#that's where I am in my rom com hero journey

[blooddrop-palace]

Project Updates - What to Look Forward To

<3 Hello all! I've realized (humbly) that I have a small following of very nice people that seem quite interested in what I've written so far, and after seeing some mutuals post update-status posts, I thought I should share what's going on with my projects, also. (Thanks for the encouragement, @queenmuzz!)

Updated Dec-10-20

Sons of Fortune

Probably somehow my main focus now, though I am steadily working on other works. Currently working on the “In Between” special short before I start on Chapter 12.

I would also like to talk a little bit about my plans for this story: if anyone has paid attention to this story's tags, yes, I am touching up on the plots of most of the games. In fact, all of them, and the anime. (I already dealt with DMC4. No, I will not tear apart Fortuna lol.) Not all relevant tags are in, yet, because small spoilers. It looks like it's going to be a long while before I even get to the Temen-ni-gru, though. (There is a reason why that event is getting pushed back.) I want to have fun with the family fluff that is the twins each learning how to parent, first. 

Hell Froze Over, and We Shall Reignite It

The drama of it all! Dante and Vergil are finally back from Hell, and Nero doesn’t even know his mother is now standing right in front of him. Meanwhile, even I’m anticipating seen how Snow and Dante is going to handle the obvious things currently unsaid... and I have a feeling a small measure of stupidity is still going to be involved.

Current chapter progress: Outline complete.

It's going to feel so interesting, shifting from "Fortune" back to Reignite. I get to write Sera and Vergil falling in love all over again, with a different set of circumstances. Whoa.

And, and... Nero meeting Sera... odd that I'm saying this as the writer, but I have a "I hope he likes his mom" feeling going on. 

Also, no doubt Dante's brain is going to 404 when he sees Snow. 

Nico prepares popcorn.

This is Not an Office Rom-Com

I have... about 8 new skits planned out. Nothing more written just yet.

That’s all I’m saying about this for now. =P

Hierarchy of Kings

Purely indulgent M/M romance of Vergil and an OC, existing all thanks to

@wordborne

Working on chapter 2. 

I know I said 3 chapters only. I might have lied depending on how much I want to write. It's supposed to be just... awkward fluff of a listless part-devil who somewhat-recently lost his mate, got in a bit of a tiff with his brother, and now his children are trying to set him up with the prospective-king-of-hell, Vergil. 

I think about this one a lot but I haven't written anything new for it yet, only because "Fortune" is taking over my life right now, haha.

Through the Lens of the Beholder

Okay, so...This story has no real plot. As a result, my drive for it is purely down to "if I think of a badass or cool photograph to describe." There is a TINY bit of plot. Only a little. And I don't know when I'll update. But this is why I'm trying not to START new projects. Four  is a lot already! But because this one is supposed to be simpler than the other two, I will most likely finish this one before the others, so I can open a new project. 

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

Speaking of new projects... Here are things ideas bouncing through my head:

- I still have a prompt from @maybeishouldwait sitting in my inbox. I WILL have it done one day, when I find the perfect way to write it. 

A whole, entirely royally late set of Dadgil week fics.  Yep. I want to write them. They just won’t be on time. 

Written in Ink

A plot-less post-DMC5 story. 

I say plot-less. There is a plot. The plot is:

Dante: Damn it, Verge, are you trying to turn my office into a zoo??

In which Vergil compulsively starts contracting strong demons he's defeated, left and right, because he's discovered "the joy of pets." The demons all take on a dark animistic form and things get wild. 

A Persona and DMC fusion/AU

I have no title for this yet, and I absolutely cannot start this one until I have finished one of my other big projects. This one will take a lot of big planning, because I am making a new plot, using the mechanics of Persona, with DMC characters and setup.

What I want to write, is a teenage Nero as the protagonist, trying to solve a mystery... probably starting with the sudden disappearance of his mother. (Most likely Sera.) And he meets a lot of "new" people, and even finds new family... and yes, he will find his dad. (I'm thinking he'll know about Vergil, though. At least in name and a photo? Isn't that an interesting difference?)

