#i very fucking recommend for season 3 to fix things

[ask-but-beware-the-consequences]

Read this after watching episode 6 of s2, while we wait for season 3

A short fic I came up with just now sry in advance:

[The angels haven't left the bookshop yet, they are discussing the new arch angel position]

Crowley: Why not Raphael? Hm?

Others, concerned.

Crowley: I'm pretty sure he was in the 4 main archangels group. So obviously, he should be one of the followings wouldn't he?

Michael: Well, um… I don't owe an answer to a demon!

Aziraphale: He's the aid of humans. He must be down on Earth to help them. All the time.

Crowley, questioningly raising his eyebrows: … Where exactly?

Aziraphale: Well, it's quite a big planet, so-

Crowley: Where, exactly, did you hear that?

Aziraphale: Oh, well, um. It's true, it's how everybody knows it in Heaven!

Crowley, looking back at Michael, his temper raising by the bit: Youu! Lied! To everyone just to not have problems in the office?! Is that it?! Was my disappearance so outragous that you tried to replace me with a lie?!

Aziraphale: Crowley, what are you-

Crowley: You're the ones, that made my fall be worthless! And to top it off, you're trying to get my only friend- the only being I can ever exist with, to be the next archangel! A principality! Archangels are made! Not, promoted!

Aziraphale's eyes shoot up, sensing something's bad.

Crowley: You know that, no, you think that, if he's up there I can't get in there, but I swear to someone's name, if you try to get rid of him in any nasty way, I will bring Hell back into Heaven!

Aziraphale: Crowley-…

Michael: A threat from a demon that betrayed Hell, how… threatening.

Crowley, bursting into flames: Don't test me or I will kill you right here and now!-

Aziraphale, stepping between them: Crowley, stop! It's alright, I…

Azirpahale turning to the angels: I just need a bit of a time, we'll continue this, later.

Michael: So be it.

The angels leave.

Aziraphale, shaking from shock: So, you… you've been…

Crowley: Yes… sorry I haven't introduced myself before, I just knew, you would start with all that "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were an archangel" bullshit… Angel!

Aziraphale, standing back from being respectful: S-…sorry.

Crowley: This is what I've been trying to tell you! It doesn't matter how far you're up on the hierarchy, it's shit! You can't change anything, you follow orders, and that's it. You only think that you can change things because you're a principality.

Aziraphale: But, that's why! I see things, you possibly, couldn't see! I can make it a better place!

Crowley: Angel, it's a military base! Are you listening to yourself? Nobody has ever been good to you before there! Nor to me, except… you.

Aziraphale: That's why I have hope. Muriel here even-

Crowley: Angel, you won't be on top of the hierarchy. You will be accompanied by other archangels, with the same powers you have. No matter what powers you get, they can still fire you, like they fired Gabriel.

Aziraphale: They did what?

Crowley: In… the files. I haven't mentioned that, yet have I?

Aziraphale, looking awfully sad: But- …

Crowley, giving out a sigh: …Listen angel, I give you, what they will never give you. Free will. You might not have noticed it, but I always had given that to you. So now, I let you decide it for yourself. You can stay here with me, for the rest of our lives, somewhere, idk, maybe another place, in a cottage, southdown… or-

Aziraphale: But we are eternal beings, the rest of our life isn't just a few millenias! Or even less, what if Earh gets destroyed?! And all the stars along with it, that you have created?! I just want you to have a safe place… with me!

Crowley, giving out another but sadder sigh: If… you want to give it a try, I can't stop you, can I? But don't forget, I'm a demon, if I have a plan to save you… you know they will all fail… if I'm only doing this alone.

Aziraphale: And, I'm sure you know… if mine was to fall… I'd like you to catch.

Aziraphale tip-toing, then going outside of the bookshop, leaving the demon Crowley alone, but not for ever.

Crowley: Wat… Fall? Angel?!

He went outside after him but he was already gone.

Crowley, muttering to himself: I… I don't want you to fall… I want you to stay you.

Next

[icearts]

A couple things about Sonic Prime that disappointed me

1. Shadow was in almost the entire trailer, but showed up for 3 out of the 7 episodes

2. An action scene that lasted for three episodes. It got redundant

3. There was an entire plot point where Sonic was dying from the prism energy being taken from him. This took 3 minutes of screen time and the risk felt minimal if it was there at all

4. No consequences = no stakes (literally there was no issue or "sacrifice" that came out of repairing the prism. Idk what i was hoping for, but the fact that everything was so easily fixed kinda hurt my feelings because it made the entirety of season 2 seem completely pointless and dumb)

5. Shadow was super protective of Sonic in the first episode, but never showed that same "Would kill and die for you in a seconds notice" energy he had in that first episode

6. The chaos emerald is mentioned again but never used as a plot point. Chekov's Gun is fake, apparently

7. It's said that Sonic can't exist in the Shatterspace without prism energy, but Shadow never had it in the first place. There is no provided explanation as to why this makes sense. The closest thing was "shadow wasn't there during the blast" but that only explains why he doesn't have the energy, not why he doesn't need it to live like Sonic does (I assume the others have at least a signature of it too which is why they cloned and Shadow didn't. Again this is unexplained in Prime. What does the prism energy even do for/to the supporting cast)

8. Why are there only 7 episodes? Why do they take up so much time in one place?

9. Rouge and Shadow only had one line of dialogue (this isn't a genuine critique I just wanted to see my favorite duo be a duo)

10. Sonic's Prism "Super Form" doesn't come back. Shadow doesn't get anything like that either. Another dud Chekov Gun. Why is this dumb little anecdotal metaphorical firearm never firing

I really loved the new season, and it was great and super fun, but those critiques really ruined some things because those were all things I thought would be a guarantee because of the trailer and because of how the other seasons were.

Why would they even bother to mention the chaos emerald, and this weird void thing if it wasn't going to be essential to the plot other than being an excuse to sideline Shadow. They could have just as easily said that chaos energy is neutralized in cyberspace because it's not connected to the world/chaos/master emerald. That works too!

Plus, why was Shadow sidelined so much? What's the reason? Why wasn't he allowed to use chaos energy and go apeshit? Why couldn't he take off his inhibitor rings in a desperate situation to protect Sonic and be able to teleport into shatterspaces even at the expense of his health?

I know it's a TV-Y7 show. It honestly did not need to be, but I'm sure it was a Netflix mandate to make sure their animation is all meant for kids and only kids, but they really ended up nerfing themselves by alienating their more passionate audience which would be teenagers and adults. Just make it TV PG that would've allowed you to work with higher stakes and a higher budget (oh wait that's what Netflix's intention was nevermind).

If you wanna see me make a list of things I genuinely liked, feel free to ask or comment that. I might do so anyway. I feel like the internet is too negative and critiques of shows tend to do too much of that, so sorry for contributing to that culture, but I really needed to get that disappointment out because it bothered me quite a bit. Feel free to disagree too, or say "bro it's a kids show. It's not that deep. Stop having passion and emotions for your special interests you dumb fuck" I get it. Anyways, good show, good season, highly recommend, it's very fun and enjoyable especially if you're a fan of Sonic

Last minute edit: I only saw the season once and my sense of media literacy isn't by any means perfect, and also, to clarify, most of my concern isn't quite "these plot points are 1000% absent and terrible" and more "I thought the distribution between the action scene in episodes 4-7 and the rest of the season's story was very poor and made the content I was more excited for seem watered down/unplanned/super easily resolved". Again the part of the show where Sonic almost dies because of the prism energy withdrawal was about 3 minutes long. Why did it feel so low-stakes?? I love action scenes. They're great, but when you dedicate over 30 minutes to one long fight scene, it becomes less interesting and there's still MORE OF THE SHOW TO GET THROUGH so those parts got super rushed

[laurey257]

GOOD OMENS SEASON 2 FIX-IT RECS UPDATED LIST (6 weeks out!)

Hello all! I am stunned by how much you all liked my first list of Good Omens Season Two fix-it recommendations on Archive of our Own! Thanks for sharing. Now that we’re 6 weeks out instead of two, there’s lots more good stuff on there and I thought I would post this new and expanded list for you? I broke it into categories, doubled it, and found lots more wonderful stuff to read.

**This was a hard decision but I am excluding works in progress since they need time to mature—all these are complete /compliant and can be invested in without fear.**

FULL SEASON 3 WORKS

To the Universe

22 chapters and I cannot say enough good things. It’s amazing closure and feels SO good to read. Writing style in this one is very compelling and keeps you on your seat until the end.

Somewhere Only We Know

A stunning 40 chapters for anyone who wants to just burrow down in this universe and never leave it. The angel and demon go separate ways only to reunite to (yet again) save Earth one more time.

Daily Report

This is written REALLY well. 6 chapters manages to bring about a really nice arc to reconciliation post Season 2! I was impressed.

MULTI-CHAPTER FIX-IT WORKS

Wouldn't It Have Been Nice?

Crowley is called to Heaven by a dying Angel. Jesus intervenes. Will break your heart, but it has a happy ending.

I Do Love Nothing in the World So Much as You

Soooo nice. 3 chapters bringing them straight through it as Aziraphale comes back and tries to beg forgiveness. NICE arc in this one. Believable.

Oh Simple Thing, Where have you Gone

This one says 7 of ? chapters, but I included it because I like the premise and what is there feels sort of complete? An interesting fixit where the Metatron has devious plans and locks up Crowley as part of that. The Bentley has a starring role in here during several heroic rescue plans.

