#like chemistry is chemistrying but i need to not feel compelled to hit the fast forward button | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

andreafmn · 3 years

Text

I'm Not Afraid - Chapter 1

Word Count: 3,325

Characters: Female Reader Argent Character, Original Male Argent Character, Derek Hale, Allison Argent, Scott McCall, Stiles Stilinski, Isaac Lahey, Lydia Martin, Chris Argent, Jackson Whittemore

Story Description: (Y/N) Argent arrived at Beacon Hills to put to rest her father's sister, Kate Argent. For the first time, her family has decided to settle down and sustain a life in this interesting small town. After 17 years, (Y/N) has the opportunity to establish interpersonal relationships but will she be ready to face the complications that come with relating to her cousin's, Allison, friends; especially, the infamous Derek Hale. She will face the adventure of being associated with the Derek and McCall pack as well as being faced with the discovery of certain aspects of her life she never imagined.

*DISCLAIMER* I do not own in any way Teen Wolf, all credits of the pre-established characters, script, and storyline belong to Jeff Davis and MTV Network. The only thing I own is Argent Reader insert, her immediate family, and her storyline, as well as her effects in the others' storyline.

Chapter: 1/?

Chapter Description: (Y/N) finally arrives at Beacon Hills for the funeral of her aunt and meets a certain wolf to which she feels a special connection.

A/N: Second fandom I'm writing for. I love Teen Wolf so much and the trope of hard Derek but only soft for you makes my heart sing. If you enjoy my writing I’ll also be posting them in AO3 and Wattpad along with other stories (I also hope to start taking requests if ya’ll want) Hope you enjoy and all constructive criticism is encouraged.

Next ->

Chapter 1

I hugged the black coat to my body as hard as I could whilst pushing through the sea of press. Our family's last name became quite known after the reports about my aunt, whose burial we were attending. She had allegedly burned down a house with people in it. She killed them in cold blood. I hugged my grieving uncle and his less grieving wife, then my cousin who had a painful look on her face. I hugged her the longest. She let herself crumble on my arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Even though she was a horrible person she was still our aunt, family.

I took my seat behind Allison when my father, my mother, uncle Chris, and aunt Victoria stood up. Allison didn't lift her head and neither did I. I just tried to comfort her.

"It's been such a long time I don't expect you to call me grandpa." We both looked up to see a white-haired man who resembled the Argent features. "Don't worry about it, just call me Gerard." He hugged both of us, an overpowering aura emanating from his being. When we were engulfed, I looked to the side and saw two boys squatting behind a gravestone. If they were hiding, they were doing a horrible job at it.

"But I prefer Grandpa," Gerard said walking to his seat. I sat back down and drifted off during the whole ceremony. Once it was over, I joined my parents and we drove to our new house. I have a feeling that life here will be very interesting.

That weekend I decided that I had been putting working out off for too long. I changed into comfortable workout clothes and gave food to my dog, Brody. I headed out the door, put my earbuds on, and started to jog. I really didn't know where I was going since it was a new place for me, all I know is that I kept running until I reached the woods. The bad thing about this, I had no idea how to get back home. Even though I knew of this sidetrack and I knew I would be late to get back home, I kept running, needing a release from the mundane feeling of being new in town and having to reunite from our estranged family in a funeral.

I had gained a lot of momentum. God knows how fast I was running at this point that is until I hit something, it almost felt like a wall. When I looked up, I saw a very handsome guy. Spiked hair, green eyes, and slight stubble. If it weren't for the fact that I was already sweaty I would have started to sweat showers of how nervous I was. That is until he opened his mouth.

"Watch where you're going." He growled at me.

"How about you fucking move and not be a prick?" He looked at me with big eyes, probably in surprise, but quickly changed to his menacing look. Who was he trying to fool?

"Well, this is private property, which means that you're trespassing, meaning you should pay more attention to your surroundings."

"I'm sorry but a burnt-down house with almost no walls or roof is barely a property. So, how about you stop being an idiot and I can be on my way." I started to jog once again but he gained my attention once more.

"You're new here, aren't you?" I turned around to face him.

"What's it to you?" He raised his eyebrow.

"I'll take that as a yes." The cockiness oozed out of his pores.

"And why the hell should that matter?"

"Because no one would dare talk to me that way."

"Who would be afraid of a little sour wolf?" He tensed up. "Dude, chill. I'm just kidding. But I doubt anyone would be afraid of Mr...."

"Hale. Derek Hale." He said extending his hand to me. Gee, after screaming at me he wants us to be acquaintances. I thought about not shaking his hand, but I didn't want to be rude. Well, more than I have been already.

"(Y/N). Argent." I shook his hand. Strong grip. Suddenly I felt a rush of déjà vu; I had met him the day before. "Wait, aren't you that guy I accidentally hit with my grocery cart yesterday?"

"Yeah, that really hurt. You hit my ankle. You could've had me limping."

"But you're not, so be grateful I didn't break your ankle." He laughed. "Damn, if I had known how cocky you really were, I would've hit you harder."

"So, you admit that you hit me?"

"Oh yeah, of course, I hit you. Accidentally that is."

"Yeah, yeah."

I looked around trying to find where the hell I had come from but there wasn't even the slightest trail as to where I was to go.

"So, miss (Y/N). Do you even know your way home?"

"No, but I'm sure I can find my way back." Then, he took keys out of his pocket and pointed to his car.

"Come on, I'll drive you around and you just tell me when something seems familiar."

"And why should I go with the guy that almost ripped out my throat for bumping into him? For all I know you could be driving me to my death." I crossed my arms over my chest, and he let out a loud sigh.

"Look, I'm sorry for snapping. But I'm trying to be nice. That doesn't happen very often."

"Alright, Mr. Hale. I'll let you take me home just because you are being nice now, after being a prick, and I'm exhausted."

"See, no one can resist me." I rolled my eyes at his cockiness. Seriously does he buy cans of it on eBay?

"Don't get cocky with me. I can punch the living daylights out of you." He chuckled and started to drive.

We drove for about 20 minutes until I finally recognized the curb that led to my house. Upon arriving at my driveway, I got out of the car and walked to the driver’s side.

"Give me your hand” For some reason, I felt compelled to do so. He took a pen and wrote down a number. "Call me if you ever need a tour of the town."

Three weeks later, I walked inside the school to meet up with Allison. I moved here with my family since dad had some business taking float. Being the new kid in town is never fun. I would know. I switch schools almost every year. The pro and con about this would be not being attached to anyone. Usually, I'm the one who doesn't talk to anyone and is called a freak. A derogatory term given to people who are way too different from others, but a title I wore proudly.

"Oh my gosh, (Y/N)! How have you been?" Allison wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly. It was as if she hadn't seen me just three weeks ago.

"Hi, Allison. I've been good, getting acclimated to the new town. You?" You would think that because we were cousins, I would be more affectionate towards her but honestly, I wouldn't see her again for like three more years, so what's the point?

"I'm good. A little rocky at the start of coming here but good." Then, a boy with a buzz cut and one with great brown hair walked by and smiled at Alli. "Ooh, you should come meet my friends. Stiles, Scott!! Come here." The boys turned around with goofy grins on their faces.

"Hey, Allison. Who's this?" Buzzcut kid said.

"This is my cousin, (Y/N). She just moved here from Virginia."

"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Scott." The one with the great hair said.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Stiles." I shook their hands and smiled.

"Nice to meet you, too, buzzcut." Allison and Scott laughed but Stiles only ran his hand through his hair, suddenly becoming hyperaware of his lack of locks.

"Allison. Who might this sexy lady be?" I rolled my eyes. The last thing I need is a narcissist with a god-complex trying to get close.

"Oh, Jackson, this is my cousin, (Y/N)."

"Hi." He extended his hand and looked me up and down.

"Hi." I smiled sarcastically, and when I didn't extend my hand, he dropped his.

Finally, after standing awkwardly behind Allison whilst her friends talked, the bell rang. Talk about saved by the bell.

"Hey, (Y/N), what's your first class?" I checked my schedule.

"Um, chemistry."

"Oh, good, then you're coming with us to Mr. Harris' class," Scott said pointing towards him and Stiles. I smiled and walked behind them.

Once we got to the classroom everyone turned to me, the ever-present sign of being new in the class evident in the stare of my classmates.

"Um, hi, my name is (Y/N) Argent and I'm new." The teacher, whom I guess is Mr. Harris, turned around to face me.

"Oh, yes, Miss Argent. Welcome. You will be sitting next to Isaac Lahey. Lahey, raise your hand." Once Isaac raised his hand, I noticed he was sat near Stiles and Scott. Two people I was trying to avoid. As I walked past, I accidentally pushed Stiles' book on his lap, startling him, resulting in an awkward descent from his lab stool onto the floor.

"Hi, again. I guess we are gonna see a lot of each other for the rest of the school year." I nodded and he scratched the back of his neck. "So, um, what school did you come from?"

"Lancaster High," I responded whilst writing down what Mr. Harris was writing on the board. Stiles kept trying to talk to me, but I would only give him short, cold answers or just ignore him. That is until Mr. Harris called our attention, that's when he finally got the memo to shut up.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to introduce myself since we're gonna be seated next to each other all year. I'm Isaac."

"I figured." I tried giving him my best smile. The vibe he was giving off seemed like he needed it. "I'm (Y/N)."

"Well, nice to meet you, (Y/N). Now I'll leave you to the class because if I don't I know I'll be failing even more than I am."

"Oh, well, maybe I can tutor you some time. I'm actually really good at science. My mom was a chemist professor once upon a time so I'm bound to understand all this."

"Really?!" His puppy eyes seemed to light up and I nodded. "That would actually be amazing."

"Sure thing. Now let's get back to class."

After Chemistry finished, I put everything in my bag as quickly as possible and sped to my next class, Math. Thankfully, none of Allison's friends shared this class with me but I did share it with Isaac. I didn't consider him much a friend but more an acquaintance in desperate need of help.

As the day progressed, I noticed the rest of my classes were shared with one or more of Allison's friends. They all tried to strike up a conversation but were quickly discouraged when met with my one-worded or vague answers. Especially, Stiles. He tried especially hard to get answers out of me, only being met with the occasional laugh or stare at his comical occurrences. He seemed like the kind of person you could just open up to. The same could be said about Scott. His shy nature was alluring, and he portrayed himself as a very trustworthy and loyal being.

But I would not allow myself to let them in. My whole being yearned for a real friendship, someone to share nothing and everything; never again.

At lunch, I sat outside and ate my food quietly, a book in front of my face to shield my eyes from the sun the prevalent stares of my peers. After some minutes of appreciated loneliness, the empty table was filled with conversating teenage bodies. I smiled politely but, in my mind, I was cursing them out.

"So, (Y/N), how's your day been?" Allison asked whilst munching on an apple. I swallowed what was left of my bite and answered.

"Fine, thank you." This time no one pressed on after my short answers, finally getting the hint of my disinterest. In the corner of my eye, I saw Isaac sitting under a tree munching on half a sandwich. I excused myself and went to join him, heavily enjoying his tranquil aura.

"Oh, hi, (Y/N)." He smiled sheepishly.

"Hey, Isaac. Is that all you're eating?"

"Yeah. I'm not very hungry." He looked down as if he were ashamed.

"Nonsense! Here," I gave him the other half of my burger and another bag of chips I had in my bag. "You can't tell me you're not hungry. You're a boy in peak development."

"Thanks." He smiled as he continued munching on his food. I put on some music and we continued eating in silence. No conversation required.

The day went on smoother than it started. Classes flew by fairly quickly and the incessant chit-chat seemed to diminish. During last period I was like every other student, anxiously waiting for the bell to signal the end of the school day. When my pleads were answered, I packed the necessary book into my bag and left the rest in my locker, expertly avoiding any more social encounters. Quickly, I made my way to the waiting open car door of my father's car, ignoring Allison's beckoning me t.wards the small group of friends.

"How was your first day, darling?" My father spoke up breaking my attention from the scenery.

"Like any other first day I've had." I smiled. "The towns might change but school is always the same."

Finally at home, we were greeted with the sight of my mother cooking; people were coming over.

"(Y/N), honey, Chris, Victoria, and Allison are coming over tonight. So, go do a quick workout and come back to get ready." I nodded and ran to my room to change into workout clothes.

My routine would normally consist of waking up, working out, go to school for a dreading eight hours, come back home, workout again, do my homework, eat, and go to sleep. I lead a very monotonous life and it had been this way since I could remember. One of my earliest memories was of my father teaching me archery alongside Allison, a great distraction to our always disrupted home life. As I got older, my father started training me in boxing and knife maneuvering. How would these skills help me in life were still a mystery but I felt safe knowing them.

I got changed and decided to take Brody out with me on a quick jog through the woods. "Hey, boy, ready to go?"

He jumped on me which I took as a yes and started for the woods. We ran down the same trail I had been going on for the past three weeks. Mostly, I went down this track in hopes that Derek would make an appearance, and today was not the exception. As the ruins of his house came to view so did his tall figure.

"Trespassing again?"

"It doesn't count if I know the owner." During our greeting, Brody's leash slipped out of my hand and he ran to jump on Derek, leaving slobbering licks on his cheek. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it." He chuckled and helped me bring him down.

"I guess he likes you, even though he doesn't like anyone but me. Guess you're special."

"Maybe." He grinned.

Out of nowhere, I hit him in the shoulder. "What was that for?!"

"For trying to run me over with your shopping cart two days ago. It was uncalled for."

"No, it was revenge. You hit ME first. In the ankle."

"You're still on with that. Come on, sour wolf. That happened three weeks ago, and it was an accident."

"Whatever. Come on, I'll give you a ride home. It's getting kind of dark." This had also become part of my routine. After "bumping" into Derek he would offer to drop me off at my house, claiming it was for security.

"Okay, we're here. By the way, the offer to show you around town is still up. Just call me whenever." He said as he stopped the car in front of my house.

"Alright, will do, and thanks for the ride, Derek. I'd invite you in, but my family is coming over."

"No worries, maybe another time."

"It's a date. Anyways, thanks again. See you when I see you."

"Okay, goodnight."

"Night." He waited until I entered the house and drove away.

"Munchkin, is that you?" My father screamed from the kitchen.

"Yeah!" I screamed back.

"Okay, well, go take a shower and get ready your uncle will get here soon."

I hurried up the stairs and hopped in the shower letting the hot water stream down my body calming any aching muscle that was palpitating. In my room, I searched through my closet for an acceptable family dinner outfit, deciding a grey sweater and black jeans would be enough. I braided my hair out of my face and went downstairs to help my mother set the table.

After we put the last plate the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" I ran to the door and was greeted by my uncle. "Uncle Chris!" I jumped and he hugged me. There was no doubt that he was my favorite family member, his presence was always welcoming. His wife on the other hand was as cold as the winters we spent in New York. She was nice but absolutely scary. "Hi, Aunt Victoria."

"Hello, (Y/N)." I hugged her and said hi to Allison.

"Come in, guys." They walked in and I closed the door behind them.

"So, (Y/N), how have you been?" Uncle Chris asked while stuffing his mouth with mom's famous lasagna.

"I've been good. I mean, moving all the time takes a toll on you at first, but I got used to it. It's easy now to pack it all up once the school year ends."

"Oh, honey, that must be so hard on you," Victoria said. I could not read her tone, her words spoke in sympathetic notes with an underlying melody of sarcasm. Not knowing what to answer, I bit my lip and nodded.

The whole evening was spent on us catching up and eating, laughing, playing games, but the good times came to an end when the clock hit 9:00 pm. It was stupid to set a curfew, but my mom usually had everyone in bed at this time, 10:30 as of late.

"You better come around the house more often." Uncle Chris demanded and hugged me.

"Yes, sir." I raised my hand to my eyebrow and saluted, as did he.

"Let's go, Chris. And thank you for the lovely dinner, Rebecca," Victoria said linking arms with my uncle and smiling at mom.

"No problem. Come by any time." They talked for a bit more and after they left, I went upstairs to change for bed.

"Momma, I'm gonna go to sleep."

"Okay, honey. Goodnight." I went upstairs, brushed my teeth, and put my hair in a ponytail.

Before bed, I made sure everything I would need for the next day was packed into my bag and made sure my alarm was set. I pulled all the throw pillows from my bed and set them aside, then making my way to the window to draw the curtains. Something caught my attention in the backyard, though. My eyes squinted trying to make out the figure in front of me. Blinking the confusion away, I made a double-take and looked back at an empty yard. I laughed to myself as I crept into bed. Why would Derek be in my backyard?

