#kevin price fan fiction

[edenvinity]

ranking the f1 driver pairings as amazing race teams

me and my family have been watching amazing race for years so you KNOW i had to combine my interests !!!

amazing race is basically a show where teams of two race all around the world and preform a series of challenges rhat can range from physical to more mental, and the team that reaches the “pit stop” last is eliminated. plane flights + transportation around the country is also often up to the teams, having to buy their own plane tickets + hailing their own taxis + driving themselves around a country which works against one team dominance

KEY:

detour - teams can choose to complete one of two challenges

roadblock - one person in the team completes a challenge (one person cannot do every roadblock)

express pass - by doing an extra challenge, one team can get this pass that allows them to skip any one challenge

teams are ranked based on how far i think they would make it in a fictional all-f1 season of amazing race :)

10. pierre & esteban

sorry you KNOW they would be a dumpster fire. like the couples who go on and are like “i love my partner so much :))” and then immediately implode the second aomething goes wrong. would start off polite enough before the first detour where one of them is like mildly slow and the bickering starts. they would start rushing in an attempt to catch up and leave an important item behind (passports, clue, etc) and thats just the nail in the coffin for them

9. lance & fernando

tbh i could see them making it maybe 1 or 2 legs more depending on the challenge but. nothing against lance but hes a rich kid. the challenge would be like “find all the items on this shopping list at a wet market” and hes LOST. fernando gets 3/4 of the list AND has to find lance who is desperately looking for duck eggs (it was at the first stall) and then they get back and lance bought regular eggs anyways for a massively jacked up price. sorry but as entertaining as it would be they are doomed to flop

8. alex & logan

SORRY WILLIAMS BESTIES they would be such a silly team and fan favorites but respectfully i dont see them being very good 🥲 i think they would have a very good dynamic but other then that based on the pumpkin carving/drawing challenges,,,, they would not go far 😭 they would get a challenge to deliver something to several different locations (without map) and eventually get lost and be so far behind that when they get to the mat its like. nighttime. but they would be very cheesed and happy still !!

7. yuki & daniel

THE FUNNIEST PAIR EVER can you IMAGINE the dynamic when trying to navigate or drive a stick shift car. one of the friendlier pairs, willing to help point other teams in the right direction at challenges. also between the two of them they have a pretty decent skill set so i think theyd do pretty well at the challenges, plus be able to get around the city well enough. theyd eventually go out on a leg w more physical challenges just by virtue of the remaining teams being better but they have SO MUCH FUN and SO MUCH banter

6. kevin & nico

solid guys overall !! could see them maybe making it another leg further over the next team. definitely one of the most chill teams, sightseeing/enjoying the travels more (not to say that they arent competitive tho) and overall having a great time !! i think their experience with raising children would also factor in well (patience/calmness) and thus would keep them from making little mistakes and stay consistent. would eventually go out in a leg where they start from a lower spot and cant manage to find any earlier trains/flights and thus cant make up any ground and end up going out

5. lando & oscar

they are the most unstable team LMAO they (lando) always take big gambles with challenges to try and get ahead and as such always end up gaining/dropping tons of places in each leg. impeccable dynamic tho !! oscar is def the grounding force and keeps them on track, navigator to landos driver, while landos creative strategies often help them gain places where they might otherwise be stagnant. would eventually go out on a leg where lando insists on trying to catch an earlier train but ends up missing the connector to their destination (setting them back) and they cant catch up, eventually resulting in their elimination

4. valterri & zhou

i actually cant really explain this one guys its just a gut feeling. like i know that valterri is reasonably fit from biking a lot and zhou could help them get around more reliably in asian countries but other then that i dont have an explanation. theyre chill and like just kind of cruising/enjoying themselves. theres a roadblock where they have to name several different types of beer by taste and valterri crushes it. theres a challenge where its watching this person dancing and having to recreate the entire outfit that zhou kills. they go out right before the final because theyre beaten in a footrace to the mat

3. lewis & george

these guys are EFFICIENT. lewis somehow manages to get them on the earliest flights possible. george reads the map once and immediately find the fastest routes from place to place. they are reasonably good at most challenges. their downfall is challenges requiring them to work together closely, which happens in the final where they are required to learn a traditional wedding dance and preform it and they just cant sync up, costing them major time, and the entire experience just leaves them irritable which eventually leads to them claiming third

2. max & checo

similarly to lando & oscar, max is the competitive force with checo grounding their team. highly competitive (though not to say they dont enjoy themselves), always going for express passes and valuing efficiency. their strategy works for the most part, with them racking up the most leg wins. their downfall ultimately came during the final challenge, where they had to match moments from previous legs with their locations, and neither of them really remember LMAO. just barely misses out on first which goes to…

1. charles & carlos

impeccable dynamic. gets one express pass and uses it strategically. very supportive of each other during challenges. they are just a generally overall solid team but not outstanding, never really winning and just beats out valterri/zhou for the third spot in the final. but in the final leg they are just incredibly in sync which allows them to complete the challenges efficiently, and at the end challenge they have memories tied to each place and are able to figure it out faster then max/checo and beat them to the mat to take the win !!!

okay thanks for listening to my rambles ☺️ maybe a part two of this later ranking old driver pairs OR an f1/survivor ranking

[jessicafurseth]

Reading List, On the Move edition.

"I don't believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive." [Joseph Campbell]

Image: Pansies by Henri Matisse (c 1903) via @paintings_i_love

*

A silent hike along the John Muir Trail [Harmen Hoek on YouTube]

"At one point in time, say the late 2000s, the chief evidence of being a hipster was denying your status as such, it was that vital of a label. Your pro- or anti-hipster opinion constituted an entire worldview. Various trends – craft cocktails, indie rock, American Apparel, vinyl, skinny jeans — were identified with the hipster. There were three options: You were a hipster, you disliked them, or you disliked that you were one." Why did we stop saying “hipster”? [Kyle Chayka, One Thing]

The great women's art bulletin - a series that doesn't miss. [Katy Hessel, The Guardian]

"My online life is a sprawling, overwhelming mess with a price tag that increases every few years. If these archives were in my home and not in the cloud, I have to imagine that visitors would pull me aside for an intervention or refuse to come over altogether." Charlie Warzel is in cloud storage hell [The Atlantic]

"Procrastination isn’t a unique character flaw or a mysterious curse on your ability to manage time, but a way of coping with challenging emotions and negative moods induced by certain tasks — boredom, anxiety, insecurity, frustration, resentment, self-doubt and beyond." Procrastination isn't a time management problem, it's an emotion regulation problem [Charlotte Lieberman, The New York Times]

Memory is more about your future than your past [Kevin Dickinson, Big Thing]

"Overlay the years a woman is supposed to establish herself in her career and her fertility window and it’s a perfect, miserable circle. By midlife women report feeling invisible, undervalued; it is a telling cliché, that after all this, some husbands leave for a younger girl. So when is her time, exactly? For leisure, ease, liberty? There is no brand of feminism which achieved female rest. If women’s problem in the ’50s was a paralyzing malaise, now it is that they are too active, too capable, never permitted a vacation they didn’t plan." This story had my messages lit up for a whole day - there's a LOT going on here.. [Grazie Sophia Christie, The Cut]

The case against "decanting" groceries [Jaya Saxena, Eater]

What happened to the teen babysitter? [Faith Hill, The Atlantic]

“I wanted my life to resemble fan fiction.” When Lily moved in with Grace and Danny and they all had a baby. [Choire Sicha, The Cut]

"I like to think we’re starting to embrace a softer kind of strength. Maybe taking care of ourselves, whatever that looks like, can now be as celebrated as dodging death for a summit." [Beth Rodden, The New York Times]

The Mad Perfumer of Parma [Molly Young, The New York Times]

What Have Fourteen Years of Conservative Rule Done to Britain? I am so ready for this election, just the thought leaves me shaking [Sam Knight, The New Yorker]

How to be alone with your thoughts - a matter of practice! [Allie Volpe, Vox]

Big Sicilian Energy [Jo Piazza, Cosmopolitan]

Anatomy of a snack trolley - a delight from Amelia Tait [CityAM]

"We live in an age of therapy speak, in an age of seemingly every song and TikTok and book using the language of introspection and healing and self-care, because we live in an age of increased isolation, of detachment from the messiness and joy and danger of the real, physical world. A culture of excessive introspection is not a sign of collective or personal growth, but a sign of disconnection from the outside world and each other." [PE Moskowitz]

Reading the Rocks [Jenny Odell, Emergence Magazine]

[arcadetonki]

Tv tropes alien invasion

TV TROPES ALIEN INVASION SERIES

After the “MSTK3” era, which began on local KMTA in Minneapolis in 1988, moved to Comedy Central in 1989, and ended on Syfy in 1999, its various components pushed further into burgeoning online frontiers. Nelson, Kevin Murphy (robot Servo), Bill Corbett (robot Crow) and the assorted cast - has never slipped so far into nostalgia that it’s become mere sci-fi memorabilia. Just a group of Midwestern guys whose droll, mom’s basement sensibility jibed with the age and brought us all along for the ride.īut “MST3K” - with creator Joel Hodgson, Michael J. The writing is super clever, without glamour or pretension. The segments are an homage to sci-fi galore - everything from “Star Trek” and “Planet of the Apes” to modern sitcoms, history and pop-culture absurdities. Fans geek out on the sophisticated references (and if they don’t get a few, so what, they still sound funny), while blissfully indulging in charmingly puerile humor at the same time. With its progenitors in the “horror host” genre dating back to the 1950s, “MST” started riffing in the movies with the ironic humor that has since taken over the cultural zeitgeist. In between, live-action comedy segments and one-off skits feature a rotating mix of bots, aliens, apes and other characters, burnishing a continuing story thread. in the Mike years) force them to “watch cheesy movies, the worst I can find,” to which the main characters add their arch, irreverent and silly goofball commentary. Villains (“The Mads” in the early years, “Pearl Forrester” & Co. Save for random references to moldy headlines - a Nancy Kerrigan here, a Trent Lott there - the cast has taken what turns out to be a centuries-old entertainment form into a universal sphere.įor those unfamiliar with the format: three regular characters - one human (Joel in the early years, Mike the later seasons) and two robots (Tom Servo and Crow) are trapped in space. Furthermore, fans insist the humor transcends “time and space” - and it does. With a generous circulation of the show’s 10 seasons on YouTube, streaming and boxed sets, the S.O.L. Like the iconic “Satellite of Love,” the dog bone-shaped ship, foam planet logo and familiar “MST3K” stage set, it kind of floated into public consciousness somewhere in the ’90s, docked and never left.

TV TROPES ALIEN INVASION SERIES

WASHINGTON - Most older fans of the movie-riffing comedy series “Mystery Science Theater 3000” probably don’t recall the first time they saw their first episode.

Business & Finance Click to expand menu.

