#i mean Dafne already did before

[tenrose]

On the bright side, the selfish gremlin I am, is happy to have a good TV show adaptation not being trendy and having to enjoy it without all the annoying mainstream drama. I don't like to share my things with a big audience.

There, I said it.

[smoooothoperator]

What Was I Made For?

13: This Side Of Paradise

childhood enemies, forced proximity, accidental pregnancy, enemies to lovers (👀)

Warnings: them being them :)

a/n: hi loooooovessssss I hope everyone is dping fine!! LEt's see if someone remembers what other chapter started like this one ;) (btw, jsut to give a hint, the pictures of all the headers are a hint of how their relationship improves)

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Something heavy was wrapping my waist. And the duvet is not that heavy.

And it feels warm… So warm… My whole body feels warm.

A hand was rubbing my belly, drawing soft circles with the fingers on the places the tiny baby inside of me kicked. His breathing was hitting my shoulder and his leg tangled with mine.

I opened my eyes slowly, looking down at the hand of my belly and following with my eyes the arm, turning my head to find Charles' body on top of the pillow wall.

“Morning” he whispered, looking at me with a smile.

“Morning” I whispered, closing my eyes and smiling when his hand didn't stop rubbing my belly. “The baby seems happy to feel your hand”

“Yeah, right? I’ve been awake for a while, feeling the little kicks non-stop,” he said, pressing gently against a particularly active spot. “It doesn’t bother you?”

“What? The kicks? They are not too harsh at the moment” I sighed. 

He smiled and nodded, closing his eyes too and moving slowly closer to me. This feels… Good, somehow. So good that it actually scares me.

“What do you want for breakfast?” he asked softly, his breath warm against my shoulder as his lips brushed my skin.

“Actually? I'm craving avocado toast” I smiled.

“Then avocado toast for two” he smiled, getting up from the bed, making me sigh.

Why did I sigh? Was it because I already missed his touch, his lips brushing my skin but never quite kissing me? Just a month ago, I couldn't stand the sight of him. Now, I crave his touch. How did we get here?

I followed him with my eyes, watching how jumped out of the bed and rushed to open his wardrobe, grabbing clean clothes before he went to the bathroom, turning on the shower after some seconds. I heard some soft groans and things falling to the floor, making me laugh softly.

 He stayed in the bathroom for some minutes before walking out again, dressed with the clothes he had grabbed and his hair dry. What? He took a shower, why is his hair dry?

I looked at him, watching how his cheek had a slight red color and he tried to avoid my gaze. Did he…?

“I'm going to the kitchen” he said after clearing his throat. “I don't have tea… Is coffee allowed during pregnancy?”

“Yeah” I sighed. “But only once a day”

“Oh, that must be hard” he tried to joke, making me roll my eyes. “I mean, you are Italian, an espresso lover”

“And also a Brit, a tea lover” I pointed. “But yeah, I can't have a lot of those drinks… I read somewhere on the internet that it is good if I have tea twice a day and coffee once…”

“Yeah…” he sighed. “Remind me to make an appointment for you”

“We talked about it, Charles…” I sighed, shaking my head. 

“I know, you want privacy and keep a lower profile with the pregnancy” he sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed close to me. “But you need to do check ups to see how our baby is going. Don't you want to know the gender?”

“I mean… I would love to” I sighed, looking at him, watching how his hand flew again to my belly, rubbing it on top of the shirt. 

“Do you want a gender reveal party?” he chuckled.

“Only if our family is there” I smiled weakly. “Do you… Do you want to tell the other drivers?”

“I mean… I would probably tell Pierre” he nodded. “If that's okay with you. And ask him if he wants to come to the gender reveal in case we make one”

“You really want to turn finding out the baby’s gender into a show, huh?” I laughed, shaking my head at the idea.

“It's funny!” he defended himself, hitting my thigh softly. “Its just an excuse to make our families meet again after everything that happened, to give them what they wanted since a lot of time…”

“Yeah…” I sighed. “Okay, let's do it”

“What, really?” he said, surprised. “I was joking!”

“No, no. I think you were right” I sighed, sitting on the bed and looking at him. “We need to give them what they want. They wanted us to stop fighting, then let's show them that”

He nodded and smiled, his hand rubbing my belly and moving to my waist, leaving it there for a few seconds. I looked into his eyes and then at his lips, but then I just looked away, clearing my throat.

“Well, I'll help you make breakfast” I nodded, moving the bed clothes and standing up.

I stretched, wincing at the familiar ache in my back. As I moved around the room to grab clothes from my backpack, I felt Charles’ eyes on me, a silent, comforting presence.

“What?” I frowned, looking at him.

“Nothing” he smiled. “You just… You look beautiful”

“Oh, shut up” I mumbled, looking away and blushing slightly.

How will I survive if he keeps acting like this? He keeps looking at me like that, standing close to me whenever he can, looking at me with those green eyes.

“Will you leave that beard?” I asked, looking at him.

“Why? You like it?” he chuckled. 

I bite my lip and look away, grabbing my jeans and putting them on, sighing when I feel they don't fit again. I just ignored him, walking out of the room and heading to the kitchen, opening the fridge and sighing.

We made breakfast in silence, helping each other, like a team, finally.

While we ate he grabbed his laptop and started searching things about pregnancy, about what he should know, what reads he’ll buy to know more about what will happen until the baby arrives. And somehow, watching him read everything fully focused made the tinglings on my stomach get more notorious.

Maybe it's the baby, knowing that Charles is interested.

I helped him take the last things he needed to take to the villa. But he only let me carry his coat and scarf.

“I think I'm going to take the bigger car” he sighed, looking at the keys he has on the entry of his apartment. “You were uncomfortable during the trip, right?”

“Don't worry, really” I smiled, shaking my head. “But… Can you let me drive at the start?” 

“What? Why?” he asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

“Come on, I might be pregnant, but I still can drive” I said, rolling my eyes. “And there's a place I need to go before we leave”

“Okay” he sighed, grabbing the keys of his SUV.

I bit my lip, smiling nervously at the thought of our destination.

Charles and I walked to the elevator and this time I stood close to him, feeling how his hand reached mine and his pinky finger tangled with mine, making me try to hide a smile by looking to the side.

“I never saw you with this car” I said, walking to the bigger car he owns, not like the other Ferrari he has. 

“I normally use it when I go to train somewhere away” he sighed. “But… I think this will be a good car for us… You know, like… We can buy a baby chair and put it on the backseats and it has enough space to put the baby carrier on the back”

I looked at him and then at the car, and somehow the images of him opening the door of the backseats and picking up a baby started to show in my mind. Images of him folding and I folding the baby carrier. Images of him holding our baby.

I shook my head slightly, trying to dispel the images from my mind.

“Oh, nice” I nodded, looking away and walking to the driver seat.

I took a deep breath, adjusting the seat and looking at him sitting on the passenger seat next to me. He sighed, trying to not look nervous while I drove the car out of the garage. 

“Where are we going?” he asked curious.

“You'll see, be patient” I smiled looking at him.

I drove around the streets, doing the same route I do whenever I come to Monaco.

I saw people turning their heads and looking at the car, some people surprised to see who was driving and others to see both of us in the car. When I stopped the car at a red traffic light, I saw people grabbing their phones and taking pictures of the car and the inside of it.

“I guess the rumors will start now” I sighed. 

“Yeah…” Charles sighed, rubbing his temple. “I’m really sorry… I know this isn't what you wanted.”

“It's okay” I smiled weakly, looking at him. “We started it yesterday by walking hand in hand inside of that restaurant”

I heard him sigh heavily, grabbing his sunglasses and putting them on. I smiled weakly, my gaze lingering on his hand. My fingers twitched with the urge to hold it, to place it on my belly.

The red light changed to green and I started the car again, driving through the streets and soon parking the car.

“What are we doing here?” Charles mumbled, already knowing where we were.

“I think we owe them something” I sighed, opening the door and walking towards him, standing next to him.

He took a deep breath and nodded, holding my hand tightly while we walked inside the cemetery. It was quiet, the only thing you could hear was the sound of our feet walking through the gravel, the trees moving with the soft breeze and some birds chirping melodies on top of our heads.

The first grave we found was Jules', since he was one of the celebrities buried in this cemetery and some Ferrari followers came here to place flowers for him.

I felt a shiver running down my spine, making me take a deep breath and bite my lip.

Jules knew Charles was only teasing me when we were kids. He always told me to not take things seriously, that I had to think that Charles was only a silly kid. And now, thinking about it, thinking that maybe he knew how Charles felt, just made me realize that he was another one who wished we ended up together.

“Jules…” I heard Charles sigh, squeezing my hand softly and letting it go, only to wrap his arm around my shoulders and pulling me even closer to him. “I miss him so much”

“Me too” I whispered..

“I wish he was here to look at us” I sighed, placing my hand on top of the one has on my shoulder. 

“He's up there” he said. “Jules is looking at us from above, he always did”

I smiled weakly and nodded, wrapping my arm around his waist and walking with him to the other grave. Somehow, having him this close to me feels good. Breathing his scent, feeling his warm body against mine, his hand on my shoulder. I felt his breathing start to get heavier and his hand over my shoulder moving to intertwine his fingers with mines.

“Hey dad” he whispered.

I looked at him, smiling weakly. His eyes were looking at the grave with the name of his father engraved. I took a deep breath and leaned closer to him..

We stayed in silence but I could hear what he was thinking about. I could feel all his fear, his sadness, his doubts. He had many questions, all those questions written on his face.

“Charles…” I whispered, seeing the tears well up in his eyes.

“What am I going to do?” he whispered. “I can't have him here, Dafne. He's not here, he won't meet our baby. He couldn't even see us not hating each other”

“I know, Charles. I know” I sighed, facing him and placing my hand on his cheek, feeling his beard against my skin. 

“I just… I forgot about him” he mumbled looking at the grave.. “I didn't think about him. And I feel so disappointed with myself. When I found out about the pregnancy I only focused on you and stopped thinking about me. I'm a terrible son, how can I be a good father?”

“Hey, don't think that” I sighed. 

“But it's true, Dafne” he sighed, placing his hands on my waist. 

“You are not a terrible son” I whispered. “You were the best. You stayed next to him during all his life, even when he was sick. And you are going to be an amazing father too, okay? You hear me? You are just overwhelmed”

He nodded slowly trying to not look at me, his eyes moving everywhere. I sighed and let go of his cheek, taking a step back.

“We should go,” I sighed. “We still have a stop in Maranello before heading home.”

“Yeah” he sighed, holding my hand again and walking out of the cemetery towards the car.

He stayed silent all the time.

His hand was on top of my belly, rubbing it softly while hisnother hand held the steering wheel. The music was playing soft on the speakers.

But he didn't say anything since we got out of Monaco.

And somehow it made me feel bad.

Did I do something bad by bringing him to the cemetery? Or by hugging him? Is it bad?

I thought we were okay, kinda. Last night I told him that I wanted us to work. And this morning I didn't push him away when I woke up with him next to me.

At our rest stops, Charles stayed in the car while I went to buy food and drinks. He didn't even smile when I handed him his favorite snacks.

And it was enough for me.

“Okay, what the hell is going on with you?” I frowned. 

He looked at me with confusion in his eyes, making me scoff and raise my hands.

“You've been ignoring me since we left the cemetery” I pointed. “You are making me feel bad! Was it a mistake? Well, I'm sorry!”

“It's not that” he sighed.

“Then what is it? Just say it! I can't read your mind” I frowned, moving on the seat to face him.

“I…” he sighed, taking a deep breath and resting his head on his seat. “I'm scared, I guess. Of disappointing everyone, disappointing the baby. Disappointing you”

“Charles…” I sighed.

“I don't want to get high hopes” he said. “Since you hugged me in the cemetery, I kept repeating in my mind that you are doing this because of the baby. That you are letting me touch you because of the baby and nothing else. Yes, you said last night that you were tired of pushing me away, but somehow I got scared of this just being an illusion”

I looked at him, surprised. He's always the one that tries to put some sense in my mind since he decided to stay with me. Always trying to talk with me and making me realize that he wouldn't run away. He didn't even flinch when he confessed that he was in love with me.

But now, seeing him like this, so insecure, so… 

“It's not an illusion” I sighed. “Charles, I… I want this, I really do. I know I did everything to push you away, I even ran away from you in the middle of the cold night. But… The way you took care of me while I was sick, the way you touch my belly… I don't know. I'm confused and scared too”

He looked at me, somehow his eyes were sad. I sighed, holding his hand between mine, feeling his warm skin against my cold one.

“I'm scared” I whisper. “I'm so scared of giving up and falling for you. I'm so scared of putting my walls down for you. But God, everytime you touch me it makes me want to stop fighting. But I keep repeating in my mind everything we did, everything we went through. And I try to convince myself that that is not us anymore”

I watched as his throat bobbed and his jaw tightened. His hand found mine, slowly warming my cold skin

“I'm scared of what people would say about us” he whispered. “You saw what happened yesterday with my friends. I don't even want to think about what people that don't know us will say…”

“We can't control that” I mumbled. 