For those of you not familiar with Persona, the major theme I really want to play with is that of the protagonist growing as a person (and in power) by befriending different people that helps them grow as a person. Each party member and important NPC is represented by a Tarot Card, signifying the type of journey the protagonist (The Fool) "embarks" with that character. There is growth in both the protagonist and that characters. 

Again, this is ambitious to try and pull off... but it's in the back of my head. I'll focus on it once I've cleared some other stuff. 

Sugar Sweet

A somewhat short-chapter series reader fic... of a surgeon/doctor!reader (barely 30 and good at what you do) who often saves the lives of shady people (e.g. mafia) because you care about saving lives, not the politics. But you do make good money out of it. (Hey, you gotta be at least a bit morally ambiguous if you're going to deal with devils.)

You meet one mess of a young mercenary named Dante, who is totally not human and deals with things like having bullets healed into his back, and he can't reach them to cut them out. 

Dante doesn't care about bills for his office, or a lot of the debts in his life. You don't know where his money is going, or if he even makes much money at all (for the kind of specialty work he does? Money's going somewhere, but that's none of your business.)

You won't pay Dante's bills, or his debts, but he will accept pizza and ice cream. And new parts for his jukebox. And maybe a motorcycle. Or a new coat. Or a new car...

And you might complain to him about your dumb patients. Or just listen to him talk about his job. Or you two watch a movie together.

And this just continues. For years. 

Tokusatsu DMC fusion/AU

So. First thing's first: I'm a big fan of Sentai/Tokusatsu. What is that, you might ask? It's a Japanese genre, and if you're familiar with Power Rangers, that's derived from Sentai. 

Basically: Masked heroes with transformation gadgets, sometimes with motorcycles, fighting against evil. ("Magical girls" but strictly the opposite, a lot more physical combat involved, may involve upgrade gadgets, and not strictly limited to male heroes though mostly a male cast. Also not strictly for male-only audience. Girls like the eye-candy, too. :eyes-emoji:)

Why am I thinking about this?

Because I have found out that: Vergil's VA, Dan Southworth, was the Quantum Ranger (WHICH WAS RED). Nero's VA, Johnny Yong Bosch, was a Black Ranger and a Green Ranger. 

...And Dante's VA, Reuben Langdon, had a role in a Japanese Toku show as "B-Fighter Yanma" forever ago???? (HE WAS BLUE!!)

What am I going to do with this info? I'll let you know later. But my Sentai/Toku-loving little heart is about to burst with hyperfixation overlap. 

If I ever write this out, expect it to be just as cheesy as an actual Kamen Rider show. Or, at the very least, expect some art. I love Kamen Rider stuff!

Family Fantasy MMO

Snow introduces Dante, Vergil, Nero, and Kyrie to Final Fantasy 14 (because that’s the MMO I play) for family bonding. Yep. Mainly for silly indulgence.

Stardew Valley Visit

Post DMC5, Vergil and Dante accidentally end up going on a vacation when they try to leave Hell. No pairing with the farmer, but instead just a relaxing and somewhat introspective moment of the boys being stuck with most of their power temporarily sealed, learning how to take care of a farm, and maybe do a bit of healing by interacting with the townsfolk while they try to find out where their swords went and how to get home. 

Re-Colourize

Otherwise what I would call the “re-colour of Nero and Snow” AU. 

What if Vergil was found by Kassy’s family and raised among them? What if Dante ended up briefly in Fortuna and then convinced Sera to run away from the island?

What if we have a Nero who, though brash, is outwardly more soft and open-hearted, and has red-orange and gold colours instead? What if we have a Snow who is named Chiyuki, who wields her katana more like Vergil does, and has a more ice-queen aura about her, and has a teal and blue colouring about her?

This is my excuse to switch up the pairings, but also write Vergil being taught to fight more like an assassin. 

