#it feels very comic book-y too which is a feat

[abadpoetwithdreams]

Dbd is very Sandman crossed w Pushing Daisies in its vibe/pacing/dialogue styling which means, u know, very good for ME

[qnewslgbtiqa]

A queer F.L.Y. on the wall during Lockdown

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/a-queer-f-l-y-on-the-wall-during-lockdown/

A queer F.L.Y. on the wall during Lockdown

F.L.Y. is a slice-of-life comedy about two exes turned friends, Max and Rafael, who get stuck together at the onset of the COVID pandemic after not seeing each other in years and stars Rafael Albarran and Trent Kendrick who also wrote the film and co-directed it.

They spoke to QNews in an exclusive interview in the lead up to F.L.Y. having its International premiere at the Mardi Gras Film Festival on Friday.

QNEWS: How did you two originally meet and how did you decide to write a movie together?

TRENT: We serendipitously met on 02/02/2020 on the dance floor. After Raf gifted me a book of poetry he wrote I instinctively knew we could write together. I had also been looking to write a film that was contained and could be made with a small budget. Soon after meeting, the pandemic hit while I was dog sitting and the idea naturally flowed from there.

RAFAEL: Trent kidnapped me and took me to a cabin in the mountains of Colorado after they announced the COVID lockdown. It was just him and I and no internet. I’ve always been a writer but never had written a script myself so F.L.Y. was meant to be that writing exercise for Trent to teach me screenwriting. After the first draft was done I told him we needed to actually make it happen. I think Trent didn’t believe we could make it happen till the day of our World Premiere at Outfest Film Festival in LA.

-What’s it like acting as the leads in a film that you’re also both co-directing and were there any funny moments around that?

TRENT: I’m a director but had not professionally acted and Raf is an actor but had not directed. We just trusted each other so much going into it. I will say it was a lot to have to perform in front of the camera for the first time while simultaneously juggling so much behind the scenes. There were many “tests” along the way that in hindsight are quite comical, like the day I chipped my front tooth midway through shooting. We had to emergency fix it the next morning to avoid major continuity issues. We were just dealing with so much outside every single take to pull the whole thing off. We joke that we could make another feature about the “making of” this one. Sidenote, Raf also did costumes which is a feat in itself.

RAFAEL: It felt like playing most of the time. I’ve been an actor all my life so that was something that I was very comfortable with. It was funny to me sometimes when Trent was having trouble with a specific line or a scene. I would direct him through my acting whenever we were shooting his close-ups and as a director/actor this was trippy and fun for me. -Max, the main character of the film is someone who is very straight acting and quite traumatised about being perceived as camp or being put in the spotlight. Why was that something you wanted to explore in the film?

RAFAEL: As a community and a society we’re all trapped in the binary walls created by our cisgender culture. There’s a freedom drag queens and gender non conforming humans possess as they are constantly revolting against it or playing with it. For us it was important to tell a story of the journey to authenticity and the freedom that comes when we put down those walls.

TRENT: I think there are many people like Max who don’t always feel represented in the gay community or by gay culture. I think we need to expand our ideas of what it means to be gay or who can be gay. We’re all so different and unique- if anything I think we need to be careful of too much homogeneity within the gay community. There are a lot of “straight acting” guys who are totally gay and are not “acting” at all.

-That part of the character resonated for me as someone who has PTSD as drag performers do have this tendency to pick uncomfortable looking people and pull them up on stage so I usually hide at the back. It’s not just the fear of being put in the spotlight as someone with a social phobia but also a fear of being perceived as prejudiced against camp gay men or drag queens if I refuse to participate when I actually do enjoy the other aspects of drag shows.The one time it did happen to me, my friend and I were virtually the only people in the audience and the drag queen got me to soap down an underwear model in speedos so that wasn’t so bad but I still live in fear! Do you think drag performers should be more mindful of that?

RAFAEL: As a drag queen I always say you should always be aware of how your actions are affecting your audience but also as a drag queen I know we are clowns that are here to push boundaries and show that sense of freedom and joy that you came to be entertained with. So my advice to a fearful human is to be aware that you’re entering at your own risk to this clown show!

TRENT: I think you have to meet people where they are and encourage them to have fun and blossom without being overly forceful. It’s important to respect people’s boundaries, we might’ve carried enough trauma already.

-The film focuses on two characters who were once romantic interests but are now friends. It’s very common for gay men to be friends with their exes or people they have slept with – almost to the point that it can be hard making friends with people that you haven’t slept with. Why do you think that is?

TRENT: Yeah, I’ve noticed that in my own life too. Some of my closest friends are exes. I think when you’re gay, intimacy is shared in more casual ways and then we find some of our chosen family through those connections. But I do have to say I’ve also found it difficult to make friends with other gay guys if one person is interested sexually and the other is not. That feeling of rejection might have something to do with why it can be hard to make platonic gay friends.

RAFAEL: I personally think that’s a strength from our community. Sex is either shamed or romanticised by straight cis culture when in reality sex can be many things. It can be a way to get closer to a human without any end goal more than that of getting closer and enjoying the pleasure of one another. In queer culture this is normalised in ways that it isn’t in straight circles and in my opinion this can be healthy and make stronger bonds as an effect of it. As queer humans, a lot of our first friends or chosen family members are lovers. For us it was important to tell a story about the importance of that chosen family. When shit goes down we have each other’s back and love doesn’t have one face, it’s infinite and there’s space in it for all sorts of love and relationships.

-I’ve sometimes found it hard to make friends with guys that I have no sexual history with, even when we’re both tops. Do you think maybe there’s an inherent sexual tension between gay men in the early stages of friendship even when they both aren’t interested in sleeping together?

RAFAEL: There’s sexual desire and tensions between all sorts of humans. Every human regardless of gender or sex holds sexual energy. We just happen to act more on it than straight or other humans because of our circles and culture. But trust me everyone wants to sleep with everyone. And we all should!

-The main characters in the film are trapped together when COVID hits and they have to go into lockdown. And there are so many aspects about that that were really universal experiences that will ring true to Australian Audiences like Tiger King and the phenomenon of toilet paper hoarding. Why do you think there were these sorts of crazes that ripped around the whole world during the pandemic?

TRENT: Short answer… because we were all stuck inside with nothing to do. One of those jokes that we really loved when we were wrote the script was when Raf asks Max “What day is it?” and Max responds, “April. Still April.” Do you remember when April dragged on for like five years? We really wanted to capture the zeitgeist of the time. One thing I wish we had included the washing of groceries, which many people did, myself included.

RAFAEL: We were writing the movie as soon as lockdown happened so I think we were capturing the moment because it was happening to us as we wrote it! Makes me happy you felt it. As the hoarding comes it just tells you so much about the human race and our relationship with fear. We often act from a place of lack instead of abundance and we definitely wanted to make fun and show this universal quality we all shared in that specific moment in time.

-One thing that will be different for Australians is how present the fear of dying from COVID is for the characters in the film and the people that are dear to them. Could you talk about that?

RAFAEL: Lots of people lost loved ones during COVID and it was impossible to have funerals at the time because of it. We wanted to pay tribute and show love to all those families that experienced loss during COVID lockdown.

TRENT: People were on edge in America in the beginning as the virus started spreading. Everyone was paranoid about COVID because there were so many stories of people dying. We didn’t feel like we would do the period justice without working in the story of loss and grief.

-The actresses who play Rafael’s grandmother and mother almost steal the show even though they mostly only appear in video calls. How did you find them and did they know each other before the movie?

TRENT: That was all Raf reaching out to his connections in Puerto Rico. They really do steal the show! There were a few more scenes with them that we had to cut, including an entire scene in Puerto Rico at Raf’s family house in the beginning. That was a real bummer to remove but in filmmaking, as they say, you lose babies along the way.

RAFAEL: They had never worked together! The actress that played Mama Yoly was my first acting teacher in college and it was so special for me to have her in my first movie as a writer/director. The actress that played my grandmother was submitted by one of Puerto Rico’s leading casting directors, my very good friend Patricia Alonso. When I sent her the character breakdown asking her for help because we were struggling to find her she immediately told me with confidence “This can be my mother! Send me a scene and I’ll send you a video of her!” And that’s all it took. They were perfect and we are so lucky to have them.

-Writer-director-actor Rafael Albarran will be in attendance for a Q&A after the film when it screens on 6.30pm on Friday, February 23 at the Ritz Cinemas in Randwick

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[aotopmha]

So I finally watched the first live action Sonic movie.

My very first thought upon finishing it is that it's kind of a miracle I didn't completely hate how Sonic's design looked.

Even after the redesign, I always felt like it still looked wierd in all of the screenshots I saw.

And having seen the movie, I think it still is somewhat wierd, but it's not completely repulsive, which I think is a pretty impressive feat because I feel like no matter what is done, it's never going to look completely good due to the nature of Sonic character designs in general.

I feel like they will never look 'great' in live action.

But there are four other main things that made this movie a pretty nice kids' movie and a neat Sonic movie in my eyes.

1) I like that the popculture references are made a part of Sonic's character. He actually likes comic books and movies, so it makes sense he references them.

This is one of the biggest issues I generally have with comic book/action/family movies: the quipping is there just for the sake of quipping and some of it is still there here, but it's not a replacement for characterisation.

All of the characters get to talk in sentences that aren't just about referencing some other media.

2) I like that the movie points out how bizzare the Sonic universe is and treats Sonic as a character to be wierd and I like that it has fun with this really wierd foundation for a story.

Because honestly, this series can go into unpleasant uncanny valley territory really quick if the tone is handled in certain specific ways.

It's good-natured about it, too.

I like how Sonic's even intentionally supposed to be a little annoying and tryhard in characterisation. It sort of contextualises the dated aspects of his character in a fun way.

He's a lonely kid character who has lived in isolation for a while because he's a strange creature from an alien planet and learned to interact with others based on his observations of them. Stemming from this...

3) This movie is a product movie, but doesn't entirely feel like it. I feel like there is sincerety behind it you don't see much for 'product' movies like these.

As I said, this movie gave an heart to what I view at this point to be the most plastic and product-y aspect of Sonic's character: his 'attitude' and 'coolness'.

But it also gave honest and fun characterisation for Tom and Robotnik.

It's been a good while since even the games have had a sincere story told with Sonic.

I like the tonal direction after Sonic 06 and much prefer the more light-hearted story direction the games take after that, but the actual writing isn't very good around them.

It's been pretty empty and plastic since Generations, especially.

Colours and Generations were just quips and jokes, but I think there was still some sincere fun in there.

But I think this movie is a good comparison companion to Colours especially because Colours sort of tried to do the 'Sonic is strange' element, too, but I think wasn't as good with it.

It's just that while the Sonic games started to have pretty dumb writing since they went 3D, there are ways to make dumb fun.

This is why Shadow and 06 are still probably my least favourites on a writing level.

They tried to take themselves seriously in the same way everything after Generations has been light-hearted; it felt like it was really forced and unnatural.

I think it wasn't just that it's a blue hedgehog that the story centers around that bothered people when the games started to have darker stories, it's that the games were trying so hard to make you either take themselves really seriously or later, starting with Colours, make you laugh.

And I think this aspect still somewhat shone through in this movie in moments, but I think it was still much more just trying to tell a story like Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 than it was Shadow, 06, Lost World or Forces, which were trying very hard to be something.

4) I think this movie did a great job at adaptation in the sense that it did its own thing while also staying true to the source material.

It's Sonic the Hedgehog, but its own take and that's one of my favourite things to happen with any media because it can offer a new perspective on an old story and I think that can be really fun.

Because in the games or the cartoons I've seen, Sonic doesn't generally have insecurities or isn't socially wierd or anything like that. Sonic doesn't have much of a character arc, but this context would allow him to have one.

In this movie, his main thing is finding a friend, but these more, maybe serious elements are executed in just the right way where they fit in without, again trying too hard to push any kind of feeling on to the viewer. It's just trying to tell its own story with this bizzare universe.

It's all cool.

My final observation is that this movie really reminds me of dumb 90s action/family movies like Space Jam and I feel there is a specific feeling of fun about them I like, with even the bad ones and this movie had it.

Maybe it's Jim Carrey, who was a bunch of fun, but this had this specific nostalgia to it to me without the very annoying parts.

Ultimately I personally think this movie was just fine, but I feel it's still a pretty well-made kids' movie and I absolutely get it why people would love it.

It wouldn't surprise me if some kids who watched this movie would remember it fondly when they grow up 10 or 20 years from now or checked out the games after watching this movie.

But I've seen many of these types of stories before and it doesn't anything particularly special or new to me, so for me it's just fine.

(Which I never expected to say. So many things could've gone wrong here, but the live action Sonic movie turning out fine is something I did not expect to say at all.)

[soradragon]

Prank full of love

Dwalin here! Woooo!! changed my style a bit to fit with the type of genre this is, this is a comedy x reader fic. I’m very proud.

Also, thank you my sweet @deepestfirefun​ for helping me out! And Thank you my beta reader for helping me out! I love you!

Warnings: cursing, shirtless dwarf (wink wonk) and fluff with a sprinkle of angst

Dwalin x F! reader,  mentions of bagginshield

Check out my main masterlist if you liked what you read and wanna read more!

If you want to be tagged in the upcoming fics don’t be afraid to ask me! ^^

Please, if you liked the story leave a little comment to let me know you liked it!

