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nikkalia · 5 years

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Storytime with Auntie Dragon: Betrayal edition

Gather round, children, it’s time once again for “Storytime with Auntie Dragon.” Today’s episode: NYC & Betrayal, a tale of adventure, excitement, and how a certain actor is seemingly easily impressed with modern technology. Hey, it’s pretty snazzy stuff…

We begin our tale at the dawn of November. Your dear Auntie D had just purchased a house, and because closing fell in such a way that I had no housing payment in November, there was some spare cash to be had. A friend of mine who lives in the UK (@mrshiddleston-uk) had been talking about her upcoming trip to the states to see our beloved Mr. Hiddleston in his Broadway debut, and after careful scouring of countless calendars, I decided that the Boychild could miss a day of school to make the trip and decided to go. Another friend ( @silverink-goldenlies) came along for the ride and the trip was set.

THE TRIP: Bloody hell, why is it every time I drive north, roads are torn up? I mean seriously. I spent more time on the brakes because of construction than I did with the cruise control engaged. For 698 miles! I did not, for those who may be curious, drive up I-95. Oh, the hells to the NO. I have driven that stretch of disaster quite enough to know that it’s a toss-up as to whether you get Hell on earth or a multi-lane, multi-hour parking lot. And that’s just around Richmond. D.C. is worse. Much. Worse. But I digress…

I-78 is (mostly) a beautiful drive. Lots of mountains, rolling hills, farmland, all that. From southern Virginia up through parts of New Jersey, there are lots of farms. LOTS of farms. With cows. And steers. And horses. And even an alpaca - dude had a long neck. Somewhere along the way, every time we passed a farm with cows, @silverink-goldenlies would just blurt out “cows.” In the middle of a conversation, “cows”. Passing silence for miles and suddenly, “cows.”

And occasionally, “cows. And horses.” The boy child would even chime in now and again.

THE ARRIVAL: We made it to NYC around sunset. When we were 25 miles or so out, I spied the city skyline and told @silverink-goldenlies to look out the window. Poor thing was so excited I think she almost cried. We took the Lincoln Tunnel into the city because I missed an exit. Which reminds me, Google Maps, get your turn-by-turn shit together. I spent more time on the road than necessary due to a lack of “in 500 feet, turn here.” Waze doesn’t treat me like that. It just crashes. And Waze has Cookie Monster voice. Anyway…Lincoln Tunnel. That was fun, kinda. I kept having flashbacks of Independence Day with the fireball coming up the tunnel following the alien attack. Not cute.

We emerged in the city and I very quickly learned that upstate NY driving is totally different than NYC driving. I lived in Albany for a couple of years, and in upstate, you can use your signal and mostly expect someone to let you in, or at least get out of the way. Not NYC. Nope nope nope. You signal, insert the front fender of your car and hope the person you’re essentially cutting off is paying attention. It only took one missed turn (thanks Google) for me to learn the ways of the natives and navigate correctly through the city. Which I did successfully. At rush hour. Praise Asphaltia, Goddess of the Road.

Cows.

NYC: After a night of bullshit sleep thanks to the rock-solid beds of the LaQuinta - Queens, our party was up and in the city by 9:30 am. I’ve always had this mental image of NYC being small because of how tightly packed everything is. My friends, that is absolutely not the case. The city is M A S S I V E in both size and scope. I was totally a tourist, videoing everything in Times Square and looking up like I expected the sky to fall. I learned something I never knew, and never really thought about: they leave the big crystal ball on top of the building after New Year’s. It’s sitting up there, pretty as you please, changing colors all year long. Who knew?

We hit the highlights of Manhattan like my son speed runs through Dark Souls. Times Square, Hard Rock New York, the M&Ms store (3 floors…3 FLOORS of chocolatey goodness), one of two Lego stores, and Rockefeller Plaza. The tree is up, but not on display. I need them to slow down on the trimming it back. There won’t be any tree left, and it’s looking a little scrawny, to begin with. Ice skating was in full effect, but we didn’t go. I knew I had a show and another 10-hour drive back to NC to get through, and doing it on a seriously bruised ass would not have been a good look.