Raised by the Blade

Imagine: Yamato, cracked, broken, and separated from her Master... desperately searching for a way to get back to him, and ended up washed up on the shores of Fortuna. Humanoid, but clearly not if anyone saw the cracked, broken, and no-normal look of “shattered” in her torso, that she would have to keep covered. 

Made from the power of Sparda, she is pale with white hair... and she finds herself drawn to the orphanage...

Where she finds the toddler that is Nero.

Devil Hunters’ Podcast

Nico “accidentally” finds entertainment in recording the Sparda Family arguments as they talk about hunting; after all, they all share one braincell. 

Ascended Monochrome

A white angel remains by the side of Nelo Angelo. Mundus was not pleased by the behavior of his second creation, from the human woman that he had picked up with the treacherous Son of Sparda. But he later discovered that by using her, he could keep Nelo Angelo complacent. Eventually, underestimating love will be his downfall.

Fall to Royalty

A story of where Vergil wins against Mundus the first time, and takes the throne of Hell. But what is he to do next? Eventually, ruling Hell seemed meaningless when there was no one by his side, so he goes to seek out the Lady Knight that he had vowed to never think of or go back to unless he had obtained the power he sought.

Doppelganger Woes

So, I heard Capcom retconned Gilver to be some sort of imitation created by Mundus. I’m all for this! And I’m going to DO something with this.

Side-Project: DMC Tarot List

I started on this maybe months ago; and I have a tentative list oh what characters go with what card and a few detailed descriptions. I think I should confer with

@harlot-of-oblivion

at some point about this, and anyone else interested in, well, Tarot stuff. 

[go-events]

GO Rom Com Spotlight: @antikate​

The utterly splendid @antikate​ (Anti_kate on AO3) has claimed Romancing the Stone to adapt for Good Omens in the Good Omens Rom Com Event.

For reference, here’s a little background about the source material!

About Romancing the Stone: A romantic-adventure writer is hurled into a real-life adventure in the Colombian jungle in order to save her sister, who will be killed if a treasure map is not delivered to her captors. She is helped out by a brash mercenary, and together they search for the priceless gem located in the map.

We spent some time chatting about how the adaptation is coming so far, as well as future plans for it! Now, get to know @antikate​ a little better!

* * *

goromcom: Let’s start off with something about you. So, you know how if you open a Tumblr chat with someone you haven't chatted to before, Tumblr tells you two things they post about? I wanted to tell you that yours reports that you post "about #the good place and #ineffable husbands" Boy, are you gonna love my last question! :D

antikate: Yes, I am trash for The Good Place and The Ineffable Husbands (apparently semi-satirical explorations of What It Means To Be Good and the Power Of Love and It Was the Friends We Made Along The Way are a thing for me.)

goromcom: (Also guilty of that, myself over here!) But now, on to talking about your rom com. You chose to adapt Romancing The Stone. Is this movie a favorite of yours, or is there some other reason you chose it?

antikate: I grew up watching 80s action-adventure movies like ROTS, Indiana Jones and The Princess Bride, and I think the mix of action, romance and cheese really seared itself into my brain. ROTS is specifically riffing on the romance novels of the 1970s, such as The Flame and the Flower. These novels were hella problematic, and usually involve a heroine being thrust into terrible circumstances only to be rescued and ravished (problematic!!!!) by a handsome hero. I could go on at length about these novels and also the importance of “romance” as a genre to people who don’t necessarily see themselves in the media, but I won’t.

Anyway, the heroine of these narratives usually begins as very prim and proper, but discovers herself through the course of the story, and usually ends up taking charge of herself and her destiny and her sex life. Joan, the heroine of ROTS, goes on this journey, from being a shy romance writer who lives in her stories, to becoming a character with strength and agency who has an exciting story of her own. 

That made me think of Aziraphale (and the headcanon that I share with lots of other people that he thinks of himself as a damsel in distress with Crowley as the handsome hero, and also that he has a stash of romance novels in the bookshop, and that he’s a bookish person who needs ‘help’ being in the world).

