#please don’t spoil the final horizons update

[rickycantdraw]

One Last Adventure on the Horizon!

[kjack89]

An Agreement Between Gentlemen (Chapter 4/?)

Continuation of the E/R Bridgerton AU, regency-era fake-marriage shenanigan-fest. This time, with duel-shenanigans as well! (Chapter 1 tumblr | AO3, chapter 2 tumblr | AO3, chapter 3 tumblr | AO3)

Dearest Readers, 

This Author recommends that young women prone to swoon do not read this most peculiar of updates without someone there to catch them, as the most shocking of scandals has broken, and not, as one might expect, from the city but rather from the country.

If you have guessed that it involves our two unlikely friends out for a country jaunt, you would be correct, but we doubt even the most voracious of readers would guess the nature of the scandal. It turns out Mr. Grantaire is not an only child, as many have supposed, but instead has a sister of the marrying age. Why she was not presented to society is anyone’s guess, but we expect she’ll be along soon enough, given what has occurred. 

Details are still forthcoming, but suffice it to say, the Marquess of Enjolras, perhaps least likely amongst his cohort to find himself in this situation, appears to have been found in a compromising position with Mr. Grantaire’s sister. A quick, quiet wedding is the fastest way to deal with a scandal of this nature, but the salacious nature of this situation doesn’t end here:

The Marquess has allegedly refused to marry Mr. Grantaire’s sister, so Mr. Grantaire publicly challenged the Marquess to a duel for his sister’s honor, and the Marquess accepted. 

Tales of Mr. Grantaire’s prowess in physical contests are well-known, so this Author hopes for the Marquess’s sake that his aim with a gun is less impressive. Fear not, dear Reader. This Author suspects that both the Marquess of Enjolras and Mr. Grantaire will emerge from the duel with all limbs intact, but we also suspect that Grantaire will emerge with a soon-to-be brother-in-law – and the Marquess with a fiancée. LADY WHISTLEDOWN’S SOCIETY PAPERS, 4 May 1831 

It was, charitably speaking, ungodly early when Enjolras was roused from his bed by the ever dour-faced Le Cabuc. There was not even a hint of sunlight when he glanced out the window before getting dressed, and when he and Grantaire set off a half hour later, there was still just the beginning rays of sunlight creeping over the horizon.

Usually, Enjolras did not mind waking at an early hour, though he was more inclined to work late into the night and have a bit of a lie-in the next morning whenever possible, but he had slept poorly the previous night. Undoubtedly, he thought sourly as he followed Grantaire away from the house, because of what they were setting out to do.

Not that he had much real cause for concern – after all, if Grantaire was going to shoot him, surely he would have done it long ago.

That said, he would also have felt slightly more comfortable if he was carrying one of the guns, rather than Grantaire carrying both as he currently was.

But he suspected his tossing and turning was more related to the grand scheme they were attempting to pull off, and his very real concern that they were not going to be able to. Thus far, certainly, all pieces of the plan had fallen in place, but that as much as anything was setting him on edge. After all, it would take but one thing going awry from the whole arrangement to unravel, and Enjolras was not thoroughly convinced that—

Grantaire heaved a sigh and glanced over his shoulder at Enjolras. “Could you please be quiet?” he asked, sounding as tired as Enjolras felt.

Enjolras scowled at him. “I haven’t said anything!” he protested.

“No, but I can hear your mind going a mile a minute,” Grantaire groused, waving a dismissive hand. “It is positively spoiling what should otherwise be a magnificent morning.”

It was a lovely morning, Enjolras supposed, especially as the sun inched further up in the sky. “There is only so much I can do about the relative volume of my mind,” he told Grantaire, half-smiling as he did.

Grantaire pursed his lips slightly before shaking his head. “No, I suppose not,” he said, pausing in his stride to allow Enjolras to fall into step besides him. “Which means that I shall have to distract you instead.”

“And how do you intend on doing that?” Enjolras asked, more amused than curious.

“Well, I could regale you with what little I know about the vegetation in this area,” Grantaire offered, and when Enjolras wrinkled his nose, he laughed. “Very well. Then what conversation topic would you prefer?”

Enjolras considered it for a second. “I suppose you could start by telling me where, exactly, you’re taking me.”

“So banal,” Grantaire said, half under his breath, and he laughed and dodged when Enjolras tried to elbow him in the ribs. “Fine, fine. There’s a field not far outside of town that’s up on a small bluff. Isolated so that no one will see, but the elevation and lack of foliage between the field and town will allow the sound to carry, which is what I am banking on.”

“Not a lot of shooting out this way?” Enjolras asked, mostly jokingly, though Grantaire seemed to consider it for a moment before shaking his head.

“No. A fox hunt every now and then or something or the sort, but usually advertised well in advance and taking place further afield.”

The terrain sloped upward at that point, and both Enjolras and Grantaire fell silent as they trekked along. Finally, the slope evened out, and as Grantaire had promised, they were standing on the edge of a fairly flat field overlooking the town below. “Well,” Grantaire said, rather unnecessarily. “Here we are.”

He handed one of the pistols to Enjolras, who took it, feeling unusually out of sorts, even though this was hardly his first time wielding a weapon. “Ten paces?” he asked, mostly for lack of anything better to say.

“I suppose so,” Grantaire said, before winking at him. “Of course, in keeping with our attempt at verisimilitude, I could shoot you, if you wish. Just a flesh wound, in the shoulder maybe – just a little something to demonstrate how coerced you were into this whole affair.”

Enjolras rolled his eyes. “While I am certain that you would have no compunction shooting anyone, I really don’t think that’s necessary.”

Instead, he squared his shoulders and dutifully marched ten paces away before turning to face Grantaire again. “Here?” he asked, but Grantaire was frowning, his gun held loosely at his side.

“What do you mean by that?” he asked.

Enjolras blinked. “I mean, is this the correct distance?”

“No, by my not having any compunction about shooting anyone.”

There was something unfamiliar in Grantaire’s tone and Enjolras frowned, trying to figure out what exactly he had said to put Grantaire out. “I meant no offense,” he offered.

Grantaire shook his head. “I do not necessarily take offense,” he said. “But I would still wish to know what precisely you meant.”

Enjolras considered him for a moment. “I know that you are an accomplished boxer,” he said after a moment. “And I have it on good authority that you know also how to wield a blade, so it can only stand to reason that you know how to use a gun. That s all that I meant.”

“Know how, yes,” Grantaire said, “but I’ve never shot anyone, and I’m not certain that I could bring myself to, were it to come to that.”

Now it was Enjolras’s turn to frown and ask, “What do you mean?”

Grantaire shrugged, glancing down at the gun in his hand. “I mean, with boxing, with fencing, hell, even with street brawling as Bahorel and I are wont to do—”

“Wont is certainly one word for it,” Enjolras said sourly, too aware of how many times those two had gotten themselves into scraps.

“—with all of those,” Grantaire continued, ignoring him, “the goal is surrender. You wound or injure to get the offending party to back down. But with a gun?” Again he looked down at the gun in his hand, hefting it as if testing its weight. “With a gun, the outcome is too often death, no matter the intent. And I am not certain that I could bring myself to shoot a man, knowing the likely outcome is his death.”

It had not been at all the answer Enjolras was expecting. “Oh,” he said, a little stupidly. “I suppose I did not think of it that way.”

“What of you?” Grantaire asked, with a wry half-smile, as if aware of the absurdity of this conversation when the two men were facing each other with pistols in hands so as to duel. “Have you ever shot a man?”

Enjolras shook his head. “No,” he said, “but I don’t think I would have the same hesitation you would. Death is a tool, and there are times when, in order to bring about the best future possible, killing someone is the only option.” Grantaire shifted as if he was about to interrupt, but Enjolras did not let him. “But the law of progress is that this will no longer be the case some day, and that is the moment for which I would fight, and kill if necessary, so that none after me would face that choice.”

Grantaire was silent for a few moments after, and he was too far away for Enjolras to be able to read every line in his face like he normally would be able to. “I understand,” Grantaire pronounced finally, the two words spoken almost like a vow. 

Enjolras felt strangely tongue-tied at that, and looked away. “Shall we?” he asked, his voice strangely thick, and Grantaire nodded.

Both men faced each other once more, lifting their pistols to aim in the rough direction of the other, ready to get this over with. Later, Enjolras would never know what possessed him in that moment, but as he stared down the barrel of the gun at Grantaire, he could not help but blurt, “I could have sworn that you were going to kill that soldier.”

Grantaire lowered his pistol, his brow furrowing. “What soldier?”

Enjolras lowered his weapon as well. “Do you remember the demonstration we hosted outside of parliament last spring?”

“I am fairly certain the authorities deemed that less a demonstration and more a riot,” Grantaire said, a small smile twitching at the corners of his mouth.

“Even so,” Enjolras said, refusing to allow himself to get distracted. “Soldiers were called in to ‘enforce the peace’, though I am certain they were more violent than any of us—”

“They certainly were,” Grantaire murmured.

“—and there was this one soldier in particular who seemed quite determined to…”

Enjolras trailed off, and Grantaire cleared his throat. “To beat you to death in the street?” he supplied, a false, sharp cheerfulness to his words. 

Shaking his head slightly, more at the memory than in disagreement to Grantaire’s words, Enjolras swallowed before continuing, “That’s one way of putting it.” He met Grantaire’s eyes. “But you stopped him.”

“Yes.”

“Quite violently, as memory serves.”

Grantaire’s expression didn’t so much as flicker. “Yes.”

“But you did not wish to kill him?”

“Oh, I wanted very much to kill him,” Grantaire said, an ugly look crossing his face. “But I did not.”

Enjolras had the sense that continuing too far down that path was not going to end well, so he changed tacks slightly. “So then you too agree that death is a sometimes necessary tool.”

Grantaire jerked a shrug. “I suppose, yes,” he allowed. “If the circumstances were right.”

“And the circumstances were not right that day?” Enjolras asked, because he couldn’t resist prying, just a little.

Grantaire shook his head. “No.”

He did not seem inclined to elaborate any further, and Enjolras frowned. “Because you feared that you could have been arrested?” he asked, though he doubted that was the case, as Grantaire had been arrested as many times as any of their number.

Indeed, Grantaire snorted derisively. “As if the threat of incarceration has ever once stopped me,” he scoffed, before arching an eyebrow at Enjolras. “Or you, for that matter.”

“It helps knowing that you or I would only be incarcerated until the police realized who we were and released us,” Enjolras said dryly. “The perks of nobility – or gentility, I suppose, in your case.” 

“Gentility,” Grantaire repeated, smirking again. “I dare you to use that the next time you’re arrested, just to see what the officer placing you in irons has to say in response.”

Enjolras just rolled his eyes and ignored him, steering the conversation back on track. “What did stop you, then?” he asked, and when Grantaire looked confused, he elaborated, “From killing the soldier, if not the possibility of incarceration.”

Grantaire’s expression was unreadable as he locked eyes with Enjolras. “You were no longer in danger,” he said simply.

The stark words left Enjolras feeling as if his chest was suddenly a size too small, and it took him a moment to compose himself. To know Grantaire had reacted that way when the man was not convinced he could take a life, and all because Enjolras had been in danger...it was too much. Finally, he met Grantaire’s eyes once again, and hoped the two words he could muster conveyed everything that he wished they did. “Thank you.”

Grantaire seemed suddenly flushed, and he cleared his throat and looked away. “In any case,” he said loudly, “can we kindly get back to the business of shooting each other?”

Enjolras rolled his eyes. “Shooting at each other,” he corrected.

Grantaire smirked at him, all traces of the previous conversation disappearing. “Is that not what I said?” he asked innocently.

Again Enjolras rolled his eyes before once again raising his gun and aiming it in Grantaire’s general direction. Grantaire followed suit, a half a beat later. “Are you ready?” Enjolras asked.

“As ready as I will ever be,” Grantaire said. “On your count?”

Enjolras jerked a nod. “On my count,” he affirmed, taking a deep breath before counting, “One...two...shoot.”

Both guns went off with a flash of powder and smoke, the gunshots echoing loudly in the still morning air, loud enough to make Enjolras wince – though that may also have been from the recoil, which left Enjolras’s arm feeling weak. “Do you yield?” Grantaire called, and it took that question for Enjolras to remember the absurd reason for which they were there in the first place.

“Yes, I yield,” Enjolras told him, the first and only times those words had ever come out of his mouth.

Grantaire smirked at him. “And do you agree to marry my sister?”

Enjolras gave him a look. “There is no one here to hear my answer, you realize.” Grantaire returned his look with one of his own, and Enjolras sighed. “Yes, I will marry your sister.”

“Then I have my satisfaction,” Grantaire said, sounding just a little smug.

But as Enjolras handed his pistol back to Grantaire, as lingering pieces from their conversation played over in his mind, he could not help but feel that they had both gotten satisfaction that day.

[what-is-your-plan-today]

Riding On Ch8: A Bun (And Cookies) In The Oven

Summary: Frank and Fliss attend Mary’s end of year fundraising gala at school, the Nursery is finally finished and plans are made regarding Mary’s adoption.

Warnings: Bad Language words. Smut (NSFW, NO UNDER 18s!).

Pairing: Frank Adler x Fliss Gallagher

A/N:  LONG update here guys but a lot happens! First off, please bear with me if the legal terms are a little off- from my research they seem to be similar to the UK ones but if I get some things wrong…just go with it! Also the photo I used for the Nursery inspiration was found in another fic on Tumblr- I can’t for the life of me remember which one. I did, however, ages ago ask permission so if you recognise it that’s why. Chapter Song: Best I Ever Had by Vertical Horizon

Series Masterlist //  WIYPT Masterlist

 And it may take some time to patch me up inside, but I can't take it so I run away and hide. And I may find in time that you were always right, you're always right.

“You braved the outhouse yet?” Bill asked as he skimmed that last bit of the wall he had been working on, the trowel he was holding sliding in a large arc, spreading the plaster evenly.

“Had a brief glance but there’s all sorts of shit in there.” Frank said, dropping his tools onto the dust sheet as he stood back to admire their work. “Some larger pieces of wood and a few engine parts I had spotted that might come in handy but other than that think it’s all for the dump.” “We can hit that one evening next week if you want?” Bill added, hopping down from the step ladders.

“Yeah, if you don’t mind helping?” Frank looked at him and Bill shook his head. “No problem.” He said. “Still thinking about getting a boat?”

Frank gave a smile “I thought about getting one and doing it up. The garage is big enough to use as a workshop." "Well it’s good to have a hobby.” Bill nodded.

“Plus if I get one it will stop Lissy converting it into stables.” Frank said, looking around the room again. “She still wanting to expand?” Bill asked.

“Yeah, she’s talking about buying more of the land that surrounds the yard but…” Frank scratched at his chest “I told her to wait until Bean is here.”

“Good plan.” Bill smiled, before he turned to Frank “Speaking of Boston Bean, any ideas on names?”

Frank smiled “We had a few but we need to give it some proper thought. Mary wants us to call him Theodore.” “Theodore?” Bill arched an eyebrow.

“Yeah, Teddy for short. Something she saw on TV.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s not going on the list, trust me.”

The two of them cleared away their tools, tipped the pots of water down the sink in the main bathroom before Frank quickly cleaned up after himself, heading back into the nursery where Bill was taking a look at a patch on the wall. Deciding it was ok he turned and nodded and the two men made their way downstairs and into the main area at the back of the house.

Frank opened the door to their kitchen living area and the smell of baking hit the pair of them immediately, but it was the view that made Frank stop in the doorway. Mary was stood on a chair at the kitchen counter, mixing something in a bowl. To her left Verity was supervising, nodding when Mary showed her whatever it was she was mixing, and to Mary's right, Fliss was wiping the surface down, one hand resting on her belly. It was the sight of his girl stood there, in that gorgeous blue and white checked sundress, all barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, with her mother and Mary that had him feeling suddenly quite emotional. Mary giggled and looked at Fliss who smiled at her, reaching out and brushing her cheek with the back of her fingers. Nanna, Mom and Daughter, a matriarchal trio Frank never imagined he would ever get to see Mary part of. And it was beautiful. "You OK lad?" Bill looked at him and Frank blinked and turned to face him, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Yeah, sorry. Was miles away" "I noticed." His future father in law smiled softly, squeezing his shoulder before he loudly asked if there was any chance of beer before he died of thirst. "You know where the fridge is." Fliss shot back. "I just spent all afternoon with Frank plastering the walls in that Nursery and that's the thanks I get?" Bill shook his head as Frank chuckled and walked to the fridge. He opened it, grabbed 2 beers and once he popped the tops off he passed one to Bill. "All finished?" Fliss turned to look at Frank as he gave her a soft peck on the lips. "Yeah." He smiled as she rubbed her hands up his arms to his shoulders "Once its dried out which should take a day or so we can paint." Flies smiled and was about to say something when they heard Mary and Verity yelling, their shouts punctuated by Bill's loud guffaws as he jumped back, a freshly baked cookie in his hand as he ran away from Verity who was swatting at him with the tea towel. "There's like a hundred of them!" Bill sniggered shoving the cookie into his mouth. "You can spare one." "We actually made extra." Mary looked at him, hands on her hips "Because Fliss and Nanny V said you and Frank would both walk in and rob some." Frank looked at Fliss, his eyebrow raising as she grinned before he glanced at Mary who smirked back. "Well in that case..." he mumbled before he grabbed Mary easily, hooking the arm that held his beer round her midriff, swinging her off the chair as he snatched a cookie with the other, taking a huge bite. Mary's giggles died down as he set her on the floor and made an appreciative noise. "These are good." "You sound surprised Francis..." Verity pointed the wooden spoon she was holding at him and he shook his head. "You know what I think of your cooking V..." he flashed her a wink and she rolled her eyes and turned back to whatever it was in the bowl. "OK Mary, this frosting is ready so you wanna do the cupcakes?" She nodded and the two of them moved, Verity handing Mary a little spatula so she could start to dish out the yellow frosting. "Shall I ring through to The Shack and order us a burger each?" Frank asked, and everyone made appreciative noises. Already knowing his, Mary and Fliss' order by heart, he ordered what Bill and Verity wanted before the two men strode out to Bill's car to pick up their food.

“You sure you’re ok?” Bill asked Frank and he turned to him, smiling.

“Yeah, honestly I’m fine.” Frank smiled. Bill looked at him before he turned his head back to the road.

“It’s overwhelming isn’t it.” The older man said gently and Frank looked at his hand, shaking his head as he gave a soft laugh.

“You can say that again.” He said “Doesn’t seem five minutes since our first date and here we are. Our own home, weeks away from our baby being born and me taking a weeks’ worth of annual leave to finish the decorating.” “You’ve done it once.” Bill said gently. “The baby thing I mean, not the decorating…although we did do that once too…”

Frank chuckled before he took a deep breath “Not like this.” Frank shook his head “Never done the first 6 months. Not really. I mean I helped Diane but…” “Well you got us to help out.” Bill spoke again, taking a right turn “I know Verity can’t wait. Another grandkid for her to spoil.” “I do appreciate everything you’ve both done for us Bill.” Frank looked at him. “I mean the money, helping out with the decorating, everything you do for Mary.”

“I know son.” Bill smiled, “And it’s our pleasure.” Frank smiled and looked back out of the window.

“What else is on your mind?” Bill probed gently and Frank looked at him, giving a little scoff.

“You’re just like Fliss.” He said with a chuckle and Bill grinned.

“Well you’ve been a little quiet all afternoon.”

Frank studied Bill for a moment, and then realised that he actually had a perfect opportunity here to talk to someone who had been through something a little similar to what he was struggling with. And he trusted and loved Bill, like a father.

“We had an incident with Mary, last week at school.” He said, and taking a deep breath he explained to Bill what had happened and the decision he and Fliss had come to about the adoption. “We were planning on asking her at some point but…well, the time hasn’t bene right you know. We don’t want her to think it’s a reaction to what happened at school.” Bill looked at him before he slowed the car to a halt at a red light. “That makes sense.” He said gently “But I’m getting the impression you’re not so sure.” “It’s not that I’m unsure as such…” Frank sighed, “I just…Oh I don’t know Bill, the whole thing just seems so fucking shitty and complicated. How did you know it was the right thing to do? With Fliss and Steve I mean?”