Noon hits and we head back towards the Jacobs theatre. By the time we got there, the box office was open and there was already a line. Thank the gods for online purchases. Easy in, easy out. Around 1 pm, we met up with the lovely @mrshiddleston-uk and attempted to get lunch at some Irish pub. @mrshiddleston-uk briefed us on all things stage door and helped to craft a plan of attack to get the best spots for meeting the cast. The line to get into the theatre was already formed and growing by the time we decided to bail on the never appearing food.

THE JACOBS THEATRE: This is a gorgeous space. The theatre is on the small side, but I genuinely believe that there isn’t a bad seat in the house. We were in the balcony house left and could see every bit of the stage. Beautiful architecture, comfy seats - if not a little (LOT) short on the legroom - and a pretty chandelier made the place feel cozy and warm. The staff was wonderful as well. I’d totally see another show in this space.

BETRAYAL: So here’s the part you all came for, right? Right. Cows. To be honest, I’d never heard of Harold Pinter before Tom Hiddleston took the role in the London production, much less read any of his work. I didn’t know what to expect except for what I’d heard from @mrshiddleston-uk after her viewings of the London show. The concept of the show is intriguing enough - following a love triangle in reverse order with a minimalist set and lighting design. I’m a tech nerd anyway, so I was excited to see how well this would work.

Oh. My. Goddess. This show was AMAZING. It’s been a very long time since I’ve been to a show that totally sucked me in to the point that I was actually invested in the story. Betrayal did just that. From the moment the curtain rose (more on that in a sec) until the stage went black, I was sucked into the world of Robert and Emma and Jerry and how the affair went from disintegration to conception. I have absolutely no sympathy for any of these characters at the end of the day. They are all seriously flawed and have caused themselves the pain that they experience in this story. But, that’s what makes good drama, right?

The sheer lack of set made it easier to pay attention to the actors and the script, which is a huge perk in this game of verbal tennis. The characters go from normal speech patterns to the famed Pinter pauses to this back and forth without missing a beat (or a syllable) that will make your head spin. The boychild told me later he found it a little hard to follow, which is understandable if you’re not used to hearing it in an English accent.

There was a lot of play with light and shadow in this show. It’s no secret that all three actors are on stage for the duration of the play, with the “odd man out” lurking somewhere in the shadows. It was thrilling to see, to be honest, because you catch yourself looking around to see what the odd man is doing while the two in focus characters are speaking. Robert standing against the back wall facing the wings; Emma curled up on the floor eating an apple; Jerry sitting off the side with his back against the back wall. All making little gestures or motions that hint at what that character is experiencing in that moment in time.

Even the shadows themselves told a part of the story. The sharper focused shadows cast by Robert and Emma when she confesses the affair created a tension that doesn’t exist when Robert is lurking in the background of scenes involving Jerry and Emma or Emma hiding almost when Robert and Jerry are in the forefront. I found myself watching the shadows in this scene more than the actors themselves. It’s that intense.

One other tech geek note: the back wall moved. Now, I’ve seen plenty of moving sets. Hells, I’ve moved a few in my time. But this simple change had a tremendous impact. When the wall moved forward, it cuts the surface area of the stage down to 1/8th of what it was at the beginning. It puts the confession right in your face. You can’t get away from it, just as the characters can’t. There’s nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. They, and you, just have to deal with it. Absolutely brilliant on the part of the designers. Enough about the sets, or lack thereof. Cows. I could go on all day.

THE CAST: We’ll start with Zawe Ashton. She’s a perfectly lovely woman, all smiles and bubbly at the stage door, very sweet. I don’t know that I like her as an actress. Or maybe I don’t like her character, Emma. I haven’t really decided yet. But, if there was a downside to this show, she was it. Her laughter was fake to the point of cringy, and there was something noticeably self-absorbed about her on stage. The other thing I noticed is that she was never standing or sitting straight. She was always twisted, curled up, or otherwise contorted in some fashion, and that gave me a twitch. An acting choice? Maybe. It would stand to reason that this was some subconscious outward expression of Emma’s mental/emotional state. She struck me as whiny, and maybe a little “woe is me” to boot. My thought throughout the play was, bitch, you got yourself into this. Suck it up.