As with a lot of older movies, ROTS hasn’t necessarily aged well, but it does have a really fun, over-the-top ridiculousness we don’t seem to get in that many action movies any more. I also decided I wanted to challenge myself to write something frothy and rompy and fun, as I can be a bit of an angst monster.

goromcom: What's your favorite moment of Romancing The Stone, and are you looking forward to presenting it in your adaptation? Any loose plans for that scene that you can share?

antikate: I think my favourite bit is the ridiculous “sliding down the hill in the mud and rain and landing on top of each other” scene because it’s so daft and silly.

However, I have really struggled to think about how to adapt that for a written fic and to fit my writing style. So I have adapted that part quite heavily, to focus more on the key element of that scene, which is our main characters getting very wet. There’s nothing more romantic than getting utterly drenched with a person you’ve just met!

goromcom: Oh my! (fans self)

Other than that scene making it in (albeit modified from the original), do you plan to stick very closely to the beats of the original story, or make bigger changes?

antikate: I’ve... gone really off the trail. I’m so far off it, I don’t know where I am on the map anymore. In fact I may have crossed international borders.The movie has A LOT of action and while I do enjoy writing action, multiple car crashes/chase scenes/shoot outs are not something I think I can handle writing. So I’ve simplified the plot, and giving myself more time for the important bits, which involves Two Morons Falling In Love. I’ve also been inspired by certain people (they know who they are) to up the thirst, significantly. And it’s hard to be thirsty in a car chase.

goromcom: One would think that thirst while driving would be the catalyst for accidents rather than being a fun little side benefit, indeed!! 

What's an interesting decision you've made in your planning so far--a notable casting decision, a changing of venue, or some other plan you have to paint Good Omens all over your rom com?

antikate: The original movie is set in Colombia, and I have decided instead to set my story in the tropical rainforests of Scotland. (Please don’t @ me.) Not just because Good Omens is Very British but also because the “exotic adventures in strange foreign climes” trope is, well, racist. Whereas Scotland is just far enough outside of the realm of the show that It feels a bit different. And it’s also isolated enough that some of the tropes I’m using make more sense. (Huddling for warmth! There’s only one sleeping bad/bed! Sexy hiking!)

This is also my first AU so it’s an interesting exercise in making my characters their own people without totally throwing away book/show characterization.

goromcom: If sexy hiking became your brand, I’m pretty sure that could only be a good thing. ;)

But let’s not give too much away about the story, and move on to the final question. I am blatantly stealing this from The Good Place: The Podcast, but here goes: Tell me something "good". It can be something big or small. It can be a charity you think is doing good work, or you can talk about how great your pet is.

antikate: I am an Australian expat and things in my homeland this summer have been ... not great. So I’d really like to say to everyone, please find a local Climate Change advocacy and activism group and get involved! 350.org does really good work.

goromcom: Such an important issue, and unfortunately, only going to get more relevant for us as time goes on. (But on a happier note, please remember to keep an eye open for the GO adaptation of Romancing the Stone, coming very soon!)

[littlesliceofmarvel]

Emotional Journey

Request/Synopsis: Peter helps you deal with a traumatic event.

Warnings: swearing, mentions of blood, violence, death

Pairings: Peter Parker x Reader

A/N: im trying to get these out as soon as I can, my vacation is taking over my time. It’s tough, I’m sorry! Anywho, enjoy! xx

-

Nights like this were your favorite. When you’d take a day off from working and you could just enjoy exploring the city throughout the day and then enjoying the comfort of your apartment at night - to watch Netflix, of course. You’d run to the grocery store, pick up some snacks you knew you could pig out on, and then cocoon yourself up on the couch and probably watch some stupid rom-com and adding your own commentary track.

You rushed down the snack aisle, picking up some gummy bears and Doritos, throwing them into the grocery cart and making your way towards the cash, hoping to get home before it was dark. You pushed the cart at a dangerous pace, ignoring the glares that people were giving you.