“I just did.” Bill shrugged. “Our circumstances were slightly different thought. I met V when Fliss was 2. Steve's mother, my first wife, Andrea, she died when Steve was 3. Brain tumour. I never thought I'd love anyone again but then when I met Verity one evening 2 years later through friends she blew me away.” Bill smiled and Frank watched as his face went softer before he continued “We dated for 3 months before we met each other’s kids and the first time I saw Lissy she was fast asleep in the car seat in the back of Vs battered old fiesta and...” Bill sighed “I loved her from the minute I laid eyes on her.”

He set the car into drive again and they continued down the road as Bill spoke again.

“She started calling me dad on her 4th birthday. I’d been with V just over 2 years then and it was at her birthday party and we told her to make a wish. She blew her candles out and then later that night I was tucking her in and she said to me that she knew she wasn’t supposed to tell anyone what her wish was, but if she didn’t tell me then it wouldn’t come true.”

To Frank’s surprise the man’s eyes misted over and his voice became a little bit croaky.

“She’d made a wish that she was my daughter.” Bill shook his head “And that she could call me dad. So I told her I didn’t have a problem with that as long as she didn’t and…” he smiled “But I get that your situation is different. Fliss’ shitbag father walked out on Verity before Fliss was even born. You’ve got a whole other scenario you’re dealing with.” “Mary told me months ago she wishes I was her real dad.” Franks sighed “You know I explained to her that a label doesn’t matter and then the whole thing with the kid at school kicked it off again and she broke her heart to Lissy that evening. It got me thinking that I’d bene so wrapped up in my own worries about Diane and whether it would be right to allow Mary to refer to me as her dad that I hadn’t really given much consideration about how my refusal to do so was affecting her.” Bill pondered something for a moment. “You know I had the same concerns over Steve. I know that sounds hypocritical because I was over the moon when Lissy first called me dad but, well Steve was

3 when his mum died and had a few vague memories of her. I was worried that by letting him refer to V as his mum those memories would fade and it would in some ways disrespect her, you know? Almost like it would invalidate who she had been.”

“But you did it anyway?” Frank asked.

“With Steve it just happened.” Bill said, “He started naturally slipping into calling Verity Mum, and we just decided not to make a big deal out of it and let him do what he felt was right for him. Even now he alternates sometimes, calls her Verity instead of mum but I know it doesn’t change a thing. He loves her like she is his mother, and she loves him like he’s her son, which he is anyway of course as she adopted him too.” “And that felt right?”

Bill nodded “It did to us, but the most important thing was it did to Steve and Fiss too. So we floated the idea a year or so before we got married. Fliss...well she had no reservations at all. Burst into tears and hugged me saying she couldn't wait for me to be her proper dad and have the same surname but Steve was a little more subdued, I suppose, is the word. We assured him if he didn't want V to then she wouldn't be offended. He took his time to think about it. Came to his conclusion a week or so later and announced over dinner he wanted to do it. So that was that.” Bill pulled up outside the shack and cut the engine, turning to Frank. “I guess what I'm trying to say is Mary will let you know if she's not happy. From the sounds of it I don't think you'll have any problems, but the important thing is like Titch said, you give her the choice...” “I know.” Frank nodded, “Liss and I discussed this. I don't want to make her call us mom and dad either it she doesn’t want to. To be honest, I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about that but I suppose if we do adopt her then…” “You still worried about how it would make your sister feel?” “A little.” Frank smiled softly. “I'm sure she would be happy Frank.” Bill said gently “This is the same internal debate I had about Ange. But you have to remember, she left that little girl with you for a reason. If you ask me, the very fact we're having this conversation proves she was right. I think this is exactly why she chose you, because she knew that whatever decisions you make regarding Mary are done with love and care, and this is the best outcome she could have hoped for.”

Frank felt the lump in his throat again and Bill gently reached over and grabbed his shoulder.

“Thanks Bill.” Frank smiled at him.

“Any time, now let’s go get this food, I’m starving.”

It wasn’t long before they were all sat outside back at home, eating happily as Mary filled them all in on what she was going to be doing at the gala the next day. Frank watched her, smiling to himself at how excited she was. Such a contrast to the sullen, obstinate 7 year old that he’d had argument over argument with about going to school. But then again their entire circumstances had changed, dramatically, and for the better he may add.

His heart to heart with Bill had made him feel a little more at peace with everything. If truth be told, since Mary’s little breakdown last week he’d been worried about a lot of things. Worried he was making a mess of things with her, worried he was going to do the same with Bean. But he realised now he wasn’t doing it on his own anymore. He had Fliss and her family to help him, and even his Mother too if he so required. Whatever bump in the road the encountered in the future then they would face it as a family, and this eased that nagging, gnawing anxious feeling a hell of a lot.

At just before 8 Mary was dismissed to bed, despite protests, and a little after 10pm Bill and Verity also decided to head home. Frank thanked them both for their help, Verity for giving up her entire afternoon by shopping, picking up Mary and then baking enough treats to feed a small army, an Bill…well, for just about everything he’d done that day.

They stood on the porch area of their home, waving the two of them off and Fliss turned to Frank.

“I can almost hear your mind whirring from here Sailor.”

Frank chuckled as Thor headed back up the path, having given up chasing the car down the drive. “Yeah, I had a moment before. But your dad set me straight.” “Moment? About Mary or-“ “To be honest about everything.” Frank looked at her as they headed back inside, closing the door “Mary, Bean, about not fucking everything up.” Fliss looked at him before she shook her head “Baby that’s not gonna happen.” “I know.” He smiled “I just had my worries, that’s all.” “You don’t think I worry at times too?” she asked him gently “I’m fucking petrified about him arriving and how I’m gonna cope with a baby but…” she stepped forward and took his hands “I know that as long as we stick together an work through whatever we face together, we’ll be fine.” “Yeah, we will.” He smiled, bending down to give her a soft kiss. “Wanna sit outside?”

She nodded and together, Thor padding behind, they made their way out to the back garden. Fliss dropped heavily onto the wicker garden sofa and Frank lifted her feet up setting them in his lap. He expertly ran his thumb up the arch of her right foot and she gave a little groan of satisfaction.

“Back still sore?” he asked glancing over at her and she shrugged a little.

“A little, nothing major though.” She sighed “I’d kill to get in the hot tub though, unwind a little. So not fair I can’t.” “There’s always the pool.” Frank suggested and she looked at him.

“How is going in the pool going to help me unwind?” she looked at him and he grinned, arching an eyebrow.

“You’re a bad, bad man.” She snorted as she swung her legs off his lap and moved to straddle him.

“And?” he smirked as his hands ran up the side of her thighs, creeping under the hem of her dress which had ridden up.

“Just pointing it out.” she grinned, leaning down to kiss him. His hands came to a rest on her hips, squeezing gently as his mouth moved from hers to find that spot just below her ear. With a sigh, Fliss tilted her head back as he continued to nibble gently at her skin, her fingers tangling in his hair. She gave a soft pull, tugging his head back so she could kiss him again, pushing down on his lap as he thrust his hips up to meet her, the pair of them giving a little groan at the contact. And that was it. Hormones raging, sending a fire through her entire body, Fliss stood up, slipped off her panties and then reached to Frank’s jeans, undoing the button.

“Ok, so no foreplay then?” he asked as he lifted his hips so she could slide his jeans and boxers down, his already hard cock springing free.

“Less talking, more fucking…” she said, reaching down, wrapping her hand around him. Frank let out a hiss as she gave him a few tugs before she straddled him and lining him up sunk straight down, letting out a groan as he tilted his pelvis upwards, filling her as he bottomed out.

“Fuck, Lissy…” his voice was gravelly, his head falling back against the rear cushions of the garden furniture, hands on her hips as she rolled them forward, finding a rhythm that was soft, deep and perfect for the quiet, late summer evening.

Despite the fact they were outside and Fliss’ earlier demand, there was no rush to any of their love making. It was slow, gentle and sweet. Frank’s thrust’s upwards weren’t measured, he hardly put much effort into moving, keeping in synch with the rolls of her pelvis, rocking them together as Fliss leaned over, capturing his mouth again. The gentle breeze from the night air ruffled through her hair whipping it around her face and Frank moved his hands, brushing it away as he cradled her face, his nose brushing against hers. After a particularly deep push upwards Fliss let out a shaky moan into his mouth, tightening her fingers in his hair as she felt him striking her spot again and again. Her bump was causing her to lean forward slightly, which meant he was hitting her as deep as he possibly could and the feeling was intense, her toes curling slightly as she could feel the heat in her belly burning, the slick from between her legs rubbing off on his thighs slightly which was driving Frank wild.

“So wet baby girl…” he mumbled as she slid a hand between her legs, his fingers gently teasing her clit.

“Who needs a pool?” she manged to quip between her gasps, and Frank smirked a little, watching her face intently as her eyes locked onto his. His fingers never once quickened, his touches light and teasing, and their pace continued on to that very end, until with a breathy gasp and a shudder it became too much and she surrendered to the inevitable bliss that washed over her entire body as she came hard. Her hips stilled and Frank moved his hands back to her hips, pulling her down onto him as he bucked upwards, his thrusts now quickening as he chased his own end, spilling into her with a loud groan before his eyes flickered shut, his head falling backwards.

Fliss leaned forward, peppering soft kisses up his neck to his jawline and he let out a smile as she dropped her mouth on his, biting his bottom lip softly his hands rubbing at the base of her back.

“How was that for un-winding?” he asked, opening his eyes to see her looking at him. She simply smiled, kissing him again.

****** “Where do you want all these?” Fliss asked Bonnie as her and Frank walked across the school yard, Frank’s arms laden with the various boxes of baked goods.

“How much did you bake?” Bonnie snorted as Frank set them down on the wooden tables that Bonnie indicated

“My mum does nothing by halves” Fliss smirked as she glanced around. Mary was stood showing Frank something on a chalk a-board, Rosie interjecting here and there.

“Hey Stack.” Fliss stepped over to her “All set?”

“Yeah we were just working out the pricing and what best to charge if we wanna make a certain percent profit.” Mary said.

“You suss it?” Frank asked, “Although that’s a stupid question…” “Yeah, it is.” Mary shot back, causing Frank to smirk a little as he glanced at Fliss “Bo-I mean miss Stevens we thought a dollar a cookie, or 3 for 2 and then 2 dollars a cupcake or brownie, and 3 for 5” “I think that’s fair.” Bonnie nodded.

“Ok, cool… “ Mary grinned standing the board up and giving Rosie a high five.

Bonnie and Fliss helped set up the cakes on the stall and Frank found himself getting roped into helping one of the male teachers set up the field where a few events and fun races were going to take place, the man thanking him profoundly when he headed over, spotting him struggling to set the soccer nets up.

“We had someone due to help but…well, most parents shy away from this stuff.” He sighed “They want their kids to enjoy and experience it but don’t wanna help us out.” Frank smiled “Well, to be honest I’m happy to be here. This is the first one Mary’s taken part in.”

The teacher smiled “Yes, she was a bit of an enigma when she started but she’s come out of her shell recently. Lovely girl too Mr Adler, always polite. You must be very proud.”

Frank beamed and turned back to where Mary was behind the stall, Fliss talking to her with Bonnie and Rosie both listening and nodding before he turned back to the man and smiled “It’s not all down to me but…yeah, yeah I am.”

An hour or so later more people had arrived and Frank and Fliss wandered around a bit. They chatted to Rosie’s mom and dad, a dark haired, bespectacled man called Phil and a smaller, red haired woman called Melissa, and the couple invited them over for dinner in a week or so which they both accepted. Whilst Mary and Rosie were close, Frank’s interaction with her parents had been minimal simply because Fliss had fallen into that role of being the one that set up the girls’ little togethers, and he was keen to get to know the couple simply because Mary seemed to be taken so much with their kid. They were inseparable at school, and Mary had already said that over the summer she wanted Rosie to come for a sleep over which, given her previous position on such things had knocked Frank for 6. Of course they had said it was ok, and Fliss had simply told her that Rosie was welcome at any time over the holidays, even saying she’d arrange for them to do something with one of the riding school ponies.

As Frank was mid conversation with Phil about a boat he was currently repairing, Fliss excused herself to go to the toilet. On the way back she decided to detour to the cake stall to see how Mary, Bonnie and Rosie were getting along, and as she passed 2 women stood a little way away, deep in conversation, she heard something that stopped her in her tracks.

“Child prodigy, apparently.” One of the women was saying.

“Well whichever way you dress it up I feel sorry for her.” The other sniffed, flicking her blonde hair behind her shoulder, the ridiculous sized ring on her left hand catching the sun as she did so “I mean, her Dad, sorry, Uncle is a total fuck boy and only went and got his new girlfriend pregnant a year or so after they got together…no wonder the kid’s apparently a screw up. Did you know a when she first started here she broke a boy’s nose?”

“Excuse me?” Fliss blurted out, her neck and cheeks flushed with anger. Both women spun to face her, the blonde one looking at her “Who the fuck are you calling a screw up?”

“Erm, private conversation…” The woman looked at her and Fliss snorted

“Yeah well maybe you should keep your bitchy opinions to yourself, just in-case that Fuck Boy’s pregnant fiancée overhears you.” She shot back, and the woman’s face slipped a little as she suddenly realised who Fliss was. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

Frank, meanwhile, had finished up talking to Rosie’s parents and was now looking around for Fliss. He spotted her pale green maxi dress in the crowd as she stood talking to two women, and then frowned as he realised she wasn’t talking as much as angrily ranting, her hands flying out to her side before she pointed at one of them directly. He had no idea what the fuck had sparked her off, but he jogged quickly over, catching the end of the rant.

“I don’t see any of your kids going to university 2 days a week or being asked to run a stall handling money because they can do sums in their head like that.” Fliss snarled, clicking her fingers “So keep your shitty, horrible comments about my family to yourself.”

“Hey, hey…” Frank gently grabbed her arm. “Honey…come on.” “You know nothing about us. Any of us.” Fliss shot at her as Frank looked at the women, realising instantly he recognised one. With a groan he moved himself in front of Fliss his back to them and looked at her.

“Stop.” He said firmly but calmly and she looked at him, her eyes blazing with an anger he had never seen before. “Come on.”

She shot a glare at the women before she turned and allowed him to steer her away. He dropped an arm round her shoulder and gave her a squeeze “What the hell set you off into momma bear mode?”

“Her!” Fliss seethed as she shot a final glare over her shoulder at the bitch "She was making shitty comments about you getting me pregnant and saying it was no wonder Mary was a screw up…I mean who the fuck does she think she? I swear to god if I wasn’t pregnant I’d kick her ass." "Don't let her get to you honey." Frank said softly, kissing her temple.

“Does it not bother you?” “Only because it’s got you so wound up.” He said, “I’m not going to let the opinions of two Stepford Wives bother me. They clearly have no idea what they’re talking about.” "Bet she's called Karen." Fliss spat. "Carly, actually." Frank replied without thinking and Fliss stopped to look at him. "How the hell do you-" she groaned "tell me you haven't!" "It was a drunk night a very long time ago!" He began to protest and Fliss shook her head making a noise of disgust.

“Well suddenly that makes a little more sense.” She said, before she snorted "Is there anyone in this State you haven't shagged?" "I love it when you swear in British." He grinned before sighing as his attempts at humour fell flat. "Oh Lissy come on...it was years ago. I was a total fuck up till I met you." "Was she married back then?" "I don't know!" He shrugged "not exactly a great topic for pillow talk is it?" "You're disgusting." She rolled her eyes before she stepped away from him and headed over the stall that had been or original destination, leaving Frank wondering what the fuck just happened. With a sigh he followed her over and smiled at Verity who had just arrived with Bill, who was at that moment teasing Mary, trying to haggle with her over the price of the Brownies.

“Hey…” he tugged on Fliss’ elbow “Are you seriously pissed at me?” She looked at him, pushing her shades up off her eyes “I just don’t like being reminded of your Four F stage.” “My what?” he looked at her, blankly. He had no idea what she was talking about.

“The Friday Fergs Fuckboi Frank stage” she said and Frank snorted, shaking his head.

“Ok, well, I can categorically tell you that now I’m in a double F stage.” “What?” it was her turn to look puzzled.

“Yeah, the Fliss’ Frank stage” He flashed her a cheeky grin and she blinked before she snorted and shook her head.

“I hate you.” She mumbled as he pulled her in for a hug, giving her head a quick kiss, the chuckles vibrating from his body to hers.

*****

The rest of the week passed fairly uneventfully. Mary broke up for summer on the Friday and Frank finished the painting and the wallpapering in the attic. On the Saturday he got 3 out of 4 of the walls in the Nursey painted, leaving just the feature one for Sunday, which he was ridiculously excited about. However, his plans of an early start were derailed when he slept in a little later than he had anticipated. Fliss was still out for the count when he climbed out of bed, and he dressed as quietly as he could, dropping a kiss to her cheek before he headed down to the kitchen and was joined by Mary a few minutes later. For whatever reasons she was in a particularly raucous mood, probably because she had realised she didn’t have to go to school on Monday, bouncing around the kitchen telling Frank loudly what she was going to do that afternoon which involved riding Monty and swimming in the pool until it went dark. Then, apparently she was going to watch a load of movies and stay up all night…Frank didn’t bother to tell her there was no chance, as both he and Fliss still had to go to work. As with the previous Summer, Roberta was looking after her Monday to Wednesday, and Verity and Bill had her on Thursday and Friday, which meant she was basically going to be up the same time as normal every day so he could drop her off.

However, that was an argument for later. Right now he was simply trying to get her to calm down.

“Mary, for the last time, be quiet!” Frank groaned “Fliss is still asleep.”

“But it’s almost 10 am.” Mary whined.

“It’s Sunday and she’s cooking another person, she can sleep however long she wants” he replied “Now come on, we got painting to do.”

Mary looked at him and let out a groan. “I’m 9. Making me paint this house is child labour”

“You wanted to help with the nursery.”

Mary glared at him “He ain’t even gonna be here for another like 7 weeks or whatever.”

“Yeah, and the rate you’re going it’s gonna take us that long to sort it. Come on it’s the last wall.” He cajoled as she bit into her toast “We did your room first, then the attic. I even let you pick that horse wall paper for up there.”

Mary shoved the last of her toast in her mouth and hopped down off the stool “Fine…” she said with an exaggerated eye roll. “I’ll go change into my painting stuff.” He watched her go, tossing the crust from his toast to Thor who caught it expertly, before he headed upstairs. Fliss wandered out of the bedroom and onto the landing, still in her sleep set, yawning.

“Hey…” she smiled at him and he beamed back as she shuffled to him for a hug.

“Did Mary wake you?” he asked and Fliss shook her head.

“No, I was just dozing.” She said.

“Ok, well we’re gonna finish painting the nursery.” He smiled and she pulled back grinning. “Want me to get you breakfast first?” “I’m good.” She smiled “I’ll sort myself out and then come help”

Pressing a kiss to her head he stepped back and watched as she headed down the stairs before he walked into the Nursery, joined shortly by Mary. All bar one of the walls were painted a cream colour, and he checked the paint for patches, happy that it looked ok before he looked pulled the print out of the theme they’d looked at on Pinterest and handed it to Mary once he’d taken a look at it. Grabbing the stepladders he set about marking squares out on the wall where the crib was going to lie against with tape. Then with a pencil he supervised as Mary checked the photo and wrote a letter in each square to signal what colour they were going to be painted to make a block pattern of different greens, browns and blue.

Once the squares were marked out he handed Mary a paint brush and told her to keep between the lines. He knew he might have to go over a few patches on the areas she did, but even that was quicker than him doing it all himself and it was important to both of them she felt involved, even if it was under duress.

Half an hour or so later Fliss joined them and the 3 of them finished the wall in little over 2 hours, standing back to admire their handy work. Fliss beamed as Mary nodded in satisfaction.

“Can I go see Monty now?” she asked.

“Yeah, we’ll head over.” Fliss nodded.

“I’ll get the furniture up whilst you’re gone.” Frank smiled.

“Sure you can manage?” Fliss teased. “We’re supposed to be at my mum and dad’s in 4 hours.”

Frank shot her a look and she grinned cheekily before she headed out of the room to change into her stable gear.

