitt is a lock for Best Supporting Actor, he’s magnificent. It was always going to be my #1 with a bullet no matter what, because it’s just that great...
1. PARASITE (Amazon)
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...but then Bong Joon-ho, the master of new Korean cinema unleashed PARASITE. Not only is it the best film of 2019, it’s one of the best films I have ever seen. Like EVER ever. He is in such astonishing control of his craft it’s hard not to sit back and marvel and the sheer skill on display. You can be laughing one moment and then recoiling in horror during the same breath. He’s using multiple genre tropes, incredible set design, pitch perfect acting/writing, and such exquisite planning you can’t possibly know what’s in store for you from one scene to the next. It is an absolute masterpiece and if it doesn’t sweep every category it’s nominated for at this year’s Oscars, it’ll be a travesty. If you have even a passing interest in film as an art form, the power it can wield, and the messages it can convey, you owe it to yourself to see this film. It’s perfect.
Well, there it is. Thanks for reading any part of this. Now go see PARASITE. I love you.
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vaguely-concerned · 5 years
Text
Temeraire let’s read: Crucible of Gold AHOY!
- lol I’m glad hammond is back, he is phenomenally funny. I do love me a bureaucrat character who won’t let trifling things like dignity, morality, politeness or common sense get in the way of their job 
- it is a CRIME that Tharkay had to leave before he got to see Laurence all sun-bronzed and casually dressed and golden haired and relaxed, I wish to petition the universe itself on his behalf to correct this injustice 
- hahaha shen li is the best; a buddhist dragon would be the greatest party pooper among her own kind 
shen li, serenely: attachment to material things can only bring suffering
literally every other dragon, dripping bling from every available surface: um actually
- . . . without the clinging stink of murder and treachery which seemed to have by slow octopoid measures attached itself to his life. laurence I understand where you’re coming from on this but you have served colonial britain since you were like twelve. this has been an extremely slow process of waking up to smelling dem roses (fatherhood changes your perspective on your life situation I guess)
- awwwwww laurence finally studying some more chinese while temeraire helps him... no no this is just rain on my face yes I know I’m indoors it’s just me and lady allendale sitting here with our arms around each other crying about our boy reading poetry of his own freeish will
- oooh I really like how novik writes the way hammond talks -- it can be hard to write a character who constantly breaks up their own dialogue and interrupts themselves and continually couches their words without it being hard to read and annoying, but she really nails communicating that he’s a) completely graceless and with no dignity but also undeniably intelligent, b) definitely a Diplomat but not a total weasel, if only by a hair, c) hilarious
- pour one out for laurence’s civilian beard with me guys, gone too soon and dearly missed (and again tharkay didn’t even get to see it! this continues to be the greatest tragedy of these books let’s hope he grows it out again later when they’re all settled down.) 
- . . . These were distinguished from the others mainly for their having had less time in their careers to demonstrate a lack of initiative or skill, so he could have some small hope of uncovering some previously hidden talent. OH MY GOD LAURENCE the straight up savagery 
- DAD!LAURENCE!!! DAD!LAURENCE!!!!!!! (aaah it’s so interesting that when he gets a bit more stern you can definitely see sides of his father peeking out, but he deeply remains his mother’s son -- he’s acting from a place of affection, feeling of responsibility and concern for their futures, not the weird controlling shit lord allendale routinely pulls)
roland is such a teenager at this point oh my god. also laurence’s whole speech to demane about respecting her boundaries and agency... *chef kiss emoji* and ALSO demane is so sympathetic in this still because who HASN’T wanted to dangle some asshole over a cliff for being a creep to your friend/crush... they’re all good and perfect and I love them actually
- ...I’ve managed to put it out of my mind in the last few books but with the allegiance going down like that I keep remembering there were so many actual children onboard and now I feel ill
being an adult and realizing the full fuckedupedness of these things sucks haha
- 1) the description of seeing the ship sinking from underwater is hauntingly beautiful and 2) as I have said many a time before, thank god for demane
- see this is the other side of the coin of these books making you care so deeply about the characters; I know that no important characters die in this book but I am still so fucking stressed out by all of this D:D:D:
- well well well if gong su’s ludicrous competency wasn’t suspicious before it certainly is now, I guess china trains its spies well in the culinary arts haha
- I mean uh. what a way to symbolically and literally sever laurence from his former life and former self, I guess. you’d be hard pressed to do so more explosively at least
 - something extremely bad happened to granby, we can tick that off the list
- I feel like the prose and writing in general is super improved in this one? it feels sharp and purposeful in a way the last few haven’t quite been
- He hoped Riley would be mourned; Riley deserved to be mourned ahfksahsdajklhsajkfhaslkjfhsakjdfhdaslkfhakj pain :(:(:( I’m so sorry laurence and I didn’t even like the guy. I can’t believe that the first thing this madman does after trying to secure their survival as best he could is writing letters -- on dragonback!!! hands stiff from cold so he can only work in five minute increments!!! -- to make sure riley’s memory isn’t blackened how can he be like this
- emily roland is so smart and capable and amazing my heart is blooming with pride
- iridescent feathered dragons... holy shit this is awesome
temeraire has a little feather envy tho and also maila casually eavesdropping so he can chat up (literally) hot babes... I know they’re prisoners of war and everything but this is all pure unadulterated gold
- oh temeraire darling no have no fear hammond has no self respect whatsoever, that will not be what stops him
- I can’t believe laurence is actually taking time to tie himself in knots over not following perfect procedure around his officers’ future career options while they’re FUCKING MAROONED with a bunch of asshole sailors fkdfhsjdh
- GET YOUR DIRTY FUCJING HANDS OFF DEMANE OR I’LL CHOP THEM OFF FOR YOU YOU SWINE
sipho is like eleven and a nerd and ready to run at all these grown men armed just with a branch PAIN
- granby’s unending exasperation at laurence not knowing all the stuff that seems self-evident to him having grown up with dragons fksjdhfskajd
- aw laurence finally having a little dad talk with roland ;____; and demane has proposed to her repeatedly and she would agree in a moment under other circumstances ;________________; and it never even occurred to me that that’s why she was so upset about him taking on his own dragon but of course that would fuck everything up if that’s what she was planning OH NO ;_________________________________________________;
laurence confirmed for boytoy & hideously embarrassed about it flasdfsdkjhfksd 
“But I don’t want someone I want, if I can’t be sure of seeing him one week in the year” crack crack goes the sound of my heart breaking
I hope they find a way to solve this eventually :(
- really interesting what a clear view emily has of roland and laurence’s relationship tho, considering he’s basically her father figure -- like there’s clear affection, physical attraction and camaraderie there but it never feels particularly romantic & they both have other shit to do. (and laurence knows it too on some level, considering his main emotion when she refuses his proposal is relief lol. it really shows off this central conflict he has where like... he has a very clear idea of who he feels he should be and managed to convince himself he was for a long time, and what that man wants and needs (namely very little, emotionally) and is loyal to. aaaand then there’s the person he actually is, who’s been fighting his way to the surface since temeraire showed up in the very first book and sort of woke him up by giving him something he actually loves and values with all of himself and can’t compromise on. proper gentleman/navy!laurence feels like he has to do what society deems decent and marry roland to be a good person, actual!laurence seems to know that what they already have isn’t wrong or immoral in any way as long as they’re both happy with it. ugh I love him and I hope his last remaining character development includes realizing that who he really is is not only acceptable but actually a better man than that imagined perfect self ever could be and how many people love him for who he is already A N Y W A Y onwards)
- the incan dragons continue to be dope as hell
it’s super interesting how they’ve grown to value people -- and not just one special person, like british dragons, but whole groups of people -- over gold and jewels. like the tendency is there in dragons from other cultures; temeraire loves The Bling but would still easily prioritize laurence and his crew over it. presumably some of it is cultural and some of it must stem from the sheer trauma of losing so many people within a few centuries, which is basically living memory for a dragon (which makes it equal parts sympathetic/heartwarming and juuuuust on the edge of being too creepy and possessive haha).