Next ->

503 notes · View notes

thegreymoon · 2 years

Note

What are some dramas you'd recommend for someone who hasn't seen anything other than Love020 ?

Thanks

Hey, anon!

I haven't watched that many c-dramas and modern dramas are not my thing in general, but if you like modern romance, I would definitely recommend Love is Sweet. The main couple is excellent and hilarious (the secondary couple is awful, but easy to fast-forward through) and they have insane chemistry together.

The only other modern c-drama I watched is Broker, but that is simply not the greatest and I recommend it only to Luo Yunxi fans who are willing to put up with a lot of nonsense for his pretty face. The same goes for Lie to Love, but I couldn't sit through that one even for Luo Yunxi because the female lead reinvents the meaning of the word terrible and is simply unwatchable. I had to quit on episode 2. People who persevered tell me that it apparently gets better as it goes on (confirmation needed from those who finished the show, please) but I'm really not that much of a masochist to try and find out for myself.

Another modern one that I have on my watch list is When a Snail Falls in Love. I haven't started this one yet but I've only heard good things about it and I cannot stress enough how much I love Wang Kai, so maybe that is also a good place to start.

With that said, if you're willing to branch out into historical and fantasy stuff, I can recommend a few.

1. Monarch Industry, which I'm watching right now. It is easily the best c-drama I have watched so far (I'm on episode 61/68 so I seriously doubt that there is anything they can do at this point that will change my mind on this). It has one of the best male leads I have ever come across in my entire history of drama watching and the female lead is awesome as well! In addition, the drama is intelligent and well-made.

2. Nirvana in Fire, also an excellent place to start for the historical stuff. This one is a favourite of people with good taste in general, it's really excellent (and it has Wang Kai, who is awesome). Extremely well-made, fantastic battle scenes, awesome characters, and only derails a little bit towards the end. *grumbles about yetis and improbable c-drama medicine*

3. If you like BL, Word of Honor is really good! Even if you don't like BL, it's still very good! They had a tiny budget, which shows sometimes, but they made the best of what they had and it turned out to be a surprise hit because it really turned out wonderful. Unfortunately, they cut their funding before they could finish the drama so they had to reduce the number of episodes towards the end, which shows, but it is only the last few episodes, so you don't feel the effect too much. 90% of the drama is very coherent and well-made.

4. Obligatory mention for The Untamed and Ever Night.

The Untamed is beloved for good reason, it is a BL fantasy and the story is compelling and the characters are very lovable, but the special effects are a disaster. If you can't get past the wonky zombies and monsters, you will not enjoy it. With that said, the music and talisman magic are gorgeous, and while I adored it, I am careful when reccing it to people.

Ever Night is fantastic for the first 30 episodes. Like, so so so good! It is quite violent, though, so if you are looking for romance and sweetness, it's best that you skip this one. Also, watching the second half of this show (i.e. 30 more episodes 😭😭) is one of the most infuriating experiences I ever put myself through. My recommendation for anyone giving this drama a go is to watch the first 30 and just pretend the rest doesn't exist.

C-drama friends, please feel free to add on and help anon out! Drop your recs below, especially if you know of any good modern ones! 🤗🤗

#c-dramas

13 notes · View notes

ordinaryschmuck · 3 years

Text

What I Thought About The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Salutations to you, random people on the internet who most likely won't read this. I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons!

Gonna be honest, I didn't think The Falcon and the Winter Soldier needed to be a full-length TV series. I mean, if Spider-Man can discover that he didn't have to replace Iron Man in a two-hour and nine-minute long movie, then the Falcon can learn he can't replace Steve Rogers in the same amount of time, right? I was excited, don't get me wrong, but I didn't know how they can fit a plot for a movie into a six-hour-long series. Unlike WandaVision, which needed to be a TV show to get those TV homages right for each episode, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier didn’t sound like something that would honestly work better as a film. But, once it started airing, and my excitement increased each week, I can positively say that it would not have worked as successfully if it wasn't a TV series.

Unfortunately, I'll have to get into spoilers to explain why, but trust me when I say that if you haven't checked it out yet, you definitely should. Because I'm about to dive in (or fly in) as I explain why The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is easily in the top tier MCU projects.

WHAT I LIKE

Sam Wilson: If WandaVision was about developing Wanda, then The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is about developing Sam. He might share the spotlight with Bucky, but this is so clearly Sam's story. It's his journey of becoming the new Captain America that gets more of a focus, and it is one of the best aspects of the series. And as I said, it's similar to Spider-Man's journey in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Sure, this time, it's more about stepping up to the mantle, but both Sam and Peter have to learn how to be their own hero rather than replace the one left behind. In Sam's case, it's more than just being the new Captain America, but also being the black Captain America. I'll talk more about the implications of that later, but for now, all I'll say is that it was so engaging seeing Sam accept his role. Plus, even though Sam tries to carry Steve's title, that doesn't mean he's Steve Rogers 2.0. He has his own ardor and personality as Captain America, on top of still representing the aspects of what that title entails. Partial credit for that goes to Anthony Mackie, who does a phenomenal job of portraying a man who's inspirational and charming in all forms of hell. I'd salute him as much as I'd want to have a beer with him...except not really because I refuse to touch a single drop of alcohol. But Sam Wilson would make me consider it! Because he's that good of a character.

Bucky Barnes: Much like Vision in WandaVision, Bucky takes the sidelines as Sam acts as the main face of the series. Unlike Vision, however, Bucky's story seems more like its own thing rather than something that's connected with his co-star. In a way, it's better, but it also seems worse. Because without having it be locked with Sam's story, Bucky's is still compelling as it develops him further in his own way. His journey may not be as engaging as Sam's, but it's still entertaining enough to watch his own narrative get continued in small spurts. Although, the fact that Bucky's story has little to do with Sam's does have the unfortunate side-effect that he doesn't need to be there. His inclusion is very much welcomed, but I feel like Bucky dealing with his own guilt and trauma as the Winter Soldier could be something that can fill up its own series rather than half of one. That being said, Bucky absolutely needs to be in this show. The emotional turmoil that Sabastian Stan portrays so well hits hard, and his dry humor works for some comedic highlights. Bucky's half of the story might be unnecessary for plot reasons, but it is unquestionably necessary for enjoyment.

There’s a lot of talking: This seems like a misstep, especially since most superhero shows are bogged down by characters talking to pad out the run time. Although, the dialogue in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is more like the dialogue in the series Daredevil. There are more words than action, but nearly every line is so incredibly engaging that I do not care. Sam and his sister talking to a banker about getting a loan might not sound as entertaining as Sam being in an air chase against terrorists, but I surprisingly held onto every word being said due to how well-acted it was. Plus, these discussions help make these characters more human on top of making the world feel believable. I understand the argument of show don't tell, but to me, as long as the dialogue is written well enough and said convincingly, I can learn to live with it.

The Flag Smashers: The concept of the Flag Smashers intrigues me. The idea that a group of people believes things were actually better when half the world got turned to dust is a perfect concept for the MCU to explore. In fact, this is the third story in a row that dives deep into the consequences of what happened post-Infinity War and Endgame, and I'm all for it! The universe is forever changed by this one big event, and it's not going to be irrelevant anytime soon. For the Flag Smashers, they offer the most striking glimpse of how the world is forever changed. Now, I'll admit, after seeing doom and gloom in Avengers: Endgame, it would be better to see the benefits of the Blip that characters claim to have existed rather than told about them. But seeing how there were dozens of fans who made the audacious claim that Thanos was right, I don't consider it too far of a stretch to believe that the Flag Smashers could exist. Especially since the arguments that characters present do seem persuasive enough. It's only the actions that the group makes that derail any sense of the discussion. But in a good way...for the most part. But I’ll get into that later too.

The Reveal of the new “Captain America”: This was the dirtiest, sickening punch in the gut that the first episode could have ended on...and I love it!

John Walker: I often find the best antagonists are the ones I'm willing to psychologically analyze. That's John Walker in a nutshell. He is an arrogant ass who deserved to get slapped around when taking things too far. Yet, I always find myself coming back to those scenes where he seems conflicted about becoming the new Captain America. I get a sense that he genuinely wants to do the right thing and those moments when he asks if he is all but confirms it. John's problem is the constant support he's given by his friends. I'd argue that building his ego is the very reason why he gets frustrated so quickly by people denying him, as he often reacts like a toddler who throws a tantrum when a parent makes the "mistake" of saying “no.” This is why it's satisfying seeing people more powerful than John kick the s**t out of him because it results in his ego going through a well-needed deflation. Still, the constant frustrations he has for not being respected as the new Captain America makes his further descent into insanity all the more appealing to watch. Because him taking the super-soldier serum proves Dr. Erskine's theory is true: "Good becomes great. Bad becomes worse."

...And this is why the writers dropped the ball when trying to make John Walker redeemable. It's exceptional if that was the intention. After all, I did say there were glimpses of a man who wanted to become great, not worse. However, given what John does in later episodes, we're going to need more than glimpses to believe his switch from bad to good. Especially since his decision to set his anger aside to suddenly help people is a little too unbelievable for my tastes given how fast it happens. It's not an awful decision. It's just one that needed a bit more polish. I still find John Walker an incredible character regardless, but I don't blame people for being a tad more hesitant given how poorly paced his redemption arc came across as.

Readapting “Star-Spangled Man”: I adore this for two reasons.

Reason #1: It's a solid callback to Captain America: The First Avenger, which I will always stand by as my favorite Captain America movie.

Reason #2: It proves how much John Walker doesn't understand what it means to be Captain America. When Steve did this song and dance routine in his movie, he hated it. Better yet, Steve despised it. Because he wasn't helping anybody. He was just being a dancing monkey to appeal to civilians, and you see how much he regrets doing it with each show. For John, he relishes the whole thing, because of course, he would! John loves having his ego appealed to, and this routine is doing nothing but inflates it. It's a solid case of visual storytelling to prove to the audience just how disconnected John is from being Captain America. Steve or Sam wouldn't have done this, because being a hero is more than respect and adoration. It's about actually doing the right thing. A lesson that John desperately needs to learn.

Sam’s and Bucky’s bromance: You remember how I said that Bucky's dry sense of humor can be a comedic highlight? Well, that's only second rate to the times he and Sam bicker like an old married couple. Whether it's because of the writing, directing, or Makie’s and Stan's natural chemistry, seeing Sam and Bucky interact with each other is always a blast to see. And on top of being funny, there are these well-handled moments of drama shared between both characters that make their relationship convincing. It's why you can't have this series without Bucky, despite it so clearly being Sam's story that gets the more focus. Because without either character, we would miss out on some entertaining interactions that I wouldn't trade for anything else for this series.

Isaiah Bradely: Well, this character was a pleasant surprise. Although, "pleasant" might not be the right word because every scene with Isaiah is absolutely gut-wrenching in all the right ways. Carl Lumbly gives a phenomenal performance for a character that has been beaten down, with very little hope he has for any change that matters for his race. Plus, his backstory may not be as unbelievable as you might think. Between 1932-1972, America performed what is known as the Tuskegee Experiment. Scientists tested the effects of syphilis by injecting it into African Americans, telling them that they were receiving free health care when they didn't. So the idea that scientists tested super-soldier serums on African Americans, not knowing the dangerous effects, is not that far of a stretch. Neither is the knowledge that a black man was disrespected despite fighting hard for his country. If you researched African American history, you'll find that this type of horse s**t happens way more times than it should. It is heartbreaking, and Isaiah Bradley represents all of it. Thus making the little Isaiah exhibit in the Captain America museum all the more tear jerking just because of how sweet it is to see him get some semblance of a win. This level of discussion of what it means to be an African American is something I never expected with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but I greatly appreciate it nonetheless. What's even better is that these discussions don't end with Isaiah.

The discussions of racism: Again, this was something I didn't expect, but grateful for it nonetheless. I mean, I should have expected it given that one of the co-stars is black, but given how the story was about Sam being the new Captain America, I didn't think discussion of racism and racial injustice would come into play. Turns out that I was naive to think those things are separate. The burden of being a black Captain America is something that not many white people, including myself, consider a big deal. But looking at America's past and how others react to any African American in power, you realize that, yes, it is a big deal. Isaiah, and several real-life POCs in history, prove that America doesn't respond well to a person of color being better than the average white man. So it is easily reasonable to believe that there would be issues with a black man becoming a symbol of what America should be. Hell, I'm willing to bet that there were issues when this happened in the comics way back when. Not because of some bulls**t about how it doesn't fit with the character or story, but solely because they can't handle a black Captain America. And if you don't believe something like this wouldn't happen to someone like Sam Wilson, look back to that scene with the police who didn't know he was the Falcon. This crap happens every day, and it's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier that shines a light on it. Despite being something I didn't expect, the talks of racism are very much appreciated. And I'm as pale white as an introverted vampire. I can't even begin to comprehend how the African American community must feel about all of this.

Zemo: Who the f**k expected this guy to be one of the best things in the series?!

Seriously, from Captain America: Civil War, I wasn't too into Zemo as a character. I loved the idea that this powerless guy tore apart the world's greatest superheroes through intelligence and coercion. But his needlessly complicated plan and stale personality weren't enough to win me over. So when he returned, I expected to dread every minute of it. Little did I know that Zemo's comeback would skyrocket him into top-tier MCU villain territory!

Zemo is a character that, despite "helping" our heroes, still works on his own agenda. He might put them on the right path and occasionally assist in a fight, but only because he still won't stop at anything to make sure fewer super powered individuals are in the world. Because that's the thing about Zemo: His motivation was fine and understandable to a point, but his personality was flawed in Civil War. Here, I finally see how Zemo can work. Despite having no power, he uses his mind to look for any angle to control the situation, gaining an advantage even if it is for a short time. For instance, while he can't harm Sam or Bucky without risking his own life or jeopardizing his temporary freedom, he can still annoy the hell out of them. Like when he forced Sam into a situation where he had to drink literal snake juice. It's actually a ton of fun to watch, and I'm honestly glad that Zemo gets to live to see tomorrow. It means that he might make another return, and I can't wait to see what's in store for him in the future. Which is something I didn't think I'd say five years ago.

The Dora Milaje: It was actually pretty cool seeing these characters make an appearance, notably when they slapped around John Walker like it was nothing. Although, a part of me wonders that if Chadwick Boseman hadn't died last year, we would get to see T'Challa himself make an appearance. This lines up with the character, as I can see him dropping everything to hunt down the man who killed his father. Which would be just as awesome, if not slightly more so, to see. Still, we work with what life gives us. And what it gave are awesome cameos that make the MCU feel more inclusive about its characters rather than limiting them to their specific sections in the universe.

Walker killing the Flag Smasher: There is something so wrong with seeing that shield stained with blood. 'Cause here's the thing: Captain American can kill. He's a soldier. It's expected for a soldier to take lives for the sake of justice. What John Walker did isn't justice. It was vengeance. Vengeance that is fueled by anger rather than the need to do the right thing. Because when Captain America leads an army to kill the man who whipped out half the universe, that's fighting for a just cause. But when “Captain America” kills a man, the wrong man, for killing his best friend, that is an act of selfishness that no one would see your side on. And it was the final nail in the coffin that proves how John Walker does not deserve that shield.

Sam and Bucky vs. John: This might just be the best fight in the entire series. Not only is it so satisfying to see John Walker get everything that he deserves, but the whole thing was pretty intense to watch. After seeing what John can do with that shield, it makes moments when Sam and Bucky barely dodge his attacks with it all the more blood-rushing to see. Plus, Civil War's motif playing the background is another solid callback that fits well narratively since this is technically two superheroes fighting another superhero. It's an incredible scene that was worth the wait of four hour-long episodes to see.

Setting up Joaquín Torres as the new Falcon: I don't know if Marvel will follow through with this or even if they should. That being said, if they do, I'm all for it. Joaquín already seems like a pretty fun character, and his interactions with Sam show there's enough chemistry there to give Captain America a new wingman. I probably won't lose sleep if he doesn't become the new Falcon, but I'll still be excited regardless.

Madame Hydra: I know that she has an actual name, but I refuse to remember it due to how long and convoluted it is.

Anywho, we get a small glimpse of who Madame Hydra is as a character, but already I'm intrigued. She seems to have a fun personality, added by Julia Louis-Dreyfus' dry energy. Whether this is set up for the next big bad or just introducing a fun character, I'm interested. Madame Hydra was already a blast in the short amount of time she was in the show, and I can't wait to see what future installments have in store for her.