Something Wrong

Ooooo! A NICE twist in this one. I won't reveal it, but this fic is based on some of the most compelling theories around why Aziraphale might not have been totally consenting when Metatron takes him away.

Jesus, Etc.

Crowley runs into a frantic Aziraphale with Jesus in tow at a Barbenheimer premiere. A battle of the wills with pop songs in the Bentley, Taylor Swift, Kenergy, sushi, a nativity play and a magic show come next.

ONE SHOTS (SMUTTY)

The Second Coming

The Second Coming - Episode6killedme - Good Omens (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

Aziraphale “awakens” in the elevator (think ox ribs but sexually) and yeets himself back to earth to roger Crowley six ways from Sunday.

A Middle Ground

Aziraphale and Crowley have been separated, but the Angel won't let go. He kidnaps Crowley to a cloudscape and pleads his case. A Bridget-Jones like WWF bickering throwdown ensures. The part featuring reactions on the part of 737 Ryanair passengers and one airline attendant had me wheezing.

Just Called to Say Fuck You I Love You

This one is just spicy as hell, y'all. Aziraphale picks up on Crowley prayers while in Heaven, and let's just say that he's doing some ACTIVE praying.

Not for all my Little Words

Not for All My Little Words - mia_ugly, soft_october - Good Omens (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

An adorable one where Aziraphale, realizing he screwed up, chases Crowley through loudspeakers and other people’s phones through Europe using famous love quotes until he gets his attention (and some forgiveness.) Smut ensues.

ONE SHOTS (LITTLE/NO SMUT)

Darling, Can you Ever Forgive Me?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/48966298

A daydream, leading to Aziraphale doing the right thing and heading back to Earth to declare his love.

Cause you like me too much and I like you

'Cause You Like Me Too Much and I Like You - alastor_holmes - Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett [Archive of Our Own]

A sweet little one where Aziraphale quietly resigns, has a chat with Gabriel and Beez in the bookshop, and does the apology dance.

Everywhere

everywhere - vivahate - Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett [Archive of Our Own]

Azi Crowley instead from a Heavenly asassination attempt. (Maggie, nina and anathema help!)

Heaven is Not Fit to House a Love

heaven is not fit to house a love (like you and i) - Zaexx - Good Omens (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

A sweet little one with a *small* deviation from canon (that seemed ok because they have a good point.) Crowley had never told Aziraphale about the way the angels managed his trial OR about what he saw in the Heavenly files with Muriel. He jams his way into the elevator (telling the Metatron to get the next one) and tells him.

Magician's Choice

https://archiveofourown.org/works/49066831

Oooooo I like this one. Four ways that the ending could have gone instead, based on four magic methods of sleight of hand. So cool!

A Proper Apology

A Proper Apology - cyankelpie - Good Omens (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

One where the Angel simply calls over and over until they really talk. (Or imagine the idiots simply just used the phone.)

The Nightingales Were Just Sleeping In

https://archiveofourown.org/works/49041145

Cute, adorable, small...just a retelling of the final scene where they really TALK and don't just be idiots.

This is Not an Apology

https://archiveofourown.org/works/48992128

Aziraphale comes to Crowley while he tries to sleep it all off and they actually talk, for once.

Time to Turn it Right

https://archiveofourown.org/works/49162285

Azi tries to fix things. Crowley gets a cat.

We Don't Need Heaven

https://archiveofourown.org/works/49598467

They talk again, this time on the beach, and for real.

[poisonmedani]

Me & You Together | Remus Lupin

Remus Lupin x reader

words 2,1k

modern!au, fluff, Remus' POV, language, friends to lovers

a/n: spontaneous one, hope you'll enjoy <3

MASTERLIST || REQUESTS

And there's been no way for me to say That I felt a certain way In stages, oh I think the story needs more pages, yes

Every single time I see that girl — swear, every single time — I tell myself 'I need to talk to her', and somehow I never do. I'm not even sure for how long I've been looking forward to see Her at all those parties — always hated them, but not anymore.

Don't remember how we met, but that's unimportant, we did nonetheless. Couldn't be happier for James finally seeing Lily, well, because The Girl is her friend, so now we are friends.

Honestly, that's even worse. Why didn't I ask her out when I first saw her? This will forever be the mystery to me. Because now she only sees me as a friend.

"Didn't take you for a jokester, Remus," she cooed from behind, patting my shoulder.

"Well, I am a man of many talents, thank you very much," I answered. That was weird, right? Stop being weird.

"I figured," she chuckled, fixing herself a drink.

"I can help you with that," I got her the whiskey from the top shelf, gently tapping her hip with mine.

"Oh, wow, thank you," she was looking at my hands as I was mixing the only cocktail I knew — it was her favourite. "Always the gentelmen."

"Anything for you, my lady," I offered her the glass.

"Oh, Remmy, you're so nice," she playfully squeezed my jaw with her small hand.

"If I'm so nice, why don't you go out with me?" I boldly stated. What the hell is wrong with me?

"Oh, God" her hand fell. "I'll have to think. Because we're mates, it doesn't feel right."

She got so serious, I panicked.

"It's cool," I answered. "I'm just messing, Y/N/N."

"Ohh," she let out a breath and a little laugh, "sorry, I thought you were serious, you didn't sound like you were jo- okay whatever, you were messing, okay- uhm- I better- uhm- go?" she gestured to the room where everyone was.

"Sure." Does it sound convincing? Yeah, it probably doesn't.

***

Have you ever felt possessive over a person that was never yours? Well, I certainly have.

Y/N was sitting across from me, reading a book I recommended, and, of course, this bloke must hit on her, right in the library. What a prat!

"I love me a smart girl," this pillock said.

"Congrats," she looked at him with disgust and quickly returned to the book.

"What're you reading?" he closed her book to see the cover.

"Listen, mate, fuck off of her," I chimed in.

"D'you mind?" he said.

"Yeah, I do," I stood up, which proofed to be the right move, because he got scared and fucked off.

"Thanks," she said sheepishly and sighed. "Are you done yet? I wanna leave."

"Yeah, I'm done," I answered putting my things in the bag.

"No, Remmy, if you're not, it's fine, I'll wait," she looked guilty. Why the hell would any of this be her fault?

"Y/N/N, I am done, don't worry, okay?" I assured her. "Let's go to mine, I'll get you some tea, huh? How does that sound?"

I came up to her side of the table to put my arm around her frame.

"That sounds lovely, thanks," she still sounded sheepish.

"Hey, c'mon, don't let this idiot ruin your mood," I led her to the exit.

"It's nothing, really," she lied. "I'm just tired."

"Darling, I'm not gonna argue with you, but just so you know, I know when you're lying."

She smiled, finally.

"What kind of tea are we having tonight?" I asked.

"I need cammomile after this."

"Okay, you will stay the night, right?"

"Oh, no, Rem, I've been staying a whole lot recently."

"Well, I'm just saying that I won't let you wander through the night, so you might as well stay."

It sounded creepy. Lord, why the hell did I put it like that?

She laughed. Thank god.

"If you're alright with that, I'd love to stay."

"Good, 'cuz we need to watch a new season, do you remember?"

"That's right," her eyes lit up, at last. "Is Siri home?"

"Yeah, he is, will it be a problem?"

We got outside.

"No, not at all," she answered simply. "Just wondering."

She has been staying a lot lately. So much that at some point we just fell asleep on the couch together — one of the best moments of my live, not gonna lie — and that from that moment on was the thing.

"Can we go straight to your room?" she asked quietly, taking off her shoes.

"Okay, but you can speak normally, Sirius isn't going to sleep any time soon," I whispered back.

"I know, just don't want to disturb him," she got so close and put her hands on my shoulders, looking up at me. I chuckled at that.

"Okay, go change, I'll get us tea," I squeezed her waist.

"Wait, I forgot to bring my clothes."

"Wear mine."

"What can I wear?"

"Anything you want," I smiled at her.

"Will you show me?" she was so timid.

"You can go through my stuff, it's fine, I trust you," I assured her.

"I dunno," she looked away from my face.

"Please, anything, surprise me, Y/N/N, okay?"

"Okay," she said, but it sounded more like a question.

We went our separate ways.

With two cups in one hand — she hates when I do it, because 'Remus, it's dangerous' — I knocked at my bedroom door.

"Come in," her voice sounded.

She was sitting on my bed, wearing my blue t-shirt and some joggers.

"Did I surprise you?" she said with a smile.

"You did," I put the cups on the bedside table.

"Please, just come here already," she patted the bed.

"Eager," I laughed. "In a second."

When I came back in the room, she was under the blanket. As soon as I got under the blanket she passed me my cup and smiled the brightest smile.

"Now, let's watch," she looked at the screen, waiting for me to hit 'play'.

Soon after she finished her tea, she dozed off on my shoulder.

***

"Ohh, here we are again," Sirius said in a raspy voice, when Y/N and I entered the kitchen in the morning. "Didn't hear you last night, don't be so shy, you can make some noice."

"Good morning to you, too," Y/N ignored Sirius' joke. If I'm being honest it probably wasn't that much of a joke, he must know I like her — probably since day one.

"Moony, I don't think you did a good job, she's not tired and still can walk, go back and finish what you started," Sirius went on. Y/N shook her head at him.

"Sit down, I'm gonna make us breakfast," I said.

"I'll help," she stood by my side.

"Darling, your lover boy can manage, sit down," Sirius sneered. She looked at him in disbelieve.