Charlie Cox as Jerry. Great guy at stage door, seemed to be enjoying the fans. Again, I haven’t read the play so I’m not 100% on what Jerry is supposed to be, but Charlie was giving some serious lovesick puppy vibes for this show. And that’s all I got from him. Maybe bits of remorse here and there, but not much. Some great comedic moments, but otherwise, he really didn’t stand out for me.

Tom Hiddleston as Robert. We’ll discuss stage door in a minute. I’ve worked in the arts and journalism long enough to know that you often hear about how someone “is” but that’s not really who they really are. They pretend to have a presence that doesn’t exist, or they’re not as talented as they, or their agent, would have you believe. And sometimes that “wonderful” actor is really just a prick in real life. Children, I am here to tell you that Thomas William Hiddleston is EVERYTHING he’d cracked up to be.

When the curtain goes up at the show open, Robert is sitting in a chair, and all you see of him is legs. The man has legs for days…digressing again. Cows. Tom has such a presence that you know exactly where he is. When Charlie and Zawe are sharing their scenes, your eyes can dart straight to Tom. I remember actively looking for Charlie and Emma in scenes they weren’t involved in, just to see what they were doing. Never, ever had to do that with Tom. He was always there, always on the edge of the shadows.

His performance as Robert is an emotional roller coaster. I watched him run the gamut and back again several times over the course of 90 minutes, and really wonder how the hells he does it every day (and has been since June). No wonder he looks exhausted. He was giving that trademarked smile in some scenes, growling with anger in others (your Loki is showing), and on the verge of tears in still others. I looked down at him during the confession scene and his eyes were brimming, reflecting the bright white light that was shining on him. That one hurt my heart. Dude can do anything, and I need someone to give him more meaty roles on film. And for the love of the Gods, cast him in a romcom, comedy, something! He’s proven time and again he can act - let him have something besides Loki.

Disclaimer: I love Loki, don’t get me wrong, but I hate to see talented performers pigeonholed into one role. Tom is so much better than that, as most of them are.

STAGE DOOR: The show ends, the lights come up, and I can’t get the damn Hard Rock Cafe bag out from between the seats. So this is how it’s gonna go down, eh? WRONG. ANSWER. I get downstairs in record time only to be blocked by old people who can’t decide if they need to pee or not, then distracted by Tom speaking on stage about the fundraiser the theatre is doing. That voice, those long assed legs, and holy hells is the end of the stage right fucking there???

FOCUS WOMAN! Cows. Eldery folks having determined that yes, in fact, a stop by the loo is in order, I’m out the door, still struggling with the bag and my coat and not being run over by those who are sprinting to the barricades set up to queue for stage door. Sprinting. Really? It’s like, 300, 400 feet maybe, from the entrance to the stage door. I wanna have 0.5 seconds in front of Tom too, but damn y’all. It ain’t that serious.

Secure in our spot upfront and personal by the lovely @mrshiddleston-uk, I got myself squared away and place the Facebook group chat video call. We all agreed that since @firithariel, @igotloki, and @mischeviousbellarina couldn’t be there in person, we’d bring them along digitally. For once, my phone behaved. Did I remember to put them on speaker? That would be a no.

So, Zawe comes out first, signs programs and chats with fans. She really is adorable. Charlie comes out next and follows the same route, and then the man of the hour (and really the whole point of this trip) emerges in the “uniform”, looking a little frazzled. But, he makes the rounds of autographs, even going so far as to sign a Thanos Funko.

Really? REALLY? Thanos? How you gonna do my boy wrong like that? Grrrr….. Amusing thing was that Tom really didn’t even acknowledge it, but he looked annoyed by it.

That’s when Tom got to our merry little band. @silverink-goldenlies showed him the tattoo done by her husband of a Loki helmet with runes surrounded by flowers. He seemed thoroughly impressed with it. I’m next, with our video chat going strong. I asked him to say hi to the girls, and he got a weird look on his face until he saw the phone. He did a double-take, “There are four people on the screen! How did you do that?” We told him about Facebook group chat and where the girls were located. There’s a video floating around Instagram/Twitter of his reaction. It’s entirely too cute. He leaned in and smiled, said hi to them, showed them an autographed program, and handed them to me. He looked me right in the eye for about a second and a half then moved on. I can still see it in my mind, and it makes me smile every time.