“Louisiana Hero”: Or as I like to call it, "Sam's Hero Theme." Because while this is the track that plays for the intro, it still shows up when Sam is training as the new Captain America. Not only is it insanely catchy, but I love that you hear a hint of the theme of Captain America: The First Avenger, yet "Louisiana Hero" is still very much its own thing. And that's another reason why I consider it Sam's motif because it fits precisely with the character. Sam is a person who has a hint of the good man that Steve was but still does his own thing when wearing the stars and stripes. Not a copy, but still heavily influenced by the original. So kudos to Henry Jackman for creating a musical piece that fits so well with a character far better than any other themes or motifs prevalent in the MCU. Because, let's be honest, there aren't that many.

Sam’s new suit: ...I mean, it looks cool. Kinda corny at times, sure, but points for comic accuracy.

Sam Carrying Karli: I mean, look at it.

This looks like something that should be painted and hung up on a wall due to how beautiful it looks.

Sam’s Speech: Two meaningful things are going on with this speech.

First, it proves once and for all that Sam Wilson is Captain America. He doesn't just fight for his country. He also believes the government that runs it should take accountability for any missteps before dealing with something worse than a person who took the term "rebellious teenager" into an extreme.

Second, it is so satisfying seeing Captain America tell government officials off about unjust treatment. Even if it does diddly-squat about anything in the real world, it's still a big moment that's effective because of the bulls**t that happens every day. It's far from an actual win, but it still feels good (I hope). And that still counts for something, right?

“We’ll need a U.S. Agent”: Credit to Louis-Dreyfus for saying a stupid cornball of a name and making it sound...not that.

WHAT I DISLIKE

Still running that Marvel Studios logo in every episode: It's still a nitpick, but its still annoying. It's alright if you want to use the full fanfare for the first episode, but at least shorten it for the rest of the season. Please? For the love of all that is holy?

The CGI: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has some pretty...not great CGI. It's not as awful as the CG in the DC shows on the CW, but it is way too easy to tell what looks real and what doesn't. Failing to make CGI convincing has been a problem in the MCU for a while, as most of the time, characters barely look like they really exist in the scene. To me, I compare it to when Red vs. Blue switches between actual animation and Machinima. The CG models stick out like a sore thumb to the in-game models, but at least it looks cool. Because while I don't believe that I'm seeing an actual man with bird wings flying through a canyon while chasing helicopters...it still looks cool. Still, not many people would be as forgiving as I am to this type of thing, so it's onto the dislikes it goes.

The direction of the action: Now I want to clarify that I have no problems with the action itself. Some fight scenes are pretty cool while also added with some exciting set-pieces that kept me engaged the whole way through. It's just the direction of the action that I have issues with. The camera is always shaky with so many cuts that it's hard to follow half the time. It's an understandable technique to hide the stunt double's faces or to make it look like it really is the actual actor who's doing the fighting. The issue is that once you know a show like Daredevil exists, with its plethora of well-directed action, the cracks in the armor become much more noticeable for a series like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Karli Morgenthau: Karli...frustrates me. Because on the one hand, Erin Kellyman does an impeccable job at portraying the heartbreak, frustrations, and determination that Karli has when fighting for her cause. On the other hand, Karli's cause is so layered with hypocrisy that it's hard to understand her position. She wants to prove how the world was better during the Blip, saying that everyone was happier then. So why do things like blow people up and kill “Captain America?” I get the latter. The guy's a d**k. But to prove to people how better things were, is death and destruction really the best choice to get that point across? I get the mentality of how people respond better to a harmful fist rather than a tranquil hand, but really, has that mentality ever worked out either?

However, you could argue that her hypocrisy is fueled by the super-soldier serum, with the "good becomes great and bad becomes worse" theory that John all but confirms. Although, unlike John, we never got to see Karli pre-serum, so we don't know how much it really had affected her. With John, it's easy as many scenes indicate how close he was to snapping and murdering someone who disrespects him. We don't get that for Karli and are left to assume she was already crazy about thinking how intense violence can show the world how great things were during the Blip.

Then again, that could be the plan. Show how a person with the best intentions is ultimately wrong, given the lengths they go through to accomplish them. It worked for Thanos, so it should work here. And it would have...if not for Sam saying that Karli has a point. Because for the main hero to say that the villain is correct, you have to show them doing more good than bad. I understand the mentality Karli, and the Flag Smashers, have. But by doing nothing but committing crimes and violence, any point they have is discredited. Take note of the fact that nobody but nutcases on the internet says that Thanos has a point. Because he doesn't. He's a maniacal supervillain who does something so intense that nobody should be on his side. It's similar with Karli, but because we're apparently supposed to agree with her, she doesn't work as well.

...DO YOU SEE WHY SHE'S FRUSTRATING?! Because while I can see how she can be an incredible character, there are so many holes in how she works that I fail to appreciate any of it. And seeing how she's the main antagonist, a character who takes up a good chunk of the screen time, it's not a good thing that she tends to flounder more times than she should. I want to like Karli, but given everything that's wrong with her, I just can't.

Rewriting Sharon as the Power Broker: This is an intriguing idea met with a mixed execution. You see, I like the idea of a character who was once an ally becoming a villain, yet the heroes have no clue about it whatsoever. It creates solid dramatic irony, but only if done well. With Sharon, it's not really done well. It genuinely feels like her character was changed radically to give her this personality. A fun personality, I'll add, but one that comes across as really jarring when looking back at her previous appearance. Don't get me wrong, a character's current personality feeling so radically different from their previous one can work a treat, but only when we see them go through point A to point B. We're told about the s**t that went down with Sharon, but unlike understanding the mentality of the Flag Smashers, her personality change would have been more effective if we saw it. So while I like the idea of Sharon becoming another big bad in the future, I would have liked it more if we saw her decline into possible villainy.

------------

By using my usual scoring system for MCU shows and movies, I'd give this season of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier a solid 8/10. There are problems. Quite a lot of problems. Hell, even the stuff I like comes with a fair share of issues. It's just a matter of asking yourself, "Do I like some parts more than I dislike them?" For me, I find myself enjoying much more than I didn't. It's not perfect by any means, but while it definitely falters at times, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is a series that soars to great heights. You might not be in love with it, but you’ll have a helluva good time regardless.

Now if you don't excuse me, it's time I swap from one superhero series to another as I share my more in-depth thoughts on--

#marvel cinematic universe #the falcon and the winter soldier #mcu reviews #what i thought about

9 notes · View notes

hecallsmehischild · 3 years

Text

Recent Media Consumed

Books

A Knot in the Grain and Other Stories by Robin McKinley. Not bad for a fantasy short story compilation, but as I read the stories I felt like too many questions went unanswered, or the answer wasn’t clear enough. I know there’s an art to not answering questions and making that intentional, but I didn’t pick up the feeling of the author being intentionally vague. It was still fun to read. I’m really just in a fantasy binge mode.

Fire and Water by Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson. Both books are collections of short stories based on elemental spirits. Eh…. they were okay. Didn’t like them as much as the others.

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Hard book to get through. There’s so much monologuing and it doesn’t all make sense to me. People seem to be talking trite nonsense half the time and then being unbearably deep the other half. It is an interesting look at morbid aspects of the human heart. Might be that it’s a bit over my head to appreciate fully, but I’d like to read at least one more by this author. Maybe The Brothers Karamazov.

Movies

Hello Dolly. (mini liveblogging of reactions) There are way too many musicals I have not gotten around to seeing, simply because I have old favorites and sometimes it’s hard to get out of a rut. I am two minutes and four seconds in and CLEARLY not watching this before now was a failure on my part. I am in awe of the opening sequence that is just a series of legs and feet, but they are all moving to the music and they tell a dozen different stories that are very easy to understand even without seeing anybody’s top half, this is EXCELLENT framing and shooting and I feel like I’m in for a real treat. (In the middle of “It takes a woman”) I cannot tell you how much I missed over the top satire. This very much has the feel of My Fair Lady’s “With A Little Bit of Luck”. But then it’s taken up by the protagonist with an entirely different tone and WHAM the feels hit. I’m not enjoying all of the musical numbers, but there’s this one bit in the middle of the song about dancing where Dolly accepts a dance invitation from the grizzled old groundskeeper, and seeing this high-class looking widow take his invitation without a shred of irony, and to see him take her dancing in such a way that shows he’s clearly done this for many years and may be a widower himself, it’s just this strange sweet kind of moment that’s meant to be savored. And then again WHAM this high class widow, whenever she has a musical number in private, just NAILS you with her song and performance and all her emotions. Barbara Streisand was incredible, absolutely incredible. A lot of the other characters don’t really feel real, they feel like Musical People. She slips on the clothes of a Musical Person but then she drops the facade and shows you how hard all this is for her and it’s incredible. The movie is worth it just to watch HER. Even if it is very stressful watching her manipulate conversations and move people around like pawns. I have to say I do not, for the life of me, understand why she wants a relationship with Mr. Horace Vandergelder, or why he agrees. They look like they’ll make each other miserable for life.

Honest Thief. I went in with low “dumb robbery movie” expectations and was pleasantly surprised. I think I was most surprised by the fantastic chemistry of the couple and pretty much everyone’s acting. Aside from the acting it wasn’t anything remarkable, but everyone took it up to the next level. Nice flick. Also it tickles me to hear the voice of Aslan talking about how he carried out perfect robberies.

Nezha. Holy. Cow. Okay it doesn’t make total sense to me, not all the way through, but I chalk that up to missing cultural/lit knowledge and translation issues. Setting that aside, animation was gorgeous. Story was fun, but also compelling. There was some gross-out humor, but I’ve seen worse. And the climactic fight scene? Man. It went SO LONG but I didn’t even care. Some fight scenes drag on, but this one could have been twice as long and I would have been fine with that. The creators of this film really went all out with creativity and variety all throughout the film. I don’t totally understand the ending but I would love to see more (as the credits scenes hinted that there might be more). Oh wait, there is more and it’s called Jiang Ziya…

The Mitchells vs The Machines. This movie was so full of heart and also so full of complete over the top dumb goofiness. It kind of reminded me of Despicable Me in that way. Definitely brought a smile to my face.

Shows

Star vs the Forces of Evil. I had to re-watch through Eclipsa’s and Meteora’s arc because I’d seen that much before, but too long ago to remember. I re-watched it, then settled in for the last season which I hadn’t seen before. Watching through the new content and… I’m… disappointed. Story seems to be all over the place. The conflict is so forced it hurts. People are flatter than flat. And they’re all idiots. I feel like the show is trying to reach for a moral and don’t even know what that is from episode to episode. Wow. And as I go into the final arc, it just gets worse. Ham-fisted with zero focus and twists out of the bloody blue that make zero sense. You know… this series was hard to get into because characters were annoying and gross at the start. But then it added depth to each character and made me care about them as it went along. But everything after Eclipsa became queen has flushed all of that down the toilet as fast as possible and it is maddening to see that story-trust wasted. Nothing means anything in this story, that’s the conclusion I end up coming to. Nothing means anything and there is nobody worth caring about. I am radically disappointed. And kind of angry at the sheer number of levels at which the storytelling became terrible.

Games

Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. I wasn’t sure how I’d handle another controller-based game after getting so accustomed to Breath of the Wild (I’m on a second re-play of that, I play it whenever my brain is on the fritz so badly that I can’t do anything else). But it turned out to be pretty easy to get into. The hardest part is getting stuck about how to solve certain puzzles and trying to figure it out over and over. Sometimes I figure it out, but sometimes I need to look up a hint online. I’m almost at the end of the game and I’ve enjoyed it quite a bit. I want to play more Zelda games...

Katamari Re-Roll. This is so stupid. I mean, SO VERY STUPID. And so much fun. You start off as this tiny little person just rolling a ball around and you can pick up anything smaller than you (thumbtacks, coins, caramel candies) and as your ball gets bigger, your options open up (mice, carrots, eggs, crabs) and open up (shoes, toys, cats, dogs) and open up (humans, food carts, cows). I hear you get to roll up houses at some point. I’m looking forward to that. For now I’m at the level where I’m rolling up a lot of people. They’re all wiggly and shrieky. It’s funny. There’s a time limit on each level, and you have to reach a certain size by the time limit, which is the only really annoying thing about it. But I’m still having a lot of fun.

World of Warcraft: Classic. Of all the games I never thought I’d play, this is probably toward the top of the list. I don’t like the concept of grinding. I like story. But after playing Breath of the Wild, I also found out that I love exploration/open world type games. My husband helped me build a character and we ran around doing quests and levelling up. Now I’m a level 17 Dwarf hunter who does skinning and leatherworking. I have a pet wolf named Chompers. I’m having a lot of fun. Probably not obsessive levels of fun, but enough fun that I’m happy to sink a couple several-hour sessions a week into playing.

#Child loves books #child loves movies #child loves shows #n00b gamer child #recent media consumed

5 notes · View notes

fyrapartnersearch · 4 years

Text

historical dramas, alternate universes, video game fandoms, nhl & the crown

hello!

I’m going to make this fairly short (or at least try to haaA). I am looking for 1-2 new rp partners! I work two jobs and have a pretty active lifestyle so please understand this is a hobby for me. My posting speed ranges from once every couple of days to once every week or so, but I'll always let you know when I'm busy or hitting roadblocks. Some of my stories have really slowed down so I'm looking to have a rp going that is at a pace of at least 1-2 replies every couple of weeks.

I love detailed plots and stories; crafting good posts is a huge part of why I love rping. I match/mirror my partner’s length and put a high amount of importance on compatibility as writers. Good grammar, punctuation, spelling is A Thing for me. I put 110% in. I write fully lit to novella style rps with my posts ranging from 900-1800 words average. If you want a partner that’s invested in writing together and all the joy that brings, I’m your person!

I am looking for original period piece/historical drama roleplays full of drama and angst, fallout related roleplays, roleplays centered on fictional NHL players, slice-of-life or modern romances, and a few more.

what do I write?

I can write f/m, m/m, and m/f pairings- doesn't really matter to me so long as the plot and characters are compelling. I love smut just as much as anyone but I need a good story and solid character development to go back on. I want to feel something when we write and I hope you do too! I don't have a ton of limits when it comes to kink etc aside from the basic ones, but generally each of the characters I write have varied and different interests and preferences. I'm interested in writing the following fandoms right now:

Transformers personified: Essentially, utilizing characters from the Transformers universe to make characters and stories based off of them/using them in a personified manner. We could depict the war as a political one, or with warring armies, or anything we wanted to do. I'm most familiar with Transformers Prime, and I would be really excited to talk this one over with you!

Disney personified: Similar to the idea above, we take stories/characters and springboard them into our own content and plots. Let's talk it out!

The Outer Worlds: Admittedly I haven't finished the game yet, but I would love to do some character and world building here. Canon characters could be brought in if needed.

Fallout: New Vegas: I can do OCs for this, or I can play several canon characters such as Arcade Gannon, The King, and Cass. Either way, I'd be more than happy to plot with you in this world. I'm also interested in playing out a story related to Fallout 4, where I can play Elder Maxson or Paladin Danse, or we can write OCs.

X-Men: Give me all the plots utilizing Jean Grey or Wolverine, those are my favorite canon characters to write. I can also write OCs. I would also love to play Wolverine against a Jean Grey. All in all, I am a happy camper with this one.

The Crown/British Monarchy: I have a niche interest in the British monarchy and figures related to it, specifically George VI, Elizabeth II. I'd love to take the concepts and maybe the figures and write out some stories, historically-based or not, that involve some of the character types, situations and challenges faced. This idea is really flexible and I'd love to do some world-building here!

Mafia 2: I can write a pretty decent Vito Scaletta and I'd love to write him against your OC. We can take the premise and play with it, maybe make a spinoff or a sequel, something like that.

The Man in the High Castle: I would love, love, love to write something set in this universe. We'd definitely have to do some worldbuilding here but I would love to figure something out based around this universe and the characters in it.

Right now I also have a huge interest in doing period pieces/setting slice-of-life stories in different historical settings. I'd really love to do some plotting together and come up with an intriguing original story. I would love to do stories with the backdrop of the first or second world war, the great depression, the turn of the century, etc etc. I think so many of my plot ideas would be much more interesting placed against different historical settings. I'm most familiar with 1900-1960s backdrops but I would love to explore earlier (little women, or pride and prejudice-esque) eras as well! Pleeease get @ me if you're interested in a healthy dose of history with whatever twists we can come up with :) Here are a few plots/prompts to get started:

**** (m/m) sugar daddy: My oc is a law student studying in your oc’s country in order to get their degree abroad. They’re from eastern Europe and uh. broke af. They settle into an arrangement with your oc where your oc agrees to ~pay him for his company~. We could take it anywhere- your oc could whisk mine off his feet and ‘save’ him or. Be toxic & trashy and make my oc’s life hell.