"I'm fine," I whispered to her.

"Okay," she cooed in defeat, and sat across from Sirius.

"Sooo," Sirius started, "can't get enough of my friend here."

"Ha-ha, really funny."

"It is," he continued sipping on his tea.

"No, it's not, I feel really guilty about crashing at yours so often, but I just cannot listen to James banging Lily," Y/N spoke and looked at me, when I turned to them while waiting for a pan to heat.

"Don't feel guilty, it's fine," I chimed in.

"Yeah, right, and you found solace in the arms of one and only Remmy boy," Sirius' grin just widened with every single word that left our mouths.

"What would you do if James was fucking your roommate?"

"Well, if James shagged Remus I would've been really surprised," Sirius was as calm as ever.

"Okay, great," I turned away.

"What are turning away for? I'm not James. Not gonna shag you."

"Sirius," Y/N laughed.

"My lady, do you find it disturbing, me talking about your lover boy that way?"

"Shut it," she was still laughing.

***

"Oi, Y/N, need a ride?" James came in as the three of us sat on the couch.

"Yes, thank you, let me get my stuff," she quickly headed to my room.

"Slow down, I'm not going anywhere, take your time," James shouted. "Hello, lads." He made it to the couch.

"So, did you have a good sleep?" Sirius grinned.

"Sure," James smirked.

"I bet you had it was better than your girlfriend's roommate's," Sirius looked at me.

"What are you looking at me for?" I asked.

"Oh, really?" James said. "They didn't?"

Sirius shook his head.

"But she's wearing his clothes and everything."

"I know!" Sirius exclaimed.

"What do you two know?" I said dismissively.

"Apparently more than you," Sirius started. "Why don't you ask her out?"

"Because," I said, but couldn't think of any reason. I mean, I did ask her out once. But then backpedalled. "Because, her and I are mates. That's it."

"Do you believe that?" James said to me.

"Yeah, mate, for how long you've been dreaming about her already? Two years? Three?" Sirius pressed.

"Definitely three," James helped.

"Not three, and stop it," I escaped to the kitchen.

"So, more?" Sirius followed me.

"Definitely more," James was right behind him.

"Oh my god, would you leave me alone?" I snapped.

"What's with all the fuss?" Y/N reappeared.

"Nothing," I looked at the guys and rage was making its way through my body. "It was good to see you, Y/N, 'till later."

And I just left to my room. I didn't even give her a hug. Yeah, I'm an idiot.

***

"I upset you, I'm sorry, Remmy," her voice sounded soft through the speaker. "I will not bother you again, I promise, just don't be mad at me."

How could she think I was upset with her? Never.

I should've picked up the phone when she was calling.

I'm not mad with you, Y/N. I'm in love with you — that's what I wanted to write.

Sorry if it looked like you upset me. You didn't. The guys did, but I shouldn't have acted that way towards you. I'm sorry. You aren't bothering me. I love spending time with you. Please bother me more — that's what I actually wrote.

Y/N: You're not mad? What a relief!

Me: I can't be mad with you

Y/N: I'll remember that

***

Y/N was dragging me outside.

"What's with you, Remus, I barely recognise you," she started, grabbing my shoulders, so I'd look at her. I couldn't.

"I'm fine," I mumbled, not daring to look at her.

"So you almost got in a fight for nothing?" she didn't stop.

"Leave it at that, Y/N," I tried to shake her off.

"At what? I don't get it! Every time a guy pays me attention, you are getting aggressive. What's up with that?"

"If you don't know, then I don't either."

She was looking at me as I lit a cigarette.

"I thought you quit," she whispered.

"I thought so too," I couldn't even imagine looking into her eyes.

"I wish you would just talk to me," she sat down on the bench. "I don't know what else I should do to make you ask me out again, and I can't ask you out myself, because I'm a coward. I'm spending so much time with you that everyone knows that I fancy you, except for you. Remus, what the fuck should I do? Please, tell me? I'll do it."

I finally looked at her, into her sad eyes, a fag just slipped out of my hand.

"I know, it's my fault, because when you asked me out, I didn't say yes right away. But in my defence I didn't know what to do, I really needed time to process it. But you said you were joking and that's it. Were you really? Was I wrong thinking that you weren't? Because if so, it is fine. It's just, Sirius was..." she went on, looking down at her lap.

"You... fancy me?" was all I could say.

"Yeah, is it so bad?" her eyes were glassy.

"Oh, I am daft then," I took her hand in mine, dropping to my knees infront of her.

"You're not daft, why'd you say that?" she was so close to panting.

"Because I was a git, a blind one too," I kissed her knuckles.

"Stop calling yourself all these names, you are incredible, Remmy," she put her free hand on my cheek, and I couldn't help leaning into her touch.

"Answering your question, you don't have to do anything. Y/N Y/L, will you go on a date with me? Forever the idiot."

"I told you, stop," she wanted to sound stern, but her smile wasn't allowing it. "Yes, Remus Lupin, please, take me on a date already."

She pressed her lips to my forehead.

All along, I should've just talked to her. Idiot.

[muqingapologist]

Can I ask your top 10 fav fics ever (from any fandom, if you don't mind)?

Also, just curious, is there a story behind your name "muqingapologist "?

i go through phases with fanfiction, wavering between never reading any and then reading it consistently over a period of time. so my ao3 account only has bookmarks from the last year or so, so i’ll just include those! i did read some reeeally good fics for pairings that i was really into in the past, but i won’t include them here

as for my username, i used to have the apologist format with another character for my finsta, and i because obsessed over mu qing in my recent read through of tgcf. so i’ll defend him from the haters heh.

ok fics. no particular order.

1. Resurrection by heyholmesletsgo

one thing about me is that im going to eat up every songxiao fix-it fic i come across. this one i think follows the logic of the untamed rather than just mdzs, but i don’t think it’s a big change either way. this fic is so beautiful i thought about it for weeks afterward. it’s pretty short, but the slow, gentle pining as xiao xingchen returns to the world, the way they figure out communication, it’s all so good.

2. some new beginning by liesmyth

i got into good omens after season 2 being released this past summer, and i have to say the fics have been very hit or miss for me. the characterizations in fics are always some strange combination of characterizations of season 2 crowley and season 1 crowley and book crowley. this is post-season 1 though so this isn’t really an issue. i loved this one. i think my favorite form of aziracrow is when they’re both just idiots following the momentum of their feelings without really realizing the significance of their actions until, well, they live together hahah. highly recommend this one for that dynamic! it’s also pretty short.

3. Protagonist Rehabilitation Programme by cinnamonsnaps

this one i actually read entirely on my flight from japan last week after randomly stumbling across it. it’s an SVSSS AU where the original luo binghe transmigrates(?) into shen yuan’s world. im not usually a fan of AU fiction because i think much of the time, the events of the source material are very much what shape the personalities of the characters, but this one works for me. it’s so good at matching the tone and writing style of mxtx while being funny in its own way too.

4. hometown comforts by nyoomerr

this is another bingqiu one, post-canon, and it’s an identity reveal. it’s my ideal identity reveal fic because it’s incredibly low stakes and binghe is just curious about shen yuan’s world. no system warnings and stuff. just bonding. im a simple gal.

5. still waters by marichen

went through a beefleaf phase where i read a bunch of fics. this was the best one by far. unmatched. beefleaf, imo, is a very difficult couple to write for. there’s so much to unpack. it’s hard to make their relationship feel genuine because so much care needs to go into shi qingxuan trusting he xuan again. in this fic, it is the classic he xuan lingering around, but also we see sqx building his own life back up on his own, as well. it’s he xuan pov. so good so good.

6. Bring it back, bring it back [don’t take it away from me] by wednesdaisy

another good omens fic, also post-season 1, aziraphale pov. in this one, crowley fucks off to new zealand because he thinks his relationship with aziraphale is fantasy and it’s too painful to keep seeing him after everything they’ve been through. and aziraphale tracks him down and has to convince crowley that he does indeed want him in his life and loves him and ah, it’s really sweet.

7. the round moon by orphan_account and the hazy sun by orphan_account

this is a 2 part quanyin fic (pre-canon qyz for part 1, post-canon yin yu pov for part 2). i’m also incredibly picky about quanyin fics. this one was so beautifully done. it didn’t make quan yizhen feel overly-childish as an adult like many others do, and it made yin yu’s conflicting feelings about him so vivid and believable. highly recommend for quanyin nation out there.

8. This Is Me Trying by Piper_Emerald

another post-canon identity reveal. this one is a little more angsty than the one above but also so well done! a deep part of me needs an identity reveal to happen for them at some point hahaha…like binghe is smart ok…he suspects already.

9. some good mistakes by Lise

everyone forgive me for not really having any wangxian recs. my post-untamed fic phase was on my old ao3 account i can’t find. anyway, i remember this one being really good. wei wuxian goes missing. jiang cheng pov, teaming up with lan zhan to find wwx. post-canon untamed. personal preference but i love post-canon untamed wangxian fics the most because i just reading about all the ways they might get together.

10. Not Easily Conquered by dropdeaddream, WhatAreFears

(i keep getting error when i post the link but it’s on ao3)

i’m including this one because i’d be lying if it wasn’t always in my top 10. i never think about stevebucky these days and cannot stand marvel, but damn this fic holds up like 8 years later!! 3-parter, AU where steve never gets frozen but bucky is still the winter soldier. told over decades. some cringe US cold war propaganda but ignoring that…a beautiful story. if you ever carried any attachment for these two, worth the read.

so that’s my very inaccurate too 10 fics. thank you for asking so i have an excuse to discuss hahaha.