Anyway, enjoy^^

~~~~~~

"You..!"

A deep, threatening and rough voice bounced against the walls of the passages. 

Not much further ahead was a woman, pushing a man of what looked like a high status to the side. She was running like a madwoman, fleeing from what people would think; the devil. 

That woman is you. Yes you; surprising, isn't it? 

What did you do to get yourself ending up in this peculiar predicament, you probably wonder?

Well then, no need to look further nor to scroll down to nitpick every sentence in this story to make even the slightest sense of what's going on in this world of chaos. It shall all be explained right here and now! 

If you didn't care nor wonder what, how, and why this all happened, then too bad! You have no power over this story! Haha, take that!

Ahem, anyway...It all happened at a feast around midnight before all this chaos came to be.

*(*)*(*)*

Fili and Kili dragged you with them. The blonde prince led the way as the younger brother pulled you with them.

They had been spouting stuff about "the greatest idea ever." and "going in the history books for being the legendary mischief-makers." Or something like that. You didn't really listen, like at all, only perking up and paying a biiit more attention when they mentioned 'you' and 'food.'

Were you getting an all-you-can-eat-buffet?

Aww, such sweethearts! They shouldn't have.

Weelll, you did deserve it, after all. Going along on this journey and defeating a dragon is not an easy feat. They should make you an entire statue while they're at it! 

Yes, one right next to the entrance so all visitors and passers-by could see you and know of your magnificent and heroic deeds.

You mentally patted yourself on the back. The look on your face was a mix of smugness and pride.

But you were forgetting one small itty bitty detail (or two) in your only sliiightly intoxicated state:

You weren't the sole hero who slew the dragon. You already got your fair share of the reward: a high status in the kingdom - a place in the High Court of the company who went on that dragon-slaying quest - and a luxurious comfy home included. And not to forget the gold you were promised. Thorin also offered work in a high place in the kingdom like a royal scholar or something, but you gracefully declined. You liked working in the toy shop with Bofur and Bifur - so...no statue for you.

But you didn't remember that.

You snapped out of your daydreams when Fili softly helped you to sit down on your bed. 

How did you get here in the first place?

"Are you alright Y/N?"

Fili or Kili, you don't know which one as they looked the same to you at the moment, wiggling in front of you with their two clones.

When did they become a quadruplet?

"Y/N?"

Oh yeah, you still needed to answer them. 

"...'M fiiinee."

You managed to slur out with difficulty, sleepiness slowly taking over. The brain cells were already going to bed, leaving behind a heavily drunken brain to operate the whole system.

What could go wrong, am I right?

...A lot.

*(*)*(*)*

"Ugh, stupid hangover..."

You moaned, resting your chin on the edge of the bucket pathetically.

You felt like you died and came back to life again, moaning over a bucket you desperately tried not to look into, for you knew the meal you had yesterday would not be a pretty sight.

At least you could tell what was up and down...yay for you...

You didn’t forget that you had somehow convinced Fili and Kili you were really fine and totally not wasted. How was beyond you, and you were not in the mood to figure it out.

Maybe they were also drunk or just took advantage of your pickled state. Yeah, they would do that to guilt-trip you into going along with their prank. They knew you never break a promise, even if you made it in your totally half-sober state. They were too cunning for their own and others’ - mostly others’ - good.

Anyway, somehow (not surprisingly) without knowing what you were getting into, you had nodded along with everything they had said. 

You vaguely remember Kili or Fili tucking you in and saying goodnight. 

Note to self: Never try to win against Bofur - or any dwarf for that matter - in a drinking match ever again.

You chastised yourself while staggering towards your wardrobe.  How late would Fili or Kili pick you up to set his prank in motion? You didn’t even care which one it was - you hated them both at the moment...Okay, who are you kidding; you would do the same thing again in a heartbeat for either of them. And of course, they would give poor little you the hardest and most dangerous job to fulfil... Great. Just peachy.

Sigh.

Let's get this whole shenanigan over with, dammit. They’d better sing tales and praises about you once this is over. 

Not long after you put some clothes on, The two brothers barged into your chamber, loud and boisterous as ever. How they both could be so lively in the morning (with probably a hangover too) was beyond you.

"...Stupid dwarf genes..."

You mumbled to yourself as you let the two princes drag you to the training hall with their arms hooked around yours on either side. 

You felt dread pool inside your stomach as you got closer to the training hall. 

Now, normally you loved the training hall. After all, it was the front row seat to a heavenly sight of young warriors and their amazing muscles being put to use in a workout. Not to forget there was one dwarf in particular who you just loved to watch while he flexed his muscles by throwing other dwarves around.

But right now, you feared it with a burning passion, for that place was undoubtedly the place where you would meet your inevitable doom.

"Don't worry dear Y/N, it's gonna be fun!"

Kili spoke up happily, seeming to notice your unease Oh, how you would love to give him the big finger. But knowing Kili, he would drop you for the fun of it and make a whole drama show out of it, gasping and acting like a stereotypical blonde rich girl, one who just overheard the most scandalous gossip about herself. You cursed yourself for showing Kili how to be a true drama queen. (Prince, in his case, but you get the point.) The traitor uses all those tricks against you every chance he gets. You could just kick yourself for being so stupid to show him the ropes. What's worse is that if you would put Kili in a dress he would be the definition of a diva! How he does it? 

No one knows!

Why couldn't you just say no and walk away?

"Because you're too nice to leave your favourite dwarves hanging, Y/N. You promised you would help." Kili said. Technically, your autopilot did, not you. Unfortunately for you, Kili was right. You wouldn't leave him hanging. 

You glared at Kili and the stupid cheeky grin he gave you. You would have rolled your eyes at him if that wouldn't hurt as much as it did, so you decided to roll your eyes mentally instead.

Wait...did you just say that out loud?

"Yes, yes you did."

"Fu-"

*(*)*(*)*

After what seemed like ages Fili and Kili had finally managed to drag your miserable self to the big wooden doors of the training hall. You had given up the struggle after the longest ten minutes of your life, deciding to formulate a master escape plan before you would reach the training halls. Unfortunately for you, it was too late. You threw your carefully thought-out plan down the drain when Kili accidentally slammed the door against the wall too loud when he kicked it open with his boot.

Still having his arm looped around your's, mind you.

Everyone and everything quieted down for just a moment. Heads turned towards the entrance where they were all, no doubt about it, greeted with a comical sight. 

Fili and Kili, obnoxious as always and wicked smiles on their faces (and everyone who even remotely knew the young princes, grasped that the two were up to no good.) 

dragged a very anxious looking you with them. One would guess you were about to be sacrificed as a dragon's dinner.  Which you were, in your opinion.

"Come on Y/N,  time to teach you how to disarm opponents," Fili said, leading the way to a part of the area where a couple of young dwarves were thrown on the ground by one dwarf in particular, one you came to recognise as the hottest and grumpiest dwarf in all of Grump Town. And oh boy, you were not ready to get destroyed by him, and you showed it, too, pulling and protesting and cursing at everything that lived.

How you wished you could tell people that you managed to free yourself from the boy's grasp and run for the hills. 

Sadly, that wish didn't come true; God hated you or something, for Fili and Kili  - those little rascals - managed to push you right into Dwalin. 

You didn't know if Dwalin catching you was a blessing or a curse. What you did know, however, was that you most definitely were blushing, if your burning cheeks were anything to go off of.

Dwalin was shirtless... His strong, hairy arms encircled your waist delicately, and you were practically pressed against his chest...

Against his strong, warm and bushy dwarven chest.

The scent of sweat, smoke and a vague hint of cookie dough entered your nose, and it strangely made you feel at home.

You were a goner, yep completely gone, nobody's home. Come back later or leave a message after the beep for Y/N dot exe has stopped working and took a vacation to cloud nine.

Sadly, your cloud nine had been sucked away too quickly by the dwarf himself who put you there in the first place. 

Dwalin, being the grump that he is, grunted at you and pushed you back on your feet as if you had burned him! 

"Rude much," you grumbled once you managed to keep your balance, dusting yourself off.

Dwalin (the ass) only grunted in return. Him and his damn grunts. 

You ain't special enough for him to form a full sentence for you, now?

Fine, if he was gonna play it that way then, you were gonna give it to him back tenfold.

Screw consequences, the dick deserved this. You were gonna go all out. 

You turned around and stuck your tongue out like a real child woman.

Fili and Kili started to giggle behind you, getting quiet real quick when they saw Dwalin glaring daggers at them. 

You marched towards the two princes, whispering four words as you moved past them. 

"Let's do this shit." 

The boys definitely heard you, for their grins turned wicked. 

One glance and you knew what was about to come. If being the two princes’ guinea pig for pranks with poor Bilbo the entire journey taught you anything, it would be to recognize the twinkle in their eyes. 

It spoke in volumes louder than any dragon could roar; chaos was about to unfold, both in their brains (as they looked each other in the eye) and soon, in reality. You looked slightly over your shoulder. 

Yeah, they were scheming alright, communicating with that brotherly bond they share or something. 

Watch out Dwalin:

This. Is. War.

*(*)*(*)*

ShitshitshitshitSHIT!

Oh, how you came to regret tripping Dwalin up. In your defence, it wasn't your fault that he couldn't take his dark eyes off of you when you pulled your shirt off because the heat was getting too hot to handle. 

Wink wonk.

Hey, at least you wore a white undershirt. One which clung to your breasts tightly. Yeah, that'll give him something to look at.

Anyway! 

It wasn't your fault, either, when Dwalin marched towards you with purpose in his steps when you bent over to grab a dagger off the ground, showing him your assets in the process.

It was his fault, really! He should've noticed that Fili and Kili were waiting for him to stand on the grey X. And now you were running for your life with a very, very angry dwarf (who was covered in white glue and colourful feathers) on your heels. Thanks for everything, Kili. Thanks for shrieking out, "Y/N planned it!" The moment Dwalin glared at them...

The snitch.

You pushed dwarves to the side as you ran for your life, screaming sorry as you went, because you are a polite gentlelady. Dwarves watched you go with wide eyes, confused as heck as Dwalin stormed past them not long after.

Most of the time, you were glad they made the hallways mainly one straight line, but now? You cursed its existence and its creator.

There was unquestionably no doubt about it that Dwalin would catch up. Curse you and your hate of exercise.

You should have taken Gloin's offer of jogging with him when you had the chance, but Bombur's pastries were too tempting to pass up on at the time.

And now here you were, fleeing like the devil was behind you, with burning lungs and protesting legs. You were afraid to glance back; you could almost feel your pursuer’s breath go down your neck. You silently prayed to all the deities above and beneath you to help you out, and it seemed one took pity on your little mortal soul. For the moment you finished your prayer, you were rewarded with two things: two dwarves carrying barrels, and a small corridor you almost missed if it hadn't been for someone came out of said corridor. 

You took the opportunity without hesitation and slammed against the two unexpecting dwarves, who dropped the barrels in surprise. You managed to slip past them before the barrels hit the ground - like freaking Indiana Jones - skidding through the corridor with a sharp turn. 

Without a second wasted, you pressed yourself against the wall like a ninja on a mission and held your breath. This was the moment of truth. There were two possibilities: either Dwalin wasn't fooled by the stunt, or he runs right by you. You prayed for the latter.

Lo and behold, for your prayers have been answered again! The deities really loved you at this moment, or just had lots of pity for you.

Dwalin ran past the corridor.

You let out the biggest sigh of relief in your life Patting yourself on the back, you turned around with a smile... Only to come face to face with the king of the mountain. The smug-ass had a knowing smirk on his face.

Shitpopcicles...

"Why are you so out of breath Y/N? You look as if a warg was on your heels." the smirk faltered as Thorin rubbed at his chin as if he were thinking. 

The grin returned tenfold. "Is a certain dwarf chasing you, perhaps...?" His voice was teasing; he dang well knew why.

Oh, how you wished you could smack that smirk off his face, but sadly that was not a good idea. The bugger knows about your crush on Dwalin and teases you often. 

He found out about it during the journey and he had always put you and Dwalin on watch together. 

He shipped it, you just knew he did.

You pointed a threatening finger towards him. "Watch out, boy." You were close enough to Thorin to be the only one allowed to do something like this.

"Or this little lady won't hesitate to tell the whole damn mountain and a certain someone that you have a crush on a certain hobbit."

His face stayed the same - stoic and not moving - but you saw it at his softly reddening cheeks that your suspicions had been right. You grinned victoriously at Thorin, who stood there without uttering a word. Serves him right! Now you had blackmail. Internally, you were cackling evilly.

Your body froze while Thorin opened his mouth to speak. You felt as if Hell had just frozen over for that's when you heard it:

"You...!"

It sounded like thunder rumbling. Deep, rough and threatening. You would have totally been turned on if you weren't scared for your life. 

Dwarfzilla was coming...

Without noticing it, you pushed Thorin to the side and ran like a madwoman. This is how it all happened. Now you're all caught up, so let's continue.

Fili and Kili had better sing tales about you after this.

You turned many corners and hallways, zooming past Dwarves who flushed themselves against the narrow walls in haste as you ran past them.

Some of them called out to you, but you couldn't hear what they said; Being chased doesn't really give you the time to stop and listen to what they had to say, now does it?

At one point, you began to notice the path becoming disproportionate and rough. Stones stuck out of the floor and walls. You tripped over a couple of those, those little buggers. Soon, it was as if you weren't in a hallway anymore, but in a cave instead.

Dwalin had been calling out to you after a while of running through the cave-like hallway. But the thing was, he didn't sound angry anymore. 

He sounded worried, desperate even, which was very much out of character for Dwalin, to be honest...

Sadly, you hadn't had the time to realize why Dwalin acted the way he did before you dropped down a hole in the floor with a yelp. At least you found out why he was so concerned.

What a great day...

*(*)*(*)*

A short cry reverberated throughout the chamber, and a high pitched voice followed after.

"Could you be more gentle!?"

You glared at Dwalin, who like always, grunted his replies instead of talking like a normal Dwarf-being!

Though he did what you asked and rubbed the ointment on your bruises more gently, which felt like heaven on your sore skin...

You felt absolutely stupid, sitting on a wooden bench with Dwalin treating your bruises and wounds. (Oin was too busy to do it himself so he shoved ointment in Dwalin's hand. The other was holding you at that moment, for Dwalin wouldn't allow you to walk yourself. Oin said that Dwalin should do it before promptly leaving.) Dwalin had to pull you out of the hole, though he spoke more words than he had said to you this entire day. You counted that as a victory.

You still felt your heart flutter every time you thought about it: He had been extremely gentle, lifting you out of the hole with both his arms. Cradling you to his chest while muttering in dwarvish. Checking all over your body before caressing the back of your head and pressing it against his shoulder as he held you close. This time, you understood his mumbles: "Thank Mahal, yer safe," his voice was so quiet, wavering with raw emotion;

"never do anything like that ever again, ya hear me."

Dwalin was still shirtless and covered in glue and feathers during the entire ordeal.

Your heart had skipped multiple beats right then and there, cheeks flushed red. You had been trying to process those words the entire way to Oin. Still trying to figure out the meaning behind the words he uttered with such intensity.                

You were brought out of your trance by Dwalin tapping on your shoulder, you looked over to see him staring at you, "Lift yer left foot."

You did as he asked, lifting your foot. Dwalin grasped it gently in one hand as he removed the boot delicately. If this was in a different situation, it would have been very intimate. No, wait, scratch that; it's intimate even now, which was not good for your heart, which was doing summersaults inside your chest. Yep, you were screwed...

So badly, and heavenly screwed. 

Yet you couldn't find it in yourself to really mind.

Once Dwalin removed the boot and sock, he started to massage your foot with ointment, muttering to himself. "Why did ya let yerself be dragged in the princes' pranks."

It wasn't a question, but you answered anyway, "Those princes made me promise to help them out when I was drunk- don't look at me like that Dwalin! You know I never break promises, even if I made them while I was drunk."

He averted his eyes, stilling his ministrations slightly. "Ya need to learn to say no."

His voice was almost too soft to hear, but you did.

You huffed in return, "I'm getting better at it though! I said no to Fleder-Fledder something when he tried to get me to marry him!"

Dwalin chuckled, "Aye ya did. Ya kicked him good in the nuts."

"Well, he deserved it, I didn't even know him and wouldn't take no for an answer, so I had to make it clear." 

You grinned at Dwalin as he shook his head, a smirk on his face.

Your eyes turned soft, remembering how Dwalin had positioned himself between the man and you when the man tried to grab you by the neck. Your hero had glared at the man fiercely, threatening to gut him with his axe if he didn't take the hint and shove off.

The man had pissed himself before he had sprinted off, too scared to utter a single word.

You had hugged Dwalin to thank him and since then, he only acknowledged you with grunts... That was the day before the feast.

Balin had said not to take it personally, that Dwalin needed time to sort himself out. But damn was it hard to not take it to heart.

"Why did you do it?"

The dam broke, spilling your most inner thoughts. Fumbling with your fingers, you stared at the ground, missing the confused look on Dwalin's face. "What?"

"Why did you ignore me after I hugged you?"

You were not gonna beat around the bush with this one. You made your bed, and now you need to lie in it.

"You didn't acknowledge me for three days. Balin said to give you space, so I did. But damnit Dwalin, you ignored me for three days! Why?"

You didn't mean for your voice to crack when you looked him in the eyes. You didn't mean for the tear to slip past. Dwalin's eyes widened in return. Very slightly, but you noticed. He averted his gaze to the ground for a second, placing your foot down gently and then looked up into your eyes. 

"I...I got confused," he began, eyes full with emotions, some you couldn't even place. "I got confused...Emotions which I thought I had buried deep down, long ago resurfaced..." you blinked. Were his eyes getting glassy? 

"They resurfaced tenfold. I didn't know what to do or think… I didn't think," he grabbed your hand in his delicately, tracing the skin with his thumb, never taking his eyes off you even once. "I threw up my walls in a panic, I shouldn't have, but I did..." he took in a deep breath. "Hurting those dear to me." Dwalin pressed his lips against your hand, it was gentle and soft. Butterflies fluttered inside your stomach.

"Y/N, lass, I truly regret putting ya through such pain. Could you forgive this fool of a dwarf?" He whispered, staring at you with pleading eyes.

You did what everyone would do in this situation.

You hit him on the head and yelled, "you idiot!!" and slapped against his chest multiple times. "I thought you hated me...!" Dwalin grabbed you by the waist and raised you into the air without much problem. He stared into your eyes with passion as he uttered one word.

"Never."

The two of you were only a small length apart. Without hesitating, you closed the distance, pressing your lips against his. He passionately returned the kiss, both of you closing your eyes as you relished the feeling of each other.

Yeah, you were on cloud nine alright. The touch of Dwalin's hands holding you so gently set your skin aflame. You could get used to this.

Parting to gasp for air, you glanced at Dwalin's face. Eyes lidded, and mouth slightly open. You smirked then, leaning in, you brushed your lips lightly against his.

He groaned in return. 

"Yer doing things to me, lass," he pressed his head against yours, his eyes soft as he looked at you. "Be mine?"

You only nodded, leaning in for another kiss to seal the promise.

Yeah, today was a great day...

~~~~~

Thank you for reading! And keep soaring high!^^

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Sora’s Rambles!

If you are on a tag list of a fandom or requested something you will get notified for Sora's rambles. When I'm working on that fandom or request, i will post little ramblings about the story I'm working on, a sort of teaser if you will. If you don't want to be notified on Sora's rambles please let me know^^

[vivalaluciforever]

Everybody x Reader - Part One (Angst Warning)

Everybody knew what would happen. Everybody knew it would come. Of course, the end would come. The end is inevitable, but they never thought that it would come this fast. The end of the exchange program was here, and it was time for everyone to go home. Here are some background (inner) thoughts and feelings.

Lucifer:

It feels like a dream. The poor guy can't get a break. He feels like it's his duty to... subtly... hold everybody together. Top all of that off with the fact he's overworking himself to keep his mind off of you. Bad situation. His sleep schedule has once more declined, to a point that is even worse than it was before you left. He constantly sees, hears, and relates everything to you. He has always been hyper-vigilant of everything and everybody in the house. It made him feel like he could be in control and protect everybody, and you were no exception to the rules (well, you almost always were but he digresses). "(Y/N)... no... come back. I'm so sorry for everything. Please come back. You're the only one who I can truly love and trust. My pride is nothing when you're around. You are my walking pride, my love. Please come back... come home."

Mammon:

He's absolutely stopped in his tracks. He can't even comprehend that you're gone, and when he finally does it's not pretty. Lots and lots of tears. The house is going to be barren of kleenexes for a while. He goes out almost every day and gambles away what little he does have, but he doesn't care. It's something to do outside of the torture of the House of Lamentations. He also has a habit of getting himself drunk, and subsequently getting himself yelled at by Lucifer. His only comeback was that he couldn't handle the loss, and surprisingly Lucifer put a blanket around his shoulder and gently told him to go and sober up. "Nonononononononono! Stay! There's no need for you to go home! Isn't this your home too? Don'tcha wanna stay? We had so much fun! We can continue to have fun! Just... p-please... don't a-abandon me like everyone e-else."

Leviathan:

Levi's first reaction is to lock himself in his room and go into full denial. Eventually, he lets the cold exterior melt off and his true colors became fully transparent. Much like his brothers, he submerges himself in his activities: video games, comic cons updates, and other otaku-related things. He doesn't leave his room for days on end, and when he does it's only for food and water. He's jealous of every human who even gets to see your beautiful face in the human realm, but his biggest regret is never going out and doing anything with you. Even his precious Ruri-chan can't do anything to ease his heartache. "I-I don't c-care. Y-You're just a n-normie. It d-doesn't m-matter. I have p-plenty of friends o-online. I-I don't n-need y-you. I-I... need you. Please! Please! C-Come h-home! I-I still don't k-know so m-much about you. I-I should have been l-less selfish. I should have t-tried to g-get to know y-you b-better."

Satan:

(Goes into his bedroom and throws a major tantrum.) Basically, this man just lost his anger translator and when that happens... bad things happen. Once more Lucifer finds himself on the receiving end of pranks, but not normal pranks. His pranks become harsher, his anger showing through them. He has also raided the bookstore more times than Beel raided the kitchen fridge in the past year. Which is definitely an impressive feat in and of itself. You'll find that his precious book pages are covered in teardrop stains. You taught him to love, to be truly calm, and so much more. Please, bring back the anger translator for everybody's sake. "Come back, please? You're the eye of the hurricane. The calm. Please... come back. Please? We can do anything you want. Anything! I'll never deny you another walk. We can go wherever you want! Just please, come back."

Asmodeus:

Sad. Break. Up. Songs. So what if the boy didn't break up with her, the same general gist. Girl leaves boy, boy can't see girl, and ta-da it feels like a breakup has occurred. The boy doesn't party. He doesn't do his skin routine (which absolutely no one can tell), and he acts like he is an insomniac (fully evident in his overly sassy behavior). Basically, not like the Asmodeus, everybody knows. He wishes you would come back so he would have his spa, manicure, and pedicure buddy back. "(Y/N) you made me feel beautiful, inside and out. Come back. I promise I'll always tell you how beautiful you are. You are the most gorgeous being alive, even more than myself. Please... come back... I'll treat you like a princess. I p-promise."

Beelzebub:

Poor baby boy isn't hungry. He doesn't eat, except when forced. His workout routines skyrocket from an hour and a half to over three hours. If he's not working out then he's either crying, laying with Belphie to feel some semblance of peace, or at sports practice. Most of all, he misses your sweetness. You always could work out any situation, and even better you kept the peace and happiness of the house alive. "Please (Y/N), come home. Come back to your family. We... I need you. We can hang out just like the good old days. Get food, snuggle with Belphie, fall asleep watching movies, and more. Whatever you want, just name it. Just... come home to us, to me."

Belphie:

He honestly wonders if he kills everybody up there that you know if you'll come back to them. Just a thought. (Might want to text Beel a thank you for saving your family's lives.) He is very annoyed and confrontational about everything and everybody, except Beel. He wants to sleep to escape, but then he dreams about you. Then he wants to stay awake, but he's just so tired and things, places, and certain things constantly remind him of you. Basically, he is losing his precious sleep cause of you, but he isn't annoyed at you. He's just lonesome for you. "Mmmm... Oh, it was just a dream. (Y/N) isn't really here. Please come back. You would scold me for being so harsh, heh. Please come back... starlight."