****(m/m) the guardian: Your oc is a newcomer to the NHL but is quickly making waves- think Connor McDavid style. He’s young and impressive, but mostly, impressionable. he starts to get battered around by both his teammates and opposing teams. After a few hard hits and fowl play within the game that have cost your oc bench and recovery time, the team’s coach calls in reinforcements to boost the team’s morale and serve as a protector to your oc. My oc is a player who hasn’t got the talent part but has got a huge heart. Not to mention… huge hands. Good for makin’ fists. Good for fightin’. My oc protects your oc during the games, coming to your oc’s aid, picking fights for your oc and protecting him on the ice. As such, the two players grow attached to one another.. perhaps too attached for the captain to be comfortable with. Possibilities for a love triangle and other complications, for sure

***(m/m) too good to be true: Our ocs start out in the WHL, both as promising wingers. Their good chemistry is vital to bringing back their team’s success. However, one of our ocs starts to get too attached to the other, and when an NHL draft separates them, one of our ocs is all too eager to cut contact and try to forget. The two excel in their NHL careers without one another, and end up on NHL teams with a history of deep rivalry. Occasionally, the gloves hit the ice, fueled by the tension of unresolved feelings and the pressure of the respective teams to keep up the rivalry. The two are reunited when they are both chosen to play nationally for the same team, and are forced to reconcile what they have both buried so deeply within them.

***(m/m) big money: These two ocs play for rival teams in the nhl. while their teams have a history of tension, our two ocs take it to the next level. Audiences are more excited to watch these two fight than they are to watch the game itself. There’s a market in the violence between these two, and a reputation to maintain on both ends. If the public found out that these two were secretly seeing one another, their careers would both be over.

My oc has serious commitment issues. They often go around leaving individuals after 4-5 dates, with little to no explanation of why. Your oc falls for mine, and is the first to confront my oc about their shitty habits.

Your oc is a huge fan of my oc’s hockey or political career. Your oc wins a contest to meet and have dinner with my oc. While my oc expects a boring night out, my oc is completely surprised by how well they hit it off with your oc.

My oc, your first oc and your second oc all grew up together. Your first oc has always been pining for my oc’s attention, and is thrilled when my oc and your first oc finally get together. They develop a long term relationship, but my oc knows it would devastate your first oc if they told them that they have been seeing your second oc for most of the relationship.

My oc and your oc are in an arranged marriage. My oc is actually a spy on your oc's national government. Espionage, reconnaissance, and betrayal abound.

My oc is royalty (think British monarchy) and yours is, absolutely not; either a reporter, a soldier, maybe a business person. My oc has taken interest in yours as a friend to keep them grounded... or as a thin veil for a romance that absolutely no one would approve of.

As for general OC ideas, here’s a list:

street racing, fast-and-furious-esque setting

small town canadiana or americana

fun, fluffy romance based modern settings

light worldbuilding - new to this but wanting to learn

WWI / WWII history based

something based around the Titanic (I know, so cheesy)

alternate history — I would love to work on doing some worldbuilding with you and creating some kind of retro-futuristic alt history IE fallout before the nukes dropped.

estate drama — something akin to Downton Abbey but with our own spin on it

honestly whatever you can pitch to me that isn’t high fantasy :)

I can expand on and work with any of these ideas, these are just topics. Whatever I do with you, I promise it’ll be fleshed out, with tons of opportunity for drama.

how do we get started?

Pleaaase send me an email at [email protected]; I can give you my discord if we hit it off. Please give me some of your thoughts/an idea of why/what you’d like to write with me! I can write over discord or email or both. We can sort out the brass tacks there and figure out if we’re a good match. :) Thanks for your time and I hope I hear from you!

#Indie rp #oc rp #multiple paragraph #para #long term #literate #adventure #drama angst #historical #original #romance #slice of life #submission

9 notes · View notes

immaculate-benediction-batch · 5 years

Text

Sorry this is so long......How TV Creators Are Handling Subtext And Shipping

TV series creators have a hard time not tailoring content towards a strictly heteronormative audience, refusing to lean in to queer context, no matter howlarge an LGBTQ following a show may have.

Once a fictional character is put out for public consumption, it ceases to be the one thing it’s described as on paper. This is especially the case with TV and film, where said character goes through so many hands before hitting the screen and becoming public property.

There are three kinds of creators when it comes to queer content on TV. The first (and sadly, most typical) is the creator who will deny any intention of creating queer content, and who will also refuse to acknowledge a queer audience’s interpretation., This often results in an instant backlash, as the Supergirlcast and creators experienced after an embarrassing interview with MTV last summer. When prompted to recap the latest season, the cast broke into a cringeworthy song that mocked fans’ interest in the Supergirl/Lena Luthor pairing, with Jeremy Jordan repeatedly exclaiming that the two will never get together. It continued despite Katie McGrath’s attempt to save the interview saying, “The great thing about what we do is, like any art, anyone can read into it what they want.” Chris Wood then chimed in with “Sexuality is all about others’ perception of yours, right?”

Supergirl is a show with a large female following that from the beginning has gravitated toward the female relationships it portrays, with emphasis on those relationships with strong queer energy. At first, there was a group of internet fans that were drawn to the chemistry between Melissa Benoist and Calista Flockhart, which was maximized due to the characters’ intense mentor/mentee relationship, and that was fine, and for the most part went unacknowledged by the show.

However, upon Flockhart’s exit, Lena Luthor was introduced, played by Katie McGrath. Kara Danvers and Lena Luthor became fast friends, and fans’ fascination with Supergirl’s queer vibes grew strong enough for the the cast to take notice. One would think that by having Alex Danvers and Maggie Sawyer, two queer characters already in their orbit, fan speculation about others wouldn’t be such an inconvenience that it would have to be addressed by aggressively singing “They’re only friends!” over and over, as if the pairing were unfathomable.

But Supergirl hasn’t been the only show to outright reject queer interpretations. In fact, a few years back, the long-running series Supernatural was called out by its fans for purposefully inserting homoerotic subtext within storylines pertaining to male characters Dean and Castiel, and for rather indirectly addressing said subtext in interviews. In one of them, Misha Collins (Castiel) stated that in certain scenes with Jensen Ackles (Dean) he was directed to portray his character as a “jilted lover.”

During a Toronto Con panel in 2013, it was revealed that a line was changed by Ackles — who last year specifically requested no questions about the popular pairing be allowed during the Q portion of a panel for the show at New Jersey Con–from “I love you” to “We’re family. I need you” because the Actor didn’t think it suited his character. Despite fandom’s interest in the pairing, it hasn’t been enough for Supernaturalto follow through with an actual queer storyline, aside from the one recurring lesbian character, Charlie, who was ultimately killed off. It turns out our tolerance for queerbaiting does have its limits.

Another show that failed to address the sapphic energy between its leads, in effect rejecting a great opportunity to add a bonus layer to an already complex relationship between two women, was Damages. The thriller starred Glenn Close as powerhouse prosecutor Patty Hewes, and Rose Byrne as her protégée, Ellen Parsons. The series went on for five seasons and throughout, though it benefitted from incredible writing, its highlight was clearly the tension and undecipherable relationship between Patty and Ellen.

While there was never any doubt that their connection was what kept the the show’s palpable tension dial at a 10, anytime the subject was brought up to either cast or creators it was denied or waved off as “wishful thinking,” as Glenn Close put it. When pressed further, she added, “I think there’s something seductive about Patty and she just seduces people and she’ll lead people on. I think that can come across as pure seduction.”

With Person of Interest, Sameen Shaw (Sarah Shahi) and Root (Amy Acker) first connected under very unique, very dark circumstances in which one was holding the other against their will in a life threatening situation. But there was a sizzle there that the audience immediately responded to, and while both cast and writers admitted that was not their intention, something amazing happenedthey took that audience reaction and ran with it. In the end, Shaw and Root’s romance became one of the show’s more compelling storylines.

Jane the Virgin did the same. When a character, Petra, who wasn’t intentionally written as queer read queer to LGBTQ viewers, the writers saw no problem taking the interpretation and adopting it as canon. After years of keeping Petra as a sort of peripheral player within Jane/Rafael storylines, the character of Jane Ramos was introduced as Petra’s defense attorney and eventual love interest.

The third type of creator is everyone’s favorite. This is the one that takes whatever gay subtext or context there is, embraces it, and expands upon it, recognizing that it’s there from the beginning. In the Flesh and Killing Eve are true representatives of queer entertainment that isn’t trying to steer its characters toward a path they weren’t organically wanting to go.

In the Flesh, a BAFTA-award winning series from BBC 3, was easily one of the best shows that no one watched; a zombie show with depth, which isn’t easy to accomplish. The story takes place years after a virus epidemic that turned the infected into flesh-eating monsters is cured, and the rehabilitated are returning home. Its main character is Luke, one of the former infected, suffering from memories of the terrible things he did while sick, and tortured by his own suicide, which was prompted by the loss of love interest, Rick.

The series ran for only two seasons, with a total of nine episodes. It was inventive and creative and stands as one of the greats right next to shows like Hannibal and The Exorcist, which was unfortunately canceled by Fox this year after only two seasons of sacrilege, beautiful cinematography, Alfonso Herrera (Sense8) and a bisexual Father Marcus, played by Ben Daniels.

Killing Eve is a female-led thriller that proves that the secret to making great TV is treating characters like human beings with the capacity to change. Eve, who, when we meet her, is living a life that doesn’t seem particularly terrible, whose marriage appears to be solid, her job secure, is lured into potentially life threatening situations for the sake of following her inexplicable attraction to a female assassin. As if beneath the surface there is a dormant unrest that is awakened with the arrival of Villanelle in her life, and though she does not stop to examine exactly what she expects to get from it, she craves and wants more of these moments that have stirred her awake. She’s both excited and frightened by Villanelle’s audaciousness, by the intrusion into her life,

both figuratively and literally.

The season’s got a few episodes left, yet the most compelling, and most attentively queer moment is part of the fifth episode, in which the two women finally come face to face in Eve’s home. Eve is sopping wet in a gorgeous dress Villanelle’s purchased for her, she’s cold and visibly uncomfortable, therefore Villanelle suggests Eve should change, before proceeding to peel the dress off her herself. It is a scene that doesn’t downplay the very real danger Eve is in by having Villanelle in her home. However there is also an erotic aspect to it that is very purposeful, and as series creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge points out, the attraction is definitely mutual, “I knew that the first moment they see each other. I labeled that moment as ‘love at first sight.’ But I didn’t want it to be constrained to romance, or to lust, or anything like that. There’s something waking in Eve every day that she spends imagining what this woman is doing.”

This type of storytelling allows characters to evolve the way that they want to evolve as opposed to forcing them into a first page description. There is loyalty to the authenticity of the story, which comes from meticulous attention paid to the writing, which Waller-Green explains is all about going against cliché: “The moment something feels predictable, there’s a roar in me to just go to the most surprising place. I don’t want to bore myself.”

Often times, when female queer characters are introduced, it is done in order to titillate, and their storylines are the product of a male gaze fantasy. Killing Eve manages to avoid all of that with Villanelle, a character who seems to have no specific preference when it comes to sexual partners, and yet doesn’t feel the need to use her sexuality to get what she wants. In addition to that and the meaty tension between the two leads (Villanelle and the titular Eve, played by Sandra Oh), the attention paid to the very queer theme of the show is evident in backstories of characters that would normally go without one, like that of Eve’s former boss and best friend Bill, an older man in a heterosexual relationship who casually reveals he’s loved “hundreds” of men, much to Eve’s surprise, and further reveals he is in an open relationship, and happily so.

The series proves not only that queer characters are marketablethe BBC series was renewed for a second season before the first even airedbut that straight creators are capable of writing queer content that isn’t offensive or over-sexualized. Phoebe Waller-Bridge credits the authenticity of the series to a collaborative effort, stating, “Because it’s all about the characters, the little details that link the two worlds, everyone’s really made it a psychological piece rather than just an artistic painting of two different people’s worlds,” but it really just goes to show that that negative aspects of queer representation that include the dreaded male gaze perspective can be avoided as long as the bar is set high enough by the showrunner.

It only takes a little bit of creativity and imagination, and a willingness to challenge the idea that heterosexual-based television makes for the best and most successful stories.

Alex Velazquez is a writer, photographer, and queer Mexican living in Los Angeles, CA.

#sherlock #killing eve #supernatural #supergirl #queerbaiting #shipping #lgbt #in the flesh #jane the virgin #person of interest

2K notes · View notes

gossipchii · 4 years

Text

Beautiful stranger

FF.net link: Here

Characters: Takenouchi Sora and Ishida Yamato

Pairing: Sorato

Words: 2100+

Notes: It was inspired by Halsey’s song of the same title. I don’t know, it’s a beautiful song.

Enjoy!

Sora knew exactly which day today was, she knew it without looking at her phone, or at the calendar she had hanging at her wall. She knew it the moment she woke up because her chest felt heavy. It had officially been one year since her breakup, she sighed. Sora had done everything she was supposed to do during that long time to get over a breakup: she got a haircut, she exercised a lot, got back to playing tennis! Hung out with friends, even went to a few dates that never succeeded.

Yet, there she was, sitting in her bed with a heavy chest. She decided she needed a few drinks that night, so she texted her friends’ group chat and it was settled. Sora wanted to go to their usual bar, a small place they went to at least twice a month, but Mimi insisted they went to the newest place in the neighborhood, a bar with the coolest view in Odaiba, she assured. All Sora wanted was a drink that night, so she accepted.

She finally got out of her room, to meet both her roommates in the living room, she was surprised by how late it was, she probably had spent an hour staring at the walls in her room.

“Morning, Sora!” Miyako was playing some game in the TV and Hikari was editing the photos they had taken last week, when she had insisted Sora to be her model.

“Morning,” she smiled softly, decided that she wasn’t hungry, but she still needed some food, so a smoothie would do. “Happy anniversary!” The redhead sarcastically exclaimed, lifting her smoothie glass as if she was cheering, both Miyako and Hikari knew exactly what she was talking about.

“How are you feeling?” Hikari, the younger of the trio hugged her, she had always been better with actions than with words.

“Kind of numb, it’s crazy to think it’s been a year already.”

“It will get better,” Miyako had never liked Sora’s ex-boyfriend, she said he used to shut down her light.

“It already has,” Sora’s tone was sincere this time. “In fact, I texted Mimi and the others, we’re going to the hit bar that just opened, you both should come.” She took a sit alongside Hikari, surprised by how good the photoshoot had turned out.

“I don’t think I can, Koushiro and I have a meeting in a few hours, and we’ll have to start working with the project as soon as possible.” Miyako and their mutual friend, Koushiro, had started a software company when they were in freshman year in University, and they had grown incredibly quickly. “He should be getting here soon, actually.”

“Hikari?”

“You know I don’t really like going out…” and Sora knew she was right, so she wouldn’t insist. “Plus, I want to finish editing these, they are crazy good, Sora!” the redhead couldn’t hide her blush, she did look good if she had to accept it herself.

“It’s all because you do magic with the camera,” Sora admitted, it would have been fun if her roommates had joined her night out plan. “This means it’ll be Mimi, Taichi and I all over again.”

“You see my brother more than I do,” Hikari laughed.

“I should start getting ready, considering Koushiro will be here soon and I’m still on my PJ’s.”

The rest of the day went out quicker than Sora was expecting. She wasn’t looking forward to her breakup anniversary because all the feelings she felt back then would go back to being fresh. But having her roommates at home, and Koushiro too had been a nice surprise. It hadn’t been half as bad as she had feared.

“Honey, I’m home! You better be ready, Takenouchi because the reservation is at 9pm sharp and if we get late, I’m…” Sora got out of her room, leaving Mimi speechless, a hard thing to do. “Who are you and what did you do to my Sora?”

“Oh, you’re exaggerating.” First Hikari, now Mimi. Perhaps her inside wasn’t at her best but Sora was glad her exterior didn’t show it. “Where’s Taichi?”

“Waiting for us downstairs, something about him not having the money he owes to Koushiro…”

“I heard that! Ugh, he promised!” Koushiro interrupted their meeting to stare at Mimi, she simply shrugged.

“We´re leaving!” Mimi held Sora’s arm and soon enough the trio were on their way to the bar.