You approached the counter and greeted the short elderly lady with a kind smile, “Good evening!”

She grinned up at you, curly white hair bopping slightly as she did so, “Hello, dear.” She started scanning your items one by one as you took your wallet out, ready to scurry on home and get in bed. You could practically hear it calling to you.

“Movie night?” She asked, eyeing your items as you took out your credit card.

You nodded, “You know me so well, Dolores.” She had been working here for as long as you could remember, and you were quick to discover she was the biggest sweetheart in the world. She told you that you reminded her of her granddaughter who was studying abroad in Europe, so you formed a connection with her immediately.

“I hope you enjoy, dear, I’ll see you soon.” She placed your items in your bag and gave you a smile. You took the bag and smiled back at her, about to reply when the sound of a loud voice cut you off.

“Give me your money, bitch!”

You turned your attention to the direction of the sound, your entire body freezing in place. A man with a black mask stood behind you, a small hand gun pointed in your direction. Fear washed over you as you looked into his dark eyes, his hand slightly trembling as he held the weapon.

“Oh-oh my god,” you stuttered, fingers shaking rapidly as you pulled out your purse to give him what he wanted. You had never been robbed or mugged before, so throwing all bravery out the window, you were going to give him your money.

Everyone in the store started rushing out, screaming and threatening to call the cops, but you couldn’t hear any of it. The sound of your blood rushing and heart pumping took over all of your senses as you pulled out your wallet with shaky fingers.

“Hurry the fuck up, I don’t have all day!” He shouted, bringing the gun closer to your face, the bile rising in your throat nearly making you gag. The thumping of your heart could be felt throughout your entire body and you wished more than anything that this wasn’t real

“H-Here,” you handed it to him and he lowered the gun slightly, taking it out of your hands. He opened it up and threw it on the ground.

“You only have $20?! Fuck that,” he stomped over and turned the gun away from you, making you relax. Until you noticed that the gun was now aimed at sweet Dolores behind the counter.

“Open the register, you old hag,” the man threatened. Your couldn’t think straight, and before you knew it, you threw yourself in between Dolores and the gun.

“Don’t hurt her!” Your voice cracked as you looked the man in the eyes. You regretted jumping in front of the gun, but seeing the look on Dolores’ face when he aimed it at her made you throw logic out the window.

He chuckled darkly, “Then move out of the way so this bitch can open the cash and give me my money.”

You reluctantly moved out of the way, eyes watering as you looked at Dolores who didn’t budge. The man kept his gun pointed at her, and although you could see the fear in her eyes, she held her ground and refused to open the cash register.

“Open it up or I’ll shoot you!” He exclaimed, waving his hand to emphasize his point.

Dolores gave him a sweet smile, “Sorry, dear. Can’t do that.” Alarms went off in your head and everything inside you screamed to run over to her and protect her, but your feet stayed cemented to the floor, not understanding why she wasn’t complying.

The man’s body stiffened and he squinted his eyes, placing his finger over the trigger. The next thing you knew, the deafening sound of a gunshot echoed throughout the store. You clasped your hands over your ears, keeping your eyes shut.

A loud thud sounded on the floor and you opened an eye, looking around to see what it was. Where Dolores was standing, her body was now collapsed on the ground, crimson blood pouring out of the wound on her chest.

“Oh my god,” your voice trembled as you looked to the lifeless body on the floor tiles, “Dolores!”

The man who shot her pulled back in a panic, muttering something about a mistake before he made his way towards the exit. You didn’t look back at him, your blurry vision set on the dead woman on the floor. You heard sudden shouting coming from the entrance but you couldn’t take your attention away from what you were looking at.

“Dolores, p-please wake up,” you shook her body, tears making their way down your cheeks. You felt helpless, defeated, as if you didn’t do enough to save her.

Her death was on you.

You broke down in tears, leaning against the counter to hold your body up. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Why did this happen? She didn’t deserve this. Why her?