One or two shots look a little wonky effects-wise but everything else, from the visual and practical effects to the compelling story, award-worthy production design and hugely talented cast, all feel timeless. Rewatching Minority Report in 2022 (its 20th anniversary, mind you) a few things instantly became clear. There are lots of good Spielberg sci-fi movies, but one of (arguably) the best is this Tom Cruise film about a man who stops criminals before they commit crimes, and is then accused of committing a future crime himself. In no particular order, here are the best sci-fi movies on Prime Video worth your time, according to Gizmodo Australia. We’ve found you eight sci-fi movies on Prime Video that we think you should watch if you’re a fan of the genre. To our surprise, that isn’t the case, but there are still a bunch of hidden science fiction gems on the shopping giant’s video streaming platform. When we started compiling this list, we thought there’d be a tonne of sci-fi movies on Amazon Prime Video, so many that it was going to be hard to cull them all down into a ‘best’ list. BTW - prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. At Gizmodo, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too.

[phierecycled]

The only validation a McPriceley fic could ever need

[the-imagines-of-tonight]

Kiss the Girl

Pairing: Kevin Price x reader

Prompt: “can you do a Kevin Price x reader where everyone teases Kevin that he loves the reader but he denies it (but he does) and eventually the reader asks him to watch a movie with her and he randomly kisses her which ends up being a makeout session”

Word Count: 1,848

Warnings: Make out scene, slight suggestive themes

Author’s Note: 1. I love Kevin Price 2. I love Disney 3. I loved writing this fic

Kevin watched as you let the door shut behind you, walking back to your own house. He was unaware of the small smile that had found its way onto his face, still looking at the door long after you had left.

“Oh boy, Elder.” A laugh sounded from behind Kevin, Connor pausing before continuing on, “You really have it bad for her, don’t you?”

“W-what?” Kevin shook his head as if to rid himself of thoughts of you, turning to face Connor. “No, no - I only have, uh, platonic, feelings for Y/N. Nothing more, nothing less. You could even call us acquaintances.” He stammered and stumbled over his words; perhaps talking fast would convince everyone around him of his lack of feelings.

“Uh huh.” Connor raised an eyebrow in response, evidently not believing a word that came out of Kevin’s mouth. “I bet if we asked anyone - and I mean anyone, Kevin - about the way you react around Y/N they’d tell you it was love.”

“They would not!” The indignant defense all but confirmed it for Connor; the boy was head over heels for her.

“Whatever you say, Kevin. Whatever you say.” A look of pity had found its way onto Connor’s face and he shook his head as he walked away, leaving Kevin alone to deal with his conflicting thoughts.

Kevin had never really understood his own feelings, especially his feelings in regard to you - first he thought they were purely platonic, a thought he insistently defended. But as you spent more time together, and even through the briefest of interactions, he grew more and more fond of you. Whether it was your laugh, the sparkle in your eyes or the ease with which you held a conversation, there was absolutely no denying it: he was in love with you.

Love. It was a scary thing. Kevin hadn’t been in love before, or at least he couldn’t remember ever being in love before. But the unknown feeling he had in the pit of his stomach every time he looked at you must’ve been love. There was no other explanation for it - for the butterflies in his stomach, for the thoughts of you that kept him up at night, for the way his attention was immediately drawn to you every time the two of you were in the same room.

“Something wrong, buddy?” Arnold’s soft voice sounded from behind Kevin and a hand found its way to rest on his shoulder.

“Maybe.” Kevin gave a defeated sigh, slightly folding in on himself as he turned his face towards Arnold. “It’s just-”

“Matters of the heart, huh?” Arnold nodded understandingly, as if he had abundant experience in such matters. “Is it... You know... Y/N again?”

“Y/N! Again?” Kevin laughed nervously, running a hand through his hair. Glancing around to ensure Arnold was the only one within earshot, Kevin dropped his voice to a whisper, asking, “Is it really that obvious?”

“‘Fraid so.” As soon as the words came out of Arnold’s mouth the handle of the door turned and you walked back into the room, evidently having left something behind. “Good luck, bud.” Arnold whispered into Kevin’s ears before attempting hasty exit, leaving the two of you alone.

“Um, hi, Y/N.” With a weak wave Kevin greeted you, internally cursing himself for his awkwardness - it seemed as though you acted as a repellent for any logical thought he attempted.

“Kevin! Just the man I wanted to see,” You smiled wide and Kevin’s eyes flickered down to your lips, tentatively licking his own. Picking up the jacket you had left draped over the back of the couch you took two steps closer to Kevin. “Do you wanna maybe come over to my place tonight? Like, to watch a movie or something? I’ve got some Disney movies I want to re-watch but not alone, so I thought to myself, ‘who’d want to watch these with me’ and you came to mind -”

“Yes.” Kevin thankfully cut off your rambling with a shy smile. “I’d love - uh, like, that a lot.”

“Great!” You felt your face flush as you watched Kevin’s eyes roam around your face, more often than not landing on your lips. “Well, I’ll see you soon?” Phrasing it as a question you crossed your arms and looked up at Kevin, awaiting an answer.

“How about I grab my stuff now and come with you?” It took everything in Kevin’s power to prevent himself from hitting his own face - your eyebrows had shot up at his statement, evidently because he came on too strong and probably scared you off. “I mean, if that’s alright and all...” Nice. Very obvious back peddling. Kevin cringed slightly, the skin of his forehead crinkling in embarrassment.

“Of course it is, Kevin!” Getting over your initial shock on how forward Kevin was you relaxed your face into a smile, a light blush dusting your cheeks. With a slight nod in your direction Kevin all but ran off in the direction of his room, rushing to collect the things he deemed necessary - his wallet, keys, phone - and shoved them into a backpack.

He reappeared in your line of vision, droplets of sweat beading along his hairline and a rosy glow to his cheeks. “Let’s get going then,” You smiled, continuing to do so as the two of you made your way out of the Elder’s accommodation and towards your own.

Kevin blushed just thinking about being alone with you, something he had never experienced before; at least three others were always in the same room as you both. Perhaps this was the chance he had to finally make a move, or at least tell you how he felt - how he had felt for the longest time. He followed you into your lounge room, placing his bag gingerly against the couch that stood facing the television.

“Is The Little Mermaid okay? It’s one of my favourites,” Your statement hung in the air between you and Kevin; somehow despite being able to talk for hours whilst surrounded by others, alone it seemed you were complete strangers.

“S-sure.” With an awkward, jerky movement Kevin nodded and you began to play the movie, sitting a respectable distance away from where Kevin was seated. But that didn’t last very long, as within about ten minutes both of you had readjusted your sitting positions, shifting closer to the middle until you were separated only by a distance wide enough for Kevin’s hand to rest.

The first part of the movie passed without incident, Kevin apparently awaiting the perfect moment to turn to you and -

And you don’t know why but you’re dying to try, you wanna kiss the girl.

Kevin gulped as he snuck a glance your way; you were completely engrossed in the movie, despite having seen it numerous times before. His cheeks turned red as the song played on, strangely mirroring the voice of his own internal monologue.

Looks like the boy too shy, ain’t gonna kiss the girl. Ain’t that sad? Ain’t it a shame? Too bad, he gonna miss the girl.

The singing, animated crab was right: if Kevin didn’t grab your attention in someway he would lose his chance - it was now or never.

Boy, you better do it soon, no time will be better.

“Hey, Y/N?” You turned your head to face Kevin, who had managed to grab your attention. Opening your mouth to reply you froze in shock as you felt Kevin press his lips hard against yours, having misjudged the force needed to carry him to you. You didn’t respond, initially unable to even comprehend the quick succession of events.

Sensing your hesitation, Kevin pulled back, a look of confusion on his face as he began to mutter out an apology. “Y/N, I’m sorry, I - I don’t know what came over me-”

To prevent his rambling from continuing, you mustered up the courage to press your own lips to his, shifting closer to him on the couch. He gasped and his eyes fluttered shut as he felt your lips press once more against his. Your hands had travelled up his body with a feather-light touch, resting in his hair and tugging slightly.

Kevin was nervous - you could tell from the way his hands shook against you, as if touching you in any way would make you stop; or worse, could hurt you. But his hands came to lay on your waist, the both of you turning to face one another whilst still sitting on the couch.

Tracing the curve of your body one of Kevin’s hands moved up to tip your jaw slightly further up, giving him more access to your lips as they parted. It seemed as though your lips were made for one another, moving together in harmony as your tongues explored each other’s mouths. You let out an involuntary moan as Kevin pressed himself flush against you, his kiss evidently becoming both more needy and passionate.

A knock sounded throughout your small house, the only noise able to draw you away from Kevin. “Excuse me a second,” You laugh, panting slightly as you stood up and walked to the door, a giddy smile remaining in place on your face.

“Hello?” You opened the door to a smiling face - Connor’s smiling face. Without realising, your face was still flushed, lips swollen slightly and hair mussed; all tell-tale signs of the deed you had just partaken in.

“Oh, Y/N, um, I needed to ask Kevin a question, but, uh, I see the two of you are... busy... So I’ll just leave you to it.” After raking his eyes over your appearance Connor’s cheeks were coloured with red, having understood the reason behind them. He promptly turned on his heel without waiting for you to respond, leaving you befuddled in the doorway.

“So I guess Connor knows now,” You stated simply, sitting back down on the couch, this time with your thigh pressed against Kevin’s.

“I’m sorry,” He replied, gently placing his hand on the top of your knee. You rested your head against his chest, falling into a calming rhythm together.

Breaking the comfortable silence, Kevin said, “I - I’ve always wanted to find and tell someone, ‘You deserve to be in an art museum because of how beautiful you are.’ And I think I found that person in you, Y/N.” Taking in a deep breath he continued, “I think I might actually love you.”

You gasped at his words and turned your head up, watching a blush spread across his face. Studying the way his eyes lit up by simply seeing your face and being in your presence you couldn’t help but smile. “And I think I love you too, Kevin.”

He laughed as he pressed a chaste kiss to your temple, wrapping an arm protectively around you. You moved in closer and placed a flat palm to brace yourself on his chest; the rhythm of his breathing and the feeling of happiness filling you quickly putting you to sleep.

[ginnyweatherby]

Man’s Best Friend

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, @tubofskippy !!!!  I can’t believe we’ve been buds for a year already!  I’m so glad to be considered your friend and you deserve all the cake and ice cream in the world on your special day.  I hope it was/is/continues to be a wonderful one.

You liked the last BoM fic I wrote, so I wanted to make another one for you... unfortunately, I don’t think this one is nearly as good because I’m bad at pacing, but it’s an idea I wanted to play around with, and I think it came out pretty cute, regardless.

For anyone else who wants to read this, please enjoy some Arnie fluff, with a healthy dose of his Best Friend and Girlfriend, of course.

Arnold treasured his home in Uganda more than anything.

He missed his family back in America, of course, but he wrote letters often, and even visited on rare occasions.

He loved the little house he shared with Nabulungi, and their “temporary” roommate Kevin.  He loved the food, the friendships he’d made with the villagers, and didn't even mind what the humidity did to his hair.

… but if there was one thing he missed about Utah, it was his family pet, Chewbacca.

Chewbacca was a dog Arnold had grown up with, a fluffy little brown and white thing with spots on its ears.  Arnold was never exactly sure what breed he was, but it didn’t matter.  He was the best dog he’d ever met, and before he left for his mission, he promised little Chewy he would be home before he could even miss him.

But that was almost three years ago, and he hadn't come home.  He stayed in Uganda.