Sora had been close to cancel on Mimi, it felt strange dressing up that much, even wearing heels. But this new place had strict dressing policy and Mimi was so excited to visit it. Plus, Sora needed a drink, just one.

“Was he mad?” Taichi asked Sora once they were on the elevator, if the bar had the best view of Odaiba, it was just obvious that it would be in the twentieth floor.

“So mad! You’ll need to pay him soon.” It was weird to see Taichi all dressed up, even weirder than seeing herself in heels.

“I really was planning to pay him today, but then Mrs. Princess decided to come to this expensive place and…”

Sora got lost in her thoughts, while Mimi and Taichi argued. She had a strange feeling about the night, a good one perhaps. So much had happened in a year, she should be proud of all the growing she had done, right? And she was with two of her best friends, a night out with the Taichi/Mimi duo was always compelling.

Soon enough they were inside the bar, and it would have been silly not to be struck by how dazzling it was. Sora was grateful Mimi was friends with one of the members of the band, otherwise she would be afraid to spend God knows how much money in a single drink.

Dancing in high heels should be considered an extreme sport, Sora thought to herself after she had decided she deserved a time out from all the dancing. She sat on the bar and ordered a martini, while she softly laughed at Mimi and Taichi dancing, both brunettes were a show to admire.

But perhaps she should have paid attention to the actual show to admire, the band that was playing in the bar. They had been fantastic, keeping up the mood for the entire night, it had just happened that Sora was having too much fun dancing to pay attention to the ones she should be grateful with.

She immediately regretted looking at them, and she may have been exaggerating but she felt herself getting lost in the singer and bass player’s eyes. They were the kind of blue that only existed in one of Monet’s paintings. She couldn’t decide if they were icy or warm. She got lost in his bad dancing; hips like Jagger but two left feet, an adorable way of attracting everyone in the bar’s attention. He had great stage presence.

But the thing she got lost into the most were his lips, the way they moved. It may be the alcohol she had drank that night, but Sora could swear she had never seen a mouth like his. One she would kill to kiss.

“Thank you so much for this amazing night, our good friend Daisuke Motomiya will take up the gig as DJ. We were Knife of Day, the night is still young!”

The DJ, someone younger than the members of the band, immediately took the stage. Sora was astonished by how free he looked. It was obvious that the DJ was passionate and having fun onstage, she could never be the center of attention like that.

“Is this seat taken?” a male voice took her out of her thoughts, when she noticed who was speaking, she wished the floor would open and she would disappear. She wondered if he had noticed her staring.

“It isn’t,” she sounded chiller than she was expecting, confident even.

“The bar is packed tonight,” it was an open comment, she wasn’t sure if she was meant to reply. She still did.

“It was probably because you guys were playing tonight,” she blushed, he smiled. “You were great.”

“I saw you dancing,” he sounded confident, not a single doubt in his voice. His body language, however, appeared nervous. “Seeing you having fun, made me think we were doing a good job. Ishida Yamato,” he handed out his hand, Sora shook it almost in shook. How old was this guy?

“Takenouchi Sora,” she felt so nervous, she could swear even a giggle came out of her mouth, as if she was fifteen and not a 24-year-old woman. “How did you know it was me dancing? As you said, the bar is packed tonight.”

“Your hair is hard to miss,” Sora grabbed a strand of her hair, embarrassed. “Also, you were with those two who are definitely…”

“Hard to miss, yes.” Sora laughed, loudly, covering her mouth afterwards. It had been a while since she had laughed like that. She wanted to keep talking to Yamato, she had no idea what it was, or who to blame but she wanted to get to know him. However, the music in that place was so loud…

“We can go outside, if you want.”

“Was I that obvious?” Yamato shrugged; Sora smiled. “I wasn’t going to invite you to my place if that is what you were thinking, I mean, both my roommates are home anyway so it would be weird but…” she blushed, deeply. What was going on in her head that night? “What I’m trying to say is, there’s a bar nearby, it is pretty chill, and we could talk…”

“I would like that,” a chuckle. “There’s no rush in meeting your roommates. We can take it slow.” His smile was sincere, Sora thought. She took a sight at Mimi and Taichi to realize they had been staring for who knows how long. With a single look they gave her their blessing.

And so, they went to Sora’s usual bar, they danced the whole night and even played air guitar to one of Yamato’s said favorite songs. Sora was not sure of what she was doing or why she suddenly felt so safe if she had had the lingering feeling that boys only came to do her wrong. But it felt different that night. She was not a kid to believe in love at first sight, in her young adulthood she knew such thing didn’t exist, but she believed in chemistry. And it was palpable between them.

“I can’t believe how late it was,” since around 1AM Sora decided it was fair for her to get rid of her heels, realizing how short she really was next to Yamato. She liked it.

“I didn’t even notice time had passed this fast, to be honest.” They sat in a bench near Sora’s apartment building, eating some random food they had found on a vending machine when they left the low-key bar. “I really had a lot of fun Sora, thank you.”

Sora’s chest felt warm, she looked at Yamato’s eyes, feeling weird to be looking at them so close and confident, compared to when she first saw them earlier that night. She couldn’t believe where the night had taken her.

“Can I be honest with you?” Yamato nodded, she believed him. “I wasn’t expecting to have fun tonight, I was sure the night would be tough for me… but it wasn’t. You turned it into one of the best nights I have ever had, and I appreciate it like you have no idea.” She took a bite to her sandwich to avoid looking at him.

“I don’t know why tonight was supposed to be bad for you, but by all means I’m glad I helped to make it a little brighter.” The sun was starting to rise, and they were both in comfortable silence.

“You can come meet my roommates, I bet Hikari is already awake.”

“I thought we were taking it slow?” Sora playfully hit his arm.

“Don’t get confused, Romeo. We still are.”

“Sora? Are you there?” Mimi’s voice took her out of her deep thoughts, as she was shaking her martini sitting in the bar.

“Uh? Yes, of course.”

“I don’t know what you were thinking about, but I wanted to introduce you to my friend in the band, who got us here for free,” she winked at Sora, noticing the blue-eyed singer behind her.

“Ishida Yamato,” he shook her hand, Sora laughed internally.

“Takenouchi Sora.”

It may have been the night of her breakup anniversary, but a feeling inside Sora let her know that maybe, just maybe, it was finally safe for her to fall.

#digimon adventure #sora takenouchi #yamato ishida #sorato #fanfic #fanfiction #digimon #digimon adventure tri #digimon adventure kizuna

22 notes · View notes

kuronekonerochan · 4 years

Text

Cdramas I enjoyed and ranty rambles... (spoilers)

Apparently I have a new favorite cdrama ML type, and it's genius mastermind bastard on a scheming backstabbing world that is likely created by the same novel or scriptwriter. Ning Que (Ever Night), Fang Xian (Joy of Life) and Zhong Xin (Young Blood) are a joy to watch and I loved these dramas on the same "spirit" and their characters.

All these dramas had stronger and weaker points, if I could pick and choose, I liked the world and ruthlessness of NQ from EN S1, the OTP that is NQ and SS and the Us against the World vibe, plus the incredible soundtrack and the breathtaking panoramic shots, but S2 was such a production mess...it’s a pity bc I loved the theological turn of the novel and it doesn’t seem likely that after that trainwreck of s2 we’ll get a s3 to end the story (although yes, I admit it would always be difficult to translate to screen from where s1 ends in the book onward bc it’s such a drastic change). Having read the novel, it was funny to see people reacting to the events of s2.

The shift in the focus of the drama from the traditional wuxia, young martial arts lead and his wifey traveling the world, encountering new allies and foes and getting powered up, to religious and spiritual journey about the meaning of life, god, the world and different ideologies clashing in both literal fights and discussions as well as physical manifestations of divinity, mixed in with human subversion of values for petty personal goals...well although people seem understandably confused and not very happy about this 180º thematic turn, it’s not what they hated about the new season. From the comments I saw, what most ppl couldn’t stand were the same things ppl who read and liked the novel also hated: the horrible pacing, some of the cast changes that failed to convey the feeling that they were the same characters, and even though the budget was evidently lower than s1, the choices made where 80% of the scenes were pointless carriage shots, meeting shots, and most pointless of all Long Qing riding horses. Endless set ups of people talking boringly and then when the event that all that talk was leading up to happened, it was off screen and the result was told by some character in a conversation. You couldn’t care less about Tang and the war because all the characters that lived there and could die, like SS’s friends from the brothel, the gang, and even the generic ppl on the streets, none of this was shown...only 2 or 3 ppl talking alone somewhere at a time, talking about events that the viewer would never see. And it was confusing. I read the novel and even so I could barely follow what was happening (they did change a bunch of stuff). Enemies from 2 episodes ago were now allies and they were asking favors without any explanation and key plot points of main story arcs like Ye Hong Yu’s were just thrown out so casually it didn’t even register for me that THAT was happening. The whole Haitian part was also a mess. It was one of those concepts that is indeed hard to translate to screen, but as they did the whole SangSang being present but powerless thing well, the casting of Haitian was a fail. She was supposed to be an uncaring, poker faced goddess, but she also had to have a presence that made her feel powerful and frightening. This lifeless doll couldn't scare a fly, so the whole thing just felt pathetic and weird(er). (Also in the novel there’s this intense mental fight thing going on between her and NQ where she hardcore tortures him and slashes his d*ck off and he in turn keeps torturing her with erotic dreams and all this bc the natal bond means they can read each others minds and can’t keep each other out even if they wanted so it’s a constant exhausting mindgame between them. The drama tried to include some of that in like 2 eps near the end, but toning it down bc of rating and taking the mindreading concept out of it made it very disappointing to watch).

I love the witty sarcastic humor of Joy of Life, I’m not into tragic period cdramas but after so much cheesy lazy slapstick wuxia/xanxia dramas, one with the intelligent, non-stop sarcastic humorous dialogue and an ensemble of god damn talented actors, especially the older cast, headed by an absolutely brilliant performance by the main lead and a script and plot that is compelling, fast paced and never misses a beat...well this is a true gem and one of the best executed cdramas, on every aspect from technical aspects to directing to acting, that I have ever seen. I usually don’t like palace dramas, and this is not one of those, it is adventure and family and transmigration and a lot more, but it retains the core elements of those palace dramas, which is the scheming politics, the intrigue and the constant tension of being surrounded by enemies by all sides and having to mind every word and action because a single faux pas will get him killed. It’s in line with the kind of cnovels I love and would like to see drama adaptations for like Husband Be a Gentleman or Golden Stage, which isn’t much of a surprise since this is also a novel adaptation.

It is nearly perfect imo, but the harem aspect (even if tuned down from the novel) still drags it down and the (main) FL is a bore and honestly the least interesting of all the females in the drama (it doesn’t help that ZRY has better chemistry with one of the other actresses, which in the novel, since his character hits ALL of them, it would be fine, here, meh). This is also one of the rare situations where I like the drama better than the book (even with the issues regarding the lack of chemistry with the FL), bc Fang Xian in the novel is scarily ruthless...it’s the same author as Nightfall (aka Ever Night), but NQ is likable because of his bond to SangSang, the irrationality of the persecution they face from the zealots, and also the world, despite being harsh, features loyalty and unconditional love in the members of the Academy, for example, that make all the anti-hero/antagonist traits more bearable. FX in Joy of Life it’s a much more cynical and cunning character, scary even, and the environment is a pit of backstabbing snakes. He is the hero bc he’s the main character, but from any other perspective he can easily be the villain. Add to that my distaste of harem and him getting it on with like 6 or so ladies (to give them credit some of them are pretty awesome characters), the novel just wasn’t for me. But ZRY as FX? He’s just so cheeky and likable, and this drama has an amazing supporting cast. I enjoy watching them all interact with each other. I’m glad it’s getting a season 2 and so looking forward to it.

Young Blood I didn't even like that much in the beginning, it started out interesting but confusing and some of the cast (both acting and characters) were kind of weak, but it got better and it had a power couple as leads who were both smart and a joy to watch, plus the bromance dynamic between the smartass bastard and the righteous straight-faced dudes that Handsome Siblings wishes it had (that’s a whole other story, why HS didn’t work for me, but trust me, no offense to the actors in that, I found them charming in other things, but perhaps bc this script was just better, the boys here just did it better, it just flowed...I watched both dramas at the same time and it was weird thinking that those two should be what Handsome Siblings was trying to do). What annoyed me until the end was that out of the ensemble cast, only 3 of the characters (the smart ones) were given enough material to shine. Eventually the other 2 guys got their piece as well, but the girl from the second couple is unfortunately a waste of a character. They eventually tried to give her an arc, but she’s still mainly “the cute doll” and a foil for the 2nd male lead to have a romantic interest. She is given less screen time and she has no presence. I didn’t need her to be a “strong” woman. They do state that her strong suit is that she is so charming that ppl easily trust her, but I wanted to see her evolve, become smarter (the other two dumb-asses eventually get better from the beginning and grow as characters, but she seems stuck in her shallow one trait personality of “cute/kind”). This has nothing to do with the actress, she was perfectly fine, my issues are with the character and how she was utilized.

Unrelated, there is a weird thing in the last episode where a character just disappears, but not like, on purpose, it seems like the drama just forgot about him, or they forgot to shoot the actor near the other ones where he was supposed to be, lol.

Honestly, story wise and even in terms of production Young Blood is inferior to Ever night S1 and especially Joy of life, which was a tight drama, but since it ended up so much better than it started I really wanted to see what they could do with a 2nd season.

P.S: You know what is also my cdrama type? Genius himbo chaotic mess cutie pies, with “rage issue” but deep down caring relatives... and their “straight” faced besotted partners, I mean...

#cdrama #cdrama edit #young blood #ever night #ever night s2 #joy of life #the untamed #mo dao su zhi #young bloods #mo dao zu shi #cql #mine

17 notes · View notes

bugonalog · 4 years

Text

I just finished my teen wolf rewatch and I just gotta say it. Season 6b was by far the worst. I’m about to get rambly here so hold on to your hats.

- it defo felt like they just tacked it on to the end. It was extra. We didn’t really need it. The end of 6a was far better imo.

- idk but I feel like a lot of it had to do with the lack of Stiles. There was pretty much no comic relief for the entire season and that really kinda just bogged it down for me.

- it could also be that Monroe/Monroe and Gerard were not compelling villains. Killing for the sake of killing is never a good motivation for your characters, it falls flat every time. Nolan however was a compelling villain because you can tell the whole time that he is legitimately acting out of fear but he doesn’t know what he’s more afraid of and every time he’s on screen you’re just screaming for someone to save this poor boy who is being manipulated and used and abused even though he’s still doing the bad things. Give your villains motivation. Pure evil just because is boring.

- and then there’s the fact that they introduced so many new interesting characters just to have them killed off almost immediately. Like those two werewolf kids who were killed like an episode after they showed up. Or the freaking science teacher who gets to be more than that for like ten minutes during which time we find out that she is not only a werewolf but the ALPHA of a hella notorious (apparently, but seeing as we only ever heard about them 6 minutes before I have my doubts) pack that left all their humanity behind (and yet their alpha is a science teacher) but then we never see her again. Or the new hellhound who is over 100 years old, built Eichen and then froze himself inside it? Hello? We deserved more of him. But no they had to kill him.

- and they brought back old characters (but not any of the ones we wanted *cough cough Issac*) for no reason too. Ethan and Jackson? Cute, a little weird seeing as we haven’t seen either of them in a long ass time, nice little throwback, completely irrelevant to the plot. Like, they come back, get captured, get out, get turned to stone, get turned back, and leave. They don’t even help solve anything they just cause more problems. Deucalion? Fine. Teach them how to fight blind. How did they get ahold of him? How did he get there so fast? Why did he even bother? Why is he suddenly a pascifist? Idk just so many things about him coming back don’t make sense. And then he just dies. And Scott is all upset about it? You hate him shut up. I mean I know you’re like the ultimate empath but come on. And then there’s Deaton who we haven’t seen in like a season and a half. But he’s just back, out of the blue for like one episode and then he’s gone again and no one questions it. Like come on we can do better than that. Then there’s Brett and Lori. Ok cool, they show up every once in a while for a couple episodes then dip again. Whatever it’s fine. But then they killed them? My sunshine babies who have never done anything wrong in their lives (except that time that Brett high key bullied Liam. Oops)? No way Lori died by getting hit by that car. Brett in the state he was in yeah I can believe it but Lori? Nah fam she totes should have been able to just walk that off. The car wasn’t even going that fast.