Diavolo:

Big man = big heart. Almost chose to permanently kidnap you, but decided against it. He knew you were terribly homesick for your own family and friends, and just your world overall, so he let you go. After watching the brothers tearfully leave the meeting room of RAD, he too went home. He ordered Barbatos to leave him be and went into his room. He cries. He never got to tell you how much he cares for you, seeing as the brothers were always around, but now it was by far his greatest regret. He cries so much that he has puked before, and he very guiltily had to ask Barbatos for help with everything. He is a wreck. "Thank you for joining my adventure. I wish I had had the courage to ask you to join me on another. Maybe someday our paths will cross once more, but till then I will spend every waking moment thinking and dreaming of holding you close to me."

Barbatos:

This man is calm on the outside. Internally he is dying. He misses his son. He misses Luke with his whole being, and he misses you with his whole being. Barbatos will be in the kitchen and start talking as if you and Luke were present. He misses the gentle way you talk, or the way your head would pop in no matter what he was doing and ask if he needed help. He can't help but give in to the sadness that he already knew was coming. He tried so hard to prevail through it, but even he isn't indestructible. He dives into cleaning, making the meals, and helping the struggling Young Lord. He asks for more and more tasks, and more and more tasks are granted. He works constantly. On the occasion that he does get some rest, he is so tired that he blacks out and doesn't even dream. Those can only go so far though, and he constantly wakes up with a sense of barely getting any sleep. "Someday. Someday I'll see you again. Till then I will anxiously prepare for your next stay. Please come back soon."

Simeon:

Upon returning to the Celestial Realm, the poor angel was quite conflicted. Part of him deeply missed his original home, but part of him misses his exchange home. More specifically, a certain exchange student. He wishes he could see you once more, and the ache in his heart greatly attests as such. How he wishes to wrap you up in his arms. You would always tell him how great his hugs were, and now he misses the contact and loving warmth that you always radiated and gave. "Be safe (Y/N), for I cannot protect you while we are so greatly separated. Regardless as such, I will keep an eye on you and pray for your safety and well-being. I look forward to the day that I get to hug you close once more, my dear."

Luke:

Luke. Misses. The. Devildom. Phew! There he admitted it. He yearns to be in the kitchen with Barbatos, running through Purgatory Hall, and Beel taste testing his food (even if he ate it all). He, however, would never admit to such out loud, but he has a suspicion that Simeon can relate to how he is currently feeling. He wishes he could have taken you to see the Celestial Realm, but he knew that that is forbidden. Luke is constantly baking, that way he has something to do. Something to distract him from everybody that he is missing. Sometimes he'll start to talk as if you or Barbatos were in the room before remembering that you weren't there. That you were back in the Human Realm, and Barbatos the Devildom, both of which are very far away from him. "(Y/N)! Oh, heh, right. Not here Luke. Don't be stupid. Wait! Don't you worry (Y/N)! I'll practice till my baking is so good that nothing will be better in your eyes! Just wait! You'll love it when you try it!"

Solomon:

Man isn't really that sad. Magic, check. Your address, check. What is there to be sad about? He does miss being so close to Asmodeus and is peeved that he missed his chance at Lucifer's pact, but other than that he is perfectly fine being back in the Human Realm. Ok, so, he maybe misses Simeon and the Chihuahua a little bit, but it wasn't permanent and he was fully aware of that when he signed on. "Hey (Y/N)! I'm outside your door! Let's hang out for a bit! I'll make you some dinner! (Y/N)! What was that scream? Oh, a bee by my ear, I see. Takeout? Sure, save us both the trouble." (You screamed at the thought of his cooking. There never was a bee, to begin with.)

Someday... the thought that keeps them all going. Someday, they'll see you again.

[drama-and-tv]

First half of 2020 tv shows/dramas completed

SO apparently, my original blog “may contain sensitive media” (how my original blog contains them, I have no idea because I don’t think I have ever written nor posted anything that is inappropriate) so here I am, making a new one even though there are just so so many thoughts I poured in that blog since the beginning of 2018. 

I wish I could put all of the contents from there here. But since I don’t know how to do that, I shall only put up my thoughts on the things that I have completed watching this year (2020) that I have put up from there.

With that being said, here they go... most of them in the original words that I had typed/written from last time. My only change will be the rating (now I shall use the numerical rating since I have figured how to rate things properly in numbers now) :

Season 2 of Sex Education was such a delight to watch! While I do feel that it lacks some Otis and Maeve’s interactions (and wtf is that cliffhanger?), I feel that the other characters are given the opportunity to flesh out and have really good story lines. Definitely a step up to Season 1!

FINAL RATING: 9/10

Bad news: The third part/season of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is the worst part of the show that I’ve watched so far. Good news: I still somewhat like it.

The main issue of this new-released part is how messy it is story wise. There are far too many things going on that it felt a little bit too chaotic - like there’s the Pagan storyline, there’s that Faustus storyline etc etc. It’s just too much.

What makes me still enjoy it is because of its characters. I am attached to the characters and I wanna see their journeys in this show. For instance, Ambrose and Prudence are probably the standouts in this season because they are just super badass here.

Overall, it’s okay. I would still watch this show when the new set of episodes are released.

FINAL RATING: 6/10

Honestly, Chocolate would’ve been better or ranked higher if they cut down the number of episodes - from 16 to maybe just 8.

Despite its melodramatic tone and ridiculous story line, I actually really enjoyed the initial episodes. I mean okay, the time jumps are a bit too much but I was sold on the emotions and the characters. It’s a melodrama, for crying out loud - it’s not meant to be realistic.

But then, for some unknown reason, it got draggy around the second half of the drama. And it affected my love for the drama. It was like they put a brake on the main plot and save for it the last episode (which it did).

This does not mean that it’s not a good drama. For the most part, I actually enjoyed it and I was invested in the characters’ journeys.

Just that it could be better.

FINAL RATING: 6/10

Honestly, Black Dog was not a drama I thought of watching. The posters and the plot did not make me feel compelled to watch it because for some reason, I thought this drama would be something like those corruption dramas or corporate dramas - while I can enjoy those kind of dramas, I do have to be in the ‘mood’ to watch them.

It was only when I started seeing some gifs/images over Tumblr that I started to consider it. And when more and more people raved about it, I knew that I just have to check it out.

And just like what these people said, it was good. A really good drama, actually! I think what I love about this drama is how realistic it really is. I like that I can actually relate to the world and the characters in the drama. While Haneul and I don’t share the same type of field, I can empathise with her struggles in obtaining/maintaining her employment and sitting for the certification exam. I can empathise with how she tries to navigate the world of school and teaching.

All I know is I have definitely cried or teared up in some of the episodes. (that’s really a feat cause the last time I cried like this in a tv show/drama is season 3 of Anne with an E and we all know how I feel about that show.)

I also love how there is a good balance between drama and comedy in this drama. While this is primarily a drama, I like that it doesn’t feel heavy. It makes it easier to watch multiple episodes in one sitting.

If there is one minor problem with this drama, it is that it feels like the main drama ends with 12 episodes and the remaining 4 episodes are the epilogue or extra episodes. While the remaining 4 episodes are still pretty good, it has somewhat cooled my love for this drama. However, I do appreciate it and it gives a good look at what happened after Haneul’s first year of teaching.

With that, I have contemplated on whether to give this drama the best rating I could give in the drama or the second best. Considering that there is barely any flaw in this drama, I shall give it...

FINAL RATING: 10/10

Season 2 of Kingdom did not disappoint. It maintained the same energy and intrigue that it brought in the previous season. There’s the excitement, there’s the high-quality production and there’s never really a chance for it to falter or drag. Its pacing remains consistent and I remain hooked to the end. I also like that this show does not end in an agonising cliffhanger - it wraps up the main plot that was introduced in the first season and at the same time, teases on what is to come in the possible season 3.

Overall, a really good season!

FINAL RATING: 9/10

I gotta admit, Crash Landing On You was a pretty nice watch! I initially had quite low expectations for this drama - I have hard time being truly engaged in big budget romcoms because they tend to be unrealistic and too fluffy (and I like my dramas pretty realistic).

But to my surprise, I actually really like it. The episodes (particularly the first half of the drama) were candies to the mind and to the eye! Yes, this drama is hella trope-y and there’s a lot of moments which are very unrealistic and are there to be flashy and amp up the romance. But you know, something about this drama just works.

Of course, like a lot of k-dramas, the second half of the drama is less addictive to watch. But it was still a pretty good watch. I mean, it got my mum really addicted and my brother to finally watch a k-drama beyond Kingdom after all these years.

FINAL RATING: 8/10

For someone who doesn’t know shiz about baseball, Stove League was still a very good drama to watch. It has that underdog story (in this drama, the under-performing baseball team for 2 years in a row, Dreams) that makes it easy to root for. It remained tight and consistent throughout its run. Its tone is very balanced - has good balance of serious and comic relief.

And most importantly, it’s not very hard to like the characters that matter.

Overall, very solid drama!

FINAL RATING: 9/10

When the Weather is Fine is really a good drama to watch at the moment, during the midst of this current pandemic. Even though initially (the first episode) it did not win me over due the drama’s slow pace, I gradually enjoy watching it regardless of its pace and eventually, I was hooked.

This drama has a very calming and “healing” aspect to it even though the subjects dealt can be serious. I like that even though there’s some serious issues here, the drama remains well-balanced and still has plenty of light-hearted scenes. Lim Hwi (the male lead’s younger sister) is definitely my favourite character in this drama as she brings a lot of sunshine to the table with her innocent teen self. Also, the comforting presence of the community (whether it being the Good Night Book Club member or the people/families in the neighbourhood etc) along with naturally serene setting make the drama feels warm.

With that, I recommend watching this drama, especially to anyone who wishes to seek comfort and feel warm.

FINAL RATING: 8/10

Netflix’s Never Have I Ever was an unexpected treat for me. I did not know the existence of this show prior to its release. I did not see any of its promos/trailers etc. So there was no expectations whatsoever prior to watching it.

My brother and I only happened to stumble upon it when trying to find something to watch on Netflix. So you can say that this was a present that came out of nowhere because as soon as I just went into it (within the first few minutes), I already really like it!

This show was funny. It was relatable as someone who comes from an Asian background. And most importantly, it has plenty of hearts. Trust me, I was tearing up when watching the last two episodes of this season (I sincerely hope that the show will be renewed for the next season).

Definitely a really nice show to binge quickly as it only has 10 half-hour episodes.

FINAL RATING: 9/10

Find Me in Your Memory was a pretty decent watch. Yes, it is a very standard kdrama in the sense that the plot is very very generic and there are so so many obvious tropes here. However, its characters and the chemistry of the main leads still made it worth a look. This drama might not be the most unforgettable or unique drama out there, but it is very easy to watch and it makes a good addition to anyone’s watchlist if you want something straightforward and not complicated.

FINAL RATING: 6/10

Man, A Piece of Your Mind could have easily been this perfect drama that I’ve ever watched this year had it only retained its original length. It is not to say that this drama is not good - it is as of now, actually one of the top dramas among the dramas I’ve watched this year.

This drama basically fits the type of drama I typically love: a realistic drama which examines more on its characters and focuses on emotions etc. Yes, I know people have complained that it is very slow but to me, that was part of its charm. I love slowly getting to know its characters and how they are feeling etc. I like being emotionally connected to them and follow on their journeys.

So I’m just sad the drama was cut from 16 episodes to 12 (reason being because of its low number of audiences). While the drama did its extreme best in making it work and it does not affect the main plot of the drama other than speeding things up nor does it really diminish my enjoyment for this drama, I’m just sad on what could’ve been if they were able to keep the extra 4 hours to the story. Like, we could’ve gotten better exploration on the characters etc (especially for instance that character who was played by the evil mother in law from Search: WWW and the Eunjoo’s Homestay residents and even frigging Hoon, Hawon’s colleague... like why was he even in the grandma’s house in the countryside?) . Things would’ve been more... organically unfold.

Despite all this, I still really enjoy watching this drama and I still remain invested in the characters’ journeys etc. Our main leads’ relationship feels warm and comforting. The vibe of this drama is just my kind of taste. And most importantly, I feel comforted watching it until the end.

FINAL RATING: 9/10

With that being said, those are some of the shows/dramas that I have completed up until now. Others that I have completed are season 2 of The Sinner (5/10), ITV’s Belgravia (6/10), Netflix’s The Circle France (soooo entertaining with plenty of drama and strategies, 8/10), season 18 of American Idol (8/10) and most recently, Netflix’s Extracurricular (I will eventually share my thoughts on it soon).

Stay tuned.

[angelofrainfrogs]

Antithesis

Fandom: Good Omens

Pairing: Aziraphale/Crowley

Description: Azirafell finds something unexpected when returning to his shop one afternoon- the pawnshop is now a bookstore, containing a fussy angel with a very familiar face. Meanwhile, on the other side of town, an equally familiar-looking demon awaits Anthony back at his flat. Now, Aziraphale and Crowley must figure out how to get their opposite selves home, a feat which shouldn’t be too hard for a group of supernatural beings… as long as they can get along for more than a few minutes at a time, of course. A Reverse AU crossover.

Rating: T

Genre: Humor

Read on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24815284/chapters/60019681

*ALL CREDIT for the Reverse Azirafell and Anthony designs and base personalities goes to Speremint (https://speremint.tumblr.com/); I adore her Reverse AU and wanted to try my hand at writing something with it. Go check out her page for fanart and original comics!*

Part 1

Azirafell stepped out of the taxicab and slammed the door shut behind him, snapping his fingers to miracle a few dollars into the driver’s hand. The demon didn’t feel like exchanging final pleasantries; while he’d been able to shut his eyes, it hadn’t been much of a rest, as the ride had been unnecessarily bumpy and left him in a slightly sour mood. All he wanted to do was go to his pawnshop and pour over the latest collection of knickknacks he’d picked up.

So, it was with great shock that once the taxi sped off and Azirafell turned around, he found an old, dingy bookstore standing in the space where his pawnshop should be. The demon blinked a few times, rubbed his eyes, then blinked again. Sure enough, the bookshop remained- a place that looked dusty, warm, and unbearably homey. This must be part of some elaborate prank, the demon thought with noise of disgust, though Azirafell had no idea who would dare try such a thing on him.

“Alright, what the heaven happened to my shop?!” the demon exclaimed, slamming open the old wooden doors. It was just a he feared- rows upon rows of dusty, filled-to-the-brim bookshelves. Azirafell’s lip curled into a scowl as he stalked further into the room, trying to find the cause of his beloved shop’s upheaval.

Meanwhile, Aziraphale the angel had been carefully restoring an ancient book when the slammed door caused him to jerk in surprise and tear a hole right through the page he was working on. He sucked in a breath, trying to control his swiftly rising temper, and henceforth missed the loud declaration from the intruder. Aziraphale carefully set his tools down and stood, adjusting his waistcoat in preparation for meeting his uninvited guest. He took a few seconds before leaving the back room to see if he could sense any supernatural presence- sure enough, the unmistakable tingle of demonic energy filled the air around him.

The angel frowned. Crowley often came over unannounced, and while he usually entered dramatically- as “dramatic” was the demon’s default setting-, he’d never slammed the doors like that before. With a twinge of fear, Aziraphale wondered if something bad happened- had Hell gotten over their fear of the demon who could (supposedly) survive holy water and come to destroy him once and for all?

“My dear?!” Aziraphale called, rushing out into the main room, looking around frantically. “Are you alri-”

The angel sharply cut off his words as he rounded a corner and came across the demon- at least, the creature’s aura certainly identified it as a demon. The face, however…

“Um… what’s going on?” said the other version of Aziraphale, and the angel frowned, noting the double pupils and, more concerningly-

“My goodness, whatever are you wearing?!” Aziraphale blurted out before he could stop himself. He clapped a hand over his mouth, knowing this to be the least of his worries, but he couldn’t help it. He prided himself on his fashion, as outdated as it was, and to see himself in a coat of deep teal, black, and white in lord knows what sort of pattern caused an involuntary reaction of horror.

“What am I wearing?!” the mirror image said, lips twisting in a sneer unbecoming on such a face. “What in Satan's name are you wearing?! You look like you stepped out of a Victorian catalogue! It’s the twenty-first century!”

“Excuse you, this outfit is considered ‘vintage,’ which I’ve been told is all the rage now!” Aziraphale pursed his lips, unable to stop himself from verbally lashing back. If Crowley saw him now, he would be astounded. But, the demon before him was not Crowley, and therein lied part of the problem. Aziraphale shook his head briskly, clearing away the thoughts of fashion choices in favor of more pressing matters.

“This shouldn’t be our concern right now,” he said, voice returning to a calm, reassuring lilt. The mirror version of himself flinched at this, as if physically pained by the angel’s demeanor. “Let’s try this again- I am Aziraphale, an angel, and this is my bookshop. And you are?”

“Azirafell,” the other version said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “A demon, and this is supposed to be my pawnshop.”

“…Right,” the angel said, resisting the urge to comment on the demon’s on-the-nose choice of name. He knew Crowley would certainly mention it if he were there. “Well, I regret to inform you, but this building has never been a pawnshop; I’ve owned this bookstore for well over two centuries.”

“Same amount of time as my own establishment,” Fell said, one eyebrow raised. “I have a feeling that one of us isn’t where they’re supposed to be… and that would probably be me.” The demon let out a huff of air and rolled his eyes. “Typical. Nothing is every easy, is it?”

“Indeed,” Aziraphale said, thinking of how to get this unnerving version of himself out of his bookshop as soon as possible. He certainly couldn’t contact Heaven- not that he ever would, seeing as he was on his own side now-, and Hell was surely out of the question. So, really, the only option was-

“Anthony!” Fell suddenly exclaimed, startling the angel. The demon frowned, staring at the floor in contemplation. “I wonder if he ended up here, too…”

“Your Crowley?” Aziraphale ventured, and the demon met his gaze with a nod. Aziraphale smiled. “Well, it seems we’re both of the same mindset, at least somewhat. I was going to suggest we call my Crowley and see if he’d have any idea of how to sort this out, seeing as demons are more of his thing…”

Aziraphale trailed off with a vague hand gesture and Fell sighed again, flopping onto a nearby couch with a weary wave of his hand.

“Fine, sounds like as good a plan as any,” he responded. Aziraphale beamed at him even more and the demon wrinkled his nose. “Ugh, will you wipe that stupid grin off your face? It’s unnerving.”

“I could say the same about your constant scowl,” Aziraphale muttered tetchily, not liking when he was told not to smile. However, he knew arguing further was a lost cause, so he ignored the demon’s scoff and went over to the phone. He dialed Crowley’s home number first, figuring that he would try his cell if he didn’t answer.

“Hey, Aziraphale,” Crowley answered on the second ring, and the angel frowned. Crowley didn’t usually greet him by name.

“Hello, my dear. Um, I’m not quite sure how to explain this, but I seem to be having a sort of… situation at my bookshop.” Aziraphale glanced at the demon still lounging on the couch. Though Fell faced away from him and was seemingly focused on examining his nails, the angel was certain he was listening carefully to everything he said.