“I know” he nodded. “But I want to protect you. You and the baby. And I'm so scared of failing you, of disappointing you again”

“You won't…”

“I will” he insisted, looking into my eyes. “Again and again, like the previous years. Because the only thing I do is mess things up and make them even worse. I crossed a line, Dafne. And I'm so scared of crossing more and actually hurt you”

Taking a deep breath, I brought his hands to my lips, softly kissing his fingers. I then placed his hand on my cheek, leaning into his touch for the first time.

“I crossed a line myself” I said. “One of the lines I draw for you”

“What…?” he mumbled, confused.

“And you crossed another line when you touched my belly for the first time” I whispered. “And did I argue?”

“No” he whispered, his eyes following my movements, watching how my fingers played with his fingers.

“I'm letting you in, can't you see?” I sighed. “No illusions, no fake hopes. I'm letting you in,, and not because you are related to this baby. I'm letting you in because I want to believe that we can change, that we can be a family”

“But why I keep feeling that you are just a step away from me?” he whispered.

“Give me time” I smiled weakly. “Give me time to get used to this. To you. To us. Because there will be an us, Charles. Really. I'm in. I'm really in”

As the words left my lips, I watched a warm smile slowly spread across his face, reaching his eyes.

“Can we just skip going to Maranello today and go back home?” I smiled weakly. “I just need my bed”

“Mine wasn't that bad” he laughed softly, making me smile after hearing his laugh.

“It wasn't, the problem was that I had half of the bed, not all of it” I teased.

He laughed again and sighed, looking at me. He moved my hands with him until his lips touched my fingers, kissing them softly while he held my gaze.

“Is this okay?” he whispered.

“Yeah” I nodded.

His smile made me smile too. And the tinglings in my stomach started to be more frenetic.

“Let's go home” he smiled, holding my hand and turning on the engine of the car, driving to that house that is a refuge for me, my baby and Charles.

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@racinggirl @elisysd @alltoomaples @ssprayberrythings @rach3164 @yvonne-dump @deliciousfestsalad @janeh22 @hc-dutch @ninifee1802 @kakorrhaphiphobia @ssararuffoni @itsjustkhaos @scaramou @tapedeck-hearts @apollosfavkiddo @sltwins @glitterquadricorn @ladystardust05 @theseerbetweenus @vizzzashley @auawdo @leah-also-known-as-creatoronwp @leptitlu @green-thots @caterinemirandax_ @mid5nights

[morethansky]

***THE ACOLYTE SPOILERS***

• Me, seconds before I could hear millions of thirsty voices crying out: Oh my god is a nymph-bathing thing about to happen, is he legitimately about to strip

• Sadly, unlike Osha, I am immune to the Stranger's practically full frontal, but the reveal of his little tied-back hair bits at the same time had me screaming into a pillow, so we all win.

• So the island was definitely meant to evoke Ahch-To, right? This was a very The Last Jedi episode (it even had the same mismatched pacing for the three storylines lmao), and the Kylo Ren theme was the most prominent it's been in the end credits. I think the theories about Qimir being a progenitor of the Ren are spot on. I like this quite a bit; it would be smart to build off of High Republic stuff while cementing Resistance-era lore. This would line up with the Bad Batch building off of the Clone Wars stuff while cementing Resistance-era lore. I also personally find it a bit boring that Bane's lineage is laid out all neatly and am particularly interested in darksiders being outside of it. And it would mean the show is drawing even more from the books and comics, which I'm always in favor of. And fun fact, my second-ever SW fic was based on the Rise of Kylo Ren comics!

• But ALSO, given that they clearly showed the cortosis vein, it also evokes Bal'demnic, the planet where Plagueis kills Tenebrous omg??? Not to be an annoying fanboy, but I adore the Darth Plagueis novel and we're apparently supposed to see two additional Sith Lords before the season ends somehow??? And in the novel, Tenebrous secretly trains multiple apprentices. I could totally see the season ending with Qimir suffering a vague fate and an extremely brief Tenebrous appearance that leaves the door open for a season 2 big bad. That David Harewood casting rumor is too delicious to be fake!

• On that note, since episode 2, I haven't been able to stop thinking about how when we're introduced to Qimir, he's sleeping, and he's awoken by Mae, who is now confirmed to have been his apprentice. Which is notably how Palpatine kills Plagueis. It just feels so much like a neat little allusion to me.

• Did this episode not have such Mend This Old Wound vibes?? Waking up in your enemy's lair, finding out your wounds were tended to by him, realizing he really wants to convert you, discovering he doesn't find you a threat, being surprised by his vulnerability, being surprised by what of his past and his inner self he's willing to divulge. Tbh I hadn't even realized how tropey those elements were until I watched this lmao.

• Sadly, despite my lifelong love for enemies-to-lovers stories, I don't vibe with a lot of M/F ships, bad boy/good girl ones especially. I'm happy for the Oshmir shippers, though, and at least it's happening in a story created by a queer woman, so hopefully it'll be done tastefully. Hmm... Perhaps if I genderbent Qimir I could get behind writing something, and then the seduction to the dark side would be strengthened by the queer metaphor...

• BUT ALSO YOOO OSHA/JECKI CONFIRMED???? And after Dafne Keen confirmed that she played Jecki as having a crush on Osha?? Y'all, Osha was TOTALLY floating the idea of asking Jecki out on a date with that whole "the next time I'm on Coruscant" thing, oh my goddd. The gays continue to be buried, but at least they exist, and I guess at least everyone else is buried, too?

• I love that we got a quiet moment of Sol grieving because finally there was nobody watching and he couldn't hold it together any longer. This is what I was begging for the entire run of the Bad Batch. Wonderfully acted, too. Lee Jung-Jae's expression work is so good, and I love the long, lingering shot and how you see the tears well up gradually.

• I love when actors have to act as characters acting, and Amandla Stenberg was already acting as two different characters that they had to keep distinct from each other, but in this episode, they had to act as one of their characters acting as the other character lmao. Incredible.

• Halfway through this episode I was like, why does it feel like we're getting blueballed for information omfg. We're definitely getting the second Brendok flashback episode next week, and obviously they had to keep it at the forefront of the viewers' minds without giving it away, but I feel like structurally they could've lined this up in a different way that didn't just reveal nothing in order to kick the can down the road lol. I guess this is a pretty classic issue in mysteries.

• I've been deeply confused as to why there's been so much Jedi-good/Jedi-bad discourse lately, but I don't see them as firmly in either court and that to me feels like the entire point of the part they play in the story?? Which is why I always love seeing the tension in the Jedi-Senate relationship and the way the political machinations play out, especially when Palpatine's not involved (at least overtly).

So I really liked Vernestra's conversation with the senator and the line about the Jedi always being transparent so an audit shouldn't be an issue and how the show clearly illustrates that that's not remotely true. Which is also really interesting because we have Sol doing a cover-up, possibly him and the other three Jedi who were Brendok doing a different cover-up, and also Vernestra, who doesn't know about what happened on Brendok or what Sol is hiding, clearly looking uncomfortable at the suggestion that the Jedi are transparent, pointing to other things they (or she specifically) haven't been disclosing.

I'm a sucker for political corruption in stories and when well-meaning people's hands are tied, so I'm eating it up. And of course I love how they're setting up the Jedi's fall from grace and building out context for why and how they would walk into Palpatine's trap.

• Qimir talking about being a Jedi a very long time ago is very intriguing. Upon seeing his scar, my first thought was Force lightning and that he was talking about being abandoned by a Sith master. But with Vernestra's whip making an appearance that doesn't add anything to the story otherwise, the show is clearly presenting it as the cause of the scar?? Which is VERY interesting.

• Mog's suggestion that Sol killed all the Jedi made my jaw drop because why would they even speak this outrageous idea into existence if it doesn't have truth to it in some way??? Like oh shit, that's REALLY fun. Has Sol killed Jedi before? Would he? Are the other Jedi wary of him? Do they feel the same way about the other three Jedi who were on Brendok? Mog specifically notes that Sol is very powerful. We already saw this with him going up against Qimir and surviving, so why this line?

• Sol was already my favorite character from the start just with how warm he was and how full of regret and how much he clearly loved Osha even though he wasn't supposed to, and every episode has drawn the darkness simmering within him closer to the surface, which brings him even closer to the kind of character I'm particularly fond of, so I'm very, very interested in where the show takes him. I don’t know if they could really swing Sith Master Sol, but Lee Jung-Jae sure as hell could act it.

• Can I just say, the writing for this show is definitely wobbly, but I at least appreciate that showrunner Leslye Headland has a refreshing understanding of story mechanics, even if she might love foils a little too much (and this is coming from a total foil whore). What she said about a good plot twist being built up so that the viewer realizes what's about to happen just before it's fulfilled instead of coming out of nowhere and being a total shock literally made me pump my fist because I've been complaining about the internet's poor understanding of this concept for literal years!! And the way she talked about how when you watch Jecki die, you want her to move out of the way so you can see the Stranger's face, and how in thinking that you've betrayed her and in a way become complicit in her death, is SO good.

• It's too bad all live-action Star Wars ever is doomed to have mediocre dialogue. But at least these things make me feel fairly confident in having high hopes for the Brendok reveal. And regardless of what happens, I am so excited to see goddess Mother Aniseya again next episode, omg omg!!!

[maxverstepponme]

Do you want an honest read of what I think is happening with Max and Kelly. This is going to be very long and I don’t believe this is 100% what has happened it’s just my opinion on what might be happening. I think Max and Kelly aren’t together anymore. Seems they actually broke up some time before Miami. Kelly going to a hotel by herself/with P was right after the breakup and then she went on the solo trip with P to NYC. I think she(yes Kelly nobody likes to get broken up with) needed time to clear her head and think so she took P on a trip. I also think the reason K isn’t acting like she did with Daniil is because Max is paying her off. I’m sorry but think about it. Ever since things have been obviously bad between them Kelly has been getting bigger opportunities than she ever has before. The PatBo thing Kelly randomly became a part of and now they’re besties. Working with together all the time, acting like this is nothing new when it is. Kelly has never hung out with Patrica or Dafne this much? Now they’re doing events together, hanging out, having dinners all the time, coming to races IN MONACO? The weird hug after Miami(no kiss) and Kelly spending almost non of Miami with Max. Max for the first time ever saying something about his sweet girlfriend, which very random. The fact that he’s the one who brought it up, like oh got to remember to mention I definitely still have a girlfriend. Then Kelly went to Cannes ALL WEEK. She had the works too. For once Kelly actually could pass as a model. Why now is Kelly getting this exposure? Suddenly Kelly gets to go to Miu Miu and LV events and gets to bring a LV guy to the GP to get her foot in the door further. Max is supplying Kelly all these amazing opportunities so she has a reason to not make their break up known yet. Kelly is playing along because wtf else is she going to do but I don’t think she’s happy about it.(Obviously like I said before nobody likes to get broken up with) Kelly looked uncomfortable when Max come to hug her(no kiss two races in a row. have they ever not kissed till this year?) and her pulling away first. Seems like the situation is maybe settling in that they’re over. The maybe mistake, maybe not, apartment listing. Him and his family trying so hard suddenly to make everything looks ok after months of silence. Also this is why I think she did the weird fish thing in the hotel before NYC was because it really hadn’t hit her that they were over. Her not really posting anything about him recently, her not liking his posts, and her literally never being home. In the pictures form the Monaco Gala they are literally standing a foot apart form each other. It’s so obvious that something happened and Max probably wants to wait till summer break to announce, but preparation are already being made. The mysterious apartment listing, verstappen.com is slowed down the Kelly posts, and the weird liking habits of Vic, Sophie, and Kelly, and Max is doing everything in his power to make sure Kelly doesn’t walk till he’s ready even if means dishing out money so Kelly can play pretend wag and milk all the publicity she can. Max somewhere a long the line released that Kelly and him weren’t going to work and ended it. He and Kelly come up with some type of agreement and that is what is playing out now. It was better to give Kelly what she wants for a few months and letting her set up her “future” so he doesn’t have to suffer the media hell.

ps: I think the big decider of him wanting to end it was them getting pap’d in St. Barth with Victoria and her kids. I think this really upset Sophie and Victoria and it was an eye opener/ final straw was his mom and sister being over Kelly and distancing themselves from both of them.

It’s definitely weird. The latest interactions are weird af, but only time will tell.

[pop-pop-pop-popculture]

do you think 008 (stranger things) is going to come back in the last season?

No, and to be honest, I hope not. I did not care about her and her story - that entire subplot slowed down season two and it didn’t really do anything to help carry the main storyline for the season. Hey, you know what? It would have been so freaking neat if the actress who played X-23 in Logan (Dafne Keen) was 008! Anyways, the two's bond wasn't strong (or even interesting) enough to make me feel any sort of empathy and wish the girls kept in touch. Now, let's put my differences aside real quick and entertain a headcanon of mine.