[go-to-the-mirror]

Happy @tmaappreciationweek day 1! I drew something, but it’s kinda ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, so… fic recs! Jon-centric ones, because he’s my favourite major character to precisely no one’s surprise.

It’s in order of vaguely when they take place.

nature has taught her creatures to hate (words 183,928) by thepolysyndetonaddictsupportgroup

Jon goes to the Magnus Institute to give a statement about Mr. Spider when he’s 8 years old, but is kidnapped and made to become a child avatar. It… really hurts. So much. 100% recommend. Good luck.

Merry-Go-Round (words 20,744) by Prim_the_Amazing

Jon becomes a stranger avatar, in like this horrifying way, and it’s like, it’s almost appealing, like MAG 152, but also you’re like oh god. Ohhhh god. Dont. Dont do that. And yeah, it’s really good.

you appear familiar, dear— you look just like my bathroom mirror (words 3,340) by takethebreadsticksandRUN

One of those one shots that take a theme and then run with it through canon (and in this case, pre-canon). It’s about identity issues related to your body, about gender dysphoria and the Issues that come with having your bodily autonomy repeatedly violated and also religion. Catholicism, to be specific. It’s really good, and the religious imagery is neat, and it’s so good. It’s really gender, it gets the gender feelings.

Jon focused, introspection. I love Jon focused introspection.

all your scars are looking more like scales (words 2,827) by ceaselesswatchers

Another one of those one shots. This time the theme is Jon being a dragon (in an Otherkin way). It’s really good.

but you just don’t feel the same (words 2,825) by ceaselesswatchers

Yet another one of those one shots. This one focuses on soulmates, how they’re actually body horror if you think about it, and how that would interact with being aro. Jon’s aromantic in this fic.

Also, I won’t spoil it, but it’s got a moment near the end that I love so much, and it’s just… this fic really tackles a lot of things in TMA and a lot of things with soulmate AUs and makes me Very Horrified.

terror management theory (words 36,587) by prismatical

ITS SO FUNNY AND ITS SO SAD

It’s half crack half oh my god. oh my fucking god. Where Jon was killed by Mr. Spider as a kid and now he keeps coming back to life. Prismatical writes really good… moments that stick in your brain.

There is a Wasp’s Nest in my Archives (words 7,525) by ineverwritebutwhatever

One of the first fics I bookmarked, like even before finishing season 2? Had no idea what the corruption was, but then, but then, I revisited it, and it’s… phenomenal? It really does a good job of tackling both the metaphorical and literal aspects of the corruption.

of broken tables and stained kitchen sinks (words 2,114) by ocaptain_mycaptain

Everyone’s favourite… Jongeorgie angst! Platonic. It’s set in season 3, Jon’s all like “I’ll keep all of my problems right here, and then one day, I’ll die” and Georgie’s like “hey, jon, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me anything. Please tell me something” and meanwhile they’re having issues that are symbolised through Georgie’s home and furniture being in need of repairs.

Not (words 1,767) by DaFlangstLairde

A really cool fic beginning in season 3 (but it’s one of Those one shots), focusing on what it means to be a person and even real. Can confirm, feels a lot like depersonalisation, lol. Anyway, it’s so cool, also it’s something I can use to say Stranger!Jon rights.

So, for realistic depictions of depersonalisation, Jon themed musings on humanity, and Stranger!Jon propaganda… this is the fic for you!

The Bird of Paradise (comic, 47 chapters) by lady_libertine

This was required reading for a different fic. It’s about Jon meeting Odin, Dionysus, and Lucifer during the Unknowing, and getting slightly magical therapy that helps him fix his problems. It’s actually pretty good. Very long, though. And not described (unless it is through alt text).

Cry For Me (words 4,827) by BusinessCasualAura

(who is apparently my mutual, i keep forgetting this)

Okay, so this series is like, so sad. It’s so bloody sad. It starts between s3 and s4 (getting off to a Sad Start), continues through s4 and s5, ends in like, the worst way (for the characters). It’s so bloody good, and the Upton House portion is like… top 2 Upton House fics.

can’t be helped (words 5,308) and rituals (words 8,492) by doomcountry

The first fic is set in season 4, but canon diverges, and both Martin and Jon fall fully to their patrons (i.e. Jon becomes a lot more evil and inhuman, Martin fulfils more of the diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder).

The second fic is set after the first fic, with Martin (less lonely) trying to see if there’s any Jon left in the Archivist. First fic focuses pretty equally on Jon and Martin, but in separate storylines, second fic is from the Archivist’s POV, but focuses on Jmart.

stopgap prophecy (words 16,686) by prismatical

It’s about humanity and monsterhood and “is it right to die bc living will hurt people” and change, and I love it. It’s so good. And Jon’s narration is wonderful, and the climax is just, it’s amazing to read, it plays out in my head all the time. Set in season 4, post-MAG 146.

the best policy (words 20,094) by BlueGirl22

Jon reads a truth telling Leitner during season 4, and then people have heart to hearts with him. It goes. It certainly goes.

For he will not do destruction, if he is well fed (words 15,127) by greevianguy

Jon projects on a cat for 15,127 words. No but, like, set in season 4, Jon sees a cat at the institute, and then he sees it again with Daisy, and he wonders if he can help, and he thinks about the cat Daisy had and how it was let go by someone who was supposed to help it and yes jon go on, no, im not taking notes.

It’s just, argjhhh it’s so painful. Might be my favourite tma fic. Go read it. Right now.

Out of My Head (words 15,641) by buildoblivionthenwewilltalk

This is a really good post-MAG 154 fic, and it’s got this cool original character, and it’s got this absolute BANGER of an ending that never gets elaborated on, it’s fine i’m fine and yeah. Favourite post-MAG 154, easily.

in the chillest land and on the strangest sea (words 19,632) by imperfectcircle and raven (singlecrow)

I’m pretty sure this is one of those fandom classics. Based on the amount of comments, it’s pretty well known, but I enjoyed it, so… it’s about Hope as an entity. It’s in the format of Daisy telling Jon a story while the latter is staying at the Scottish Safehouse. The story is from season 1 onward but the framing device is post-MAG 159 pre-MAG 160. It’s got great moments that live in my mind rent free.

john 19:41 (words 1,142) by tkkarno

Set immediately after MAG 160, Jon reflects on his humanity, the loss of it, and the relation of that to Jane Prentiss, and also biblical themes. The title is the bible quote: “Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.”

Pretty much exclusively focuses on Jon. Stream of consciousness ramble, yknow.

In this harsh world (words 1,132) by CirrusGrey

This is my favourite of the 40 fics Citrus wrote while s5 was coming out. It’s a conversation after Upton House. It’s titled after a line from Hamlet. Frankly I don’t think I need to say any more.

where there’s a will, we make a way (words 305,816) by bubonickitten

Time travel fix it fic, time travel fix it fic! To be completely honest, I don’t really like time travel fix it fics, but this one is an exception. s5!Jon basically replaces season 4 Jon, and still has issues, and they focus on multiple characters, and there’s so much getting angry at Jonah Magnus — if I’m being honest, sometimes I just read this fic and go through the content warnings to see which chapters probably mention Jonah Magnus and read those, because the handling of Jonah Magnus is like, thank you. I love it.

Focuses on multiple characters, but Jon’s the main character. Also, diverges before MAG 187, and it was being written pre-finale. It’s still ongoing.

rewind. play. eject. (words 39,543) by boredshyandbi

Jon’s stuck in a timeloop of MAG 39, and it’s heartbreaking to see him every time try to fix things, try to save Sasha and Martin and Tim, and there are Lines. There are Lines. That stick out in my brain. Do you think I’m ever going to be okay about paperclips again? No! I’m not. It’s another exception to the time travel fix-it rule, but only because it’s got... a different plot. And it’s just that good.

Countdown to Extinction (words 131,464) by starspangledbread

Another exception! Tbf though, it’s another different one.

First fic isn’t quite monster4monster4monster jongerrymart, but it’s got the Vibes. Jon commits petty crimes and also major crimes like Multiple Kidnappings, uh and then the second fic is just. Wow okay that’s a tonal difference. Dealing with repercussions…

ANYWAY I wholeheartedly recommend both :D

[underacalicosky]

Nine people I'd like to get to know better

Thank you to @cottonraincoat, @starwalkertales, and @heretolurkandnothingmore for tagging me! ❤️

Sorry it took all day for me to do this. I’ve had a chaotic week with work and RL stuff so I’ve missed a bunch of posts and I’m behind with fic reading 😩

Last song: “Uptown Girl” by Billy Joel - Okay, I know, wtf, right? But I blame this on Obikin brain rot. Here I am with my same age modern AU bullshit again. Upper class Obi-Wan is home for the holidays his first year of college, busts up his dad’s sports car and tries to get it fixed by bringing it to this hole in the wall shop that Quin recommends and Anakin’s the mechanic. Something something something, they have sex in the back of the car.

Favorite color: Blue, every shade of it. It calms me and makes me happy.

Last tv show: Love is Blind, Season 3. In my defense, I wasn’t watching it, I just had it on in the background with the closed captions while I did other things. My co-workers made me do it. And like 3 minutes in, the Obikin brainrot took over and I was like, yes yes yes, they meet on this reality show and get engaged sight unseen because their emotional connection is so overwhelming and when they meet in person, the attraction is absolutely explosive and the producers are so frustrated because any footage after that point is unusable cause it’s just them fucking on every surface in the pre-honeymoon suite in Mexico.