“Let me take a wild guess,” Crowley said, and Aziraphale heard a twinge of strain in his voice. “Another you showed up at your place and nearly took your head off?”

“Er, well, I wouldn’t say he ‘nearly took my head off…’” Aziraphale frowned, noticing that the demon on his couch had perked up and was now watching him, fully focused on the conversation. “But yes, there is another version of myself here. Well, sort of. He’s…”

“Guessing again- he’s a demon?”

“Yes, actually.” Aziraphale’s frown deepened and then he jumped suddenly as Fell appeared at his side and snatched the phone away.

“Crowley, right?” the demon said, sticking out an arm out to physically hold Aziraphale away from grabbing the phone back. There was a beat of silence on the other end, before Crowley responded, slowly:

“…Who’s this?”

“Oh, it’s Lord Beelzebub, just dropping in on the call to say hello,” Fell responded with a dramatic roll of his eyes. “Who do you think it is?! It’s another version of your angel- and I’m guessing you have my angel in your apartment right now?”

“Uh, y-yeah,” Crowley said, and Fell smirked at how utterly taken aback he sounded.

“Okay, good. Well, not really good, but at least we’re in the same boat. Now- hey!”

The ever-smoldering fire in Fell’s eyes flashed as Aziraphale snapped his fingers and miracled the phone back into his hand. The angel smiled triumphantly and quickly said into the mouthpiece:

“Crowley, dear, it’s me- listen, I think it’d be best if you and Anthony meet us at the bookshop so we can sort out this whole mess as soon as possible. Agreed?”

“Agreed,” Crowley responded. He paused, then said, softly, “Be careful, Angel, alright?”

“Of course, of course.” Aziraphale waved his hand to brush away Crowley’s concerns. “I’ll be perfectly fine; just please get here as fast as you can.”

“Will do; see you soon.”

With a click, Crowley hung up the phone. Aziraphale did likewise and then focused his attention back to the demon in his bookshop, who currently stood with his arms crossed and a mildly annoyed expression etched across his face. Aziraphale cleared his throat and tried another smile, which was met with another curl of the demon’s lip.

“Right, well, Crowley and Anthony are on their way,” Aziraphale said. “Knowing Crowley’s driving, I’m sure they’ll be here soon, but… care for a spot of tea while we wait?”

***

Approximately thirty minutes before Crowley’s phone rang, he was tending to his plants. The large fern by the window looked particularly scrawny, and Crowley was giving it a stern lecture when an overwhelmingly angelic presence appeared out of nowhere, almost knocking him to the ground with the sheer force of it. The demon steadied himself and gripped the plant mister tighter in his hand; he’d used it as a weapon once, and he’d use it again if need be (though he doubted tap water would have much effect on an angel save for making it angry at being spritzed).

Crowley cautiously stalked towards his front door, plant mister held out in front of him like a gun, wondering what any angel other than Aziraphale could want with him. And this angel was definitely not Aziraphale. Crowley was extremely familiar with the soft vibe that hid Aziraphale’s true nature as a Principality; his angel gave off a sense of warmth and comfort, unlike the presence Crowley felt now that gave off an aura of cold power. Whoever this new company was, they meant business.

The doorknob jiggled a bit as Crowley stopped dead center in the middle of the room, ready to attack. He wondered half-heartedly if he should call Aziraphale and let him know that something was about to go down, but he knew that any distraction could mean his instant discorporation. Because he and Aziraphale were now on their own sides, Crowley wasn’t sure they would get another chance at returning to earth with human bodies. So, he decided to face the potential threat head-on and hope for the best.

“Who’s there?” he called loudly, putting a demonically threatening undertone into his voice. Crowley sensed the presence on the other side of the door still for a moment, before a shockingly familiar voice responded:

“I should be asking you the same question, demon.”

Crowley blinked, plant mister lowering a millimeter as he struggled to understand why his own voice had responded. There was a gentle sigh on the other end of the door and another half-hearted shake of the doorknob.

“Listen, we can make this easy, or we can make this difficult- your choice,” the voice said, and though its tone was calm Crowley knew the presence wasn’t playing around. Still in a fighting stance, ready for an altercation, Crowley snapped his fingers and miracled the multiple locks on the front door open. Slowly, the door swung inwards to reveal the last person the demon expected to see.

“…Well,” said the other version of himself, dressed in white and pink and brandishing a glowing caduceus staff in front of him. “This is unexpected.”

[imma-lil-teapot]

Each TMNT Incarnation and Where They Stand With Me :)

(Nervous chuckle) ... Yeah no, I suck at titles. Moving on! 

Y’all can go ahead and skip this part if you’re not interested in senseless rambling and just wanna get to the TMNT fun~ ;) 

Soooooo, I’ve recently updated my Tumblr page to a blog dedicated to all my fandoms (musing, headcanons, writing, gifs, pics, the works, basically anything and everything in relation to them) since I wasn’t really ever doing anything with it other than using it to share pics mostly. But ever since I stumbled back into the TMNT fandom, I’ve been searching Tumblr for fan content and OMGOSH, did I hit the jackpot! Headcanons, fanfics, Turtle x reader stories, so much juicy stuff! Am hooked! Dunno why I never tried searching for similar stuff in the past for my other fandoms! I guess I just... didn’t realize there was so much content here. :O But anyway, I always wanted a place to share ideas and thoughts regarding my fandoms outside of sites like Deviantart and Fanfiction.net, and heck, it’s been here under my nose all this time... Y’all gonna have to forgive me; I’m an old fart. ;P (Insert image of Slowpoke for reference) So without further ado... 

LET’S GET THIS PIZZA PARTY STARTED! 

Imma start this blog off really simple and, as the title states, just give you all a small-ish idea of where each TMNT universe stands (or ranks?) with me, personally... Note the ‘personally’ part so please don’t feel offended if I don’t share the same opinion as you on a particular verse. ^^; I have my own tastes and will respect the next person’s when it comes to them. ;) Also, please beware the typos (which there most definitely will be)...

IN RELEASE DATE ORDER: (Hopefully they’re right)

MIRAGE COMICS~

Imma just say it: I haven’t read any of them yet. :/ There probably are sites out there that would allow you to view them online for free, but in truth, I’ve been a little slack about trying to find any... That may however change someday as I always tell myself I should really seek out the source material so it’s only a matter of time. What I do know, however, is that they’re of course a lot darker than most incarnations (which I don’t have a problem with personally) and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious as to exactly how much darker. X’D The closest I’ve come to ‘knowing’ these Turts comes from watching the Turtles Forever movie and they weren’t in it for a long time so it’s very difficult to say what they actually mean to me, so we’ll just put these guys down in the ‘not sure’ column for now. ;)

1987 CARTOON~

HAHA~ I think any fan of the franchise as a whole knows this little gem! The series that really hit it off and spawned over a 190 eps! Quite an impressive feat for a Saturday morning cartoon! It made its way to TVs the year before I was born, but it would take another few before it would reach our tubes (we’re always a few years behind the rest of the world :/ ) so I was around four when I was first introduced to it and needless to say, I loved it back then! Michelangelo was initially my fav due to him being my older brothers’ fav and the one they mainly spoke of, but it didn’t take long before my favering gravitated towards Leonardo (even at such a young age) and has been that way ever since. ;) But where exactly does the series stand with me as an adult nowadays with so many other verses we’ve been exposed to? I do hold a lot of nostalgia (as many older do) for it, and I mean, come on, that theme song is ageless, and I even started watching a lot of vids involving the original VAs and the shenanigans they get up to and seriously, it’s so heartwarming and fun to see them! But I have to be honest...

It’s not my fav verse, honestly. I will always adore them, of course, because of the nostalgia and the goofiness... But it’s the latter that’s mostly the reason for it being placed a bit lower on the favoritism ladder. While its a fun watch if you want something lighthearted, I still prefer the idea of the darker undertones that comes with being associated with ninjas. It’s just a preference. Plus, the Turtles designs are big one for me, and I’m sorry to say, but I keep seeing these fellas as more frog-like than turtle, despite the shells. X’D So yeah, no big reasoning for it, and even if someone were to ask me if I like these guys, I’ll still say yes, just that they’re not my ultimate fav is all. ;)

Also, we won’t talk about the Japanese Anime Ninja Turtles: Superman Legend or something to that extent... We’ll just let that one be gently swept under the carpet. ;) Only ever saw the trailer for it and that’s all I’ll ever need to see in my lifetime.

1990 MOVIES TRILOGY~

Now funny enough, I really don’t remember ever seeing these movies as a kid, though it’s possible I did and just maybe blocked the memory, but I highly doubt it... So yeah, I saw these movies as an adult already. The first is praised by most fans, and honestly, I can see why: it’s pretty good! :D The acting is very decent and the humour’s brilliant! The two sequels... not so much but still okay. ;) Where they sit with me... Not too far on the ladder again I’m afraid. :/ While I do really enjoy and appreciate the acting and that humour (”I made a funny.” X’D) it mostly comes down to the Turtles designs again... I really can’t see past them being actors in costumes rather than characters. :’( Granted, good actors. ;) And heck, Jim Henson did a phenomenal job! They’re just not really the movies for me is all, even if I do go back and watch ‘em every now and then. X’D I do however melt every time at the scene in the first movie where Raph wakes up in the bath and Leo’s there and apologizing and all... Makes me all gooey inside! X’D The feels are real! Speaking of Leo, though, he sounds even younger than Mikey. Small nitpick, that, but... why? X’D

But yeah, let’s just say, they’re good movies, just, not my favs.

Also, Coming Out Of Their Shells tour... Yeah, I’m gonna just... pretend that doesn’t exist for a minute. 

THE NEXT MUTATION~

Nope.

Saw one ep as a kid and am not interested in seeing anymore.

Although, VA Matt Hill voices Raph. That’s one good thing.

2003/2k3~

Well it wasn’t already apparent by my avatar... Ladies and gents, I present to you... My fav TMNT verse to date! Oh my goodness, where do I even begin with this delicious series?! :D Firstly, animation: so appealing, comic book-y style! Their designs: without sounding pervy, veeeeeeeery appealing (hehehehehe), no seriously, they sometimes have a bitta bulk to them but it honestly works, and dem muscles, and the cool eyes! The VAs: spot on! Perfect! Wouldn’t have ‘em any other way! Make me melt, Mr. Michael Sinterniklaas~ (cough) Their personalities: Omgosh, just yes! So perfect! They’re easily differentiated and yet still work together so well. Leo’s mature and level-headed (well, most of the time ;P ) yet still gets tested a lot and even has a fun side that’s shown on occasion. Raph’s grouchy and violent but is shown on more than one occasion that’s he’s total softie and really does care. Don’s just a sweetheart and freakishly smart and even has slips ups from time to time. Mikey... omgosh, best Mikey ever! So much fun! So hilarious! And just a bundle of energy, but not at all an idiot like he’s sometimes portrayed in other verses. He’s witty, mischievous and just so adorable! Heck, even Master Splinter, April, Casey, the lot of them are just awesome in this series! And wow, they really do lean more towards the source material (or so I’m told) when it comes to the plots! It’s darker than the other previous verses yet still remaining kid-friendly (although I question it at times XD) and omgosh, it’s just everything I want in a TMNT universe! Granted, it’s not perfect perfect, but it nailed it for me. ;) It really showed so lovely character developments, alsortsa different genres, the humour will leave you in stitches, the Turts are all just so lovable, I can’t get enough of them! This series was really my high point and I’ve yet to find one that tops it~

Btw, this even includes Fast Forward and Back to the Sewer (BTTS). The former being my least fav of the series simply due to the setting and again, it’s just preference. I even liked BTTS, even though I’m not overly fond of a cyberspace setting, but I found myself really liking the art style and the general plot. :D 

2007/2k7~

As with the last, if you’ve picked up on the page’s header/banner, you’d have probably guessed that the 2007 movie is also a good candidate for one my favs... And you’d be correct. ;) I’m actually very fond of this movie, and it’s largely due to the Turtles designs. I love how they were done! They just look so cool! <3 Subtle differences tell the viewer who’s who even if they didn’t have a mask or weapons. The VAs were also pretty good~ Now, the story isn’t the greatest, I’ll admit. Personally I thought it was okay, but know many fans think otherwise. But I did like the confrontation between Leo and Raph! It got real there, peeps! :O Now here’s also where it falls a little on its face for me: I didn’t really like how they handled Leo’s personality (if you haven’t already picked up on it, yes, I’m a Leo fangirl and I’m picky when it comes to how they handle his personality) but it’s a nitpick again, yet, I still feel compelled to state my opinion: the whole “I’m better than you.” comment really took me back and made me think they pushed it. I honestly like to believe he’d never actually say something like that... at least, 2003!Leo wouldn’t. X’D But that’s just my problem: I’m comparing a different verse’s Leo to this one and whether I like it or not, he said it. :/ Oh well, it still made for some fun action scenes and I’ll still always like the movie.

Bit of a goof on my side: I honestly thought that this movie was made to tie in with the 2003!verse due to the timeline in which it was produced, but turns out, it’s actually closer to the 1990′s timeline although still considered it’s own verse.

2012/2k12~

Oooh boy, lemme prepare for the backlash real quick... I’m uhhhh... not a fan of these boys. :/ I don’t mind them, but I’m honestly never gonna watch the series again. It’s hard to top your fav when you’ve kinda already hit your high point, ya know. Now before you light your torches and sharpen your pitchforks, hear me out: I will never bash the series, or make fun of anyone who likes it! Or anything to that extent! It’s just wasn’t for me, plain and simple, and it’s got nothing to do with it being ‘new’ or I’m just an old fart stuck in my ways. Heck, If you’re still reading, you would’ve found out that even nostalgia couldn’t beat the series that grasped me in my teens! So no, it has nothing to do with age. But if you do need a reason: I wasn’t overly fond of how they handle the characters. For one, they look and act a bit too young, Mikey is just... wow, something else. Donnie’s... sheesh, pretty snappy and antagonising. Raph’s well... okay, he’s meant to be angry half the time, and they did give him some more layers with Spike and Mona Lisa and whatnot, but he still kinda never learns his lesson if I can say that? He’ll learn that he shouldn’t cause issues with others, yet next episode he’s back at it again. :/ Leo’s... wow, just not like other Leos. X’D Best way I can describe him is... young? Very childlike. And even when he was progressing to becoming this better leader, I honestly couldn’t even see the change. My mind was just stuck on this “He’s a babeh.” notion. Also, I’m not even gonna start on this April and Casey. Just. No. Most of the characters were annoying and I just kept seeing recycled plot after plot. What I did like was the romance that blossomed between Raph and Mona (albeit far too rushed) and even Donnie liking April was adorable (but seriously Donnie, you can do so much better), and there were some really heartfelt moments, like Splinter telling Leo to leo his brothers with his heart and not his head, and the scenes when they were Tots will always make me squeal... But yeah... without leaving any spoilers.... about Splinter... just... thanks, Nickelodeon. Y’all know what I mean. Not once... But twice.... Really? So yeah, look, I realized some of those reasons might even be petty, but again, it’s just not the series for me, but anyone who’s a fan... You keep being a fan! ;) I’m glad you can enjoy something I can’t. ;)

2014/2k14/2016/2k16 AKA BAYVERSE~

HAHA~ Every fan’s favorite... If only. X’D Jokes aside, despite many fans claiming the Bay movies ruined the franchise, these two films gathered a small following... And I’m apart of it. :) Funny enough, I honestly didn’t know what to think of them when the movie first came out. I think I was just taken aback by the sheer amount of detail and all that went into their designs. I didn’t not like them, but again, their designs were a lot to take in. :O Even now after seeing the movies quite a few times over, I find myself constantly discovering something I didn’t notice on them before, be it a strap or a scar etc. And it honestly took some getting use to their sizes, I mean, sheesh! :O Not to mention the different background story, and Megan Fox’s wooden, expressionless acting, but despite all that... I found myself actually growing attached to these hulks of Turtles. They still have a lot of that heart in them and plus they’re just so much fun, I mean, can we say ‘Elevator scene’? X’D Now again, not perfect by anys mean, but still fun and pretty decent incarnations to add to the franchise. Again, Leo’s been given this ‘Better than you’ a bit which irked me to be frank. Not always but it’s there sometimes, but otherwise alright. Raph’s a decent Raph. Even had some tender moments. Donnie’s adorable! X’D This slightly potty mouthed geek that you just gotta love. And Mikey... although given that bitta ‘idiot’ feel, is also just as lovable and you want to hug him every time he’s onscreen! 

In short, I like ‘em. :) They’re actually closer to the top of the ladder than some others.

RISE OF THE TMNT/ROTTMNT/2018/2K18~

Yeeeeeeeeuuuuuuh... no. Sorry. Not for me. :/ Again, gonna remind y’all, nothing to do with age. Nothing to do with change. I will say that the fluid animation is nice, and the fact that they chose 2D animation. :) Buuuuuut, wow, they were certainly a lot to take in. Almost as much as Bay’s Turtles. After watching a few eps, I will conclude that they really just aren’t what I’m looking for. I found that the constant joking, while sometimes funny, got a little bit much, plus such short eps. Raph being leader was a switch and one that took awhile to get use to and honestly, I’m just not for it, I don’t even know where to begin with Donnie, Mikey’s okay, Leo... (deep breath) I don’t know what they were thinking... Let’s not even go to Master Splinter. But anyways, I get that change was what they were going for and that it was more so based on the 1987 toon with the silliness so that’s fine. I’m glad it’s got so many fans. :) And honestly, I wanna end off just by saying...

That no matter what your thoughts on what I’ve said, I hope you can respect my opinions and choices cause at the end of the day, they’re just my own, and I will always respect yours! :D If you adore the verses I’m not too crazy about, that’s great! :D I want you all to love the heck out of them! And honestly, this is what’s so great about this franchise: there are so many verses to choose from! So many options and tastes to suit any and all! You don’t have to follow the masses! You go enjoy whichever incarnation(s) you want to! ;) 

And there we have it, my first fandom bloggy thingy~ Hope there’ll be many more where that came from! :D

This is Drag0n-Mistr3ss signing off~

[thebigreylotheory]

Belated TROS trailer reaction and thoughts

Painting.

Been doing lots of painting.  Rewatching TFA, TLJ, and Solo and painting.

Ok, wow, originally intended to have this up by May the 4th….but like I mentioned some posts ago, bantha poodoo happens. (Caps is the same :( )

It’s finally, finally time for my TROS trailer reaction, thoughts, and a few theories! (I don’t know about you, but I’m still not over how good it is. Say what you will, Star Wars has the best trailers.)

Breathing is very important to the sequel trilogy. (I would say that Rey that is totally going to be ahead of the game for Lamaze class if we get a sequel-sequel trilogy/book/comic baby some galaxy far far away day.)