With the radio on, Frank unwrapped the packaging to the crib and got to work, humming gently to himself as he powered through, following the instructions. It was fairly easy all things considered, and he had the crib fully assembled and in position in 45 minutes. Smiling to himself the chest of drawers were next, then the little wardrobe and the changing unit. Then he fixed the blind to the window and added the stencil he’d bought over the top. All in all it took him just under 2 hours until he jumped down from the little step ladder and looked around.

Now it looked like a nursery.

 He took the cardboard boxes and wrap down to the garage and slung them on the pile of other garbage that needed slinging during the week and then back into the nursery, removing the dust sheets from the new carpet and then he set about unpacking the various bags and items of things they’d bought for bean. He placed the blankets in the crib, the lamp on the table, shuffled the rocking chair around and then stepped back to admire his work.

“Oh my God…” He jumped a little and turned to see Fliss blinking. He’d been that wrapped up in everything he hadn’t heard her come in.

“Frank, you did everything.”

“I’m sorry.” He blurted out, cursing himself. “I got carried away. I didn’t think. Did you want to do the accessories or…” “No, I mean yeah, but…” she shook her head, stepping into the room “It doesn’t matter. Sailor, it looks great!” She slid her arm round his waist as he dropped a kiss to her head, her eyes scanning the room. She stopped and frowned at the stencil above the window blind. Frank swallowed a little nervously, that was one thing she hadn’t seen before. He watched her profile as she read the cursive writing, which spelt out the words ‘All because two people fell in love’, and she turned to look up at him, tears in her eyes.

“Oh, Frankie…”

He smiled at her, his own eyes threatening to fill up again as he pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “It’s true.”

She turned back round to look once more at the room, her hand falling to her bump as they simply looked around the bedroom that would soon enough house their little baby boy.

“It’s perfect.” Fliss said, and Frank smiled, his arms wrapping around her from behind, his hands cupping her bump as he pressed a soft kiss to her neck.

After the usual Sunday roast Verity’s which was filled with the normal laughter, teasing and also some cooing from Verity over the photos of the nursery which Fliss had taken they headed home and after breaking the news to Mary that she was up early, which resulted in a mini- melt down until Frank threatened to send Monty to the dog-food factory if she didn’t stop right away.

“Whatever Frank, Fliss will never let you do that.” She glared at him, hands on her hips.

“Fliss won’t have a say in the matter.” He shot back, “Bed, now Mary. Don’t make me count to three.” “You know, I really hate you right now.” She glared at him.

“Well that suits me fine, because at this point in time I don’t particularly like you either.”

With a filthy look she turned on her heels, stomping from the room and muttering something under her breath, from which Frank made out the words Uncle and douchebag.

“I might be getting older but I can still HEAR YOU!” he yelled after her.

“GOOD!” came the shout back before the stairs thudded under her feet and her bedroom door slammed shut.

Frank exhaled, ran a hand through his hair and then checked all the doors were locked before he headed upstairs. “What was all that about?” Fliss asked as she emerged from the en-suite dressed for bed.

“Her being a pain in the ass about going to bed.” He grumbled, face planting onto the bed with a groan “Do we really want another one?”

“Too late for that now Sailor.” She chuckled. “She said she hated me and called me a douchebag.” He said, rolling over onto his back and Fliss let out a laugh.

“No comment.” “Hey.” He pouted, a hurt expression on his face. Fliss stuck her tongue out at him before he sat up with a heave and stripped off ready for bed.

They lay awake for a couple of hours, chatting, and talk turned to baby names after Bill had teased them over dinner that they still hadn’t decided on one. They had discounted a few, but had yet to settle on any that really grabbed their attention.

"What about Max?" Frank asked. He raised his head from where he was led, nose pressed against the curve of Fliss' belly as his hand gently tracked the movements his son was making. Boston Bean was being fairly active considering it was past 11. Fliss, who was sat propped up by a mound of pillows against the headboard looked down at him, her hand pausing where it has been raking through his now very fluffy hair and she wrinkled her nose. "Mmm not keen" she mumbled. "Although I like the X. The way it melts into Adler." Frank blinked before he snorted and Fliss laughed "God you talk some shit" he chuckled and she swatted at his head as he moved back to where he had been before, nose brushing her skin. "Benjamin..." he offered again, "Benjamin Billy. Then we can keep calling him BB" "That's actually kinda cute." Fliss said. "And its after my dad, although he's William." "William." Frank rolled the name around a little "I like that." "Could be a middle name." Fliss said "I don't really like Will, which is what it will no doubt end up shortened to and Bill...no, that's dad. And an old man's name" "I'll tell him you said that." Frank smiled and she shrugged. "I tell him he is an old git all the time" she retorted. Frank's hand stopped as Bean gave a particularly harsh kick and Fliss jumped a little. "Jesus..." she groaned. "Looks like we got a future footballer on our hands. You gonna be the next Tom Brady huh buddy?" Frank chuckled talking to her bump before he stilled "hey, what about-" "No." Fliss said, shutting that suggestion down immediately "We are not calling him Tom or Brady. Besides, that abomination you refer to is not football..." "Excuse me." Frank scoffed "It’s better than that damned shit you Brits play! Soccer." He muttered the word, shaking his head. "No, THAT’S football!" Fliss said indignantly. "Soccer" "Football!" Fliss repeated "it's a ball you kick with your foot! We invented it, we named it!" "Okay, okay!" Frank chuckled "Calm down before you go into labour!" She swatted playfully at his head as she grinned. "You know I would have loved you to have met my granddad and had this debate with him. He'd be spinning in his grave if he could hear us. You know he was actually a professional at one point?" "No kidding?" Frank askes and Fliss gave a hum. "Way before I met him, obviously" Fliss sighed "he played right back for Preston North End but had to retire early when he broke his leg. Never recovered from the injury. Dad said he had a pretty mean right peg on him. I mean leg..." she corrected her slang. "He was their designated Penalty taker. In the 10 years he played he took 60 penalties and missed a total of 2" "That's pretty cool." Frank admitted. "OK, so maybe if he grows up playing soccer that wouldn't be so bad..." "Alex Gallagher." Fliss chuckled "not quite as famous around here as Tom Brady...but still the GOAT. Well, in my eyes anyway." And then she took a deep breath. Frank paused, his hand staying still as he looked up at her smiling softly. "Alexander." They both said at the same time, Fliss' mouth curling into a little smile, her hand falling on top of his. "Alexander William Adler." She beamed down at him and Frank nodded, his own smile growing wider. "Yeah. Yeah I like that." He leaned up to give her a gentle peck, smiling against her lips "I really like it. Alex for short..." She smiled at him as he gently cupped her face. "Alex Adler it is." She nodded, her eyes misting up slightly before he kissed her again. ***** The next morning they packed Mary off to Roberta’s. She wasn’t in quite as bad a mood with Frank as she had been the previous evening. She was talkative enough to ask who had been on the phone when she had walked into the kitchen and why it meant Fliss had ended up re-jigging her morning around. The told her they had some stuff to sort for Bean, but in truth they were heading to see Greg who had called following Frank’s text message to say he could fit them in to talk about Mary’s adoption before his first appointment that morning.  

"Hi guys!" Greg strode out of his office greeting the pair of them with a smile "Damned girl you getting bigger by the day?" He teased, gesturing to her bump. "Bloody well feels that way." She grumbled. Frank placed a hand on the bottom of her back and guided her into the room where they both took a seat at one side of Greg’s desk.

“So…” he smiled “Tell me then, what’s sparked this off?” Frank briefly explained about the incident with the kid at school and how Mary had reacted, along with the handful of times she had mentioned wishing they were both her parents. Greg smiled, pausing only to thank his PA who walked in with two coffees and an apple juice. Once Frank had finished Greg leaned back, a finger trailing over his mouth before he smiled.

"So the process you’ll go through, if you decide to go through with it is called Kinship adoption." Greg repeated "In general, the procedure of adopting a family member’s child is considerably simpler than other types of adoption because some parts of the domestic adoption process will not apply ergo it is normally easier and faster. And given the fact that you already have legal guardian status this negates any requirement for home studies, nor will there be any need for a supervision period post an initial care placement period as she is already in your care." "So what do we need to do?" Fliss asked. "First off we need to obtain permission from Polland." Greg said "He needs to surrender his legal parental rights by law." Fliss frowned and Greg looked at her before he began to expand on his explanation. "A child can’t have more than two legal parents at a time." Greg looked at her "So as you both would be Mary's legal parents via adoption, it means that Polland's legal rights to her will be completely severed." "I thought they were already terminated?" Fliss looked at Frank who shook his head. "We discussed petitioning for it but it would have prolonged the whole hearing process." Frank looked at her. "I just wanted Mary to settle and legally be allowed to stay, and, well to be honest, it didn’t feel right to sever him completely whilst she was so young, even though he is a total dick. Mary could have changed her mind down the line about all sorts of things so…” he trailed off.

“So all that means that technically he still has the right to apply for visitation if he so wishes." Greg looked at Fliss “But an adoption would stop that." "What if he objects?" Frank asked, the thought suddenly springing into his mind. "Then we would file to the court to have his objection overruled, and request they sever his rights regardless of what he says." Greg said "And given the history with this case, I think there's a pretty good chance we would win." Frank nodded "Ok, so rights removed one way or another. Then what?" "Then we petition the court, file the paperwork, all the boring stuff like the welfare checks will happen, which, will predominantly focus on you Fliss as Frank went through all of this already. They may want to meet your family but I wouldn't worry about it at all. It’s a safe, stable and loving environment that Mary has. That's clear to anyone." Frank gently took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together as he gave her a smile. "And then, once that's over you’ll attend a finalisation hearing where you’ll be granted legal parental status." Greg says. "It sounds complicated but it’s fairly straight forward because, as I keep saying, she's been with you for a while now and she's a relative." "So how long would it take?" Fliss asked. Greg wrinkled his nose "if Polland doesn't object I'd be surprised if it took longer than 3 months. Given that Bean is due to arrive in just under two, you might wanna hang off until things have settled down a little. Maybe kick it off at the end of September, give you both time to get to grips with the fact you have a new baby. Leave it with me, I’ll speak to one of the guys at the Welfare department, see exactly what parts of the process they will need to do and then we’ll take it from there.” “Sounds like a plan.” Franks smiled, as Fliss squeezed his hand.

*****

"I prefer Theodore" Mary shrugged when they told her over dinner about the name they had settled on. "But William is cool, after Bill." "Well when you grow up and have your own kid, and by grown up I mean 35 on account that you won't allowed to date until you're at least 30..." Frank pointed his fork at her "...you can call your own kid that." "I might have a girl" Mary shrugged, the towel she was wrapped in slipping from her shoulders slightly. "Theodora then" Fliss said, shoving another fork full of chicken into her mouth. Mary pondered this for a second before she shrugged and Frank simply arched an eyebrow as he looked at Fliss who leaned back in the whicker chair and grinned. "So why can't I tell anyone the name?" Mary asked after she swallowed more of her dinner. "Because we want something to stay a surprise Stack" Frank explained "everyone already knows he's a boy. We just wanna keep a little something to ourselves for the 5 weeks or we have before he arrives." "But we wanted you to know." Fliss smiled. Mary grinned "Ok. Secret's safe." She placed her fork down on her empty plate "I'm finished, can I go back in the pool?" "Give it 5 minutes for your food to settle yeah?' Frank looked at Fliss who nodded at him and he cleared his throat slightly. "And while you're waiting, there's something else we wanted to talk to you about." "Ok..." Mary looked at him. "You know how you asked us where we were going this morning?" He looked at her, his hand dropping to Fliss’ knee under the table and she tangled her fingers with his, giving them an encouraging squeeze. "Yeah" “And I said it was to do with Bean?”

“Yeah…” "Well, it was actually to see Greg. And it was about you." Her eyes widened and she swallowed her food with a gulp "they're not taking me away are they?" "No, no nothing like that." Fliss soothed her quickly, "In fact...kinda the opposite." "I don't understand" she frowned. "We went to see Greg to ask him about how, if you want us to, we can start the process to adopt you." Frank looked at her. Mary blinked and she looked at Frank who held her gaze before she turned to Fliss. "Adopt me" she whispered. Frank nodded. "But only if that's what you want. It won't mean anything will change, not on a day to day basis anyway, it just means that me and Fliss will both have full-“ He was cut off as Mary jumped up out of her seat and flung herself at him, wrapping her arms round him, pressing her face into the crook of his shoulder and neck as she began to sob. Fliss watched them both, a lump forming in her throat as Frank glanced at her, his eyes glassy. "I'm hoping they're happy tears." He said, clearing his throat. Fliss smiled gently as he simply sat rocking Mary slightly till she calmed down enough to sit back, her hands reaching up, fingers threading into his beard. "So..." she sniffed "you would be my mom and dad?" "Baby we already are." Fliss leaned forward as much as she could to gently rub her back. "I told you that a few weeks ago." "But legally?" "Yeah." Frank nodded. "It will take a little while but Greg says that it will be quicker than usual considering its something called a Kinship Adoption." "What does that mean?" Mary asked quietly. "Basically because you're a relative to me and you've been living with me for so long, some of the process may not be needed." Frank explained. He hesitated for a moment, debating how honest to be before he decides to explain fully to her. She had to understand, she deserved to. "What it does mean, however, is that to allow both Fliss and I to become your parents, they have to completely cut your father off. Which means he has no rights to see you at all going forward. He might refuse our application because of that." "He could refuse?" Mary frowned. "Yeah, but I don't think he will." Frank shook his head "And even if he does we can fight it." Mary nodded, her head bowed a little "He never wanted me anyway..." "Well we do." Fliss said firmly. “And he’s a jackass for not wanting anything to do with you Mary.” "If he does refuse will I have to go live with him?" she looked up her eyes wide. "No." Fliss shook her head "it just means things stay the same as they are now." "That's not so bad." Mary shrugged and Frank gave a huff of a laugh. "Glad to hear it." Frank raised an eyebrow as Mary began fiddling with the collar of his t-shirt "Now, we're going to need to wait until after Alex is born as things are gonna be busy for us all when he arrives but we wanted to give you chance to think about it and make sure it’s what you want. And whatever you decide it doesn't change a thing, ok? You'll stay here and we will still love you no matter what." Mary swallowed and looked at Frank earnestly "I do want. I know already. I don't need to think about it." Frank smiled and brushed her hair back off her face which was getting rather long now and she beamed back at him. "Will I still need to call you Frank?" Frank took a deep breath "that’s up to you. Why don't you see how you feel OK?" She nodded and reached up to kiss his cheek before she hopped down and turned towards Fliss. She chambered onto her knee as best she could and wrapped her arms around her neck, hugging her tight. "I'm so happy." She sniffed and Fliss let out a little noise that was half laugh, half sob and she held her back tightly. Frank wiped his eyes, sniffing a little as he fought to keep it together. He had expected an emotional response from Mary, but it still hadn't prepared him in the slightest for how he was going to feel. For so long he had resisted being referred to as her father and now here he was about to embrace it, and make it 'legal'. Whilst he still had that tiny little bit of guilt regarding Diane, he was pleased to find he didn't feel a shred of doubt, nor after all the soul searching and conversations with Bill last week, and then his mother this afternoon who had, rather emotionally, told him she thought it was a ‘wonderful’ idea, even stating that if Polland did object, she was ready to go onto battle alongside him. Greg was convinced they would have a great chance of winning if it came to it, and even if they didn't, like Fliss said, nothing would change. But for now, he pushed all that to the back of his mind, focusing on the here and now as Mary sat on Fliss lap, her hand skating over her bump as they both giggled, Mary pulling her arm away and squealing. "He just kicked real big!" She looked at Frank, drawing out the word real as he smiled. "Clearly he likes the idea too." He quipped as he stood up "and you know what I like the sound of?" He whipped off his t-shirt and in a flash plucked Mary off Fliss' lap and ran full pelt to the pool with her in his arms as she shrieked and swatted at his back playfully, Thor running behind them, his loud barks booming around the garden. With a huge jump Frank propelled them straight off the side and under the surface of the cool water. They both emerged a second or so later, Mary spluttering as she splashed him causing him to reach out and grab her leg, pulling her back under. "I’m going to be living with 3 children Bean." Fliss patted her bump, just as Thor gave one final frustrated wine before he launched himself into the pool too. Mary let out a huge laugh and pointed to him and Frank grinned as she chambered onto his back. "Hey Frank look..." she giggled loudly "doggy paddle" Frank found that far more funny than he should.

[ted-curtis-art]

PSA to the Romanogers Community (SPOILERS)

DO NOT READ ON IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN ENDGAME OR DON’T WANT TO BE SPOILED ABOUT THE ENDING. THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE.

So, we didn’t get the ending we wanted. Romanogers will not be canon, Steve will stay in the past with Peggy, and Natasha is now dead, sacrificing herself to get the soul stone. The worst scenario possible for us fans of the Soldier and the Spy, right? WRONG.

Sure, it didn’t end up as definitively canon, but we have never, EVER needed the direct blessing of canon to let this ship sail. This changes nothing, not to us. We will still create art, still write fanfics, still celebrate what could have been, just as usual. We have to accept that, as much as our desires were somewhat catered to, we were in the minority. The ending we got is what most people would have wanted, and that’s fine. We can accept that, and move on and as a community and as fans. 

We simply bet on the wrong horse and lost, but that does not mean we were wrong. We were never wrong in seeing the potential of these two, never wrong to want more from them. Canon doesn’t diminish the passion we have for these characters, and at the same time, our specific, admittedly unpopular scenario not happening doesn’t diminish the effort of the Russo brothers, Stephen McFeely, Christopher Markus, Kevin Feige and - most importantly - Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson for their efforts in making these films.

Natasha went out as a hero, sacrificing herself to save the universe. She was most heroic of them all, an honour that she fought for her entire life at SHIELD, a cause that was strengthened by her time spent with Steve. Steve mourned for her. That tear may not seem a lot but think about it. We have rarely, RARELY seen Steve cry. The last time I could think of was Peggy’s funeral. Natasha was just as important to him as Peggy was, THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE. All he could, whilst the others were arguing, standing up and throwing chairs, was crumple into a seat and cry. Utterly defeated. These choices were deliberate, the people behind this film knew how important Nat was to Steve.  They KNEW WHAT THEY WERE DOING.

Think about it this way, perhaps - just maybe - the screenwriters knew that if Natasha were still around, Steve would have stayed in the present. Natasha, his rock in the modern world, was gone. That’s why Steve was so ready to go back and be with Peggy, the other most important woman in his life because there was little left in the present for him to live for.  Of course, he would want to have a little bit of happiness with the life he missed out on. And I’m sure that Natasha would have wanted that too, for him to finally find a place where he could just be, a place to call home, even if she can’t have that with him. That was the sacrifice she made in the end, and she did it for him. Just as he said he trusted her to do. She gave him more than anyone else ever could, SHE GAVE HIM HIS LIFE BACK. If that’s not romantic, I don’t know what is.  Besides, we can always have our satisfaction that Steggy’s happy ending will always be reliant on Natasha, and by extension Romanogers. Yeah, if it weren’t for those two bringing out the best in each other, helping each other, staying by each other’s sides until the very end, then every post-Endgame Steggy fic will have that little undercurrent of Romanogers to thank. And I think that’s delightfully satisfying.

Besides, do you know how easy it would be for us to change this? The fanfiction writes itself. Who says we can't write a scene where Steve wakes up in the middle of the night and just breaks down in Peggy’s arms, his grief for his fallen lover finally catching up to him? Or how about a fix-it where Steve rejects the past and brings her back (we know the soul stone can be bargained with, Gamora came back, so why not her)? Or how about a fic where Thanos kills Steve in battle, only to have him and Nat reunite in the soul stone, together for the rest of time, in peace? The possibilities are endless, so get writing, get drawing, get animating, get editing. We are far from done with these two, nay, we are only just beginning. The story is over, yes, but that means we can construct our AUs from start to finish, our new timelines will be more complete than ever.