Sweet/spicy/savory: Sweet or savory, depends on my mood.

Relationship status: Married, to a very understanding spouse who doesn’t ask me what my fics are about, but remains generally supportive and mildly confused.

Last google: This is boring, sorry, but it was the address for a soccer clinic for one of my kids.

Current obsession: Random Obikin fic ideas (see above answers) and orange scones from Panera.

I’m trying to tag those who I think haven’t already been tagged (no pressure, of course), but I’ve lost track (it’s been a crazy couple days) so if you see this and would like to share, I’d love to see your responses!

@howlbrooklyn @klnghen @briliantlymad @wibzenadarksiderwithasoftheart @fulcrum843 @sendpseuds @ineffableobikin @somethingsteff @willameena

[jasper-book-stash]

May 2024 Reading Wrap-Up

Alright, I can finally work on this, after being a full week into June. I read 11 books in May - one religious text, one occult/witchcraft book, two romances, two nonfiction books, and five poetry books.

Religious Text

Los Agvinaldos del Infante: Gloda de Epifania // The Child’s Gifts: A Twelfth Night Tale | Tomas Blanco

I found this book on the free books table of the library I work at, and I yoinked it immediately. I'm utterly fascinated by translated works, so being able to look at both the Spanish and English versions of this story was really neat. It's a story about the Three Wise Men heading to Jesus's birth and it talks about the gifts they brought from each of their kingdoms. It was neat.

1/10 - Why Did They Publish This?

None applicable.

2/10 - Trash

None applicable.

3/10 - Meh

None applicable.

4 to 6/10 - Mid-Tier

Echoes from the Orient: Wisdom of Lao-Tse With Parallels in Western Thought | Robert Wood

This is a book I found in a secondhand book store for dirt cheap, and my main complaint with it was that the comparisons were usually weak and drew from too many places. Not bad, but not good either.

Confessions of a Reluctant Optimist | Phyllis McGinley

Remember this post? This author is who that was about. This compilation of poems was a fascinating look back into the author's time and place.

7 to 8/10 - Good With Caveats

Bending the Binary: Polarity Magic in a Nonbinary World | Deborah Lipp

I went back and forth so much on this book, but ultimately landed at 8 out of 10 with the caveat being that you're going to go back and forth on if the book is worth reading for quite a few chapters. There are a lot of places where it was like "Bestie, what the FUCK does this mean?" but most of those instances were explained in more detail. We love seeing elaboration on wild claims, at least. It delivered exactly on what was promised. AN IMPORTANT NOTE: The author is cisgender, and this is very apparent in many places, and not just in the places that the author outright says it.

Love For All Seasons | Kitty Clevenger, Fred Klemushim, Rick Cusick

This anthology was put together by Kitty Clevenger, and honestly, my main complaint is that they could have done better. Sure, the artwork is gorgeous, but not every poem felt attached to that central theme - it just felt like the compiler just grabbed whatever poems mentioned one of the seasons in them. And the font (by Rick Cusick, apparently) is difficult to read at times - some of the letters are hard to decipher/identify.

Yesterday I Saw The Sun: Poems | Ally Sheedy

Apparently this author is known for other things. This is my first instance of hearing of her. And I enjoyed the book. Not much to say, other than giving a warning that it gets heavy. Which is a good thing tbh.

Swimming Shelter: 100 Days of Coronavirus: An Exercise in the American Crawl | Al Ortolani

Nothing like reliving the coronavirus (and, in some of the later poems, murder and police brutality) through poetry. My main complaint about this one was formatting. I feel like I could have done better. Let me edit your book and fix your formatting, PLEASE.

9/10 - Very Very Good

February Poems | John Mooney

This was gearing up to be a deeply middling zine of poetry until the fucking clown poem hit me. 9 out of 10, no notes.

Pounded By The Classics: Seven Literary Tales Of The Tingleverse | Chuck Tingle The Lesbian Classics Get Me Off: Seven Ladybuck Tales Of The Tingleverse | Chuck Tingle

Chuck Tingle's tinglers literally never miss.

Ancient Egyptian Literature, volume II: The New Kingdom | Miriam Lichtheim

I didn't get volume two read in time for the May book club meeting, much less volume three, but this was still a damn fine read. I love analyzing old literature told through a modern lens.

10/10 - Unironically Recommend To Everyone

None applicable.

[mio-nika]

I promised @turquoisewaves07 podcast recommendations

So let's get going. I will not obviously include every podcast I ever listened, only the ones that I really like and sometimes relisten.

1. Knifepoint horror.

Possibly my favourite podcast ever. It's the series of stories written and narrated by a guy called Soren Narnia. They are not usually connected and would sound similar to oneshots of MAG (almost every story starts as "my name is..." just like the "statement of..."). They usually very weird in nature, and it's really hard to explain why I like them so much. I usually recommend starting from "school".

2. Limetown.

Oh, the classic story about "every living person disappeared from this small unassuming town in the middle of the night".

It's like. One of the most famous ones in my list? They even had show adaption?? I never saw it, even tho every time I listen to it I think " fuck, it was really made with visuals in mind". Especially the last scenes.

3. The White Vault.

If it still snowing where you are it's a great one. Small expedition goes to a remote arctic station to fix things. Bad things happen. Interesting that almost the entire crew (both characters and actors) are bilingual and it plays big part in the story. Well, except one character. The Canadian-russian guy played by Peter Lewis. But I like him so I'm not even THAT mad.

4. Mabel.

Hi, so do you like LESBIANS? Mabel is really hard to recommend, because it made almost like a theatrical play where characters are talking in verses. It's a story about fae, lesbians, haunted buildings and women emancipation? It's extremely good. You will want to write lines over all of your walls, on your hands, on your heart.

5. The Big Loop.

It's the second podcast in the list, that is basically one guy writing not connected stories. He's name is Paul Bae and he more famous as one of the authors of "The Black Tapes". He left after the first season and he's probably the ONLY reason why first season is good. I highly recommend starting from "The Surrogate" if you like horror and "F.M.L." if you into hopefull dark comedy.

6. Alice isn't Dead

Do you remember how good were early podcasts writtend by a WTNV staff? I think we starting to forget. It's another "do you like lesbians" story, but its actually so much more. I cried real fuckin tears in a bus after the last episode, not from sadness, but from overwhelming hope for humans.

7. Death by Dying.

I've already recommended it in another post. But if you liked WTNV you need to listen to Death by Dying. It's a series of obituaries from a small weird town written by a guy who are very very VERY weird. He talks to a Angel of Death, he adopts cannibalistic cats and writes his abituaties more like personal stories of stupidity.

8. Small Town Horror.

This one usually gets overlooked, probably because of the very generic name, but for me it's really a hidden gem. Traumatized guy are trying to put together things that happened to him in his childhood and why he's so fucked up. If you really want to read story written by an unreliable narrator, this one is for you.

9. Within the Wires.

I already sang my praises about how good was the early podcasts written by a WTNV, but I will repeat it here. THEY WERE REALLY GOOD. It has a very different styles of storytelling from season to season. The first one is told through a series of mindfullness recordings. The second one is an art lections. Every season happens in the same universe and expands the over-arching story.

10. Spines.

I was thinking that to put as a last one and mostly torn beetween Spines and Girl in Space, but I'm a horror visual girl, so I choose Spines. Our heroine wakes up with no memory in the bath full of blood with a cultist-looking people and a probably other cult victims around her. Slowly she learns that she really is and in that horrying reality she was born.

[wasyago]

hello hello! if u ever do decide to get more into prime defenders, the first seven episodes are a little iffy but i can attest to it getting better (WAY WAY better) after that, and apparently season 2 is even better. so it might be worth getting into at some point if ur interested ^^

also would HIGHLY recommend blood in the bayou if u like horror because. my god it’s my favorite campaign BY A LOT which is saying something cuz i love all the campaigns i’ve listened to so much, but blood in the bayou hits different. it’s run by charlie, very horror based with a really cool premise that charlie executed fantastically, and it’s only got four episodes ^^

either way i’ve finally caught up w riptide and can finally go through your art for it and oh boy it’s literally so so so cool i’m losing my mind, i love how you draw la alma he is so friend shaped

i hope you’re having a great day, and be sure to Just Roll With It! (<- very funny yet incredibly subtle reference. i’m so tired)

hehehhehe i love the reference >:)c always hear it in grizzly's voice in my head ("and just roll with it baybee!!") and also waaa thank you, i love drawing la alma <3 kitty <3 need to draw more of him, but also there's so many cool npc's that i also want to draw aughh not enough hours in a day smh i need twice as much, maybe thrice.....

about other campaigns!

i think someone said in the tags (or replies, don't remember) under my post that first 7 episodes of pd were kinda eh, and it did feel like the first episodes were less serious and less engaging. like, literally my favorite characters after watching them are tide and wavelength, which is like???? one of them barely talked even. but i do believe that it gets better, i saw some of the art and it looks amazing and super interesting!