If Kali and Jane did have a genuine, strong sister-like bond, then, since Dr. Brenner made a comeback in the fourth season, what I think should have happened was he somehow found out about Kali's whereabouts and (re)kidnapped her. Instead of granting his wish of trying to find Henry through her memories in the silo, Eleven should have kept refusing, which would then lead into a heated argument and even a little bit of physical violence not featuring her powers. I know, though, that she was knocked out and “wakes up” in the silo. My change-up is she isn’t placed in there just yet... she wakes up in real time and that is when they argue. This conversation still happens, by the way. Anyways, 'Papa' raises his voice a few times and even yells at her, which he has never done before, and then threatens her by saying if she doesn't do what she is told, he will hurt someone she loves AND not help her regain her "gifts". Who is this person she loves? Surprise, it's 008! (Preferably a different actress, though, such as Dafne Keen) Unfortunately, though, 'Papa' already did some physical damage to her sister who is showing signs of mental instability...

Side Note: We’ve only seen Dr. Brenner be calm and stern with Eleven, and sometimes strict, but he never got pissed at her, raised his voice at her or yelled at her, so I think having him do that would have been a nice game changer for the character. I mean.. think about it: She, his experiment, is giving him, her ‘Papa’, attitude and arguing back as well as fighting both verbally and physically???? Where is this coming from?! She never did any of that to him in the past! This concept of mine would have given the audience a different, darker and more manipulative side of Dr. Brenner we’ve never seen before. Also, he wasn’t in the previous two seasons, so this would have been a great comeback for him because 'Papa’ changed. And so did his Eleven.

[alwaysahiccupandastrid]

His Dark Materials S2 Ep 6 - Rambling/Thoughts

I really cannot believe that we’re at the penultimate episode already, oh my gosh. It’s gone by so fast??

Again, because I’ve reread TSK in the last couple of weeks, the book is fresh in my mind but I’ve probably still missed stuff

Also last week was so intense and seeing the “previously on” section made me remember just how intense that was, so it’s a hard job to top that!

ANGELS AHH RIGHT AWAY IM GEEKING OUT

“The last time they were seen was to make war” - IT’S HAPPENING ASDFGHJKL

Ruta going off to see Asriel and me just remembering what exactly went down between them while she was there with him... heh

So Will’s hand looks AWFUL oh my god poor Will 😭

Pan is REALLY into his Red PAN-da form oh my goodness

So the other kids out for revenge terrified the living SHIT out of me, dear god I don’t think it could be any creepier than dozens of them appearing out of the shadows like that, like it’s genuinely terrifying

Serafina just dropped right in to rescue them and I was both relieved and a little disappointed? Because in the book the whole chase sequence is so much longer and more important, like it takes up most of an entire chapter I think, and here it’s like two minutes?

Serafina: What does this edge cut? // Lyra: Everything (Will at the same time: Nothing.) - 😂

I missed Lee and Jopari tbh so yay to seeing them once more! And they’ve crossed into the next world!

Oh hi again Mary!

^ I wasn’t expecting to see Mary again this series because in TSK book, her last appearance is going through the window (which was last episode), so I’m a little curious as to whether we’re going to get a TINY little peek into The Amber Spyglass here (it’s been years since I reread it, I apologize). Because last series they did a bit of TSK (namely introducing Will + him crossing into Cittagazze), so it would be interesting!

“Good, something I can understand for a change” - LOL Same

Serafina wants to take Lyra back to her world?? Really??

Not gonna lie, the two girls spying on Mary was kind of low-key creepy

Lyra mentioning that she crossed worlds to find out about Dust and mentioning Roger 😭

Also I’m so emotional over just how much she wants Will to be safe, like she would really do anything to keep him safe and I love it

Lyra asking the Alethiometer where Will’s dad is and “he’s in this world” - ahhh it’s going to happen!

Also I really hope that the BBC/whoever decides to sell replica Alethiometers because the design is so beautiful?! I would fork out serious dough for one, and it would go nicely with the one I have from the film

No but seriously, words don’t describe just how badly I want a replica

“I wanted to fly so I summoned you here, now I’m flying” - LOL OKAY THEN JOHN

Ooh damn, that outfit Marisa is wearing is FINE. I’m slightly gayer than I was before, ngl

I was like “nooo Mary don’t be nice to these kids, they’re awful”

But it’s very sweet that she offers them food?? Like she pulls a chocolate bar out and is like “it’s no good for you, it’s full of sugar”... I love her

The way that Mary was so happy and excited when they mentioned Lyra, only to tell the girls off for trying to kill her - more of a mum than Mrs Coulter tbh

“Miss, can I have a hug?” - AWWW OMG WHY AM I SAD

They asked Mary to stay and look after them omg 😭😭😭

“Come with me, I’ll bring you to your adults” - ooh okay this could go any number of ways... Either she actually reunites them with their families and all’s well, or she takes them up there and their parents/adults are all dead (for lack of a better word)? Or the Spectres attack after Mary leaves them with the adults??

Jopari talking about meeting his dæmon and also a little bit about trying to get back to his family :(

“Can you magic us up a fire?” “One moment” *presents a box of matches” - LMFAO

Wait did Serafina seriously just imply that she thought Will might hurt Lyra?!?

Serafina saying that if protecting Lyra means protecting Will as well... Yes, protect Will please! Protect BOTH of these children, I literally BEG you, they’ve gone through far too much

Ooh okay so the witch ritual/spell was kind of cool to see!

Lyra saying “please tell me he’ll be alright” 😭♥️

The fact that Lyra curled up close to Will and then Pan (in ermine form) curled up CLOSER to Will is so cute, they both love Will so much

Pan: “We feel safe her... don’t we?” / OOF OKAY THIS IS F I N E

I already know what Lyra’s “other name” is because I read the book but the hints are anything BUT subtle tbh. “Mother of us all, cause of all sin, tempted by the serpent”... I’m not even that religious but I think it’s pretty obvious.

Also, if Mary is playing the part of the “serpent” within Lyra’s destiny, does that mean that Mary has tempted Lyra? Or that she will?

Boreal being nervous about being in the city and Marisa is just so unimpressed by him... Mood

That smirk she had when going up to that Spectre victim was so chilling, we have to stan Ruth Wilson and her incredible acting

Also, fun fact, Ruth Wilson went to my sixth form college and is from Surrey (like me), and she grew up in Shepperton, which is where my Nan used to live when she was alive (my uncle and aunt live there still), so that’s super exciting!

“We could learn from this” - PLEASE DO NOT MA’AM

God I hate the Magisterium so fucking much, the patriarchy is so strong with them

Oh great, now they’re gunning to kill Lyra :/

Also, off topic, I’ve only just connected that Will Keen, who plays Father MacPhail, is Dafne Keen’s dad?!?

“She’s lost a lot for one so young” - AND SHE’S STILL GOING TO LOSE PEOPLE, WHY IS THIS FAIR PHILIP PULLMAN 😭

“She must be protected” - AGAIN, they BOTH need protecting PLEASE

The Spectre noises reminded me of the noises of the Smoke Monster from LOST, so that’s definitely trippy for me

Thanks, I hate it

I nearly shouted “WHAT THE FUCK IS SHE DOING” out loud in front of both my parents, I seriously thought she had a damn death wish

I have never been so damn tense in my entire life as I am watching this show - and I KNOW what happens

HOW DID SHE DO THAT WITH THE SPECTRES SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN

Lee’s so worried about Lyra - 11/10, Father of the Year

The Magisterium airships... NO. FUCK. WE’RE AT THAT POINT ALREADY AND IM NOT OKAY BECAUSE I KNOW HOW AND WHERE THIS ENDS AND I HATE IT

I deadass thought Marisa and Carlo were about to kiss when he ran up to her and I actually said out loud “NO please don’t”

Look I must just be so dirty minded but when she said “let’s celebrate”, my immediate reaction was “NO NO NO NO EW EW EW NO” and “I hope she just means having a drink and not doing the frickety-frack”

I was so close to tearing up as Will was talking about his mum, her illness, and the boys who were mean to her because of it. His love for his mum is so beautifully written and the way Amir Wilson is playing Will is so wonderful

I was also close to tears when he was talking about his dad and how he used to imagine about his dad, so maybe I’m just emotional anyway

“Could go to school... have friends” - okay yeah no I’m definitely crying 😭

“I couldn’t trust anyone.” “Until you met me.” “Yeah.” - EXCUSE ME ♥️😭 my HEART

I love one (1) soft boy, and one (1) feral girl and her dæmon

The relief I felt when I saw Marisa and Carlo were literally just having drinks 😅

“They consume what makes us human, so I just suppressed that and hid it” + *cut to the monkey looking kinda sad/uncomfortable* - Umm fUCK OKAY THEN

Why am I feeling sorry for the monkey?!?

“You think we’re equal?” - LMFAO RIGHT

EWW THEY KISSED. No, just... nO

When I saw his snake dæmon moving towards her monkey, I thought one of two things was about to happen: 1) the monkey was going to pet and paw and the snake as Marisa seduced Boreal, or 3) the monkey was going to strange the snake and kill Boreal

OKAY THIS TOOK A SHARP BUT NOT UNWELCOMED TURN

“You’ve NEVER been my equal.” “You’d only hold me back.” - OH MY GOD YES THE SHADE

She’s not wrong though let’s be honest here

So she poisoned him I’m assuming? She poisoned his drink because the monkey didn’t actually touch the snake... damn.

Her just sitting there and continuing to drink with his dead body there is... damn.

“Into that valley” NO NO, please no

Jopari really just summoned a whole damn storm huh

Also the fact he fully trusts in Lee’s abilities to land them safely :3

Lee: “Can we trust him?” // Hester: “Do we have another choice?!!” - LMFAO I love them so much

THE WAY I NEARLY SCREAMED WHEN THAT WITCH GOT ATTACKED BY A SPECTRE OMFG AT LEAST WILL WAS THERE TO SAVE HER

Okay but did Marisa REALLY sit there for HOURS with Boreal’s corpse sitting opposite her?!?

Her burning her hand on the flame in front of the monkey, and the monkey clearly whimpering and in pain was so agonizing to watch, I can’t take this show

Also, you have to wonder just how many times she’s harmed herself (and him) for her to keep doing it with next to no problems (like separating from each other all the time)

I was so excited to see the birds attacking the zeppelins, like it was one of my favourite details in the book, and I worried that they wouldn’t have the budget for it but yay!

I do kind of wish that we’d had Sayan Kötor as the “eagle Queen” leading them though - she probably was but I wish we’d actually seen it or heard Jopari say it or whatever

THEY SHOT THE GAS CANNISTER OH SHIT THEY’RE GOING DOWN HARD AND FAST IN THAT BALLOON

HOLD ON BBC YOU CANNOT END THIS THERE?!? EXCUSE ME?!

The last episode is next week and on an hour earlier, so that’s exciting! I have no idea what I’ll do once this series ends, or when we’ll even get the third and final series because of COVID and filming delays, but I’m excited for it nonetheless and hoping it’s next November/December or something!

[akimmito]

Heroes are made by the path they choose

Previous | AO3 | Next

___________________________

Chapter 3

The Paris news continues to speak of the Akuma two days after the event, Marinette is stressed coping with the disaster that remained on her catwalk. Unlike in previous years, Paris is not ready to deal with another Hawkmoth again, and the city's mood fell immediately from the moment appeared. Fashion week continues, but everything feels bad. They have not officially left the apartment since the event, although they have been going to the MT headquarters.

She looks at the cup of chamomile tea that Hugo, her butler?, was kind enough to prepare to help her relax, but she knows that a tea won't help her.

"Mother, we should get out of town. You're pale. ”Damian approaches her and analyzes her posture, obviously she didn't sleep the night before because she was checking the security cameras distributed by Paris looking for the origin of the butterfly, but they are more than five hundred and Max's algorithm barely reduced it to one hundred and twenty cameras. He's concerned about her health, he knows how she gets when she focuses too much on a task.

"Do you want to go to the country house?" She asks putting her head on her arm, dozing off from lack of sleep and the calming effect of chamomile. She just needed a distraction from her mind.

"Yes, you could use a break. Felix can take care of everything in the MT and if they need us, we are a portal away. "He maintains his neutral expression, there are days when he reproaches himself for caring for the woman who decided to adopt him knowing that he's a trained killer, but today is not one of those. She never wanted to change it, not as he thinks his father would have done if he had gone to live with him... Bruce Wayne doesn't tolerate murder, after all. The MT is curious, they dance a lot on the gray line. He was lycky to get them.

"Yeah... you're right." Mariette straightens up and rubs her eyes. If they are going to travel, she must avoid falling asleep until they are in the car on the way to the country house. "That reminds me, we can take Ringo, the vet says that its leg is already better and that he can be transferred from the shelter without problems. "

Damian is encouraged by the news, the little cub was shot in the leg by some thieves, the owner despised him taking it as lost, but he asked his mother to help it heal so that it would not die. The puppy is alive and they can take it to a place where he can be safe and be a happy dog. They made the right decision.