And don’t let anyone tell you that we can’t divulge in our pairing, after all, it’s fiction, in the same capacity as the MCU itself, the same as the comics. It’s just as valid to diverge from canon as it is to follow IF YOU’RE HAVING FUN WHILST DOING IT. So please, no shipping wars, no blasting the people responsible on twitter, no boycotting the MCU. Let’s enjoy what was, and what can be. Let us sail the good ship Romanogers to greater horizons, the best non-canon MCU pairing ever made. A pairing so close to canon, it should have been ENDGAME.

Oh, yeah, and - besides my disappointment that that ONE aspect of the film - this movie KICK ASS AND EVERYONE SHOULD SEE IT, MY GOD IT IS AWESOME!

EDIT: BTW I’m writing a post-Endgame, canon-compliant Romanogers fic where Steve and Nat end up happily married and live out their lives in peace. How could they possibly end up together after Endgame, you ask? Impossible, surely? You’ll have to read and see. I’ll post a link when it’s up. Treat it as a free therapy session.

EDIT 2: @romanogersnowbarry94 especially wanted to be notified when I started posting my fix-it story (mentioned above), so here it is: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18603754/chapters/44106034

It’s still in progress but updates are quick. Welcome to therapy.

[astrogeoguy]

Meteors Mount, Gas Giants in Evening, and Touring the Triangle and Celestial Critters!

(Above: Albireo is the beautiful double star that marks the head of Cygnus the Swan!)

Hello, Summer Stargazers! 

Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of July 28th, 2019 by Chris Vaughan. Feel free to pass this along to your friends and send me your comments, questions, and suggested topics. I repost these emails with photos at http://astrogeoguy.tumblr.com/ where all the old editions are archived. You can also follow me on Twitter as @astrogeoguy! Unless otherwise noted, all times are Eastern Time. Please click this MailChimp link to subscribe to these emails. 

I can bring my Digital Starlab inflatable planetarium to your school or other daytime or evening event. Contact me, and we’ll tour the Universe together! 

Meteor Shower Update

The Southern Delta Aquariids meteor shower runs annually from July 21 to August 23. It is caused by the Earth passing through a cloud of tiny particles dropped by a periodic comet – likely Comet 96P/Machholtz. The shower peaked before dawn this morning (Sunday, July 28), but is quite active for a week surrounding that date. This shower commonly generates 15-20 meteors per hour at the peak, but is best seen from the southern tropics, where the shower’s radiant, in Aquarius (the Water-Bearer), is positioned higher in the sky. The waning crescent moon on the weekend should not adversely affect the shower very much. 

The prolific Perseid Meteor Shower runs from July 13 through August 26, so keep an eye out for a few of them this week. The moon will spoils the show on the peak nights of August 12/13, so take advantage of the darker skies this week. 

To increase your chances of seeing any meteors, find a dark location with lots of sky, preferably away from light polluted skies, and just look up with your unaided eyes. Binoculars and telescopes are not useful for meteors because their fields of view are too narrow to fit the streaks of meteor light. Don’t watch the radiant. Any meteors near there will have very short trails because they are travelling towards you. Try not to look at your phone’s bright screen – it’ll ruin your night vision. And keep your eyes heavenward, even while you are chatting with companions. I’ll write more about meteors in the coming weeks. For now, happy hunting! 

The Moon and Planets

Keep that telescope handy - the first half of this week will feature dark evening skies worldwide. Late on Wednesday, the moon will pass the sun - giving us a second new moon in July, and then our natural satellite will return to grace the western evening sky after sunset to end the week. Here are this week’s Skylights! 

If you are out under the stars before dawn on Monday, you’ll see a pretty crescent moon in the eastern sky, between the toes of Gemini (the Twins) and the upraised club of Orion (the Hunter). Yes – those winter constellations will return to view before we know it! On Tuesday morning, the moon will be lower, and closer to the sun. 

The moon will first return to view, positioned low over the northwestern horizon, shortly after sunset on Thursday evening. For the rest of the week, the moon’s delicate crescent will grow and the moon will set later – passing through the stars of Leo (the Lion) and landing a few finger widths to the right (celestial west) of the medium-bright star Porrima in Virgo (the Maiden) on Sunday evening. Viewed in a backyard telescope, Porrima splits into a lovely double star - but I recommend waiting until next spring to view it. At that time it will be higher in the sky. 

(Above: The southern evening sky at 10 pm local time.)

With the moon away, Jupiter is the brightest object in the early evening sky. After dusk, look for it gleaming in the southwestern sky. It will set in the west after 2 am local time. On a typical night, even a backyard telescope will show you Jupiter’s two main equatorial stripes and its four Galilean moons, named Io, Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede. The moons always form a rough line flanking the planet. If you see fewer than four, then some are in front of Jupiter, or hidden behind it. 

From time to time, the small, round black shadows cast by the Galilean moons become visible in amateur telescopes as they cross (or transit) Jupiter’s disk. After midnight on Saturday night, Io’s shadow will start to transit the northern part of Jupiter at 12:44 am. Unfortunately, Jupiter will set in the Eastern Time Zone before its passage is complete; but observers farther west can watch the entire event. 

Due to Jupiter’s rapid 10-hour rotation period, the Great Red Spot (or GRS) is only observable from Earth every 2nd or 3rd night, and only during a predictable three-hour window. The GRS will be easiest to see using a medium-sized, or larger, aperture telescope on an evening of good seeing (steady air). If you’d like to see the Great Red Spot in your telescope, it will be crossing the planet tonight (Sunday evening) from dusk to 11 pm EDT, on Tuesday night from 10:52 pm to 12:30 am EDT, on Thursday from 11 pm to 2:30 am EDT, and after dusk on Friday and Sunday. I posted a calendar of Jupiter’s doings here. 

Yellow-tinted Saturn will remain visible from dusk until almost dawn this month. The ringed planet’s position in the sky is just to the upper left (celestial east) of the stars that form the teapot-shaped constellation of Sagittarius (the Archer). Saturn is quite a bit dimmer than Jupiter. To find it, look about 3 fist diameters to the lower left (east) of Jupiter. Dust off your telescope! Once the sky is dark, even a small telescope will show Saturn's rings and several of its brighter moons, especially Titan! Because Saturn’s axis of rotation is tipped about 27° from vertical (a bit more than Earth’s axis), we can see the top surface of its rings, and its moons can appear above, below, or to either side of the planet. During this week, Titan will migrate counter-clockwise around Saturn, moving from the upper right of Saturn tonight (Sunday) to the lower left of the planet next Sunday. (Remember that your telescope will flip the view around.) 

For night owls, tiny blue Neptune is in the southeastern pre-dawn sky, among the stars of Aquarius (the Water-Bearer). The planet will be rising before 10 pm local time this week. You’ll find the magnitude 7.8 Neptune sitting a thumb’s width to the left (east) of a medium-bright star named Phi (φ) Aquarii. The planet is actually moving slowly toward that star! 

Blue-green Uranus will be rising at about midnight local time this week. It is sitting below the stars of Aries (the Ram) and is just a palm’s width above the head of Cetus (the Whale). At magnitude 5.8, Uranus is bright enough to see in binoculars under dark skies. 

Venus is above the east-northeastern sky, barely bright enough to see within the pre-dawn twilight sky that surrounds it. Sinking ever-closer to the rising sun, Venus will be rising at about 5:30 am local time all week. By the end of this week, Mercury will be easier to see than Venus. The swift, innermost planet is climbing away from the sun. Your best opportunity to see it will be at at about 5:30 am local time. 

A Summer Triangle Tour

When you are out on the next clear night, be sure to look for the three bright and beautiful blue-white stars of the Summer Triangle asterism, which shines high in the eastern sky in late July and early August. Once you have it identified, you can find some treasures within it, and follow its progress across the night sky until it finally disappears in late fall. 

(Above: The evening eastern sky features the Summer Triangle formed by the stars Vega, Deneb, and Altair. The Milky Way passes through it.)

Find an open area and face east. The very bright star Vega will be almost straight over your head. It’s the fifth brightest star in the entire night sky and one of the first stars to appear after dusk. Now look for the other two corners of the triangle. Altair, not as bright as Vega, sits about 3.5 outstretched fist diameters (34°) to the lower right of it. The third star, Deneb, is about 2.5 fist diameters (24°) to the lower left of Vega, and is higher up than Altair. It’s a very big triangle! 

Can you see the four fainter stars forming a small, upright parallelogram just below Vega? That shape is about a thumb’s width wide and a few finger widths tall. This box is the body of the musical harp that makes up the constellation of Lyra (the Lyre). Vega marks the top of the instrument’s neck. Vega’s visual magnitude, or brightness, is the zero reference point for the scale we use to define stars’ brightness values. Objects brighter than Vega have values lower than zero, and vice versa. Antares, the reddish star near Jupiter this summer, has a value of about 1, making it 2.5 times dimmer than Vega. (It’s a logarithmic scale.) 

(Above: A detailed view of Lyra, the Harp. The constellation features many double stars, including the Double Double, located a finger’s width from Vega)

Vega also forms a little triangle with two other dim stars, each about a finger’s width apart. The star to Vega’s upper left is Epsilon Lyrae, also known as the Double Double. Can you tell it’s actually two stars crammed tightly together? Try using binoculars. When magnified in a telescope, each star splits again! 

Deneb marks the tail of great Cygnus (the Swan). Look for a modest star sitting about two fist diameters (22°) to the right of Deneb. That’s Albireo, a colourful double star that marks the swan’s head. (I like to think of Albireo as the centre of doc Brown’s flux capacitor. The Summer Triangle stars are the gadget’s corners!) Albireo was given a single star name before telescopes revealed that there were two stars there! 

A widely spaced string of medium-bright stars aligned up-down traces out the swan’s wings. (Look closer to Deneb than Albireo for them – swans have long necks!) The brighter star in the middle of the wing span is Sadr, marking the swan’s belly. If you are in a dark location, you should also be able to see that the Milky Way runs right through Cygnus, as if she is about to land for a swim on that celestial river! 

The most southerly of the triangle’s corners is marked by Altair – the head of the great eagle Aquila. In fact, its name translates from “the flying eagle”. At only 16.8 light-years distance, Altair is one of the nearest bright stars – so close that its surface has been imaged! The star also seems to be spinning 100 times faster than our sun, probably generating an equatorial bulge. Like Cygnus, the Aquila the eagle is oriented with its wingtips up-down. The tail bends to the lower right. Two little stars named Terazed (above) and Alshain (below) sit on either side of Altair, like a balance. As a matter of fact, those two little stars’ names derive from an old-fashioned scale balance. 

Grab your binoculars and look about midway between Vega and Altair for a little grouping of stars called The Coathangar. (Hint: For North American observers, it’s oriented with the hook downwards to the right.) Finally, have a look for two little constellations in the area. Sagitta (the Arrow) comprises five faint stars running left-right, above Altair. The three on the right (west) end form the feathers. Below Sagitta, and about 1.3 fist diameters (13°) to the left of Altair is cute little Delphinus (the Dolphin). Four stars form a diamond-shaped body and another star to the lower of that right marks the tail flukes! The star names for Delphinus include a very interesting story. Look it up! 

There’s one more small constellation inside the Summer Triangle, but its dim stars make it difficult to make out. It’s called Vulpecula (the Fox), and it sits about a palm’s width above and parallel to Sagitta. I’ll post a star chart for the entire area here. Two birds, a dolphin, and a fox! (And – there’s the lizard Lacerta just to the east and a little foal Equuleus below Delphinus!) Enjoy your tour of the triangle and visit to this celestial zoo! 

(Above: The Summer Triangle neighbourhood includes a dolphin, a fox, a foal, and a lizard.)

Touring the Dark July Southern Sky

If you missed last week’s tour through the scorpion, the teapot, and the shield, I posted it with sky charts here. 

Public Astro-Themed Events

Taking advantage of dark, moonless evening skies this week, astronomers with the RASC Toronto Centre will gather for dark sky stargazing at Long Sault Conservation Area, northeast of Oshawa on (only) the first clear evening (Monday to Thursday) this week. You don’t need to be a RASC member, or own any equipment, to join them. Check here for details and watch the banner on their homepage or their Facebook page for the GO or NO-GO decision around 5 pm each day. 

Every Monday evening, York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory runs an online star party - broadcasting views from four telescopes/cameras, answering viewer questions, and taking requests! Details are here. On Wednesday nights they offer free public viewing through their rooftop telescopes. If it’s cloudy, the astronomers give tours and presentations. Details are here. 

At 8:30 pm on Wednesday, July 31, the High Park Nature Centre will host a free public Urban Bat Walk followed by stargazing (weather permitting). Check here for details. 

On Thursday, August 1, starting at 11 am, U of T’s AstroTour planetarium show will be a Kids Summer Break Show. Find tickets and details here. 

On Thursday, August 1, starting at 9 pm, U of T’s AstroTour will present a talk entitled A Brief History of Everything, followed by stargazing and a planetarium show. Find tickets and details here. 

Eastern GTA sky watchers are invited to join the RASC Toronto Centre and Durham Skies for solar observing and stargazing at the edge of Lake Ontario in Millennium Square in Pickering on Friday evening, August 2, from 6 pm to 11 pm. Details are here. Before heading out, check the RASCTC home page for a Go/No-Go call in case it's too cloudy to observe. The rain date is Saturday. 

On Friday, August 2, starting at 7 pm, U of T’s AstroTour planetarium show will be Grand Tour of the Cosmos. Find tickets and details here. 

The next RASC Family Night at the David Dunlap Observatory will be on Saturday, August 10. There will be sky tours in the Skylab planetarium room, space crafts, a tour of the giant 74” telescope, and viewing through lawn telescopes (weather permitting). The doors will open at 8:30 pm for a 9 pm start. Attendance is by tickets only, available here. If you are a RASC Toronto Centre member and wish to help us at DDO in the future, please fill out the volunteer form here. And to join RASC Toronto Centre, visit this page.

Keep looking up, and enjoy the sky when you do. I love questions and requests - so, send me some!

[wolfgabe]

Nintendo E3 2019 Thoughts  Part 1The Direct

ce Okay so with yesterday behind us I felt I might as well offer my own opinions on the main event of the day the Nintendo Direct.

To start off I like how rapid fire a lot of Nintendo’s Directs have become. While it’s not as flashy as a full blown conference it pretty much cuts out most of the padding and helps make things arguably more focused. I wasn’t expecting them to cram so much in within 40 minutes and I admit I thought at times they would do a Smash Ultimate and spend a bunch of time on one title which of course never happened now then onto the games themselves

Dragon Quest Hero or should I say Dragon Quest Gang for Smash. Pretty much something most of us expected. Personally I have nothing against Erdrick and Pals and it was inevtiable really that we got Dragon Quest representation in Smash considering how in Japan DQ is pretty much on the same level as Call of Duty, Fortnite, and Minecraft here in the States. As easy as it is to complain about more anime sword boys when you look at it DQ was pretty much one of our only options for an additional SE rep considering how stingy SE is with Final Fantasy as well as the fact that Sora is pretty much a massive legal minefield for obvious reasons. I kinda find it clever really that rather than just represent 1 game they instead use the Hero as a means to represent the entire Dragon Quest series as whole.

Following that up fittingly is another trailer for Dragon Quest 11

Doug Bowser makes his E3/Direct debut and already the memes are out in full force

H̶o̶t̶e̶l̶ ̶M̶a̶r̶i̶o̶ ̶2̶/Luigis Mansion 3 is looking great. Seriously I just love how clean everything looks. It’s almost like the Luigis Mansion Dark Moon Artwork come to life/ Too bad we didn’t an actual release date but really for a game like this I would be surprised if they don’t go for  an October release.

A Dark Crystal Game That was unexpected

Link’s Awakening now with Dungeon Maker. Seriously I can’t help but keep imagining a Zelda spinoff that’s basically a Zelda themed Dungeon Keeper

Trials of Mana and Collection of Mana Not exactly my cup of tea but it’s cool seeing The Mana Collection available on Switch right away

Witcher III for Switch. Another rumor that  turned out true. Bring on all the oerformance jokes and PC master race trolls. Panic Button doesn’t appear to be handling this one but I can’t help but wonder what sorcery they used to get this game running on Switch

Fire Emblem Three Houses Not really big on FE myself. I get why some people are complaining they basically spoiled the big twist but I figure that Nintendo may have did it on purpose to show fans that it’s not just Harry Potter with a Fire Emblem Skin

More Resident Evil love for Switch which is nice although I can’t help but wonder why they chose a port of RE6 over the remake of RE2

No More Heroes III another bit of a surprise. I admit for a second I thought I was looking at some new Power Rangers mech game. Great to see after Travis Strikes Again

That new Contra game looks eggghhhh but its cool we are getting the Contra collection too

Daemon x Machina. I actually did get some enjoyment out of the demo and what I saw with the mech customization looks interesting but I seriously hope they fixed the framerate in the final release.

Panzer Dragoon Another one that came out of nowhere. Switch has been seeing quite the amount of Sega love. Now if only we could get a Sega Ages port of Daytona USA

Pokemon Sword and Shield get a brief shoutout. Figured they wouldn’t spend too much time on it considering how it just got a direct last week. And like that the R34 crowd has already abandoned Sonia for Nessa go figure.

Astral Chain got a new trailer. Pretty interesting game and no doubt it will probably have an insanely over the top final boss as with fine Platinum tradition

Empire of Sin pretty interesting management/strategy game looks like it might be worth a shot when it comes out.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 Not a big Marvel person but personally I think its a bit funny really that UA3 has better models than the SE Avengers game.

Cadence of Hyrule Finally have a release date and its right at the end of E3 which is cool

Mario and Sonic at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Figured they would give a shoutout to this game.  Eggman looks surprisingly hot in shorts.  Why is nobody talking about the majesty of Barefoot Wario?

Animal Crossing New Horizons Finally the game pretty much everybody was waiting for. So it would appear Animal Crossing has now transformed into Minecraft. Jokes aside I can’t help but love the idea that you are pretty much now building the town yourself and populating the island from scratch. Okay actual path creation tools and the ability to place furniture outside this is too much. It’s kind of a bummer the game won’t be out till next March but its understandable really considering how packed Switches release schedule looks for the rest of 2019.  Also Tom Nook being a greedy little shit as usual and where is Isabelle please don’t tell me Nintendo you forgot our precious doggo girl.

The obligatory switch game/port sizzle reel. Nice recap of things to come. Another MS game confirmed with Super Lucky’s Tale. Also the Spyro Reignited Trilogy has finally been confirmed for Switch and PC which is great.  Alien Isolation? didn’t expect to see that game get ported. Still no release date for A Hat in Time Switch though

Now for what is arguably the two biggest bombshells to come out of this presentation

First off, Banjo Kazooie in Smash. I cannot freaking believe it a character where the Grinch Leak actually ended up turning out to be right!!! I admit even I had my doubts that we would actually see this come to fruition since I never thought MS would be that chill about letting Banjo show up in a game hosted by one of their own competitors. Of course competitor may not be the right word here considering how surprisingly chummy MS and Nintendo have gotten with each other as of late. I can’t help but find a sense of inner happiness and satisfaction when my own theories and hunches end up being proven correct. I just knew there had to be a reason why Blast Corps and Jet Force Gemini spirits were found in the game files for Smash Ultimate never mind the fact that MS in their E3 schedule clearly suggested we should watch Nintendo’s own E3 presentation. I admit when I first saw that Jiggy bounce by I kinda started to lose my collective shit. The whole reveal was just so brilliant from the way they basically parodied their own trailer to how happy the DK crew was to see Banjo again. Its almost like Sakurai and Nintendo were reading everyone’s mind. I am really liking Banjo’s Smash design and how they basically went for more updated version of his classic look rather than just settle for the Nuts and Bolts design. A perfect way really to drive home the point that Banjo has pretty much come home. And I cannot believe it they actually got Grant Kirkhope himself on board to compose new music for Smash. I admit I am loving that Spiral Mountain remix and you can even make out bits and pieces from other Banjo levels too. I can’t wait to hear what else there is with Banjo. While I am mainly a Nintendo person I would just like to give thanks to Phil Spencer for helping make so many Nintendo and Smash fans wildest dreams finally come true. Now perhaps see if you get the original Banjo games as well as maybe a Nintendofied version of Rare Replay perhaps on Switch

And finally capping off the direct was the reveal that an actual follow up to The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild is now in development. When we will see this title in full I am not sure but the brief teaser looks like they are hinting that Ganondorf himself could be back from the grave. Now I am hearing how the devs say they were inspired by Red Dead Redemption 2 does that mean more detailed horse mechanics?