He didn’t regret his decision to stay, not for a moment… but sometimes he wondered if Chewy missed him, or even remembered him.  That dog had been there for Arnold since he was so little that he didn't even recall a time without him.  He was Arnold’s best friend when he didn’t have any others; he slept in his bed (against his father’s wishes) and ate off his plate (against his mother’s).  He was so well-mannered and quiet, and perfectly complemented Arnold's bold personality.

He knew his parents took good care of Chewy in his absence, but sometimes he really missed having his puppy barking excitedly, circling his feet.  A day just didn't seem complete without a walk around the block, or a quick game of fetch.

Their Bible study that morning had derailed somewhere halfway through, something that was not unheard of during a Church of Arnold meeting - and now Arnold, Nabulungi and Kevin were spending their Sunday afternoon simply trying not to melt in the sweltering heat.

The three friends sat under a tall tree near their home, relishing the bit of cooler air the shade provided.  They talked about everything, and yet nothing at all at the same time.  Arnold was insisting Picard was a better captain than Kirk could ever dream of being, while Kevin and Nabulungi politely humored him.

Kevin's birthday was approaching, and Nabulungi asked if he was going to return to Utah to celebrate with his family.

Kevin shrugged.  “Maybe… my youngest brother says he's grown another foot, and I have to see for myself if he's outgrown me yet.”

“Would you go with him?”  Nabulungi asked, turning her attention to Arnold.  “You have not seen your family in a long time.”

Arnold used his finger to draw pictures in the dirt.  “I don't think this time.  My parents are always so busy now that I'm gone.”

“You do not miss it, then?”  Nabulungi asked, furrowing her brow.

“I miss Chewbacca,”  Arnold admitted, and he realized his doodle was a crude likeness of his dog.  He even included the spots on his ears.

“Your dog?”  Kevin asked.

Arnold nodded.

“I have never had a pet,”  Nabulungi admitted.  “My father did not want animals in our home… I suppose I was rowdy enough on my own.”

Arnold laughed.  “Maybe we should get a turtle or something.”

“I do not think I want a turtle,”  Nabulungi decided.  “Their shells are not soft to pet.”

Arnold couldn't argue with such solid logic like hers.

Kevin decided against going to Utah for his birthday, and was spending it with his friends instead.  Nabulungi made him a traditional Ugandan cake, while Arnold attempted to bake a much sweeter confectionary.  They all agreed hers was far tastier.

They were settled in the living area of their small home, (the couch devoid of Kevin's bedding that it usually wore), just enjoying the last few hours of his little party.  Arnold was still wearing a party hat, and Kevin was picking at the last bit cake on his plate, while Nabulungi was asleep against Arnold's shoulder.  It had been a good, but tiring afternoon.

“Did you have a good birthday, Best Friend?”  Arnold asked.

“One of the best,”  Kevin said, giving Arnold a flash of his too-white teeth.

“Which present did you like be-”  Arnold stopped talking when Kevin slapped a hand over his mouth.  “- Hey, what are you doing?”

“Shh, I heard something,”  Kevin said, keeping his voice low.

“Naba, wake up,”  Arnold nudged his snoozing partner, who opened her eyes and groggily muttered something.

“What would be around here making noises?”  Kevin asked her.  He had been in the village for years now, but was still always so jumpy and nervous at nighttime.

“What type of noises?”  Nabulungi asked, rubbing her eye with the back of her hand as she woke up fully.

“Rustling leaves… there, I heard it again!”

Arnold didn’t hear anything, but Nabulungi apparently did.  She tiptoed closer to the door, as her friends anxiously stayed behind.

She peered out of the curtain, before letting out a blood-curdling screech.

Arnold and Kevin screamed in response, certain some sort of jungle cat was about to make them its next meal, when Nabulungi turned back, doubling over with laughter.

“What's so funny?”  Kevin demanded, standing to his full height, his hands resting on his hips.  “What was it?”

“A mountain lion?  A cougar?  A bear?”  Arnold asked, chewing on his pinky nail.

“Oh, my,”  Kevin muttered.

Nabulungi wiped a tear from beneath her eye, still clutching her stomach in laughter.  She seemed unable to speak, although Arnold couldn’t think of anything funny about mountain lions… or cougars… or bears.

“Unless there's a clown out there, I don't know why you're laughing,”  Arnold said, scratching the back of his head.

Nabulungi finally got ahold of herself, and she put one finger up to silence them, before turning around to open the door.

“Naba!”

Nabulungi returned, holding something small and furry in her hands.

“This is your mountain lion,”  She said, her laughter now settled, but a toothy grin still on her face.

Arnold and Kevin slowly approached her, and saw that the source of the sounds weren't exactly a wild cat, but an average house cat.

“A kitten?”  Arnold asked, his smile widening to mirror hers.

She nodded, carefully placing the frightened-looking kitten in his arms.

It was so soft, and so tiny, with tortoiseshell coloring to its fur.  A little pink nose sniffed Arnold's hands, but it seemed to like him well enough that it wasn't scratching, or even making much of an attempt to escape at all.

“Poor little thing,”  Arnold cooed, stroking the kitten’s head.  “Left outside all alone.”

“She is very cute,”  Nabulungi said, reaching over to pet its back.  “And very sweet,” she added, as the kitten began to purr.

They moved back over to the couch and sat down, Arnold still holding the kitten in his lap.  “I’m gonna call you Nala,” he declared.

“You're going to keep it?”  Kevin asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Of course,”  Arnold said, with certainty.  As if he was going to let this tiny thing back outside to be eaten by a bigger something.

Nala let out a long yawn, before curling up into a little circle on Arnold's thigh and falling asleep.

“She likes you already,”  Nabulungi said, with a small smile.

“And I like her,”  Arnold decided.

It wasn't the same as having Chewbacca, of course.  He was a dog, and Nala was a cat… but there was still something special about having a little animal friend that brought a smile to Arnold's face.  He needed this.

He continued to stroke Nala’s fur, as she purred in her sleep… maybe she needed Arnold, too.

“I think I figured out what my favorite present is,”  Kevin said.  “Seeing you happy like this.”

It may have been Kevin's birthday, but to Arnold, it seemed like he was the one who received the greatest gift.

[cheer-deforest-kelley]

My first 10 years of attending Star Trek conventions (1974-1985-ish) were the best. The cost was fairly low at around $10-35 for one, two and three day conventions. Some of the cons ones were very small and intimate and not very polished (which made them feel like a huge fan club meeting). The autographs from the cast were free and while at the autograph table, ask a question or just chat. You could even get free pictures with them— that’s teenaged me in 1975 standing directly behind James Doohan; that’s his 18 (!!!!) year old new wife Wende trying to lean out of the picture. By the way, they stayed married until his death in 2005 (despite their 36 year age difference).

Others in attendance at this convention were George Takei, Walter Koenig, Mark Lenard (Sarek from “Journey to Babel”), Arlene Martel (T’Pring from “Amok Time”) and Bruce Hyde (Lt Kevin O’Reilly from “The Naked Time” (who sang I’ll Take You Home Again Kathleen as soon as he hit the stage. He sang it over and over until someone came out and jokingly told him to pleeeeease stop). If you’ve seen that episode, you’ll get that joke.

Besides original and guest cast in attendance, there were costume contests, art shows and trivia contests. NASA astronauts would come and speak about life in space. Science Fiction writers (like Theodore Sturgeon who wrote “Amok Time”) sat on panels and discussed their work. The Blooper reels were shown at every convention and original episodes ran all day on a big screen. It was so great to watch episodes with a big audience (who laughed at every funny scene like it was their first time seeing the episode).

Of course we wouldn’t miss the sessions with the cast, but I spent most of my time in the Dealer’s room, where every sort of Star Trek memorabilia was sold at very decent prices— it was the only place to find most of this stuff. I spent a lot of money on photos, posters, books, magazines, clothing, watches, Enterprise pendants, tribbles (sold in person at one convention, by David Gerrold who wrote the episode), toys, patches, stickers and more.

Treasured times.

[supermanfanpodcast]

Download Episode 397!

NEW FUN COMICS 1, February 1935, was published on January 11, 1935. It contained 32 pages for the cover price of 10¢. Lloyd Jacquet was the editor. It was published by National Allied Publications, the company that would evolve into the DC Comics we know today.

FAMOUS FIRST EDITION: NEW FUN COMICS #1 was published on May 19, 2020 for the cover price of $19.99.

- (8:29) I review the book, JACKIE ORMES: THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN CARTOONIST by Nancy Goldstein, published by the University Of Michigan Press in 2019. This book was 226 pages long.

- (11:45) MY PULL LIST, where I review the comic books that carried the November 2020 cover date, which were released during the month of September, and I received from Discount Comic Book Service.

- (26:45) Before the reprint of NEW FUN COMICS 1, this FAMOUS FIRST EDITION  had two introductions. The first was titled, THE START OF SOMETHING BIG, written by comic book historian Jerry Bails for a previously planned reprint of this issue that was eventually never published.

- (28:33) A SECOND INTRODUCTION was written by Roy Thomas, explaining why that first reprint never happened, and what the historical significance is of this issue.

- (30:11) JACK WOOD, subtitled PANCH VILLA Part I, a western adventure was written and drawn by Lyman Anderson, according to Mike's Amazing World Of DC Comics. The Grand Comic Book Database gives this feature the subtitle as, DON NAGLES - CATTLE RUSTLER Part I, written by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson and drawn by Lyman Anderson. Jack Wood rode into the sunset with his final appearance in ADVENTURE COMICS 42, September 1939.

- (33:27) The adventure strip SANDRA OF THE SECRET SERVICE in THE GAVONIA AFFAIR part I, was written and drawn by Charles Flanders, according to Mike's Amazing World Of DC Comics, while the Grand Comic Book Database credits Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson as the writer and Charles Flanders as the artist. Sandra's final mission for the Secret Service would occur in MORE FUN COMICS 35, September 1935.

- (34:11) The comic strip OSWALD RABBIT, which was written and drawn by John Lindermeyer, appeared on the bottom of the page. It filled the gap at the bottom of the page below not only SANDRA OF THE SECRET SERVICE, but many of the early features in this issue. Oswald made his final appearance in MORE FUN COMICS 7, January 1936, but would make various appearances in various titles for other comic book publishers.

- (35:03) JIGGER AND GINGER, a teen humor strip, writer unknown, was drawn by Adolph Schus. They would make only one other appearance in NEW FUN COMICS 2, March 1935.

- (35:50) The adventure strip BARRY O'NEIL, in FANG GOW OF CHINA part I, according to Mike's Amazing World Of DC Comics, was written by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson and drawn by Lawrence Lariar. Barry's final adventure occurred in ADVENTURE COMICS 60, March 1941.

- (37:17) THE MAGIC CRYSTAL OF HISTORY, a kid adventure strip, was written and drawn by Adolphe Barreaux. Bobby and Binks would take their final historical adventure via the Magic Crystal in MORE FUN COMICS 50, December 1939.

- (38:45) The adventure strip WING BRADY: SOLDIER OF FORTUNE began with THE BEDOUINS part I. Mike's Amazing World Of DC Comics credits Henry Carl Kiefer (who signed his name as de Korosett, his wife's maiden name) as the writer and artist, while the Grand Comic Book Database lists Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson as the writer and Kiefer as the artist. Brady's final adventure occurred in MORE FUN COMICS 52, February 1941.