“Ma’am, um, is this the man who shot the lady?” You turned around and came face to face with a blurry red and blue figure. You rubbed your eyes with the back of your sleeves and managed to focus on who was in front of you.

You recognized him immediately, who wouldn’t? Spider-Man was the talk of the town. He was all over every news stand and local television channel. He held the man who shot Dolores in a firm grasp, small grunts escaping the killer’s mouth. Anger fled through your body but there was nothing you could do.

“Yes, s-sir,” you stuttered, looking back down to Dolores, her blood pooling almost to your feet by now. You sniffed, trying to hold back tears before turning back to face the hero. He nodded and forcefully dragged the man out of the room.

You knelt down, letting the guilt crumple your body. Everything in you felt like it was shaking, the pounding in your head being the only thing nailing you to reality right now.

You sat in silence for a few minutes, letting yourself try to absorb the situation at hand. You felt completely broken, violated, and shaken to your core. The fault seemed to fall on you. You didn’t carry your cash on you tonight, and because of that, the robber aimed his anger towards her.

“Um, hey,” an unsure voice came up behind you, “I don’t want to force you to leave, but there are medics here to take the body away.”

You turned your teary vision to Spider-Man standing behind you, clear discomfort in his stance.

You nodded, “Yeah, I should probably g-go home.”

Lifting your body off the ground felt like you were lifting a thousand bricks, the counter being your complete support system. Your heart felt heavier than ever, as if it were struggling to keep itself going.

“I’m really sorry,” the masked hero said, lowering his head.

“So am I.”

You followed him out of the store, not being able to look back at the paramedics covering Dolores’ body. As you stepped out into the cool autumn night air, the hero approached you once more.

“They don’t need questioning,” he muttered softly, “Let me walk you home.”

Too tired and distraught to argue, you nodded slowly. The flashing lights of police cars nearly blinded your vision and the dozens of reports already on the scene were giving you a headache - thankfully you turned a corner and went out of sight to head back to your apartment.

The usually busy streets seemed empty, and your steps were slower than usual, the hero next to you making sure to match your pace.

“I’m sorry you had to experience that,” he said quietly. He sounded young, not at all like the 30 year old man you thought Spider-Man was.

You gave him a sad smile, “I left without a scratch. It should have been me.” It was true. You believed that hou should have been the one to take the bullet instead. She has grandkids, family, a husband - you had no one.

The man stopped in his tracks, his head turned towards you, “Don’t say that.”

“What?” You scoffed, the tears stinging your eyes once more, “She didn’t deserve it.”

“She didn’t, you’re right. But it shouldn’t have been you either.” You let his words sink in, processing what he meant. The one thing you were sure of was that Dolores didn’t deserve what she got. At all. But you didn’t think you did either.

“You’re right,” you said softly, “Thanks for, uh, helping out back there.” He nodded, and even though you couldn’t see under the mask, you could tell he was smiling.

The rest of the walk to your apartment was relatively calm. The two of you talked about Dolores’ life. You didn’t feel like it was time to reminisce about her just yet, her death being too fresh, but talking about her seemed to take the blow out of your mind slightly. He asked about how you met her, her grandchildren, and a little bit about your own life as well.

He dropped you off at your place and bid you a goodnight, and despite the trauma that you experienced a little under an hour ago, his company had really helped you stay calm.

You walked into your apartment, flicking the lights on and standing in the middle of your bedroom letting the tears and sobs flow free once again. You crumpled down on your bed, curling into the cold bedsheets and hiding your face from the world. You wished more than anything that this was some twisted, messed up, psychotic dream - but it wasn’t.

You cried yourself to sleep, the usually peaceful dreams being taken over by the gruesome images you witnessed that night.

-

It had been two weeks since the event, and Spider-Man came by every day to check on you, usually in the evenings. You weren’t sure why he did, being an Avenger and having bigger responsibilities after all, but you weren’t complaining. He’d sometimes come by with goods he picked up from a bakery, knowing you were sheltering yourself away from the world and not taking care of yourself. You got to know who he was, his hobbies, his little quirks and personality traits that made him the respectable hero he was. You didn’t know who he was under the mask, but it wasn’t your business to know.