- jeez this book is doing a good job at showing what a haunting fucking sight it must be to enter a land where like. 90% of the people are dead in plague and their cities stand abandoned
- fhasdklhfaskljfhs hammond going full diplomat on the dragons squabbling... he truly is something
and laurence apologizing to demane because he was out of line and he is a fellow captain now T_____T lord allendale could never
- haven’t had a lot to say for a while because I’m just so entranced with the world building and stuff haha, I find the irl history of this area super interesting as well
- ambassador iskierka........ what a time to be alive
poor poor poor granby hahahaha
- if these books were named harry potter style this one would be ‘william laurence and that time he tried to put off wearing his ceremonial robes for as long as humanly possible’
- granby being good at drawing but having atrocious handwriting is such a good little character detail, novik is just so expert at nonchalantly plopping them in 
- temeraire is being haunted by a green-eyed monster the size of a continent huh lol fair play to maila tho, he’s given it his sleazy all right from the start
I can’t believe gong su invented dragon ice cream solely so temeraire could eat it out of a tub over this... the real mvp
- awwww granby <3 I’m glad there’s some actual canonical queer rep in this series as well (as for the technically not stated straight(heh) out in canon... listen my friends if you can come up with any kind of heterosexual explanation for normally extremely sensible tenzing tharkay gazing at his friend and thinking shit like ‘in the fading light he was a statue gilded by sunlight’ and ‘it was a pang not unmixed with pleasure to look on him, as ever’, you are free to try to come at me with it but I won’t believe you lol. also laurence has the most potent disaster bisexual energy of any man in modern media even if he hasn’t quite caught on to it himself) 
tbh I know it’s mostly in desperation but they should come up with some new kind of medal to give granby for having this particular Talk with william laurence, one of the most awkward men to ever walk this earth... braver than any us marine etc.
- temeraire and iskierka in this scene STRONGLY evoke dirtbag teens sneaking off to make out in the backseat of a car or something god bless
- ...I guess you can’t fault the empress for siding with the dude already crashing like a natural catastrophe over his own home continent and who is eyeing the other six like a starving eagle would a pack of mice. all the europeans suck but I guess it’s sort of her best bet to ally herself with the biggest bully on the playground, especially since forces in her own court would be hard pressed to do anything about the situation. respect sister & congratulations granby lol
- hahahahahahaha leave it to hammond to be forcibly adopted by a dragon 
poor churki tho she’s a grownass adult and she only has one weird coke-addled diplomat and three basically adolescent dragons to work with here
- GRANBY SETTING SOME BOUNDARIES FINALLY I’m so proud of him ;__; this book really does have a lot to say about dragon/human relations huh
- LETHABO!!!!!!!!!!! man i’m so happy she’s doing well, she fucking deserves it and she’s doing good work
- laurence has evolved to his ultimate form of give-no-fucks-do-some-good laurence and hammond was not prepared lol 
“You forget yourself, Captain Laurence,” Hammond said . . . 
“I forget nothing,” Laurence answered . . . 
im crying b/c he literally has forgotten before but remembers himself at the end of victory of eagles b/c of tharkay and and aaaaaaaaaaaaaugh here he is refusing to do the dirty work he’s handed once more 
- lily and maximus! this is not a drill it’s the good good kids back at it again. also temeraire’s phenomenally misplaced sense of superiority re: his reaction to kulingile growing bigger than any of them fkshdfksahdfkj
- berkely <3
- poor harcourt :( ah well she’ll survive it tho he wasn’t that important it’s not like she lost her dragon lol (I honestly can’t feel that bad about riley considering y’know how he was not only chill with but actively for the institution of slavery)
- YOOOOOOO GONG SU! and temeraire is so happy they’re going back to china aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah I love this (laurence’s stammering outrage at this reveal is also highly entertaining “he STAYED in my father’s HOUSE!!!!!!!”)
- man that entire last battle scene was so cool in the context of the rest of the series; the sheer effort and ingenuity that went into avoiding a bigger battle and slyly aiding the only worthy cause in the situation (the tswana and freeing the slaves) is so satisfying, especially after VoE
- holy shit I really enjoyed this one! It had a good balance of travelling/character moments and giving us time with the culture and characters of the Inca and their dragons, as well as driving the overall plot forward splendidly! I also feel like we got some more meat to the laurence POV (in hindsight it feels like it was mostly temeraire POV in tongues of serpents, which is fine but I do love our golden boy and his slow burn character development too)
on to blood of tyrants! I don’t know anything about this one except a) amnesia and b) some Very Important Lines I’ve already picked up along the way, I’m not sure I’m prepared (as a trope amnesia can be pretty hit or miss for me, so it’ll be interesting at least!)
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