- then there’s Scott and Malia. The first time I watched 6b I was completely blindsided by that and honestly this go round wasn’t much better. No matter how hard I try I just can’t see the chemistry there. And they play a pretty big role in the season so... idk do better. Give us some more build up. Something. I wanna feel it.

- and this one is just personal preference but I really didn’t like the flash forward in the last episode. I really couldn’t tell you why I just don’t.

Yeah all of that, plus probably some more stuff that I can’t think of right now just made 6b not good for me. They did do some good stuff though.

- as I already said Nolan was a great villain, and I feel like his redemption didn’t really need and arc (which is good since there wasn’t one, you got lucky with that one Teen Wolf I usually kill people over redemption arcs) because the entire time you know and he knows that he’s not ever really sure what side he’s on. He was with Monroe but it’s been very clear since the beginning that he was never WITH Monroe. They even made that a plot point and a trap. Yeah just good job with Nolan. You did good with that one.

- Theo raeken my dudes. Not gonna lie I may just have stuck it out for that little bitch. Idk I just really love characters who put on such a tough exterior and pretend like they don’t care about anyone or anything but when it comes down to it they will both kill and be killed for those people that they are pretending not to care about. Yeah that’s good shit. We get to watch Theo drag himself kicking and screaming back to his own humanity and it’s just good. (Not gonna mention Thiam here because it’s not what this is about but good god I’m still mad about that. Theo is SOFT for Liam when they’re not driving each other insane and I just think that’s neat). And honestly ending his arc with him taking Gabes pain is so GOOD. Mason tells him that you can’t take pain if you dont care and he’s low key kinda offended by that, like you can see it in his face he hates that these people think so low of him even though he knows they are 100% right to do so and just... oof. But then he’s able to take gabes pain because he recognizes himself in it. He sees that Gabe was used and manipulated and betrayed by the people who were supposed to be looking out for him. He sees a kid who is suffering and scared and in pain and completely and utterly alone and he knows what it feels like. They may not be on the same side. Gabe may have been trying to kill him not two minutes earlier but Theo will be damned if he lets this kid die in pain when he knows all too well what drove him to this point. He sees himself in Gabe and doesn’t want him to be alone the way he was as he’s dying.

- Morey. Mason and Corey. Literally my heart just melts every time they are on screen. Corey is a ray of sunshine and I will protect him with my life.

Ok I think that’s it. Bye.

#teen wolf #teen wolf rewatch #teen wolf 6b #teen wolf finale #teen wolf 6b review #rant

15 notes · View notes

villa-kulla · 4 years

Text

fanfic authors’ tag game

sort of tagged by @fontainebleau22!

AO3 name: VillaKulla

Fandom(s): The Magnificent Seven 2016, previously Breaking Bad, and dipped into the Kingsman fandom on one occasion as well

Number of fics: 24

1. Fic you spent the most time on:

Oh absolutely Waveson by a mile (or should I say ‘by a league’ lol sorrynotsorry). It started out fast and then I hit the middle section and was stumped about how to give it the vibe I wanted for like a year lol. Managed to get back on it though and power through, but I definitely made the most changes/revisions to that one (rather than my usual ‘write the whole thing out in one-shot/edit as I go/make any necessary language changes later but keep the original structure’ method)

2. Fic you spent the least time on:

I wrote Ashes in like one afternoon lol, which amazes me because of how ‘complete’ that fic feels. Also Desert Sand only took about 3 days cumulatively speaking, although I posted it over the course of a week and a half.

3. Longest fic:

Chisolm’s 7 apparently! Not sure I knew that lol but yeah makes sense, I guess that one’s almost at 100k.

4. Shortest fic:

Pens & Swords, not sure I knew that either! Aww I’d almost forgotten about that one but yeah, that one is short and sweet in all the ways.

5. Most hits:

The Kingsman football AU I did called Out of Left Field! Surprised that one gained so much traction in such a large fandom, but it did have the benefit of lots of chapters and people putting it on their rec lists. Thank goodness they did, because it was an odd AU premise lol. Desert Sand is a close second though. That one was among the first Mag7 fics so I think it became a bit of a go-to read when the fandom was first getting started, which accounts for a lot of its hits.

6. Most kudos:

Also the Kingsman one, with Desert Sand in second

7. Most comment threads:

Again with the Kingsman one lol

8. Fave fic you wrote:

Probs River Grit, it feels nearest and dearest. And idk if I’d call it a favourite just because it’s so damn sad lol, but I feel like In the Pines aka the ‘super sad death fic’ honestly has some of my best writing in it haha. However depressing it was to write, I did enjoy that world and the characterizations, that’s another fic that feels ‘complete’ in a lot of ways

(also I always feel compelled to point out that Billy being the ‘unfortunately chosen one’ WAS NEVER PERSONAL OR HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH BILLY I LOVE HIM. The whole fic started as a Fried Green Tomatoes prompt gone awry lol, and in that scenario it was Goody who made the cut lol sry Billy ilu <3 Had I intentionally set out to write a major character death fic for the heck of it, it could have gone either way between Goody or Billy. )

9. Fic you want to rewrite/expand on:

Ooof most of mine I’d keep as is but there are a few I’d change a little. I feel like I kind of rushed Sam’s arc in Chis7 and didn’t give him a proper conclusion so I’d want to expand on his role more. Also there’s an old BrBa fic I did once where I uploaded a first part that was standalone, and then went and added a part two. But looking back it functioned way better as one part. I think I’d also scrap the ‘horse ex machina’ from Desert Sand lmao even though it felt fun at the time, but now it feels cringey (although on the plus side it’s maybe the least pretentious fic I’ve written:P

And not to STILL be lingering on the selkie AU lol, but I still think I could have made that better. I think what it needed was more Billy POV. In my mind Billy was going through a whole ‘little mermaid’ scenario of his own in that fic with wanting to be on land but conflicted about it. But I was aiming for a certain atmosphere of ‘present time only’, so I kept it to just Goody’s POV without delving into too much backstory of either character. But that had the drawback of diminishing Billy’s emotional state, so I feel like his motivations were never entirely clear to the reader. I think I could have solved that by sharply jumping time periods at the start of part 2 and telling Billy’s story in flashback from his POV. I think that would have been really cool. Who knows, maybe I’ll tweak it some day. Also with the selkie au, I hate to say it but they really had better chemistry in the seal scenes lmao.

Also not a fic, but I was once given a FMK scenario with Goody, Billy, and Vasquez, and I would like to revise my previous answers and change it to: F = Goody because he’s nonthreatening, M = Billy because we have canon evidence of him being the best husband in the world, and K = Vasquez because idk he’s a big boy and he can take it

10. Share a bit of your WIP or share a story idea that you’re planning:

I’m not currently working on any fics, although I do miss those sweet cowboys! I’d like to write something else for them but I just haven’t felt sufficiently motivated. But depending on how long this quarantine lasts, who knows lol.

likewise tagging anyone who feels like it!

#shares #writing

6 notes · View notes

caitsbooks · 4 years

Photo

GRACELING BY KRISTEN CASHORE – IS IT AS GOOD AS PEOPLE SAY? (REVIEW)

Quick Stats: Overall: 3.75/5 Stars Characters: 4/5 Setting: 3.5/5 Writing: 3.5/5 Plot and Themes: 4/5 Awesomeness Factor: 3.75/5 Review in a Nutshell: I went into this book with crazy high expectations, and while it didn’t quite meet all of them, it was still a great read.

“Mercy was more frightening than murder, because it was harder.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ Related: August Favorites & My September TBR ]

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

// Content Warning: Violence, Death, Torture, Animal Death, Murder, Incest (hinted at), Pedophelia (hinted at), sexual assault (hinted at), Human Trafficking (Mention) //

“When a monster stopped behaving like a monster, did it stop being a monster? Did it become something else?”

Release Date: 10/01/2008 Publisher: Harcort Page Count: 471 Premise: Katsa is a Graceling. She was born with an innate gift. Except, while some people were Graced with fighting, telepathy, or music, Katsa was Graced with killing. Used as the king’s pawn, Katsa is sent across the kingdom threatening and torturing whoever the king tells her to, but what he doesn’t know is that she has her own missions, helping those who need it. On one of those missions, she meets Po, the youngest prince of a faraway kingdom. The two of them must work together to solve a mystery that threatens his family, but they didn't expect to fall in love, or uncover a secret that threatens everything they know.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Read more for all of my thoughts on Graceling!

Follow Me: Blog || Goodreads || Bookstagram || Twitter || Reviews

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“If I wanted to stun anyone at dinner, I’d hit them in the face.”

WRITING & SETTING

Like I said, I had very high expectations going into this book. It was very, very hyped. And I think my high expectations may be a part of why I feel a little disappointed after reading it. Don’t get me wrong- it’s good. But it just wasn’t mind-blowingly amazing. The writing is what I liked the least. A lot of the phrasing was awkward and stiff. I could tell she was trying to evoke a classic fantasy tone with her prose, but sometimes it came off as a little pretentious and unnecessary. However, the dialogue was really great. It showed off the chemistry between the characters and it was just really fun. The setting was also much more of a hit for me. This is definitely a mostly European-inspired fantasy, and the kingdoms all felt very similar (with the exception of Lienid), but I loved the politics between the lands, as well as the entire concept of Gracelings and how they work.

PLOT

Graceling is definitely a journey book. There is a lot of traveling. I’d say that 50% of this book is the characters trying to get from one kingdom to another. That said, it leaves a lot of room for the characters to shine, which I always love. The plot itself isn’t really fast-paced, but it isn’t slow. It has plenty of gripping moments, but they pass by quickly.

CHARACTERS

Before I went into this book, I knew some people weren’t fans of Katsa. I can see that. She’s definitely not the easiest protagonist to love, but she does have a great character arc throughout the book. Po, however, is very easy to love. He was definitely my favorite character, with either Bitterblue or Raffin as #2. This book really excels in having strong side characters that are just as compelling- if not more- as the main characters. Also, the antagonist. The main villain isn’t as rounded out as some of the other characters, but they are absolutely terrifying. Also, can we talk about the romance for a second? Because oh my god I love it. Seriously. It is such a healthy relationship, and it’s completely adorable!

“There’s no shame in crawling when one can’t walk.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CONCLUSION

Pros- Fun dialogue, Interesting world, good characters, amazing romance Cons- Prose isn’t great, not exactly a “thrilling read” Overall- 3.75/5 stars. Graceling is a good book, but I feel like the majority of the hype is because it came out in a time when there weren’t that many options for YA fantasy. So while I would recommend it to fantasy fans, I don’t know if it would have gotten the same praise if it came out today.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IF YOU LIKED GRACELING, I’D RECOMMEND:

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas – [ Review ]

Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1) by Robin LaFevers – [ Review ]

Rosemarked (Rosemarked #1) by Livia Blackburne – [ Review ]

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Have you read Graceling? What is one fantasy series that you’ve been dying to read?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Add To Your Goodreads Shelf Purchase From: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound

Follow Me: Blog || Goodreads || Bookstagram || Twitter || Reviews

#graceling #graceling realm #katsa #prince po #kristen cashore #books #book #booklr #bookblr #bookish #bookstagram #review #book review #book aesthetic #aesthetic #caitsbooks pics #graceling review #this was supposed to go up in september idk what happened but tumblr decided to hate me

3 notes · View notes

boogiewrites · 6 years

Text

Who We Were & Who We Are Now 2

Chapter 2

Characters: Forrest Bondurant x Tawny Barrett (OFC)

Word Count: 3700+

Summary: Tonya Barrett, or Miss Tawny as Forrest likes to call her, moves back home at the news of her stepfather becoming ill. She left Franklin County almost a decade ago, it feels like everything within her has changed and nothing has changed back home. Will the actions following her stepfathers passing lead the Bondurants to once again take her in? And this time, no longer being on the verge of adulthood but fully grown…what will she and Forrest decide to do about the lethal combination of history and chemistry they have together?

Warnings/Tags: Language. Mentions of abuse and illness.

A/N: Memories are in italics!

Positive feedback is MUCH appreciated! Reblogs, likes, asks and comments feed me to write more! Let me know if you’d like tagged in my work.

My Masterlist.

You leave him with a smile and a wave before slamming the door to your truck shut. He nods and gives you a small wave in return, arm barely raising as his eyes shift to see if anyone was around to see. He watches the dust kicked up by your tires as he moves to sit back down in his usual chair on the front porch. With the silence that follows after the dust has settled, he finds himself distracted and getting lost in memories of you.

---- He sat in the church pew, angled a bit towards the door watching people come in for the Sunday service. The twang of instruments playing gospels in the background. He keeps his eyes to the peeling and pocked doorway, covered in one too many coats of paint over the years.

He see's Cliff walk in first in his Sunday best, Junior right in tow, walking behind his daddy in a clean little suit and shiny shoes. Cliff picks him up and sets him in the pew with a pat on the head, adjusting his jacket as he sat.

He see's your mama, her floral dress swinging as she holds your upper arm, licking her thumb and rubbing at your smudged face. Her dress doesn't match to the nice suits of her second husbands, your stepfathers, and your half-brothers. She has her arm around your back, pushing you into the room, your face was solemn as he usually found it when you weren't daydreaming, which is how he preferred to see you.

He sees your only pair of shoes, besides the boots you wore to work on the farm. They were beaten and too small under the too high hem of your dress, having grown out of it as well. The tattered hem, the dull colors of the flowers that used to be bright like the high summer grass color of your eyes. Your hair a mousey red-brown, pulled into two tight braids that you fussed with as you walked, pulling them over your shoulders. Your eyes are on the floor, no smile to be seen on your sweet face like the other girls in their fluffy bonnets and shiny shoes.

At a glance, anyone else would look over you in the crowd of people, choosing to look at the other bubbly and highly decorated girls that giggled and got shushed by their mothers. But the only girl he ever found himself looking at was you. -------

You take a deep breath before knocking on the door of your childhood home. You hear a nasty cough, thinking that must be Cliff. A pounding of feet up to the door before it opens with a creak. The smell of smoke hits you as the form of a young man appears, he'd be about 15 now, wouldn't he?

"Tawny?" he asks, his eyes wide and you nod with a forced smile. "Oh you came!" he practically shouts, moving to hug you. You're taken back by the gesture, but you're thankful he seems like a sweet boy. "Come on, come in, come in," he excited says, tugging you by the wrist into the house. You shut the door behind you. "Daddy's in there," he says in a quieter voice. "You got the letter I'm guessin'?" he asks.

"Yeah, that's why I'm here." you say softly with a nod, setting your suitcase down on the dirty, uneven wooden floors.

"Thank God you're here, I don't know what I's gonna do if I had to deal with this all myself. I don't know nothin' 'bout buryin' nobody." he says, face falling.

"Well I do." you give him a nod, hand rubbing his shoulder. "I'm here to help you Junior. You're my brother hun, I ain't gonna leave ya hangin'." you say, compelled to pull the boy in for a hug. He happily obliges, wrapping his arms back around you. "We'll do this together alright?" you say, pushing him back by his shoulders.

He gives a sad nod and you pat his cheek.

"You look good, Tawny Bell." Cliff voice, rough as the whitewater streams, abused by drink and smokin' and screamin' his whole life is even nastier than you remember it being. He's leaning on the door frame, cane in his other hand. He looked like a corpse already.

"You take my bag to my old room, hun?" you ask Junior sweetly, he smiles and looks happy to be of use. He heads down the hall.

"Can't say the same for you." you say with a stone face, meeting his eyes but not stepping closer.

"I told him not to write you."

"Good to know he ain't listenin' to you." you retort, face giving him nothing.

"I see your bad attitude ain't changed."

"Only gotten worse when it comes to you."

"Now if you're gonna talk like that in my house I ain't gonna let ya stay here." he gruffs out.

You take hard but not rushed steps up to him, leaving maybe a foot between the two of you, you point your finger aggressively in his face. "This ain't never been your fuckin' house you god damned vulture." you bite out.

His eyes widen, you'd never stood up to him before. Just a "bad attitude" he'd called your cold and distant behavior. Your rebelliousness and tendency to run and hide constantly. It was all just your way to deal with the abuse and hell he put you and your mama through. You'd never had a bad attitude, just a bad home life.

"My daddy built this house. You ain't never done nothin' to earn or deserve gettin' to live in somethin' built with love. Somethin' you've never known a thing about you bastard." you spit at the ground at his feet. His face is still shocked. "I'm here to help Junior put you in the ground. I'm just here waiting for you to die old man, you don't get to have a say over anything I do anymore. You lost that privilege the moment you laid hands on mama you yellow-bellied coward." you back away, hearing Juniors footsteps come back down the hall.