Tom finished the autographs and came back around for selfies. Mine is blurry AF, because of course, it is. It’s the only one I have of him. Maybe I’ll try to fix it in Photoshop. A fucking photographer can’t take a damned selfie. SMH Oh well, you can tell it’s him. @mrshiddleston-uk got some great shots, and I’ll always know I was there, that we spoke, however briefly.

I’ll spare you the details of the trip home because, well…traffic. And cows.

And so ends the tale of the very long too short awesome weekend in NYC where I got to meet Tom Hiddleston.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

#betrayal #tom hiddleston #nyc #road trip

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witcherislovewitcherislife · 5 years

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My gift for @captainofthekryptonspacemarines for Steggy Secret Santa 2018

I am very sorry for how extremely late this is. It is difficult for me to write with a lack of motivation and I have been busier than usual these last few months. But I finally got it done. I really hope it was worth the wait and I hope you enjoy! :)

You said you enjoyed domestic life fics so that is what I wrote. Also, some there is some Star Wars stuff because you said you liked sci-fi. :)

The Perfect Gift

As a child, Christmas was always one of Steve's favorite days of the year. He and his mother had very little, they were already poor when the Great Depression came and then things just got worse. But his mother always made sure that Christmas was special. Every year she bought Steve a new comic book, replaced some old art supplies, and got him a chocolate treat. Steve knew that she had to take extra shifts on top of her doubles already as a nurse just to earn the extra money. And he would be eternally grateful for that.

Now, around a hundred years later and having a family of his own, Steve made sure to make Christmas for his family just as special as his mother had made it for him. Every year, the Rogers-Carter family would cut down their own Christmas tree. Peggy and their two children always loved to see Steve lift the tree up with ease and carry it to the truck (borrowed from Tony of course) and throw it into the truck bed.

Often, the two little gremlins that Steve and Peggy called their children would wrap themselves around Steve’s legs like monkeys trying to hold him back with no avail.

They’d take the tree to their home in the suburbs of Washington D.C. and spend the evening decorating it with various ornaments. Some store-bought and some homemade. Sarah, Peggy and Steve’s daughter and eldest child had her father’s knack for art. Steve and her would make various ornaments for the tree, ranging from little drawings to larger clay figures that Sarah loved to craft. Their younger son, Michael, got the job of choosing what would go on top of the tree. He always chose a small replica of his father’s shield over a star or an angel.

The day before Christmas, Auntie Angie (as Sarah referred to her) would visit and bake cookies with the children. Sarah liked to bake them in the shape of her mother’s fedora and Michael liked frosting them to look like his father’s shield. Michael liked to sneak their dog Dodger cookies under the table while he thought no one was looking, his little giggle giving himself away each time. Steve and Peggy usually noticed but never minded as long as their son was happy.

Peggy was always unsure what to get Steve for Christmas. Steve’s gifts were almost always homemade, putting his amazing art skills and creativity to good use. For their first Christmas together in the modern age, Peggy went the comedic route. She knew Steve loathed Captain America merchandise, having his superhero identity plastered all over items ranging from clothing, stuffed animals, and mugs to the X-Rated items for the more adventurous fans of his had always made him a bit uncomfortable. But for Christmas, she had bought him a surprisingly well detailed Captain America bobblehead and a Halloween costume of his original USO uniform. She giggled as he unwrapped it, joking to him about how he could finally dress up as his favorite superhero. The laughter the gift gave them both was a gift in and of itself. And as much as Steve didn’t like Captain America merchandise normally, he loved it coming from Peggy. He still kept the bobblehead on his office desk till this day and kept the costume in storage because he would cherish anything coming from her. Peggy had to admit that she rather liked some of the items though. She owned several articles of Captain America clothing, an adorable stuffed bear version of Steve, and one of her favorite mugs donned his shield insignia.

Nature did Peggy’s job for her on their second Christmas together. The sonogram picture of their first child was sure to take Steve by surprise. Steve ended up being open-mouthed and awestruck. Peggy being pregnant was the best news he had gotten since the news that she was staying in the modern day to be with him, timelines be damned. “Best gift ever,” Steve had said and she couldn’t have been happier.

The couple decided against getting presents for each other on their third Christmas. Deciding instead to focus on the new addition to their family. Peggy did break the rule slightly however, buying herself some lingerie to model for Steve.