- (40:19) Sir Walter Scott's IVANHOE was adapted to comic book form by Charles Flanders, according to Mike's Amazing World Of DC Comics, while the Grand Comic Book Database lists Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson as the writer of this adaption and Flanders as the artists. This adaption of IVANHOE ended with MORE FUN COMICS 27, December 1937.

- (41:54) JUDGE PERKINS, a humor strip, was written and drawn by Bert Nelson Haig. The Judge would only have one more misadventure, in NEW FUN COMICS 2.

- (42:57) The science fiction adventure, DON DRAKE ON THE PLANET SARO, was written by Ken Fitch and drawn by Joseph Clemmens Gretter, who signed his art as Clem Gretter. Drake had his final adventure in MORE FUN COMICS 17, January 1937.

- (44:17) LOCO LUKE, a western humor strip, was written and drawn by Jack A. Warren. Loco Luke rode into the sunset after NEW FUN COMICS 4, May 1945.

- (46:41) SPOOK RANCH was a western mystery story written by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, using the pseudonym Roger Furlong, with illustrations drawn by Charles Flanders. The story concluded in the next issue.

- (46:41) SCRUB HARDY was a sports humor strip drawn by Joe Archibald. Hardy's sports career was cut short, only appearing again in NEW FUN COMICS 2.

- (48:19) The sports adventure strip JACK ANDREWS ALL-AMERICAN BOY was written and drawn by Lyman Anderson. Andrews' sports career would only last through NEW FUN COMICS 6, October 1935.

- (51:04) BATHYSPHERE - A MARTIAN DREAM, writer unknown, was an article about Dr. Beebe, who descended 3,000 feet in a bathysphere, and the equipment on board.

- (51:59) SPORTS, an article written by Joe Archibald, was about the Toronto Maple Leafs and a brief history of the game of hockey.

- (52:59) ON THE RADIO: THE DIAL TWISTER, maybe written by Lloyd Jacquet,  was an article asking readers to write the staff of NEW FUN COMICS and share their favorite radio shows, and the writer also shares some favorites.

- (54:27) IN THE MOVIES: TALK OF THE TALKIES, writer unknown, described some of the upcoming films in 1935, including one involving the comic book cowboy Jack Wood, a movie serial titled RUSTLERS OF RED GAP (IMDb lists the final title as RUSTLERS OF RED DOG).

- (55:24) MODEL AIRCRAFT, writer unknown, with illustrations drawn by Dick Loederer, was an article about how to make a model of the U.S. Navy plane Vought Corsair, one of the early planes that took off and landed on the first aircraft carriers.

- (56:49) HOW TO BUILD HENDRICK HUDSON'S "HALF MOON", an article written and drawn by Robert Weinstein, about a 17th Century sailing ship.

- (57:08) CAP'N ERIC, a sea adventure strip, was written and drawn by Robert Weinstein, who signed this feature Bob Weinstein.

- (58:33) BUCKSKIN JIM: THE TRAILBLAZER, a western adventure, was written and drawn by Eugene Koscik, who signed his work as "K". Buckskin Jim rode off into the western sunset after MORE FUN COMICS 18, February 1937.

- (1:01:28) The article POPULAR SCIENCE, writer unknown, had illustrations provided by Dick Loederer, who signed his work as "Loe". It covered three subjects, STREAMLINE TRAIN THAT TALKED, PUTTING THE SUN TO WORK, and A BIT OF MAGIC.

- (1:03:06) STAMPS AND COINS, writer unknown, also had illustrations drawn by Dick Loederer, who again signed his work as "Loe". This article was divided into two sections, BEGINNING A COLLECTION, about stamps, and ABOUT COINS.

- (1:03:50) The issue's final article was titled YOUNG HOMEMAKERS, writer unknown, also with illustrations provided by Dick "Loe" Loederer. This article provided advice about a well organized kitchen.

- (1:04:39) AFTER SCHOOL, a kid humor strip, was written and drawn by Tom McNamara. Lefty and Slim had their last humorous adventure in NEW FUN COMICS 6, October 1935.

- (1:05:43) CAVEMAN CAPERS, a prehistoric humor strip, was written and drawn by Dick Loederer. The fire went out for CAVEMAN CAPERS after NEW FUN COMICS 5, August 1935.

- (1:06:42) FUN FILMS: TAD AMONG THE PIRATES, was written and drawn by Adolphe Barreaux. This feature was unique among the others in this issue. It was a series of strips that you could cut horizontally and tape together into a paper film strip, viewed through a paper backdrop drawn at the top of the page. Tad's final adventure occurred in NEW FUN COMICS 3, April 1935.

- (1:07:20) BUBBY AND BEEVIL, a humor strip, was written and drawn by Dick Loederer. Bubby and Beevil's last misadventure was in NEW FUN COMICS 3, April 1935.

(1:07:41) The animal humor strip PELION AND OSSA was written and drawn by John Lindermeyer, who signed his work as Kevin Hay. Their last adventure was also in NEW FUN COMICS 3, April 1935.

- (1:08:35) This issue's final strip was the science fiction adventure 2023: SUPER POLICE, written by John Finch and drawn by Joseph Clemens Gretter, who signed his name as Clem Gretter. The Science Police investigated their last case in MORE FUN COMICS 14, October 1936.

- (1:10:11) After the reprinted issue, there were a few essays to round out this book. The first was titled, THE MAJOR WHO MADECOMICS, about Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, written by his Granddaughter, Nicky Wheeler-Nicholson. She provides a brief biography about her Grandfather, how his interests in life helped shape the features that were included in this first issue, and some of the talented comic book creators whose careers he helped influence.u

- (1:10:38) NEW FUN 1 - THE CONTRIBUTORS, brief biographies of  most of the creators in this issue, also provided by Nicky Wheeler-Nicholson, with special thanks to David Saunders for his original research.

- (1:11:17) The book's final essay was titled, A TABLOID TRADITION CONTINUES, written by Editor Benjamin Le Clear, Manager of DC Comics Library Archives. He explains how and why this issues printed at tabloid size, and a brief history of the evolution of the size of comic books, and finally the origin of the FAMOUS FIRST EDITION series in the 1970's.

- Next episode we return to our journey through the Silver Age Adventures of Superman with: SUPERMAN FAMILY COMIC BOOKS  COVER DATED MAY 1966: PART I: WORLD'S FINEST COMICS 157, PART II: SUPERMAN 186, PART III: SUPERMAN'S GIRL FRIEND LOIS LANE 65 & PART IV: ACTION COMICS 337 with ELSEWHERE IN DC COMICS' May or May/June 1966 titles.

The home for THE SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST is http://thesupermanfanpodcast.blogspot.com. Send e-mail to supermanfanpodcast@gmail.com.You can join the SUPERMAN FAN PODCASTGroup or Page on facebook, and follow the podcast on twitter @supermanpodcast. You can also keep track of the podcast on Tumblr, Medium, Flipboard, the Internet Archive, tunein, Stitcher, Amazon and Instagram.

SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST is a proud member of:

- The LEAGUE OF COMIC BOOK PODCASTERS and

- The COMICS PODCAST NETWORK. 

The theme of this podcast is PLANS IN MOTION, composed by Kevin MacLeod, and part of the royalty free music library at http://incompetech.com. "Plans in Motion" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Superman and all related characters are trademark and copyright DC Comics. Any art shown on this podcast is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit. I make no claims of ownership of these images, nor do I earn any money from this podcast.

If you are interested in my artwork, go to wayfarerercomics.wordpress.com. I am available for commissions, so click on the Art Commissions tab for more information. If interested, send an e-mail to wayfarercomics@gmail.com.

Thanks for listening to the SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST and, as always, thanks to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, creators of Superman!

And don't forget to take care of each other out there.

[fearsmagazine]

EMBRYO - Review

DISTRIBUTOR: Uncork'd Entertainment

SYNOPSIS: Kevin and his girlfriend Evelyn are camping in the woods when she is abducted and impregnated by otherworldly beings. As the entity inside her begins to grow at a rapid rate, Evelyn’s cravings can only be satiated by the taste of human flesh. When she brutally attacks a doctor, they go on the run to the big city where they can find help to remove the embryo that is slowly taking over Evelyn’s body.

REVIEW: Chilean filmmaker Patricio Valladares wears numerous hats on his latest science fiction horror film EMBRYO. In addition to his film work Valladares is also an accomplished comic book creator.

The narrative is not presented in a linear fashion and jumps around a bit in order for the viewer to get the full scope of the story taking place in this area that is a hot bed for alien activity. There are also times when the story switches timelines to fill in details about characters where Valladares also plays with the visual style. There are times when it appears to change from a traditional film to something that feels more like a found footage style. There are moments when the camera adjusts the shot prospective or akward lense pulls that I really wasn’t sure what to make of it. Was it cinéma-vérité or sloppy film work by a member of the team? Also. given the editing style linking some of the sequences it could be more of a result of the filmmaker trying to emulate the narrative style of a comic book. If it is, I’m not sure that it works as effectively as he might have hoped.

The plot of EMBRYO is not something we haven’t seen before. Maybe the element of the police officer out for revenge against the aliens might be new to the overall plot of alien abduction and impregnation. Maybe even some of the nuances of this small Chilean community add a bit of freshness to the tale. Still, the overall narrative held little surprise or any type of “wow” factor.

In terms of the overall production design, you could tell that much of the budget went towards the alien design and the gore effects. The alien design was kind of impressive and the director does a fine job of showing just enough to keep the viewer interested. The rest of the effects are largely an exploitative style that resembles the Troma style of blood and gore, but toned down a tad probably due to the film’s budget. There were a couple of sequences where I thought they were trying to be too ambitious. When they were subtle or implied things I thought they were more effective.

I liked the cast and thought they did a fine job of creating these characters. You could feel their determination, seemed genuine in their terror and horror, and were able to elicit some sense of empathy from this viewer.

If EMBRYO was submitted to one of the independent genre film festivals I would review submissions for I would absolutely give it high makers and recommend it for inclusion in the festival. It’s not a great film, but clearly has enough going for it that a certain section of the genre film community would absolutely find it worth the watch. It’s a fine effort, but not what some genre fans might not find worth the screening price.

CAST: Romina Perazzo, Domingo Guzmán, Carolina Escobar, Cristian Cuentrejoa, Evelyn Belmar, Paulina Facuse, Yuri Caceres, Giordano Rossi, and Serge François. CREW: Director/ScreenplayProducer/Editor - Patricio Valladares; Screenplay - Barry Keating; Cinematographer - David Rebolledo;Score - Luigi Seviroli; Special Effects - Isabella Marchesse; Visual Effects - Juan Pablo Arriagada. OFFICIAL: N.A. FACEBOOK: N.A. TWITTER: N.A. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/XIsMZ4PsLzU RELEASE DATE: On Demand & Digital April 6th, 2021

**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay),  or 👎 (Dislike)

Reviewed by Joseph B Mauceri

[lemon-writings]

Twenty Questions Tag

Tagged by @transboywriting! Thank you! :D

rules: answer 20 questions, then tag 20 blogs you’d like to know better!