"I've had a very long drive down. I'm going to go get settled in my room now." you turn to smile at Junior. "If you need me just knock, hun." he gives you a youthful smile and an enthusiastic nod. --- Your room is practically untouched and it stirs a lot of things up that you thought you'd forgotten. You try to sleep that night, laying there hearing Cliff coughing and sputtering all night. Every moan and groan you hear fills you with a sick sense of satisfaction. You hoped he'd be meetin' his maker soon enough and he could finally face what he's been brewing his whole life. You saw nothing but fire for the rest of eternity for him. When everyone's asleep and it's past dark, you leave your room. You find barely any food in the kitchen, no soap in the bathroom, the basic things you think you need in a home for it to function as such. You sigh and shove a piece of bread into your mouth, moving back to your room.

You sit on the edge of the bed, looking out your open window, dusty curtains you'd tried to beat out a bit moving in the breeze. You can actually hear the life outside the house as you sit with your eyes shut. You couldn't hear crickets or cicadas or the croak of the fat frogs that live by the creek in the city, only in your memories. You sigh and feel lighter for a moment as you hear a dog bark in the distance.

You stand and move to the window, you hit the toe of your boot into the floorboard, and a big grin moves across your face. You kneel, fingers picking the old board loose and sure enough, right where you'd left it was a jar of shine you'd hidden. You put the board back, unscrewing the jar and taking a whiff and you sneeze, the old smell brings backs memories. You take a sip and cough, leading to another laugh.

The familiarity of it all draws you outside where you sit in a rickety old swing that you weren't sure would hold you anymore, but it does. You rest your head against the fraying rope and look out into the mountains as you sip the nerve easing alcohol. Little stacks of smoke rising are the only thing that can make you pick out which burning spots are stars and which are stills in the mountains. You smile, thinking about the memories you'd had with the very moonshine you drank. Some of the only good ones actually. And all of them involving Forrest. ---- You've got your finger in his belt loop, following him through a part of the woods you weren't familiar with.

"Slow down Forrest, I ain't as fast as you."

"If you hadn't drank so much you'd be faster."

"Shut up." you grumble. You don't see it but he smiles.

"Ain't much further no how." he says, holding your wrist while he helps you over a fallen tree and down an embankment.

"Well you could've waited until the day to bring me out here ya know. Or when I ain't had so much shine." you whine.

"Well I can't rightly show you this in the day because it don't happen during the day and it's gotta be tonight cause without the full moon ya ain't gonna see it."

"Will I like it?" you ask, your sweet tone, sounding so innocent and earnest make him smile again, only seen by the darkness that surrounds you.

"If I didn't think so I wouldn't be dealing with you and bringin' ya out here would I?" he says obviously.

You pout because he's right. As you make your way up an embankment in an entirely ungraceful way you see the moonlighting his face as he laughs at you before he extends his hand down to you to pull you up. As he pulls you next to him, he places his fingers to his lips to show you to be quiet. He looks over the ridge, overlooking a valley.

You hear wings. Lots of wings as your eyes dart around and focus. You hear a familiar flapping and clicking of bats. The moon was just up and full and bright, illuminating the valley. He takes your hand and sits you down on a log next to him.

"I hear bats, Forrest." you whisper, leaning in close to him.

"I know ya do Tawny. Just give 'em a minute, they gotta wake up." he grins.

And as if on cue a smoke-like cloud of bats erupts from a cave in the mountains. You jump at the sight, your eyes wide, you clutch onto his arm as it startles you, having never seen anything like it in your life.

"I saw you reading that book on 'em the other day, and I thought about this place." he says, watching your face as it sits in awe. "Thought you might get a kick out of it." he shrugs.

"It's amazing, Forrest." you whisper, your eyes moving with the shifting cloud of bats leaving to feast for the night. "I read that they don't even have to see to hunt."

"Seein' as they do it at night I'm guessin' that's helpful."

"It's called nocturnal." you say, finally breaking your gaze and lookin' at him.

"Nocturnal." he nods. "They means they sleep during the day right?" his nose wrinkles in questions.

You give him a surprised and delighted smile. "You're the smartest boy I know, Forrest." you praise, smile still on your face as you look back to the bats.

"And they eat bugs and hang upside down to sleep. Some of 'em can get real big. Big as a fox they say..." he muses, still watching you. "None of 'em like that 'round here though."

"What'd I read the book for when I got my own encyclopedia right here." you giggle, patting his arm.

"I don't know as much as no encyclopedia, don't be silly." he shakes his head. "And you read because you like to I reckon."

He's now looking out at bats, you move your eyes to him, his strong brow and full lips being lit by the moon in a way that made you dizzier than the moonshine did.

"I do like it." you whisper. He's so smart, you think to yourself. Noticing things no one else does. You're touched that he takes the time to notice things about you. No one else did. ---- You fall asleep on top of the blankets of your bed. Your open window leads you to wake early, hearing the sound of the rooster letting you know the sun was about to arrive. You yawn and stretch, changing into something more suitable for a day out. You don't do your makeup, but set and brush your hair so it looks nice and neat. You put on a dress you'd bought in the city a while back. It reminded you of home and you'd never worn it out as your roommate had told you it was the homeliest looking dress she'd ever seen. But she was a dancer and anything that wasn't silk and marabou she thought was less than. The dress fits your womanly shape well. Breasts pushed together, just showing through the overlapping fabric, as it connected with small pearl-like buttons down to the waist. You rolled the long sleeves up to your elbows, grinning while you did so, as it reminded you of working on the farm as the cotton yielded to your hands. The hem hits at your ankles, a swinging skirt of green and white with a white lace trim along the bottom that framed your boots, much nicer and feminine than the ones you'd worn to literal pieces from farm work from wearing them every day, except Sundays, the last time you were home. You pick some greens from the overgrown and neglected garden, still having a few useful things, you pick some dandelions and make up a makeshift breakfast for Junior before you head out to town.

He's not had a reason to hide a smile, not havin' much cause to smile at all as of late. But down the road you came, giving him a reason to again. He clears his throat and finishes his coffee as you pull into a space in front of where he sat on the porch.

You hop out of the truck, revealing the lovely form you'd taken today. He averts his eyes and pushes his chin into his chest. You were prettier than he remembered you being. And he knows for certain he thought you beautiful even back then.

You scale the stairs, he sees your dainty little boots, now clean and shiny, a change he was certainly happy to see. As you lean against the wooden beam that tops the banister, he speaks before he takes in the sight of you too long.

"Miss Tawny" he gruffs out with a nod of his head as you approach him.

"Mister Forrest." you say with a small smile, he narrows his eyes at you, you think it was meant playfully. "I need to pick up a lot of things in town today. Cliff ain't got nothin' in that house and I won't have no brother of mine livin' like that." you sigh and shake your head. "Since it seems you're the man who knows everything 'round here now, I thought you might be able to tell me where's best to go in town? Seein' as I ain't made it down that way yet." you shrug and stand with your hands on your hips, looking at him for an answer, he ponders how you got a dress to match the color of your eyes, and if you knew how well it went with your darker and more red hair than he remembered it being, straying away from the source of your nickname as you got older.

"Well.." he begins, a gruff noise as he sits forward. "Just so happens I got errands to run in town today." he says as he stands, picking up his coffee mug. "You uhh..." he pauses, looking at his cup before returning his eyes to yours, an unsure expression on his face. "You can come with me if you'd like." another pause, you give him another smile. "I can show ya better 'n I can tell ya 'bout where everything is now." he elaborates.

"That sounds lovely Forrest." you say with a shake of your head, watching him lower his face and grunt, turning to walk towards the door.

"I gotta...put this up, hold on." he mumbles, gone just a moment before returning with keys in his hands. -- With the windows down the drive to town was enjoyable. The company didn't hurt either. "I reckon you and I got some catchin' up to do, don't we?" you grin as you turn to face him in the seat, his cigar, puffing away, the smoke floating out the window. He grunts and nods.

"May I ask about your parents? They were so good to me back then." you say sweetly.

"Spanish flu came through shortly after you left. It got 'em."

"Oh." you say sadly, looking back out the window. "I'm sorry to hear that. Your mama was just about the loveliest lady I've ever known."

"A nod and a grunt in repsponse. "It 'bout got me too." he adds, voice far deeper than you recall, but it has the same effect on you just the same.

"Well thank God it didn't." you say, letting out a heavy sigh. His eyes only move to see you, you're turned back towards him in the seat, his statement making you pick at your nails in your lap. "I admit, I had worried about such a thing on the drive back here. Gave me a lot of time to think." you nod. "But there you were when I pulled in." a smile spreads across your face. "Not the same Forrest I left but.." you shrug and grin, he sees your face look back up at him.

"Not the same Tawny that left neither." he says, glancing over at you for a moment before returning his eyes to the road."

You huff out a laugh. "Oh yeah. Life'll do that to ya." you say with a small chuckle. "What about your brothers?"

"Uh...Howard was in the war." he nods. "Came back but...you probably know men that came back. Lot of 'em...ain't wired right no more."

"Yeah, lots of boys that came into the bar were much the same."

"Bar?" he gruffs out, inflection in his tone.

"Yeah I's workin' in a bar for years. That's where I was when I left." you explain.

"Hmmph." he responds with a thoughtful tone and nod.

"That means you raised Jack all by yourself for a long time, didn't you?" you say with that sad lilt to your words. "Probably after Howard got back too..." you elaborate. He's thankful you're so smart and intuitive. He barely had to say a thing when he spoke with you. He was glad to see that hadn't changed.

He only nods, watching the road.

"You're a good man, Forrest." you say with a sincerity that hurts in his chest.

He scoffs, cigar shifting between his lips.

"You don't think so?"

"Know so."

"You ain't never been bad to me." you say.

"Well ya left, didn't ya?"

The words sting and you look back down to your lap. He hadn't meant to hurt your feelings. He wasn't used to talking to women. He'd have to learn to curb his curtness with you.

"What'd you do up there in the city anyway?" he asks. He sees your face rise to look at him.

"A lot of workin'." you mumble, looking back out the window. "While I's going to school I was a nanny, and I worked in a kitchen for awhile too." your voice is soft as you speak.

"School?"

"Yeah I wanted to better myself, ya know. Learnin's important to grow." you say earnestly. He nods in agreement. A dirty little rascal you left, and although well read by Franklin County standards, you'd returned a formally educated woman, pretty and pressed with starch and perfume.

"I thought maybe I'd get a husband if I got educated ya know." you shrug.

"Thought if I worked hard, both in body and mind that someone'd come along who did the same." you sigh. "Never did though." you frown, his shifting eyes catch it and it brings the pain back to his chest.

"Ain't nobody in the city smart." he says with a shake of his head. You let out a laugh that surprises him.

"After livin' there I'm inclined to agree." you let your laugh fade into a happier sigh. " With so many men I thought my chances might be better but...no one wanted a woman like me."

His face screws up, he turns it to look at you. "Well, that don't make a lick of sense."

You give him another laugh that crinkles the corner of your eyes. And while they're closed he lets himself smile for a moment.

You reach over and put your hand to his arm, "Bless your heart." you move the hand away to wipe under your eyes. "I wish they'd been more like you hun." you sigh and shake your head. "Couldn't find one with manners to save my life." you frown but it's less sad and just slightly annoyed. "Now I don't know why no one would make fun of someone for learnin'. They told me no one wanted a wife that thought and acted on her own, said I kept my head in books too much." you purse your lips. "But I mean, you know that ain't the first time I've heard that." you let out a little chuckle.

"Ain't no one from the city ever had no manners neither." he shakes his head. "Shameful of 'em for sayin' such things. Even more so when we was kids. Boys 'round here should know better." he practically spits out.

You can't help but smile at him. At least he was still a big sweetheart.

Ch. 3

@hardygal69 @jaegeeeeer @parlezvoustomhardy @pootle @negansdirtygirl22 @vale0413

#Lawless #Forrest Bondurant #Tom Hardy #Lawless Fan Fiction #Lawless fanfic #Lawless fan fic #Lawless fic #Forrest Bondurant fan fiction #forrest bondurant fic #forrest bondurant fanfic #forrest bondurant fan fic #forrest bondurant x reader #forrest bondurant x ofc #forrest bondurant fluff #forrest bondurant x reader fluff #Lawless AU #Forrest Bondurant AU

95 notes · View notes

juniper-and-lamplight · 6 years

Text

Podfic Favorites

7/8/2018

I promised a rebloggable podfic rec list, and here it is! I've recced most of these before, so this is more of round-up than a brand-new rec list; it's multifandom, as usual; it's organized alphabetically by podficcer's name; and it's restricted to no more than 5 pods per podficcer. All of these and more can be found in the podfic tag of my bookmarks. Recs under the cut!

A Symphony of Chemical Reactions - what_alchemy, read by @cellardoortumbles | Cellar_Door - 2k, 22min, T, John/Sherlock "Cooking’s just chemistry and time management." Vivid, quirky Sherlock POV in the text + excellent use of music and sound in the pod = an extra-charming podfic. Use headphones to get the full audio experience!

More Things Than Are Dreamt Of series - 1electricpirate, read by @consultingsmartarse | consulting_smartass - 38k, 1hr, M to E, John/Sherlock (Harry Potter fusion AU) “In which John is (reluctantly) a wizard, Mycroft is (apparently) omniscient, and Sherlock is (surprisingly) oblivious.” Hands-down my favorite Potterlock fic, and consulting_smartass' podfics are nuanced and immersive -- I've listened to them countless times now.

Sussex - SilentAuror, read by consulting_smartass - 26k, 3hrs, E, John/Sherlock “John can’t seem to stop touching Sherlock. He can push the anger away, but sometimes he just needs to take Sherlock’s pulse again. Slight angst, case-fic, post-Reichenbach.” Ah, nothing like realistic emotional constipation on the parts of our heroes. This was one of the first podfics I loved enough to download so that I'd always have access to it.

The Stars Move Still - BeautifulFiction, read by consulting_smartass and aranel_parmadil - 96k, 9hrs 48min, E, John/Sherlock, AU "What could I want so desperately that would make me sell my soul? What could possibly compel me to surrender the part of myself that makes me who I am: the source of my magic, my self-control, everything?" I avoided this fic for YEARS because I hate Faust, so I was extremely pleased to discover that the inspiration is VERY loose and thus, the fic, and the pod version, is lovely and incredibly immersive.

Carry On - Mazarin221b, read by consulting_smartass - 4k, 35min, M, John/Sherlock "Five times John didn't want to be carried, and one time he did." One of my favorite 5+1 fics, and a perfectly paced short pod.

Left - lifeonmars, read by consulting_smartass - 45k, 5hrs, E, John/Sherlock, magical realism AU "John Watson is left-handed. He’s tried not to let it affect his life, but as any Lefty knows, that’s almost impossible." Honestly, consulting_smartass' talent has broadened my fanfic horizons, because while I'm generally not keen on reading AUs (especially long ones), I'm amenable to listening to them -- and so I don't miss out on fantastic fics & performances like this one.

The Girlfriend Experience, rageprufrock, read by dodificus - 9k, 2hrs, E, Dean/Castiel “While it’s not like Dean hasn’t had a couple of truly regrettable hit-and-runs in his sexual history, this is probably the saddest fucking thing that has ever happened to him.” Sometimes, when a podficcer's accent is different than the accents in the source material, it just works in ways you wouldn't have expected-- this pod is one of those times.

The Company - Rulerofthefakeempire, read by @dr-fumbles-mcstupid | Dr_Fumbles_McStupid and RsCreighton - 2k, 11min, T, Dirk/Todd "He’s imagined this moment so often that it feels like he just doing it again, waking up with a hangover next to Dirk Gently. And Dirk’s naked." A quietly funny fic, and a quietly funny performance.

Interrogation - goingtoalaska, read by Dr_Fumbles_McStupid - 2k, 13 min, G, Dirk/Todd "Of course Dirk has some extremely important questions that can only be asked in the middle of the goddamn night, obviously." Almost entirely dialogue, and really captures the ridiculous-with-an-undercurrent-of-softness vibe of these two characters.

There's Only One Sure Thing That I Know - leah k (blinkiesays), read by exmanhater - 20k, 2hrs, E, Dean/Castiel "Dean doesn't even get halfway through explaining before Bobby starts laughing. When he lets himself think about it for more than five seconds, Dean can almost see Bobby's point: he's faced down demons, witches, vampires, werewolves, ghosts, angels, and Satan himself and now he's been defeated by the God damn Midwest." This podfic is a road-trip standby for me and my Destiel-shipping wife.