“There was no rule against buying ourselves a gift, my darling,” Peggy said, stalking towards him slowly.

“From this angle it looks like this is a gift for me too,” Steve had replied with a wide smirk on his face. Finally getting to spend some one on one time with his gorgeous wife after months of only fleeting moments in between the cries from a hungry baby. Sarah always chose the worst moments to decide it was time to eat.

“I wouldn’t mind seeing you in this if I’m honest.”

“You’re a perv, Peg.”

“And you wouldn’t have it any other way.”

The years kept going by and Peggy kept having to be creative come Christmas time. One year Peggy had gotten a new compass made for Steve. This time the compass opened to a picture of Peggy holding beautiful little Sarah. Steve absolutely loved it. The compass always pointing north and always pointing home.

Steve tended to go the homemade route. He liked to put his art skills to use and make something personal and unique.

A few years ago however, Steve got the chance to do something a little different. Tony Stark, with the help of Hank Pym, Hope van Dyne, and Scott Lang had finally unraveled the key to time travel using the Quantum Realm. They had wanted an excuse to monitor the effects a miniscule change could have on the modern day. How they were going to do that was beyond Steve. But since Tony was planning a trip back in time anyways, Steve enlisted his help in getting a nice gift for Peggy.

“You want me to do what?” Tony had deadpanned, a little baffled at Steve’s seemingly silly request.

“Like I said, I just want you to buy some lipstick from London. The brand she used went out of business ages ago and I know how much she misses it.”

“Couldn’t have been too good if they went out of business.”

“I’m serious, Tony. I’d really appreciate it. It would be the perfect present for her.”

“Fine! I’ll consider this assisting the elderly. But you owe me. You are coming to all my charity events from now on.”

“Deal.” And they shook on it, Tony adding after the fact, “Time travel is invented and we’re using it to get ancient lipstick for God’s sake,” Tony muttered sarcastically.

“Well if you want to go back and stop the Nazis and HYDRA be my guest.”

“That would have too many repercussions. Who knows what the present day would look like if I changed something so drastic.”

“Then stop complaining.”

“Yeah yeah yeah, if this causes the world to go to hell it’s on you.”

Tony had returned from the past safely with a case of “Victory Red” lipstick in hand as expected. A part of Steve was kind of hoping that this subtle change to the past had some positive present consequences but to no avail.

Peggy had been shocked by the gift and even more shocked by the explanation. Ironically she made the same comment that Tony made about time travel being used for such silly purposes but she would be eternally grateful for such a thoughtful and spectacular gift. Her years of experience in rationing were sure to come in handy once again. They were both pretty sure that Tony wouldn’t agree to go back and get more when she ran out. But they did both got a good laugh at the idea of sending Tony back in time to get more lipstick as if it was a simple errand to the corner store.

Other years Steve had drawn beautiful drawings and portraits for her. Peggy had a place for each and every one. On the wall of her office in Avengers Tower hung a large and detailed painting Steve had painted during the war. It was of the Paris skyline, the lights from the Eiffel Tower illuminating the sky. Steve had drawn it after the Liberation of Paris in 1944. It hung in a museum until Steve came out of ice. He had taken it back and replaced the one in the museum with a copy. Now Peggy had the original and cherished it every time she gazed upon it.

Steve and Peggy were amoken Christmas morning by Sarah and Michael jumping on their bed.

“Mommy! Daddy! Santa came! Santa came!”

Their children’s eager voices brought smiles to their faces, even if they weren’t particularly happy with being woken up at seven in the morning on a holiday.

“Alright alright gremlins, calm down a bit my loves.”

“Mummy, come on!!” Michael begged, tugging on Peggy’s arm trying to get her up so they could open presents.

“Sweetie, the presents will still be there in an hour.”

“Or two,” Steve added, trying to negotiate for some extra sleep. Christmas Eve was one of the few nights that they got all to themselves. The kids agreeing to go to bed early on the promise that Santa would come if they did. And Steve and Peggy were sure to capitalize on this opportunity, making love late into the night, or more accurately early into the morning.

“Please mummy!!” both the children said in unison, using their best puppy dog eyes.

Steve and Peggy both shared a knowing look upon realizing that they would get no more sleep.

