#or was it a ball? I don’t remember time to rewatch<3

[stonemouthzag]

Jeff Buckley is soooo dangerous after 10pm

[picorimori]

Tagged by @memories-in-time almost a year ago and I never got around to it cause of Finals lmao

All these answers were written in Dec and I think they were funny so I‘m not changing anything

1. 3 ships - you can take a guess, but I have a thing about never saying anything outright

2. First Ever Ship - this is hard to pinpoint because while growing up that stuff was just background noise to me or I had very surface-level interest

3. Last Song - We’re Still Underground by eve

4. Last Movie - The Mask came on TV the other day. My sister made me guess what was on TV because she is sick and twisted and won’t just tell me things. I only know 3 movies: batman, the mask, and I forgot the 3rd one so I only know two movies now

5. Currently reading - technically MDZS vol 5. Its the extras and I don’t want to read them rn but I have a bookmark in the book so I guess I’ll be going back someday because the page I’m on is funny

6. Currently watching - its finals week so I’ve been rewatching my professor’s lectures (it all feels so hopeless tho)

7. Currently consuming - at the time of writing this, I’ve just rolled out of bed and been whisked away to the dentist, so nothing. I’m not even the one getting a procedure done either. Wack.

8. Currently craving - I need to play a loz game so bad. I play OoT in the Fall but I haven’t played at all yet and it’s driving me up a wall. I have the reocurring urge to play TP all year but it’s stronger during Nov/Dec because that’s when it released. I really wanna play Skyward Sword just cause it’s been long enough and it also had its anniversary recently. November was Zelda month. OH WAS THIS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT FOOD?

9. Tagging - please god. I only know two people….take it if you want

[tanith-rhea]

Neighbours

Miranda just broke up with her fifth boyfriend of the year. It is September and she is starting to feel done with juvenile relationships and thinks it's time to settle down and focus exclusively on her Policing Bachelor's. To this effect, she moves to a new apartment to start the new no-relationships (or at least no-men) chapter of her life. Shame that her new neighbour seems to disagree with that… at least when she’s sleeping.

Word count: 3k

Part One, Part Two

I love this gif by @kingpreciouswrld so much, thank you!

Your new neighbour is the cutest person you’ve ever laid eyes on. It’s no big deal, obviously, but it would be stupid to deny she is the person with the biggest puppy vibes you’ve ever encountered.

You first saw her coming back from a workday. She was just moving in, a few boxes in the corridor, some blocking your door. Your previous apartment was a disarray of disassembled furniture and all manner of clutter.

You missed your old apartment, but it was for the better. The new one, just across the corridor, was a one-bedroom at almost half the price, it was also half the size, but you could not care less, being only you.

“Hey, do you want some help with this?” you remember asking the bent-over girl lifting the heavy-looking boxes.

She didn’t respond immediately, instead turning around to look at you with white-blond eyebrows up on her forehead.

“Oh my god, sorry! Am I blocking the way?” she tried to flatten herself in the wall, but the box was still very big if you were to pass.

“No” you chuckled, amused with her sweet but ineffective attempt at making space “I live here, actually” you knocked on your door and shrugged.

“Fuck I’m blocking your actual fucking door” she seemed exasperated with herself, turning slightly pink. She was so adorable you felt your stomach bubbly. Maybe you would throw up rainbows, who knew?

“It’s no problem, really. I can just open it and jump over the box. I’m asking if you want help” you tried to smile gently. Most of the time your smiles were snarky or smug, so you didn’t have much practice conveying niceness.

She bit her lip and you wanted to curl into a ball and scream in happiness. How the hell did she manage to be so cute? You wanted to punch her.

“All right… yeah, thank you. If you’re serious…” she gave you a sheepish smile and you promptly lifted some boxes as well.

The boxes were indeed damned heavy. It only made you admire even more how easily she seemed to pile two or three of them and bring them inside. She could throw you across the room without breaking a sweat, you were sure.

She thanked you again and you tried to act normal and said she could just shout if help was needed. You were just across the corridor anyway.

She didn’t shout for help. She didn’t even call for a chat, actually. You left early in the morning to work and came back close to six when she was already inside, you assumed, watching television or playing games or whatever you assumed students did these days.

The only interaction you had after the moving in was when you came back from work two days later to find a chocolate cake on a paper plate with a “thank you <3” note on it. The heart and her handwriting were very round, and you thought she must have had one of those teachers that made kids write four pages of calligraphy with every homework.

You didn’t even have the excuse of giving the plate back, and what would you say if you simply knocked on her door? Hello, I think you are adorable and would like to spend time with you even though we are just neighbours, and I don’t mind if you don’t find me attractive, I just want to look at your cute as fuck face? No, that wouldn’t do. You just had to accept your predicament and move on.

But the mind is a funny thing, and countless nights of not sleeping enough and rewatching Buffy, The Vampire Slayer atop the stress of applying to culinary school were just the thing it needed to decide it was time for a good old sleepwalking.

The first time it happened you woke up trying to open the door to your old apartment at four in the morning. The hallway was dimly lit by the soft blue nightlights kept for those who stumbled home after a wild night out or left to work in the ungodly hours of the morning. You went back to your own apartment, drank very cold water and decided an early start was as good a decision as any. You made scrambled eggs for a change and actually had breakfast before leaving.

The second time was the same. You woke up cold with your hand twisting insistently in your neighbour’s doorknob. By the fifth you were starting to get frustrated, and by seventh, you were beginning to consider telling Miranda about your predicament, lest she decided to go for a midnight walk and find you trying to break into her apartment.

But you didn’t have the chance. The eighth time, Miranda forgot her door open, and your sleepwalking self was satisfied to finally be able to enter her “home”. You woke up with a searing pain in your head.

“Are you awake? Are you all right? Oh gosh, I’m so sorry, you scared the shit out of me!” your neighbour’s voice was a high-pitched audio on 2x velocity.

Her hands were on your face, and you were sprawled on the rug of her living room.

“What…?” your heart rate was slowly rising, and you didn’t understand what was happening. You were partially used to waking up in the hallway but laying on the ground with a panicked Miranda on top of you was at least a bit disorientating.

“I think you sleepwalked into my home” she took a deep breath, trying to lower her volume “I heard something bumping from my room and came out to see a figure down the hallway… so I hit you with a frying pan”

“You did what?!” the absolute nerve! Well, actually you invaded her home, so good on her for defending herself “What if I was a real burglar? You would come at me with a frying pan?” your head was still aching, probably where she hit you, but you gave her a side smile.

“I’m at policing school for something, aren’t I?” she went up and offered you a hand smiling, she seemed relieved.

Policing then. That made sense considering her height and strength, but you could swear she was an artsy one, maybe sculpting and drinking herbal tea or whatever.

“Sorry, officer, didn’t mean to cause any trouble” you joked, getting up and patting your pyjamas.

“Next time I’ll have you arrested” she arched a brow, amused.

You definitely wouldn’t mind that. Ok, that was enough. She was cute, yes. It was the middle of the night and she had bed hair and her blouse was hanging off her right shoulder but that didn’t give any right.

“I’ll, hm… go then” you pointed behind your shoulder to the door “You probably want to go back to sleep… I should too” you smiled tightly, trying to keep the swagger or whatever, look cool, even if you had just invaded her home, flirted with her and stared at her unguarded form probably still warm from sleeping.

She seemed to jump at that, realizing the circumstances, and looked at the clock. Almost five, damn.

”Oh, you could actually stay. It’s not a problem” she speed-talked at you.

“Are you sure…? You could still sleep around… two hours?”

“Classes start at eight, might as well make use of the extra time” she shrugged, smiling contently “But you don’t have to stay if you don’t want” she quickly added, seeming less confident.

Jesus, the girl was a rollercoaster of emotions.

“No, sure. I’ll stay” you smiled, and she seemed satisfied with that “Actually, I’ll make you breakfast. You go shower and get ready and I’ll make you panda-shaped banana pancakes” you blinked, trying not to laugh at her confused look.

“All right…” she walked slowly to the hallway “Will you need help in the kitchen?”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll find my way” you reassured her, and she nodded shortly before disappearing into the bathroom.

Miranda was the funniest girl you had met in a long while. She was direct and innocent in a hilarious and charming way. After two or three pancakes she was asking you about your preference for sleepwear bottoms or what brand of toothpaste you used. You also discovered she swore off men after five bad relationships in only a year. That was interesting but discouraging at the same time. For one, she wasn’t interested in pursuing a relationship with a man, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t straight. Chances were that she was, from how she talked about men, and that was at the very least really disappointing. You thought you had a chance when you first saw her, but that just went to teach you never to judge a book by its tall, beautifully breathtaking cover. She was an absolute lesbian thirst trap, and it was hugely unfair.

At least now you were friends, not simply the person across the hallway, and you could be content with that; if not jumping excitedly in gay bliss, but that was ok.

One breakfast turned into eating junk food over at your place, watching Buffy because you still had one season to go for your fourth rewatch, and talking about all manner of things. Miranda was in the third year of her bachelor’s degree, halfway to graduation because she studied only in the mornings. She was twenty-one, two years younger than you, and apparently had fooled around with some girls in the past; mostly just “straight and curious” as she put it. She didn’t seem too happy about it, and you didn’t touch the subject again.

Almost an entire month of eating at each other’s places and watching whatever was on television went by and you could almost lie well enough to yourself that you weren’t slowly falling for her and were just happy for becoming closer and closer friends with her. But then it happened.

You had drunk a few beers together while Miranda did some research for a paper she was due next month. It was late and you were napping lightly on her shoulder when she leaned on your hair and kissed the top of your head.

“You can go sleep if you want, I’ll finish this in a bit anyway” she murmured close to you and in your half-sleeping daze you only agreed with a hum and went to the bedroom.

Her bedroom, in the apartment that wasn’t yours anymore.

She saw you walk down the corridor and didn’t say anything, which was strange. Some people didn’t mind having friends sleeping over, but you were going to her room, not the guest’s, and still, she didn’t utter a word. Later, she went to sleep as well. You were already deep in a dreamless sleep unlike you’d had in a long while. She slipped in the covers beside you and brought you to her chest, you sighed contently in the crook of her neck while she played with your hair until she too fell asleep.

Waking up in Miranda’s bed was the sweetest sensation. Her body was warm, all tangled with yours, and she snored softly with her head atop yours. For a few seconds you were in heaven, and then the situation finally dawned in your head. You were sleeping in Miranda’s arms. How the hell did that happen? You remembered last night as if it was… well, yesterday. She said you could go to sleep, but she didn’t specify where, and your sleep-deprived brain took you to the exact bed it had been trying to get you into for at least a week and a half some time ago. And Miranda did nothing. Actually, she didn’t “do nothing”, she went and slept with you in said goddamned bed.

“I can hear you thinking” a sleepy voice came from atop you; Miranda was awake and hugging you while pressing her nose to your hair. She made a contented hum and hold you tighter before letting you go, sitting up “It’s all right, this was your apartment, I get that you would go to your old room if you were sleepy and not thinking clearly” she smiled, letting you off the hook.