I’ve wondered if the movie will take the time to explain how the Skywalker lightsaber has been repaired? My feeling is, sorta like ROTJ, it’ll just be there like Luke’s green lightsaber. So, you’ll either have to make up your own head canon OR we’ll eventually get books and comics for the time gap between TLJ and TROS that will explain exactly what Rey did. Since she’s a scavenger, and mechanically inclined around junk, my feeling right now is, it’s possible she might have gone on a journey for a new kyber crystal and she’s repurposed the hilt. Which I think could be symbolically interesting….almost saying she’s “her own person (crystal)” on the inside now, but externally carrying on the outward mantle of her teacher/master Luke.

Which leads me to: by now, you’ve probably heard the theory that the last name “Skywalker” might transform to a term for the henceforth new Jedi. Personally, I am a fan of this theory. I think it would be useful for keeping the Star Wars eras straight when referencing any potential future Star Wars films/books/comics. For example, instead of saying “post-Skywalker trilogies,” one could say this-or-that takes place during the Jedi era or the new Skywalker era, etc (as well as, hopefully, the Knights of the Old Republic era someday soon).

AND, if Rey dubs herself (and perhaps any future students she has) a Skywalker….then, well, oddly enough, it would fulfill the whole Rey is a Skywalker discussion in the most interesting way possible. (While also keeping the plot open for her to choose whomever *coughcough* Ben Solo *coughcough* she would like to romantically be with someday.) It could potentially mean anyone could be a Skywalker. I’m a Skywalker. You’re a Skywalker. We’re Skywalker. Sign me up.

Luke is everybody’s spiritual father. (And I guess Vader is everybody’s grandfather??)

And, on a kinda odd note, being a Caravan-of-Courage-baby and a long-time SW fan, thinking of the name Skywalker, does anyone else think it sounds like a talent? Or is my brain just connecting Moonwalking with Skywalking? I guess, technically, Rey isn’t Skywalking here, right? It’s more like Skyjumping? Skyflipping? Maybe she’s really a Skyflipper. Part dolphin.

But I slightly digress, back to the trailer.

When this scene hit, I initially thought, from a distance, the TIE was a TIE bomber. Haha, silly me. 

I have fond memories of the TIE bomber toys Revan/Devan had as a kid.

Yay, Lawrence of Arabia will be returning to theaters Sept. 1st and 4th, presented by TCM! I did a middle school history report over Lawrence. Mostly because I wanted to learn about desert warfare so I could write better Star Wars fan fiction. It’s all about Star Wars, people. It always has been.

Now, that’s what I call TIE racing!

Sweet butter tacos, by now I have paused these scenes over and over trying to decide if this is Kylo Ren and/or if the scenes match or they’ve been sliced much like the TLJ trailer. 

HAHA. You trailer editor people are so good. You did it just enough to make me crazy until December. THANKS.

But, I guess it’s safe to say, in this sequel trilogy, when the camera zooms to black gloves, it’s probably Kylo.

Gee, these two just can’t flirt normally. It’s like they thought, “Oh what can we do on our date that hasn’t been done before?” “Oh, I know, let’s play chicken with the TIE Fighter!”

No, in all seriousness, as it’s been said before many times now, this would be a really strange way to try to take Rey out…

Wouldn’t Kylo be a man and just face her? He hasn’t been afraid to face people before.

And, I don’t know…some people I know are hoping that they are working together somehow, which I hope they are, don’t get me wrong,…but at the moment, I just can’t think of why Rey would need to jump on a TIE Fighter/Kylo’s TIE. (Mind out of the gutter!) I mean, if they are working together, practicing even, for some Force trick/feat that needs doing to destroy or infiltrate something, it looks like she could have climbed on the TIE before it took off?

I mean the Interwebs might tell you that she needs to practice her jumping so she can have the high ground later, but I still don’t know.

It could be a dream/vision. Simple enough.

It could be that ForceTime is acting really weird?

Did we really understand or have all the rules of ForceTime in TLJ? Could it be if ForceTime connects and Rey and Kylo hold-on to another they can pull each other to a different location? So for instance, if Rey jumps on the TIE she could be transported to where Kylo is?

That would mean there was a reason Luke told them to stop. Did he know either Kylo would be pulled to Ahch-To in the flesh or Rey would end up at the First Order (before she totally left in the Falcon for the First Order)?

Dunno. That could be getting too “beam-me-up-Scotty” or too “magical” for SW. We’ll see. I’m open to most things so long as they’re done well.

Alternatively, because Caps and I have also been reading SW comics for a few years now, I think it’s also possible that Kylo could be possessed here. 

As in, someone:

Like monkey-hands here, or whomever monkey-hands works for (Palps, Hux, The Resistance, KOR), took Kylo’s helmet and added Sith-y stuff to it.

I want to lean towards the idea of an enemy/frenemy of Kylo’s changing his helmet. I thought it was a little unusual that Kylo would go back to wearing the helmet after smashing it. I mean, character-wise, I figured it would remind him of Snoke’s taunts. It seemed like a step backward. Like going back to a security blanket after you’ve gotten over needing it. Dunno, are they going to capture him and force him to wear it? Making him Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs to get him out of the way?

BUT, there again, I guess, I could stretch my imagination and believe that Kylo, might, might, go back to wearing his helmet on his own, if he thought there was some power or knowledge to be gained. And, either, earnestly, he did it to himself or it was a TRAP!

And possibly, in this scene, possessed Kylo is about to crash wherever Rey is, but she saves him by cutting open the hatch, etc? 

(She’s learned to lift rocks, but could she stop a TIE via the Force and climb in and save someone? Maybe, but it, arguably, wouldn’t look as cool or dramatic). And if that were the case, Kylo would be in some serious debt to Rey for saving his life. Girl already spared him once. Twice, if you count she didn’t run him through on Starkiller Base.

Anyways, back to reviewing the trailer chronologically.

Somehow this reminds me of the Lost City of Atlantis. Was there a city on Bespin below Cloud City? According to Wookiepedia Bespin is a cloudy place. Sooo, could be Lando’s entrance in the movie, possibly.

Did I read somewhere that Kylo is tackling a Knight of Ren here? (Double checked and yes.) That’s interesting. I could come up lots of out-of-the-hat-theories as to why. KOR turns against him. Kylo turns against KOR. KOR Civil War? KOR Battle Royale where the survivor of the Hunger Games gets to be Master?

But what’s really interesting, is the fact that Kylo doesn’t slice the guy in two pieces with the lightsaber.

And that, to me, also spawns some theories. Is the tackle just a cinematic scene to show Kylo’s strength? Maybe Disney doesn’t want to go “Darth Maul-ing” people in two pieces? Kylo, for some reason, isn’t killing people on this particular day or any more at all? Or Kylo’s in a super rush and is more focused on getting a certain location in a hurry and whatever, guy was in the way? It made me concerned, mmm, can’t Kylo use the Force in this scene? He isn’t Force Pushing or Freezing the guy?

This week on “This Old Helmet,” Norm and guys add detailing to a once dilapidated helmet. Yup, it was a real fixer-upper. If Mr. Monkey doesn’t work for some VIP, he’s a really strange janitor.

Ok, Finn and Poe are going to, canon, start a boy band in TROS, right? This is a scene from their KPOP-ish music video, right? “‘Cause I want it that way…” If they don’t dance, so help me Star Wars...I’ll make them in a fanvid.

To be honest, I’m not sure if I like D/O yet. The jury is still out for me. Mostly because I thought some of the other concept designs were much cuter. Although, I can’t wait to see the Droid Builders tackle this one. I’m still stuck on a mouse droid.

Aww, yeah, welcome back Lando! Mr. Smoothie! (I wish he’d been apart of TFA and TLJ, but better late than never.) I know, I know the ship should be Chewie’s now, but I secretly hope that Lando is able to donate money to restore the Falcon, like an old classic car. *coughcough* Reylo Wedding Gift *coughcough*

Hmm, moisture farm or temple? Guess we’ll see. I’m loving that the troops possibly have jetpacks and/or sand-speeders?

Dunno, after the whole Rambo C3P0 poster, I’m wondering if someone’s after C3P0 here? BB and R2 have had their “find-that-droid” day, maybe it’s C3P0’s turn?

Aww, the medal. Sweet medal. 

I can give you some out-of-the-hat ideas about this, too. Maybe this is Han’s. Maybe it’s in Leia’s collection of memories and she takes it out for nostalgia, to feel close to Han in spirit, or for the anniversary of his death. Maybe she’s decided to give it to someone else? Or, worst-case scenario, the Resistance needs gold and this is all they got left?

Or, this is Luke’s? And ditto on everything. Maybe Luke left it behind before he left for Ahch-To? Maybe he gave it back to Leia? Or maybe Leia and company find more of Luke’s belongings elsewhere? Maybe Luke was using it as a bookmark in one of the Jedi Texts?

Goodness. When the trailer hit Celebration, this scene filled my heart with the greatest bittersweet joy. 

I’m really glad that the extra/reworked footage of Carrie as Leia looks good. That it will uphold her legacy. It’s been on my mind ever since her passing.

In fact, I was so caught up in being happy that the footage looks great, at first, I didn’t stop to think why Leia and Rey are hugging?

And, at first, I was so vicariously being Rey while watching the trailer, hugging Leia with my own emotional fan tear, that I didn’t consider why is Rey crying?

Well, theory-wise it could be a number of things. Rey and Leia have really bonded, and maybe Rey’s about to go on a dangerous mission? Or the Resistance has had a major setback?

But, I think one of the biggest, most emotional, thing both Rey and Leia have in common is:

Yup. Benny Boy.

And, this thought/feeling opens up a whole new can.

Um, have they heard something about Kylo/Ben that’s upsetting? And, if so, would this scene take place early or late in the film? I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors that Kylo/Ben might not be making it out of this one entirely. Dunno, to me, it almost feels like Rey’s upset that she’s failed at something. I guess, especially, because it’s extra/reworked footage of the reaction to Han’s death.

Again, with the band! It’s like a 90s Alternation Rock cover!

My question is: What is in Rey’s hand? Is it a bag? What’s in the bag? Is she carrying the Jedi text or some other special item? Is it a device? What sort of device?

Have they all been camping? ‘Cause Finn and Poe have bags, too. Do they got thermal detonators in there?

I’m assuming, since they look more angry/focused than shocked, that their on some sort of mission to find this broken piece of Death Star II? That their purpose is to go inside? Or destroy the rest of it? Either way, if I learned anything from Wind Waker, it doesn’t look like a good day for sailing towards it.

Now, in the split second when Luke says “no one’s ever really gone” again…I wanted to believe we were going to get a Force Ghost reveal. Or that possibly, the-Force-killed-Luke was just social media red herring.

I never dreamed that laugh….

Chilled me to the bone.

The biggest “oh Sh*$” moment of my movie trailer watching life.

 Ooo the possibilities. More thoughts on Emperor Palps’ return later.

Until then my Reylos and Star Wars friends, May The Force Be With You!

[thegeekerynj]

An Occasional Attempt to Read, Discuss and Review the Wonders of Comics

By: John Rafferty, cranky old man, and Fan of All Things Comics

Riding the IND

Designed with the intent to acknowledge the Immense Contribution of the Independent Comic Press, and  highlight a more unique stable of products

==========================================

Short Hops on the IND

Quick looks at books from the Independent Press, when the reviewer has too much on his plate

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Seven Secrets #2 (Boom! Studios)

Writer: Tom Taylor   Artist: Danielle DiNicuolo

‘You know, being a Leader, I really expected my decisions to be undermined less.

Really? That’s cute.

Why do I keep you around?

Mainly to hold this. I suspect you have unusually weak arms.’

——————————————————————————————————————————

So, Caspar has been born, and shipped off to be trained, becoming another Secret in the Order of Secrets…

And he comes back. At 9 years old, trained in the martial arts, Smarter, more inquisitive and much more driven than any Initiate before. Training with Keepers and Holders, to become one of them.

And more importantly, to discover his roots.

Taylor’s scripting is tight and fast. He packs a great deal of story into 24 pages. More importantly, he brings Caspar’s story fully around, to the point of Sigurd’s departure. 

The artwork from Danielle DeNicuolo is simply beautiful. I know… I waffled on about how pretty her pencils were last time, but Jeebus, this issue is prettier. It’s almost as if last issue was a test balloon, to see if she had the hook she wanted, and now… well, she’s fishing the pond dry!

This issue ends on a terrific cliffhanger line, one I will not repeat. 

More importantly, one which can mean many things, depending where the story goes.

Suffice to say, I am determined to follow this book. I would suggest you do so also.

Out of 5🌶        🌶🌶🌶🌶.5

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Locke & Key ‘…In Pale Battalions Go…’ #1 (IDW)

Writer: Joe Hill   Artist: Gabriel Rodriguez

‘Where did Father find you? Be honest, I shall have the truth soon enough. I best not learn he hauled you out of some sordid immoral hole.

No. Worse. Canada.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Locke & Key.

The story of Key House, on Lovecraft Island, has spanned years, for Key House, itself is older than the Americas. 

The Lockes have forever been the guardians of the Keys to Key House, guarding them against the Evilthat wants to use them… for the Keys are Weapons. Not weapons like guns, and rifles and knives or spears. But Weapons.

Those which have the Power to Destroy. And the Keys DO want to be used.

Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez have taken it upon themselves to bring us another tale in the History of Key House. Thank Gods!

The year is 1918, and the Great War is raging in Europe. Jonathan Locke is 14 years old, and wants to fulfill his destiny, for the Lockes have been represented in every war. As the only son, this is his right, and with the Keys of Key House, there’s no telling what he can do…

Gabriel Rodriguez seems to have decided to leave everything on the battlefield with his artwork. His pages are so expressive, and capture the feel of the World War One era. If the closing splash is any indication, the actual war pieces will be fantastic.

As far as Mr. Hill, what can I say? There has not been a miss, even remotely, in his portfolio… and this latest edition of the Locke Family chronicle is no exception.

My only complaint, it relies on a conceit that the Reader knows the story already, and gives little information about the Keys in play… Now, this is a minor dig, for if the Gentle Reader perusing this truly wants to find the history of Key House, and its family of Guardians, they would merely have to purchase the prior volumes of Locke and Key, and read to their heart’s content.

Out of 5🌶        🌶🌶🌶🌶

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A Man Among Ye #1 & 2 (Image / Top Cow)

Writer: Stephanie Phillips    Artist: Craig Cermak

‘You might try using the eyes that head, Jack, unless you fancy a new breathing hole. Still I do love the smell of gunpowder in the morning…

——————————————————————————————————————————

Well, this is a pleasant surprise…

A comic about pirates. Not any pirate, not a ‘Jack Sparrow’ type of pirate.

No, this is a look at Captain John ‘Calico Jack�� Rackham, and more importantly, his first mate, Anne Bonny.

The stories of Jack Rackham, Anne Bonny and Mary Read are almost as extensive, and fantastic as those of Blackbeard, William Kidd and Bartholomew Roberts.

What makes Anne Bonny and Mary Read so special is their being successful Female Pirates in a male dominated world. Every bit as strong, independent, and batshit crazy as all the others of their time, Bonny and Read ran the British Navy ragged throughout the Caribbean, while doing so an all-male crew, an amazing feat for the 18th Century.

Stephanie Phillips has certainly done her research, taking this story from the sinking of a British frigate by Rackham and his crew, to the British Governor of the Bahamas, and his plan to capture all the pirates, and execute them. 

Cermak’s art is nicely complementary to the story, however I find it a little trope-y… The Heroes / anti-heroes are pretty, the ‘Villain’ is an ugly brute, and things are a little to clean… This is a pirate story, on the High Seas, there is nothing clean and pretty about this…

But, I digress.

With two issues in, and the British on their tail, Rackham, Bonny and Read have their hands full. Knowing a little of the history here, I am looking forward to seeing how much legend Phillips mixes in with the facts of the raids on the Barbary Coast, the Tortugas, and the shipping lanes.

It’s really nice to see a non-Super, strong Female Led Book. Here’s hoping it gets legs, and readers!

Out of 5🌶        🌶🌶🌶🌶

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Bomb Queen - Trump Card Part 1 (Image - Shadowline)

Creator - Jimmie Robinson

‘Why the FU*%ing rush? *cough - cough* He’ll be gone like every asshole politician. They’re all the same.

Not this time. Trump changed the Constitution by repealing the 22nd Amendment. He’ll make himself President for Life if he wins this election.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Sweet Jeebus. As if Jimmie Robinson hasn’t fed the zeitgeist enough with cut-off shirts and tiny, tight skirts, now he feeds the fears of America, outlining an America with a lunatic trying to rewrite Democracy… And the need for Bomb Queen to run against him!

This is my introduction to Bomb Queen, the ninth mini-series, each of the earlier ones a titillating wonder of humor and over-sexed action. At this point in her world, the anti-hero has had her own country for Super-Villains, and is now on the run, having beset upon by the World’s Heroes.

Captured by her Clone / Sire (these things are never clear), Bomb Queen is offered a choice, as it were. Run for office against the Orange Horror, or well, you know, because heroes aren’t really heroes…

His artwork is pretty, simple, and clean. There’s a certain elegance about the characters he draws. They’re not overmuscled, although the ladies do have exceptionally large ‘lungs’, which are emphasized by uniform cutouts (a’la Power Girl)…

This book is full of hoots, giggles, belly laughs, and unfortunately, the harsh reality of the 2016 Election. There’s a two page spread which harkens back to the CNN / MSNBC / National Television Network ‘Man on the Street’ interviews, with paraphrased quotes I heard about Trump over his opponents, and over Clinton. The idea that Robinson could make it fit so easily, and fluidly… well it both makes me ill, and gives me pause to want to read much more.

As I said, Jimmie Robinson has grabbed the National Zeitgeist by the shorthairs with this storyline, not because he’s rich, and just can, but because it’s just too soon, and no one will be able to deny the ugly nature of what they are reading.

This is worth a read to see where he takes it, to see if he has the stones to finish what he started, and to see HOW THE HELL Bomb Queen WALKS IN THOSE FRICKIN BOOTS!!!

Out of 5🌶        🌶🌶🌶🌶

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Cyberpunk 2077  Trauma Team #1 (Dark Horse Comics)

Writer: Cullen Bunn  Artist: Miguel Valderrama

‘Everyone’s resentful of how little money they make. Doesn’t change anything.

We get the call.

We do the job.

—————————————————————————————————————————

As I read this book, and watched the flashes of color race across my eyes, my first thoughts were ‘godsdamn, this guy makes Frank Miller look good!’

Gentle Readers, in my introduction to this book, inside the first 5 or six pages, I was making comparisons between the artist of this book, and the master of dark, splatter mayhem.

Miguel Valderrama has a very special touch to his pencils and inks, maybe he buys them from the same place, perhaps they are fashioned from the same tree and graphite quarry… whatever the reason, the cause, I want MORE!