blood in the bayou. im so absolutely INSANE about. charlie as a dm is SO fucking good im kicking screaming and crying im not normal. everything from the voices he does to the way he explains things and creates atmosphere to the way he treats players and characters augghhbhhbbbbb words cannot explain how much i love it. i LOVE blood in the bayou, its literally perfect in every aspect. the setting, the game, the art (dont get me started on the art), augh augh augh augh--

both of them (and apotheosis!!!) are on patreon tho, which i sadly don't have access to, no matter how bad i want to watch them or to know what happens next. don't want to get into politics much, but. its not that i don't have 10 dollars or however much the lowest tear is, patreon just doesn't work where i live. same as spotify, paypal, steam, and all the other payed services. vpn works for twitter, instagram, ao3, tiktok, but everything that includes banks and dealing with money and paperwork doesn't get fixed by just changing connection unfortunately. it has its benefits, i don't get ads on youtube or twitch, but everything else sucks. and atm the only real way to deal with it is move to another country... (which sounds pretty good, ngl)

[cptn-sulu]

HIIIIIII, HENRYYYYY ♥️💘💖💞💖💕💖💕💖💘💞💗💞 Here are so many asks from the 50 questions ask game for u <3

1. What are three shows in your watchlist that you’ve been meaning to get to?

4. What do you wear when you have to dress nicely?

14. What are some places where you feel most at home?

37. Do you mind if others are in the kitchen when you’re cooking or baking?

39. What was the best part of your day today?

46. What’s the last thing a friend recommended to you that you looked into and actually liked?

Really hope the Tumblr ask doesn't fuck the format up 😔🫶

HIIII FREYA <33333 i love seeing you in my notifs so much it makes me so happy always

i'm gonna put my answers under the cut because i said So Many Things

1. What are three shows in your watchlist that you’ve been meaning to get to?

oh lord my watchlist is quite long HAHAHA the fall of the house of usher is a recent add since it JUST came out, but i'm really excited to watch, i want to finish the west wing (i got to like season 5 and then i was graduating and then we moved and then i never picked it back up), AND i want to watch cowboy bebop at some point (i am among the heathens that has only seen the live action netflix but listen LISTEN john cho was there!!!!)

4. What do you wear when you have to dress nicely?

depends on how nice and the weather! i rotate between a shirt, tie, slacks outfit, a nice button up with a sweater over it and slacks outfit, and if its like ~casual nice~ i'll just do a button up and my nice jeans (i've been told this is very midwestern american of me)

14. What are some places where you feel most at home?

this is a tough question, i really don't know! i think i tend to feel that more with people than places for a lot of really complex reasons that i won't get into on a tumblr post HAHAHA

37. Do you mind if others are in the kitchen when you’re cooking or baking?

not usually! i usually actually quite like having someone to chat to while i cook

39. What was the best part of your day today?

i took a lovely hot bath earlier and it fixed me a little i think

46. What’s the last thing a friend recommended to you that you looked into and actually liked?

two of my roommates were trying to pull me into some kind of D&D media for weeks and they were right i like it a lot actually (have been watching D20, though they would love for me to get into dungeons and daddies and critical role respectively)

[eldritchamy]

read your tags and. (probably) not a girl but anything else you'd recommend rn?

....How do you feel about telekinesis-based witches in very violent Korean supernatural action horror? If this sounds interesting to you, you might enjoy The Witch Part 1: Subversion and The Witch Part 2: The Other One

How about a claustrophobic, tense, atmospheric suspense horror in the vein of Alien but at the bottom of the ocean instead of deep space? Does Kristen Stewart with a butch haircut work for you? If so, watch Underwater.

While we're on the subject, Alien and Aliens. If you've never seen them, change that immediately. Alien is correctly regarded as one of the best horror films ever made, and the (imo superior) sequel Aliens is in my extremely correct opinion the best sequel ever made and one of the best movies of all time. Ellen Ripley in Aliens is my GOLD STANDARD for character arcs. Just masterful writing. Fuck Alien 3. Alien Resurrection is hot trash and VERY OBVIOUSLY a prototype for what became Firefly if you squint, but apart from a few VERY WHEDON lines it's better than Alien 3 honestly. This is not saying enough to count as a compliment. FUCK ALIEN 3. The new films (Prometheus and Alien: Covenant) are OKAY, but a completely different vibe and generally most people either only like the old movies or only like the new ones. Covenant is better than Prometheus imo. And I will say that Covenant has some of the most interesting/inventive xenomorph kills in the series. They do NOT have the same feel as the old movies, though. The design fails HARD to capture the essence of that 80s junk retro-future vibe that makes the old movies so timeless. They're supposed to be PREQUELS but the tech is way more advanced for no reason, which imo was a bad choice.

Supernatural action drama with an interesting plot that will make you wanna read the graphic novel it was based on? The Old Guard.

Wanna see the best and most underrated animated film of the last decade? I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH how much Kubo and the Two Strings was ROBBED during awards season.

Like robots smashing each other with an unexpectedly solid plot? The Bumblebee movie from a couple years ago was shockingly good, in stark contrast to every other Transformers movie.

Want some really well done scifi with a PHENOMENAL concept behind it, framed in a different way than any other first contact style movie, that will make you think about the nature of consciousness? Arrival is a masterpiece.

What We Do In The Shadows remains the best thing in the vampire genre. If you haven't seen it yet, fix that. The movie is great but the show absolutely blows it away.

Star Trek is a good evergreen choice. I don't have as much experience with it as I'd like, but I very much enjoyed TNG up until it hit writers' strike territory and things went really off the rails (mid season 5). Started DS9 but my progress got interrupted pretty hard when my dad was in the hospital for the last time. The different series have different feels to them. Not liking one show doesn't mean you won't like another one. There's plenty of Star Trek to choose from.

I am tearing through The Vampire Diaries at an impressive rate. Is it revolutionary? Not remotely. You can tell a LOT of the character archetypes were pulled from Buffy. But to be fair, it does a lot of those character archetypes better. I got into it partly for a specific character (Katherine Pierce) who is like Evil Girlboss incarnate, and partly as backstory for the world so I can eventually progress to Legacies for ANOTHER supernatural superpowered character (Hope Mikaelson). So far I'm very pleasantly surprised by how much I'm enjoying it. It's actually a good show. VERY straight, but at least the straight vampire drama is better than Buffy's (even if it's very obvious that Stefan and Damon are basically rehashed Angel and Spike).

Have you seen Shin Godzilla? It is, bar none, the best monster movie ever made. An absolute MASTERPIECE of atmospheric, slow terror as the world fails to comprehend and respond to the physical and emotional impact of a nuclear catastrophe on Japanese soil. Absolutely PHENOMENAL movie. The version with all the deleted scenes in it is even better. Incredible film.

Do you like speculative fiction about artificial intelligence, and also think Alicia Vikander is pretty (who doesn't?). Ex Machina is really interesting and good.

Like the classic stuff? John Carpenter's The Thing and the 70s Invasion of the Body Snatchers definitely live up to their reputations.

Want to turn your brain off with a comedy about morons who are in over their head? The Three Amigos is pretty good and has one of my favorite jokes in any comedy movie. (It involves a veranda).

Wanna turn your brain off with goofy kaiju bullshit? The old Toho Godzilla movies are very fun. Be mindful of the older ones, though. If it was made before 1970 and features an island setting, there's usually some outlandish degrees of racism. King Kong vs Godzilla is the worst offender, but a BUNCH from that era had very severe colorism and "primative island culture" vibes. Also probably avoid Godzilla vs Megalon, which even manages to beat King Kong as hands down the worst film in the entire series. It was filmed in under two weeks and Godzilla is only in it for the last forty seconds because it wasn't even supposed to be a Godzilla movie at all. I'm a big fan of the Heisei era movies (1985-1995) personally, with the Millennium series (1999-2004) being a close second. But if you want maximum goofy kaiju cheese, you want Showa (1954-1974). It's all rubber suit bullshit and it's a good time.

The Maleficent movies are fantastic, if you haven't seen them.

The Mummy and The Mummy Returns are cinematic masterpieces. Do not watch The Mummy 3: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. I mean it doesn't even have Rachel Weisz, what's the point.

The Resident Evil movies are very bad. But they're a guilty pleasure if you're into really bad 2000s cheesy action. If you're into it, they're fun.

The Underworld movies are kinda like that but with vampires (and werewolves) instead of zombies. They're awful movies, but they DO have Kate Beckinsdale in a corset so you win some you lose some.

Want action cheese but more 80s? Demolition Man is fun. The original Judge Dredd is also better than it has any right to be. The NEW Dredd is genuinely a good and cool movie.

Want to watch a shitpost? Romancing the Stone and the sequel, Jewel of the Nile. Very fun to watch with friends because of how batshit insane they are.

GUNPOWDER MILKSHAKE. I can't believe the post got this long before I thought of it. It's a great story about a female assassin and a polycule of librarians with guns. Sometimes a family is a little girl, the woman who shot her dad, and 4 gay aunts that love books guns and each other. Great music, too.

For turn your brain off but cute, charming, and low stakes/drama, Kiki's Delivery Service is one of my favorite Ghibli movies. It's about equal to Totoro with how gentle the world and story are. Also has some anti-capitalist vibes and a lesbian artist who lives in the woods. Plus it's about a witch, and who's not a sucker for decent witch movies?

Person of Interest is a really interesting show if you haven't seen it. It's about a national security algorithm that gains sentience and a small team of independent ex-spec ops agents use it to save people because its creator refused to let the government have access to it.

Do you want to absolutely lose your goddamn mind wondering how something ever got made? Try watching Zardoz. Holy fucking shit I've never been more confused.

Do you want that feeling but good instead of bad? Kung Fury.