1.) NAME: Morgan

2.) NICKNAME: Morgs, Mom

3.) ZODIAC SIGN: Aries (cusp of Pisces, Cancer moon, Leo rising).

4.) HEIGHT: 5′3 with good posture! 

5.) LANGUAGES: English. I know enough French to get by, if you only ask me about the weather or what instrument I played in my first year of high school. 

6.) NATIONALITY: American (from the Midwest, ayy).

7.) FAVORITE SEASON: Definitely the fall! Colorful leaves! Foggy mornings! Halloween! That Dark Academic aesthetic! Chai lattes (available all year, but more seasonally appropriate)!

8.) FAVORITE FLOWER: Does aloe count? If not, then lilies. 

9.) FAVORITE SCENT: Old books, wood smoke, chai lattes, freshly-made lemon bars, strawberry-flavored sodas, diesel fuel-- it’s really hard to choose just one, because I have so many favorite scents, depending on my mood.

10.) FAVORITE COLOR: Mint green and lilac.

11.) FAVORITE ANIMAL: Probably pigs. I spent a lot of my childhood raising them, and they’re like 200 pound puppies that I’m not allergic to!

12.) FAVORITE FICTIONAL CHARACTERS: I have a ton, so here are the ones I can remember off the top of my head: Mia Warren, Norman Babcock, Dipper Pines, Mabel Pines, Coraline Jones, Aristotle Mendoza, Dante Quintana, Bruce Banner, Luke Skywalker, Kurt Wagner, Crowley, Aziraphale, Wallace Wells, Kevin Price, the 9th, 10th, and 13th Doctors, all the characters from Magnus Chase... etc, etc. 

13.) COFFEE, CHOCOLATE, OR TEA: Tea! I love a good mint, french vanilla, peach, chai, or matcha, though I’m not exactly picky. Unsweetened iced tea was like my water when I was a child.

14.) AVERAGE SLEEP HOURS: 6-8 is what I really aim for.

15.) DOG PERSON OR A CAT PERSON: I’m more of a cat person, but I’m allergic to both.

16.) NUMBER OF BLANKETS YOU SLEEP WITH: Three, one weighted.

17.) DREAM TRIP: I want to visit so many places, it’s hard to choose, but I’d probably pick London, since I’m a huge fan of literature and history.

18.) BLOG ESTABLISHED: Late 2018.

19.) FOLLOWERS: 113!

20.) RANDOM FACT: I have a whole lot of random (and mostly mild) allergies to things, including: animals that shed, pollen, chocolate, peanut butter (just makes my stomach hurt), and strawberries (makes my throat swell up).

Alright, I’m going to tag: @writermars, @nootwrites, @hellsigns, @semblanche, @aziz-writes, @mvcreates, @kall-iope, @alittlewarlord, @the-lady-that-writes, @spookales, @consultingcinnamon, @aelenko, @ocmaker, @monochromaa, @the-girl-with-three-faces, @mourning-call, @jcckwrites, @surroundedbypearls, @bailey-writes, and @books-and-time-travel!

[blessed-but-distressed]

#FindEmmaSwanAFriend

Feeling left behind by her more successful, settled friends, Emma Swan moves to Scotland on a whim. Sure, she’s winning at Instagram, but something is still missing from her new life. Fortunately, her friends back home are on it. #FindEmmaSwanAFriend goes viral. Enter Killian Jones, reluctant columnist, who is on the hunt for his newest subject, and may just have found her. CS AU

***

also on ff.net and ao3

***

Tagging: @katie-dub , @wholockgal , @kat2609 , @whovianlunatic, @optomisticgirl, @ladyciaramiggles, @the-lady-of-misthaven, @emmaswanchoosesyou, @ilovemesomekillianjones, @biancaros3, @cigarettes-and-scotch-whisky, @ms-babs-gordon  @ab-normality, @andiirivera, @fangirl-till-it-hurts, @onceuponaprincessworld , @natascha-remi-ronin, @kiwistreetswan and whoever else asks me.

***

A/N: Part 1 of 2. We’ll get there when we get there.

***

Emma

 It had been building for weeks. Months, really. 

It began with a series of fences up on the Castle Esplanade, robbing the selfie-stick set of their outlook towards Arthur’s Seat. Before long it became a full-blown construction site, scaffolds looming up on either side of the tarmac like a bad omen. 

Then came the anti-terrorist bollards on the Mile, at once ugly and terrifying in their design. By the time the placards went up at the tail end of July, you could feel it in the air, like an encroaching thunderstorm.

August.

For as long as she’d lived in Edinburgh, Emma had heard the war stories. 

A bloody nightmare, was how Killian had once phrased it. Imagine, if you will,  if every insufferable wanker in London with even the slightest dramatic inclination took it upon himself-

Or herself, Tink had interrupted.

Or herself, he’d amended, with a roll of his eyes, to decamp 400 miles up the East Coast line, en masse. And not just for a weekend, either. An entire month. And then imagine they proceed to spend that time putting on dodgy comedy shows, getting pissed as newts, and trying to get off with each other.

Don’t forget the inflated prices, Will had cut in.

The traffic, Tink lamented.

Hipsters with posh accents taking up all the seats in your local, Will added mournfully.

The flyers, Killian sighed. At that, the other two groaned.

So it’s busy? Emma had asked.

Aye, Swan, Killian had replied, a weary glint in his eye. It’s busy.

 ***

It wasn’t that she didn’t believe them, exactly. She’d seen the crowds at Christmastime, swelling up around the markets in Princes Street Gardens. She’d stared the drunken aftermath of Hogmanay in the face, and lived to tell the tale. She knew busy.

The Festival was, well… most days it wasn’t unlike navigating the Battle of Thermopylae. Every major thoroughfare, every centrally located eatery turned into a desperate crush of bodies, all attempting to coexist in too little available space. And there on the periphery the thespians lay in wait, ready to exploit any signs of weakness.

The first few days, she took every flyer on offer. It was the polite thing to do. But as her bag, and the crowds swelled, she was forced to reassess. By week’s end Emma learned to do as the locals did, keeping her head down, headphones in, and her hands stuffed in her pockets at all times.

So when August, the man, promised Emma he could sneak her into the green room at the Book Festival, she took her chance to escape the rabble.

Compared with the madness up on the Mile, the Book Festival in Charlotte’s Square was an oasis of calm. The crowd skewed older, and it showed. They sat drinking up the sun in plastic lawn chairs, whiling away the hours until the next panel or signing with the unhurried air of the newly retired. Yet even as she sipped her overpriced plastic cup of gin, Emma felt content.

It was summer. She was on vacation. And she was one Q & A session away from having her apartment all to herself again.

“Emma!” Her houseguest fell onto the grass beside her, spilling half of his gin in the process.

“You got them?” Emma asked, leaning over to top up his drink with some of hers.

Taking a few surreptitious glances in either direction, August unzipped his jacket, and tossed something into Emma’s lap. “I’m a man of my word.”

Emma wouldn’t go quite that far, but she snatched it up anyway. It was a sweater, pale blue with a prominent STAFF designation across the back. Her ticket into the green room. “And where did you get that? Did you slip some poor underpaid usher a tenner, or something?”

August just tapped the side of his nose, and smiled his usual mysterious smile. 

Tamping down her urge to kick him, Emma sighed and pulled the sweater over her head. It was a little big on her, but not comically so. She rolled up the sleeves, and waved a little to get August’s attention.

“What do you think? Do I look like I’d volunteer at a Book Festival?”

“No,” he replied, without looking at her. “And I think your columnist just came out of the Zadie Smith signing. Kevin?”

She squinted against the sun, to where the crowd was pouring out from the Signing Tent. Sure enough, there was a familiar monochromatic figure loping his way across the square. It’d been more than a month since she’d seen him, but if the signature walk hadn’t given him away, the outfit would’ve. Who else would insist on black leather in the middle of summer? 

“Killian,” Emma corrected automatically, already regretting rising to the bait.

August knew full well who Killian was. He’d Facebook stalked him the same as Ruby had. He read his columns religiously, picking them apart in their group chat with the zeal of a literature major on Adderall. He just liked being a dick.

 As they emerged from the throng, Emma saw the petite woman at Killian’s side, matching his stride in impressively tall heels. 

How does she walk in those things? Emma wondered to herself. But before she could voice this aloud, August was already on his feet.

“I’m going to go say ‘hi’.” There was a twinkle in his eye, one she didn’t much like the look of. 

“August...” Emma gave a low warning, but it was too late. He’d already passed her the last of his drink, and disappeared across the square.

Lord help her.

Downing the last of the gin, Emma straightened her sweater one last time and went after him.

***

August wasn’t famous, exactly. His debut, a semi-autobiographical account of his early twenties backpacking through South East Asia, had made some waves when it first came out. There’d been movie interest. A profile in the New Yorker. Everyone was a sucker for that foster-kid-made-good fairytale.

But when he switched focus to fantasy fiction, his agent jumped ship. Likewise, most of his readership. These days, he was what Emma might charitably call a “midlist author.” Consistent, but not exactly setting the world on fire. Mostly, he survived under the radar, letting the royalties from his successful debut prop up his middling career. But every once in a while, he’d run into a fan in the wild, and things would get... strange.

When Emma finally caught up to August, she came to two sudden realizations;

On closer inspection, the woman with the impressive ability to navigate across grass with spike heels was none other than Belle. Librarian Belle. As in, I-really-like-sad-songs-and-married-a-complete-douchebag Belle. 

Belle was staring at August with the kind of gobsmacked, I-just-swallowed-a-goldfish expression that could only mean one thing: She was a fan.

“You know August Booth?” Belle shout-whispered to Killian. The hand clinging tightly to Killian’s bicep might’ve stirred Emma’s interest, if she didn’t think it was all that was keeping the girl upright.

Killian seemed entirely puzzled. “Err… in passing?” He looked from August to Emma, searching for a lifeline. 

“You’re a Swords of Storybrooke fan, I take it?” Emma asked, helpfully.

Belle seemed to shake herself a little. “Emma! Hi!” She reached across to give her a one-armed hug, the best she could do with the books still cradled against her chest with her other hand. 

“Are you kidding? I’m in love with those books! I have the last line from Good Form tattooed on my-” She trailed off abruptly, cheeks flushing red. “Sorry,” she said, turning again to August. “You must get that all the time.”

“Not as often as I’d like,” he said with a flash of teeth.  “Always nice to meet a fan. It was Belle, wasn’t it?” Emma saw the flash of recognition cross his face, as he matched the name with the story. “You’re a friend of Ruby’s, right?”

“Ruby? Ruby Lucas? Uh, yeah. We dated. Sort of. You know her?”

“We go back a ways. Do you like gin, Belle?” he asked, coaxing her closer to the bar. “I heard they’ve got some here that tastes like Earl Grey…”

It took Emma a moment to realize she’d been abandoned. Alone. With Killian Jones. Exactly as August, that slimy son of a bitch, had intended.

To his credit, Killian looked similarly startled, trying and failing to cover it with a casual scratch behind his ear. It was just a small thing, but it killed her.

“Sooo…” he began, never one to leave a silence unfilled, “Been a while…”

5 weeks, not that she was counting.