A Statue Strong Enough for Two - lady_ragnell, read by exmanhater - 39k, 3hrs 30min, E, Elena/Mithian, superhero AU "Elena is a street-level superhero. A visit from an old enemy forces her to step up and see what she might have to do with the Sidhe who invaded and were sent away twenty years ago. Luckily, she has fellow superheroes to back her up, and a new girlfriend in her regular life to make things feel more normal." In addition to encouraging me to try out AUs, podfic also encourages me to try out rarepairs--I wouldn't have thought to look for fic about these characters, but I'm so glad I stumbled across & listened to this one.

Lab Book - copperbadge, read by FayJay - 5k, 40min, E, John/Sherlock “'The likelihood of finding a cab on Christmas Eve is fast approaching nil.’ 'So was the likelihood of you kissing me in the middle of the pavement, and yet.’” An annual holiday read/listen!

Whatever Remains, However Improbable - ivyblossom and Loudest_Subtext_in_Television, read by @fffinnagain | finnagain - 13k, 90min, T, John/Sherlock “The evidence is all there: we know it’s bound to happen. Sherlock Holmes and John Watson are going end up together, aren’t they? Obviously!” An experiment in fourth-person omnitemporal tense. Subtle sound effects add dimension to this podfic.

Diversionary Tactics - shinysherlock, read by finnagain - 2k, 16min, E, Molly/Irene, historical AU "Oh. This could be interesting. Irene’s fingers moved to the third button of the dress and paused. 'Shall I just . . . check the rest of you, then? Make sure you’re quite all right?'" A brief, hot, historical PWP, Mollrene style. UNF. Finnagain's performance is very...impassioned--maybe don't listen in public ;)

Seeing Draco Malfoy - khalulu, read by fire_juggler - 12k, 2hrs, E, Harry/Draco A beautifully done podfic, delivered with warmth and humor. Once I listened to it twice in one week and wound up with the phrase “Nubbumping Humdinger” stuck in my head, and it made me bust out smiling at random times :-)

Let Nothing You Dismay - montparnasse, read by Hananobira - 19k, 2hrs, M, Sirius/Remus "There are a few things Sirius really didn't count on for Christmas of 1979. The extreme sexual confusion is one of them; Remus Lupin is approximately seventy-eight of the rest." There’s a full-on, sensory vividness to the imagery and descriptions in montparnasse's writing, and LISTENING to those words makes the experience even more immersive.

Splendid Night - Katie Forsythe, read by heuristicdevice - 14k, 1hr 30min, M, Holmes/Watson "A Christmasy spin on MILV with a heart-warming dose of H/W." So much miscommunication! I love this fic so hard, and I ESPECIALLY love the podfic. Heuristic Device’s rendering of “now, please,” in a Certain Scene is both quiet and full of feeling, while other sections of the story are infused with audible humor, excitement, and heartbreak, each as they’re called for.

Stately Homes of Wiltshire - waspabi, read by @lazulus - 57k, 6hrs, E, Harry/Draco "Malfoy Manor has mould, dry rot and an infestation of unusually historical poltergeists. Harry Potter is on the case." Fair warning that listening to this podfic whilst walking my dog led to funny looks from strangers, because it caused me to laugh at loud for no apparent reason.

A Brand of Gold - aquabelacqua, read by @lockedinjohnlock-podfics | Lockedinjohnlock – 12k, 2hrs, M, John/Sherlock “What am I doing? he wondered. The answer came back at once: Flirting.” This fic is just plain beautiful, and the pod is one of my favorite performances by Lockedinjohnlock.

Points - lifeonmars, read by Lockedinjohnlock - 54k, 7 hrs, E, John/Sherlock "What if His Last Vow never happened? This fic picks up a few months after John and Mary's wedding, in an alternate universe where Magnussen doesn't exist, but Mary is still pregnant. Life continues -- just in a different direction. And slowly, Sherlock and John find their way to each other." Picture it: yours truly, driving alone and terrified through darkness, rain, and heavy traffic…and yet unwilling to turn off this podfic. THAT’S how deep lifeonmars and Lockedinjohnlock took me into this story.

Midnight Plowboy - weeesi, read by Lockedinjohnlock - 5k, 44min, E, John/Sherlock “'Does it feel like I’m sure?' John whispers into Sherlock's ear. Sherlock swallows again." In which John discovers Sherlock's collection of vintage gay erotica. *imagine several fire emojis here*

Half a Dozen Dances - CeruleanDarkangelis, read by Lockedinjohnlock - 19k, 2.4 hrs, E, John/Sherlock "'Seriously? You? You're going to be a stripper?' John tried to keep the amused incredulity off his face. Judging by the disgruntled look Sherlock gave him, he was not entirely successful in this endeavor.'" Typically, stripper fics are just Not My Thing, but the use of music in this podfic sold me.

(Never) Turn Your Back to the Sea - DiscordantWords, read by Lockedinjohnlock - 40k, 5hrs, M, John/Sherlock "Baker Street is very much the same. Only different. And Sherlock is just trying not to drown." The way the author & podficcer capture Sherlock's voice in this fic feels SO TRUE: his shattered hubris, his desperate resistance to vulnerability, and the believable way he and John finally get through it all.

Senza Catene - Mad_Lori, read by @oncomingtragedy - 6k, 1hr, T, John/Sherlock "Sherlock has a secret hobby. One night John follows him to find out what his flat mate is up to and gets the surprise of his life." The one where Sherlock sings opera--cracky but oh-so-enjoyable. The podfic performance includes several musical interludes.

All Life is Yours to Miss - Saras_Girl, read by originally reads - 114k, 11 hrs 20 min, M, Harry/Draco "Professor Malfoy's world is contained, controlled, and as solitary as he can make it, but when an act of petty revenge goes horribly awry, he and his trusty six-legged friend are thrown into Hogwarts life at the deep end and must learn to live, love and let go." Another one I might have missed (due to personal impatience) if not for the miracle of podfic! The pod is well-performed, and the slower listening process makes the resolution feel even more satisfying.

The Price We Pay for Wings - Frayach, read by @raitala - 13k, 80min, M, Harry/Draco "Scorpius Draconis Eltanin Malfoy read the first book in the Alford Ocamy series over Christmas hols when he was eleven. Well, he didn’t so much “read” it as he devoured it." I've recced this a million times before, and I'll keep reccing it because I CRIED ACTUAL LITERAL TEARS LISTENING TO THIS. 10/10 would be devastated by again.

i don't wanna give you up (i don't wanna let you love somebody else but me) - notcaycepollard, read by @revolutionaryjo - 3k, 20min, E, Erin/Jillian "Erin Gilbert is not the second or even the fifth straight girl Jillian’s ever fallen for, and it’s kind of getting to be a problem, except when she sees Dr Erin Gilbert, she thinks, maybe, this woman might be a statistical outlier." Closely observed, funny, hot, and the narrative voice is p e r f e c t (both in the text and in the podfic performance).

The Temporal Tornado - novembersmith, read by RevolutionaryJo and Lunate8 - 3k, 37min, G, Carlos/Cecil "A temporal tornado reduced our most beloved scientist, Carlos, into a darling little toddler version of his already darling self, didn’t it? Yes it did, oh yes it did! Plus, a jellyfish migration is underway, a mysterious series of unexplained crevasses are appearing in the streets of Night Vale, and valuable advice is provided on the care and feeding of children." Audio is the only logical format for a Night Vale fic like this one :)

Common Woodbrown - imochan, read by RevolutionaryJo - 36k, 3hrs 40 min, M, Remus/Sirius "'Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look there.' In 1985, Remus Lupin realizes that Sirius Black is innocent. Now, he just has to prove it." Both author and podficcer create a sensitive rendering of the angst, fragility, and determination of Remus Lupin.

Sentiment to Paper - mistyzeo, read by RickyPulsifer - 7k, 57min, E, Holmes/Watson "No fewer than three times by the winter of 1883 had I heard Sherlock Holmes disparage the ways of lovers and their irrational tendencies toward writing letters. With this often and loudly-expressed opinion in mind, I was very surprised indeed to find a stack of unsent, unsealed letters in a drawer in his desk." RickyPulsifer’s podfic is a quiet wonder of smooth pacing, emotive delivery, and thoughtful production.

Splendid Creature - mistyzeo, read by RickyPulsifer and the_dragongirl - 2k, 20min, E, Holmes/Watson "Holmes has tired himself out on a case and wants to go straight to sleep. After an orgasm or two. Watson is more than happy to help." A sleepy, steamy PWP featuring a transmasculine Holmes, read by two podficcers whose voices work together beautifully.

Cold Snap - MirithGriffin, read by verityburns - 5k, 34min, E, John/Sherlock “The Mayo Clinic prescription for hypothermia is this: Tea. Blanket fort. Sex. All right, it doesn’t come right out and say that on the website. But Sherlock can read between the lines.” Verity Burns' delivery nails both the snark and the sweetness of this fic.

First Night Out - verityburns, read by the author - 3k, 22min, M, John/Sherlock “As John recovers from the effects of a brutal kidnapping, he and Sherlock attend the Yarders’ Christmas Party. There are… developments on the dance floor…” I loved this fic for YEARS before I listened to the podfic and realized that the audio version–read by the author herself–makes it exponentially more charming and more intimate.

Further fic recs | Fic bookmarks

#fic recs #podfic #johnlock #brotzly #drarry #destiel #wolfstar #acd holmes fic #bbc sherlock fic #dghda fic #hp fic #ghostbusters fic #merlin fic #femslash #supernatural fic #night vale fic #my recs

128 notes · View notes

eurohoopblog · 5 years

Text

It’s not for everyone.

2018 was one of the best and worst years of my life.

As I started off the 2017/18 season in Slovakia Eurocup, everything was going great. Traveling to a new country every other week for games, a competitive schedule, cool teammates, weekend road trip adventures. Life was good. As matter of fact, life was great. I was enjoying the peaceful, simple life that Slovakia offered.

In Slovakia, part of the visa application process includes gathering individual criminal record checks of everywhere you have lived in the past 4 years (before your mind starts wandering, the answer is no...continue reading🙃). In my case, this included Canada, United States, Greece, and Poland. After you’ve obtained all of your records, you have a 3 month validation window to apply for a visa. Prior to leaving home for Slovakia and after a lot of paperwork, I was able to secure 3 out of the 4 records- all that was left was Greece. Fast forward to mid November and mid season, my Greek papers finally arrived in Slovakia. “Finally, now my visa can be issued,” I thought. Not quite. Because it had been over 3 months, my three previous records had “expired” and were no longer valid. We had to restart the whole application process from scratch. Cross country road trips to Poland, early embassy visits in Bratislava, a scramble of paperwork and phone calls. As luck would have it, we also had an even more pressing issue on our hands. The maximum length of a short-term stay in the Slovak Republic cannot exceed a total of 180 days... we were nearing 150. Time was against my side and my papers were put on a rush. All I could do was wait.

After I returned from Christmas holidays in Florida & Greece, everything changed. My reentry to Slovakia without a visa delivered another set of problems and my struggles increased. After I finally finessed my my way back into the country *see previous post🙃, I was relieved to finally make it back to Ruzomberok. I was even more relieved to hear that all of my documents had arrived and were being processed. Although I was just over 180 days, I was sure there would be some way around it considering the circumstances of my situation. Well, less than a week later my naivety slapped me in my in face.... my application was denied.

I was devastated. I loved my team and I didn’t want to leave. My team and I exhausted all options in attempts of an appeal. Even with the help of the club’s lawyers and president, the law enforcement would not budge. I couldn’t believe it; I had never heard of anything like this before. After our appeal was rejected, I was faced with a choice. I could stay to finish out the season without a visa, crossing my fingers I wouldn’t be deported, or I could leave- two unfortunate and unfavourable options for both sides. My team staff and I carefully discussed my situation and the choice was left up to me. At the same time, I learned about a former American player that was (literally) deported a few years back for a similar situation. After hearing this, I knew that I couldn’t stay. Not only would I be playing with fire, but I would be jeopardizing my career. The risk did not outweigh the reward and I made the decision to leave Slovakia. Less than two weeks later, I found myself back in Greece playing for a new team to finish out the season with in Thessaloniki. Unfortunately, when it rains it pours and my bad luck continued to follow. Underwhelming living conditions, a losing record, and some other issues left me feeling emotionally drained. After playing for a few months, financial issues within the team forced my coach and I to resign the last month of the season. And with that... my third season overseas officially came to an end.

Although last year was one of the toughest I’ve faced, ironically enough, it was also one of the best years of my life. Even though a lot of things didn’t go in my favour last year, a lot of things did.

In 9 months, I travelled to over 10 different European countries- Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Turkey, Russia, Greece, France, and Italy. I met some amazing new teammates, reunited with old teammates, and made some unforgettable memories. Post season, I hosted a boys and girls basketball camp in Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy; a beautiful fishing town minutes away from Portofino and Cinque Terre. My best friend and I lituated our way through Athens, the Greek Islands, and Italy... leaving no carbs behind (pics below). The summer continued on a high note, bouncing between home and Portland to train and spend time with friends and family. I also spent some time in California- from up in the bay down to LA- and had the opportunity to coach at Klay Thompson’s basketball camp in Orange County. Although a lot of things might have gone wrong in 2018, a lot of things went right.

After a tumultuous season and the ups and downs that followed, I needed stability going into the 2018-19 season. When my former team from Athens reached out, I felt as though I was given a sign. After playing for Dafni my second year overseas, I had one of my most successful seasons professionally. I loved my team, I loved the city, I loved gyros and gyros loved me back. During the past four years overseas, Athens has made itself my home away from home. Once again, Greece found its way to mark itself as the next chapter in my book.

I’ve been back in Athens since September now and I couldn’t be more content. Our season is off to a solid start, currently sitting 4th in league and undefeated in the Greek Cup. Playing a tight knit rotation, we have a strong chemistry on/off the floor and if we stick to the script, this year could be something special. I’m joined by two younger Americans (I’m a vet now!?), and we share an apartment and team car together. This season, I am living in Piraeus, a beautiful seaside neighborhood near the port of Athens. South of the city center, Pireas is full of v cute cafes/bars/restaurants nestled along the sea. After living in the congestion of the center my previous year, the tranquil seaside lifestyle is definitely more my vibe. When the weather is right, there’s a very good chance you will find me down near the sea (only a 5 min walk from our apt), grabbing a coffee, laying out, or just relaxing/recharging between practices. I’ve been fully taking advantage of our new location, so much so I even asserted myself into the senior citizen swimming group a few mornings lol. Off the court, life is pretty hard to beat in Athens. Good weather, good people, good food; there’s not much more I can ask for.

After everything 2018 threw at me, I am grateful for it all; the good, the bad, and the ugly. I grew as a player and a person, learned many lessons, and came out of it all as a stronger individual. Even though life hit me hard, I got back up. The highs, the lows, and the in betweens are all part of what make us human and they are all part of our journey through life. My personal experience overseas has been a whirlwind of ups and downs; delivering some of the very best times of my life and also some of the hardest times of my life. As cliche as it may sound, I truly believe everything happens for a reason and a silver lining can be found in every situation if you look hard enough. The past four years have tested me more than I could imagine, and I’m thankful for them all.

I did not share my story for sympathy, I did not tell my story for attention; I told my story because life is not always easy. In a society oversaturated by perfectionism, we forget that there is power in vulnerability. When you look on Instagram, it’s easy to think professional overseas athletes are “living the dream,” a phrase we hear all too often. The truth is, yes, there are many highs, but there can also be many lows. These lows may not be making the superficial IG “highlight real” but that doesn’t mean that they are not happening. Nobody’s life is perfect no matter how social media makes it look. It’s easy to compare behind rose-colored glasses, but in reality- there is another side of “the dream” that people do not see. Two-a-days, language barriers, 10 hour bus rides, underwhelming living conditions, injuries, team financial drama, all day Netflix marathons. Nobody sees the struggles we go through off the the court; the isolation, the boredom, the loneliness. The reality is, playing overseas is not for the weak or faint hearted; I’ve seen overseas life break even the strongest people- it’s not for everyone. That’s exactly why I’m compelled to share the raw moments, the unfiltered moments, the good the bad and the ugly- without the airbrush.

With that..... 2018 has officially come to a close. A year full of many struggles and many blessing, I am grateful for them all and would not change a thing. Everything has aligned itself to bring me to where I am today, and in this moment, life is good. To this crazy thing called life, thank you.... I am exactly where I’m meant to be.

1 note · View note