The biggest difference is the lightness of touch, the fine lines, there are many more, much more elaborate detail than the broad strokes Master Miller uses, however, this is not a complaint. Rather , the observation is more of a wistful longing for a, well, a ‘What if Frank Miller Drew Everything The Way He Drew His Crowd Scenes?

The answer might be found in this book

Cullen Bunn’s story reads like a reality television story. This is a look into the psych eval of the lone surviving member from a Medical Evac Team. This Trauma Team has medics, and soldiers to act as guards, as the areas they are sent into aren’t exactly Beverly Hills, unless the 90210 has been overrun by the Crips and Bloods, and they are eating the shop owners.

As Nadia is running through her memories of the events, we are seeing it in real time, along with the interviewer’s requests for clarification. She appears to be a solid medic, her only concern being getting back in the field. She has a job to do…

Now, at first glance, this could be seen as pretty derivative… like Judge Dredd / Anderson as a Guard / Medic team… BUT… and this is a Big One, the comparison ends with the big helmets and firefights. 

There’s none of the cynicism, or the poking fun at the Government / Branches / Cabinet Offices. Rather, there’s what feels like a genuine look at how being a survivor has effected this character, and how she is going to handle getting back out into the field.

I liked this. I have to say, I went in to this book with some preconceptions, and was happy to see them dashed.  The interactions between the Team characters come across as real, there’s little stilted, unnatural dialogue… and that was a great thing to see.

The twist Bunn slams at the reader on the last page of the book, well, I want to see Issue 2, just to see how this plays out.

Out of 5🌶        🌶🌶🌶.5

======================================================================

HEAVY #1 (VAULT Comics)

Writer:  Max Bemis    Artist: Eryk Donovan

‘I’ve got fifteen Hitlers to do away with before the end of the night!

They’re throats aren’t gonna slit themselves!

——————————————————————————————————————————

Have you ever read ‘The Punisher’?

Seen R.I.P.D.?

Put the two together, you’ve pretty much read this book. 

Hyperviolence, set to a redemption arc, while saving the Multiverse from the worst iterations of the Famous (both good and bad… Leonardo DaVinci as a bisexual foot fetishist who uses his genius to become Dictator of the World, and build weapons that are sexual torture devices???!!!???)

The redemption part?? To get to the Other Side, and redeem yourself, you have to partner with, and train the jerk who killed you and your girl, and make sure he doesn’t get killed when you are on the job!

Unless this is what you are into… HARD PASS!

Out of 5🌶        🌶🌶🌶

======================================================================

We Only Find Them When They’re Dead #1  (Boom! Studios)

Writer: Al Ewing    Artist: Simone De Meo

Boss, tell me if I’m out of line here, I don’t mind not knowi—

— But what IS this between you and Richter? What happened?

Oh, it’s quite simple, Jason.

She killed my PARENTS.

—————————————————————————————————————————

I was hooked on this book before I got to these lines of dialogue.

I don’t know if it was the absolutely wonderful artwork, the beauty of the layouts, the detail, the ——Oh Hell, Simone De Meo’s artwork grabbed me and held me for the three readings I gave this book. I couldn’t get over the visuals, her place ts of panels, the character sketches… Hell, some of this was downright cinematic.

There are panels, and pages, that made me think of James Gunn’s vision of Knowhere… and that is high praise from me.

Al Ewing, what is there to say. After reading his work on Judge Dredd, i sought out his work wherever I could find it.. This is tough for me, not being a big Marvel Fan, since almost everything he has written has been for the House of the Iron Mouse…

The story, is simplicity. Explorers in Space find the corpses of the Gods. Well, that is as close as they can come to what they are. 

There is a market for their meat, the materials which clothe them, certain parts of their organs, both a legal and a Black Market.

Once a Godcorpse has been identified, the Sutopsy Ships descend upon it, to stake claims. these are monitored by Escort Ships, in place to enforce Government Regulations concerning what can and cannot be stripped from the Godcorpse.

Violate protocols and die.

This is the story of the Vikaam Two, her captain, Georges Malik, his crew, and his plan to find a Living God.

I can’t wait!

Eight Bells… All is well…

Out of 5🌶        🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

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Grendel, Kentucky  #1  (AWA /Upshot)

Writer: Jeff McComsey  Artist: Tommy Lee Edwards

‘You believe what Pap said about Clyde?

How he died?

Do I believe a bear killed my Daddy?

No Fuckin’ Way.

——————————————————————————————————————————

1976. Junior Year of High School, my AP English class was assigned ‘Beowulf’ as an Advanced Placement Test read. In the Olde English translation. 

It was an attempt by my teacher, a wonderful elf of a nun, to get her literary stunted students to stretch, comprehend, and recognize themes once they see them, in preparation for the exam and the expectations of college.

2020. As is my wont, I picked up all the First Issues of the Indy Comics at my local purveyor of Four Color Sequential Art, The Geekery.

While running up my near National Deficit weekly Comics tab, my eyes slid across the title, and the gritty cover… Hmmmmm, too much of a draw not to at least give a look, add it to the pile.

In the opening pages of this book, Clyde Wallace has dressed himself in catcher’s mask, chest protector and knee / shin guards (poor man’s body armor), and strapped on enough real and makeshift weaponry (baseball bat with spikes driven through the business end to an M-60 grenade launcher) to make Rambo, Negan and Max Rockatansky run screaming into the night.

Clyde marches into the mouth of a mine…

WHOA! By Hrothgar, King of the Danes… This is Beowulf… In Kentucky!!??!!

Set in 1971, the Beowulf character, Denny, is a veteran of the Viet Nam Police Action, his warriors, well they are an all female biker gang, led by Marnie, a woman his father raised from childhood. The King, Pap, is the Town Elder, and he knows something he isn’t talking about.

Yeah, this is already good, one issue in.

Jeff McComsey has written an offbeat take on the Beowulf epic, taking some very severe literary license with the story lines. The epic heroes and warriors, well, not so much. Relatively amoral, criminal for support, ahhhh lets face it, these guys are all anti-heroes, at best. 

If this were today’s America, I’m not sure I wouldn’t be rooting for the monster.

But I digress.

The artwork by Tommy Lee Edwards is gritty, hard on the eyes, and, well appropriate to the story. His artwork HURTS at times, you can feel the violence, the intent, through the eyes. America in 1971, it was not a pretty place.

As a miniseries (1 of 4, so far), this is worth the read. Too much more, and it would feel like I was prepping for a test again… but I digress.

Out of 5🌶        🌶🌶🌶🌶

======================================================================

Inkblot #1 (Image Comics)

Creators: Emma Kubert and Rusty Gladd

‘Sweet Suckleberries!

——————————————————————————————————————————

Her Name is KUBERT. As in Joe, and Adam and Andy and Katie.

That alone earns her the right to a viewing.

The fact that this is a fun little book she co-created with Rusty Gladd, well, that’s a gallon of whipped Italian Sweet Cream on top of the cake!

Give this a shot! Buy it for your little ones, if you have any!  Lie about having little ones, and buy it for yourself! You won’t be disappointed!

Out of 5🌶        🌶🌶🌶🌶.5

======================================================================

Spy Island #1   (Dark Horse Comics)

Writer: Chelsea Cain   Cover / Designer / Supplemental Art: Lia Miternique    Artist: Elise McCall

‘Some people are afraid of the ocean. There’s a word for it: ‘Thalassophobia’. A fear of the open ocean and what lies beneath its surface.

Not me.

I think the ocean’s great*.

*except for the Kraken.

——————————————————————————————————————————

SO. That happened.

There is an area of the Atlantic Ocean, delineated by vertices at Miami, Florida, San Juan Puerto Rico, and Bermuda, which has been the source of many stories concerning the disappearance of airplanes, ships, crews of ship, and unusual activities. This area, lovingly referred to as the Devil’s Triangle, or the Bermuda Triangle, is the source of this tale.

Spy Island is located somewhere inside the Triangle, and it plays host to spies, bad actors, scientists, etc from all nations, some other worlds, and all times.

It’s the story of Nora Freud, Agent for an unnamed country, possibly the USA, possibly not. She is a spy, and so much more. She is also a woman of action, who can perform any assignment given to her.

Including assassination.

Lia Miternique and Elise McCall have put together an artistically gorgeous offering in this book. Between the inserts for the fish, maps, the advertisements and covers, this a visually wondrous.The underwater scenes in and of themselves are masterful, offering a view of the ocean one might actually see off t a Caribbean island.

The story, well it is OK. Lots of self exposition, not much action (the best stuff is in the first 4 pages), this is setting up like a spy thriller, of sorts. DUH, bimbo!!! Look at the title!

It is a first issue, and seems to be tagged for a longer run, so, I’m willing to give Ms. Cain the benefit of the doubt here. She had to have given the artists the perspective to draw from, and I am cautiously optimistic, based on Mockingbird, and her NYT Best Seller Status…

It’s worth a shot, just for the eye candy…

Out of 5🌶        🌶🌶🌶.5

[deanssweetheart23]

Where We Belong

Title: Where We Belong

Summary: Sometimes one little moment can change everything...

Author: deanssweetheart23

Characters: Dean Winchester x reader

Word count: 1370

Warnings: Um, lemme think. A smudge of angst and a very brief mention on nigthmares in the beginning. And then it’s all fluff. Fluff, fluff, fluff, fluff, fluff, fluff and fluff. Okay. I’ll shut up now.

Author’s Note: So, this oneshot that was supposed to be a drabble (I tried, I swear) was inspired by a conversation I had with my twin about how cute Dean looks in the gif below (it’s not even surprising at this point, I know.) Anyway, the story took a life of its own after that. 

So. Enjoy <3

(Gif used is not mine. You can find it right here.)

It’s a habit really.

One of those stupid little routines you can’t and don’t really want to quit, although it’s a bit more substantial than drinking coffee at midnight or always reading your favorite book with a cup of hot chocolate nearby.

It started a few of months ago, after you and the Winchesters had returned from a nasty vampire hunt in New Orleans, and it’s been happening ever since, but neither you or Dean ever talk about it and Sam probably doesn’t even know.

That’s not what matters though.

What really matters is that Dean Winchester has nightmares.

It’s been going on for years, the ordeals coming and going in the stillness of the night without warning. If he’s lucky, they’re just a few horrible pictures that vanish as soon as he opens his eyes, but if not, then they take him away with them, drown him in tides of loss and despair and leave him so broken that you find it hard to put the fragments back together without missing a piece afterwards.

Most of the times, he comes to you. He shuffles through the hallway quietly and leans against your door, waiting for even breaths and youthful smiles. When he’s sure you’re asleep, he gently climbs into the covers and wraps his arms around you, lips on your forehead in a warm kiss, while words like G’night, sweetheart and Thank God you’re okay, kid make their way into the duskiness of the room.

Sometimes though, the creaky sound of the door and the light padding wakes you up the moment he gets inside. These are the nights Dean will look at you like a puppy caught doing something it wasn’t supposed to and murmur a flustered apology, gaze drifting from your eyes to the floor until you tell him to shut up and c’mere already, pulling him to you. And when you curl up next to his side, body pressed against his firmly, all of his apologies and all of his reticence go away.

But then, there are nights like tonight, nights when you’re the one that tiptoes to his bedroom in silence –just to make sure he’s okay.

Usually, you just stand by the door, stealing glances until your eyelids grow heavy with fatigue and it gets too late for you to be up, so go back to your own room, freckles and blonde locks of hair still fresh into memory.

It doesn’t take long for you to realize tonight’s different though. The bedroom’s empty and the bed completely untouched. 

So, you ponder for a minute, eyes sleepy and mind heavy, then pad softly towards the kitchen where you’ve last seen him.

You smile.

He’s right there, practically sprawled all over the table, head pressed against the wood, cup of coffee still in hand. And, while you know that he’s one of the most dangerous hunters in the world, one that could effortlessly snap you in two with his bare hands if he had a good enough reason, he looks adorable.

And stunningly vulnerable.

And all you want to do is wrap him in a blanket and never let go.

Which, of course, probably sounds comical and a bit ghoulish, but he looks so innocent, so serene in those moments, looks like the child he never had the chance to be, and you want to protect him because it hurts, sharp and rakish at the same time.

Instead, however, you store the image into memory and tuck it away in a mental file you only allow yourself to examine closely when you’re awake in Dean’s arms and get to wonder whether those nights he spends in your room, all those whispered conversations and the intertwined fingers and the way his grip tightens around you when he has a nightmare actually mean something.

But you can’t be thinking about that, not now anyway, so, you just lean against the table and brush your hand over the nape of his neck softly.

“D.”

No response.

“D.” You try again. A groan. “Wake up, sleepyhead.”

He stirs this time, then slowly lifts his head, pushing the coffee cup away from him.

“Sweetheart?” he asks and blinks owlishly, sparkling green orbs meeting yours in the dim light.

“Yup. Pretty sure that’s me, Sherlock.”

“How-”

“Couldn’t sleep.” You lie, twirling a strand of hair around your finger. “So, I, uh, stopped by your room and you weren’t there and, you know…”

He nods, almost a silent thank you, and reaches out for your hand, lacing your fingers together.

“You worry too much ‘bout me, kid.”

“Well. Somebody’s got to.”  

He snorts, not quite a laugh, then rests his chin on his arms and nuzzles the fabric of his shirt, eyes closed for just a second.

“’M fine. Research was being a bitch.”

“Yeah, okay. C’mon, let’s get you to bed, old man.” You grin, reaching out to ruffle his hair.

“Hey. ‘M not old.” He grunts in disdain, perking up. “I’m just vintage.”

You chuckle then, all amusement and delight, and he rolls his eyes.

“Brat.”

“Smartass.” You retort, pulling you out of his chair. “C’mon. It’s late and I’m too tired to properly argue with you.”

“Now that’s a feat.” He smirks.

And, God, you want to pretend that you don’t notice the way his arm wraps around your middle almost instinctively, want to pretend that you don’t notice the way he’s staring at you, soft yet intense, like you’re more than just a good friend to him, more than that awkward girl that makes his life miserable and teases him about his love for Clint Eastwood and Dr. Sexy, but you do, and the way his green eyes flicker over your face is just too much to ignore.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he smiles like he knows a secret he’ll never share with you, strong hand squeezing at your waist, “I’m just… Lucky to have you around, kid.”

“Yeah.” You reply, biting on your bottom lip. “Yeah, you too.”

He looks away at that, as if he can’t possibly believe it, and doesn’t look at you again until you reach his room and he drops into the bed tiredly, hands reaching for the blankets there.

Ready to go, you’re about to leave him be when-

“Stay.” He pleads, warm fingers wrapping around your wrist.

It comes out groggy and raspy, and it catches you off guard like the first firework on the 4th of July, excitement and surprise blended within your soul.

And, so, there’s silence for a few seconds, because you’re too stunned to speak, but he reads it all wrong, thinks that he’s overstepped some line and shakes his head, tip of his ears turning pink.

“I, uh... Sorry. Forget I said anything. I just-”

He’s cut off by the gentle sound of rustling sheets as you climb into the covers and nestle next to him, hand reaching for his own.

“I’ll always stay, D.”

It might not sound like much but it’s a wordy echo of everything that had been unspoken for so damn long, it’s all he needs to hear and he sighs in a whose and pulls you closer to him, so close you can feel his steady heartbeat in your bones.

“This okay?”

You nod, the gruffness of his voice washing over you, then look up, Y/E/C eyes burning into his.

“More than.”

It’s less than a whisper and there’s nothing but truth and love and that quiet realization that he’s not the only one feeling this way brimming in between you.

He smiles, a breath of a smile really, one that’s timid and a little broken but genuine all the same, squeezes at your interlocked fingers and brings them to his mouth, soft lips brushing against them.

He doesn’t speak.

But it doesn’t matter.

The way he’s looking at you tells you everything you need to know.

Thank you.

I need you.

I love you too.

It’s all there.

Leaning up to kiss his jaw, you grin and let your head rest on his chest again, the warmth and the softness and the edges and curves that lock perfectly together feeling like home, and you know.

You’ll never sleep alone again.

Tags: @jpadjackles @supernatural-jackles @ravengirl94 @percywinchester27 @pickupthatamulet @escabell @emilywritesaboutdean @atari-writes @winchestersnco @imagining-supernatural @impala-dreamer @becs-bunker @kathaswings @ruprecht0420 @tiny-friggin-human @keepcalmandcarryondean @sgarrett49 @wordstothewisereaders @mogaruke @myrabbitholetoneverland @iwriteaboutdean @spngeronimo @captainemwinchester @imissyoualittlemoreeveryday @thevioletthourr @wellthatsrandomkek @jayankles @winchesters-flannels @akshi8278 @trexrambling (lol, jk, you’re banned. Don’t pout like that, Jess, you know what you did. I still love you though *evil laugh*)

[cherylsvixens]

adore you (you're lovely)

ADORE YOU (YOU’RE LOVELY) — and i adore you, too. i’ve been thinking that your love is kind of special. you should know that i adore you, too! ( adore you, nao ft. abhi//dijon )

REQUEST — the reader used to be ugly and archie bullied you. then, after summer break, you totally glo up and are now super hot, and he apologizes.

WORD COUNT — 1.6k

NOTES — i did tweak this request a little bit, simply because i don’t see riverdale!archie being a bully—i think it’s even a little ooc for comics!archie—so i opted for archie sort of ignoring the reader. also, i refrained from specifying a gender since there wasn’t one mentioned in the request. thank you so much for trusting me to write your idea, and i hope this was fluffy enough for you. i felt like it would be kinda rushed to make them kiss in this? i don’t know, but enjoy. ( requests: open )

REGGIE MANTLE’S YOUNGER sibling is hot now.

The news sweeps through the sleepy town with the sort of velocity reserved for level 4 hurricanes. The Instagram video your brother uploads on a beach in June goes high-school-jock viral (which isn’t viral-viral, but garners enough views to decimate any doubt that Reggie is not one of the most popular men within the confines of Riverdale High), though his six-pack, for once, is not the main attraction. You’re the cynosure, in all your post-puberty, swimsuit-model glory. His comments range from complimentary to explicit; two hours after the initial posting, Reggie deletes it.

From the day your surname legally changed, you’ve been your brother’s baby and the passing six years has only strengthened the bond. You two swap texts daily (having rooms adjacent one another be damned), share explicitly embarrassing moments of the other on Snapchat, and act as the other’s support system no matter how popular (football) or dorky (debate team) the event. Peers are still left slack-jawed at the contrast of personality when you aren’t in the oldest Mantle’s proximity versus when you are. He’s your protector, your shield, and the last face a person’ll see if they ever utter a murmur of disrespect toward you—which is more than a little ironic considering he has so little respect for anyone outside of his social circle.

(Within the hour of your return from your family’s annual trip to the Bahamas, Jason Blossom gets his face bashed in.

He also winds up dead two weeks later.

Reggie insists that there’s no correlation.)