“Not that I blame you for avoiding me, mind...” he added.

“I wasn’t-” Her first instinct was denial, but she swallowed it back down. He knew her better than that. “Yeah, okay, I was, a bit. Sorry. I just needed…”

“Space,” Killian finished for her.

“Yeah. Space.” 

The smile they shared was fragile. Precious. She wanted to tell him she’d meant to call. That she’d had to fight off tears the whole time she’d read through his latest column. She wanted to tell him what it had meant to her.

Instead, she just said the first stupid thing to pop into her head. 

“Sorry,  I think August just stole your date.”

“Date?” Killian looked back to where Belle and August had disappeared, and it dawned on him. “Belle?” His laugh was incredulous, if Emma was any judge.  “Err… no. We just kind of met in the line.” 

“To Zadie Smith, right?”

“Aye.” He held up the autographed copy of her latest, before tucking it back under his arm. “Elsa’s a big fan. Her birthday’s coming up, so-”

She felt a prickle of attraction and hated herself for it. Just because he was a good brother-in-law, it didn’t mean she had to let her guard down again. Ted Bundy had probably been a great brother-in-law too.

“She’s coming home soon?” Even as strained as things had been, he’d been unable to keep the implosion of his home life entirely to himself.

“Next week. Let the boys settle back into things before school goes back.”

“And things with her and Liam are…?” She let her words trail off, not wanting to overstep.

“They’re… I don’t know.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “They’re talking now, at least. These long, overwrought transatlantic Skype conversations that I pretend very hard not to overhear.  It’s a start, I suppose.”

Emma shrugged in agreement. As thoughtful responses went, it fell short of the mark. But what did she know about fixing a broken marriage? She’d had one functional adult relationship in her entire life, and she hadn’t even made it through the entire proposal before she’d cut and run.

“So you’re working here?” he asked suddenly.

“Huh?” She looked down, confused, only to realize she was still wearing her baby blue STAFF sweater. “Oh, this? No, this is stolen. Or borrowed? You know what? I’m not really sure on the specifics.”

“Oh..kay?” Amusement was definitely winning out over his confusion.

Emma shrugged. “August said he’d sneak me into the Green Room. This is part of my cunning disguise. Pretty convincing, huh?”

“You know they check lanyards at the door, right?”

She didn’t. Fucking August.

“There is, of course, another way in…” He tried for his usual irrepressible swagger, and it rang a bit hollow to Emma’s ears. But he was trying. 

“Oh, is there?” she asked , crossing her arms sullenly over her chest.

He nodded, eyes growing brighter as they fell into a more familiar rhythm. “A secret way. Only known to the chosen few…”

Emma shot him a flat look.

With a grin and a flourish, he pulled a lanyard from his pocket, and held it out for her inspection.

It was identical to his in every way, right down to the Saorsa logo stamped on the back.

“Our photographer never made it, so I had a spare. What do you say, Swan? Want to ditch that awful jumper and join the big leagues?”

Emma cocked her head, considering this proposal. ”Would I actually have to take photographs?”

“If you like. But you’d definitely have to hold the camera. Authenticity and all that.” 

“And we’d breathe the same air as actual famous authors?” She was kidding, but only a little.

“Breathe the same air, eat the same Chocolate Digestives. We could even talk to a few, if you like.” He shrugged. “That’s kind of why I’m here.”

Somehow, that trumped her original plan of playing the wallflower while August caught up with his cadre of fellow fantasy authors.

She didn’t say anything, but Killian must’ve already intuited her answer, because he gently pulled the lanyard from her grasp, and slipped it over her head with a smirk. 

“Congratulations, Dr Swan. You’re now a proud member of the fourth estate.” He held out a hand. “Shall we?”

Emma looked down at the proffered hand and hesitated. 

It was just a hand, and it wasn’t. Because here was the truth: Emma had started to trust Killian Jones. Started to lean on him. Confide in him.  And even now, after he’d kicked the metaphorical chair out from under her and shown he was capable of being a complete ass when the mood struck, she still wanted to. 

It was a hand, but it was also a second chance. 

And maybe it made her weak, but Emma reached out and took it.

***

I can’t believe I met a Pulitzer Prize winner! ES

I can. You only made me take twenty pictures of the two of you together. KJ

Funny. ES

Not a hardship, I can assure you. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. It was good to see you, even if only for a wee bit. KJ

Huh. Sincerity. Not sure what to do with that. ES

I’m trying a new thing, where I occasionally let the people in my life know that I actually appreciate their company. KJ

And how’s that working out for you? ES

Will is now convinced I harbour a dreadful crush on him, and Liam asked me if I had a concussion. Soo… I’d call it a work in progress ;-) KJ

Good to see you too. ES

***

August’s Q & A went better than expected, if you didn’t count the guy at the front whose question was more of a diatribe, really, about all the things he would’ve done differently.

There was always one.

But on the whole, the genuine fans outnumbered the assholes, and it took a good two hours to finally extricate August from his adoring masses, after the fact.

He was already flushed, drunk on ego and free booze when he finally emerged from behind a tent flap, and pulled Emma into a lazy hug. 

“Where to next, oh tour guide extraordinaire?” he asked with hot gin breath.

Emma grimaced, and held him at arm’s length. “There’s no next. You have a train to catch, remember?”

“Last train for London isn’t for another three hours,” August shrugged. “Still time for a last bit of revelry. Didn’t you promise you’d actually take me to a Fringe show?”

She had, but she’d also counted on August being distracted by his own brilliance long enough for her to welch out of that particular contract. The last thing she felt like doing was wading back into the madness of the Old Town.

“It’s kind of last minute…”

But August already had his phone out, scrolling through the app and Emma knew a lost cause when she saw one.

He looked up suddenly, eyes lit with a tantalizing prospect. “How far’s the Tron?” 

***

During the semester, The Tron was a studenty kind of hang out. Plenty of drink specials, and always a free table downstairs. She usually avoided the place, none too eager to bump into her students during their messy nights out. Least of all during hers.

During the Festival, however, it was a very different beast.

Gone were the baby faced clientele, and reasonable prices. It was standing room only, and foreign accents were more common than not. In this crowd, she might’ve been just another festival-goer, at a loose end between shows.

Even with having the push through the late afternoon crowds on the Mound, they still made it with ten minutes to spare before August’s chosen comedian started his set downstairs. She sent him down to save them some seats, and after a lot of pushing, shoving and gratuitous cleavage displays, managed to attract the attention of the nearest bartender.

“Alright, love?” he asked, with little better than a leer.

She ordered a pint for herself, and a tap water for August.

“That’s £10.”

Emma nearly swallowed her tongue. “For a pint? That’s extortion!”

The bartender shrugged, snatching the bill from her hand. “That’s August.”

She turned around, drinks in hand and the crowd surged around her, gunning for her vacated space by the bar. Some of her lager slopped onto the shoes of the guy in front of her, and she was halfway through her apology before she took a look at his face, and froze.

Graham.

Her Graham. Standing in The Tron. And decidedly not somewhere in Northern Ireland, studying the possible ramifications of Brexit on the Irish Border. Contrary to the text he’d sent her two hours ago.

“Emma, hey!” the words were friendly, but there was no disguising the tension in his jaw.

He was not pleased to see her. 

And when Emma looked behind him, and saw the dark haired young woman whose hand was clutched tightly in his, she realized why. It wasn’t just the white knuckled hold they had on each other, so they wouldn’t lose each other in the crush. 

It was the matching silver wedding bands.

Mother. Fucker.

Emma barely had time to process before she was tipping her overpriced pint down his shirt. All £10 of it.

The crowd of people around them suddenly went deathly quiet, so quiet Emma could hear the rush of her own blood inside her ears. She saw at least one person raise a camera phone.

Graham, himself said nothing. Even as his companion, his wife, stared between the two of them, dumbfounded. 

“Sorry,” Emma said, with the least amount of sincerity she could muster. “Really crowded in here, huh?”

The crowd parted for her as she left. Someone even slow clapped. It was all she could do to keep her face level until she was outside on the Mile, already dialing August’s number.

***

August never did end up catching his train that night. Instead they went back to Emma’s flat, and tore through Emma’s entire cache of American candy while bingeing episodes of Bake Off. 

It was only around 3am that she finally let him lead her into her bedroom, tucking her in like she was still a kid. Like nothing had changed in the last twenty years.

“You don’t need to say it,” she said, as he settled on top of the covers beside her, both of them staring at the ceiling.

“Say what?” he asked, leaning over to turn off her lamp.

“That my taste in men sucks.”

August snorted, settling back down beside her. “Well, you said it.”

“You’re right,” Emma admitted to the dark. “And you were right about Walsh. I didn’t love him. I just kind of… got used to him. And it’s not the same thing.”

“No,” he agreed. “It’s not.”

She turned over then, so she could see the vague outline of his face in the near darkness. “Have you told Jefferson how you feel, yet?”

They’d never discussed it. Not explicitly. But from the moment August had introduced his editor into their little group, Emma had known. And it didn’t seem to matter that Jefferson was a widower. Or a single father. There was something there, something between them as they traded insults and bickered over line edits. Something more than colleagues, or even friends. Something rare.

The silence was telling, as August regrouped.

“I wrote him a letter, once,” he confessed. “I was going to submit it with my finished manuscript. Right on the last page. But I ripped it up before I could give it to him.”

Now it was Emma’s turn to snort. “We never stood a chance, did we?”

“Some kids get trophies. Foster kids get abandonment issues.” It was a recitation. A line she’d heard before. 

They knew the truth of it better than anyone.

[mrsmess]

Faves and fails of SPN (season 9)

Favorite episodes (in chronological order):

9:1 I think I’m gonna like it here - Usually not a fan of intro episodes but this is pretty tight

9:4 Slumber party - YES. Anything Charlie! Supernatural meets Once Upon a Time. Sam responding to Charlie’s info on who uploaded the unpublished Supernatural books. ”None. Uhm. No bells.” Lol.

9:5 Dog Dean afternoon - One of the best episodes in the entire show for obvious reasons: Jensen Ackles frolicking. The scene when the spell takes effect is amazing.

9:7 Bad boys - Love the retro episodes, this one is heartbreaking and scary to match. The fact that the show keeps revealing stuff about their childhood, John’s tough love approach, and stuff lost by the years separating the boys as well as their distinct roles, is really good. Kinda makes me wish we got more of those episodes. This casting of tween!Dean is very good, he rly is insufferable, and vulnerable, and much better than the one in the dodge ball episode. Blake Gibbons is also great in his role . The ending! Omg! I’m literally crying. ”He just said to tell you you have a job. Said you’d know what that means.”

9:11 First born - Ah. The blade. The Cain storyline. Loving the ”buddy” comedies; pairings Dean & Crowley and Sam & Cass. Dean growing a beard, a little overkill but I’ll take it. Cain is cute, and kinda entertaining. The idea that the Winchesters are allowed to change, Cass, what a radical concept.

9:13 The purge - Thank goodness they’re back together even if they’re just faking it til they’re ”making” it. Dean eating pudding, Sam doing yoga ”You’re not the only one who’s dated someone bendy.” And Sam asks Dean to admit that he didn’t save Sam out of some altruistic motive but for him himself, which is fine, right? I think that’s fine. Half the time I think most of their problems could be solved by (mainly) Dean just being honest about what he feels.