"Go get your bags ready. Maybe we will get to lunch time. "She gets up and picks up her phone, she must notify the employees that they will arrive earlier than planned.

Damian goes to his room being followed by Longg, he must get everything he will carry ready. Not even fifteen minutes have passed when he has everything ready, keeping comfortable clothes to be able to play with his pets in the extensive terrain, very different from his normal residence.

Marinette and Damian live on the top floor of an apartment building just four blocks from the Eiffel Tower, she likes the evening view and even has a window where she has placed a mattress. Damian also became a fan of that same location and became his favorite area within the apartment, although he prefers the Animal Shelter and the country house, both of which were bought especially for him, all because she couldn't fill the apartment with animals (despite of her own desires to do so).

The only pet in the apartment is a very demanding fluffy white cat who likes to be the center of Damian's attention, who gets angry on weekend trips to the country house, where it's forced to live with the others animals ... dirty and unworthy of be a Lenoir. The cat is very proud to be the favorite and it hates with all its might the cat of country house, which always steals the child's precious attention (with dogs it doesn't get in because they are very large, two German shepherds, a Garafiano shepherd and an Australian Shepherd, plus a Bernese Mountain puppy.)

Damian is ecstatic with the prospect of spending six days on the country house, although the cat, named Dafne, doesn't look happy and even growled at the boy when he tried to grab it the first time, now it has already relaxed and brought its bad humor to its transport box. He closes the box and takes his things, now all he has to do is wait for his mother to stop being a mess to they can leave.

"Do you have your suitcase yet?" Marinette asks going from one side to another in the rooms, Damian doesn't even answer her and he only goes out to the living room to wait until she finishes messing up the whole apartment. "Hugo, where are my sketch books?"

They're already packed, Miss Marie. Also the fabric catalog of the next collection and the general balance of the month."

Hugo is a very English man to someone who lived in France most of his life, but she's not going to question him about it (Max did a very good background check). He started working with her a year after founding her brand and somehow managed to discover the MT and is now an unofficial member, making her escapades much easier by having him cover her. She's grateful to heaven for making her cross her path, she would have gone mad without him already.

"Thanks, Hugo."

"Hugo, did you pack the Kwami and Dafne meals?" Damian asks when the man returns to the room. He's eager to leave to meet his pets, he sees them every week, but it's not enough time.

"Of course, the extra order for cheeses was also made for the country house."

"Oh, Hugo! You're the best, I hope you live a thousand years!" Plagg arrives full of joy and almost dares to hug the man, but that is not his style, on the contrary, he cheers for the excellent service. "I wish all my kittens would treat me like you. "

Marinette enters the room with her suitcase and looks at Plagg with mock annoyance, amusement seeping into her gaze. She misses Tikki, she was always the voice of reason, but Plagg has a unique way of keeping her high spirited and, with the stress of her life, very much appreciates his presence, daring to consider he more effective than encouraging words from Tikki.

"Yeah, right? It's not like I paid for all your cheese. ”Plagg flies towards her and repeats the action, causing her to finally laugh at his games. Longg lets out a small snort from his position near the boy, he had not made any noise and that causes others to be surprised by his presence sometimes. Damian rejoices when he sees the others jump off  for forgetting that Longg is active too.

"Shall we go now, mother?"Damian takes out some Dior brand sunglasses and the black mask from his handbag to prevent his face from going out in magazines or social networks without his consent, he doesn't understand what is the interest in them, they are only people with a little money and a brand that becomes more famous after each show. In any case, they shouldn't be interested in him and he detests those who do.

"Yeah, we can go now."                                                

Damian smiles with pleasure putting on his dark glasses, which are already part of his daily wardrobe because he always accompanies Marinette to all kinds of events, the least he can do is learn to combine brands and styles for each time he goes out. He usually opts for black, although lately he no longer cares about trying styles and clothes that he would never have considered wearing.

When they go out to the main entrance, where Hugo is already waiting for them with the car, he have already put on the mask and, of course, a curious spectator treats them as if they were the stars of an Oscar-winning film. At least no one can notice his annoyed expression under the mask.

They enter the car and Damian takes the opportunity to get Dafne out, it prefers to travel like this and  they will not change vehicles as when they leave the country, he can carry it all the way. Everyone thinks that he’s too spoiled, but he considers that it's fair since it's the only animal that he's allowed to keep at home.

As the small Lenoir family moves towards the country house, in the MT, Kagami destroys the training dolls with a saber, under the watchful eye of Luka who, from the second level, watches her move with the fury of a hurricane. He mentally notes placing the doll replacement as part of the following month's expense.

"If she continues like this, she will come looking for us to fight with us." Luka turns to the person who has just entered, Alix stands near him, appreciating the power of the cuts and the lethality of the Japanese woman. "The little demon would have a good training match with her. "

"Mari sent a message, they will be at the country house. "

"How envious, I wish I had a place like that to escape to." She yawns, leaning on the railing. "But duty calls.”She mutters when her phone starts ringing to the rhythm of the Seven Nation Army, which means it's a call from work. Alix walks away just waving.

Luka smiles softly, it's a calm day. Perhaps everyone is a little more tense, stressed and with excitement itching their hands, but it's very calm, life continues its course regardless of the problems that may exist. The insignificance with which life itself deals with the matter gives he the certainty that they will solve it, that this time there will not be a third party that stands in their way of recovering Nooroo.

The voices are loud outside the training room and he can see the moment when Nathaniel and Kim enter arguing, Marc is a few steps behind them looking at them with an undoubtedly irritated expression, as if they had been on that same topic for a long time.

"I tell you, if we were to work with someone outside the MT, it can't be Batman. I love my privacy, thanks. ”Nathaniel says tired, he despises eternally the heartless blonde who brought up that subject only to leave saying he had job. Kim is not an official member, hei tournaments trips and constant swimming training prevent her from being one, so he doesn't fully understand why the MT remains so in the shadows (even with the irony that the Parisian media talks about they with the same frequency as Jagged, Clara and other famous faces).

"He would help a lot, you know."

"Yeah, but he would also discover the Miracoulous and that is a resounding no. Our duty is to protect them and the less people know it, the easier it'll be. "

"They mention it in the news!"

"In fact. "Marc speaks behind them, tired of hearing them repeat arguments. "Since decree No. 35 of the current French government was released, any mention of the Prodigies in the media will be sanctioned according to the provisions of the MT, that is to say, us, and of the Parisian heroes, also us. It has even been included in the Constitution as a secret of identity and provenance for the protection of heroes. Chloe was devastating when she demanded a law that protected us and the Kwami, without lying, she put all the cards on the table without mentioning personal gain. "

Kim is speechless, he really didn't know that. When was the last time he updated on the laws in his country? He might as well break some and he wouldn't know it. To take into account, just like talking to Chloe about it.

"You see? Now that we are done with this, can we train? "

Kagami destroys the last doll at that moment and turns to the newcomers, has released all her frustrations.

They are supposed to be starting the investigation into the new Hawkmoth, but the mayor's office has requested that they refrain from starting the investigation for a week, he does not understand the irrationality of that request. She's very angry at the mayor's negligence, the longer they delay the investigation, the harder it will be to track him down. Still, it annoyed her more the way Marinette and Felix so easily accepted orders… when they don't take orders from anyone, they can move around the edges of the law, but they're not below it.

"Has Mari-hime arrived?"

"She texted that she'd be at the country house with Damian, she needs the break," Marc replies before heading to the locker room to change into training clothes.

"Where's Felix?"

"Work." Nathaniel growls the answer and then follows his boyfriend, just thinking about the blonde makes him bitter. An hour arguing nonsense with Kim is enough to put anyone in a bad mood, he doesn't understand how Max can be such a good friend with him.

Kagami frowns and hands the saber to Kim before leaving the training room, she's angry again. What do Marinette and Felix intend? She rarely understands what goes through their heads.

Luka comes down from the second level to intercept Kagami, she's being overbearing on the whole miraculous butterfly issue. He knows that Marinette doesn't play with the affairs of the MT, she doesn't endanger them on purpose and they don't make hasty decisions, only one person is more cautious than she and that is Felix, if the two agreed to wait, they have something keep in mind.

"Kagami." He calls her, but she doesn't stop. "Kagami."

"I'm not listening to you, you're going to defend them."

"I ask you to think about it more deeply. Mari is very serious about retrieving the butterfly clasp, she knows what she's doing."

"Oh, Yeah. I really believe that." She looks at him annoyed, in front of him.

"You are upset, but don't let anger cloud your thoughts. We are all frustrated, eager to fight, but we will only hit a wall if we rush. You have to know when to take a break, this is a good time. "

She purses her mouth, holding back the words. He's somewhat right, their cannt just run into the unknown pretending they know where they are going. Her only answer is a nod before she resumes her journey, perhaps she should go see her mother and stay away from the MT until the break ends or another Akuma appears, whichever comes first.

_______________________________

Damian @DamianLenoir

Ringo is better and today he will meet his new brothers, he is a very happy puppy.

[Attached photo]

Alix @LostHeroBunnix

Why did I think opening an art school would be fun? I should have kept my skates.

Felix @GrahamV_Felix

Should I yell or yell at the worthless one who flooded the set? I just had to turn on a tap, not recreate the scene of the Biblical Flood.

Nath @NathanielKC_twt

@GrahamV_Felix Being nice and not giving a scare of death to the people around you could help you the other people not flood the set. Did you know?

Felix @GrahamV_Felix

@NathanielKC_twt And become Marie? Is not my style.

Marie L. @MarieLenoir

@GrahamV_Felix @NathanielKC_twt Too much style for you, it doesn't fit with you; p

Chloe B. @BourgeoisQueen

Marie take me with you! @MarieLenioir

Damian @DamianLenoir

@BourgeoisQueen NO.

______________________

Ages:

Tomoe T: 50. Bruce: 45. Dick: 28. Luka: 26. Jason: 25. Marie and her group: 24. Tim: 19. Damian: 10.

[laurelleghuleh]

OCAF | Ch. 6 “Homecoming”

Warnings: read the masterlist first and check Ruth’s chart.

Songs: "Hello My Old Heart" by The Oh Hellos, "Broken Bones" by KALEO, "Streets" by Doja Cat.

LEVI'S POV

I couldn't figure out where I was.

I was surrounded by the green hills and a boundless land loomed all around me. Nevertheless, I kept walking in the meadow, without a precise goal. I thought it was a farm. There was a light breeze caressing my skin and the sun was high in the sky.

All of a sudden, I heard a voice. "Levi, my sweet Levi"

"Mom?... Mom... Is that you?"

When I saw her, she was already running towards me with her arms outstretched and her hair swaying in the air. I hugged her tightly, lifting her from the ground and I felt my body naturally responding to hers like I remembered every inch of her.

"Mom..." I whispered burring my face in her hair, placing my chin on her shoulder. For a moment a sweet feeling of peace made me feel light. I felt at home.

"My sweet little angel," she said. I believed I'd forgotten that sound, lost somewhere in my mind... But no, deep down inside of me, I knew it was her.

"Mom..." I inhaled her scent as we stayed like that, embraced. After a while she moved away a little and, staring intensely at me, she started caressing my face and hair.

Her glassy eyes looked all over my face, observing my features, my contours.

Her lips twitched as she tried to say something. I rested my head on her hands and took a breath of relief. I felt so in peace there, in her hands.

Watching her carefully, she was actually different from my memories. Her face was full, her hair strengthened, her expression quiet. She seemed in good health.

"I see you are in shape. I know you're a soldier now" she said "Look at you, all grown up, Levi..."

"Mom..." I kept babbling.

"We don't have much time, Levi. I have something to tell you...Listen to me... Don't be afraid"

"Mom, what are you talking about? I'm not afraid"

"Oh, Levi... Yes, you are... Let yourself go, fearlessly..."

"Mom?"

"Don't be afraid, Levi" As she repeated my name, the sound of her voice changed, altered, and got lower, warmer, younger. Whose voice was that?

"Don't be afraid Levi"

Her face started to blur "Mom, what's happening?" Her features faded away until I couldn't recognize her anymore. Now someone else was in front of me and that's when I saw her "Daphne? Is it you?" I asked. "Don't be afraid, Levi" she said.

A strange sensation flooded all over me. I was still overwhelmed with tranquility, still serene in those hands, even if they were Daphne's. My mother's face seemed to appear again and I was more confused than ever. I shook my head and she disappeared again, suddenly replaced by a blurred image and then definitely by Daphne's features. I attempted to touch her face, trying to stop her from switching. Their voices overlapped "Don't be afraid, Levi"

I finally managed to grab her cheek and her face stopped. Daphne was now in front of me. She was wearing a long, white and plain dress, something like a tunic.

"C'mon Levi, they're waiting for us..." she said taking my hand in hers.

I didn't protest and simply asked "Where are we, Daphne?"