She was so unfairly beautiful with pillow marks on her cheeks and sleepy dust in her eyes, a dopey smile not at all timid, but warm, before getting up and crossing the corridor to the bathroom.

You were in hell. You also were in heaven, but it didn’t belong to you. Miranda was your friend; she was straight and very much not interested in a relationship at the moment. She said so herself, countless times while drunk and complaining about ex-lovers, whom you wanted to beat to the ground for not seizing the opportunity of catching her eye, thank you very much. You could not continue doing this. You were far too invested for your own good and it was time to take a step back and reflect.

You got up, knocked on the bathroom door to say you were going home to get ready for work and left.

The following days were horrible. Miranda would come over with takeout only for you to lie about a headache and wanting to sleep, or you wouldn’t come back till it was late enough that she would be inside watching tv. Sometimes you said you had work stuff to sort out, which you didn’t, and she knew because you worked at a café. It also wasn’t a good enough excuse because she did college stuff all time at your house and it never was a problem. She knew what you were doing, and she didn’t stop you. Maybe she was relieved.

It was Saturday night, almost a week after the “I can’t keep lying to myself that I love you” incident. Miranda hadn’t knocked in two days, and you were eating ice cream on the sofa while indulging in some well-deserved skin care consisting of tears and self-pity when a voice sounded at the door.

“Hey… are you there? I can listen to the tv” it was Miranda, of course it was.

You knew you were being a drama queen, but you enjoyed those stages of breakups where you could cry all day and stuff yourself with sweets. It didn’t mean you wanted her to see that.

You hid the ice cream underneath the coffee table and furiously cleaned your face in the hem of your t-shirt before opening the door.

“Hi! Sorry, I was just cleaning, everything is a mess today, I’d prefer you didn’t see it” you didn’t even give her a chance to speak.

She looked easily over your shoulder, noticing nothing out of place.

“Of course, I wouldn’t want to interrupt” she looked at her hands, squishing each other nervously “Listen… I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, I’d like for us to go back to normal” she sounded so sorrowful you wanted to bang your head in the wall for being the cause.

“You didn’t make me uncomfortable” one truth “it just has been a busy week, I really wish we could have hung out more” two lies, well, one and a half. Could she spot which was which in your voice?

She looked at you uncertainly, her hands clenching like she needed strength to proceed with whatever she wanted to do.

“I understand your position in this situation, and I respect it. It was inappropriate of me to take advantage and a completely absurd assumption as well” she closed her eyes forcefully for a few seconds, her brows furrowed tightly before looking at you again “I can keep my feelings to myself and be only your friend. Everything would be normal; I wouldn’t even touch you if you’d like”

What the hell was she on about? Keep her feelings to herself, what the fuck?

“What? Randee, you didn’t take advantage of me, I slept on your bed. You could have kicked me out if you so wanted, it was your right, and you didn’t. You were actually decent and pretended it was all ok and reasonable”

She seemed confused, and you were starting to feel a bit frustrated at the situation. Nothing she said made sense.

“No, it wasn’t right of me because I wanted it!” she had to stop speed-talking at you like this, you could barely understand her “I could have slept on the couch, or in the guest room, but no. I slept with you… because I wanted to, and because I could… and now I wish I hadn’t because you’re pulling away from me and I feel like you don’t even want to be friends anymore while I can’t get enough of even being near you”

…

What now? Your heart was eerily calm for what you’d just heard. Did it stop and you were dying? Would it expand and explode from the absolute incredulity of what you had just heard?

Miranda’s bottom lip was trembling and she looked alarmingly close to breaking down in tears when you lunged yourself forward to hug her.

She sobbed, heavens allow it to be in relief, and hugged you back with much more strength than you could take. You could barely breathe but you didn’t pull away.

She started crying this time, but you traced soothing patterns in her back until it subsided and brought her inside to sit on the sofa. You brought up the ice cream starting to melt from underneath the coffee table and offered her. She accepted and ate while sobbing. It was the sweetest, most wonderful thing you’d seen in your entire life. You cuddled up to her side, hugging her shoulders while she calmed down. You could barely keep your excitement from showing now that you knew she wanted you back. This incredible woman wanted you back.

When she finally calmed down and put the ice cream aside, you loosened your grip on her shoulder and looked at her face, her puffy red adorable face.

“I wanted to as well,” you said simply, looking her in the eyes, hers locking into yours with a surprised glint “And I couldn’t deal with the feelings I had so I decided to keep my distance”

She was silent for a moment, searching your face for any signs you weren’t saying the truth.

“Do you still?” she asked slowly, looking at your lips.

“I do” you whispered before smashing your lips together.

[grimmcheems]

Rest In Peace Toriyama 🕊️💫🐉

DragonBall has always had a place in my heart for the way it was ever-present in my childhood. I grew up loathing weekend mornings because my brother would always drag me out of bed to watch it with him. I suppose that’s why it’s extra special for me, it was a simpler time when me and my brother could just sit and watch what came next in the current arc. The days always felt warmer then, but now I’m grown.

I’m glad Toriyama made this series and ignited something in me, though his passing was harsh and unimaginable for most of us, I hope he has found peace in knowing how many people he’s inspired to be better, and the many that he will continue to inspire. I wish his family healing and condolences for their sudden loss.

.^An extra illustrating what those Saturday mornings felt like. Dragon Soul was my alarm clock for the better part of my childhood. (It’s also my fav op)

I remember we even had a vhs tape of two specific episodes in which the bunny boss ended up on the moon. I always had bulma’s personality embedded into my head whenever I thought of her in that bunny suit.

I never appreciated that time then as much as I do now. Maybe it’s Goku’s loving nature and fatherly care that left an imprint on me and kept me from forgetting him, or maybe it was the way my brother was obsessed with the series, either way he was somehow always in the back burner of my mind. I even remember having to play with my brother when he got Budokai Tenkaichi 3 for his PlayStation. He even bugged me to wake up when Super came out (though we had already graduated and i would be resting on my days off from work, he was also only visiting for the month) and tried to get me to watch it with him, but Super never really had the same appeal to me as the og series.

Perhaps the connection it has to my brother is what draws me to it time and time again, I feel as though I can’t understand him as well anymore after we’ve graduated and he’s moved on with his life and out of the house. I never thought this random shounen series my brother forced me to watch every Saturday morning of our childhood would have the effect it has on me now. It was last year that I decided to rewatch the entire series since I figured I didn’t actually know what was ever going on, I was just always intrigued by the action and the characters. Surprisingly my child brain remembered the arcs pretty well and I could just have it playing the background and know what was going on for the most part.

Did I mention that my brother also collected the dvd series? Lmao. I was so hype when the Broly Movie came out and when we watched it it felt like I regained that connection to my brother momentarily.

It also inspired me to draw when I was in elementary school, though I thought of it as something I could show off rather than take it seriously like I do now. I never thought I’d draw again after middle school until I got to high school and got back into it. It wasn’t until last year that I first drew something dragon ball related since elementary school, and it felt so surreal to look at how far I’ve come in my art journey.

It was never intentional for me to start drawing dragonball, it was just stuck in the back of my head and it wouldn’t leave me alone until I brought my ideas to life by sketching them out. I literally have two drafts DB related as I’m typing this.😅 oddly enough there’s many things I think about when I think about dragon ball, but they are too many to list. There’s just so much I love about it and so many characters I love. The thoughts never leave me alone when I come up with an idea or headcanon for them and it’s actually so hard for me to try and forget them that I always give in and do something with the idea. It will always be a part of me.

I wasn’t planning on making a painting of Goku ever, yet here I am. I don’t really paint either, which makes the time it took me to make this that much more surprising. I wanted to portray an ease in his expression, something peaceful. I hope it comes across that way, he somehow looks like he’s sleeping and it’s funny because I don’t think I’ve ever really seen Goku relax like this at any point.

[emilyssky]

Chapter 2: Slow Motion

PAIRING: Lee Know! X fem!reader

GENRE(S): college au, smut, angst

WARNINGS: Mentions of violence and abuse, depression, self harm, eating disorders etc.. mentions of blood, swearing, smoking, smut [ dirty talk, oral; giving and receiving, chocking, spanking, praising, degradation, pet names, sometimes Minho is a dick :)

SUMMARY: "Do you remember what you told me the first time we met?"  

"What?"

"You said; Always leave people a little better than you found them" he looked at the floor with a small smile for a few seconds and then his eyes found mine. "You really annoyed me when we first met. I envied your optimism and excitement for life. But each time I saw you, I felt a certain thrill. You made me angry, you made me laugh., you made me feel everything. Something about you made me feel a little more alive each time. I know I fucked up and I know I'm an asshole but I'm also brutally in love with you."    

[The GIF is not mine ]

The urge to just ball my eyes out right this second is stronger than my desire to live, honestly. I stare at my laptop screen, at my essay which is a total of 2 words. My name. It's an essay that counts for 30% of my final grade and it's due in 9 days. Last night, I was chilling in my bed, scrolling through Pinterest when a reminder that I had set to remind me that the due date is in 10 days went off. Today I woke up at 7 a.m to begin the essay. It's now 11:17 and all I've written is my name. I rest my head on the back of the couch, closing my eyes, trying not to panic but the sudden banging on the door only makes my nerves worst. The banging continues and I know for a fact who's behind the door.

"For fuck's sake, I'm coming!" I yell over the noise.

I open the door only to come face to face with Chan's smirk. He has both of his hands resting on each side of the door, looking down at me. His position makes him look a little taller than he is.

"Hi." He says, wiggling his brows. I know that face.

"Whatever it is, the answer is no." I sigh, looking at him with a straight face.

He groans and pushes me aside. "I haven't said anything yet, stop being so negative."  He pops down on the couch. I close the door and walk towards the fridge.

"I don't have to hear it, I know you." I grab a bottle of strawberry milk from his stash that he keeps in my fridge. "And I know that whatever you want to do, I don't want to be involved" I sit down beside him, giving him the bottle.

He takes 3 giant sips before speaking. " At least hear me out first."

I turn to face him, placing my elbow on the back of the couch. "Fine, speak."

A huge smile spreads on his face as he copies my position.  "So" He clears his throat. "We are throwing a party this weekend-"

"Absolutely no" I face forward and reach for my laptop but he grabs my elbow to pull me back.

"You didn't even let me finish"

"You don't have to" I pull my hand out of his grip. "I have a really important essay that I have to submit in 9 days. I don't have time for parties."

He runs his hand through his hair and I notice some new rings on his fingers. I grab his hand, bringing it closer to my face.

"Did you get new rings?" I cut him off just when he was about to speak, trying to change the conversation. He rolls his eyes.

"Don't change the subject y/n" He pulls his hand away after letting me take a look at them for a few seconds "You haven't been to a party since my birthday. Come on, have some fun"

"I've been really busy" I stare at the wall in front of me. "With college and stuff."

"Bullshit" He crosses his hands. "All you do is stay in your room, rewatch stupid tv shows, and read fanfics."

"Hey, don't call 'The vampire Diaries' stupid" I point my finger at him.