9:15 #thinman - this starts out pretty funny and ends up so frickin’ dark. Ed and Harry being some weird foil for Sam and Dean. The realness of this story is kinda painful.

9:18 Meta fiction - Gabriel! If only for a brief shining moment. Gadreel’s old vessel- I like him. Metatron injecting Cass with every book, movie, tv show... nifty!

9:19 Alex Annie Alexis Ann - A wayward daughter introduced. And Jody Mills is always a win. Good, tight episode. Excellent character study. Creepy ass monsters *because* they’re so human. One of the best episodes of this season.

9:21 King of the damned - Now this is my kinda torture. And Crowley and his son. And calling off the Hellhound over speaker phone. Why is this so funny?

9:23 Do you believe in miracles - Besides Dean bugging the crap outta me, this finale is actually pretty interesting. I rly like it. ”What happened to you being okay with this?” ”I lied.” I love them.

Fail episodes (in chronological order):

9:9 Holy terror - Angel stuff. And torture. Boring. Plus Gadreel offing Kevin. Booooooh! ”I always trust you, and I always end up screwed.” Winchesters, amiright?

9:12 Sharp teeth - Garth is a werewolf. Hate the brothers being out of sorts. A theme for the episode seems to be estrangement, deception. Serves to show how compulsive particularly Dean is, how lonely he makes himself. It’s all interesting but how am I supposed to be okay with an episode which ends this way? My heart just breaks.

9:20 Bloodlines - God I hate this.

Mediocre mentions:

Rock and a hard place - ”Congratulations Sam and Dean Winchester! You are both virgins!” Lol. Dean describing sex. Awesome. Not his finest hour making that sneaky pass on an ex porn star though, they could’ve played that *way* better.

Road trip - More angel stuff. *sigh* A torture montage is the quickest way to wind up off the fave list. Dean and Cas having a little tete-a-tete is nice, not enough to make up for it. However, Crowley and Gadreel doubleteaming Sam has me shouting on the couch. Okay, fine! ”If I see you again-” ”Yes, I’m dead, I love you too.” And ”Daddy’s home.” Crowley saves the episode.

Honorable mentions:

Using ”Who do you love?” in the previously on-section first thing this season.

I am into this new communicative schtick the bros have going. I’m loving this new and improved, supportive, sinscere, soft Dean, more of that plz.

Castiel going by Clarence! My heart! And experiencing the small and trying things of being human: thirst, hunger, lust, making money last, working shitty jobs, baby sitting. It rly does wonders for how I feel about him.

Ghost!Kevin telling the brothers to get over it. ”My mom’s taking home a ghost, you both are still here.”

The crazy collector and Human!Crowley in Blade Runners are more than a little icky- but also very interesting.

The chemistry between Padalecki and Jenny O’Hara in Mother’s little helper. The chemistry between Sam and Cass in this season, I feel there’s a real exchange there. Sam’s character has a really satisfying range in how it interacts with others, I dig that.

Dishonorable mentions:

Dean showing Cas the door w/o setting him up w a safe house. Especially since they put Kevin up in a warded motel room in Branson the very next episode. Winchesters, man.

Summing up:

I’m rly taken by the speech from Sharp Teeth. It’s much better written than I’ve given it credit for. On the one hand, Dean’s arc from the end of season 8 has made it emotionally and reasonably clear what his one job is, what his purpose is. At any price. Sam meanwhile is bigger picture, and the thing with Gadreel just made it clear that his and Deans ideas of their joint purpose differ. That’s why Sam says ”everything that’s ever gone wrong between us has been because we’re family.”

But well written or not; this really real conflict is also a big problem with this season, mainly because they use it for friction but ultimately not enough closure.

[phierecycled]

For my eventual fanfic purposes

If (when) Kevin and Connor get married, would either of them take the other’s last name (if so then who)? Or would both stick with Price and McKinley respectively???

[dccomicsnews]

The magic of Castle Grayskull is being threatened on all sides as a crisis comes to Eternia in a new Six-Issue Limited Series that blows up multiverse and introduces He-Man and the Masters of the Multiverse!

In a huge week for fans of the Masters of the Universe franchise, on the heels of an announcement that Netflix and Kevin Smith will be teaming up to realize a “sequel” series exclusive to the network, DC and Mattel also flexed their mighty muscles and reveal that the two imprints will be once again uniting to bring more adventures from the world of Eternia. Coming in November He-man and the Masters of the Multiverse an all-new 6-Issue Limited Series opens up the world to infinite possibilities.

Written by Tim Seeley with art from Dan Fraga and Richard Friend, this latest installment to the franchise is sure to reach new levels of excitement! The story arc also appears quite timely and daresay familiar, as a new threat is unleashed called “Anti-Eternia” and it could mean doom for the multiverse — at least the “multiverse” in relation to the inhabitants of the Masters of the Universe, universe. The story will see “He-Man” from across the multiverse coming together to fend off the dangerous invasion, enlisting the help of an unlikely individual.

Depending on which storyline fans have followed over the years, many will acknowledge Prince Keldor, the man that would become Skeletor, the last person that might be able to save the multiverse — if not reshape it in his own image. Hank Kanalz, SVP of Publishing Strategy for DC is very excited about the prospects for the new series. “DC knows what it means to showcase characters from across its own multiverse,” he said. “I’m looking forward to seeing the different iterations of He-Man and other Masters of the Universe in this series.”

The variant cover art for “He-Man and the Masters of the Multiverse” Issue #1 by Fraga.

The Power Returns!

Looking to compete in the wide-open market, Mattel first introduced the world to He-Man and the Masters of the Universe in the early 80s, although the toy manufacturer had been working on its line of action figures for boys for more than a decade. The figures which were based on a muscle-bound collection of pre-historic warriors, mixed with steampunk-like science fiction and magic at their disposal, quickly became one of the most popular lines of must-have collectible figures. An equally popular cartoon show followed; each figure was packaged with a comic book as well.

Although the property has changed hands over the years, DC Comics has remained close to the brand especially in the publication of several connected series of comics, the most recent crossover featured characters from DC’s Injustice story arc. This will be the latest and most recent revisiting to the world of Eternia with much more from the Masters of the Universe coming in the new season.

Artwork from Issue #1.

Artwork from Issue #1.

Artwork from Issue #1.

He-Man and the Masters of the Multiverse and all-new Six-Issue Limited Series will debut in November and will be written by Tim Seeley, with Dan Fraga and Richard Friend providing the art. The 32-page debut issue will be out November 20 and is priced at $3.99.

DC and Mattel Have the Power Across the Multiverse! The magic of Castle Grayskull is being threatened on all sides as a crisis comes to Eternia in a new Six-Issue Limited Series that blows up multiverse and introduces He-Man and the Masters of the Multiverse!

[shtcablogs]

Things I’ve Found in My Bed in My Dreams

I have pretty weird dreams, especially when I’m on Melatonin, NyQuil, the pain meds from when I got my wisdom teeth taken out, etc. Here are twelve people/things I’ve found in my bed during a variety of bizarre dreams and nightmares, ranked from 1 to 12 (see scale below for reference).

1. Peter Kavinsky

Woah, woah, woah, woah. IS THAT PETER KAVINSKY?!? Like every other female with a beating heart and a Netflix account, I’m all aboard the Peter Kavinsky train. To all the boys I’ve loved before - nice knowing you. I only have eyes for one person now, and he’s a 17 year old fictional character.

2. Young JFK

Google pictures of young John F. Kennedy. Thank me later. The money, the power, the perfect face, that hair. Jackie O was one lucky first lady.

3. A Large Pineapple and Pepperoni Pizza

Oh you’ve never dreamed about pizza? You’re either a liar or lactose intolerant. And yeah, I get pineapple on my pizza. I get shit for it every time.

4. Dimitri from Anastasia

Dimitri blows every Disney prince out of the water (sorry Price Eric). He’s a broody heartthrob and a total softie under his tough exterior. Here’s to 20th Century Fox for creating my favorite childhood movie and my first childhood crush.

5. Mila Kunis

Am I a lesbian? No. Would I be for Mila Kunis? Absolutely.

6. Teenage Kevin from “This is Us”

He’s quite the looker, but he’s underage. Really murky waters here. Luckily the actor who plays Kevin is 19, and yes that is something I googled long before I ever thought about writing this post.

7. Petyr Baelish (aka Littlefinger)

An unpopular opinion, but I’ve always been a huge Littlefinger fan. I’d love nothing more than to scheme and sabotage with him all over Westeros, even though he’d probably stab me in the back at some point. Chaos is a ladder.

8. A Komodo Dragon

I have had a crippling and irrational fear of Komodo dragons ever since watching “The Princess Bride” as a child. That fear grew exponentially later in life when I found out Komodo dragons are REAL. After some research on these monsters, I’ve concluded that I will never travel to Indonesia or the Cincinnati zoo.

(Sidebar: I searched the internet trying to find any trace of a Komodo dragon in “The Princess Bride” and found nothing. I could be totally wrong about this, but I have a very vivid image in my mind of a movie I used to watch as a kid with a scene of a Komodo dragon on a beach. I though that movie was “The Princess Bride”, but it’s possible my memory has failed me again. If there isn’t a Komodo dragon in “The Princess Bride”, have absolutely no clue where this fear came from. If you have any information on the presence or absence of a Komodo dragon in “The Princess Bride”, please contact me so I can have some peace of mind.)

9. Ted Bundy

Serial killers. They terrify and fascinate me at the same time. Our boy Bundy is arguably the most notorious serial killer of all time. Unrelated, he’s pretty easy on the eyes. I just hope I’d have time to pick his brain before he murdered me.

10. Pennywise

I do not fuck with clowns, especially this one. Take your balloon and your weird clown make-up and go hide in someone else’s storm drain.

11. Scar

I attribute my most traumatic childhood memories to the movie “The Lion King” all because of Scar and those creepy hyenas. This cartoon lion has evil glowing eyes and killed his brother, and to this day I don’t believe that movie is suitable for young children. If you think you can name a more terrifying Disney villain than Scar, please tell me. I’d love to prove to you why you’re wrong.

12. The President of the United States

Cue vomit emoji. Can’t even escape this guy when I’m asleep.

[ninja-muse]

Urban Fantasy Recommendation Masterpost

This is a list of the urban fantasies I’ve enjoyed most over the years, split down a few lines and to be updated as I discover new series. I’m also including contemporary fantasies because the lines often blur. Hope you find something you like on it!

$ for LGBT characters £ for characters of colour € for characters with disabilities * for potentially problematic depictions of the above ! for #ownvoices (all based on my slightly spotty memory, so feel free to correct if I’ve missed something)

World-Focused

or stories that spend most of their time steeping you in the magical world

American Gods - Neil Gaiman £

Shadow Moon gets out of jail and is hired by the cagey Mr. Wednesday to … he’s not really clear, honestly, but it puts him in the path of people who may or may not be gods. Multiple mythologies.

Among Others - Jo Walton €!

A 1980s teen flees her troubled home in Wales to get to know her birth father and attend an English boarding school. Is her mother’s family able to work magic or is it just wishful thinking? Reading science fiction might give her the answers. British folklore and faeries, and a very interesting take on magic.