Terminator: Dark Fate is the best film in the series THERE I SAID IT. It does every single thing the series NEEDED it to do to be good and relevant and fresh for a modern audience. The series has been stagnating for a long time and Dark Fate is EXACTLY the direction the Terminator franchise needed to go.

[blackbird-brewster]

Friday Fic Recs

*I'm doing this on a Thursday because this weekend is going to be busy for me and I didn't want to forget!

What I've Been Reading:

Criminal Minds, JJ/Emily, WC: 2402+ (WIP) Rated: T || Author: sunshineandguns (@cargopantsprentiss)

Why I Love It: Where do I even begin?! This is a CM: Evolution fix-it-fic with a Jemily focus and god, we really deserved this in the show. I admittedly didn't watch all of CME, but I know Emily and JJ weren't even on screen at the same time for more than a minute in ten episodes, which is SO unbelievable given their relationship for the past 15 seasons. sunshineandguns always writes Jemily with such beautiful introspection, she's taken scenes in CME that made NO sense (Emily not hugging JJ, etc) and given meaning to them. I look forward to more of this fic

Criminal Minds, JJ/Emily, WC: 1567+ (WIP) Rated: (Not Rated) || Author: littlesolo (@littlesolo)

Why I Love It: Littlesolo and I started talking about this ages ago and I was so excited to see it posted, I'm always a slut for a Jemily twist on canon events, in this case 'Truth or Dare'. Which is funny timing, since that's probably the next chapter of my WIP too. I LOVE seeing all the creative ways people have taken that shitshow of an episode and turned it into Jemily (like we deserved). Love this one for having JJ and Emily's history which really adds to the tension. Looking forward to chapter 2!

Criminal Minds, JJ/Emily, WC: 14,420 Rated: G || Author: phoenix_falls (@otahkoapisiakii)

Why I Love It: I know this was on last week's fic recs, but I just finished reading it to my partner last night and GOD. ITS SO FLUFFY IM GONNA DIE!!!! I will say this over and over, NO ONE does soulmate AUs like phoenix_falls. The entire premise of this is so fun and interesting and the reader gets to have those moments of 'GOD NO! SHE'S OVER THERE!' You hold your breath, you laugh, you squee. It's an AU where you repeat the first day you first cross paths with your soulmate over and over again, until you two finally meet and I adore it.

What I've Been Writing:

Criminal Minds, JJ/Emily, WC: 75,524+ (WIP) Rated: E

Update: I just posted Chapter 12 last night!! I currently have this slated to be 15 total chapters, so we're nearing the end and oh goodness, this chapter was so full of feels. This chapter serves as the turning point in a lot of ways and it was so fun to reveal some things that were secretly foreshadowed in previous chapters, or details I never drew attention to only to reveal them here for a deeper impact. I am constantly humbled by the comments and support on this fic, genuinely just....wow. Thank you to everyone who's reading and commenting. Please know that I have an entire folder of screencaps of kind comments and you all just fill my heart with so much gratitude

Criminal Minds, JJ/Tara/Rebecca, WC: 10,135+ (WIP) Rated: E

Update: I don't know how much writing I'll get done this weekend, but I want to aim to start working on chapter 3 of this soon! I just love these three so much and I'm looking forward to where this fic goes from here. Full transparency, fuck canon. This is a happy fic and I will not be exploring the, frankly, abhorrent way the show treated Tara/Rebecca. This fic will have a very happy ending (aka a threesome)

More Fic Recs Under The Cut

Other Recommendations:

Past Friday Fic Recs:  [Friday Fic Recs - Tumblr] || [CM Fic Recs - AO3 Collection]

Rec Lists: [JJ/Emily] || [Tara/Emily] || [CM Femslash]

My Fics: [Jemily] || [Temily] || [All]

[nibwhipdragon]

Now that you've done Joseph for the blorbo game, you get struck by the uno reverse wild card! Curious to see who you'd do :)

YIPPEE! Starting off with probably one of my most tragic blorbos:

The Dragon/Demon King from The Cruel King and The Great Hero. It's a very underrated game I absolutely recommend, the release trailer appeared in my YouTube feed and was completely sold on it from that alone.

Just. AUGH. He used to be evil until he was defeated and the hero that defeated him spared his life and wanted him to become a better person instead of atoning for his sins by being killed. And then they both became friends and then the hero fucking died and gave The Dragon King his baby daughter and begged him to look after her and make sure she grew up safe and strong and AUFJGJGJFJJJJJHHHHHHHHHHHHH-

And then the hero's daughter (Yuu, her name is) ends up wanting to be a hero just like her human father and so to help her achieve her dream The Dragon King decides to train her. To eventually kill him. Because he's a big bad monster and if he's slain by her she'll be loved by the humans and all that and 😭😭😭😭 AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

I honestly think he's one of the best redeemed villains I've seen in media (apart from Zuko), even though he has become good and strives to do good things, the bad stuff he has already done hasn't magically fixed itself or is ignored, it's still very much there.

we do not talk about the boss fight against him (crying really really hard, that defense lowering was uncalled for)

Next up is the original blorbo: Cheval

Like genuinely I can't think of any other character that would've been a blorbo to me before him.

Can you tell I like redemption arcs from depressing and messed up characters

He got so much hate when mhs1 first released and it makes me so mad. "He's so edgy" HE WATCHED HIS MOTHER GET CRUSHED TO DEATH AT AROUND 12/13 I DON'T THINK A KID WITH UNADDRESSED TRAUMA AND ACCESS TO WEAPONS AND A FIRE BREATHING MONSTER WOULD ACT MATURE

As much as I like game Cheval, anime Cheval takes the cake for me. It's probably because the game had to start in media res because...you know. Game. But I love how anime Cheval slowly gets more unhinged as the show goes on it's beautiful, just. The golden gargwa egg episode. I absolutely LOVE how that shows a more negative side of him, something that becomes more prominent as the show continues and he begins to veer off into the path of iffy moral actions, just YES!!!!! YES!!!!!

Also you see the point in the anime where he reaches that "tipping point" where in the game you don't. That episode where he gets a nargacuga monstie after abandoning Rathi, only to leave it to LITERALLY DIE OF EXHAUSTION IN THE DESERT because it wasn't powerful enough for him...makes me so sad every time (I'm happy they reconcile in season 2 though!)

i hate mhs2 Cheval. He feels so off putting and wrong it feels like it's not him. You get me? Like it's something pretending to be him than actual Cheval. I love him anyways though. I can both love and hate him. Cheval is Cheval.

So many late-night thoughts for this man. I have a whole theory on how he was infected with the black blight I sent to a friend like 2/3 years back, maybe I'll post it on here one day. He means so much to me <3

Go to therapy Cheval <3

Jotaro. He is so like me fr <3

I want to put him in a microwave. Not maniacally like with Joseph but I just wanna see him rotate. Such a man. He means so much to me like damn bro you like fishies? Sea? Damn bro you're beefy and look naturally aggressive? Damn do you mind if I exist in the same room as you

The fish thing is especially funny imo because to write him for Breadcrust Crusaders I had to know about marine life. I knew absolutely jack about marine life. So, like any normal person would, I borrowed not one, not two, but three absolutely massive encyclopedias on marine life. Two of them were specifically for sharks and whales. And I read all of them. And now I'm normal about marine life the same way I'm normal about Joseph Joestar. Thanks, Jotaro. The blorbo who fundamentally changed me as a person.

He has autism. I have decided to make this canon. Araki cannot stop me I will make this canon mark my words

He was kinda bland in part 3. Tbh. His PTSD makes his character spicier, as well as thethe. The. The divorce I fucking love divorce every character should aspire to be like Jotaro and divorce

[cnowy]

DESTIEL FIC RECOMMENDATIONS pt3

1st list (here) 2nd list (here)

As my obsession continues I’m back with another Destiel fanfic recommendations list.

Per usual most of them are top!Cas (in this house we only read explicit/mature fics). Long, smutty, sometimes fluffy, angsty stories I’ve read recently.

This time I decided to add a little blurb to each one for y’all (basically what I liked the most, what to expect etc)

(random order)

1. Redux by emmbrancsxx0, valleydean (emmbrancsxx0)

This one is amazing af. It’s like Supernatural in early seasons (when the writing was still good), but sometimes ever better. Each chapter is like an episode with a twisty plot and amazing writing. Every character is portrayed so accurately I feel like I’m reading actual ep of the show. Be warned, it’s a long one (387k words), however it’s brilliant and definitely worth checking it out. Domestic fluff and goofs between Cas and Dean are hilarious. And Cas is horny mofo who likes using his grace to fuck with Dean (I mean literally hehe)

2. Pizza Cats & Rainbow Flags by FriendofCarlotta

Love story of closeted librarian Dean and confident pastor Castiel. It has everything – denial, fluff, comedic moments, but in the end – it’s happy. Overcoming your insecurities and finally standing up for oneself. Lovely gesture brings them closer to each other to fight all the homophobic assholes of this world. (35k words)

3. Vibrato by tiamatv

Probably my favourite read in a long while. Devoured it in one sitting. Vampire!Cas is such a sweetheart, but a badass too. Author did an amazing job capturing the angst and fluff between them. It has some dark themes and it made me tear up at times. I would call this a perfectly balanced fic with a lot of hearty feels. Would give a lot more details, but don’t want to spoil the joy of finding them yourselves. DEFINITELY CHECK THIS ONE OUT 10/10, would recommend. (69k words)