"Stop it with these silly questions and follow me, Levi"

We started running across the lawn, towards what seemed to be a big farmhouse. She repeatedly turned to look at me, smiling and gesturing me to hurry up. Her smile shined brighter than the sun behind her figure. She looked happy and I was at peace.

All of a sudden, the loud noise of the military alarm violently woke me up. What was that dream? As I washed my face in the sink, I tried to rewrite my dreams and rebuild all the pieces of those blurred memories I had.

My mom. Daphne. A farm. What the fuck was that supposed to mean? I had never felt so confused and rested at the same time. After all, sleeping was not so bad.

Fuck, I am late.

I went down to the cafeteria where I found Hange and Daphne animatedly chatting.

"Morning sunshine!" shouted Hange at me. Here we go again.

"Good morning, captain" calmly said Daphne, handing me a warm cup of tea and then sliding on the table a small plate with some biscuits. A faint smile appeared on her face and I politely nodded in response.

"Did you sleep well, captain?" she then added. I knew she was referring to our last encounter. If only she knew what happened in my dreams...

"It's true, Levi, you're glowing today!" Hange stooged her.

I gave both of them a dirty look and then, burring my face in the cup, I said "Yes, thank you, I slept well". If you only knew...

While I was drinking my tea, I couldn't stop thinking that maybe what happened the night before could have been the start of something. We could have been friends, or at least not jump at each other's throats at any time. We could have tried. And yet I still couldn't figure out what that dream meant, and between one cookie and another the images buzzed in my head, to the point that I could no longer stay at the table.

As soon as I was done, I tried to leave, but my attention was caught by their conversation. Hange was trying to convince her to participate in another of her goddamned experiments with the titans. Therefore, I spoke. "Daphne serves me today," I said, grabbing her by the shoulder, urging her to stand up with me, "I'm sorry, four-eyes, next time".

"Ooooh c'mon Levi, didn't they teach you the noble art of sharing?" protested Hange.

I didn't even bother to answer her, while Daphne and I were rushing off. She turned to Hange a couple of times as if to apologize, and I pulled her out of the cafeteria by the arm.

"Thanks for the rescue, Captain" she said smiling.

What is it now? First, she calls me Levi, then captain again?

"There's no need to call me Captain when we are alone. You can call me Levi" I extended her an olive branch "But not in front of the other brats. They'd get carried away" I corrected myself.

"Ehm... Ok, thanks... I'll see what I can do about it... So, what do you need me for... Levi?"

"What?" I asked her.

I had lost track of our previous conversation as I contemplated her face asking me: "You said before you needed me today"

"Ehm...Yeah. Sure. That" I pulled myself back together "So... today we'll train with the 3D maneuver gears. Since you're already pretty skilled with that, you'll help me with the brats. And after that, you'll put them away where we usually keep them"

"Oh, great. I'm looking forward to it!" she said enthusiastically.

"I see you're in a good mood today" I told her.

"Actually, I am in a good mood..." she replied, shyly.

The training went smoothly. Except for some of them. Hopeless cases.

Daphne helped me throughout the whole session. She even showed some tricks to the other cadets. I noticed she had a peculiar way to move her blades. She rotated the blade's grip with only one or two fingers, never losing control of it. Fascinating. Rather fascinating.

When I was on my way out, I walked up to Daphne and I said, "Gather all the devices and bring them down. It'll take you a while. When you're done, meet me for lunch"

She nodded, mimicking a military salute. I almost laughed.

In the meantime, I went to do some paperwork for Erwin and after I headed down to the cafeteria. Later, Daphne joined us and we all started to eat.

At one point burst into the room Hange. She threw herself into our table, crying and breathing heavily. Daphne promptly asked her, "Hange, what's going on??"

"Sonny and Bean" she kept babbling, "Sonny and Bean... somebody killed them... somebody killed them..."

We were all shocked by that news. How was it possible? No one could have killed them without the three-dimensional maneuvering devices...

Erwin rapidly commanded everyone to not move from the cafeteria and ordered his team to patrol the castle.

I turned to Daphne, who was trying to comfort Hange, and I asked "Did you see anything odd after putting the devices back?"

She shook her head "No. I recounted them several times to be sure. They were all there. And when I came back upstairs, there was no one around the hallways. They must have taken one of them while I was already here...".

I trusted her.

"All right..." I sighed deeply "Hange, you can go to your room and calm down. Daphne, if you want, go with her. I'll join Erwin in the research...".

We had already combed half the castle and actually a couple of gears were missing, but there wasn't a shred of evidence of what happened.

Soon after I met Hange, alone.

"Weren't you with Daphne?" I asked her. "I was about to ask you the same thing... When I calmed down, she told me she'd come looking for you, to help-"

It took me a second to understand. You fucked up big time, girl.

I don't know how, but my instinct told exactly where I would have found her. I took my device with me and went quickly down to the basement.

Please tell me you didn't. Please tell me it wasn't you, I kept saying in my mind.

Once there, I found a hatch on the ground half opened and, unfortunately, I realized that I was right. You fucked up big time, Dafne. You fucked up.

I still remembered vividly that time when I rescued her down there and after a while, I heard the noise of a device, her device. There you are.

"So, you decided to get yourself killed today" I said, catching her off guard.

She was about to jump off a manhole after she supposedly had broken its sides to make it wider.

"Levi..." she said, backing away from the hole and then standing up "Levi, wait..." she continued. She looked frightened. You better be.

"You know, I must admit I fell for it, lock, stock and barrel. I believed you... I wanted to believe you. And then... And then you decided to make this huge mistake right under my nose..."

"Levi, it's not what it looks like..." she began to say.

"So tell what it looks like, Daphne? Tell me!" I yelled at her, almost growling.

"I did not kill Hange's titans! I swear! I would never do that to her, you have to believe me..." she shouted, close to tears.

"Really? And you think I'll buy it now?"

"Levi, I beg you. I'm telling the truth. I just took advantage of the situation to run away, but it wasn't me! I'm just trying to get back to the Underground... I just want to see my sister again... just for a second...I beg you Levi..." she cried.

Were you really about to leave? Like this?

"While everyone's looking for the responsible, looking for who stole the device and killed the titans, you thought it was a clever choice to run away. To steal a gear to escape down here? Have you lost your mind?" I ranted as I approached her, through the filth of the slums.

"I didn't steal anything! This device is mine!" she yelled at me "I earned it! I didn't steal it from anyone!" she kept shouting.

"This device? The device you earned by putting out to half the Underground? You mean that device?"

I didn't mean it that way, but I was too angry with her to think straight.

She suddenly attacked me, driven by an uncontrollable rage. She got bloodshot eyes and she was grinding her teeth, in a rage. Not making a special effort, I only parried her punches.

Once she noticed I didn't resist, she eyed me, confused by my reaction. Therefore, she stepped backward and fell down the hole, never looking away from me. And I didn't stop her.

I felt again that strong frustration growing inside of me. I don't know what to do. I never know how to act around her. What should I do now?

I sat there for a while, contemplating the underground from the hole. Its pungent smell came up to my nostrils and brought back to me some memories I thought lost.

You don't even understand what you've just done to me, Daphne. I can't sit here and do nothing. I have to go find her. Now. Before she gets in trouble.

Fortunately, I hadn't lost sight of her and following her, I made my way over the roofs of the capital, thanks to the gear.

She went down the street, covering herself with the cape she was already wearing before. I guess she doesn't want to catch anybody's attention.

So as soon as I touched the ground, I walked around to steal a cape and hide my device and uniform. Luckily, I found a small market stall where, after threatening the owner, I got a pretty big one.

At one point I saw her entering a small road on the left, so I hurried to reach her before I lost sight of her. Where is she now?

Around the corner, I felt a knife at my throat. "Where do you think you're going?" That was her.

DAPHNE'S POV

"Where do you think you're going?" I threatened him pointing a knife on his throat.

As usual, Levi remained calm, even if I had definitely caught him off guard.

"I'm coming with you," he said.

"Forget it" I told him and then got back on my track "You're just gonna get in my way, so get the hell out of here."

"Say whatever you want. I'll follow you anyway" he stated.

I turned around and said "Look, Levi, everybody around here knows who I am, so..."

"Then, we will keep a low profile..." he interrupted me, looking at me with a serious expression painted on his face.

"What do you think you're doing, uh? First, you called me a whore and then-"

"I never said that" he interrupted me.

"Tomayto tomahto" I mumbled as I started to walk away, leaving him back.

He followed me, so I turned back again "Stop following me"

"No" he only said. I rolled my eyes and walked away again. "Then hurry the fuck up" I commanded.

He didn't complain much, but after a few steps, he told me "But I'm warning you, as soon as we're done here, I'll bring you back up to the castle and this is not up for discussion".

"Whatever..." I replied.

However, we were already close to the brothel. Therefore, I grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up a ladder, from which we would have had a better view of the building. We put ourselves on the last step. It was rather small for both of us to sit straight and he was literally breathing down my neck. But neither of us seemed to mind it.

"See? Over there. That big mansion. My sisters are there" I said.

"Why such a big place? How many of you are there?" he asked.

"Do you mean my sisters? When I was still there, there were eight of us: me, Abigail, Nina, Ruth, Saejin, Tabitha, Eve and Chadia. Chadia was very old and had a few affectionate clients. She died the year before I left. There are Miss Martha and the Master. His minions, about a dozen, the stableman and many other patrons. On the ground floor, there are two betting rooms. I can't tell you how many people usually hang out there, but not a few, especially at night. Looking at it now, I'd say there are even more than I remember..."

He nodded, analyzing the building "Yes, I already see a dozen only through the windows, four at the entrance, two in front of the gate...What were you thinking, uh? Let's ring the bell and say hello to everyone, perhaps?"

I twisted around to confront him. How dare you...

Turning my face, I realized how close we were. Our eyes locked under the hoods and for a moment I forgot what I wanted to say. I swallowed as I couldn't take my eyes off his. I hate the way he makes me feel.

"So?" he asked me, bringing me back down to earth.

"There is a passage..." I coughed " There's a passage I know that's gonna take us to the back of the brothel. If we're lucky, we might not find a lot of surveillance and be able to get upstairs".

He nodded and once back on the road we descended into a small and old aqueduct and finally we arrived right where I wanted. We hid behind a fence covered with weeds to inspect the building.

"Great. It's packed with these pricks. Lucky us" he commented sarcastically.

"Shut up or we'll get caught" I whispered at him.

"Look, I see someone coming outside..." he told me turning my chin in the direction of the building. At the back door appeared two men carrying a body, a dead body, and throwing it to the ground, next to the trash.

I froze up. That's not possible, I thought. Ruth.

They had thrown that body in the trash, as if it were garbage.

I would have recognized her among a thousand. It was Ruth. My poor little Ruth.

Her ebony skin was covered with pustules and various wounds, her little face was swollen. But I knew it was her. Her figure, her clothes, her hairstyle. It was her. Ruth.

For a moment I felt myself fainting. My head was spinning and my heart was pounding, crushing against my ribcage. "Ruth... Ruth..." I babbled.

Then suddenly, blinded by the pain, I shouted her name, crying desperately.

Apparently, someone heard me and those two men turned in our direction. I suddenly felt Levi picking me up and taking me away from the fence.

"No, Ruth... How dare they... How... Ruth..." I kept talking incoherently, screaming and wriggling in Levi's arms.

I couldn't even properly walk, Levi had to carry me away. I was panting and shaking. I couldn't see straight. The images of Ruth's body thrown out of the door repeated in my mind nonstop. I was only able to whisper her name or "Levi, Levi..." as he continued to carry me away from there.

"I'm not sure but I think they are following us now... Please, Daphne, move" he said still holding me tight under his arm.

"I-I can't..." I managed to stutter. I felt like everything around me was spinning and I couldn't regain my composure. Luckily, Levi was supporting me all the way.

"Ok. Now, they are definitely following us and I have bad news for you. They have the 3d maneuver gear too. We can't afford to pick a fight here. We need to change our route and find a quiet place to use our devices without being seen... C'mon Daphne, you can do it" Levi said.

I was still shaking as Levi suddenly turned right. He had practically lifted my whole body from the ground and as soon as we got there, he gently put me back down.

"C'mon I think we made it..." he whispered.

But at some point, a pair of men came out from an alley and we had to rush and change our route again. We ran away from them, hiding between the flock of people and we made it again in another deserted lane.

"Play along, I think I have a plan" announced Levi.

After getting into another street, Levi suddenly pushed me against the wall. He put his forearm over my head, hooding my figure under his coat. I still couldn't stop panting.

"Levi... Levi" I continued babbling.

"Shh, be quiet, they are coming" he whispered getting closer to me.

"Levi... Ruth is dead, t-that was her body... and she-" I stuttered, still shaking.

"I know, but please Daphne, calm down, calm down..." he said placing his forehead on mine "Shh... they are coming" he kept saying.

"Levi... Levi...I-I...Ruth..." I stuttered.

I was trying to pull myself back together, but everything seemed to blur. I couldn't slow down my breath and all I could feel was a deep pain in my chest. I put a hand on my heart and I whispered again "Levi..."