“Fine, my loves. You can each open one present before breakfast. We’ll open the rest after.”

“Thank you mummy! Love you!!” Sarah and Michael both exclaimed before running out of the room excited that their favorite day had finally came.

“What about me!?!?” Steve yelled after them

“Love you too, papa!” They yelled back, their voices getting quieter the further they got away from the master bedroom. The children's response caused a chuckle from both Peggy and Steve as they rose out of bed.

“Make sure they open the Star Wars Lego set. That will keep them busy for bit.”

By the time Steve and Peggy made it down to the living room, the kids had already chosen a gift to unwrap. It was in fact the lego set. Peggy had a feeling they would go for that one as it was one of the bigger boxes under their tree.

“Share please, my darlings!”

Seeing their children playing together warmed Peggy’s heart.

Steve went to make breakfast while Peggy helped Sarah start building the Millenium Falcon.

Breakfast made by Steve was more of a feast. Steve’s super-soldier metabolism ensured that he always would need a lot to eat. And his children never having to worry about food was what made him proudest in life. Between growing up poor and then needing to ration, food was always scarce in Steve’s life before the ice. Knowing that his children would never feel empty bellies warmed his heart. He cooked a smorgasbord of eggs, pancakes, waffles, bacon, and sausage for his family. Steve’s many years of Captaining were as useful in the kitchen as the were on a battlefield. Multi-tasking quickly so that his family could all enjoy their favorites.

After breakfast, the kids were eager to get back to opening their presents. Sarah chose first, choosing a long rectangular box to open.

“A lightsaber, papa!” Sarah burst out with excitement. Star Wars was her favorite right now. She wanted to be just like Rey. The lightsaber handle was made from genuine vibranium. Upon activation, the handle would project bright blue light like a hologram giving an authentic look to the prop. The lightsaber would also emit a low buzzing when you swung it. Sarah could barely hold the heavy handle but the smile on her face was brighter than the saber itself. She rushed off to her room to change into her Rey outfit. Steve and Peggy knew they had gotten the perfect gift for their little daughter.

All the gifts were opened by mid-morning and the kids were playing excitedly. Sarah still enraptured by her lightsaber and Michael engrossed in the newest Batman video game. Their dog Dodger was enjoying his new bone very much as well.

While the children played, Peggy and Steve snuck off to go get their main gifts for each other.

Steve gave Peggy her gift first. She had to admit his wrapping skills had gotten quite good.

“I didn’t have much time to work on this but I hope you like it,” Steve said nervously, eager to see what his wife thought of his gift.

Peggy unwrapped the gift carefully, opening up the small box to reveal a homemade comic book. The cover boldy read “THE ADVENTURES OF DIRECTOR CARTER AND CAPTAIN AMERICA”. Below it Peggy and Steve were drawn gracefully standing proud in the midst of a battle.

Peggy spoke slowly, in awe over how amazing a gift she had received. “Steve, this is incredible. My darling you are so talented.” Peggy added while flipping through the pages. The compliment caused a faint blush to rise to Steve’s cheeks as well.

“You really like it? I know comics aren’t really your thing.”

Peggy responded with action rather than words, firmly kissing Steve before whispering, “I love it. I love you.” against his lips.

“I am quite glad you put my name first as well, I must say.

“As it should be. You do wear the pants after all.”

“Sounds like you are just trying to get mine off,” Peggy teased back.

“Not while the kids are awake.”

Peggy giggled a tapped Steve on the chest, “Open yours. I hope you like it.”

Steve unwrapped the gift carefully. It was clearly a painting and he was eager to see what of.

“I wasn’t able to draw it myself obviously so I enlisted Maria’s help. Did you know she could paint this well?”

Steve in fact didn’t know that Maria Hill was a painter but he was glad that he did now. The painting was a recreation of The Incredibles poster but with their family. Peggy knew The Incredibles was Steve’s favorite Pixar movie, mainly because they reminded him so much of his own. Steve was Mr. Incredible of course, with Peggy as ElastiGirl, Sarah as Violet, Michael as Dash, and even had Dodger in place of Jack-Jack.

“This is outstanding Peg. Thank you so much!”

“You’re quite welcome, darling. I only wish I could have made it myself.”