September welcomes a follow from Cheryl Blossom on every social media platform, Chuck Clayton sliding into your DM’s bi-weekly, multitudes of party invitations, and a River Vixen’s uniform. Your popularity is as good as notorized, though you don’t think it’ll feel official until Archie Andrews pulls his head out of his ass and acknowledges your seemingly overnight glo-up. But the male’s always been a little more than slightly oblivious; Betty Cooper’s decade-long manhunt for his heart makes sense now that you stand in her Penny Loafers.

Or, to be more literal, your panda slippers that have seen better days.

But still, you get the attraction.

Because the absolute worst thing about your brother is not his knack for miscreance, not his aggression or his unsavory inability to play nice with others—it is Archie Andrews, his right hand man since the aforementioned boy’s unveiled talent for football, and it is that he is on your porch sometime after midnight, on the swing with the creak you frequent when your brain’s too wired for slumber, comforted by his guitar and lyric book. His back’s to you, nothing but broad shoulders and back muscles and tousled red mane, and you can make out the outline of a pencil between his teeth. Dexterous digits strike a chord that either pleases or concerns him because he abruptly ceases playing afterward.

“I thought normal people slept at this time,” you say. Your cadence, however soft it is, still renders him scared, and you’re pretty sure he jumps at least six feet off his seat. Now that? That’s viral-viral Instagram video material.

Archie chances a look at you, which is a feat in and of itself considering you can probably count on one hand how many times this guy’s ever taken notice of you. “You’re out here,” he says before swinging his eyesight back to his guitar.

You’re really growing sick of these monosyllabic conversations with him.

“Well, I’m not normal.” This time when his irises turn to you, they lingers. “Oh yeah, Reggie never told you?” you continue. “The Mantles adopted me from a vampire family. Sweet people, but don’t test ‘em, they bite.”

The corners of his mouth quirk into the beginnings of an amused grin. “You aren’t very pale for a vampire.”

You wave a loose hand around. “Stereotype.”

“And I’ve seen you out in the sun,” he counters.

“Sunblock.”

“You don’t sleep in a coffin.”

“Now that’s just racist.”

Archie snickers. It’s a sound you think you’ll always know but never get used to, like hearing your favorite song when you were a child years later. “I should, uh, I should get back to bed.” He raps his knuckles against his instrument once, yet makes no attempt to stand.

“I wasn’t aware anyone was making you,” you remark in a thinly-veiled attempt to mask the disappointment that threatens to crack your timbre. You’re hot now—have got the midnight texts from potential booty calls to prove it—and he still doesn’t desire to be in your proximity for longer than a handful of minutes. For a flicker of a moment, you ponder that it could be your personality he simply isn’t attracted to.

“Uh, n-no. No, no one is,” he stammers over his words in a way that can only be considered boyish. Even when he’s humiliating you, you find him charming. “I just thought that—I don’t know—you might wanna be alone, and I’m, you know, playing my music, and it isn’t that great yet, and–”

“I’d love to hear it.” Archie pauses mid-sentence, lips parted and tongue heavy with incomplete ramblings. You’re practically watching him mentally replay the five words, disect the syllables, make something of the meaning, and come up short. So you repeat yourself. “I’d love to hear it. If you’re okay with an audience.”

“It’s kind of a cheesy love song.”

You raise the shoulders clothed in a flimsy, white v-neck. “I like cheesy love songs.” You’re quick to add, “But if you don’t want to play it for me, that’s fine.”

A beat. Then, “I’d love for you to hear it.”

The pale pink hue of his pout gradually stretches until the two rows of blanched ivories usually hidden beneath are revealed. And you think, as you stand in the threshold of your front door, arms and legs pimpled with goosebumps, you think his smile could rival the moon’s. You’ve never seen a smile like that on anyone. It isn’t until your third date that you’ll learn he was thinking the same of you.

Your delight is delineated with two claps of your hands and a shrill squeal as the cherry on top. Party Panda emits soft thumps as you bound across the porch before situating your frame before the singer. Long and limber legs fold at the ankles, and similar to a kid you envelop your knees with your arms, intertwining your lithe digits.

Archie waits for you to settle.

And then, he just waits.

His honeycomb irises absorb your very being; they take in the hair atop your head, notice your curious eyes and nose, scan birthmarks and freckles, snag on your lips. You forget to inhale. You forget to exhale. You’re just holding your breath.

He breathes first, a rush of air compressing his lungs and traveling past his thin brims. He nods once, adjusts his arms, glances at the spiral notebook beside him, and sings. “You’re giving me fever. You’re making the pressure rise at night right through my veins. You’re making my heart sing.”

Your initial reaction to Andrews’ breathy, almost sexy, crooning is that you are so grateful the boy can sing. His timbre is virginal, inexperience dripping from every word he croons. It’s rugged, it’s unpolished, it magnetizes you in like skin-and-bone gravity, clinging, and suffocating, and, and—

—and like your favorite childhood song playing years later.

Archie Andrews is that song.

“My mind’s awake all night, daydreaming. When will you be mine? You’re making my sleep wait.” You have diary pages saturated with the loops and swirls of your handwriting about this boy. The time his shoulder brushed against you in the hall, the grazing of hands at Pop’s when you both reached for napkins, and now this—the timid glimpse underneath his lashes as he sings the last lyric, almost like it was dedicated to you. It is everything to you.

“Thinking of you is taking all my nights away, way, way. I really do adore you.” This moment doesn’t need to be inked into pages to be remembered. The feeling of butterflies building a home inside your stomach, the tickle of your mouth, the stretch of your cheeks, all of it is seared into your brain. You are going to die with this moment on the inside of your lids. “I really do adore you, my lovely. I really do adore you.”

Archie unceremoniously completes his song with a sheepish “that’s all I got.” You want to tell him that it was more than enough.

Instead, you say, “Play that last part again. The chorus.” The sophomore crooks a brow, though doesn’t debate. He reaches the very last 'adore you’, and you join in. “And I adore you, too. I’ve been thinkin’ that your love is kinda special. You should know that I adore you, too.”

You aren’t as choppy of a singer as him. The Mantles wasted a total of no time in signing you up for the extracuriccular activities a kid raised in an orphanage only experiences through the lives of fictional characters in books or television. You sing, you dance, you even spent a summer away for calligraphy camp. Everyone in Riverdale knows this, like another fact in their daily life (The car is parked in the garage, I have two kids, and Y/N Mantle is a modern-day Annie.) Archie still stares at you.

(It isn’t your voice that has him doing mental backflips.)

(You have to wait a while to learn that, too.)

“Well?” you prompt. “Was that good?”

His snort is subtle but charged. “You know you’re good at everything, Y/N.” It feels like the first time you’ve ever heard your name.

Your head cocks to the side. The bridge of your nose crinkles. A dip forms in your cheek. “You think I’m good at everything?”

“Nah,” he says, but his smile’s a tell. “I think I just adore you.”

“Yeah, I got that.”

[chickadee333]

Impossible Love Masterlist

Without further ado, here is my finalized Masterlist for my novel Impossible Love. At over 85,000 words, you guys are serious readers to put up with this!

(Update: You can also find my fic on AO3 at this link. It’s easier to read there.)

As always, my intention is to write a good, well thought-out story with some sexy, smutty stuff thrown in, and I hope you enjoy it! I like to create some angst-y situations and just have things build up from there. A little sexual tension is fun, right?!? Just another fair warning: This novel contains adult content. Most of my chapters have extremely graphic depictions of sex and violence and, on one occasion, both of them together. But this is ultimately a love story, so I definitely hope you stick around for the ending.

Impossible Love: A Novel by Chickadee333 (aka D):

Chapter 1: A New Beginning

Chapter 2: A Troubled Past

Chapter 3: An Unspoken Lust

Chapter 4: A Forbidden Desire

Chapter 5: A Heartbreaking Discovery

Chapter 6: A Manipulated Promise

Chapter 7: A Welcome Freedom

Chapter 8: A Certain Homecoming

Chapter 9: An Uncertain Decision

Chapter 10: A Hostile Takeover

Chapter 11: An Indelible Mark

Chapter 12: A Time Together

Chapter 13: An Agonizing Choice

Chapter 14: A Forced Confession

Chapter 15: A Tormented Mind

Chapter 16: A Yearning Heart

Chapter 17: An Unspeakable Betrayal

Chapter 18: A New Normal

Chapter 19: A Terrifying Strength

Chapter 20: A Contrived Existence

Chapter 21: A Tragic Revelation

Chapter 22: An Imminent Return

Chapter 23: A Forever Future

(They really sound like romance novel titles, don’t they? I kinda did that on purpose since this is truly a love story...)

If you are interested in reading about my motivation and inspiration, please see my Author’s Note below!

I just wanted to give you a little background about my writing and my inspiration. Actually, my inspiration is all of you incredible people. If there were a Tumblrs Anonymous meeting, I’d be the one raising my hand saying, “Hi everyone, I’m a long-time lurker, first-time poster...” My fangirl head just explodes reading all of the crazy, sexy shit you post. And then the art that is on here! You guys are so fucking talented. My stuff is rubbish in comparison and I only hope that someday I can produce amazing art like all of you do. It is truly an inspiration. In fact, seeing the art on here is what prompted me to purchase my Wacom tablet in February. I eventually plan to have at least one drawing composed for each chapter, though that will take some time.

When I was a teenager, I voraciously read comic books (mostly X-Men) and fell in love with that world of characters and their struggles. I learned to draw by teaching myself forms, figures, shapes, and shadows as I saw them in the comics. I had always wanted to write and draw for comics, but that was a pipe dream and I instead went to college and grad school for something far, far different (science). So, this is my chance to fulfill my fantasy of writing and drawing as I always wanted. You have no idea (or maybe you do, actually) how satisfying it is to finally get this stuff out of my head and into print. When I was a teenager, my angst-ridden, sex-starved mind always wished that the comic books could have been a little X-rated—replete with sexy artwork, too. But it never happened and never would happen in mainstream comics, which is why I finally felt the need to let all of these words pour out along with the artwork to accompany them. It was almost like I was waiting for something like Suicide Squad to come by so I could latch onto it and create my ancillary, alternate universe.

I first saw Suicide Squad at the end of December and I was struck by the fact that there was so much opportunity to create a really interesting story that could never be shown in a PG13 movie (too sexy, too smutty). I spent the first three weeks of January letting the movie marinate in my mind while thinking about the characters and making up little fantasies in my head. Then I saw a note that I had left for myself one year earlier encouraging me to “write more”—which was especially jarring considering that I wasn’t writing at all. So, I decided that I would take the opportunity and start writing down my fantasies. It started with Chapter 1 and how I had wished Joker had broken out of prison in the movie. Instead of torturing Harleen, he would succumb to his pent-up desires and have sex with her. I thought it would end there but it just took off. I wrote 30,000 words in literally two weeks, and I’m continuing to write and ride this out as long as I can sustain it. I have my entire story fleshed out and outlined and I expect to have a total of 14 or possibly 15 chapters when it is concluded. Update: A little over 10 weeks later and I have finished 23(!!!) chapters at 85,000+ words, thus concluding my novel. I’m a little sad that it’s over and I definitely don’t want to stop writing, but I think I’ll focus on my drawings for now. But who knows... I have set up my story for a potentially interesting prequel (Joker’s backstory), so maybe I will eventually work on that... 2nd Update: I will be writing a sequel, not a prequel, and I expect it to be the same length (a long-ass novel, LOL).

I will admit that I am not an expert on the Joker and Harley. I have seen the Suicide Squad movie, but I have not read the novelized version of it and I do not plan to. I know the names of some characters (like Frost) from having seen them float around, but I have been making up my own characters to fit my own story. In fact, other than Joker, Harleen, and Frost, most of my characters are original to a degree. When I write, I like to envision my characters played by an actor/actress so I can describe them better and I will eventually share with you my “cast of characters” for this novel (I actually have it posted already in the end notes on my AO3 page). I also have a running soundtrack in my head as if the story were a movie, and I’ll share that with you all as well (also found at that link).

As for Joker and Harley, I know some basics about them from the movies, some comics, the animated series from the 90s, and things that I’m seeing you guys post here on Tumblr. However, I have never been happy with how the comics/tv shows/movies have portrayed characters like the Joker. It always feels like these kinds of characters are too often portrayed as two-dimensional as their image is on the page. Where is the range of emotion? Where is the depth? I love a crazy, insane character, but they are not compelling to me when there is only crazy and nothing else. Why are they crazy? What is their back story? What drives them? What are their motives? What made them who they are? Is there any piece of humanity within them that can be salvaged? That was one thing that I think they got right with Suicide Squad—Leto’s Joker was portrayed as not only an insane, trigger happy loose cannon, but also suffering emotionally in Harley’s absence. I like kick-ass characters that show vulnerability. It is fucking sexy. I think it is important to add those extra layers of personality in order to make the character feel more real.

As for my portrayal of Joker, I intended to show his emotional and vulnerable side. You know he has one. He is still a flesh and blood person, after all. And he was a real person before becoming the “idea” of the Joker. In my world, he had a normal family life as a child (until his family died in an accident), he went to school, he got some degrees, he used his genius brain to start a business, he had a fiancée and a baby on the way. But shit happened and he is now the way he is. He has anger management issues. He is violent. He is fucked up. And he accepts that. Having said that, however, I was never a fan of Harley Quinn obsequiously fawning over the Joker no matter what abuse he put her through. I do not condone domestic violence and it makes me feel pity for her when I think of her returning to her abuser. In stories where she is portrayed that way, I just want to grab her by the shoulders and tell her that she deserves better than that! I know I would not stay with my abuser—no matter how great the sex was. In real life, I work in a social services field where I have managed cases in which my clients have suffered for too long at the hands of their abusive spouse or partner. That is a fucking difficult thing to be confronted with. It is not sexy; it is heartbreaking. And I find that these real life experiences inform the way that I write. For that reason, I am writing my Harleen as a strong, empowered, independent woman. My Joker, while still the insane, trigger happy loose cannon, is written to show facets of vulnerability and emotion. I think that makes him more attractive to know that he is more than just “crazy” and abusive. I like to show that he has desires, dreams, and urges. I think that kind of depth and dimension can sometimes be missing from the comic books—not always, but sometimes.

I do want to say that there are some brilliant fanfics out there that follow comic book canon with the abusive Joker and the submissive Harley. They really hold true to the characters, and that is an incredible feat within itself—to take a character, to know their personality, and to write a story that is true to how they would act. It’s very impressive. I might finish reading with a feeling of “God damn, Harley, you gotta stop letting Joker walk all over you!” And, to me, that means that the writer was successful because they elicited a true emotion within me—whether it is pity or anger or happiness or angst. So, this is not a put-down for those who do write true to the characters. I have mad respect for you. It’s not my bag, baby, but I will read it and enjoy it and I will walk away having felt something and that is the most important thing. Art in any form should make you feel. It should make you react. It should shock your sensibilities. It should inspire. It should make you think. And that is what I hope my art—both my writing and my drawings—do for all of you.

Sorry to have blathered on for so long, but thank you for reading if you made it this far! Your likes, comments, reblogs, and messages bring a huge smile to my face when I see them. It’s like opening a present when I check my Tumblr activity and see that someone has reached out to me. And please feel free to reach out to me with any comments or questions about anything!!!

So, I thank you from the bottom of my heart and I’m so glad that you enjoy my crazy fantasies as much as I like writing and drawing them!

XOXO,

D

[cielowrites]

Heavy Breaths - Gladio/Reader 

I actually had something else planned out for my first Gladio/Reader fic, but I got struck with inspiration with this right now and I wanted to treat myself today so, yeah. 

P.S. This fella and Nyx are my favorites in this fucking game, maker SAVE ME 

He wanted to surprise you with a visit, a bouquet of flowers carefully held in one hand and hidden behind his back. The spare key to your apartment, your birthday gift to him, felt warm in his pocket, and Gladio was nothing short of excited to see you after a whole week of being stuck in the Citadel for work. 

He’s dedicated to being the prince’s shield, but he’s just as dedicated to being your boyfriend as well. 

Unsure whether you were at home or not, the amber-eyed man tiptoed his way up your door and slowly pressed his ear against the wood. The sight was a rather comical one, the way his shoulders hunched up to his ears as if making himself shorter would quiet his steps. 

Gladio expected silence or some shuffling from you moving around, possibly making brunch since you woke up rather late (compared to him, at least). He did not expect to hear you breathing so heavily. 

Six, were you panting? 

Eyes wide in realization that, yes, that was definitely you inside and the sounds you made were indeed what he thought they were, a smirk slowly spread across the man’s face. The two of you have been intimate before, so listening to this wasn’t unfamiliar to him in the very least. 

His surprise was going to have to wait. He wanted to enjoy this just before smothering you with long-awaited kisses he’s been dying to give you. 

Your breaths varied in length and some were shakier than others which left a shiver down his back. He bit down a knuckle from his free hand to keep the growls that rumbled deep in his chest from spilling past his lips. It can wait. He can wait just a while longer. 

Besides, this was one hell of a welcome for him. He could only imagine what you were doing behind that closed door he unconsciously pressed himself up to. Were you enjoying yourself? Did you think of him as much as he thought of you? Gladio was more aware of the key that sat in his pocket than ever, the metal becoming hot with him as his thoughts continued to go over what you might be doing. 

And the way you took in a breath was     

“Aah...ACHOO!”

Gladio froze when a few thuds! that most likely hit the floor followed your sneeze. The abrupt shift from aroused to worried had him fumbling to unlock the door once he heard you groan in pain and sniffled.

“(Y/N)?! Are you okay?!” 

“Wha   G-Gladio?! What are you doing here?!” 

You sat on your living room floor wearing a pair of sweats and a hoodie (both his) with books from your shelf scattered around you. From the looks of it, they had fallen off and you with them. The flushed look on your face, whether it was from embarrassment, surprise, or both, made the Amicitia scion chuckle softly as he locked the door behind him and set the bouquet on the nearest table. 

“I was plannin’ on surprising you, but it looks like you turned it on me.” Knees slightly bent (a rather difficult feat when you have a half hard on), Gladio helped you up to your feet and leaned in for a kiss only for you to quickly turn your head to the side. It took him a few seconds to register that his lips were on your cheek before he drew back, a hurt expression on his face.

“(Y/N), what’s wrong? You mad at me or something?” 

When you turned to look at him, you felt horrible and quickly shook your head. On the contrary, you were so happy to see him again after he had been away for a week and missed him terribly. 

“No! Gladio, I’m not mad at you. It’s just that    A-aah...” 

You immediately pulled your hands out of your boyfriend’s and backed away from him, your mouth covered with your arm. Unfortunately for you, the Astrals decided to curse you with the most painful of sneezes...

“ACHOO!” 

... that were strong enough to make you fall on your ass.

“Ow... Nooo, NO. Gladio, don’t you dare laugh.” You gave the best glare you could muster as you reached for a tissue to wipe your nose while Gladio tried his very best to hold it in. That certainly explained how you fell with the books. “Ugh... Just let me breathe through my nose, dammit. Fucking Six.” 