He grabs it and lowers it from his face. "You're coming. Your depressive episode must come to an end and as your best friend it's my duty to make it happen."

I bring my knees to my chest. "I'm not depressed, I just-"

"Y/n" He places his hand on the back of my head, playing with my hair. "I know you and I can tell when things are not okay. You don't go out anymore, you're skipping classes, you're always in your room and you don't hang out or talk to any of us anymore." He shakes his head "You don't talk to me anymore." He stares at me with a sad look on his face.

My heart hurts at the sight. I don't want him to think that he's doing anything wrong when it's completely my fault. It's been a couple of months that I've been feeling like that. I don't find anything that exciting anymore. I don't enjoy parties like I used to. I can't focus on college or even study. I just feel heavy and tired of everything.

"Please talk to me." He stops playing with my hair and grabs the back of my neck to turn my head towards him. "You know I'm here for you and if something is wrong I want to know"

"I know Channie, but I don't really wanna talk about it you know?" I offer him a smile. The best one I can manage and he drops his hand in defeat.

"At least come to the party with me." He says with pleading eyes. "One night. Forget everything for one night and just have fun."

I haven't been to a party in ages but I'm not really feeling it. I wish I did cause I really miss everyone. Honestly, it seems exhausting to me right now but the puppy eyes Chan is giving me and the way his bottom lip is poking out make me soft inside.

"Ugh, fine I'll come." I groan. His smile takes over half of his face and I can't help but smile at the sight.

"It's going to be a good one, I promise " He stands and drowns the rest of his drink. "It's a great chance to meet some of my friends from the studio."

Chan is a music major and since he's a senior he's spending most of his time in the studio working on his music. He's graduating in a few months and he's pretty set on working in the music industry. He met a couple of guys last year and bonded with them a lot over their mutual love for music. Now they're something like a group and spend hours in the studio, creating songs and sending their work to record labels, hoping to get signed. He's been going on and on about them and how I would really like them.

"Mmm, I would like to stick to the familiar friend group, thank you very much"

He rolls his eyes "Shut up, don't be a bitch, and wear something nice." He grabs his jacket and walks towards the door. "No hoodies or baggy jeans." He turns around again and points his finger at me. "I want the slutty version of you back, I'll pick you up tomorrow at 10."

.

.

.

.

For the past few weeks, I've been in nothing but sweats and hoodies, occasionally I would maybe wear a pair of jeans. So my reflection in the mirror is a strange sight. I haven't eaten anything since yesterday noon and I've been really careful with my diet the past week but still, my body never changes in my eyes. I stare at myself and move around a bit, trying to feel even a tiny bit of confidence in my outfit but the black dress is still too tight for my liking. I shake my head and sit on my bed to put my heels on. They're not too high, just enough to give me just a little boost. As I'm running around the room trying to gather all the things I need to put in my bag I hear the familiar, loud banging on the door. I quickly throw everything in and make my way towards the living room. I open the door before he has a chance to bang his fist a second time and his eyes immediately widen, scanning me from head to toe.

"Holy fuck y/n," He moves around me to see the full outfit. "You look hot. I had honestly forgotten what your legs look like. Thanks for reminding me." He lifts a brow at me.

I roll my eyes, laughing "Stop it, we're late, let's go" I grab my jacket and push him out the door.

The drive to the frat house was short as usual. It's only about 10 minutes from mine and Emma's apartment but since it's freezing outside and I'm wearing heels I told Chan to come pick me up and he was happy to do so. Going on late-night car rides is one of our favorite things to do together and something we haven't done in a while. The frat house is as crowded as ever but I didn't expect anything less. I shiver as we walk towards the entrance, mentally cursing myself for not wearing thicker tights under my dress. Chan takes my hand in his as we walk inside the house. He pushes through the crowd, leading me to the kitchen. The kitchen of the frat house is pretty large and not as crowded so it's easy to spot Hyunjin's long, blonde hair. He's making out with Jisoo who seats on top of the counter. It's a sight everyone has gotten used to since they started hooking up almost a year ago, yet I don't think the have made it official yet. Still, everybody knows that they're together.

"Get a room" Chan yells. He lets go of my hand and walks over to Felix to make himself a drink. I laugh at how they don't even acknowledge him and continue to heavily make out. I make my way towards Felix and wrap my hand around his neck. I've missed him so much. Hyunjin and Felix are both dance majors, that's how I met them and we started hanging out almost immediately. Due to the classes that we saw each other almost every single day until I started skipping. I also would pass on our afternoon practices, so I think it's been almost 2 weeks since I saw them.

"Hi Felix." I smile at him. He turns his head and his eyes widen a bit before disappearing due to his smile.

"Oh my god y/n. " He pulls me into a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I wouldn't miss the biggest party of the semester"

"The biggest party will be on New Year's, stupid. Why haven't you answered any of my texts or calls?" He pulls away but keeps me at arm's length by my shoulders.

"She hasn't been answering you either? Thank god, I thought she was mad at me" Hyunjin appears at my side and pulls me into a side hug.

"I've just been crazy busy lately, sorry for disappearing on you guys" I reach for the vodka.

"Let me." Felix stops me and begins to make me a drink. Chan walks back to us with I red cup in his hand.

"The party is crazy." He says and Hyunjin nods smiling.

"Yeah, and we're just getting started" He lifts his cup to us and walks back to the living room.

"Here." Felix presses a red cup into my hand. I bring it to my nose.

"It's vodka redbull."

"Aw, you remember my favorite" I take a sip. I've missed the taste of alcohol.

"Cheers to your comeback" He lifts his own cup. "Bottoms up" . . . . . 3 cups later, I'm in the middle of the living room dancing my ass off. I'm tipsy at this point and the happiest I've been in days. The alcohol, the music, and the sweaty bodies around me are enough for me to forget everything that's been going on in my head. Chan was right, the party is crazy. There are people half naked, dancing on top of tables, couples having sex in all the possible places in the house, and unconscious bodies laying on the floor and couches. I move my hips to the music, completely lost in my own word with Felix dancing in front of me. Suddenly I feel a hand on my lower back and I instantly tense up. I look behind me and I relax as my eyes meet Chan's red eyes. He must have been out smoking, god knows what.

"Come with me. " He grabs my hand and makes his way out of the dancing crowd.

"Why are you dragging me away? I was having fun." I whine as he leads me into another living room area beside the kitchen.

"I told you I want you to meet my friends" He stops in front of the couch where 3 guys are sitting, talking among themselves.

"Guys this is y/n, the friend I was talking about " All 3 of the guys look up at us, pausing their conversation.

"Y/n, this is Jisung, Changbin and Seungmin." Chan points at them in order and then takes a seat on the couch beside Seungmin.

"Hi, nice to meet you guys" I wave awakrdly and move to take a seat on the coffee table in front of them, since the couch is full.

"Chan has been talking about you none stop, so we're glad we finally get to meet you." The guy named Jisung says, smiling. His smile is attractive. Well, he's attractive. His hair is dark brown and a bit on the longer side, coming down to his jawline, he's dressed and a simple black button-up with the top 2 buttons open exposing his quite wide chest.

"Yeah, Chan has been talking about you guys a lot too." I return his smile.

"Are you a music major as well?" Changbin asks.

"Um, no I'm a dance major. "

"That's really cool. How do you know Chan?"

"I met him on my first day of college actually, I was lost and I asked him for help-"

"And the rest is history" Chan finishes my sentence with a chuckle.

"There you guys are." I turn my head to see a guy dressed in all black with a red cup in his hand walking towards us and sitting on the arm of the couch next to Chan. He doesn't even acknowledge me until Chan speaks up.

"Minho, this is y/n " He nods his head in my direction and the guy's eyes turn to me. I instantly freeze, my mind recognizing his face immediately. Bits of memories flash through my eyes, of the night I saw Jackson fucking another girl, the rude stranger on the rooftop, and the terrible hangover I suffered the next day. His eyes also freeze, mouth parting slightly as he scans me up and down before blinking. I couldn't stop thinking about that night for months, replaying our conversation over and over in my head or at least what I remembered, and trying not to forget his face. I was silently searching the campus for him since that night, hoping he was a student here but a guy as gorgeous as he was wouldn't go unnoticed by the girls here. I let my eyes study him a bit more. He looks almost the same as I remember.

"Y/n this is Minho."

So his name is Minho.

It's hard to tell if he fully remembers me or if he even wants to in front of everyone so I choose to play it safe.  "Nice to meet you, Minho" I smile, offering my hand. Instead of taking it like a normal person would he just nods in my direction before taking a sip of his drink. My lips form a tight line, embarrassment swallows me whole when I feel everyone's eyes on me.

"Where were you? " Seungmin clears his throat at the awkward interaction "You've been gone for like half an hour."

"Our boy got laid" Changbin's pushing Seungmin with his shoulder but Minho just rolls his eyes at them.

"I wasn't fucking, I went outside for a smoke and some peace and quiet, this party is fucking crazy." He says expressionlessly.

"Yeah, it's the biggest party yet" I comment, trying to join the conversation, unsuccessfully though cause his head doesn't even turn in my direction, ignoring me once again. Well, his rude attitude definitely has evolved over the past year. Chan notices my bothered expression and jumps into the conversation.

"New Year's somehow going to be even crazier." He says.

"Yeah, but on New Year's we're going clubbing right?" Minho asks

What? There's no way. We spend every New Year's eve together. Me, Chan, Felix, Emma, and Hyunjin.

"It's kinda like a thing, to spend New Year's at the frat. We've been doing it since Chan joined the frat house. But you guys should definitely come." I say.

"Well, plans are changing this year." Minho lifts his brows mockingly, his eyes glaring at me in a challenging way. I don't know how that night almost a year ago I didn't curse him out but then again maybe he wasn't as much of a dick back then as he is now. I bite the inside of my cheek trying to control the annoyance that's building up inside me.

Chan lightly nudges Minho with his elbow. "What?" Minho stares at him blankly.

"Anyway" Chan clears his throat "We'll see". At that, I roll my eyes. Chan's always the person trying to avoid any conflict. I, on the other hand, usually start them cause I'm physically unable to keep my mouth shut.

"Chan told us that you're helping him write most of his lyrics" Jisung changes the topic.

It takes me a second to snap out of my thoughts and turn to Jisung. "Um, yeah I really enjoy writing, it comes quite easily to me, so whenever Chan is writing I love to join."

"She's really good at guitar as well. She's helped me with tons of pieces whenever I was stuck" Chan adds, resting his elbow on his knees.

"You play guitar?" Changbin's eyes widen a bit, and I can feel my cheeks heat up at the sudden attention that Chan put on me. He loves going that, putting me in the spotlight, and pushing himself in the background.

"Well, I knew the basics, but Chan was the one to actually teach me." I give him most of the credit but he just smirks and waves me off with his head.

"So you write and play music? How come you're not a music major?" Seungmin asks.

"It takes a lot more than just playing a few chords on the guitar and writing some lines to major in music Seungmin." Minho says before I have the time to answer, leaning back to look at Seungmin behind Chan's back.