The Boggart - Susan Cooper

A Canadian family inherits a Scottish castle inhabited by a mischievous boggart—who then stows away and finds himself in Toronto. Scottish folklore.

The Bone Clocks - David Mitchell £

The life of a woman from teen-hood to old age as she lives her life and occasionally intersects with an ancient war between good and evil, fought with telepathy and other things that look a lot like magic.

The Changeling - Victor Lavalle £ !

After his infant son is violently attacked, Apollo Kagwa, used bookseller, descends into the hidden world of New York in search of his vanished wife.

The City We Became - N.K. Jemisin - $ £ ! for race

New York City, newly alive, is being attacked, and six humans, no longer quite human, must do everything in their power to save their city.

the Dark is Rising series - Susan Cooper €*

A group of English kids—four siblings, a seventh son, and a boy who might be a reincarnated Arthur—versus the forces of darkness. Five books, only the last of which includes all the kids. Cornish and English folklores, Arthuriana.

Gods Behaving Badly - Marie Phillips

The Greek pantheon now lives in North London and is as dysfunctional as ever. Artemis walks dogs. Aphrodite does phone sex. Apollo is a washed-out TV psychic who’s just fallen, via Eros, for the cleaning lady—who’s trying to date someone else, thank you very much. Greek mythology.

The Golem and the Jinni - Helene Wecker £

A golem and a jinni both find themselves in turn-of-the-century New York, both literally and figuratively. A beautiful exploration of the immigrant experience, friendship, and identity. Jewish and Arabic folklore.

Good Omens - Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

A mostly-good angel and mostly-wicked demon discover they’ve been training the wrong Antichrist days before the scheduled apocalypse. The real Antichrist wants a dog and to save the whales. Also features a legacy witch, a rookie witch-finder, the Four Horsemen, the Four Other Horsemen, Satanic nuns, and a Queen soundtrack. Christian mythology.

The Hunter’s Moon - O.R. Melling

A Canadian teen visiting her Irish cousin ends up mounting a cross-country road trip to retrieve her cousin who’s run off with the faeries. Irish mythology.

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London - Garth Nix $£

In the summer of 1983, Susan Arkshaw travels to London to find her birth father. What she discovers is a family of magical booksellers, and an Old World that’s very much alive.

Middlegame - Seanan McGuire

Roger and Dodger are exceptionally gifted, telepathically linked, and a little more than natural. James Reed will stop at nothing to use them, or people like them, to get ultimate power. Alchemy, time travel, and portal fantasies are involved.

Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman £

Richard Mayhew has it all: a good job, a hot fiancée, a nice flat. Then he helps an apparently homeless girl with the power to create doors and is pulled into the magical community below London. Nothing will ever be the same.

Of Blood and Honey and And Blue Skies From Pain - Stina Leicht

It’s tough, living in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, and Liam finds it harder than most. No one trusts him, he can’t find work, everyone wants him to choose a side, and to cap it off, he feels like a monster is inside him and knows something inhuman is stalking him and his. The war between the Fey and the Fallen is heating up, and the only people keeping peace are an order of priests—who also, surprise, want Liam’s help. Irish and Christian mythology.

The Sixth World series - Rebecca Roanhorse $£€ ! 

Maggie Hoskie is a Monsterslayer of Dinétah, but she’d rather not be. Even rescuing a kidnapped girl is supposed to be a one-shot deal. But the monster’s a new one, an apprentice medicine man’s attached himself to her, and Coyote’s around, so of course it’s not that simple. Navajo mythology.

Son of a Trickster - Eden Robinson £€ !

Jared’s life sucks. He’s sixteen, living in a crap house in a crap town with crap prospects. He’s paying his dad’s rent with weed money. His mom’s more interested in parties than holding down a job. His only friend’s a pit bull. And just when he thinks that’s as low as it gets, a raven shows up and say he’s Jared’s real dad. Heiltsuk (and other First Nations) mythology and folklore.

Sparrow Hill Road - Seanan McGuire

Rose Marshall, the Phantom Prom Date, the Ghost of Sparrow Hill Road, hitches her way from coast to coast while dealing with paranormal problems and route witches—and avoiding Bobby Cross, the immortal who killed her.

Sunshine - Robin McKinley

Rae is a baker. Tough and practical and smart, but a baker. Who’s just rescued herself and a vampire from captivity using magic she’d half-forgotten she had. Unfortunately, the master vampire’s still after them, the magical police know something’s up, and she just wants to keep being normal. Includes mild, realistic PTSD and a whole lot of delicious desserts.

An Unkindness of Magicians - Kat Howard

The Turning has started in New York and every magician in the city has their own reason for entering the tournament—power, status, acknowledgement, revenge, revolution. The high stakes would be enough for anyone, but it’s starting to look like there’s something suddenly wrong with magic, too.

Witches of Ash and Ruin - E. Latimer - $ £ € *

Dayna wants to be a witch, live her life, and block her OCD thoughts so she doesn’t have to deal with them. Then scary but gorgeous Meiner and her coven roll into town prophesying Bad Things, and a serial killer reappears who seems to target witches and shit. Meet. Fan. Themes of family and abuse.

Ysabel - Guy Gavriel Kay

Ned Marriner’s tagging along with his photographer dad to Provence when he begins to notice magic awakening around him. There’s an ancient love triangle that‘s repeated throughout history, using contemporary locals as proxies—and it’s very interested in Ned, his new friend Kate, and his father’s entourage.

Mystery-Focused

or stories that spend most of their time solving a magical crime

The Arcadia Project series - Mishell Baker $£€ !

Millie’s nearly broke, scarred, a double amputee, mentally ill, and Done with all the BS around that. She’s also despairing of ever resuming her directing career, so when a mysterious woman offers her a job with her temp agency, she’s intrigued. What wasn’t mentioned? She’ll actually be an immigration agent working with the Fae of Hollywood, and one of them’s just gone missing.

the Blood series - Tanya Huff $£€

Vicky Nelson is the pinnacle of the tough, no-nonsense PI—which poses a bit of a problem when she’s hired to catch a “vampire” on the streets of Toronto and then actually meets one. (He writes romance novels.)

the Felix Castor series - Mike Carey $*

Felix Castor is an exorcist. A hard-drinking, down-at-the-heels exorcist in a London brimming with ghosts and demons. Unfortunately, he never seems to get the easy cases where he can just waltz in and play a tune—and his past mistakes might be coming back to haunt him.

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency and The Long, Dark Tea-Time of the Soul - Douglas Adams

Dirk Gently solves mysteries by wandering around, getting into strange situations, and then connecting dots no one believes even exist. Like time traveling robots and Romantic poets, or rampaging eagles and mold-ridden refrigerators.

The Grendel Affair - Lisa Shearin £

Makenna Fraser is a seer working for Supernatural Protection and Investigations in New York. “Seer” meaning she can spot the ghoulies and ghosties few people can, including her coworkers. When an off-the-books gnome removal turns into a blood-soaked crime scene, she and her partner are handed the case—but will her eagerness to prove herself just land her in hotter water?

the Greta Helsing series - Vivian Shaw $£

Dr. Greta Helsing serves the undead of London. Her best friends are vampires and demons. The boundaries between worlds are thinning, causing all manner of metaphysical trouble. Plays with 1800s horror classics; equal parts sensible, disturbing, and funny.

the Greywalker series - Kat Richardson $£

Harper Blaine prides herself on rationality and unflappability, but after briefly dying on a case, she’s suddenly wrong-footed and seeing ghosts everywhere. In the middle of all that, she’s hired by a mysterious voice to track down an organ that’s more than it seems, and suddenly haunted street corners are the least of her problems.

the Incryptid series - Seanan McGuire $£

Meet the Price family, a close-knit group of cryptozoologists whose mission is to protect and preserve endangered cryptids like dragons, gorgons, and the religious Aeslin mice from humans. They’re also hiding from the Covenant of St. George, a.k.a. why the cryptids are endangered in the first place. Technically paranormal romance.

the Iron Druid series - Kevin Hearne £

Atticus O’Sullivan is a herbalist and seller of New Age paraphernalia by day, two-thousand-year-old druid by night. He thought moving to Arizona would keep him safe from gods bent on revenge. He thought wrong. Multiple mythologies.

Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge - Paul Krueger $£€ !

Bailey Chen is fresh out of business school, broke, and living with her parents. When a childhood friend offers her a job as a barback, she takes it as a stopgap—but then she discovers the secret cabal of bartenders who fight demons using magical cocktails and after that, there’s no looking back.

Moonshine - Alaya Johnson £

Zephyr Hollis, a charity worker and ESL teacher in 1920s New York, and therefore flat broke, takes a side job from a student, Amir, without asking questions. But will the vampire mob, the drug-crazed vamps, Amir’s literal smoking hotness, or her family history do her in first?

Night Owls - Lauren M. Roy $

Valerie is a vampire with a successful campus bookstore. Elly grew up fighting monsters and fearing for her life. When their paths collide via a book in Elly’s keeping, they must unite to prevent said monsters from unleashing hell and then some.

the October Daye series - Seanan McGuire $£€

Toby Daye wants sleep, coffee, and for everyone to leave her alone already—not necessarily in that order. Unfortunately, as a changeling Knight and PI with a knack of finding people and solving problems with maximum chaos, none of those things will ever be easy to come by. Multiple folklores.

the Olympus Bound series - Jordanna Max Brodsky $£

Selene di Silva’s been keeping her head down for a long time, shutting herself off not just from New York, but from the world. (Being a former goddess will do that.) But then she stumbles on the body of a woman who’s been ritually sacrificed and her past as Artemis comes rising up again. Greek and Roman mythology

the Rivers of London series - Ben Aaronovitch $£€

When Constable Peter Grant meets a ghost at a crime scene, it’s only logical for him to take a witness statement. When DCI Thomas Nightingale learns of this, he offers him a job as an auror the sorcerer’s apprentice a valued member of a magically-focused police unit. London, its river goddesses, various magic workers, assorted Fae, and the Metropolitan Police will never be the same.

the Shadow Police series - Paul Cornell $£

Following the mysterious death of a suspect, four Metropolitan Police officers are drawn into London’s sinister magical underworld in their hunt for a killer.

the Smoke series - Tanya Huff $*£

Tony Foster’s found his footing as a PA on a Vancouver-shot vampire show. Unfortunately, the paranormal weirdness that is his life continues and it’s somehow up to him to save the day.

Unholy Ghosts (and following) - Stacia Kane £*

Chess Putnam works as a Church exorcist, partly out of obligation and partly for the pay, which goes to fuel her drug addiction. Unfortunately, no ghosts are nice ghosts and her private life keeps intruding on her cases.

the Watch novels - Terry Pratchett

Ankh-Morpork is the citiest of fantasy cities. Its City Watch is a bunch of misfits. Sam Vimes isn’t putting up with any nonsense. Somehow, they fight crime.

Zoo City - Lauren Beukes £

Zinzi December is a con artist and occasional finder of lost things who lives in the Johannesburg slums with her sloth familiar. Her latest case? Find a pair of missing teen pop stars—before the apparent assassins do.