"Please, shh..." he hushed me again.

I felt one of his hands hooking mine on my chest, he looked into my eyes intensely and all of a sudden, his lips found mine.

My heart was pounding so fast in my chest I could only focus on how soft he felt against my mouth. He was gently pressing his lips on mine, but as soon as I squeezed harder his hand, he inhaled soundly and let a warm breath out of his nostrils. He immediately pulled me in and now we were glued to one another.

It felt so addictive I couldn't allow that moment to end.

As soon as I felt him slightly moving away, with my free hand I grabbed his coat and crushed my lips against his, again and again. He didn't protest and rather lowered his forearm, sliding his hand under my hood, running his fingers through my hair. I felt my knees getting weaker as he parted his lips allowing my tongue to slip inside his mouth.

Nothing else existed, all my senses were absorbed by how intoxicating he tasted.

My hands found his chest and then his neck, so I pushed him even closer to me. I was kissing him like my life depended on it.

A suffocated moan slipped out of my mouth as I felt again his hot breath and he almost lost it. I suddenly became aware of how aggressively he was responding. It felt like he wanted it so badly. As much as I wanted it too. So, I let myself go, completely, and the air got thicker. I felt my cheeks flushing, I was out of breath. None of us dared to break off that kiss. When his hands found my waist, I felt lightheaded. His touch was so gentle while his lips were hungry, possessive, consuming.

All of a sudden, he stopped and pressed his forehead on mine. We eyed each other, both out of breath. Our lips were swollen and our cheeks red. I didn't know what to do or say.

Levi swallowed noisily and then whispered, still pressed against me "I think they're gone. We have to head back now...".

[lordeasriel]

Did you see the new interview in Radio Times with Amir Wilson where he said that James McAvoy hasn't filmed anything for S2 despite most of the filming being done by christmas? I'm very confused since by the stuff Jack Thorne said about sitting down with Pullman to do a timeline of what Asriel did in TSK I expected him to have a much bigger part in S2. Considering that apparently most of the season is filmed already how much Asriel can we expect in S2?

Hey anon, sorry it took me a while to answer this, I was actually checking all the info we have on James in S2.

I did see that interview and I was also confused by it, because James had said before in a radio interview (here it is); this was on November 11/12. He mentions that he can’t talk about it, because the events of Asriel in S2 are not in the books, and that Philip not only sanctioned the extra stuff but he also came up with ideas for it. James also joked about his career stalling since that was the only thing he had to say about his projects, so I assumed at the time that we’d get a considerable amount of Asriel content for S2.

In July, James commented on a picture from Dafne’s Instagram saying “See you in Sept!” which was when we assumed the filming would begin. Given James barely participated in promo season, which happened around september and october, I assume that they met on studio for filming (even though they likely won’t film together). This could also mean they just met for the table reading, I don’t know how they call it - when they gather to read the scripts. It’s in fact, more likely that this is what happened.

There’s also what you mentioned about what Jack Thorne said, and yes, that also gave me room to think that Asriel would have more scenes. And in October, a fan filmed some of the shooting with Aryion and Ruth and they mentioned that a security guard said James was also in a nearby set. Sorry for this gigantic info dump, here’s what I think:

My guess is that Amir could be misinformed, as his filming schedule wouldn’t necessarily match that of James. We know Lin-Manuel Miranda finished his scenes in late September, 27 or around that and we know James got busy with Cyrano in November. My second guess, is that maybe James filmed a portion of his scenes before Cyrano, and that he will film the rest of them now. Will’s scenes for Season 1 were all filmed around March last year, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they filmed Asriel’s scenes now, as he doesn’t need anyone else from the main cast.

That being said, as an Asriel stan, I want more Asriel content, I’d like to see him show up in 7 of the 8 episodes, there’s room for that, but if Amir is 100% right and James hasn’t filmed anything yet, I don’t know, I feel like he may be scattered all over the season, but in short scenes or he’ll feature in 2 or 3 episodes, with longer scenes. I mean, Will had a lot of screen time even though he was filmed almost entirely post-wrapping up of Season 1, so maybe we can get as much Asriel even if James still hasn’t filmed anything.

Of course, this is all guesswork, so take it all with a pinch of salt. For all that we know, they could all be lying again lmao

[exsanguisdraconis]

i don’t have a blog for this so even tho i’m supposed to be fixing this blog up and getting active i’m going to use this blog to viciously complain about HBO’s His Dark Materials. the below opinions are overwhelmingly negative so if you aren’t interested in that, don’t read it.

I just... don’t understand these writers. I feel like over the course of the five episodes we’ve had that I’ve been very laid back. My expectations were high, I’ll admit that, because I needed SOMETHING to save me from the absolute shit tornado that was The Secret Commonwealth. I needed some good HDM to lift me up from that low and I was counting on the show. Maybe that was unfair. 

To start off with some good things the show, for the most part, looks really nice. Most of the actors are really good. I was pleasantly surprised about the number of POC in the cast. The daemons, though not focused on nearly enough, still look really nice. Ruth Wilson is phenomenal in her role as Mrs. Coulter and even in the couple of scenes where I was like “why did they add this to her character” Ruth acts it out so well I’m happy to just accept it. I think this show is adding in a lot of the complexity to her character that Pullman always wanted, and given she was one of my first “older villain woman I definitely shouldn’t be in love with but am” crushes in media I’m thrilled about that.

My main problem with the show is that it’s---boring. And it’s ridiculously frustrating because it feels like you have to put effort into making it so bland and dry.

The newest episode is an absolute train wreck that lumps together all the minor issues I’ve had with the show into one big pile of shit.

First off I’ve never seen Dafne Keen in anything else. I don’t know if she’s a good actress. I know that in this, she’s really really bad. Even when they put her in emotional scenes, her inability to act like she has real human emotions sucks the life out of them. When Coram was recounting the story of his lost son in the last episode I went from being a little choked up to almost laughing with how much it just didn’t seem like Lyra gave a fuck. Her delivery is so monotone that it just zaps the feeling out of everything she touches.

Secondly what the fuck happened with Billy Costa. Or more specifically what the fuck happened with how they chose to handle the scenes with Billy. The death of Billy, the reactions of people toward him, the dialogue from Iorek, these are some of the most interesting parts of the book. But rather than having Lyra ask, get denied, and then ask Iorek to take her anyway, whisking her off into the night and encountering the witches and creeping into the fishing village where they’re met with terrified villagers... they spend several scenes with Lyra just asking people if she can go. And it’s not even heated argument or charming wit. It’s just “I want to go” and “No it’s out of the way and too dangerous.” Over and over again. 

This really hits on a big problem I have with a lot of media right now where they want to tell me something rather than show it. Usually because that’s the cheaper route of doing things. I get it. The bear is probably difficult and costly to animate... however, why have him IN the show at all if he doesn’t get to be a proper character with proper emotional building scenes. I would have much rather them cut that scene where he’s just giving exposition on bears to Lyra in favor of him telling Lyra about the witches going to war and shaming the people for not having Lyra’s bravery in dealing with Billy Costa. Because those are scenes that tell us something about Iorek the character, and that’s always going to mean more than general lore about Svalbard’s bears.

You see it doesn’t mean anything to me to hear the words “it’s dangerous” or “something is really wrong here” and then not.... see it. The scene with Billy is meant to turn your stomach. You’re supposed to think “who the fuck are these people mutilating children in this way” as Billy repeatedly clings to a dead, dried fish and vacantly asks “where’s Ratta” over and over. And something that adds to that revulsion is seeing how other people treat this small, innocent, injured child. It’s not with compassion and sadness. People are AFRAID of Billy. They don’t want to look at him or touch him. The fishermen beg for Iorek and Lyra to come and relieve them of this evil being. They have no compassion for this child, no outrage for what has been done to him. All they have is fear. 

And maybe I missed Iorek’s iconic “when I’m afraid I will master my fear” but I’ve watched the episode through twice and haven’t found HIM saying it first. So Lyra not wanting to look like a coward in front of him, and Lyra mastering her fear in favor of compassion for Billy means NOTHING. Because it wasn’t in the show. There was no scene where Lyra sees that Billy’s daemon substitute has been ripped from his dead hands and she flies into a rage at the utter disrespect of the people around her. There’s no scene where she gives him the coin with Ratta’s name scratched out in an attempt to give him that dignity and respect that was ripped from him before he died. So what did we get to replace these deeply emotional and telling scenes? Two sing-a-longs from people that can’t goddamn sing.

The thing about these scenes is they’re very straight forward, and we don’t care enough about Ma Costa or John Fa to care that they’re sad. At most they tell us “the Gyptian people are united” but we’ve already seen that. It was the FIRST thing they showed us about them. What we haven’t seen yet in this show is Lyra’s character development. Where Lyra starts to go from a pigheaded, selfish child into a more mature and compassionate person. These scenes rob the situation of deeper meaning. Because we KNOW Billy’s mom is sad, we don’t necessarily need to see it. The story isn’t about her or John Fa. The story is about Lyra, and by cutting more meaningful scenes where she deals with Billy and shows him compassion, and instead just showing her be a little sad at his grave side... it feels flat and emotionless. I didn’t feel sickened or sad for Billy.

I’ve read the books over a dozen times, and out of the series I feel like The Golden Compass/Northern Lights is the most special. It is paced well and filled to the brim with interesting characters and when things happen they happen for a reason. The show is making cheap shots at my emotions by showing a crying mother and honestly it’s bouncing off the rim.

To be clear I WANT this show to work. I felt like episode 4 was perfect. I had absolutely no complaints aside from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s painful attempt at a southern accent. I LIKE that they’re showing a bit of Will’s backstory rather than try and juggle flashbacks or exposition in season 2 (if they get a s2 and I don’t think they will unfortunately). In fact, it seems like most of the scenes they add in for themselves, most of the details they insert, actually have a lot of depth and feeling. Mrs. Coulter’s relationship with her daemon and her scenes of dialogue that hint at her self loathing is brilliant. The scene where Tony and his friend break into her home in defiance of Ma Costa and the others is exciting and emotional. 

Third and finally I just feel like this show is trying too hard to say “I’m not the movie.” First off, I don’t think The Golden Compass was a terrible movie. There are a lot of things I don’t like, but when I think of a terrible remake I think of Gerard Butler playing the Phantom of the Opera and the train wreck into a flaming pile of dumpsters that entire movie was. And I think this show is trying so hard to avoid certain lines and scenes that were in the movie that it’s killing some of the best content from the book that they could pull from. The big problems with the movie didn’t have anything to do with the dialogue or source material, but rather pacing, acting, and set design choices that were made. 

Idk. I hope we get a season 2 and I also kinda don’t care. Because if this is what they’re going to do with The Golden Compass I’m a little worried about what they’ll wind up doing with the other books in the series. And I feel bad because I genuinely like His Dark Materials, I even really enjoyed La Belle Savage. Sure the newest book was.... bad. Really bad, but at the very least the first three books of His Dark Materials deserve a really good show or movie and I feel like between some of the direction choices and Dafne’s acting (which I’m not entirely certain isn’t due to choices from the directors) in some ways this show is way, way worse than the movie ever was.

[pierrotdameron]

On the set of His Dark Materials, Dafne Keen is about to see a bear.

With battle raging around her, snowflakes flying and alarms ringing, the young actor – who plays lead character Lyra in the BBC’s new adaptation of Philip Pullman’s acclaimed novel – sprints down a corridor, dodging enemies and fighting for freedom. And just when all seems lost, she looks up, seeing her saviour. A broad smile breaks out as she sees who’s standing above and ready to save her… a man wearing a white, faux-bearskin rug on his head.

OK, on set Pullman’s trademark armoured bears (or panserbjørn) aren’t much to look at – but over a year later, when they finally arrive on-screen, they’re an incredibly impressive achievement, realistic and filled with character, a triumph of puppetry and visual effects. If anything, they’re even more impressive than the animal dæmons that have appeared in every other episode so far. But how were they brought to life? What did the actors film with on set, and what were the biggest challenges?

Happily, after we’d suitably calmed down from all the excitement, the behind-the-scenes team were happy to fill us in…

Pre-production

While the 2007 movie adaptation of His Dark Materials (titled The Golden Compass) wasn’t exactly beloved by fans, it did win plaudits for its VFX, with the work of independent company Framestore winning the film its only Oscar. Now, over a decade later, the new adaptation would have to surpass even that achievement – which is why Framestore were brought on board again to work on the TV series, marking them out as the only common element between both adaptations.

“Framestore did the original bears in the original film, which we won the Oscar for, and we’re doing the bears again, now,” VFX supervisor Russell Wilson told us. “And what’s really interesting about that is certain things we computationally couldn’t do then, we can do now – but obviously it’s harder work.”

And the digital work on the bears didn’t begin after the shoot had already concluded, as many might expect. In fact, before a single scene of the panserbjørn storyline had been committed to film, Framestore and Bad Wolf’s in-house VFX gurus were working hard on previsualizations for the bears – in other words, plotting out scripted scenes in basic computer animation in specially-rendered environments, so they could work out how the bears would look before the directors started work.