All in all I would rate Nintendo’s E3 Direct an 8/out of 10. A few points were docked from the Animal Crossing delay but there was still a lot of games that I am interested in due out in the near future as well as some wonderful surprises to boot. I would personally say Nintendo was probably the best part of E3 this year and they made me a very happy gamer

[meimikana]

A Beginner's Guide to Caring for Your Luminary: Chapter 1: AO3 Fandom: Dragon Quest XI Pairing: Erik/Eleven (eventually) Rating: Teen Summary: Follow along as Erik meets, gets to know, and slowly learns how to properly care for his Luminary.

Notes: Updates will be sporadic as I'm writing this as I play, and my playtime is limited thanks to current physical issues (I had surgery on my left shoulder not too long ago and physical therapy makes me want to die). As such, I've just now gotten the orb from the mermaids, so if I get anything wrong about anybody's motivations, I can always go back and edit it. Please don't spoil me~ <3

That’s right, I’m back on my bullshit. I’ll never escape fic writing, never ever.

P.S. The chapter is under the cut for people who don't wanna go to AO3 for whatever reason. Cheers~

Ch1: Break Him Out of Jail

Keeping track of time became difficult when you were cooped up down somewhere in the bowels of Heliodor's famous inescapable underground dungeons. Nights and days had a tendency to blend together into an amorphous mass of unending boredom. Erik didn't figure he'd been consigned to this dull hellhole for too long though. A few months maybe, certainly not a year. Just enough time to dig a nice little hole straight down to potential freedom. Now he just had to make up his mind and take it.

It should have been an easy enough thing to do. He didn't care much for jail. It sucked. So why not just take the plunge and get the heck out of dodge, so to speak? Why not just go? There was absolutely no reason to still be here, rotting away, waiting for something that he knew wouldn't happen. No one knew their future, no matter how much someone else told them otherwise. Just because he'd been a little stupid and had gotten caught and thrown into jail was absolutely no reason to believe that anything else would happen. Fairy tales and legends were so not his deal. Thieving was his deal, his chosen profession, as it were. And it was something he would very much like to get back to. So he definitely needed to get up off his butt, break out of jail, lay his hands back on his richest score to date, and then skedaddle until Heliodor was just a dot on the horizon. It would be a perfect sequence of events, which meant, of course, that something would go wrong somewhere in there, but Erik was nothing if not flexible. He just needed to actually get the ball rolling.

So why was he still sitting here? Waiting?

Couldn't be for things that wouldn't happen. Nope, no way. Wasn't happening. Maybe he was just curious then? Maybe Erik was just waiting to see if Heliodor's equally famous knights would actually notice what he'd been doing this whole time? A likely enough reason, right? A thoroughly stupid and suicidal reason, mind you, but what else could there be? Besides, he had enough justification to wonder about that anyway. The knights had been… less than admirable in their intense lack of vigilance on making sure all the nasty little criminals didn't do anything untoward… like breaking out of jail or anything. They brought him tasteless food, clean water, and cleared out his waste on a regular basis, but other than that, nobody seemed to want to come down this way. It was weird. Even bandits tended to have better lookouts than this place. Arrogance, maybe? Could be, Heliodor's knights were known far and wide as being hyper-competent. But maybe that was the real fairy tale here? They sure hadn't seemed competent since catching him, and he still wasn't even sure how they'd managed to get the drop on him in the first place. He'd been careful. There had been no indication that he'd been made. Nothing at all. It was almost like it had been his fate this whole time…

But that was just him being silly about stupid things. Not gonna happen.

Erik perked up, gratefully sidelining that train of thought, at what sounded like the tromping of several knights marching their way down towards his cell. Hmm, interesting. Maybe they had noticed his digging after all? Swiftly yanking his hood up, Erik crossed his arms and slouched back against the wall facing the entrance to his cell block, then did his level best to give off an air of abject indifference. He was either about to get nailed for attempting to escape (even though he hadn't quite gotten that far yet), or something else was going on. Either way, it would be a welcome disruption from the overwhelming boredom his life consisted of at present.

Holy- Erik nearly swallowed his tongue as what he'd been hearing finally came into view. That's a lot of knights. And Hendrik… What the heck was he doing all the way down here? Oh, pushing around some poor kid by the looks of it. Why in the world would they need to send an entire troop of knights, along with Sir Hendrik, their most famous jerk, to lock up some poor kid? Erik's opinion of Heliodor's knights just kept getting lower and lower without him even having to try to think badly of them. Darkspawn? What in the world were they talking about? It's just some kid. The worst he'd probably ever done in his life was walk in on the girls' bath or something equally naive and stupid. This was the most ridiculous posturing Erik had ever seen. Was this some ill thought out, harebrained scheme to scare the crap out of some rich guy's kid? Seemed the most likely explanation; but no, they were all just walking off and leaving him there. What even- This didn't make any sense whatsoever. Granted, the kid didn't look all that rich, but what else could he be? He was clean, well groomed, and looked to be completely baffled at what had just happened. No way was he a criminal. So why was he here?

This? Was really, really weird.

The kid didn't seem to know what to do with himself either by the sound of it. Rattling the bars, jostling the jars that had been left behind in the cell, and generally just being a little less than quiet. The noise kind of irritated Erik, if he was being honest. It had been so quiet for so long down here that he didn't really appreciate any unwelcome clamor, even if he had been looking forward to something different just a short while ago. But that was then, this is now.

"Could you knock it off?" Erik threw out as he slouched back further against the wall. No. Wait. He was the one being ridiculous here. This was exactly what he'd been waiting for. Well, no, not really, but that wasn't actually ever going to happen. But this? This was good. A perfect reason to get out. He hadn't asked for a roommate, after all, and if they were going to insist on giving him one, then he was going to make them regret it. But how did he want to go about doing that…

His own escape would certainly prove to be something of an embarrassment for the knights, especially the ones who were supposed to be guarding him, but it wouldn't make that much of an overall splash. Erik was just a "petty" thief when you got right down to it, and the theft of the Orb hadn't really made any waves as far as he could tell. In fact, back before he'd gotten caught, it hadn't seemed like anyone had even known about it. Which had been odd at the time, and still kind of was, but whatever. This kid, on the other hand… Oho, this kid had just been deposited right in his proverbial lap by Sir Hendrik of all people. Erik wasn't a kidnapper or anything of the sort, but he didn't think the kid would mind all that much if Erik stole him right out from under the noses of all of those knights. The kid could just make his own way home once they were out and it would all be square, they'd both be free and Heliodor's knights would be covered in mud, figuratively speaking.

Yes, that was perfect. Now he just needed to get the kid onboard. Easy enough. Smirking to himself, Erik languidly looked over at the kid and felt his breath catch in his throat. This guy definitely wasn't a kid, young, yeah, but not that much younger than him. But there was something… It was the strangest sensation, but Erik almost felt as if he should already know who this person was. Didn't make sense… Mentally shaking his head at his own flight of fancy, Erik kicked his brain back on track for the situation at hand. He had an escape to make and a plus one to spring with him.

"What are you in for, anyhow?" Erik asked curiously, then let the rest of the conversation go on autopilot as he catalogued what he needed to do. A guard would be by soon with the disgusting gruel they fed the people locked up down here. The usual knight was fairly apathetic about his job, so it would be old hat taking him out, and he'd have the keys on him, then-

It was at that point when everything kind of just locked up and froze and the conversation he'd barely been paying attention to flashed across the forefront of his mind in lurid detail.

The Luminary.

Oh.

Oh no.

That… That wasn't- This wasn't- He'd like to say that this wasn't supposed to happen, but he had known it would happen all along, hadn't he? He'd been told it would happen, though Erik had never once really believed that little prophecy would actually come true. Fate happened to other people. He was just a thief, nobody special, just somebody getting by in the world by his own means. But here he was, and here they were, and this is where he was supposed to be, after all. Right here, right now. Erik was entirely certain that somewhere someone was laughing at him. Probably himself. Definitely the Seer. Oh well, this was it. The future he'd been denying was standing right in front of him now, it would be stupid to pretend his outlook hadn't flipped itself around thanks to the shock. The Luminary… Kinda young to be a hero, all things considered, but Erik supposed everyone had to start somewhere. And hey, that's probably why out of everyone in the entire freaking world, he'd been the one chosen to be here. A thief who knew the ins and outs of everything would probably be good to have on hand right about now.

Later, he'd wonder about it a little, about how he just took this fresh faced kid who was barely even an adult at face value. How could someone so unassuming be the Luminary? But he'd only wonder about it for the briefest of moments, because even at this point, deep down Erik already knew he'd do just about anything for this young man. And this was before Erik even knew his name. Funny how things worked out, huh?

---

There's a dragon underneath Heliodor.

A giant freaking black dragon. Under Heliodor.

What the hell?!

Erik should have known things were going too smoothly for it all to work out okay. The knights had been on the ball about trying to catch them, but he supposed that fit the situation. If those morons were going around calling the Luminary of all people a Darkspawn, then it made sense for them to want to get their hands back on him. Seriously, Darkspawn? What even? Anybody who had a freaking dragon hanging out in their basement had no business labeling other people as evil. Much less the Luminary. But why is he even surprised? Everything else about this place was crazy, the knights of Heliodor might as well be cuckoo along with it.

Erik spared a glance to the side as he pelted full tilt down another tunnel. The kid was keeping up with him, then again, he'd been keeping up with Erik the entire way. He'd snuck around the knights just as Erik had instructed him to as if he'd been born to thieving. Which he definitely hadn't. The kid did things well, but he didn't have the moves of a pro. Maybe that was just something else about him being the Luminary? Good at stuff even though he was probably too good to even think about some of the stuff he had to do? Something like that maybe.

If they survived this, somehow, Erik supposed he could just ask about it. Then again, maybe he shouldn't. Sometimes it was best to just not think about some things. Sometimes you just had to do stuff whether you wanted to or not. Fate, right? Well, probably in the case of the kid, but for him it had always just been another facet of survival. That's what he was good at. Surviving.

This dragon really needed to go away right about now though. They were not dragon treats. Or human flavored shish kabobs, please stop breathing fire at them and just go away.

And maybe it did? Erik blew out a hard breath as he surveyed the wooden walkway that was cheerfully burning behind them. They'd gotten out of that last deathtrap of a tunnel in the nick of time, and it really did appear as if the dragon had given up. There was no more fire barreling down towards them, and no more earth shattering stomps bouncing off the walls in horrific, unending echoes. Here's hoping they were home free. But he really ought to know better than that by now. Because just as soon as he thought they were safe, if just from the dragon, here come more knights to chase them down. More running, but not in the right direction, Erik despaired as the newest tunnel they'd headed down opened up onto a ledge and a sheer drop as their only form of escape.

Pretty place really, great view with a waterfall within arm's reach. Not a bad place to die, if they were going to die, which they were not. A waterfall meant water down below, though a jump from this height ought to kill them. Hitting water from this high up would be just like hitting the ground, after all. But what other choice did they have? Erik didn't want to die, and he sure didn't want the Luminary to die. That's not what they were here for anyway. So… trust in fate, huh? He could do that. They could do this. Just… take a leap of faith and trust that whatever had been watching over them up to this point would continue to do so.

"The name's Erik, by the way."

He'd only admit it to himself, and only in the dead of night when he was the only one awake, but the little smile Erik got in return had kinda made it all worth it.

---

Erik awoke alone on the shore of a briskly running stream, half in and half out of the water, and for a moment's time he couldn't recall why that was completely and utterly wrong. Then it all came rushing back to him and he was up on his feet before he even knew what he was doing. He was incredibly waterlogged, but that didn't matter in the least right now. Where was he? Erik couldn't have lost the Luminary already! Heck, even if he wasn't the Luminary, Erik would still be a hairsbreadth away from panicking. He'd broken them both out of jail, escaped a dragon and the knights of Heliodor, no way was a waterfall going to be the end of either of them. Just… gotta find the kid and everything would be fine. He couldn't be far, the water may be moving at a good pace, but it was still just a stream, more than enough places to get caught on.

"Hey-!" Erik began to call out, then thought better of it. No need to alert anybody nearby of their presence. Find the kid first, then figure out what to do afterwards. Glancing around at the trees that rose all around him, Erik supposed he'd floated down quite a ways. It had looked pretty clear when they'd been looking down from above. This worked in their favor, at least. If anyone was playing lookout back up on that cliff, they wouldn't be able to see either of them getting out of the water. Though, that was assuming the kid hadn't washed ashore somewhere closer to the base of the waterfall than this. Which would be terrible luck, but Erik highly doubted that had occurred. Their luck might have run out a bit up there, but it ought to have bounced back by now. And if not luck, then fate. Erik wasn't dead, so fate was definitely still working for them. Now to find the Luminary and get back to business.

But which way? Back the way they'd come, or further down stream? Erik swivelled his gaze back and forth both ways, undecided. They didn't have a lot of time, and he certainly didn't have any time to waste, but he didn't know which way would be the right one. Which way should he go? He wasn't one for indecision, so he wasn't sure where this was coming from, but… What-? Something that felt kind of like warmth climbed up his left arm as he turned to look down stream once again. Maybe… maybe this time, he didn't really need to make a choice. Just… follow something that felt like an instinct instead. Shrugging to himself, and less than eager to ponder over his bout of indecision and the random sensation that decided his course for him, Erik headed down stream, his steps light but swift. They really needed to get out of here. Pursuit wouldn't be far behind.

He didn't have far to go. In fact, Erik had just started wringing the water out of his hair when he nearly stumbled over what he'd been looking for. The Luminary was laying on his front, half in, half out of the water, tucked away between two tree roots that neatly hid him from view. Talk about luck. Or not, Erik thought ruefully as he crouched down beside the kid. The sigil on the kid's left hand flickered with a soft, golden light, then promptly went out, taking the warmth from Erik's arm with it. Huh. The Luminary. Right. Some things would probably always work in the kid's favor, whether he was aware of it or not. Though he definitely didn't know anything this time around. Erik frowned as he brushed the curtain of wet hair back from the kid's face and rubbed his thumb along his cheek. He was drenched. And cold to the touch. And out like a light. Erik prayed that was just it. They didn't need any broken bones or worse. Being on the run was going to be bad enough to deal with, they sure didn't need bothersome injuries added along to the mix.

"You'll be okay," Erik muttered as he manhandled the Luminary up onto his back. The kid was a little taller than him, but thankfully didn't seem to weigh much more than him. He'd definitely had to carry heavier weights before this, that's for sure. Now then, if he was remembering correctly, there was a nice little church squirreled away in the foothills below downtown Heliodor. No one went there since the only thing around was the Manglegrove and who in their right mind wanted to go there. But he'd heard good things about the old nun at that church. She had a soft spot for thieves. Should be the perfect place to get warm and dry.

[continuous-spec]

"I don’t go shopping I get and retrieve. I have a narrow focus, unlike some people" for Juniper/Vetra please :D

I loved this for Vetra! Thank you!   Endgame and Vetra Romance spoilers under the cut!

Words Count: 828

The sun stretched down on Eos’ horizon. The Tempest resting on Prodromos for the night cycle, they’ll be heading to the Nexus in the morning.  

Shuttles glided in and out of Ryder’s window view, light music beating in the background. A sleepy sigh left Ryder’s lips as she tucked herself inbetween Vetra and the corner of the couch.  Things were finally becoming peaceful.

Until Mimzy, the ever hungry pyjak that he is, leaped to the coffee table, tackling a forgotten protein bar.  Discarded omni-tools, half-finished ship models, and a tower of datapads went scattering as he searched.    

“Shit.” Vetra shot up and grabbed for Mimzy. He jumped and pranced away with the protein bar across the room. 

“Evil little vermin.” Vetra spat at him as she relaxed back down to the couch. 

“Bad Mimulus.” Ryder mumbled at the noise, still tucked away in the corner of the couch. 

“You have a problem,” Vetra stated, looking at the onward destruction of tech and countless datapads with useless protocols.

“He is a little Gremlin, isn’t he?  Aren’t you Mimzy?” The pyjak ignored Ryder’s cooing and continued eating.

“No, well yes he is, but that not what I meant.”

“What? You still haven’t forgiven him about the chocolate, have you?”  

“It was half of our supply! But I’m talking about all this.” Vetra gestured at the littered ground.  

Ryder yawned, tucking herself deeper into the couch.  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Vetra laughed and lazily picked up the nearest datapad and examined the title.  “Oh really? So what was the purpose of this ‘Spot & Seek 9000XX’? How did that go? You know the extra numbers and letters doesn’t mean it’s better.”

Ryder kept mumbling, that protocol put her turret out for a week until she figured out how to reprogram it.  

“Lily’s tracking needed updating, she’d been getting slopping.  And the XX series is so much better than the X. Well, it is when is Lily actually  working.”

“Riiight, how about the ’Multi-colored Nightclub Strobe Light Protocol’ then?” Vetra asked, reading from another datapad.

“Just think of Bluebell as a both a combat and a dazzler drone!”  Ryder rolled from the corner of the couch, scrabbling into Vetra’s lap and continued talking. “You know, you never hear this kind of criticism from me with the crates you bring back from shopping.”

“I don’t go shopping.” Vetra corrected.  “I get and retrieve. I have a narrow focus, unlike some people,” Vetra said, playfully fluttering her left mandible into the curve of Ryder’s neck.

Ryder giggled in response. “Oh, like the crate full of Blast-Ohs you have hidden away in the armory?”

“I brought those to Andromeda. They’re necessary and vital to the Initiative. I can’t lose those like the chocolate.” Vetra narrowed her eyes at Mimzy who began pawing at Spruce’s hamster cage.

Her glance relaxed back on Ryder before she spoke.   “I could have gotten you better protocols for at least a third of the price, half if you give me some time. You just have to ask.”

Ryder’s giggles soften into a smile at the offer.  “You don’t have to worry about that. If I really needed it, I could write the code myself.”

“I’m allowed to worry about you a bit.” Vetra’s voice lowered as she spoke. 

Ryder met Vetra’s eyes, a bit more serious and shy then she was before. To ease her, Ryder gave her a little smirk and moved her hands down her carapace. Fingers drummed along Vetra’s back, with light kisses pressed into her mouth plate.

“You spoil me enough, burnt steaks and all.”

Vetra cackled a laugh as Ryder’s finger worked their way under her fringe. “I knew you weren’t going to let that go.”

“Never.” 

Ryder straddled Vetra’s hips and placed her hands along her mandibles. “Listen,  the outposts are doing great, we have Meridian, we have the resources to spend a little here and there, you don’t need to keep worrying.”  

Ryder continued on talking and pecking small kisses on Vetra’s brow.  “But if it makes you feel any better, next time I go shopping on Kadara or wherever, I’ll make sure not throw my credits at the first thing I see.” 

Vetra relaxed, lightly pressing her mandibles into Ryder’s palms. “Thanks, are you sure there’s nothing I can get you?”

“Well, I have been wanting to get my hands on an M-90 Cain for Ivy. Just strap that on her back and think of the potential, the other Remnant will quake with fear!”

Ryder’s eyes went wide with excitement at the thought, causing Vetra to laugh and returned her affection. She pushed Ryder down onto the couch, talons working their way up Ryder’s shirt. Vetra nuzzled her brow into Ryder’s forehead.

“I’ll see what I can do.”  

Ryder smiled and leaned up for a kiss, until another crash came from Mimzy, with Spruce running free from his now toppled over cage.  

Ryder sighed, Vetra was right, evil little vermin.

[magicalthoughtsendinterriblefics]

Miss Something - Request

Requested by @mrsdeanfuckingwinchester:  Dean x reader have been married for years, she gets pregnant but he doesn’t want it. She leaves but never moves on. He ends up in another relationship and about to marry her. At the altar he decides he needs to be with reader and their child. & Anon:  Part three to "Miss Everything- Miss nothing" where Dean bonds some more with his daughter but mostly of his relationship with the reader becoming even stronger? & @captain-morgans-bitch:  Please continue and make a series out of this & A bunch of people voting for it in the past two Sequel Fridays.