Honestly, if it wasn't for Chan I would have asked him what's his fucking problem right in his face but the last thing I wanna do is create an uncomfortable situation. Chan's friends seems genualy nice and he's been wanting me to meet them for so long. So instead, I poke the inside of my mouth with my tongue and release a loud sigh, not bothering to hide my annoyance.

"I think I'm going to find Jisoo, she was looking for me earlier." I focus my eyes on Minho, who stares back at me as I get up from the table. I break eye contact with him and turn to the rest of the guys. " It was really nice meeting you guys." I offer them a smile before turning around and walking towards the kitchen area, deciding to calm my anger with some alcohol. . . . . . . .

My anger towards Minho and his dick-like behavior has almost disappeared after 5 more shots of tequila. I force myself to ignore the millions of questions that fill my head about him and have fun. It's fine that he doesn't remember me or if he wants to be an ass  I tell myself over and over as I find myself searching the party with my eyes for any sign of him. It turns out the rest of his friends are actually really fun and I've been dancing and drinking with them for the past hour.  Chan introduced his friends to the rest of the group and everyone loved them. At this point, everyone is drunk and dancing like there is no tomorrow. I've been dancing mostly with Jisung and Felix, Hyunjin and Jisoo have excused themselves upstairs, Chan has taken over as the Dj after complaining for almost an hour about the shitty music they've been playing, Changbin is completely wasted and dancing like a maniac making everyone laugh and Emma has been mostly dancing and talking with Seungmin. As I'm dancing between the guys, I noticed Emma and Seungmin leaving the dance floor and sitting on the couch a few feet away and I smile. From the minute Chan introduced them, they've only really talked to each other. Emma is my best friend and roommate and a few months ago she and her boyfriend of 2 years broke up after she caught him cheating. She was completely shattered and hasn't really talked or hooked up with anyone since, she closed herself entirely, so seeing her talking to Seungmin makes me really happy cause as far as I've seen he's a great guy.

"I'm going to get a drink" I yell at the boys over the music at which they nod and I try to push my way out of the dancing crowd. I reach the kitchen, sporting only about 5 or 6 people chatting among themselves, and walk directly towards the drinks. I'm definitely more than tipsy at this point but not completely wasted like most of the people at this party. I grab a cup and begin to pour some vodka when a voice makes me completely freeze in place.

"Y/n?" I slowly turn around and come face to face with the one person that I wish I'd never spoke to again, the guy that I thought I loved, and the guy who broke my heart a year ago like it was nothing. I look up at his face and he smiles a bit. The sight is almost painful.

"What are you doing here Jackson?" I say, trying to keep my voice as steady as I can.

He stares at me for a bit before running a hand throw his hair, smiling at the floor. "I heard that it was going to be one of the biggest parties and you know me" He grabs the cup from my hand and drowns the vodka I poured earlier. "I'm a sucker for a great party"

I narrow my eyes at him. "Yes. Sadly, I know you." I'm surprised at how he and his friends managed to sneak in here without Chan, Felix or Hyunjin seeing them but then again there are close to 100 people here.

"Come on, don't be like that Y/n" He shakes his head and looks behind him, at the rest of his friends that are chatting with some girls by the kitchen entrance, probably making sure that none can hear us. "You know I tried talking to you but you pushed me away every single time." He takes a step closer to me and I instinctively take one backward, hitting the counter.

"We don't have anything to talk about, you are a manipulative piece of shit. I opened up to you and you played me like a fool. Everything was a fucking lie, all of our talks and moments, everything was fake." I try not to raise my voice but I can feel my emotions getting the best of me as my eyes begin to water. Ever since we broke up, almost a year ago, I haven't talked to him at all. I occasionally saw him around campus or at parties but only from afar. With Chan, Hyunjin, or Felix beside me, he never had the chance to come and talk to me.  All of the words that I never got to say and all of the things I realized while being away from him are now spilling out of me.

He wets his lips and places his hands on the counter trapping me. My heart races almost instantly at his movements but I try to keep my face straight. "You know, that I wasn't faking shit y/n, I just made a mistake, I should have told you, I know but I'm trying to change. I wanted to apologize about what happened but-"

"Don't you even dare" I hold my hand up between us. "Don't even dare apologize about what happened. The way you were treating me is unforgivable," I say slowly and then push lightly at his chest forcing him to take a step back. It's funny that he thinks that the reason of our break up was the pathetic lies and the fact that I was simply a bet for him, when in reality that was the cherry on the cake. "Now please, get the fuck away from me. I can't even stand to be near you." I try to walk past him but he grabs my wrist and pushes me back to the counter.

"You never let me fucking explain." He raises his voice at me and suddenly I'm back in his apartment, pushed against the wall. The familiar feeling of fear spreads down my spine.

I swallow hard. "I don't wanna hear shit Jackson, leave me the fuck alone" I once again try to walk away but he forcefully grabs me by my arm, making me slam into his chest.

"You're not going anywhere until you hear me out" I can now smell the alcohol in his breath and it makes my stomach tighten. Some of our worst fights would happen when he was drunk and would lose complete control over his words and his actions.

"Let go of me." I try to free my hands but he tightens his grip and pushes me back to the counter.

"Y/n, please listen to me." His words are gentle but his actions are rough and painful causing me to wince.

"Jackson, you're hurting me, let go." Tears threaten to spill from my eyes as panic slowly takes over me.

"She said 'let go'." A voice drawled and my head snaps to the right, only to see Minho entering the kitchen.

"Who the fuck are you?" Jackson relaxes his grip slightly, focusing his eyes on him. Minho's eyes went from my trapped hands to my eyes to Jackson.

"Let her go." His face is relaxed but the tightness in his jaw is visible.

"Is he your boyfriend or some shit?" Jackson releases my hands and takes a step back looking between me and Minho annoyed.

"That's none of your business." I say harshly, feeling a bit more safe knowing that we're not completely alone. He takes an angry step towards me again but before he can make another move, Minho steps in front of me and pushes him backwards. My hand shoots up to my mouth in shock.

Jackson stumbles back a few steps. "Did you just push me?" Jackson's friends make their way beside him after hearing him raise his voice. "I'm trying to fucking talk to her, what's you're problem?" He tries to grab Minho but Mark, one of his best friends, holds him back. I take a step to the right, using Minho as a shield, my hand grabbing his shirt instinctively out of fear. The action causes him to look back at me. His eyebrows draw together and I can see his jaw tighten even more.

"I'm pretty sure that she made it rather clear that she doesn't wanna talk to you," Minho says in a deep voice, turning to face Jackson again. "You should just leave." He grabs my hand "And don't come near her again." He walks past them, dragging my still shocked body behind him, and out of the kitchen.

He continues to walk through the crowd and up the stairs. I begin to feel a little dizzy, my mind blurry at this point. Suddenly the music is too loud, the people are too many and my memories with Jackson are too intense in my mind. I don't even look at Minho as he leads me inside the last room of the hallway. As soon as we enter he drops my hand and walks towards the window. I look around the room, quickly recognizing that it's Felix's. My body instantly relaxes at the familiarity of the room and I sit on the bed. My ears are ringing painfully loud, my heart is pounding and as much as I'm trying to control my breathing it comes out loud, sharp, and quicker than normal, catching Minho's attention. His head snaps in my direction.

"Are you okay?" He walks towards me, his eyes searching my face. I try to answer him, but the words die down my throat and I grip the bed sheets tighter. Minho drops to his knees in front of me.

"Y/n, what's wrong?" He tries to keep his voice steady but his eyes are looking at mine with worry.

"I-I'm...I t-think I'm h-having.." I try to form a sentence but my breathing quickens and panic rushes through my body.

"Hey, hey look at me" Minho places both of his hands on my bare knees, bringing his face closer to mine but my eyes are glued to the ground as I desperately try to calm down. This is not happening.

"Y/n, look at me" His voice is demanding, making me lift my head immediately. His eyes are calm, and his face is relaxed.

"It's going to be fine. Take a deep breath. Focus on my eyes and try to match my breathing." He says slowly, never breaking eye contact. He starts taking deep slow breaths and I try my best to match my breathing to his.

His fingertips make small circles on my thighs. "You're safe, it's going to be alright." My breathing begins to slow and I close my eyes slowly releasing the tight grip I had on Felix's sheets. When I open my eyes, I realize how close Minho is, his eyes are fixated on my face. I hadn't had the chance to notice any of his facial features that well earlier due to the dark lighting of the living room and the distance between us and I don't really recall exactly his face from a year ago. But now that he's a few inches away from me and with the light that's coming through the window and the lamb on Felix's nightstand I can clearly see how beautiful Minho's face is. His hair is a dark shade of brown, falling into his eyes a bit, his eyes are big and almost black but somehow incredibly bright. They hold no emotion in this moment but something about them is warm. My eyes move to his lips, his lips are big as well. They are heart-shaped and full, the kind of lips you would die to kiss. My eyes travel back to his and suddenly a huge wave of embarrassment runs through me. I can't believe I just had a panic attack right in front of him, I can't believe that I saw Jackson and I can't believe how stupid I must look right now. For some reason, Minho isn't really fond of me, and now not only did he see me being embarrassingly weak but I also just shamelessly checked him out. My eyes drop to my hands that are now resting between my legs and then I notice that his hands are still resting on top of my knees. Neither of us says anything for a few minutes but the silence is making me feel even more embarrassed.

"I'm so sorry that you had to see this, I-I don't know what happened. I usually can control my panic attacks well, I honestly don't know what took over me." I find the courage to say, not looking him straight in the eye.

He tilts his head a bit, his eyes never leaving my face. "Do you get panic attacks often?"

His question catches me off guard. "Um, I don't know, I guess. I've been having them since high school, but lately, there've been getting a little worst." I answer honestly. The way he acts and speaks now is completely different than when I met him the first or second time but then again he might pity me right now. I hate it when people pity me. There are a lot of times that Chan looks at me that way and it angers me a lot.

"You don't have to be ashamed. I have a lot of people that deal with panic attacks around me, I'm used to it." He says sounding almost bored like he had this conversation many times before. "Is he your boyfriend?"

"No." I say sharply "We broke up a long time ago."

"Well it looks like you're not over it."

"It's not that, it's just that seeing him again brought back a lot of bad memories" I swallow hard. Minho stares at me, his eyebrows frown suddently, as if a thought crossed his mind and I stare back at him not knowing what to say, We stay like this for a few seconds until suddenly he removes his hands from my knees and quickly places them on the bed trapping me between them. He brings his face closer to mine, our noses almost touching. His movements were so quick and unexpected that I flinched slightly, my hands instinctively coming up. Minho's eyes darken and he drops his head, sighing. I quickly drop my hands to my sides. He removes his hands for the bed and starts walking toward the middle of the room, his hands now resting on his hips and his head still looking down.

"It's him right?" He turns to face me.

"What?" The confusion lasts only second until my blood run cold.

"And it looks like you had to defend yourself way too many times." His tone is a mixture of disgust and disapproval.