“That was a combination of Framestore’s bear animation and our [interactive set] environment,” VFX artist and pre-vis supervisor Dan May told RadioTimes.com. “We blocked out the sequence with Russell and the stunt guys downstairs. “They animated the bears to quite a high level in pre-vis, that that pre-vis was then brought to our [digital] set with all its textures.”

In other words, basic digital bears were added onto a specially-mapped digital set, blocking out the scene before anyone had even turned on a camera and creating a “virtual shoot.” And when it came to actually filming the sequence IRL, this preparation meant that the bears could (sort of) be on set as well, with specially-prepared screens and virtual “cameras” allowing the production team to check where the animated, moving bears were at all times.

“When they shot the sequence, they were able to bring that animation and the virtual camera angles, and see them live on set,” May explained. “They were able to line up a digital bear with a real set. And that is not a first, because they’re doing that sort of thing on Jungle Book and Avatar. But we’re doing it on a more affordable, sustainable way.”

Though of course, it wasn’t just digital bears lurking on set…

Puppeteers

As with the dæmons, the bears on set were built and puppeteered by Brian Fisher and his eight-person team, with various different rigs and outfits utilised by the team for different purposes.

“There’s about seven to 10 different bear rigs,” VFX supervisor Wilson told us. “There’s one for smashing into stuntmen, there’s one for representing his face, there’s one where there’s literally a guy with a glove on putting it on his face.

For example, sometimes the bear was just represented by actor Joe Tandberg (who also provides Iorek’s voice onscreen) wearing (functionally) a bearskin costume, while other times he wore a special rig (pictured exclusively above) that allowed Iorek’s bear head to hang in front of his own.

Other times, he just wore a plain boiler suit with a light rig over his face, or stepped away in favour of a static model (pictured) to help the crew include Iorek’s scale, or was replaced by a large grey cushion for scenes where Iorek was less mobile or in a confined space. “You’re basically in a green room, with a weird grey thing which is supposed to be a bear, and with Lin singing? It’s just all very weird,” Dafne Keen, who plays Lyra in the series, told us.

And of course, a lot of the time the full-time puppeteers took over. For example, while on set RadioTimes.com was shown a large puppet version of Iorek operated by two people to impressive effect. Within the rig, one puppeteer wears an ordinary large hiking backpack, leans forward to face the ground and hoists two long poles forward, with a mesh bear head that he can control and turn at the end of the poles.

Another man behind holds two strings to control the front legs. Together they can rear the bear to his full height, stalk him around an area and generally bring him to life. In His Dark Materials episode four, another bear head – one with Iorek’s snarling teeth – was used for a scene where he attacks a foe, and generally speaking the team tried hard to keep things simple instead of using complicated mechanical rigs or creations.

“When the bear attacks – that was much more stuntman, him, us throwing him around on a mat until we worked out something that we liked,” Wilson says. “We take a very human, organic, what I call a man-tronic approach to things that you might take or do in a technical perspective. “When he’s getting dragged around by the bear it is just a guy in a boiler suit and [the victim’s] on a wire, and that’s it.”

Riding Iorek

But the fighting wasn’t the only filming challenge. In fact, a key action shot that everyone was even more keen to get right comes later in the series, when Lyra rides on Iorek’s back as the pair travel into a dangerous new area. On set, the human portion of the shot was achieved by creating a special rig for Dafne Keen to ride (pictured above) – but unlike similar ridable CGI animals like the dragons of Game of Thrones, it wasn’t mechanical, instead requiring the puppeteers to move it themselves.

“When Lyra’s riding a bear, it’s all operated by a human in a backpack,” Wilson said. “You know, we don’t bring in rigs and mechanically programme them because it’s quite slow to do, and it means you get less takes at it.” “To get the specifics, the biomechanics behind how a polar bear’s gait runs, we had to go through and, with the animators, actually break it down into segments, figure out how we can translate that into something that has movement and life but is not purely mechanical,” puppeteer Brian Fisher told us.

“The second you go into a mechanical movement, you can speed it up, you can slow it down, but it is always rhythmic, whereas we don’t work in binary movements.” As you can see in the above video, RadioTimes.com actually got the chance to try out the bear rig while on set, and can confirm it’s definitely man-powered – and surprisingly bouncy. “I loved the bear rig,” Keen herself us. “Though I was too light for it. “It was very funny. They made this rig, and they didn’t calculate my weight. So they had to then harness me, because I bounced too much off the bear. So that was really fun.” “Although I felt kind of bad because I had two human beings bouncing up and down underneath me…”

The final touches

Obviously, the lion’s share of the work done by the VFX team comes after the filming as they gradually work on creating and animating CGI shots right up until broadcast. And for Wilson and his team, no detail was too small when it came to the armoured bears. “In our version of Iorek now he has the muscles underneath [his fur] that flex as he moves, and that also drives the fat on him to jiggle as he runs,” Wilson told us. “But then the skin actually slides over the bones and the ribs, which makes the fur that’s attached to the skin slide over that as well. All of that together gives you something that feels really realistic. “So again,” he concluded “the appetite and the ability is higher – therefore the workload is higher.” Oh well – hopefully, the time and trouble wasn’t too unbear-able.

[horce-divorce]

ok i wont lie, someone in the hdm tag on here was saying yesterday that they can’t even stand to watch the bbc version because it’s too far off from the books??? and i’m sorry to vaguepost but like, I can’t stop thinking about this!! I HAVE to know what their reasoning is bc I have been hyperfixated on these books, THIS SERIES, above ALL OTHER THINGS, for more than HALF OF MY ENTIRE LIFE, and I LOVE picking apart the differences from adaptations (you should have seen me during GOT and I didn’t even fucking READ asoiaf) and I have found next to nothing to complain about.

I mean, this has LITERALLY NEVER happened to me before. and yes, I DID see The Golden Compass, and I hated it with every fiber of my being! I promise you I did not set the bar THAT LOW for my expectations of any following adaptation, fuck that. that was unacknowledgable garbage too weak and toothless to even integrate the ACTUAL MAIN PLOT INTO THE STORY ITSELF. I always asserted that anything following TGC would have to be three times as good to make up for it and THEY FUCKING DELIVERED, I SWEAR! they are doing everything I always wished they would when I pictured this being adapted for TV.

honestly this is the absolute most faithful word-for-word book-to-screen translation I have EVER seen. i am constantly so moved and floored by the little things they choose to include. the only scenes they added or omitted were for character development purposes and I’m on board for that. the casting is perfect. the special effects are exquisite. the sets are all extremely detailed and unique and feel distinct enough to impart the feeling of other worlds. the score is titillating. they literally are ripping dialogue directly from the books in a way you almost never see done. the CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT IS SO! ON! POINT! THE OPENING CREDITS ARE EVEN GOOD! and the way they’re managing to translate these bizarre landscapes and setting is SUPER cool because I think it really is a testament to the strength of Pullman’s writing, how little they have actually had to change. and perhaps most importantly, they aren’t pulling any punches about who or what the Magisterium is this time.

 I’m not saying that you’re WRONG if you can’t watch it. i get how it is to see your favorite things adapted and like, i just get it! weird things can be triggers, having one personal reason not to watch something is a good enough reason not to watch it! i am not here to convince anyone, i’m not saying you have to like it or share my opinion that they’re doing a good job.

BUT I am deeply suspicious, and I would like to hear where the legit criticism is coming from. bc frankly I’m having flashbacks to the Hunger Games movie when there were SO MANY people saying “idk I just pictured it so different :////” and then we found out they were all pissed that Rue got cast as a Black girl, so yes, I’m a little on edge about that.... I will fucking fight to the death for Will and Amir because he is PERFECT and so is Dafne Keen, oh my god, Dafne Keen IS LITERALLY LYRA, she is the ABSOLUTE QUINTESSENTIAL LYRA, she is PERFECT in every way and I love her to death, I would die for those kids and that’s the absolute essence that Will and Lyra always capture

anyway uhhhh racism check lol that’s all!!!! that’s it, all other reasons are pretty much legitimate and I LOVE hearing legit criticism even for the things I am this stoked about! I just get sus vibes from that kinda statement bc of all the other gross fandom shit that’s always happening forever in this hellworld... and just bc I’m not seeing explicitly racist shit about Amir doesn’t mean I have to know that it’s out there, unfortunately.

but all legitimate criticism is stuff I LOVE to hear so hit me w your hottest takes already let’s do this

[winxwiki]

Season 2 is seriously unappreciated for how much it makes the lore interesting Now, we know that Darkar is also known as “the shadow phoenix”. A phoenix never dies and always rebirths through its ashes. This is actually referred in the season finale’s title. Darkar is not dead. And it’s probably not the first time he has “died”. Darkar is the very opposite of the dragon flame, which resides in Domino’s royalty, Bloom and her blood family. Darkar exists since the birth of the Magic Dimension and of course the dragon flame before it. As Faragonda says herself, Darkar and the Dragonflame must coexist. One cannot exist without the other. The writers carefully implied they could have brought him back if they wanted. How can Darkar have started the war "just" 16 years ago, "just" once? An eternal being, doing nothing all this time? It wasn't the first time and it was directed at Domino's royals. Getting the spark of dragonflame happened years before the war, as Valtor was already all grown up when Domino's fall happened. It was a "corrupted" spark, mixed with darkness. Did Darkar have something to do with it? Was he around alongside the ancestress witches when Valtor was growing? Valtor does have powers similar to Darkar (Valtor's mark leading to corruption and power), he is the perfect mix of life and darkness with his human form and demon form. Can Darkar even move around, outside his castle? He just sends minions and has the ability to create perfect clones His pawns, born from complete darkness, do not have free will. Valtor believes in absolute power but has grown to take it for himself in arrogance instead of pursuing the ancestress' objective (the codex) Why did Darkar betray the Trix after they helped him, sending them in a limbo? It's because he didn't want to share the codex' power with them in any way. Did it happen with the witches too? Is this why it all failed? Did the team of witches, Valtor and Darkar have divergences during the war? What were they trying to do to Domino? Did they want to steal more of the dragon flame? Create more Valtors? The witches were after Bloom. What did they want to do to her? They didn't kill Oritel and Marion, actually most of the population of Domino survived as shown in the movie. Was Valtor not enough for the codex? Did they want Bloom for other reasons? They didn't hesitate in killing Dafne, but were slow to act with the baby in her hands. They did not kill her until Bloom was gone. Has anybody tried to corrupt Domino's royalty for the codex before? I mean, considering Valtor's mark and all. People with the power of the dragonflame still age normally while Valtor does not. Was this Darkar's influence of darkness, being immortal? However, note that Valtor is still a mortal. At what age did he stop aging? We do know that Valtor was around corrupting youths such as Griffin before the war. Who knows if Valtor himself caused the distinction between fairies and witches socially years before. We call them witches but they're still technically fairies, all of them. Transforming uses more stamina as said in the early comics, so it could have been a choice about power and managing it in different ways. The whole "witches are cooler and goth" is probably something that came after the war and the stigma around witches due to the ancestress. Everything is connected Don't skip season 2

[davidmann95]

If you were asked to work out how to use Wolverine when/if they introduce a new actor in the role, may I please ask what spin you'd put on Logan? (My inclination is to go in a "Team Pet" direction - Wolverine doesn't talk much, but he's usually doing something interesting and probably deeply violent and/or inappropriate in the background like any good Mutt!).

Were they to bring him back at FOX, then yeah, I have to imagine that’s largely how they’d go about it - they aren’t going to find anyone who can out-Jackman Jackman, and whatever emotional arc they might try and put him through in the main X-movies would inevitably feel petty-ante after Logan - so keeping him largely in the background as the team wildcard the way he was originally intended would probably be the smartest way to go. Generally silent, but when you see him you can be sure he’s going to make his presence known in a big way.

What I consider far more likely though is that FOX realizes they’d almost certainly be courting disaster by inviting that comparison, and they’ll either hope they can bank on Dafne Keen being able to support a new set of Wolverine movies as Laura Kinney, or even more plausibly double-down on Deadpool as their new official cash-cow lead. While I’d by no means rule it out, I personally don’t think we’ll be seeing Logan on the big screen again until the X-Men finally join the MCU, whether that’s five years from now or twenty.

And when that inevitably happens someday, it has to be with Enemy of the State.