4. In The Flesh? by beingforcedtolivebadwriting

Unexpected, but worthwhile read (it was on my “to read” tab for quite awhile, cause I wasn’t sure if I wanted to commit or not and at that point it was unfinished). It’s very entertaining and has a lot of comedic/jokey moments. Strange soul bond unite demon!Cas and hunter!Dean, so they start a weird friendship and kill monsters together. In the end, they fall for each other. Gotta say, both Dean and Cas are written a bit different than we know them on the show. Dean is more in touch with his feeling and Cas reminds me of Balthazar (his quirks, attitude, bratty behaviour). As I said, somewhat different, but for sure entertaining read. (90k words)

5. the home we make together by vaudelin

A fix-it fic. Read a lot of those after the finale. But this one intrigued me more than usual. After Cas died, Dean went out and built a life with baby Jack. Not getting any peace Dean decides to rescue Cas from the empty. It works, but they get stuck together managing parenting, their own feelings and everyone around them. It’s actually rather touching. Felt a lot when reading and still keep thinking about it. (48k words)

6. American Rebels by ValandraWrites

Uff. Very hot. Very nice (hehe). Rebel student Cas meets professor Dean. Usually I prefer other way around (prof Cas is everything… *salivating*) but this switch up brought me a lot of joy. Cas is confident and gives no fucks, while Dean is more shy and wants to stay in the closet. Their burgeoning relationship is rocky, however they help each other to figure things out while being uncertain of their future. (78k words)

7. No place I'd rather be by zation

Innocent dad Cas is sometimes all I need in this world. And this fic has him. Dean moves next door with his son Ben and soon befriends Cas, a single dad who has difficult relationships with his ex-wife. Dean ever so helpful lends a supporting hand and develops a crush on his straight neighbour. When secret is revealed Cas is stumped. But soon realises he feels more for Dean. Both sons develop a brotherly connection, which brings their dads together even more. (68k words)

8. The Memory of Love Always Remains by Rex_Writes

It’s quite sweet. Dean loses memory and doesn’t know how he ended up dating his crush. Lost of flashbacks and trying figure out what happened. Cas, now totally in love with Dean, is struggling, but persistent in his need to help Dean remember everything. Found this fic compelling and a great read when I was feeling down. (99k words)

That’s it. Shorter list than usual, but with the new job I find less time to search and find the gems. Also most of the fics I’m reading now are still incomplete, and I know people like them finished. However, I’ll be making another list when they complete, cause boy oh boy, some of these fics are out of this world.

Stay strong and stay reading! Peace out

P.S if you have any fics to suggest, send them my way

[sblacksvelvet]

wolfstar muggle au fic rec

a long time coming, expertly compiled list of the most essential, very best, must-read wolfstar muggle aus (in my opinion)

guaranteed to be: fabulously well-written, sometimes heartwrenching, often heartwarming and well placed to fix any canon related trauma

Beneath a Big Blue Sky by eyra

The four-by-four heaves its way down long, twisting lanes, little more than dirt tracks scuffed into the surrounding fields and hemmed in by serpentine walls of flat, grey stone. They truly are in the middle of nowhere: the countryside rushes past, all rolling green hills and vast, endless skies, and it's odious. Sirius wants to murder James with his bare hands.

Sirius and James accidentally find themselves on a Yorkshire farm during lambing season. The farmer’s son thinks that’s a bit annoying, actually.

starting off with a very, very sweet choice. this one is the PERFECT cure to post-canon heartbreak. warms you right up on the inside. eyra is such a special writer, always up for changing things around and somehow always nailing her characters perfectly. plonking sirius and remus on a farm and making it work should be a challenge, but it works brilliantly - you'll still feel like you know these boys, and you'll probably finish loving them even more.

How Remus Got His Groove Back by RealityShowJunky

After two years of noncommittal sex:

Remus tells Sirius that he loves him. Sirius firmly rejects him. Remus tries to move on. Sirius is not happy.

OR

Remus Lupin becomes king of the cockroaches, Fabian Prewett writes a book, Gilderoy Lockhart is a catfish, and Sirius Black realizes he's a fucking idiot.

a classic for good reason. i do always think remus and sirius look slightly different than we typically see them in today’s era - but don't let this put you off! if you haven't read it yet - this is so good! very rom-com, very gorgeous and nice and light-hearted whilst also having really brilliant character development. the marauders as a group are fantastic - and we get baby harry! he's the star of the show, really. realityshowjunky is really a remus stan - as she should be - so he’s rather great here. you’ll probably re-read 900x as I have, if you haven't already.

Just what the doctor ordered by WrappedUp

This is the story of how Sirius Black finds a dog.

Except, it's not really that.

This is the story of how Sirius Black finds a dog and meets a skilled veterinary surgeon with crinkly eyes and dimples in his cheeks.

Except, that's not really it either.

This is the story of how Sirius black finds a dog, meets a skilled veterinary surgeon with crinkly eyes and dimples in his cheeks, and grows the fuck up (at least a little bit).

i almost have no words for this one. simply couldn't recommend it enough. my favourite fic by my favourite fic author. she's had 3 works out since i read this one and discovered her and i’ve honestly hung off her every word since, checking for updates like its my full time job. warning for an age difference, but sirius himself is the younger at 25 - so nothing untoward! this is likely my favourite sirius black rendition ever and it truly encapsulates how i see him. 

general comment on wrappedup: i reckon very few authors can compare to her on both vibe and characterisations. you’ll see what i mean, if you're like me and become inspired to live a relatively simple wonderful life in bristol with your best mates and a local pub as your keys to happiness after reading this fic. 

(also read her current wip, its bloody brilliant)

Sweater Weather by lumosinlove

Remus works for the Gryffindor Lions as a physical trainer, and has been half in love with Sirius Black, the Lions' heartthrob captain, for a while now, but he never expected Sirius to return the feelings. 

a controversial pick by tiktok’s standards but i sort of think that's all bollocks? this is great - just don’t read it if you don’t like smut or are under 18. it is a slightly different one, since it doesn't really have a marauders cast as you might anticipate and there are lots of oc’s along with a few of our favourites, however you will come to love love love the oc’s. sort of feels like it’s own story. i really do think it's worth a read - its so, so very feel good and you will DEFINITELY develop an ice hockey obsession (i now have two jerseys of my own, and they are not cheap).

a brief history of dragons by eyra

It's lovely up here; all meadows dotted with wildflowers, wind-beaten tracks criss-crossing this way and that through the fields, weaving inland to the pinewoods. The sun's hot on his back as he passes ramshackle stone walls, long since crumbled to piles of ancient rubble and scree, and then the path winds downwards, still following the line of the coast until Sirius finds himself outside an old white cottage, tucked away behind the hill with a rose garden that faces out to the sea.

Sirius moves to Cornwall for the summer and meets a rude, beautiful boy who is writing a book that may or may not be about dragons.

another eyra choice! i do love her. this one feels slightly less on the nose marauders in terms of familiarity than beneath a big blue sky, but it is no less lovely. might be even more lovely, and its certainly a special read if you like soft boys and soft feelings. who doesn't though? its a shorty and you might cry of affection- go read it.

Dear Your Holiness by MollyMaryMarie

During the week of his father's funeral, Sirius Black meets an unusual priest and offers to help write Orion Black's eulogy. At the same time, he's started texting a mysterious bass player from a pop-punk band that he accidentally swapped phones with. Eventually, the conversations between the two start to blur together and Sirius has trouble trying to decide which one he's falling for the hardest.

absolute a+ sexual tension in this one, folks. such a great concept, and super different! loved the characterisations of everyone, and having teddy be a part of it all is very sweet. a very cool read and a recent favourite!

bonus jegulus recs! 

Crimson Rivers by zeppazariel

Regulus Black was fifteen the first time his name was called at a reaping. He's twenty-five when it happens to him again. A lot has changed in that time, and one of them is that he's ready to do whatever it takes to make it home. Nothing or no one will stop him, not even James Potter.

James Potter has no plans to stop Regulus Black from making it home. In fact, his plans revolve around the opposite. He has his reasons, but he's made his choice to get Regulus out of the arena, even knowing it'll be the last thing he ever does.

Sirius Black was sixteen when he volunteered to take his little brother's place in the arena. At twenty-six, without the option to do it again, he has no choice but to be a mentor to his brother and best friend, knowing that only one of them can make it back out.

Two names called, a mentor on the verge of falling apart, and more secrets and grief between all of them than they know how to handle. None of them are prepared for what comes next, or how far they'll go to make it through.

as per, a big favourite already for most of us. if you haven't heard how good this is then let me tell you - get on this shit, its making for such a good wip!! each update is so exciting and the suspense and slow burn is fabulous. plus the wolfstar is as good and as important as the jegulus!! zeppazariel can do no wrong. go go go!

when you were mine by battlehamster

Regulus shattered James' heart the day he chose the Black family over the future they could have built together, and James was left witnessing from afar as Regulus turned into the monster his mother raised him to be. Six years later, Regulus storms back into his life after the Black Empire gets torn to pieces in the wake of what is arguably one of the biggest financial crime scandals in Britain's recent history.

But James is a man now, a man with a life he built for himself, and he won't let Regulus destroy him all over again.

oh my! this one makes me soft, its soooooo good. another wip. it is still strange to me to read jegulus fics with depictions of good malfoy/black family members since ive never dabbled in drarry, but don't let that, or the hints of lily bashing, put you off - it all makes sense! we get some great black brother bonding, baby harry and draco, established married wolfstar (who makes me die) and a full blown slow burn, second chance pine. its lovely.