So that’s why you were breathing so loudly. “Careful there, hon. You never know what they might do next.” 

“It better be giving me the sweet release of death from whatever I’ve got. Then I’ll kick their asses so you won’t go through the same thing.” Tossing the tissue into a trash bin, you saw Gladio’s arms paired with that playful grin of his coming for you. You attempted to dodge him so he wouldn’t catch whatever you had. “Stooop. I’m going to get you sick!”  

There’s no escaping his hugs. Ever. 

“But babe, that’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me!” He rubbed his cheek onto your forehead while you squawked, hands on his chest to get him off you. The protest was weak though, his body gave off that comforting warmth you’ve been waiting for so long. Slowly, you came to accept his hug with a sigh and wrapped your arms around his neck. You felt his pleased hum from the rumble of his chest pressed against yours and the two of you stayed that way for a while, until he decided that he needed to ask you a few questions.

“How long have you been sick?” 

“A few days. Ignis stops by during lunchtime to give me soup and Noctis insisted that his doctor check up on me.” 

“Did they now?” The burly brunet loosened his hold around you, hands settled on your hips as he pulled his head back to give you a once over. You didn’t look too bad, as far as he could tell. A few days of rest, water, and medicine should do the trick. “When I asked them how you were a couple days ago, they said you were fine.” 

You were about to let out a sheepish laugh when a cough interrupted you. You turned your head to the side to cover it with the crook of your elbow. Gladio’s brows furrowed at how your body shook from  it. 

Scratch that. You needed more than just a few days. 

“I... Jeez, that one really hurts.” You swallowed and take a second to catch your breath. “I told them to keep it from you until you were done with work. I didn’t want to distract you.”

“(Y/N)...” Gladio craned his neck to rest his forehead to yours, his intense gaze was extremely difficult to look away from, especially with that look he gave you. “I promise you that you’re not a distraction. I will always worry about you, but I know that you can damn well take care of yourself.” 

One of his hands slid up to cup your cheek and you couldn’t help but lean into his touch. A sense of calm washed over you while you were gazed at with such adoration from the man who always took the chance to show how much he loved you. “Just... Just let me know when something like this comes up again. I know you think it might seem small, but I’d rather know how you’re really doing than be in the dark.” His gaze softened and for a moment you’re reminded that he’s just as young as you were. “... Please, (Y/N)?” 

“I will, Gladiolus. I promise.” You smoothed your hand over his and gave it a slight squeeze to reassure him. It felt good to have him talk things through like this. You knew that he’s used to giving ‘tough love’ as your friends liked to call it, but the two of you managed to work through it the first few months into dating. 

It was in his nature to power through anything that came his way, whether it was physically or emotionally, and you understood that. You simply showed him a new way to handle the latter and it worked great with him. 

“Thanks, (Y/N).” He pulled you in for another tight hug, his face buried into your shoulder. You could hear the relief in his voice and rubbed his back with one hand, the other gently combed through his hair. The Crownsguard must have worked him real hard for him to be this tired. “Really helps me get some peace of mind, y’know?” 

“Yeah? I have a feeling that there’s something else going on in your head.” Gladio raised a brow at the cheeky tone of your words and hummed in confusion. “Oh, sorry, I meant your other head.” 

...Right.

“Okay, look, (Y/N). First off, it’s exactly what you think but I have something to add to it.” 

“Sure thing, honey. Tell me all about it while we wait for Ignis’ soup.”

[beyondthenova-blog1]

The Kylss

The Kylss were once the slaves of Shalas-Ixxal, the Maw Who Feeds on Hope. Now, they are free, and they oppose their former masters with every thought and deed.

Kylss are beings from beyond time and space, carried into the universe by Shalas-Ixxal to serve and attend him. Mirrors of their master, the Kylss are treacherous, cruel, and backbiting, and they plotted and schemed against him in secret. Most notably, by encouraging him to begin feeding before the Appointed Hour had come. When Shalas-Ixxal was slain, he proved too vast for death to claim, and the Klyss whispered into the ears of mortals that a prison would suffice.

Thus freed, they fled into the universe, howling and dancing with joy.

Both liner time and conceptual space are toxic to the Kylss, and they hide their true forms beneath thin wrappings of skin to prevent being withered by them. What the Kylss actually look like is a matter of some debate. Or it would be, if the Kylss didn't go to great pains to hide their existence from mortals. Outside of the ravings of madmen, fragmented documents, and ancient songs, there is no real proof that the Kylss exist. No Kylss has ever been caught and dissected. No Kylss remains have ever been found. There is no cost to great to pay to keep their secret, and every Kylss knows this.

Most often, a Kylss pretends to be a human, one of the Illuminated, or an orog. Their disguises are never quite right, and perceptive or insightful characters will be able to sense that something is 'off' about them. Fingers that are too long, a mouth with far too many teeth, even a wicked gleam in the eyes that never goes away. In times of great need and dire circumstance, a Kylss can shed this veil of flesh and assume their true form, though afterwards they are severely weakened and vulnerable to their enemies.

The true forms of the Kylss vary greatly in appearance, though all are terrifying and the sight of them instantly drives non-heroic characters temporarily insane. How this madness manifests is up the GM, but it should be appropriate to the situation, and the most typical reaction is uncontrollable fear. Heroic characters should be allowed a roll to resist the effects, and those who pass feel a brief surge of intense fear but may otherwise act normally (though fleeing is still recommended).

As a race of individuals, Kylss pursue their own agendas. Some become embroiled in personal stories of love, loss, and revenge. Others attempt to live normally or use the excuse of their impending doom to indulge in every imaginable form of hedonism. A few take it upon themselves to hunt down cults to Shalas-Ixxal, or those among his former slaves who seek to resurrect their master. Most dislike politics, but they cannot ignore the current situation within the Reach, the enslavement of their old allies, the endless conflicts, the evolution of humanity into something greater, the awakening of the Grievers - their master cast into fragments and come again.

The Hour is drawing near, but this time, there is hope.

Kylss Names

All Kylss have titles as well as names. Examples include Herald of the World's End, the Fist of the Ghosts in the Wasteland, and the Physician in Manner Both Excellent and Profane. While disguised, Kylss invent new identities for themselves, usually based on the race they're imitating. Some of them are extremely skilled at blending in, while others seem like strange outsiders no matter what form they take.

Kylss Culture

Kylss have no culture of their own. They were created to worship and serve Shalas-Ixxal, though they chafed under his rule and in time, they engineered his demise. Now, they define themselves as his enemies and jailers, though they are more like their creator than they know. A Kylss often has difficulty rising above their nature, and some never accomplish this feat at all. As an example, it would be unlikely for a Kylss to become a physician, though they would take great joy in strangling the business owners who dumped the toxic chemicals that made people ill in the first place. To accomplish good deeds, they often need to approach laterally.

Most Kylss dislike religion, including their own. While they merely consider most mortal religions to be a waste of time, they actively hunt down and slay the worshipers of Shalas-Ixxal, even if those worshipers are themselves Kylss. All Kylss sense that the crimson gears that time the universe are winding down, and in their secret hearts, they know that they will suffer greatly when their master's siblings arrive. Some turn back to them out of fear, and the Kylss do not permit such lapses from their own. These internal assassinations and religious wars have culled the number of Kylss severely, and in the modern day, few remain.

Kylss tend to be lonely, solitary creatures. Groups of Kylss will quickly draw attention to themselves, and attention is another thing the Kylss dislike. Even the weakest of the Kylss are a match for squads of soldiers and smaller Warmechs, but if the humans or Illuminated learned of them, there would be no place to hide.

Notable Kylss

The Prophet Whose Eyes Regard the End - While the Kylss have no true leader, if in ignorance, you asked who it was, you would probably be directed to the Prophet. The Prophet wove the original prophecy that predicted the downfall of Shalas-Ixxal, and subtly, she ensnared him with it. It is a feat that no other Kylss has been able to match, their masters are far too large for Fate to catch, and yet the Prophet prevailed against impossibility. The Prophet takes the form of a shaman and walks in wild places, usually followed by a handful of Kylss who seek to learn from her. Others approach her for advice, direction, or bring criminals before her to be judged. To the Kylss, her wisdom is beyond reproach.

The King in Yellow/Aure Parnapey - Hastur has a day job as an assassin. Aure Parnapey (named after the Parnapey Scriptures) is well known in the Frontier and the Illuminated Empire as a gun for hire, one capable of dispatching any target. He's also an abolitionist, furious with the treatment of the orog, and the seeming indifference of the other Kylss. When the Kylss were slaves, the orog came to their rescue. When they called out for champions, the orog answered. When they were cast adrift in the wake of their master's destruction, the orog taught them to weave flesh to protect themselves. Now, Hastur is going to return those favors, even if it means personally murdering every slaver in the Reach.

The Dreamer in Darkness/Arin Parnapey - Hastur's half-brother. Where the King is bold and forward and ever-present in the world, the Dreamer is withdrawn and vanishing. Along with the Prophet, the Dreamer was one of the main conspirators against their former master. When the Hour comes at last, he knows judgement will fall heaviest on him and his brother and fear of it has quelled him into inaction.

Whispers Who Illuminate Darkness/Tasha Dohnanyi - An information dealer who lives and works in the Frontier. Istasha is a collector of things, though as time passes, she flits from one obsession to another. Once it was stamps, then comic books. Later, it was promises, and then gemstones. For a time, she found herself fixated on the brains of serial killers, trying to discover what made them tick. In the modern day, she collects information. Most know her as a strange old woman who likes cats a great deal, but in return for secrets she does not yet know, she will grant great boons.

Kylss Physiology

Kylss are, in a word, strange.

While disguised, they approximate the race they're pretending to be, enough that they can pass medical examinations. They even need to eat, drink, and sleep, though they can't die by failing to do so. A starving or dehydrated Kylss merely suffers increasing discomfort until they are able to ingest. A Kylss deprived of sleep cannot die from it, but their symptoms will eventually worsen until they laspe into a coma and are left helpless. In their mortal form, Kylss need to breathe, though all Kylss can breathe water as though it were air. Gas or lack of oxygen (in either air or water) will incapacitate them and deprivation can 'kill' their disguised form and draw out the monster below.

A Kylss' mortal form reacts normally to most circumstances and stimuli. It can gain or lose weight. It ages naturally (though a Kylss can inhabit it until it rots away completely, if it so desires). It bleeds. When it at last falls apart, or at a moment of the Kylss' choosing, they shed it and weave a new cocoon of flesh for themselves. One notable exception is that Kylss cannot sire or bear children, regardless of form.

Kylss are conditionally immortal. They cannot die from old age (though magical aging effects can 'kill' their mortal form), and they would be able to live forever, if the Hour were not upon them.

In its monstrous form, a Kylss is extremely powerful and dangerous, though some are stronger than others. Nonetheless, even the weakest among the Kylss are strong enough to take on groups of Heroic characters and emerge victroious, those who are mighty could shake the very foundations of the world. Each is unique. Some are skeletal, others are writhing masses of flesh or tentacles, or unfathomable darkness hidden behind tragedy masks. If slain in this form, a Kylss is dead forever, and as such, if truly threatened, many prefer flight to fight.

Monstrous forms are formidable, but they are vulnerable to the ravages of space and time, both of which are toxic to them. Depending on their level of power, a Kylss can remain in this form for perhaps a few days, and a week at most. After that, they will have withered away to nothingness unless they craft a new body for themselves. Once properly hidden within a veil of flesh, they can renew themselves, though this process can take weeks or months.

[theconservativebrief]

Does Aisha Tyler sleep? That’s a question you might reasonably ask after looking at her IMDb page for a moment or two. She’s a regular on two TV shows — FXX’s Archer and CBS’s Criminal Minds — while also hosting Unapologetic, a new talk show for AMC. And that’s in addition to all the other one-off hosting gigs she takes on. And yet she’s always fresh, funny, and on point.

Tyler got her start as a standup comic in the late ’90s, at a time when, she says, black women were often pigeonholed into a certain style of comedy while she was much more comfortable making jokes about her love of all things geeky. She followed that up with a hosting gig on Talk Soup, and from there, her career took off and continues to fly high.

But when she joined me for the latest episode of my podcast, I Think You’re Interesting, I wanted to talk to her about those early days in standup and what she’s learned from them as she’s gone forward to a career that’s included performing in front of many different kinds of audiences, from hosting presentations at the annual E3 video game show to performing live with her Archer castmates.

Tyler’s answer about what she learned from the very start of her career was incredibly smart about both what it takes to make something that reaches other people, and about how hard it can find those people in the first place.

So I’ve excerpted it here, lightly edited for length and clarity.

Aisha Tyler

I wasn’t one of those kids who collected comedy albums and dreamt of being a comic. I was a very bookish kid and very nerdy and a social pariah for a fair part of my childhood.

I had Seth Green on my podcast years ago, and he said it’s great that nerd culture’s being celebrated, but you can’t claim to be a nerd unless you played alone for a significant portion of your childhood, which I did. I would say until I was in high school or the end of middle school, I was just a total loner.

It made me a good observer of other people and a lover of movies and comic books and video games, which were all things I could do alone to amuse myself. But I think the observational part was what played into me becoming a comedian. Chris Rock has said that if you’re an outsider, you try to get funny or tell stories, to either a) ingratiate yourself or b) prevent an ass-kicking.

I was going to be a lawyer or something, but I was unhappy in my day job and felt like I wanted to do something creative. Standup was the only thing where you didn’t need to know anybody or have an agent or get booked for. You could just go do it. And I thought I would just try it and see if I liked it.

I fell in love in one [time]. It was not … I wasn’t funny. That’s not important! [Laughs.] I just liked being up there. Every comic will tell you your first set is your best set for like the next 10 years, because you have no expectations and every laugh is like this magical gift. And then I spent a long time after that just being adequate and serviceable and panicked and nervous and tic-y. But I was passionate about it.

And look, I look the way I look and talk the way I talk, and when I started doing standup, it was right at the heyday of Def Comedy Jam and later The Kings of Comedy. I was not doing or sounding like any of the stuff that people expected an African-American woman to be doing or saying onstage, and it really took me a very long time to find my tribe.

I had to be really committed to authenticity over laughs. I could have played a character. I could have gone up and pretended to be somebody else. But I knew early on I was never going to be able to do it in an authentic way. I was going to have to stick to my guns and talk about the stuff that was personal and meaningful to me, and then hopefully people who were like me would find me.

I think doing things that way — and I think this applies to any field, especially an artistic field — made me a stronger and a mentally tougher comedian. I would just be, like, “This is who I am, and I’m just going to keep doing this and being as good as it as I can possibly be until the right people connect with it,” versus being a bellwether and trying to swing every which way [to] what was the most popular kind of comedy. Alt comedy was popular. Def Comedy Jam was popular. I was, like, “I’m gonna stick to my guns.”

Lana gets into some trouble on Archer. FXX

It made me, I think, mentally very, very tough. I had a lot of sets where I didn’t get any laughs. I say this all the time, but killing doesn’t make you funny. It’s only bombing that makes you funny. When you kill, you just, like, drop the, “Fuck it! Follow that, bitches! Bam! Shots!” And you walk off, rubbing your stomach and flashing your tits at everybody. [conspiratorially] That’s not what I do, guys. I’ve just seen it. [Laughs.]

But when you bomb, you really have to reexamine every creative choice you’ve made and think about if it was the right one. And slowly, slowly, slowly, my audiences found me. So what you get from those live shows is a true understanding of what’s funny, like a marrow-based understanding of what’s funny. When you do it long enough, you just know, “This is gonna land. This isn’t gonna land.” I’ve been a standup for 25 years, so now I have an intuitive sense of what is going to work.

And then you just get a fearlessness that translates into every other aspect of your work. When you fail enough in front of a group of people who are telling you, right then, I hate you and what you do and everything you stand for, and you don’t die, then nothing can hurt you.

Todd VanDerWerff

Was there a time when you bombed, and it didn’t work, but you were, like, “I know this is funny. I know this material works”? How did you gain that confidence to just find the people who thought it was funny, too?

Aisha Tyler

There was a comic who was working really prevalently when I was in San Francisco, when I started in the ’90s, and he did this bit where he got onstage … and he ate a pack of Hostess powdered donut gems and read from, like, Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. It’s funny as a concept, but it kinda didn’t work, but then it kinda did. So he’d get up there, and he’d start, and it was kinda funny.

And then when people realized there was no punchline, they would get really annoyed with him, and then they would get angry, and then they would boo. He just was relentless. He just would not stop. Disgust turned to moderate respect turned into people cheering him on turned into, like, “This guy’s a genius.” So the common denominator is just relentlessness, right? A willingness to commit to your choices.

There are a lot of comedians who have done this. A different kind of example of this is the infamous set Bill Burr did at the Weenie Roast in New Jersey, when he got booed, like a solid wall of boo for, like, 10 minutes. [Tyler is referring to this 2006 performance in Camden, New Jersey.] And he had to stay on stage for 10 minutes, or he wasn’t going to get paid. It wasn’t like people were ignoring him. They were just actively screaming and throwing things and calling him names and cursing his offspring. And he was just, like, “I’m not moving.” And it went from this wall of boo to this standing ovation.

It doesn’t mean that just standing up there and refusing to move is going to get you anything but arrested, but I think what made me continue when it was awful, or at least not particularly fun, was I loved being a standup. I loved it, and I loved it more than I disliked bombing.

There was this one set at this place in San Francisco called the Brain Wash. It was like a laundromat, and they would do standup shows there in a back room a couple nights a week. They were open mics, essentially. And the whole audience was comics. It’s not that they don’t want to laugh. It’s that they don’t care to. They’re looking at their setlists. They’re waiting for you to get off so that they can get on. I remember doing this show and not one laugh. And it was so funny to me. I got off stage and was, like, “Nobody laughed! That was amazing.” It was like a feat. That was when I knew I was a comic. That did nothing to me. It just made me strong.

Interesting art comes from people who are unwavering in their vision. For me — something I know now; I don’t think I knew it then — I just thought, I’m gonna be a comic, and I’m not gonna stop. You start to mine little veins and they feel good to you. You put jokes down because they’re getting laughs, but they’re not right. They don’t say anything important. And you slowly cobble something together.

But you have to be a glutton for punishment. You have to want to be out at 1 o’clock in the morning on a Wednesday night, and you have to want to work for no money and be insulted and ignored. You have to really want it. If you can’t tolerate those things, there’s no point. It’s not a glamorous job. Chris Rock is glamorous, sure, but 30 years later, he’s glamorous. Every comic will tell you they went through a period where it was the least fun it could possibly be.

For more with Tyler, including her thoughts on Lana Kane after nine seasons of Archer and discussion of making her way past cultural gatekeepers in pop culture and nerd culture, listen to the full episode.

To hear more interviews with fascinating people from the world of arts and culture — from powerful showrunners to web series creators to documentary filmmakers — check out the I Think You’re Interesting archives.

Original Source -> What Aisha Tyler learned from failing

via The Conservative Brief