The thing is, the Marvel movies are kind of going to be painted into a corner whenever they get the X-Men back. Not just because the core prejudice/disaffected youth metaphors are going to be tough to do effectively under Disney’s supervision, but with Wolverine specifically. They can’t go the route again of having him meet the X-Men and getting his cynical heart warmed, but he’s too big a deal to not be the center of at least the first of those flicks he shows up in (hence why the first MCU X-Men movie cannot have him in it if it wants to stand on its feet as a franchise in its own right), and aside from pining after Jean or mentoring a kid - both of which have also already been done onscreen - that’s the main aspect of him as a character intrinsically tied into that group. You can’t introduce him incidentally in a big ‘event’ movie the way they did with Spider-Man either: while we know he’s a big deal, in-universe Pete’s small potatoes, making it easy to quickly slot him in with the justification of “Iron Man needed some spare superheroes, so he called the kid,” whereas Logan brings so much history and mystery and brutality and fiery passion to the table he couldn’t help but at least somewhat dominate the proceedings by sheer force of personality, if only because he wouldn’t accept being kicked to the side during the finale the way Parker did. But at the same time he kind of has to be in a movie of that scope at the start, because he’s frankly a much bigger deal than the rest of the X-Men put together and their rep as a franchise has taken a beating to boot, while another solo movie wouldn’t be a grand enough entrance.

So with those terms in play - they can’t rehash the past, and he needs to be introduced in a major way benefiting his status, preferably in a way defines him relative to the MCU as a whole and the X-Men in particular - it has to be with Enemy of the State, Mark Millar and JRJR’s story of Logan getting brainwashed by Hydra and the Hand and being sent after his friends before of course regaining control and wreaking bloody vengeance. It immediately proves his boda-fides as a terrifying badass even within this preexisting world of superheroes, it lets Marvel do some housecleaning by letting him axe a few second-stringers (he could slice-and-dice some of the nobodies on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and maybe ice Iron Fist since he seems pretty universally disliked), and most importantly it lets him regain weight going forward as the unpredictable loner. The previous movies tried to bank on the idea that maybe he couldn’t be entirely trusted between the bloodlust and Weapon X programming, but deep down we knew Hugh Jackman’s was a face we could trust: here, he joins the X-Men having already gotten the blood of their allies on his hands, and the idea that he might snap again is genuinely convincing and concerning given we’ve already seen Marvel go there, with the eventual catharsis of him finding a home with them being enormously more effective for it. Plus, the conflict over what to do with him would be an excuse to keep the Avengers and X-Men in their own separate corners outside the big event movies for awhile, and maybe even justify a very loose Avengers vs. X-Men adaptation down the line (granted his role in there would be pretty similar to Bucky’s in Civil War, but I suspect the MCU will have gone through a reboot by the time they get Wolverine back, so I think by then they’ll have a licence to retrace their steps a touch; it’d certainly be no more egregious than getting the Doctor Strange movie we got less than a decade after Iron Man).

[alwaysahiccupandastrid]

His Dark Materials Season 2 Ep1 - Some Thoughts!

(This is mostly in bullet points because I’m rambling/fangirling - also I’ll add a read more later when I can get on my laptop so I can hide spoilers! Also I’ve probably missed out a lot of great moments because I’m still reeling and I’m just going off what I remember!)

IT’S FINALLY HERE, like you don’t understand how LONG I’ve waited to see an adaptation of The Subtle Knife finally on-screen.

Is it just me or is Pan’s voice deeper? Is that a sign because Lyra is at the age of growing up/adolescence?

Okay so this COULD just be me but I feel like they had a much bigger budget this time around because the dæmon representation this episode? YES. So much more Pan and other dæmons than I was expecting to be honest!

The imagery/settings are so on point and beautiful asdfghjkl

MRS COULTER LOOKING AT ASRIEL’S PHOTOS OF LYRA, especially the BABY one omg 😭

I love Hester and I love the little banter between Lee and Hester so much, like it’s just so fun to see

The witches are so bloody fabulous and beautiful and strong and I love every single one of them frankly. A+ character and costume design!

Lyra pinning Will down to the table just like Asriel did to her in the first episode of the first series - URGH WE LOVE TO SEE CONTINUITY

The laugh I let out when Will saw Pan for the first time / when Pan spoke omfg

Also that moment where Will is like “WTF why do you have that talking animal thing” and Lyra is like “WTF why DON’T you have a dæmon?!”

Give Ruth Wilson ALL the awards, please and thank you

That witch torturing scene was so scary??? At least to me??? Like omg Mrs Coulter is terrifying and ruthless, I love it

EVIL BASTARD GOBLIN MONKEY IS EVIL

Also Mrs Coulter is the ultimate petty queen, taunting that witch about the fact she (the witch) was Asriel’s lover (????)

Lyanna Mormont (Bella Ramsay) appeared and I was like “?!?!?!?!?!”

Will saying that in his world a “demon” is a bad thing and Pan being kind of offended like “ummmm thanks?!?!”

Also, I don’t know if it’s just because I’m not comparing it to The Golden Compass’ adaptation/performances or if this is actually true, but I feel like Dafne Keen is really coming into her own as Lyra now. I feel like last season I was kind of comparing her to Dakota Blue Richards but I also do genuinely feel she’s getting more and more into the character.

THE WAY LYRA ATE THAT OMELETTE WITH HER BARE HANDS AND JUST SHOVED IT IN HER MOUTH LIKE A BREAD ROLL OMG

Will making a sarcastic comment about how they must not have cutlery in her world and her being all “haha you’re funny” before continuing to use her hands 😂

Lyra being like “I’m taking this bed by the window” and Will saying “I was sleeping there...” before resigning with “but okay fine I’ll sleep downstairs then”. And Lyra just shrugs and doesn’t even notice he was kind of put out ASDFGHJKL

I laughed way too hard at Lyra sniffing herself/her clothes after spending days without a bath, days of trekking through what looks like humid foliage, running around, not changing her clothes, the fact she probably stinks bad... and then being like “NAH I’m fine as I am”

Also Lyra’s world doesn’t have showers??? (That does seem like a more modern thing tbh and Lyra’s world definitely doesn’t have the same modern day technology our world does)

The fact that Lyra accidentally let an egg break when it fell on the floor, and instead of properly cleaning it up she tries to just spread it out more with her shoe as if it’ll be less noticeable/go away

Long story short: Lyra is literally a little savage legend and I love her - she just truly doesn’t give a f*ck

I burst out laughing at Lyra attempting to make omelettes for her and Will breakfast, like it’s so sweet of her but also she literally put the whole damn egg in the pan, shell and all, and I love it

Will pulling out an iPhone and snapping a picture of the tower is... not something I thought I would see but okay sure?!?

The way that Will immediately ran to save that cat the kids were torturing 😭 and then Lyra and Pan appeared, and Pan was a snarling wolverine-thing - Urgh I LOVE it

That moment where Will is holding the cat and Lyra strokes it while it’s in his arms 😭👏🏻❤️

Lyra saying to Will “you do have a dæmon, you just don’t see it yet” and “I don’t see it yet” - FORESHADOWING.

Also can we talk about how TALL Will is?! Lyra doesn’t really look that short, like she’s about the same height as the other kids in the episode, but Will towered above ALL of them?!

^ One of the girls did mention that Will is “close” to that change where he goes from boy to man (and that it means the Spectres will soon be able to get him), so it makes sense I guess that he’s already pretty tall?

I kind of love the fact that Pan kept jibing at Lyra this whole episode, and his “finally you’ve made a good decision” 😂 and him talking to Will even when Lyra was like “wtf no we are not talking to him”

Honestly I want to just appreciate how much Pan we got in this episode, like they actually bothered to include him more this time and I’m so relieved because that was my biggest issue with the first series

I still think it’s the funniest thing that the Alethiometer tells Lyra “yeah Will’s a murderer” and Lyra immediately feels safe and says “hell yeah I trust him”. Like I get it and also it was more self defense than murder, but it’s also kinda funny?

I’m so happy that the Spectres are genuinely terrifying from what we’ve seen so far, like I was nearly yelling at my TV at the end of the episode with one appearing behind Will

NEXT EPISODE CANNOT COME SOON ANOTHER OMG IT LOOKS SO GOOD

[ashanifah]

Did you guys watch Gifted already? It’s realeased in April 2017. Pretty late for a review, but .. better than not posting anything, eh?

The film is about an uncle-niece relationship and how the uncle, strive so hard, doing everything, to win a custody battle against his mother (played by Lindsay Duncan).

It is absolutely amazing film. Though the idea of the niece is a genius 7 year old girl isn’t so realistic, the whole story is amazing. Should I warn you with ‘SPOILER ALERT’ if you haven’t watch this film before? Cs I’m about to mention some part of the film and why I love it very much–regardless Chris Evans is starring in it–and why you would too.

As I’ve mentioned before, the film is about about a man with his niece whose mother committed suicide when she was just a months old baby. The reason why? You’ll know when you watch it, I’m not gonna spoil the entire story. Am a good one ;)

So the girl, Mary (played by Mckenna Grace), then be adopted by Frank (played by Chris Evans). Frank has been ‘home-schooling’ Mary until the day come when Mary has to go to a real, normal school.

Well, Mary is a genius, right? She’s gifted. She loves Math and is very good in it. Like VERY GOOD in it. So why should she go to a normal school, being in one class with ‘ordinary’ kids who are just trying to learn how to count the very basic Math problem like, 1+1 or 2+4? That’s what the story is all about; Frank’s hope and will to give Mary a ‘normal’ life and at the time; childhood, like what his sister ever wanted. It’s all going well until one day, the headmaster of Mary’s school–who then knows about Mary’s unbelievable gift–calls Evelyn, the grandmother, who doesn’t want Mary’s gift goes to waste, and the custody war begins.

Okay, now that you have the image about the film’s plot (actually, you can see it in the trailer above, hehe), now let’s get on to my favorite scene of the film.

—— One day, a man who claims as Mary’s biological father, attends the court. He’s asked about Mary’s mother, and whether he knows about Mary or not. He said yes, and as I can remember (I watched it a month ago) he also said that he tried to find her but found nothing and then decided to stop.

Mary, who then figures out about her father gets disappointed. Thinking did her father ever really curious about her, how she looks like? Is her birth ever wanted? Honestly, I don’t really remember this part. But I remember Mary being sad and lock herself inside the bathroom, crying. Then Frank, who’s also sad and regrets that he told Mary about it, tell Mary to get herself ready, cs they’re going somewhere.

Know where they’re going? A hospital. Why? You’ll find out why.

In the hospital, Frank, Mary, and also Roberta (a friend of theirs) sit on a long chair and wait. Mary gets bored, she doesn’t have any idea about who or what they’re waiting for. But Frank tell her to wait, to hold a little bit more. Mary doesn’t refuse, she does what she’s told. She waits, until she felt asleep on Roberta’s lap.

Time goes by, Frank gently wakes Mary up and point on a direction. She’s up and look to the direction Frank pointed at. There is man, coming out of a room, walking towards some people thats been waiting outside with worry. The man walks in, then a smile appears on his face as he says “its a boy!” with not-so-loud voice but you can tell there is a huge excitement in it. Everyone is cheering, starts to hug him. They look so happy.

Mary watches the scene from distance. Smiles. The happiness of those excitely cheering people touches her. Then Frank says,

“That’s exactly how it was when you were born” Mary looks at him, “this happy?” “This happy,” Frank replies, emphasizing. Mary looks at the happy crowd once again, “who came out and told everybody?,” “I did,” Frank says. Silent for a moment and then Mary says, “can we stay for another?.” ——–

For me, the scene is veeery strong. I’m so touched that I cry a bit everytime I watch the clip.

You know, the film is actually telling you something. Not only about this ‘ad nauseum’ word that can make you sounds like a smart-a**, but also about communication. Between you, and the much younger people around you; your kids, siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews, etc.. About how to make them understand what some things really mean.

Frank could just tell Mary about how she was a precious little bundle of happiness that made huge smiles on everyone’s faces, and that she still is. But he doesn’t want her to understand by just ‘knowing’, he wants her to understand by knowing the feeling. So instead, he took her to the hospital and showed her that “kid, we were THAT happy because of you, and we still ARE from having you”.

There are some other touching scenes in the film. When Frank and Mary have a fight, when Evelyn finding out the truth about her daughter (Mary’s mom), when Frank and Mary just spend their time together, and many others. Most of these scenes, have something for you–about life–that you want to grab, keep, and apply it.

The story is awesomely filmed, and played by very good casts. I’m not gonna talk about the cinematography things, cause I’m not good in it, yet (maybe in the next reviews? who knows?).

Talking about the ending, don’t worry, you wont regret spending almost 2 hours for a sad ending. The ending is ‘satisfying’. Lol. This film is totally worth watching. I regret that I didn’t watch it in cinema cause I don’t even remember if I’ve ever seen its poster somewhere when its realeased. I think I missed it. Or.. they just didn’t play it in Turkey?. Whatever. It happened anyway.

Aaaaand (woa, I’ve spent an hour or more writing this. Lol) most of all, Mckenna Grace is a reaaaaly good young actrees, she’ll definitely get an Oscar someday. Just like Dafne Keen who starred in Logan (2017).

Well, I think this is the end of me reviewing (more like blabbering, i guess) this film. I’m gonna do more film reviews (for the sake of making my Tumblr more active than ever). And anyway, sorry for the mistakes in grammar, if you find some. I’m just, you know, practicing. And hoping to reach wider readers. Lol.

Thank you for reading this. Aaand see you soon.