“I could teach ya if you’d like. We should have some free time. I don’t think the kids will be bothering us too much for the near future.”

“Alright then, you better be as good a teacher as you are a husband.”

“We can start tomorrow. You know, I think the kids might be napping, I don’t hear them.”

Smirking wickedly, Peggy caught the slight tease in Steve’s voice. “Well then, maybe we should take this time for an afternoon fondue.”

The old reference caused a laugh from the both of them before Steve added, “You are never gonna let that go, huh?”

“Oh no darling, never.”

#steggysecretsanta #fanfiction #steggy #steve and peggy #steve rogers #peggy carter #i hope you enjoy!#sorry for the long delay

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legomybacon · 6 years

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“Micro scale London Skyline” via /r/lego

#lego #reddit

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lovelego · 6 years

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LEGO Architecture London 21034 Skyline Collection Gift https://ebay.to/2BEtb4r

#lego

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dicloniusgames · 2 years

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LEGO Architecture London Build Review

Architecture has been a popular line of LEGO for some time now and the skylines have been a major staple of the architecture since its inception.

Another major city featured in the skyline collection is London and it has plenty to look at not only in the build but in the city as well. Does the skyline capture the wonders of London or fail to grasp the eye of not only locals but skyline collectors? Let’s find out.

Design

Known as one of the major European cities and major destination sites for travelers, London features some of its major locales such as Big Ben, the London Eye, The National Gallery, Nelson’s Column and Tower Bridge.

Fitting five major hot spots on just over 11 inches of space seemed like a hard task to do but LEGO does its best to capture all of London’s glory using different kinds of build elements (which I’ll touch on later) to make everything work. Similar to other skylines like Chicago, Paris, Vegas, Shanghai and Dubai (among the others released), they only have so much space to fit major parts of the city on it. While London gets only five locales, they’re some of the best available while others in England got individual sets like Trafalgar Square as that is just something that couldn’t fit on the idea plate the architecture creators wanted. While it is true to form in accuracy, it could’ve used a little more color to its broaden its luster because it only uses a handful of colors.

Build & Difficulty

At 468 pieces, London is one of the more smaller skylines compared to say San Francisco, Singapore or Dubai so it has to pack a major punch with such a small piece count. It sort of does so with some okay water build elements on the bottom of the base representing the water that Tower Bridge towers over.

One of the nice features of the bridge build is the under bridge being able to be placed up or down (well as low as it will go) or fully up. It stays true to its look with the light blue bridge structure pieces though they should have been able to bend down a bit more similar to the real bridge.

One of the other cool features is how Big Ben is built. Big Ben is built in a repetitive way but also features a nice clock face print piece.

The final good feature of this build is the London Eye. It’s built using 4 white tube pieces that bend to create a circular shape and connect via a couple grey technic connectors. The seats on the Eye are built in an interesting way and must be spaced out accurately before bending the tube pieces to create the London Eye, but has a bit of a design flaw and isn’t secured as good as it should be.

Final Thoughts

At $39.99 for 468 pieces, is this a worthwhile build & purchase? Yes and no. I say yes because 1. I like the architecture skylines and how they allow you to travel through the magic of LEGO and 2. I got it through a price malfunction and was able to get it cheaper than the MSRP shown. If you live in London, you can obviously see these iconic locales but for someone who doesn’t, it’s a set that is cheap enough with an okay price per piece count, but ultimately should’ve added one more London staple like Parliament or something. While this isn’t a difficult build, it is one for someone who doesn’t know where to start when building the skylines (the ones still readily available).

Pros:

+Accurate to detail

+Above average price per piece count

+Some build elements make the design stand out

Cons:

-Could’ve used a sixth locale

-Majority of colors feel too bland & basic

Score:

Build Design: 3/5

Build Difficulty: 3.5/5

Creativity & Fun: 2.5/5

Final Score: 9/15

Final Grade: D-

Recommendation: Pass

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aintmyjewelry · 5 years

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PLS look at the coolest Valentine’s day gift my parents sent me i can’t stop smiling

#IM WORKING ON THE LEGOS RN #IM SO EXCITED #IM GONNA HAVE A LITTLE LONDON SKYLINE

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goddivalondon · 3 years

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Goddiva

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