My eyes slightly widen. "What are you talking about? You just scared me, why would you do that?" I struggle with my words. I tried really hard to hide what was happening between Jackson and me from everyone and the thought of Minho knowing makes me panic immediately. I remember telling him about it the night we met, thinking I would never see him again, I never expected him to be one of Chan's friends. Realazation slowly starts to hit me, that my secret is no longer safe.

"It looks to me like you were already scared y/n." He stares at me so intensely that I'm forced to look away. I'm embarrassed and annoyed. I knew coming to this party was a wrong idea. I just wanna go home and I definitely don't want to be having this conversation, especially with Minho.

"Look, thanks for helping me with Jackson and with my panic attack, but anything else is not really any of your business. You met me a few hours ago and you just acted like a dick, why do you suddenly care about my personal life?" I get up from the bed, annoyed. Something flashed over his eyes and any emotion and softness that was in them disappeared in a second. He drags his tongue along his bottom teeth and turns to stare through the window. "Just forget everything that happened and please don't say anything to Chan about this" I begin to walk towards the door, just wanting to remove myself from the situation and this party in general.

"Why? Chan doesn't know that his best friend was dating an abusive bastard?" His words make me freeze before my hand reaches the doorknob. My fingers close, turn into fists and I turn around to face Minho's cold gaze.

''It's none of your goddamn business Minho. " I say through my teeth, trying to control my temper. "Just keep your mouth shut"

"Why are you protecting him?" Minho raises his tone for the first time since I met him and takes a step towards me. At this point, I'm boiling mainly cause I feel threatened but also cause he's asking questions that I don't have the answers to.

"I'm not protecting him." I take a step towards him as well.

"You're acting so fucking stupid." He raises his tone a bit more.

"Why the fuck do you care Minho?" We're face to face and I'm angrier than I've been in a long time. I did everything I could to hide this part of my relationship and save me the embarrassment that I would feel if anyone knew. They would all pity me, they would think that I'm weak. I can't even imagine how everyone would look at me if they knew what was going on. It's a secret  I want to keep from everyone and I will not let some noisy, rude guy who doesn't know shit about me change that. Silence had fallen upon the room once again. Eventually, Minho breaks our angry eye contact and sighs.

"You're right. It's none of my business. If you wanna protect that son of a bitch and be that stupid, feel free" And with that he walks past me and out of the room.

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

Season 3 Rewatch Drabbles: 3x12 New York City Serenade (part 2)

Summary:  A series of 100-500 word drabbles to accompany my    rewatch of season 3 of Once Upon a Time.  There will be a drabble–either a deleted scene, a “fix it” fic or a character musing for each episode of the season.  Focus will be on Emma, Henry, the Charmings and Killian–with an emphasis on Captain Swan’s epic love story.

Word Count: 831

Other Chapters: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (20) (21) (22) (23) (24) (25) (26) (27) (28)

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Note: You can thank (or blame) @kmomof4 for this one. She's the one who sent me the prompt!

Mary Margaret slowly swam up from the depths of sleep.  It was when she opened her eyes that the alarm bells started going off in her mind.

She was in her bed in the loft.  What was she doing here?  How did she get here?  The last thing she remembered was being at the town line, the curse about to hit them as Emma and Henry drove away.  

And then she felt it, a very distinct sensation in her abdomen, almost like someone was rolling a ball inside of her.

Mary Margaret looked down and gasped.  Where only moments ago her stomach had been flat, now it resembled a beach ball..

She felt it again, and remembered the feeling from about thirty years before.  This is what it felt like to be pregnant, and not just pregnant, but just-about-to-give birth pregnant.

Her heart started racing.  How could she be pregnant?  How could she be this pregnant?  This wasn’t possible!  This wasn’t…oh gods, she’d had a drink with Emma just the other day, and she hadn’t had any prenatal vitamins or doctors visits.  She didn’t have any baby things!  How could you have a baby without preparing your house?!

This was a dream.  This had to be a dream!  She pinched herself. Hard. And then pinched herself again.  Nothing happened.

Mary Margaret started hyperventilating. “David,” she said her voice little more than a croak. Beside her he mumbled incoherently in his sleep.

What had happened?  Was this Pan’s curse?  Oh gods, was Emma okay?  Henry?  Were they here?

The hyperventilating intensified.  “David!” she said louder.  He stirred but didn’t wake.

This couldn’t be happening!  It couldn’t!  She felt another kick, as though the little being inside of her begged to differ.

“Charming!” She shouted it this time, and he woke with a start, sitting up so fast, his head must have been swimming.  

He looked around, uttering a soft curse in surprise.  “What are we doing here?”

“I don’t know,” Mary Margaret said, hearing the absolute panic in her voice.  “I don’t know.  David, we don’t even have a crib!”

He turned to look at her, eyebrows furrowed, just now becoming aware of both her tone and the very strange thing she’d just said.  Slowly his eyes drifted to her midsection and he cursed again.  “Snow, you’re…”

“I know!” She said,  “David, our family and now this and the town and the curse, and what’s going on?  Oh gods, what’s happening?”

David shook his head as if to clear it, and then gripped her shoulders gently.  “I don’t know, Mary Margaret, but you need to calm down.  You need to breathe.  This can’t be good for the–”

“How can I calm down?” Mary Margaret nearly shouted.  “I don’t know what’s–”

Suddenly his lips were on hers, the rest of her words fading away as he kissed her hard and deep.  Her mind suddenly went blank.  When he kissed her like that, it always made everything fade away.  There was nothing else but him and her and this feeling between them.

After a moment, he pulled back, hands still caressing her shoulders, as he looked into her eyes.  “Better?” he asked.

She took a deep breath and let it out.  “Yes, thank you.”  The panic had receded but the concern about their situation was still there at the forefront.  “David, what’s going on here?  Are we in another curse?”

He looked around their loft, seemingly listening for something–anything–that might give him some idea of what was going on.  “I don’t know,” he said finally, “but we seem to be alone here.  I think whatever this is, Emma and Henry managed to escape.”

“Well, that’s something, I guess.”

David slowly reached down, putting a hand on her distended belly.  The baby within gave another kick, strong enough that David could feel it.  He chuckled.  “I think this little guy just gave me a high five.”

Snow smiled, putting her hand over David’s.  She still had no idea what had happened or what they were facing, but the initial panic over, it started dawning on her.  Her wish from Echo Caves was coming true.  She and David were about to be parents again.

“Are you happy?” she asked.

His smile was brighter than she’d seen it in years.  “Of course I’m happy.  Snow, we get another chance.  We get to be a family!”

“But what about Emma and Henry?”

“We’ll find them,” David said confidently.  “We’ll defeat–whatever this latest crisis is and we’ll get our family back, and we will get our happily ever after.  How could we fail when we’re together?”

Mary Margaret leaned in and kissed him softly, so thankful for this man, she couldn’t even find words.  “David, there’s no one I’d rather have by my side for…whatever it is we’re facing.  I love you.”

“Not nearly as much as I love you,” he replied.

She very seriously doubted that, but rather than argue, she simply leaned in for one more kiss.

NEXT CHAPTER->

[absolutely-not-my-main-blog]

Aye I actually got to watch the episode tonight

Random 16x07 Notes I took while watching before scrolling my dash:

-Mac playing pool just like he plays hockey and bowls I see <3 something something putting too much power/pressure on things/being too forceful when you gotta guide the hockey puck like a little bowl of cream, or throw the bowling ball with gentle precision and finesse... something something previous years him putting too much pressure/force on Dennis but now...

-On a less conspiracy take note, I rewatched Mac’s Big Break recently and I find it fun how Charlie is just like better and knows more about sports and stuff like that and tells Mac what he has to do to play better. Also plays into this season’s theme of Charlie recurringly being the straight man, able to point out and notice things others don’t, but still being a bit of a helpless observer for the most part.

-Great Sharp title cut today, I should make a list of all the best ones/ones with best timing, I know one of the most iconic will always be Frank Sets Sweet Dee on Fire.

-The cackles and Charlie trying to mirror them <3 love that

-The horror sound effects when the McPoyles turn around and in the next few scenes are on point.

-Following that “Too many ideas, just stick with one” theme again just like in Celebrity Booze... interesting, very interesting. And what’s the main uniting idea that they want to stick it out with huh 👀 (or is it about the blend of ideas, the chili the cheese the fries.)

-Mac touches Den’s arm so much in this ep, they’re both very touchy, it’s nice to see them comfortable with that again.

-First time I’ve been able to watch the rip with commercials, Danny Devito Jersey Mike’s jump scare, how can I connect this to sunny he’s hiding behind the painting with the eyes cut out just like Dennis was in s15 and—*Jersey Mike himself drags me away*

-Dennis saying “it’s too sexually charged” while side eyeing Mac right next to him in frame like that, I don’t even need to comment

-Let’s go, Frank, slow and steady wins the race... slow like the structure, like 16 years wait.

-Artemis saying “hoor” like Frank does, okay, work it.

-Really interesting to me Charlie gets a strike without even needing to focus, something I wanted to say there but I don’t remember. We saw everyone else with their initial strategy and then psychologically affected to fail though and I wish we got to see Dennis in that context as well?

-Mac’s finesse ramble 🤝 Anya in Buffy “I have finesse coming out of my bottom!”

-“Just play the game and we’re gonna win, don’t spin, don’t do it.” This line I like because it feels very much in line with I’ve always been Dennis and you’re you you’ve always been you, and big mo again and just play the game and we’re gonna win, don’t spin, don’t do it, just be yourself, just be, just play.

-I can’t believe they cut off my man on his scream, the injustice! Anyway, gonna need more angst and pain from him, stat.

-Lick

-omg the McPoyle bowling scene was so much better than I expected, that was so funny. Also, Liam wants Dennis so bad.

-They should have trash twin telepathy stuff in this show more, let’s goo, they’re in each other’s heads, they’ve never been apart almost their whole life, we need Dee to figure out how to mess with Dennis’ head next.

-The cgi pin faces will haunt me, they also crashed my computer multiple times like the ep simply would not play beyond that scene.

———

Bonus: DTAMHD trailer thoughts

-Dennis having a new car when the old one is so inherently tied to his identity/the past, iCarly interesting.jpeg, trying to reconcile the new with the old and him not having control of it, a theme of control this season, who is in control? Charlie or Frank in the world of business? Dennis as Johnny? Aaron or Bryan... is it all an act? Is Mac...?

-Putting things under pressure so they become diamonds subplot to putting Dennis under pressure, I see you, I see you.

[rescue-ram]

28 / 33 / 44 / 48 / 49 / 50

28 . which is your comfort episode ? maybe not your favorite episode , but an episode you watch to feel happy ? 

Unironically the movie... The amount of times I've had a craving for MASH but couldn't decide on an episode so I threw on the movie is a lot XD There is something about knowing exactly what I'm going to get for 2 hours that's appealing... In terms of the show itself I have a weird soft spot for "Showtime" and find the vibes cozy and I've rewatched it more than most episodes for that reason.

33 . is there something your favorite(s) did that you didn’t feel like made sense for their character ? 

Hawkeye's infamous command spiral... Still makes me >:x

Klinger getting hit by the idiot ball for laughs... Why did they make him re-enlist... Hate that for him...