Summary: After apologizing and meeting his daughter, Dean is willing to get back to her life for once and for all. He wants everything back, including (Y/N) who is still reluctant about his comeback.

Pairing: Dean x reader.

Word count: 3,755

Warnings: None.

A/N: I wanted to focus more on Samstiel with Louise, but also daddy!Dean and his relationship with reader (if that makes any sense at all). Happy Sequel Friday!

Enjoy!

| Miss Everything (1) | Miss Nothing (2) |

Dean followed the deal like an obedient man. He called Louise every day after school – or at least after eating something because they would spend hours talking and Louise would forget to eat – and then he called (Y/N) to have dinner on Saturday.

Sam and Castiel weren’t only cheerful, and proud of Dean finally manning up and trying to make things better, but they were also far too excited to meet the little Winchester.

They would have dinner together at (Y/N) and Louise’s house that day. Sam made sure to buy pie and wine, while Castiel spent his whole morning collecting flowers at the nearest park – because Sam told him it was polite to go to a home with a present for the owner – and Dean made sure to buy Louise a colouring book and (Y/N)’s favourite sweets.

The three men arrived punctual to the appointment and Sam was impressed to notice how (Y/N) still looked the same. She was at the kitchen, checking the oven, when they arrived and so she didn’t notice. However, Louise had heard Baby’s roar and she stormed out of the house, excitedly.

“There’s my chipmunk.” Dean spoke proudly as he turned Baby off.

“She looks just like mom.” Sam commented.

“No.” Castiel stated, “Your mother is a woman, the kid is just a child. How c…?”

“I’ll explain later.” Sam promised and so they all got outside the car.

Louise was about to rush to her dad, but Dean stopped her knowing that it was dangerous to cross the street without looking twice. Instead he rushed to her side at the porches and hugged her tightly, lifting her from the ground.

“I missed you.” Louise said over his shoulder.

“I missed you too.” Dean said and then pulled away, gesturing at Sam and Castiel. “This is your Uncle Sam, and that one is Cas.”

“Hi, Louise.” Sam greeted, kneeling down to be at her height, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.” She said politely, “Mom told me you were tall.”

Sam chuckled. “I’m sure I grew up a bit more since the last time we met.”

Dean cleared his throat, calling back their attention to Castiel. “Hi.” He greeted awkwardly.

“Hi.” Louise greeted back, giving him a toothless smile. “How do you do, Mr. Angel?”

“I do er…” He looked at Dean, asking for help.

“He’s good.” Dean replied for him and then (Y/N) appeared at the door.

She was wearing the slightest bit of makeup, yet she looked like a movie star. She had styled her hair and left it loose, and she was wearing the typical chic-mom outfit. Dean found himself drooling over her.

“Sam!” She cheered, “You grew up so much since the last time I saw you!”

“I knew you would say that.” Sam giggled and hugged (Y/N). Dean suddenly became jealous of the affection his brother was receiving. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I miss you too.” (Y/N) said and then pulled away. “You must be Castiel, hi!”

“Hello, it’s a pleasure to be here.” And then the angel proceeded to make an awkward bow. (Y/N) chuckled and bowed back.  “I brought you a present.” He said, and pulled out of his trench coat the now withered leaves. His face fell in disappointment but (Y/N) didn’t mind.

“Thank you.” She said truthfully, and took the flowers. Castiel smiled shyly, glad that she wasn’t as strange around him as Lisa used to be.

Dean was next in line, and he was anxiously waiting to get acknowledged by (Y/N). He was carrying the pie and the bottle of wine, as well as the bag with the presents for the girls. (Y/N) looked at him, not knowing if it would be rude to be less affectionate with him or acceptable considering his past actions.

They ended up nodding at each other.

(Y/N) asked them to go inside. They had a very pleasant dinner – barbecue ribs – and Sam made sure to update her in everything she had missed, knowing exactly how to tell the stories without touching any soft spot or triggering a discussion.

She was a laughing mess, enjoying each and every single anecdote Sam told her and adding some snarky comments every so often. Dean was happy to see her relaxed once again; it really brought him back to the times when they were together and there were no hard feelings between them.

Louise was sitting at Dean’s lap, making a really funny drawing of Dean, (Y/N), Castiel, Sam and her hunting monsters together. It was funny because Sam had mentioned the moose part and Louise had drawn him antlers; she had also added a squirrel tail to Dean and made Castiel’s wings hot pink – she took a joke from Dean a little too literal – and they all seemed to be like a family.

Once she finished, she showed everyone the drawing.

“Antlers?” Sam chuckled, “I might as well star using them because they do look good on me.” He joked and Louise giggled and blushed which created an adorable image of the little girl.

“My wings aren’t this colour…” Castiel mumbled.

“I think you would look pretty if they were.” Louise observed. Castiel smiled at her and thought of a clever response to it.

“Maybe you could paint them for me.” He said and Louise’s eyes sparked in excitement.

“Well, I’m definitely not going to use a squirrel tail but good try kiddo.” Dean said and Louise bopped his nose with a tiny finger.

“What about a squirrel nose?” She asked innocently.

“That could work.” Dean granted, making a really strange yet tender face that (Y/N) remembered very well.

She was leaning to the front, staring in awe at the image she had so painfully pictured every night during her pregnancy and Louise’s first years. Dean, holding their daughter and being cute and fluffy with her, at a table in their house and making her giggle.

She was so mesmerized by them that didn’t notice when Sam caught her, less to say the small smile that grew on his face when he understood that there was still a chance for them to go back to being a family.

(Y/N) had always been a great support from Sam. She was the only one who didn’t blame him for wanting to leave, and she even gifted him a few law books so he could continue to learn in spite of not being in Stanford anymore. She was like the kind, older sister he had needed as a child… Not because Dean wasn’t enough, but because she could balance him, get him on the right track.

He missed those summer nights, going to the nearest beach or forest with (Y/N) and Dean, talking about everything with them without fearing to be judged because they would understand – and if Dean dared to bother him, (Y/N) would slap his face so hard he would apologize to Sammy in a matter of seconds – and they would get in all kinds of trouble, and go hunting together, and just being a weird family.

“Uncle Sam?” Louise called, dragging both (Y/N) and Sam out of their trances.

“Yes?” He inquired as the little girl left Dean’s lap to walk by his side.

“Daddy told me you like Harry Potter and other nerd stuff.” She said, “Would you mind watching the Puppet Pals with me?”

Sam smiled tenderly. “Sure, if it’s okay with your mom of course.”

(Y/N) nodded. “Just don’t spoil her; she hasn’t finished the books yet.”

“No problem.” Sam winked, “Cas? Want to come?”

The angel alternated his gaze between the Winchesters and (Y/N) for a few times before he understood that Dean wanted to have a private conversation with (Y/N).

“Yes, I believe I would be of no use in the private conversation that will take place…” They all shushed him before finishing the sentence.

“Uncle Cas, you don’t talk out loud of the private conversation, you pretend not to know.” Louise explained and grabbed his hand, dragging him to the living room. Castiel managed to offer apologies before disappearing along with Sam.

(Y/N) and Dean walked out to the back yard. They could hear the Ticking Noise song playing out loud at the living room, as well as Castiel’s concerned voice asking all kinds of strange questions about the puppets.

They were quiet, remembering the feeling of being right by the other’s side but feeling it too odd to be familiar or warm.

They sat there, at the edge of the two stair steps that led to the grass part, looking at the horizon and thinking of ways to start the conversation they both craved to have.

“Sam really likes her.” Dean finally said, “And Castiel… I know he’s not expressive at all, but he adores her, he really does. He has a soft spot for kids, mostly because they are more patient with him.”

“Louise isn’t precisely patient.” (Y/N) muttered, “But she’s kind, and she won’t stop until she paints his wings pink.”

“I’m sure he will find a way to make it happen.” Dean said.

“She… She wanted to meet Sam so much, you know? She always found him interesting.” (Y/N) confessed, “I mean, besides the fact that he kept in touch for a while… She wanted an Uncle to watch Harry Potter with and read books… All that jazz.”

“Sam never really forgave me for what I did.” Dean mumbled.

“I’m sure nobody has.” She said.

“Not even Louise?” Dean inquired sadly.

“No, she waits next to the phone every afternoon. Fingers crossed, praying that you do call.” (Y/N) trembled.

“I promise, I’m not leaving you two anymore.” He said, placing a warm hand over her knee – a hand she didn’t shook off.

“You can only prove it with actions.” She whispered, looking directly into his watery, green eyes.

Dean’s jaw clenched as he nodded. “I will.”

The silence took over once more. His hand was still on her knee, and it eventually got covered by one of her hands. It was almost the same feeling as when one finds old memories and starts remembering every sensation, or when one hears their old favourite song and finds out they still remember the lyrics.

His hands were drier, but they still felt like home. Her hands were just as soft, except she wasn’t wearing her Vegas ring anymore. The lack of the cold iron made Dean’s heart ache, but having her hand with his once again fixed it a little.

“I miss this.” (Y/N) confessed in a whisper.

“Going out while Sam was doing research and doing nothing.” Dean said, knowing exactly what he meant. “We can still have it back.”

“I’m not sure I can.” (Y/N) muttered, “It’s too fast.”

“Ten years from now, then.” Dean stated, “I will wait for you, no matter how long it takes.”

“Thanks.” She whispered.

Dean left a soft, slow kiss on the forehead, which lingered down to her cheek before her head fell to rest over his shoulder. He turned his palm so they were holding hands properly, like they used to, and then they both felt at peace.

-

“I don’t get it.” Castiel said as they drove back to the bunker. “You love her, she loves you, why aren’t you together?”

“It’s not that simple, man.” Dean said.

“It’s never that simple.” Castiel groaned, “You humans are odd.”

“Don’t worry, Uncle Cas.” Louise comforted him, “I also don’t understand. Just flow with it.”

(Y/N) had agreed to let Louise stay at the bunker as long as she approved it. So the three men and Louise were at the Impala while (Y/N) drove close by. Dean had begged her to go with them in Baby, but (Y/N) knew he would use it as an excuse to make her spend the night as well and she wasn’t ready for that.

They finally arrived, or at least to the front part in which the only visible thing – and only to the trained eye – was the metal door that led to the underground bunker.

“Right, you took the soldier thing too literal.” (Y/N) joked as Sam unlocked the door.

When they entered, both girls were shaking. The bunker was incredible.

(Y/N) made Dean show her every single protective measure there was. From sigils to traps and alarms, Dean showed her everything only to make her agree on letting Louise stay with them for the night.

Louise, on the other hand, was marvelled at the thousands of books at the library, and Sam and Castiel were happily explaining to her what they were all about.

“What’s Bu-Bubbly Asian Beauties?” Louise asked as she caught glimpse of one of the magazines.

“NOTHING.” Sam exclaimed and blocked the rest of the magazines with his body.

“Look, fairy tales!” Castiel gasped, pointing at the opposite side of the book shelf. Sam gave him a thumbs up and proceeded to take each magazine away from her view by placing them on top of the shelve.

(Y/N) and Dean returned from the garage; where (Y/N) almost fainted at the many beauties parked there and slapped Dean’s shoulder for not taking them out for a ride – “You know they need to be used, right?” She argued, and Dean couldn’t help but to melt at her actions.

“Everything in order, inspector?” Sam joked as he caught glimpse of her.

“Yes, ma’am.” (Y/N) joked back. They used to do that all the time when they were younger.

“So I am staying.” Louise gasped.

“Only in one condition… Well, more than one condition.” (Y/N) warned, kneeling down to be face to face with her daughter.

“I’ll do anything.” Louise said.

“First, you have to behave.” The kid nodded, “Second, you have to eat right. Whatever they give you, okay? No picky scenes.” Louise nodded again, “Third, you have to call me before going to bed and when you wake up.” (Y/N) looked back at Dean to make sure he understood and he nodded, “Fourth, you can’t skip the shower. Okay?”

“Okay.” Louise pouted and her resemblance to Dean became more obvious, which made Cas’ mouth form an O.

“I see it now.” The angel commented.

“I love you. I’ll come tomorrow afternoon to pick you up.” She gave Louise a kiss on the forehead and then kissed Sam and Cas’ cheek goodbye.

Dean walked her outside.

“I’ll take good care of her, I promise.” Dean assured, “I’ll be a better nanny than I was with Sam.”

“I know, I trust you.” (Y/N) said. “Just… No pie after ten, nor chocolate. She has to sleep at eleven…”

“Isn’t that too late for a kid?” Dean interrupted.

“I don’t know, she got that from you. So you tell me, Winchester?” She snapped and Dean breathed out a smile. “Just… Bed at eleven, please.”

“Of course.” Dean said.

“She loved bacon in the mornings, and don’t give her coffee or I’ll swear you’ll regret it… She goes all hyper and… No, you don’t want that.”

“No coffee, got it.”

“She knows how to shower by herself, but you will have to push her inside the shower if necessary.” (Y/N) continued.

“She got that from Sam, I swear.”

“I know.” (Y/N) said, “Also, please, I know you don’t like vegetables either but she has to eat some.”

“Sam will take charge of that. Anything else?” (Y/N) breathed in deeply.

“I don’t know how good friends you are with that Crowley but please, no demons when she’s here.”

“But tonight is Poker night!” Dean whined and (Y/N) gave him a death glare, “I’m joking. Neither demons nor supernatural creatures while Louise is here. Don’t worry.”

“Good.” (Y/N) exhaled in relief. “I think that’s it. I’ll call when I’m on my way.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” Dean inquired.

“It’s not like I live two states away… Just a few minutes.” (Y/N) rolled her eyes.

“I know, I’m just worried.” Dean muttered.

“You’ve seen me drive your ass to the hospital at 3 am with vampires chasing after us without getting a single scratch on Baby. I think I can handle it.” She beamed.

Dean gave her a shy smile and then wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer. For a split second, they remained like that, enjoying the warmth in each other’s arms. But then they remembered everything they had once built had been destroyed, and they had to start from zero.

(Y/N) was the first to pull away, and she could see in Dean’s eyes how much he wanted to stay in her arms for a while longer.

“Good-bye Dean.”

-

It was almost Louise’s bed time. She was in Sam’s bed, watching Netflix – Bones, to be specific – while Sam braided her hair into a braid. Castiel was sitting right by her side, asking all kinds of questions that Louise was more than willing to answer to.

Dean was leaning against the door frame, drinking a beer and admiring his daughter in her pink elephant pyjamas, with Sam braiding her hair like a professional and Castiel making questions on purpose to make her feel intelligent.

It was the life he had missed for five years. Five long years away from such an amazing being like Louise, and away from his one and only love (Y/N). How dumb had he been, trying to keep her away from a life he had suffered in, not knowing that she would only make it better.

She was fear-less a badass in dragon slippers and pink pyjamas. With leather-jacket wearing Barbies and knowing how to use a gun before she even learned what lipstick was. She was his daughter, he was meant to be with her and because of his self-loathing and childhood traumas he had forbidden himself from a happiness they were all meant to have.

“Daddy, do I look pretty?” Louise asked from the bed once Sam had finished.

“What are you saying? You are always pretty!” Dean cheered and Louise blushed and furrowed her nose. Castiel smiled warmly at her.

“I think you look like a princess.” The angel said.

“A tough princess like Merida?” Louise asked with widened eyes.

“Tougher than that.” Castiel said and bopped her nose.

“I want to braid Uncle Sammy’s hair now!”

Because they couldn’t say no to her, Sam ended up with five different braids all over his hair. He looked hilarious and Dean took a picture and sent it to (Y/N) who replied with laughing emojis. Then, it was time for bed, and because Louise didn’t want to sleep alone, Dean allowed her to sleep on his bed.

Sam was at his room, Castiel was at the library trying to learn as many fairy tales as possible. Dean was tucking Louise in bed while she hummed a song.

“The Beatles, huh?” Dean inquired, sitting by her side.

“Yes, my mum sings it to me all the time.” Louise said.

“My mum used to sing that to me too.” Dean confessed as his heart fluttered, knowing that (Y/N) did it because she still remembered him somehow. No matter what he had done, she wanted her to at least have that in common with him.

“Can we call mum now? I’m tired.” Louise yawned.

“Of course.” Dean reached for his phone and dialled her phone number.

After two rings, (Y/N) answered. She was nervous, it was the first time Louise and Dean would spend so much time together, and it hadn’t even been long since they met and (Y/N) didn’t want him to ruin it.

After listing everything she had done throughout the afternoon, Louise and (Y/N) shared their good-nights and Louise fell asleep. Dean left the room, with (Y/N) still on the phone, to continue talking.

“She’s great.” Dean said, “Yes, she did took a shower… Ugh, you didn’t tell me it was for tomorrow morning? No, I did dry her hair. (Y/N), chill! Yes, yes, yes… Okay. Got it… (Y/N)…” Dean took in a deep breath. “I know, don’t worry. We’re all fine. I love you.”

Dean didn’t freeze at his own words, he knew what he felt for her, but when (Y/N) replied with an “I love you too” his whole world turned upside down and a new hope rose in front of his eyes. Maybe it wouldn’t take ten years after all.

-

The next day, after a large breakfast Dean and Castiel prepared, the boys sat with Louise to share jokes and stories about their hunts until (Y/N) arrived.

Louise was at the car, with Sam and Castiel talking to her through the open window. Meanwhile, Dean and (Y/N) shared the awkward conversation every divorced couple shared when picking up the child from the other’s house.

“Next weekend then?” (Y/N) asked.

“Wouldn’t miss it.” Dean smiled, “Maybe we can go hunting.”

“Sure… But easy hunts, please. Louise is… She’s a beginner.” (Y/N) begged.

“I wouldn’t risk our daughter for anything.” Dean promised.

What followed next was worse than awkward. They were unsure on what to do. Kiss on the lips? Or maybe on the cheeks? Was a kiss proper? Or was it too much? Maybe a friendly handshake would do, but they craved for more.

Dean took the first step and hugged her just like before, except their noses were touching the other’s. Eyes connected, just like they were used to; and their breaths were mixing. Dean smelled like cologne and musk; (Y/N) smelled like that perfume she always wore, and which Dean could recognize anywhere.

They were so close, and their whole bodies begged for them to take the next step… But it wasn’t good. They had to start from zero, rebuild everything so they wouldn’t repeat their same mistakes. They couldn’t just fix a whole in a shattered construction. No, they had to start all over.

“I’ll see you next weekend.” Dean whispered.

“Sure.”

And just like an impulse, Dean pressed his lips to her for a split second. Fast enough so Sam and Castiel didn’t see them, but long enough so (Y/N)’s knees trembled. Their eyes meet afterwards; they reflected the surprise and the need to be together. But they also reflected her reluctant attitude and the fear she felt by being exposed like that to the man that had once betrayed her.

But she wanted him as well. And she wanted the family, and Sam and Castiel were included. She wanted everything she had wished for secretly in those five years when (Y/N) and Louise only had each other. She wanted it so badly…

Masterlist.

SPN Tags: @dreamingintheimpalawithdean @roseyhxnt @thisisjessicatalking Dean Tags: @coffeebreakandwinchesters @oaisara @rdy4thevoid

[aspaceblogyssey]

Best and Worst Things of 2016

Whew, what a lovely five month hiatus. I'm finally posting my best and worst list for the year 2016. After this post I will probably cocoon again...popping up occasionally. Mind you I am still lurking on everyone's blogs. You may see me pop in every now and then. Although I may not update it often, this blog will continue as long as I watch films and have breath! So hopefully this blog will continue to run for a very long time...albeit intermittently. Admittedly I have seen a good number of films this past year, but I have not have an opportunity to write about them all. The reasons why are abundant. I am in my late 30s, in grad school, have a 3 year old, a husband, and a full time job. So unfortunately this year, my blog went by the wayside. I hope you enjoy my best and worst list for 2016. Please share with me yours, agree, or disagree with me in the comments. I look forward to reconnecting with everyone. I preface my film list by saying that I don't necessarily qualify this list as the best films of the year. They are simply the best films I HAVE seen thus far this past year. I think 2015 was a much better year at the movies. Have I mentioned that 2016 was a bad movie year?

10. The Shallows. 

IT'S OKAY...NO SHARKS COME HERE.