44 . which 4077th party do you think was the most memorable ? 

Honestly the red party is the most iconic. The Greek party is my personal fave...

48 . what episode are you showing to your friend as a first impression to get them into mash ( pilot barred ) 

I HAVE A THREE STEP PLAN FOR THIS

1. Divided We Stand to introduce the characters and premise

2. 5 O'Clock Charlie for laughs

3. OR for more serious vibes

I have other episodes I would recommend, but I legit have a plan for when my friends agree to a movie night and I can show them a one hour sampler of why I love this show....

49 . is there a duo that you wish the show had done a bit more with ? 

I thought too hard about this for a second but then I remembered TrapOllie is right there... 

50 . what’s an episode that everyone seems to love but you don’t really like ? alternatively , which episode do you think needs all the love ?

I think Dreams is a fascinating experimental work of television and interesting insight into the characters. I ALSO never have a desire to watch it... Literal anxiety dream of an episode... Also don't really care for The Party...

[darthnell]

OC Interview [With Venatrix Pyke, age 18; following the conclusion of the 151st Games]

Are you named after anyone?

Not that I know of. My parents said my name means “huntress” though.

When was the last time you cried?

Is that a trick question? Everyone saw the footage of my Games. I don’t—I don’t really remember the most recent time, but um. Yeah. [She has cried many times since then.]

Do you have kids?

HA! Seriously? I am eighteen years old, I’m nowhere near…that. I don’t… I can’t think about that right now, I just won for fuck’s sake. I don’t think I want them. I know what would happen to them if I did, I can’t do that to someone else…

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Not really.

What’s the first thing you notice about people?

If they are holding a weapon. Or not. Uhh, other things, posture, expression, tone of voice…? I guess that depends on whether I see them or hear them first.

What’s your eye colour?

Green. I got my dad’s eyes. Unfortunately that’s not the only thing I got from him.

Scary movies or happy endings?

I don’t know. I don’t really care. I’m not much of a movie person unless you count rewatching old Games. Which I don’t, not really. None of them end happily anyways. I guess sometimes Iago makes me watch movies with him; Capitol horror films aren’t really that scary, no one actually dies when they make them. I really liked superhero movies as a kid, even though they’re cheesy as hell.

Any special talents?

Well, I used to be the best swordsman in my year. Best at most things in my year, honestly, which is why they picked me to volunteer for the Games. I worked my whole life to win, and then I did, and now I have to relearn how to use a sword. Go fucking figure.

Where were you born?

A hospital, probably. In District Two.

Do you have any pets?

I kind of had one when I was in the arena. Me and my allies—my friends—we sort of adopted this cat that was on board when we raided that boat. One of the other tributes had named him Charcoal, but apparently it was the old Head Gamemaker’s cat. Don’t know what happened to him. Great cat, though. [Charcoal is alive and well, never fear.]

What sort of sports do you play?

Ha, all of them. Well, not really, but I am pretty good at things like running and lifting and various types of weapons (mainly longswords… or was). …Hand to hand combat, sparring, hunting, we’ve definitely played various sorts of ball sports before for coordination training but it’s been a while… Hm. These days, though, I mostly run. It’s the easiest thing I can do since I’m still recovering.

How tall are you?

Around 5’8”/175cm.

What was your favorite subject in school?

Swordsmanship.

What is your dream job?

Being a Hunger Games Victor. Which is not actually a job, and I’ve already done it, so. I probably should have thought ahead more, but it was always “you can do this after you win”, “you can do that after you win”… but now I don’t really know what I want to do after I win… I suppose I’ll start training the other kids at the Academy now because I kind of have to, but I’m just… tired.

Thanks for the tag @nailamoonsi ! <3

Tagging: @wordspin-shares @writeintrees @lovebirdlovesdrawing @ladyqueerfoot @lasthaysileeshipper @rivalhughs

Questions:

Are you named after anyone? When was the last time you cried? Do you have kids? Do you use sarcasm a lot? What’s the first thing you notice about people? What’s your eye colour? Scary movies or happy endings? Any special talents? Where were you born? Do you have any pets? What sort of sports do you play? How tall are you? What was your favorite subject in school? What is your dream job?

[itsjustbasketball]

First we take Monaco...

It is May 1, 2024, playoff time in İstanbul, an ancient city seducing you with the whispers of its stories, told and untold… Fenerbahçe Beko returns home after splitting the two away games in AS Monaco Basket for Game 3.

Fenerbahçe Beko: The basketball team of one of the oldest and most popular sports clubs in the country, with a storied history in the League. A permanent fixture in the Final Four between 2015–2020, the 2017 Euroleague Champions. Looking to go back to its glory days under the command of Šarūnas Jasikevičius, who took the helm mid season…

AS Monaco Basket: A relatively newcomer to the league, built around one of the best players on the court, holder of the league’s all time leading scorer title. With a single Final Four appearance in 2023, eager to show they belong…

The drive. Left home at 7 pm for the 8:45 pm game at Ülker Arena. A rare 20 min drive, gave us more than an hour to kill before game time. Because living in this city is about traffic management, first and foremost.

The t-shirt. In our seats by 7:30 pm. Yellow road to final four t-shirts to greet us. The colour is kicking, and the material is soft and thin. Way better quality than the Toronto Raptors t-shirts from way back when. Unwearable with their high collars, and shitty material, still gathering dust somewhere in the closet. There is a curious drawing of the team on the front. Saras is there, and so is Motley, I think, Scottie, almost. It is downhill from there. Why is Dorsey an angel? But most importantly, Who is the dude with golden funky glasses? Questions, questions.

Pre-game. The rosters are up. Motley still out. John Brown, who got injured last game, is also on the sidelines. I like Brown, he was huge in the regular season loss to Monaco. Sertaç who also left game 2 early due to an injury is on the roster (but does not start). The arena audio sound is way too loud. TOO LOUD. And the music is meh. So we rock the headphones and crack the volume.

The refs. They boo the refs at the start of the game. Every game. They know something I don’t? As this unfolds, the refs are not convincing — or convinced — at all, which leads the fans to question every call they don’t like. Which is made worse by the refs questioning every other call they themselves make. I am still not over that bizarre time travel sequence in game 2, where Monaco was awarded the ball after an unsportmanlike foul call for Motejunas from the future, they should really ban time travel on the basketball court. This whole watching, and rewatching, and re-rewatching is butchering the game, and not sustainable or manageable, and inevitably we will have to give the whistle back to the referees and back down.

The game. I did not believe we would win game 1 until we won it. I believed we would win Game 2 until we lost it. This game felt like a W from the start. Yes there were flashbacks in the 4th, but this is home, and this team only lost two home games this season. Crvena Zvezda and Efes. I remember the Crvena Zvezda game, where as we were cheering against Teosodic and his men, I could not help but think that it just was not working, perhaps working against us. Last night it felt just the opposite. The arena was rocking (I read the comments on social media today dissing the Fenerbahçe fans in the arena for whatever, and from our vantage point right at the centre I have to say that is neither fair nor accurate. The fans were engaged throughout, and definitely made a difference. It was definitely a play-off atmosphere. This is an arena where most watches the game sitting down, with only certain sections — the usual suspects up and about all the time… And football jerseys vastly outnumber the basketball ones — I counted only 5 yesterday — Does not change the fact that the fans rocked last night.) The team played well and hard. Calathes, Guduric and Biberoviç were all huge, but I felt, all said and done, Papagiannis made a big difference last night at both sides of the floor. Diallo was the Monaco player that stood out the most, was all over the court and rather annoying. Monaco looked rather tired at times. The inbound alley-oop pass from Strazel to Blossomgame was a thing of beauty (yet I was more dazzled by the defense — or lack thereof watching the highlights). After a defensive breakdown I look to Saras to figure out what went down, as he is seen shouting at the top of his lungs to whomever messed up…. The last two minutes of the game went at a dizzying pace, one crazy sequence after another, I had to sit down for a bit to steady myself at some point. I am a bit hazy about what went down, but in the blink of the eye, Hayes-Davis was running the clock for the game to end, and we could all breathe again.

The jersey. I am a basketball fan, who grew up watching Efes, celebrating the Koraç Cup win on the street with a handful of people, who happened to move to a Fenerbahçe neighbourhood in İstanbul upon returning home. So this is my neighbourhood team now … This season has been mostly about getting to know the team. All season, game after game, there has been one question playing around in my mind. If I were to buy a jersey whose name would I put on it. My brother has a Saras jersey — they could not fit Jasikevičius on it-, which I thought was a brilliant idea, and my son who can still count his age using his two hands wants a Wilbekin- which only makes sense… But whose name would I put on my jersey… I really like this team, and would wear any number of the players (Biberoviç if I was younger, Hayes-Davis if he had not dropped 50, Papagiannis if I was trying to make a point, Pierre if he was able to stay on the court longer, Motley if I was taller…) but here we are. And there is one name I came to associate with this team more than any other — and that is Nick Calathes. I am not buying a jersey, just yet.

Post game. It took us around an hour to get the car out of the arena, a price we were willing to pay for waiting to cheer for the team after the W. Home in 15.

The day after. We re-watched the second half on Euroleague TV. It’s been a while since I rewatched a game that I have attended, was surprised to see how different the two experiences could be, especially for an intense playoff game. Your logic and your emotions stack up differently in each case, tipping you off slightly, landing you in surprisingly different points, both of which might be equidistant from the truth of things. The Euroleague commentary was rather enlightening, making me realise that we beat a terrific, great, Herculean Monaco team with a single terrific play (by Papagiannis) and by, well being open.. Quite an accomplishment, I think. Terrific.

[ramblingdisaster73]

Rambling thoughts while rewatching Lone Star ep 4x11 – Double Trouble (Finishing Edging the Bet made it so that I am just now getting to a rewatch of the episode (only watched it live))

The pregnancy & dropping out were my two biggest suspicions for Wyatt’s news

Joining the FD was a little farther on my list – but I didn’t expect to see three announcements (although technically – you could combine the dropping out & FD thing together)

So how are along is she?

When did he decide to drop out of school? When were these midterms? Did he complete his first semester then, but quit ½ way through the 2nd?

Doesn’t TK remember hearing about Mateo’s cousin? He was there for the first time Mateo mentioned Marvin

So – he came from the side of the wall – not the door to the bunk room? – that blocking just seemed like a weird choice.

Someone suggested taking shots anytime Mateo or Marvin say “cuz” = 8 shots in like 2 minutes (3 for Mateo & 5 for Marvin)

The “I’d like to teach the world to sing” reminds me of the kid songs videos – it was on the “Teach the world to sing” (we had it on VHS – because I am old).

“I would really suggest that you try to calm down.” Carlos Reyes – to a woman that should be dead

Carlos thinking – “Thank fuck, you guys finally got here for this woman that should be dead, but is yelling at me about the demon spawn children.”

I am not a fan of going to the Dr. either lady

I want an orange tree in my back yard. Too bad it wouldn’t hold up well here.

That is a lot of kids balls/toys

Carlos “dad joke” Reyes

Winston Churchill gave a lot of good speeches – none of them are ones that I would think to watch to get ideas for my child’s wedding toast (and I am a history nerd like Owen) – but it does make sense for him – if he ever gets a pet that he gets to name – that is what I would guess that he would name them.

I am a fan of Tommy in her gym clothes.

This scene is probably the most I have EVER related to Judd. The self-doubt/loathing is so hard to look/see past. At least he has Tommy & Grace.

What does Judd even have in his hand in the firehouse kitchen scene that was alphabetized

“As long as these chimes don’t go off” give “Unless the bells go off” vibes – Owen talking to Gwyn in 2x04 (old) firehouse kitchen scene.

That Mateo is into pokemon – not surprising – BUT – where did all his cards come from? Did he rebuild his collection once he moved in with Owen or was his collection at the firehouse, miraculously saving it?

$24,100 is a lot of fucking money.

If I had been asking my husband to fix something for 4 years – I would have already figured out how to fix it. That is a long fucking time man.

I like clipboard Marj – but I am ready for firefighter Marj to come back

If you have an uninsured porshe (at least in the US) – you are an idiot. Or any high dollar car.

If he got $900 for the pokemon card, and $24,100 from Nancy – how is he tapped now? Wouldn’t it be that he was already tapped?

Also – That explains why he still lives with Owen

Apparently Mateo decided to do the “take a shot for each time Mateo or Marvin say cuz” game

I think that the sitcom thing fits Mateo’s character – but would have been weird for anyone else – with the exception of maybe Owen.

So, did Marvin keep his hair that pink color to keep a guilt trip on Mateo – since he used it to cover for him in the first place?

Also – these are some old looking 13-year-olds.

How did Mateo not know he was a DREAMER until he was 17?

So setting a school on fire made Mateo want to be a firefighter? I can buy that, makes a lot of sense – I like getting the whys of their job choices on these shows.

Who did he move to Texas with at 16? But still not know he was a DREAMER until he was 17?

He lived with his aunt & uncle from 6-16, then ?? from 16- at least adulthood?

Turpentine smells so bad

Did Mateo take over his cousins love of scientific facts?

Who cares about those other milk customers when there is french toast on the table?

I can’t with the mustache

This is the most Buck that TK has ever been. Accepting the french toast, then his ‘boss/partner’ saying ‘no’, then him saying the same, only sad.

“He might get shanked with a toothbrush.”

Milkman Judd just keeps eating his french toast

Guess it is good to have a paramedic in the family

[cherriegyuu]

Peak Time | episodes 6&7

So, another Peak Time round and I don’t know if I have a lot to say about this. Let’s see how it goes as I write this.

Vocal Battle

I liked all of the performances but none of them was really outstanding for me, they were good in their own accord. I understand why Group D won, their song had impact and IU songs are always winner in shows like this, specially this (remember how this one song secured Chaewon’s debut in Kep1er?) So yeah, it was good but nothing extraordinary in my opinion.

Rap Battle

Being honest the other groups didn’t stand a chance against Group B, they just didn’t. I don’t know why everyone wanted to perform Bag so much. It’s too recent of a song, it still plays everywhere so it’s hard to listen to it and think of the original version. And although daeng is a very well know song and this arrangement was very close the original, they manged to create a vibe that could make someone believe that this and they had soooo much fun. The redhead kid, I can’t remember his name, was really good for someone who never really rapped before (look, 3 months doesn’t count okay? The other guys had years ahead of him) and he didn’t feel like dead weight, someone the other member had to carry through the performance. Also, I think it’s really unfair when shows like this get slow rap song to be performed, as it hardly gets good results. With that said, Group B was amazing and deserved the win.

Dance Battle

Really, the biggest fight of the night. They brought all the guns out and were shooting to kill. I liked this part so much that I’ll mention each of them in my order of preference, from least liked to most liked (keep in mind that I know nothing about dancing, I just really like watching people dance)

Group A – their performance was fun, however it was weird how some members would just stand there during some parts of the song. They were the largest group and could have done more, I feel like, with formations. Everything could have been bigger, I guess.

Group D – I feel like they were thrown a curve ball with the song but they managed to still do well with it, I mean they were about to throw up after it ended. This performance was so good. Jun Hyeon (I think that’s his name), the center/leader, is soooo good. He’s, in my opinion, what everyone expects of an idol: he’s got the looks, has a good voice, dances really well, knows how to attract attention to himself.

Group C – I think this is where my opinion differs from most people. It’s not that I didn’t like it. It was good and everyone did a great job at it but I’m growing bored of the whole sexy thing to be honest. Everyone wants the sexy way because it’s usually the one who wins. Jong up did great, so did Hangyul and everyone else. This just isn’t the performance I will comeback to watch when I think of this show when it’s over, because it will just fall back as “another sexy performance from a reality show”

Group B – I love them so much. This is the kind of performance I will remember. They had fun on stage, they were hyping each other up the whole time and maybe it was like that of the DKB members (it probably was). I don’t even really had words to describe it. Everything I’ve thought to write seems small. I’ll just say this: when the performance was over I immediately rewatched it, and then again and again. No other group made me want to do that. They looked like an actual dance crew, unlike the other groups who looked like people that came together for a performance.

And that’s it.

Next week is eliminations and I’m scared. I want DKB to go through but I don’t know if they will, as only six groups will advance and they’re placed 7th for now. They have the benefit but so does a lot of other groups, and everyone who’s above them also has.

I’m also worried about Team 24:00, as one of the members was removed from the group/quit the show because of bullying allegations and they are constantly dropping on the ranks. They were placed 2th in the first week and then 3th and 4th and now they’re in 5th place, I think. I don’t know what will happen, if they get eliminated for what happened to the guy then that’s really unfair to them.

I’ll see you next week to talk about the elimination.

turns out I did have a lot to say

[bsotted]

HELLO please help me decide which show should I check out next and in what order and reblog for traction if you don’t mind ❤️❤️❤️

Before you ask based on these choices yes I love to cry

Bonus questions for anime buffs:

Did anybody see citrus was it good? Does inuyasha hold up without the nostalgia factor if I never saw it when I was a kid?? What about Cardcaptor Sakura or Sailor Moon etc

Here is a list of all the anime I can think of that i have already watched and/or that there’s no need to recommend:

BNHA

SNK

Deathnote

FMA & Brotherhood

SAO

Demon Slayer

Your Name

Your lie in April

Haikyuu!!

Fruits Basket

Black Butler

Basically all the classics

Trigun (I haven’t seen the reboot though please feel free to recommend if it was good and I should watch it)

Cowboy Bebop

Samurai Champloo (damn 3 all time faves in a row)

Code Geass

Ouran HHC

Seven Deadly Sins

Gurren Lagann

Re:Zero

Black Clover

Blue Exorcist

Assassination Classroom

D.gray-man

Kill la Kill

Tokyo Ghoul (liked less than I expected)

Bungou Stray Dogs

Erased (I love to cry)

To Your Eternity (LOVED) (are you seeing a pattern)

Puella Magi Madoka Majica

SCHOOL-LIVE!

Kaguya sama love is war

Hunter x Hunter (rewatched 3 times)

Mob Psycho 100 (rewatched once)

Claymore

Kaze no Stigma

Crunchy roll just showed me Junjou Romantica I’m having WAR FLASHBACKS

If we mention jjr we have to talk about Banana Fish obviously

Dororo (I remember this one very fondly would rewatch)

Dorohedoro

Mushi shi

Dr stone

Soul Eater

Devilman Crybaby (complicated feelings abt this)

FLCL

Kuroko no Basuke

Bubble ( I think that’s what it was called?)

Neon Genesis I can’t believe I almost forgot yes I have definitely seen the whole Eva enterprise several times

Please don’t recommend Naruto Jojo One Piece Bleach or Dragon Ball I’ll get to them all eventually ok. In my own time. That’s like a task for retirement or a gap year okay LMAO

There is just no way for me to remember every anime I’ve seen there’s too many but we can definitely eliminate a few for a start this way

THANK YOU if you’re even looking at this LMAO

[rocksrntpeople]

MCU Rewatch - Iron Man 2

So, turns out I did know what Iron Man 2 is about and just thought that it was Iron Man 3. What the hell is Iron Man 3 then? Something, something, annoying little kid, something, something, Iron Man? Idk, but at the very least this is the last one that makes me go, “what the hell was this about again?”

Granted, Iron Man 2 was a lesson in cinematic dichotomy and I had a hard time feeling engaged with the Ivan Vanko plotline. It seemed super shallow and just generally less interesting than what Stark was dealing with.

So, the main plot of this movie is actually tri-fold. Firstly, we have Tony Stark dealing with palladium poisoning. He’s dying because of the device that’s keeping him alive and it’s the first time he’s dealing with failure somehow, and there’s just a lot of internal strife going on. 

Alongside this is the much more public battle of Iron Man’s identity. The U.S. government wants the Iron Man suit to be a symbol of the US military, to represent power and glory over all through violence, but that’s not who or what Iron Man is. Up against Stark is a bloated (literally) politician and a weapons contractor who may be one of the most annoying characters in the MCU.

And this leads us into the third, kind of shoe-horned-in plot of Anton and Ivan Vanko. When Anton dies at the beginning of the movie, his son Ivan decides that now is the time to take revenge on Stark, as opposed to a few years earlier before he had the Iron Man suit and before Ivan’s dad bit the dust. But okay. And what is he mad about? That Tony Stark’s dad “stole” the arc reactor idea from Anton and then decades later Tony actually made it somewhat useful.

I’m sorry but that is just a stupid plot. So this guy, who’s been trapped in Siberia for decades, finally decides to leave and his motivation is that some guy whose dad used to work with his dad used old technology to create new technology? And he’s going to combat him with…whips? Powered by technology that, not only was totally available to this villain since well before Tony “stole” it, but is also literally impossible for some of the world’s best scientists in top facilities to create?

(Do you remember this, Marvel? It was two movies earlier.)

Meanwhile, the other two plots are doing great work with the whole dueling egos and themes of identity crises between private and public personas. Plus there’s a whole overarching moral lesson of friendship is power!

Once again, chef’s kiss; perfect. It’s clear that Favreau loves Iron Man; it’s where he started and it’s where he thrives. Despite having to shove in a fairly generic action plot, he manages to tie together the rest of the movie to create seriously humanizing moments that endear us to Iron Man.

There’s a lot to like about this movie, but it’s mostly in the quiet moments, the atmosphere, the snappy comebacks Stark tosses out like nothing. The cuts to the Vanko story were often jarring and felt like commercial breaks cutting into what I really wanted to watch.

And to be completely honest, what I wanted to watch was a lot of world and character building. We’re still in the dawn of the MCU here, and Iron Man 2 and 3 do a lot of heavy lifting as far as establishing new characters and letting viewers see how the rest of the world responds to superheroes.

I was more excited to see Black Widow than I thought I would be. I don’t dislike her or anything, but when she came on screen it was electric, like this is it, the world is expanding. She doesn’t belong here; she’s not part of the Iron Man team. Yet here she is, meddling.