Surfer [to Nancy]

Similar to 'Don't Breathe,' this little horror movie snuck up on me. I didn't have high expectations so I was pleasantly surprised that a movie with a plot of "Blake Lively versus a shark" was good, but it really was. That was it. That's the plot. 'Jaws' has been done before so there's no need to go there. That said, for this film--simplicity works. Some of the best horror films have very simple plots. Lively does a surprising good job as a medical student on vacation, attempting to follow in her mother's footsteps (who recently passed away). As long as you don't take this film seriously you will enjoy it. 9. Free State of Jones.

'CAUSE YOU CANNOT OWN A CHILD OF GOD.

Moses [to Newton]

Similar to above, I enjoyed this film, but I don't necessarily qualify it as one of the best films of the year. I had such high hopes for this film because of the fascinating material, but the film's lack of focus is it's greatest hindrance. A good biopic does not have to tell the subject's whole life story or that of their descendants. The film is ultimately a biopic about Newton Knight (Matthew McConaughey), who was clearly a man ahead of his time and who led a very interesting life. His story and the story of Jones County, Mississippi is a story that has been lost to history and it's a story that should be told. In the hands of a better writer and director--this film could have been epic. For example, the biopic 'Lincoln' focuses exclusively on a few months in the life of President Lincoln, during a very interesting time during his life (the passage of the 13th Amendment/Abolition of Slavery). Had the 'Free State of Jones' focused on one time period of Newton Knight's life, a mildly good film could have been a great one. Overall a good, yet flawed film. See my full review here. 8. Ghostbusters. 

WHY AM I OPERATING THE UNTESTED NUCLEAR LASER?

Erin [to Jillian]

'Ghostbusters' 2016 is by no means one of the best films of the year. Wow, I'm saying that a lot this year. It's not a film without flaws--one of the biggest flaws was the removal of the key master/gate keeper storyline. That storyline made the original 'Ghostbusters' film genuinely scary. But I laughed so hard at this film. This film got so much heat and everyone talked so much crap about it, but it's a popcorn movie. It's not meant to be taken seriously or win awards. It's a summertime feel good flick. We don't need to read anything else into it. Yes, the original 1984 'Ghostbusters' is a beloved film and a classic, but 'Ghostbusters' 2016 is not really a remake. It's an entirely new film with fresh characters who happen to be Ghostbusters. I had a great time watching this film with my friends! So yeah, it's one of my favorite films of 2016. I'll own the hate I get for this choice! See my full review here. 7. Allied. 

I'M VERY GOOD AT PRETENDING, MAX.

Marianne [to Max]

This movie received mixed reviews, but I enjoyed it. It was entertaining and it kept me engaged. Brad Pitt (Max Vatan) and Marion Cotilard (Marianne Beausejour) star as two spies who fall in love in Casablanca during a deadly mission. How much more romantic can that be? Canadian spy Max Vatan. Vatan infiltrates German-held Casablanca in order to assassinate the German ambassador. He enlists the help of a French spy, Marianne Beausejour. Once they finish their mission they subsequently fall in love and return to England to continue to fight the war. From the film's trailer you can ascertain that Marianne is later accused of being a double agent. Vatan has to get to the bottom of it. If it's determined that his wife is a double agent he will have to kill her. The film wasn't as predictable as I thought it would be, so that was a big plus. It's not necessarily a film I would see again, but it's a good date night film. My dad enjoyed the film if that gives you any indication how the film appeals to a broad audience. My only complaint is that Hollywood needs to stop pretending that Brad Pitt is 35 years old. Heck, I'm not even 35 years old anymore and I was a young teen when Brad Pitt was a heartthrob in the 90s. Putting enough makeup on 53 year old Brad Pitt to make him look 35 is a little disconcerting every time I see it. I wish Pitt (as well as a few other A-list male actors in Hollywood--like Will Smith and Tom Cruise) would stop trying to look 25 to 30 years younger in their films. It just doesn't work. A little salt and pepper in the hair and not so much makeup would go a long way. There is nothing wrong with a good looking 50+ year old man who looks like a 50+ year old man.

Side Note: My dad is my movie partner and he's typically very naughty. He talks during the film, passes gas, and litters. He's terrible. This time was no exception. On this occasion we finally came across someone who was worse than he was. My father is hard of hearing so he asks me what happened or what someone said or he makes a comment about something happening in the film. My father views the movies as an interactive experience. Every time my father made a peep, the old man behind me would kick the seat a few seats down from me. And I mean he was kicking this seat hard. He kicked that seat during the entire film, which rattled the other seats next to it. I'm surprised I don't have whiplash. So if there was a reason to not like this film that would be it...so clearly this was a decent movie.

6. 10 Cloverfield Lane.

I'M ALWAYS WATCHING.

Howard [to Emmett]

Again, had this been a year other than 2016 (and perhaps if I had seen more films) this movie may not have been on my best list. Geez, 2015's list had so many wonderful little films on it...like 'Bone Tomahawk' and 'It Follows.' Neither '10 Cloverfield Lane,' 'The Shallows,' or 'Purge: Election Year' are of the same caliber, but this is where we are. However, '10 Cloverfield Lane' is an effective thriller. As a sequel/prequel to the original 2008 'Cloverfield' film, one would expect '10 Cloverfield Lane' to "go big," but instead "it goes home." LITERALLY. It delves into the psychology of claustrophobia and  paranoia. What I liked most about the film is that it unfolds as a psychological horror film, rather than a creature feature. This film is a fun, tightly woven little thriller deserving of a must see list. See my full review here. 5. Purge: Election Year.

THIS IS THE AMERICAN WAY.

Uncle Sam

I actually think this film would have landed on my best list no matter what. I loved this frightening insane film. The Purge films are my guilty pleasure. The 'Purge' films get a lot of flack. After all, these are not highbrow films, nor do they stimulate intellectual conservation. And yes these films are violent, but thankfully, writer and director James DeMonaco never crosses the line into "torture porn" territory. The horror of the film is primarily in the minds of the participants. The tension is created in the idea of "what could happen" and less on what is actually happening. But what these films lack in critical acclaim, they more than make up for in their entertainment value. Lastly, these films are highly allegorical. The symbolism and social satire in these films only add to its charm. A must see for any horror fan who loves metaphorical films like 'Equilibrium,' THX-1138' or 'Fahrenheit 451.' See my full review here. 4. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

THERE'S A PROBLEM ON THE HORIZON.

THERE IS NO HORIZON.

K-2SO

The ending of this film saved it for me. 'Rogue One' is the 'Star Wars' prequel we've been waiting for. 'Rogue One' follows Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) as the daughter of a disgraced empire scientist Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen). Jyn's story is about the creation of the death star and how the resistance learned of the death star's major flaws and who put it there. The film follows Jyn as she searchers for her father with the help of a merry band of outlaws. Her mission turns into a mission to save the republic. In one fail swoop, this film shatters the need for any of the craptastic prequels of the 90s and early 2000s. It's a typical 'Star Wars' film in many ways, with regard to the action sequences, the camaraderie, and moral quandaries. Where this film breaks the mold is in its ending, which I will not spoil for you here. If I had one complaint about the film it would be the gross under use of Donnie Yen. You don't put a Hong Kong action star like Donnie Yen in the film and not properly use him. 3. Don't Breathe.

IT'S KIND OF MESSED UP TO ROB 

A BLIND GUY, ISN'T IT? 

Alex

This film would have landed on my best list regardless. Although I don't know if it would have been rated as high. 'Don't Breathe' was the last film I fully reviewed on this blog because it took me by surprise. I didn't know anything about it before I went to the theater, but 'Don't Breathe' is a slick little horror film, with a great cast, and a thrilling (yet unbelievable) plot. Admittedly, the film has enough plot holes to drive a truck through it, but it kept me on the edge of my seat--which is hard to do. What I liked about the film is that none of the characters are particularly likable. This is one of the few horror films in which there are no heroes. It was such an entertaining nail bitter. The casting of the magnificent Stephen Lang cinched things for me. The film's premise is simple-- a home invasion gone wrong...and oh boy do things go wrong. See my full review here. 2. Captain America: Civil War. 

THAT SHIELD DOESN'T BELONG TO YOU.

YOU DON'T DESERVE IT.

Tony Stark [to Captain America]

It's kind of sad (for other films) when a comic book film is one of the best films of the year. Seriously Hollywood step it up. The film ran a little long, but kudos to directors Anthony and Joe Russo for creating another wonderful comic book film. DC Comics and Warner Brothers can learn a lot from this duo. The first step to ending DC Comic's madness would be to stop giving money to Zack Synder or David Ayers. Back to 'Civil War'-- this film is a little gem among comic book films. The great thing about 'Civil War' is that it truly felt like an 'Avengers' film. 'Civil War' was the Avengers film that 'Age of Ultron' should have been. When I reviewed 'Age of Ultron' in 2015 I thought the problem was that there were too many characters to feature. Yet 'Civil War' has even more characters. The difference between 'Civil War' and 'Age of Ultron' is that 'Civil War' features Captain America at its heart and rightfully so. Whereas 'Age of Ultron' was all over the place, 'Civil War' is focused. More credit should be given to Chris Evans and his portrayal of Captain America. It's not easy play a genuine "good guy." Evans continues to do it well. He's perhaps the best embodiment of a comic book hero since Christopher Reeve's Superman. See my full review here. 1. Arrival. 

IF YOU COULD SEE YOUR WHOLE LIFE FROM 

START TO FINISH, WOULD YOU CHANGE THINGS?

Dr. Louise Banks.

This film was so lovely, magical, and well-written. Most scifi films about aliens have major action stars attached with huge explosions and gun fights. So it's rare to see a non-shoot 'em up science fiction films these days, but that's just not how director Denis Villeneuve's (Sicario) rolls. With 'Sicario,' and now with 'Arrival,' Villeneuve may be my new favorite director. Villeneuve's slow, tense, methodical style carries over to his latest film 'Arrival.' Villeneuve also seems adept at directing smart scripts with female protagonists-- a rare quality in Hollywood. 'Arrival' is a muted scifi film that still manages to be exciting. It's also not linear, so things happen out of order, which add to the film's tension. I haven't seen a scifi film quite like this one. The closest example I can give is the 'The Day the Earth Stood Still.' Not the crappy Kenau Reeves version, but the original 1954 film. Another film I would compare it to would be one of my favorite films, 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind.' 'Arrival' begins where it ends with a grieving mother. We aren't quite sure who is grieving or why, but it's a sad start to a beautiful film. Oblivious to world events, linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is lecturing her class when 12 alien ships land on earth. She is soon asked to join the alien taskforce by U.S. Army Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker), along with physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner). The film unwinds as Banks and Donnelly unravel the mystery of the aliens language, which is based on circular symbols and is non-alphabetical. It's a fascinating film about language and the commonality that binds us. 'Arrival' would have definitely been on my best of the year list, but I'm not certain if it would have been the best movie of the year if 2016 had been a better film year? That does not take away the beauty and mystery of this film. It's not a perfect film, but it hits a lot of high marks, which is more than I can say for most films in 2016.

Had I been able to see some of the films listed below, I firmly believe one of these films would have replaced 'Arrival' as my best film of the year and would have been pushed off many of the films currently on my list. Unfortunately, I haven't seen these films yet. Jackie. Loving. Nocturnal Animals. Fences. Miss Sloane. Hidden Figures. Silence. Conjuring 2.

These are the films that were halfway decent. They didn't make the cut on any list. Some of these films I enjoyed more than others. Money Monster. - TWO-1/2 STARS Lights Out. - THREE STARS Bad Moms. - THREE STARS Hail Ceasar. -  TWO-1/2 STARS Hush. - TWO-1/2 STARS Star Trek Beyond. - THREE STARS. I don't even remember what happened. Jane Got a Gun. - TWO STARS Nice Guys. - THREE STARS

Pete's Dragon. - THREE STARS

Thandie Newton. West World.

Thandie Newton's performance was not necessarily the best performance on 'West World.' No, that prize would go to Anthony Hopkins. Jeffrey Wright would be a close second. But Newton's character was my favorite. Her confident, cocky, call girl was wistful and fun to watch. She's the only character to break through to both worlds in such a fascinating way. She's smart, vulnerable, powerful, charismatic, and oh so cheeky. Like other actors, her performance was nuanced, particularly when she reveals her curiosity and her heartbreak. I'm excited to see her character continue on the series. Newton was nothing short of sensational to watch. Ben Affleck aka "Batfleck." Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.

I want to preface that the film was not good. In fact it's on my worst list, but say what you want about Ben Affleck he was a darn good Batman. Despite the haters I knew this would be the case early on for several reasons: 1.) Affleck is a decent actor, writer, and director; 2.) Batman is the ultimate American male. There is something quintessentially American about Batman. No offense to Christian Bale, but there are some slight cultural differences that do not necessarily translate across the pond. Similar to the British James Bond or Doctor Who. 3.) Perhaps most importantly, Affleck is the first actor to bring the appropriate level of rage, anger, and madness to Batman. I love Michael Keaton's Batman, but somehow even in a subpar film, Affleck was able to capture this character in full form. Kudos to Affleck. Now if only we can get him in a better film, with a better director. I have no idea why Warner Brothers and DC Comics keep handing the director of 'Sucker Punch' hundreds of millions of dollars?

West World. 

West World was the best show I saw in 2016. Hands down. Anthony Hopkins is a prince among men. I don't know if a finer actor exists in this lifetime. The rest of the cast was wonderful too. Jeffrey Wright, Thandie Newton, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden, and the remarkable Ed Harris are all wonderful. This show. Geez, this show. This is what television should be about. Television should be an incredible experience every week. It should not be about "shipping" or wondering which of your favorite characters is going to die each week a la 'The Walking Dead.' Hopkins plays the enigmatic West World creator Robert Ford. For those who haven't seen the 70's pulp film, West World is a theme park populated by robotic "people" (called hosts) who are used as entertainment for the rich and infamous (guests). The guests routinely rape, murder, and exploit these sentient robotic beings for their own pleasures. It's a brutal world with a hidden mystery that only deepens as we descend further down the rabbit hole and watch the hosts and guests find their ways through this muddled existence. The People Versus OJ Simpson: American Crime Story.

TOUGHEN UP COCHRANE.

THIS IS THE SMOKER'S LOUNGE.

DAYCARE IS ON THE FIRST FLOOR.

Marcia Clark [to Johnny Cochrane]

Riveting, fascinating, incredible. These are a few of the adjectives I would use to describe this show. Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark was transcendent. I don't think there was a finer performance in 2016, besides Hopkins in West World...and that's Anthony Hopkins. Likewise, Courtney B. Vance as Johnny Cochrane is crazy good. Similar to 'West World,' nearly everyone in this series if fantastic. High marks to creators Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski and producer Ryan Murphy for delivering a stellar sister show to 'American Horror Story.' This is what happens when the writing, the direction, and the actors all come together in a perfect symphony. There were very few weak links here. Sterling Brown as Christopher Darden, David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian, Nathan Lane as F. Lee Bailey, Connie Nielson as Faye Resnick, were all close seconds behind Paulson and Vance. Surprisingly John Travolta as Robert Shapiro was very very good. I didn't find Cuba Gooding Jr. as convincing but he does good work here too. I remember being a young High School student when OJ Simpson took his infamous ride after the horrifying murders. It was a terrible terrible time. After watching this mini-series, clearly I only knew the half of it. This series is just mind boggling good. So even if you remember the mid-90s and think you know what happened--you really don't. The series also re-emphasizes the humanity lost that night--the lives of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman. Somehow the murders of these two people were lost in the media madness. The series brings the tragedy of their murders to the forefront, along with a behind the scenes look into the trail of the century and the people behind it. If you haven't seen this series you simply must.

The Exorcist.

Wow, just wow. I have only seen the original 1973 'The Exorcist' all the way through one time in my life. I assume I saw it on VHS in the late 80s or early 90s. Once was enough. The film terrified me so badly I vowed to never watch it again. IMO it's the scariest movie film I've ever seen and I have seen a lot of films. Needless to say, I was very hesitant to watch this show, but the casting of Geena Davis changed my mind. I was not disappointed. 'The Exorcist' television series is completely unpredictable and fresh. The fourth episode felt like a season finale. Unlike the overtly predictable 'The Walking Dead,' 'The Exorcist' writers know how to write good television without stupid cliffhangers or killing off characters for ratings. 'The Walking Dead' is so predictable that even the hardcore fans have stopped watching the show, excluding the premieres, the mid-season finale, and the season finale. The ratings have fallen to season 3 levels, which doesn't surprise me. Similar to 'Westworld,' 'The Exorcist' threw the television play book out the window and decided to write each episode like it could be its last. So strap in and get ready for a wild ride . You haven't seen television like this in a loooong while. And what a relief that there are actually good writers left in the world. But my favorite thing about this show is that in the end--good always conquers evil. American Horror Story: My Roanoke Nightmare. 

This season got a lot of flack, but I really enjoyed Season 6. It was insane, hilarious, and scary. All of these three things add up to one heck of a season. The series actually made both my mother and sister think it was one of those fake "haunted house" shows. No matter what I told them they literally believed it was a "haunted house" show on the Discovery Channel. It was pretty funny. I had to explain to them on multiple occasions that these are actors, playing actors, playing actors. They still didn't get it. So hats off to Ryan Murphy this year. My Roanoke Nightmare follows the macabre tale of Shelby Miller (Lily Rabe), played by Audrey (played by Sarah Paulson) and her husband Matt Miller (Andre Holland), played by Dominic Banks (Cuba Gooding Jr.), who move to a haunted house near Roanoke, North Carolina. The casting of Paulson and Gooding is clearly a nod to their roles in 'The People v's OJ Simpson,' where they played Marcia Clark and OJ Simpson. I found Cuba's performance to be much better in 'Roanoke' than in 'The People v's OJ Simpson.' Miller's troubled sister Lee played by Adina Porter (who is subsequently played by Angela Basset) soon joins them. The house has normal bouts of spookiness throughout the year, but when the blood moon comes out it's on y'all. That's when the ghostly murderous pilgrims arrive. Thomasin White played by Agnes Winstead (Kathy Bates) and her son Ambrose White played by Dylan (Wes Bentley) come out to terrorize their new neighbors and create a reality television phenomenon. Now that I read all this "played by" stuff I realize how confusing this must be for someone who doesn't regularly watch the show and who isn't familiar with the anthology series regulars. Ok no wonder my mom and sister couldn't understand this. Stranger Things. 

I was but a wee tadpole in 1983, but I do remember the 1980s. I can attest to the nostalgia of 'Stranger Things.' My husband is a few years older than me, so his middle school picture looks like he was plucked out of 'Stranger Things.' When watching 'Stranger Things' he relived much of his childhood. Afternoons spent in a dank basement playing Dungeons and Dragons, Huffy bicycles with banana seats, baseball caps (he still wears the baseball caps), mullets (he lost the mullet thankfully). According to him, the writers nailed it. Why anyone finds the 1980s to be nostaglic I will never know? Besides 'The Goonies' I don't remember why the 80s is considered such a great time? It certainly wasn't a great time for me. The 1990s was way more fun IMO. I digress. Surprisingly, Matt and Ross Duffer, the brother writing and directing duo (Millennials who were barely born in the 80s) hit the nail on the head.  This show hit all the right marks. My only complaint is that I'm a little tired of seeing 80s adventures for pre-teen boys. Thankfully there was at least one pre-pubescent girl along for this ride this time. 'Stranger Things' follows the adventures of three teen boys who go in search of one of their missing friends, but instead happen upon a mysterious young girl who has super powers. You can see my previous review of the series here. The OA.

Wow, what a weird little show. I still don't know what happened. Was it a beautifully woven fairy tale or a dimensional rift? I don't know. What I do know is that the 'OA' kept my eyes glued to the screen for the full eight episodes...all the way to the end. The first episode is a little slow and difficult to get through but once Prairie Johnson (Britt Marling) weaves her bizarre tale as to why and how she disappeared for eight years, she draws you in. Johnson has been rendered blind by a childhood accident. She disappears for eight years, but returns suddenly with her sight restored. The mystery behind her identity and her disappearance unravels before you in a remarkably beautiful story. Black Mirror. Season 3.