Along with Romanov, we also get Coulson on the scene again and of course, Nick Fury. The little nods to Thor throughout the film were shockingly enjoyable. I didn’t know shit about Thor when this came out, so going back knowing everything that will happen…it’s a whole new kind of tension. This is gonna be a theme for a while, I think. The MCU ball doesn’t really start rolling until after Captain America shows up.

While SHIELD is basically only in the movie to give Iron Man some much needed pep talks, the rest of the cast does a great job supporting Tony Stark. He doesn’t make it easy, but by the end he’s friends with Rhodey again (after getting into a mech fight and having Rhodey steal one of the suits), he saved the public from US military contractors, he gets together with Pepper finally, and he even gets a message from his father validating his love for him! Come on! Everyone is in Iron Man’s corner!

Except, obviously, the main bad dude Vanko (and also that idiot Hammer). This guy kept saying “you lose” like he didn’t waste his life in Siberia being evil, and then just…explodes. Okay; girl, bye.

Can we talk about how cool this movie is for a second? As time goes on, the movies begin to rush the action a bit, especially as the battlefields become more complex, but in Iron Man 2 the actions make sense.

For example, Tony Stark’s germ thing. There are many possible reasons why he might have an anti-germ thing, primarily the fact that he’s dying throughout most of the movie, but what’s awesome is how he asks Pepper to put on a mask when she’s coughing, how he refuses to take things handed to him, how he shirks away from people trying to touch him. Those little continuity details make a big difference.

I especially loved when Black Widow and Happy are fighting at Hammer Industries and you can literally see Happy fighting in the background while Black Widow has a whole long fight scene.

(And yeah, yeah, yeah, I know it’s a little ridiculous that she got changed and moussed her hair in the car. I don’t care; I overlooked Vanko and I’ll overlook the little Black Widow gaffes too.)

Then, there are so many awesome shots done for no reason other than Iron Man is cool as fuck. 

Whereas Iron Man established Tony Stark’s character, Iron Man 2 established his new personality, the one that can just barely handle failure and needing help and overall considering the impact of his actions beyond his immediate circle.

Most of the MCU characters have this type of personality evolution, and it’s one of my favorite elements of the franchise. Stark will undergo a few personality shifts throughout the series, as you’d expect since he was the first one in. I’m very excited!

Speaking of personality shifts, I’m so excited for Thor! I have just a bit of hatred for the original Thor characterization, but the other characters are great, the plot is decent, and it’s just really amusing to see this fancy, stuck-up Thor, knowing what’s to come for the character.

Iron Man 2 gets a 6/10 for me overall. Definitely one of the weakest MCU movie, but it had plenty of redeeming qualities.

[alittlefrenchtree]

ALFT Cultural Rewind 2022

For the first time this year, I tried to write down everything I've consumed in terms of movies, books and TV Shows during 2022. I live having these lists and I've decided to share in case you're looking for some random recommendations. Feel free to ask for more opinions, thoughts on anything if you want 😊

purple is for things I liked 💜

Movies I’ve watched in 2022

1) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - David Fincher

2) Flickan som lekte med elden — Daniel Alfredson

3) Amadeus - Milos Forman

4) En attendant Bojangles — Régis Roinsard

5) Licorice Pizza — Paul Thomas Anderson

6) Lynx — Laurent Geslin, Laurence Buchman

7) The Chef (Boiling Point) — Philip Baranti ; James Cummings

8) Her — Spike Jonze (Rewatch, one of my favorite movie ever)

9) Arthur Rambo — Laurent Cantet

10) White Snake — Amp Wong : Zhao Ji

11) Death on the Nile — Kenneth Branagh

12) Enquête sur un Scandale d’État - Thierry de Peretti

13) Goliath — Frederic Tellier

14) The Batman — Matt Reeves

15) Notre Dame Brûle — Jean-Jaques Annaud

16) En Corps — Cédric Klapish

17) Les Bad Guys — Pierre Peril

18) À la folie — Audrey Estrougo

19) Fantastic Beasts : The Secrets of Dumbledore — David Yates

20) Downton Abbey : A new era — Simon Curtis

21) Sentinelle Sud — Mathieu Gerault

22) Elvis — Baz Luhrmann

23) Tenor — Claude Zidi Jr.

24) Tron — Steven Lisberg

25) La nuit du 12 — Dominik Moll

26) Sundown— Michel Franco

27) Nope — Jordan Peele

28) Three Thousand Years of Longing — George Miller (my favorite movie of the year)

29) Tout le monde aime Jeanne - Céline Devaux

30) La page blanche — Murielle Magellan

31) Everything, everywhere, all at once — Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert

32) Lord of the ring 1 — Peter Jackson (rewatch)

33) Lord of the ring 2 — Peter Jackson (Rewatch, even if I had forgotten all about it)

34) Lord of the ring 3 — Peter Jackson (Rewatch, even if I had forgotten all about it)

35) Don’t Worry Darling — Olivia Wilde

36) Le visiteur du futur — François Descraques

37) Les secrets de mon père — Véra Belmont

38) Entergalactic — Fletcher Moules

39) Dragon Ball Super — Tetsurô Kodama

40) Maria Rêve — Lauriane Escaffre, Yvonnick Muller

41) Simone : Le Voyage du siècle — Olivier Dahan

42) My Policeman — Michael Grandage

43) Mascarade — Nicolas Bedos

44) Armageddon Time — James Gray

45) Bones and All — Luca Guadagnino

46) Close — Lukas Dhont

47) Les Bonnes Étoiles --(브로커 - Beurokeo) — Hirokazu Kore-Eda

Books I’ve read In 2022

1) The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest — Stieg Larsson (the rec is for the whole trilogy)

2) The art and soul of Dune — Tanya Lapointe

3) Un dernier tour de piste — Martin Fourcade

4) The Dark Half — Stephen King

5) Death note — Tsugumi Ōba & Takeshi Obata (Let’s pretend I’ve read all of them and not stop reading before reaching the end for an unknown reason)

6) Le Match de ma vie — Nicolas Mahut

7) Les liaisons dangereuses — Choderlos de Laclos (First re-read since high school. It’s a good things I don’t remember what my literature class sounded like because I think all the toxic/criminal behavior in this book were not called out enough by my teacher.)

8) Midnight Sun — Stephanie Meyer

9) Children of Dune — Frank Herbert

10) Blackwater : The Flood — Michael Mcdowell

11) Les Ravissantes — Romain Puertolas

12) The Royal Game — Stephan Zweig (Re-read, I love this short novel so much)

13) Le plongeur 

14) Le Diner de Babette 

— Karen Blixen

15) Onze Minutes — Paulo Coelho (Re-read, still interesting)

16) Desolation Road — Jerome Noires (Re-read as well, not sure why I felt the need to pick it again but ok book)

17) Double Fault — Lionel Shriver (Re-read as well, didn’t really like it the first time but it’s definitely more interesting/relevant to read when you care about tennis)

TV Shows I’ve (tried to) watch(ed) in 2022

-Mr Robot Season 1 ; Episode 1 to… 4 I think?

-Grey’s Anatomy ; Seasons 1 to 6 (Regular rewatch that stopped by itself at some point)

-Designated Survivor ; Season 1

-House MD ; Season 1, a few episodes (Failed my rewatch, will try again in 2023)

-The Undoing 1 season (✅ completed)

-Severance ; a few episodes ?

-Balthazar ; Season 4 (Only here for Tomer Sisley)

-Veronica Mars ; 4 seasons (✅ completed) (Rewatch except for the last season)

-Outlander ; Season 6

-Heartstopper ; Season 1

-Timeless ; 2 Seasons (✅ completed)

-Moon Night ; 1 Season (✅ completed)

-Quantico ; 1 Season

-Obi-Wan Kenobi ; 1 Season (✅ completed)

-Lost ; Season 1 and 2

-Mind Hunter ; Season 1 and 6 episodes of Season 2

-Shokugeki No Soma ; All 5 seasons (✅ completed) (4 AMAZING seasons. Last one should be forgotten)

-The Walking Dead ; 6 seasons (Rewatch of the first season to try to finish it soon. First time I had stopped around season 8 or 9 I think ?)

-Emily in Paris ; Season 3 (The last source of joy left in the world)

-10 pour 100 (Call my agent) ; 2 seasons and 5 episodes of season 3 (Current watch, very easy to binge watch)

[chrisodonline]

15 Questions, 15 Mutuals

Thanks for tagging me @herveiwfromthefloor

1. Are you named after anyone?

That’s a debate actually! Am I named after my dad’s ex-girlfriend? Or am I named after his cousin? Or am I named after a combination of both? WHO IS TO SAY?

2. When was the last time you cried?

Oh, I definitely teared up earlier. I know I’ve cried recently, though. It’s not uncommon when I feel ANY kind of strong emotion. 

3. Do you have kids?

Nope x1000

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Sarcasm? Me? That neverrrrr happens.

5. What's the first thing you notice about people?

Hmmm, I’m so bad with faces. I think their hair color usually so I can try and remember their names. When I meet two people with the same hair color at the same time? Good luck to them! They will always be the same person to me no matter how different they look in all other respects!

6. What's your eye color?

Deeeeeeeep brown. 

7. Scary movie or happy ending

Happy ending. Don’t you dare give me a scary movie. If it is spookier than SO WEIRD, I am OUT.

8. Any special talents?

I don’t know, man. What’s a special talent? At work I’m good at remembering things, and I am excellent at forecasting well enough to foresee problems and pre-solve them, if we’re going for LinkedIn skills and talents. I like to imagine I have some writing talent. But is that special?

9. Where were you born?

[REDACTED] IYKYK -- but it’s Deep South.

10. What are your hobbies?

Hahaha. Does procrastinating count? I like to do different types of crafts, write, and watch TV shows only to rewatch them 1,000 times. 

11. Do you have any pets?

Yes, my two cats. I love them even if they are stinkers. Ollie has needed a lot of attention lately. 

12. What sports do you play/ have you played?

For some reason, my parents let me play T-Ball, softball, and even basketball. I sucked at ALL of them. Each year of T-ball led to a permanent, physical scar. And I didn’t even get those injuries during actual games. Just practicing. 

13. How tall are you?

5'4 -- though that’s debated, too. I’m on the lower end and have horrible posture.

14. Favorite subject in school?

K-12? English. (Maybe Math comes second.)

15. Dream job?

If I could write -- or actually help people write -- all day long, that would be great. (I like helping people workshop their ideas and things, and I did want to be an editor when I was leaving high school. Did not happen. Obviously.) I would also not be mad about crafting all day, though I know that as a business can wear you down. If I had to dream super big, I have always wanted to have the job that Frankie has on Community, where you just go in and help people fix their problems. I don’t think it’s a real job, but I want it. I do it all the time at work already.

Tag 15 mutuals (but it will be less for me): 

I think most have done this??? Not sure. I’m just going go to through my activity list.

@aprylynn @sonyarebecchi @sspaz1000 @sharktofu  @raccoonsmate4life @densi-obsessed @levy-tran @liar-or-lawyer