Season 3 of 'Black Mirror' started with a bang, starring Dallas Bryce Howard and Alice Eve. Like other wonderful long lost shows, the British anthology has transitioned to Netflix. 'The Twilight Zone'-like series frequently discusses the perils of social media and technology. The first episode 'Nosedive' has a 'Pleasantville' on drugs vibe. Everyone has a social media rating on a scale from 0 to 5 in which people rank their interactions with you. Howard's character is a classic overachiever, but can't seem to break past her score of 4.2. When her childhood best friend and social media darling asks her to be her maid of honor she jumps at the chance but things don't go as planned. Howard's character proceeds to have an epic meltdown. It's a wonderful metaphor for our overly obsessed social media culture. But my favorite episode thus far has been 'San Junipero' with Gugu Mbatha-Raw and MacKenzie Davis. It begins with a heavy dose of 80's nostaglia. Two women played by Mbatha-Raw and Davis meet in a 1980's club in San Junipero. Their unfolding relationship is both beautiful and tragic. The episode touches on big themes like aging, infirmity, and immortality. These two episodes of the third season are an absolute must-see. This episode reminded me just how good of an actress Gugu is. She's brilliant and should get more work immediately! Flash. Season 3.

Flash is a sweet little feel-good television series. It's so much fun to watch, relax, and unwind with. It's not meant to be taken seriously or have deep thoughts. It's just one of those light and airy shows that you don't have to think about it. The writers are actually quite good. 'Gotham' is a close second. 'Gotham' reminds me a lot of Tim Burton's 'Batman' films--it's kitschy, dark, humorous, and colorful. It should be noted that there is a such thing as a bad superhero television show--if 'Legends of Tomorrow' and 'Supergirl' Season 2 are any indication. The Fall. Season 3.

There aren't that many slow moving, procedural dramas that peak my interest. Perhaps it's the casting of Gillian Anderson as Master Detective Stella Gibson. It certainly isn't the casting of emotionless robot Jamie Dornan who plays serial killer Paul Spector. I've frequently said that acting wise Dornan is near comatose automaton. He seems like a genuinely nice person, but I don't find him to be an engaging actor. I assume his popularity has risen exclusively because of his casting in 'The Fifty Shades of Grey' franchise, which is frankly sad. Thankfully the show has Anderson, John Lynch as ACC Burns, and Colin Morgan as DS Tom Anderson. Season 3 picks up after Gibson finally nabs serial killer Paul Spector after two seasons of cat and mouse. Season 3 follows Spector's recovery from being shot and Gibson's efforts to build a court case against him. The third season is muted but powerful.

I've been on a self-help kick this year. So of course my favorite books have been non-fiction. Rising Strong by Brene Brown Tidying Up by Marie Kondo Love Warrior by Glennon Melton Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown On my list to read: Ready Player One. 

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I tried to like this book, but ultimately Rubin came across as entitled and elitist. I couldn't get past some of the things she actually considers to be problems.

The Walking Dead. Season 7. 

Clearly you saw this coming from my rants above. Kill it before it dies. Please someone cancel this show. If the season 6 "mid-season finale Glen death fakeout" didn't convince you that the writers enjoyed trolling you-- the season finale did. The Walking Dead Season 6 finale was probably one of the worst finales I've ever seen on television. The writers brazenly created the dumbest cliffhanger ever...just to mess with the very people who made the show successful. Simply put--they got greedy and sloppy. They naively thought that their tried and true formula of screwing over the fans to generate huge ratings for the season premiere would work again. Not so fast. Now people are on to you. Everyone knows that nothing happens until the mid-season premiere, mid-season finale, and season finale. So guess what happened. After the season premiere, TWD had a huge rating drop. The ratings dropped to Season 3 levels. If I'm honest, the ratings drop was well deserved and I hope it continues. TWD needs to go away. NOW. Yes, I am a hardcore fan and comic book reader. The Return of the 'X-Files.' Season 10.

Ok if you know anything about me you know that I LOVE THE 'X-FILES!' I love this show. I remember watching the first episode in 1993. In the late 90s, I remember watching an episode of the 'X-Files' while waiting for my friends to pick me up for my prom. When my husband and I were newly together, we watched the series finale of the 'X-Files' together and cried. It was one of the things we bonded over! I have literally seen every episode of this show. So I am hardcore fan. Imagine my disappointment that the new 'X-Files' of 2016 was terrible. It was just awful...besides the third episode, which was classic monster of the week 'X-Files.' Every other episode in the 10th season left much to be desired. I don't know what happened? I hope the 'X-Files' comes back again with better scripts. David Duchovny said it best--when a show has been off the air for 14 years things are a little rusty. So perhaps the next season will be wonderful. I'm hopeful there will be a limited season 11 and that it will improve.

My worst list has been seriously culled this year. I made myself a promise that I would not watch as many crappy films this year. I have also chopped films with known diversity issues. Thankfully I have kept that promise. So I honestly haven't seen that many films this year. I know...what's wrong with a movie blogger who doesn't see that many movies? Well, I just couldn't grin and bear watching so much crap anymore. I just couldn't do it. Although I did try to watch some of the bad movies on Netflix or Amazon. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

I made it through about 20 to 30 minutes of the film and then had to turn it off. I couldn't do it. I can't even give you a proper review because I didn't see the full film. Batman versus Superman - Dawn of Justice. 

I actually ended up seeing this film a couple of times...accidentally. After all who in their right mind would see this film more than once? The first scene with Batman's parents being killed was actually visually quite stunning. It was tragically sad, but well filmed. Unfortunately the film went downhill from there. The only two good things that came out of that film were Batfleck and the introduction of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Gal seemed to be the only one having any fun in this dismal film. Gods of Egypt. 

It just happened to be on cable television at my dad's house, so I was forced to watch the first 10 minutes. Alas I could only get through 10 minutes of this sludge. It was that bad. My time is far too precious to watch bad movies. I would rather watch paint dry than finish this film. There were no redeeming qualities. The first 10 minutes of the film were basically about Bek (Brenton Thwaites) a thief stealing a beautiful dress for Zaya (Courtney Eaton) his hot girlfriend who he shares a hut with. Then we see some of the Egyptian gods in the form of Nikolaj Coster-Waldau recovering from a hangover by taking a bath 'Coming to America'-style. i.e. being bathed by scantily clothed women. Yep, no thank you. Over and out. This film was on my "no" list from the very beginning. The diversity issues in this film are plentiful, so there was no way I was going to pay to watch this film. Blair Witch. 

It started out fine, but this genre is so dead. Literally. There were some genuinely creeptastic parts in this film that freaked me out, but overall this movie was boring. My dad almost walked out. No joke. My dad and I have only almost walked out on three films, 'Batman and Robin' and 'Alien v. Predator: Requiem.' So 'Blair Witch' is in bad company. The ending was relatively decent, but the plot never truly came together. I can't even. Neon Demon.

I so wanted to like this moody film. It reminded me a little bit of 'Cat People' (1982) and 'The Hunger' (1983), both of which I adore. I also loved Nicolas Winding Refn's iconic film 'Drive.' Alas, magic in a bottle may only come once in a lifetime. I'm not sure what happened to this film, but it was a little weird even for me. The plot is basically--the models are literally witches who want to eat the angelic newcomer Jesse (Elle Fanning). Interesting concept for sure, but the film was in desperate need of more susbtance. Some of the characters were fun and strange, but it never found its footing. I wish there had been more Christina Hendricks. More Christina Hendricks may have saved this film for me. 13 Hours. The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.

One of things my dad and I do together is see movies--his genre of choice is action and war movies, so despite the reviews of course we saw '13 Hours.' But when a war film gets the Michael Bay treatment be warned. Bay is known for his sensationalism and this film suffers because of it. Unfortunately, '13 Hours' doesn't receive the treatment it deserved. Given that this film is based on true events, I would have liked to have seen a more respectful treatment of the material. Had Ridley Scott or Kathryn Bigelow directed this film, I would have enjoyed the film much more. London Has Fallen. 

Gerard Butler needs to stop making movies. Now. This was a follow-up from 'Olympus Has Fallen.' It's an over-exploitative shoot-em up film about terrorists infiltrating London. Somehow only Secret Service Agent Mike Banning can stop them. Jack Bauer he is not. Girl on the Train. 

It started out fine, but it soon descends into utter idiocy. Emily Blunt is a solid actress and the other actors are good too. The main problem is the material. The film was marketed as another 'Gone Girl,' but compared to the brilliance of Gillian Flynn's 'Gone Girl,' Erin Wilson's 'The Girl on a Train' doesn't hold up. Rachel Watson (Emily Blunt) is an alcoholic who spends her days and her nights on a commuter train longing for the life and the house she once shared with her husband David (Justin Theroux). Through the window of the train she watches her husband's new life with his new wife Anna (Rebecca Furguson) and their new baby. In the process she develops a fascination with her ex-husband's neighbors, Megan (Haley Bennett) and Scott Hipwell (Luke Evans). As she spies on them she imagines this perfect couple have equally perfect lives, but looks can be deceiving. Megan goes missing and her husband stands accused. Could the girl on the train have the answers to her disappearance? Deepwater Horizon.

It's not a bad movie, but it's not a particularly good one. Deepwater Horizon had such a tragic and sad topic that I wish it would have been handled in a more serious manner. No offense to Peter Berg, who is the star of one of my favorite B-movie films of all time ('Shocker'), but the director of 'Battleship' and 'Hancock' simply cannot do justice to a film about the 'Deepwater Horizon.' Like '13 Hours,' it was an over simplification of the events. I would have much preferred to see 'Deepwater Horizon' done in the tradition of 'Spotlight,' 'Zodiac,' or the 'China Syndrome.' I wanted to see a film that took it's time unraveling the tragedy that took 11 lives, polluted an ocean, and destroyed the local economy of the gulf coast-- instead of  an action film. Note to self, if Mark Walberg is starring... The Forest.

Natalie Dormer stars as a woman searching for her missing twin sister. Her sister disappeared into a forest in Japan known to be a place where people frequently commit suicide. It's a little far fetched, but go with it. It only gets worse from here. January release was the first clue.

I'm not going to waste two hours of my life to watch a crappy movie anymore. My time is valuable. So I significantly culled my movie review list in 2016. Had the reviews been better I would have likely seen the films below. The Huntsman: Winter's War. The Boss. X-Men: Apocalypse. Alice Through the Looking Glass. Independence Day: Resurgence. The Legend of Tarzan. Jason Bourne. Mechanic Resurrection . Sully. Magnificent Seven. The Accountant. Assassin's Creed. Passengers. Suicide Squad. 

I am a huge DC fan, so it saddens me to say that I had to skip this film. I may eventually watch this movie on Netflix if I drink enough wine to make it worth it. I could literally cry at how DC and Warner Brothers are mismanaging their film catalog with talentless directors and bad writers. I do not like Marvel nearly as much, but even I have to admit Marvel (Disney) knows how to use their catalog properly. Most importantly--they hire good people. Seriously, it can't be this hard. I am perplexed how/why the WB and DC keep handing hundreds of millions of dollars to the likes of David Ayers and Zack Synder. It just boggles the mind. Even after Ayer's disastrous take on 'Suicide Squad,' someone at WB thinks it's a great idea to hand over the reins to this near-do-well again for the Harley Quinn film. What fresh hell is this?

Manchester by Sea. Not my type of film. It looks boring. I also do not want to support raging sexual harasser Casey Affleck. La La Land.  I seriously have no interest in seeing this film. Someone will have to convince me this is actually a good movie and not just propped up by the Academy because Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone "do" jazz.

Doctor Strange 

As I've said in previous posts, I'm not going to pay to see films like 'Doctor Strange,' 'Ghost in the Shell,' 'Pan,' or 'Gods of Egypt' or other films with known diversity issues. I adore Tilda Swinton. She and Scarlett Johansson are probably my favorite actresses of all time. No joke. Admittedly, I admire the emails Tilda sent to Margaret Cho in response to the casting issues. Tilda's emails made me love her even more. The problem is not Tilda, but Hollywood at large. If you recall a post I did last year explaining my new policy of "putting my money where my mouth is." I'm not going to get angry or stomp my feet or create twitter hashtags. If a film isn't representative of people of color or women I just won't see it. When I say representative I mean representative of the culture and the time the film is set in. If it's set amongst the wealthy houses of Victorian England-- I wouldn't necessarily expect to see much diversity. However, if it's set in 2017 New York City in an urban neighborhood then yes, more diversity should be included. If a character is a Tibetan monk, then perhaps the character should be played by someone of Asian descent? There are very few roles for people of color in Hollywood, so to change one of those few roles only worsens the diversity issue in Hollywood. I also understand the concern people have about changing white characters to people of color. I have said before that if a character is iconic then it's understandable to maintain that character's ethnicity. But there are very few characters that would fit that iconic classification. The Bechdel Test In the same vein, I am trying to see films that pass the Bechdel Test. Meaning: At least two female characters are named and talk to each other. That's it. Just two. Amazingly most films cannot pass this test. Again a disclaimer, if I'm watching a film like 'Saving Private Ryan,' I do not expect a film to pass the Bechdel test. Also films like 'Sicario' or 'Gravity' are an exception. These films may only have one female cast member, but she's the lead character. But there's no reason that the entire 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy, the original 'Star Wars' trilogy, or 'The Avengers,' does not pass the Bechdel test. Women are 50% of the population for goodness sake.

Birth of a Nation. 

I may get some flack for not seeing this, but I refuse to see a film that Nate Parker and writing partner Jean Celestin make. Making matters worse Parker turned this film into a vanity project by starring in it. And yes, I hold Woody Allen and Roman Polanski to the same standard. I haven't seen an Allen film since 'Midnight in Paris' and I don't plan on seeing any of his films either. There are several directors and actors who are on my "nope" list, Parker is one of them. Casey Affleck is also one of them.

[ardisi812287395-blog]

Chinese Gestures.

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[char27martin]

How to Work with a Freelance Editor: An Indie Author’s Experience

If I had traditionally published my books, the publishing house would have assigned an editor to me and the whole process would have been mapped out, complete with details and deadlines. But as an indie author, the editing ball was in my court—just like every other aspect of bringing my books into the world—and I had quite a learning curve! Here are some things I’ve learned along the way about finding a freelance editor, working together successfully, and navigating the multilayered, and sometimes intense, editorial process:

This guest post is by Tabitha Lord. Lord lives in Rhode Island, a few towns away from where she grew up. She is married, has four great kids, two spoiled cats, and a lovable black lab. She holds a degree in Classics from College of the Holy Cross and taught Latin for years at the Meadowbrook Waldorf School. She also worked in the admissions office there before turning her attention to full-time writing. You can visit her blog at tabithalordauthor.com where she hosts guest bloggers, and discusses some favorite topics including parenting and her writing journey. She released her first novel, Horizon, in December 2015. It won the Grand Prize for the Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards in 2016.

1. Understand what kind of editing you need.

Good editing can make self-published books look indistinguishable from traditionally-published books. But if you’re new to the business, or working on your first project, you might not know that there are different types of editing, or understand what kind of editing your manuscript needs. When choosing an editor, determine what services that editor provides. This may mean hiring more than one person.

The first type of editing is developmental. Think of developmental edits as big picture edits. I’m too close to my manuscript when the last word finally claws its way out of my overtired brain and onto the paper. I can’t see plot holes, character issues, places where the writing drags, or where something doesn’t make sense. Skilled beta readers or a trusted critique partner can help with this, and so can an editor.

Once all the major issues have been solved and readers are responding to your story and characters in the way you’ve intended, it’s time to fine tune and hand over the manuscript for a copy edit. A copy editor will assure consistency throughout the manuscript. For example, I have a Jon in one of my books, and I would periodically spell his name John. A copyeditor will also catch overused words or phrases, correct grammar mistakes, and essentially polish the manuscript.

Finally, the manuscript will need a proofreader to give it a final look before publishing to find typos and small mistakes. I always proofread one last time after the proofreader, but that may just be my obsessive personality at work!

[Will a literary agent search for you online after you query them?]

2. Use referrals to narrow the search for an editor.

Now that you have a handle on the different steps involved in the editorial process, and you know what your manuscript needs, how do go about finding the right editor? There are a ton of freelance editors out there and it’s hard to sift through all the information.

I rave about my editor. I tell anyone who asks what a find she is and I regularly give out her contact information. When a writer loves their editor, you’ll know it; an enthusiastic referral is a great place to start looking. Ask people in your writing community and online writing groups who they recommend, and then reach out.

3. Interview a few different people.

Ask these folks to edit sample pages of your manuscript to see what kind of feedback they give and how they deliver that information. Find out how they like to communicate and ask about their process. Does their style resonate with yours? Do they enjoy your genre of writing? What does their turnaround time look like?

When you hire an editor, due diligence upfront is important. Your work together will be a business arrangement certainly, but it will also become a trusted relationship, and you’ll want to make sure this partnership is a good fit.

4. Recognize that editing is different from drafting, and honor your process around it.

You’ve found someone to work with and you’re eager to get started. So, what’s all the fuss you’ve heard about editing? Why do writers lament this part of the process, wring their hands in angst, scream with frustration, cry into a bottle of wine?

Okay, so maybe all writers don’t do these things! But for me, and for many of my writer friends, editing is an entirely different animal from creating a first draft. And when I say this, I’m referring mostly to the developmental editing phase. Drafting a novel fills me with creative energy. I lose myself in a world of my own creation and fall in love with my characters. Sure, I may get stuck in a plot tangle, but the overall writing experience is joyful.

[21 Fast Hacks to Fuel Your Story With Suspense]

Editing is different. On the one hand, the bones of my book are in place. I know where I’ve started, where I’ve ended up, and I have a lot worthwhile material in the middle. I know I have a good story and there’s relief and satisfaction in this. On the other hand, once I’ve turned in the draft of my manuscript after months of intensive work, I don’t even want to think about touching it again. I’m exhausted, and the idea of tearing it apart and reassembling it is daunting.

So, I have to honor my process and emotions around this. Here are some tips for making it through a developmental edit with your love of writing still intact:

First, celebrate the accomplishment of finishing the first draft! Without a first draft, you have nothing. But now the story is out. Good for you! I admit to popping a bottle of champagne in celebration within moments of typing the last word. Then, I send the draft off to my editor. While she’s working on the first round of developmental edits, the manuscript gets shelved while I gain some distance. I’ll actively work on another project during this time period, basking in the glow of my achievement.

Recognize that it’s really hard to have your work critiqued, even when the edits are spot on. Although I know what’s coming, I’m never quite prepared for the emotional stress I feel when I receive a five-page editorial document filled with commentary, and my own manuscript covered in red ink. To be honest, I want to cry—maybe into that bottle of wine! I want to call my editor on the phone immediately and beg her to tell me she loves me and that I’m not a horrible writer. I’m sure she’s pleased when I refrain from doing this.

Take time to process the critique. Once I thoroughly read what she’s sent me, I put the manuscript aside again for a few days, maybe a week. I let the ideas percolate. I begin to see that what she’s suggesting resonates with what I already knew. I take it seriously when she reacts to something in a way I didn’t intend. I recognize my own bad writing habits.

Allow the creative process to reignite. Once I dive back in to writing, creative ideas for how to fix things start to flow, in the same way they did when I wrote the draft. I scribble notes everywhere, from the backs of napkins to the little pad I keep by my bed for middle of the night inspiration. I form a plan of attack. Then I call my editor. We talk. We even laugh. And I get to work.

Recognize editing can take more than one go around. My editor and I will go back and forth, sometimes with a round of beta readers working on it in between, until we are both satisfied that this book is ready content-wise. Most of the work I do with my editor is developmental in nature, but she is very meticulous, so by the time the manuscript goes to the copy editor, it’s quite clean. We still both believe that an extra set of eyes is important though, because at this point, we’ve both looked at it so many times we know we’ll have missed something.

My editor has become a trusted partner in my publishing journey. I know if something is bothering her, I need to pay attention. Likewise, I know that when she says my book is ready, it’s ready. She gives me confidence to move forward when it’s time, but also honesty when my work isn’t quite polished yet, and as an indie author, that’s invaluable.

Editing is daunting, there’s no question. But understanding what the process entails, how you personally need to deal with it, and finding a trusted professional to work with makes all the difference.

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from Writing Editor Blogs – WritersDigest.com http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/work-freelance-editor-indie-authors-experience