You had rejected his kindness at first, feeling as if you didn’t deserve it, but he didn’t give up. Every time he’d knock on your apartment window with a Starbucks cup in hand, you’d shut your drapes and leave the room, but you could only ignore his consistent knocking for so long, eventually letting him in and taking what he had to offer. You liked his company and the calmness that he brought you, and you were thankful he decided to stick around.

The nights were the worst. Your dreams were constantly filled with violent images, the person on the other side of the gun changing every night. Some nights, you were the one pulling the trigger. You’d wake up in a cold sweat, trembling, and unable to fall back asleep. No amount of medication or alcohol could lure the dark images out of your head to give you a couple hours of rest.

During the days, you sat on the couch, sometimes staring aimlessly out the window of your small Manhattan apartment. You didn’t eat as much, and you had quit your job to prevent going out completely. The only thing that actually kept you going and stable was the mysterious hero bringing you smoothies or muffins at some point throughout the day.

You didn’t understand why he cared so much about your well-being, surely he dealt with countless traumatized civilians, but he was one of the only things keeping you grounded - and for that, you’d gladly accept his care.

The day was slow, the rain pouring over the grey streets of the city as traffic piled up. You watched from your bedroom window, curled up in your bed as the sound of the rain reminded you of a lullaby, drowning out the voices of Friends on your TV. Your eyes stung, the lack of sleep playing into effect on another lazy Saturday morning.

Your peace was disrupted by the obnoxious sound of the doorbell. Rolling your eyes, you threw the blanket off of you as you made your way across the cold floor to your door.

Upon opening it, you came face to face with a boy about your age. Messy brown hair fell into his face, a small smile on his lips. Your eyes moved down to his hands - a coffee in one and a small brown paper bag in the other. You had never seen this guy before, so the unexpected presence caught you off guard.

Hiding behind your door to avoid showing this stranger the fact that you weren’t wearing pants, he seemed unaware of your state completely and he held that smile on his face.

“I - uh, I think you have the wrong place,” you cocked an eyebrow at him, ready to close the door when he came to the same realization.

He let out a small chuckle, “Y/N, it’s me.”

That voice sounded all too familiar and it clicked instantly in your head. Your eyes widened as you faced the young man in front of you.

“You’re spider man?!” he clasped a hand over your mouth after you shouted it out, pushing you back into the apartment and closing the door behind him with his foot.

“Shh! No one knows who I am!” He whispered, even once the door was closed.

“But you’re spider man! Woah, I didn’t think you’d be like, twelve,” you looked over him once again, realizing how young he actually looked.

“Twelve?” He asked in amusement, “I’m the same age as you. I’m Peter Parker.”

You rolled your eyes and grabbed the bag from him, rushing back off to your room before he could stop you.

“Hey, not so fast,” he rushed after you, barging in once you were safely tucked under the blankets, analyzing the doughnut he had brought you. Sure, finding out your mystery hero’s identity was a big deal, but you didn’t know who he was in reality, so you couldn’t base him off of anything.

“C’mon, talk to me,” he mumbled quietly, taking a seat on the edge of your bed and placing the coffee he got you on the table next to your bed. You shook your head, thankful that his attention had now quickly turned to the heavy rain on the window.

“I like rain,” he said, smiling slightly.

“Me too,” you admitted, taking a bite of the sugary treat, not caring about the grains of sugar falling on your mattress.

“You need to get out of your apartment, it’s been two weeks,” he turned back to you, eyeing you as if you were broken glass being held together by a tiny piece of tape.

You shook your head, “No.”

Peter looked down at the ground, “This isn’t a healthy way to deal with grief.”

You shrugged, not wanting to look into his eyes, “I don’t care.”

You knew that letting yourself fall down this dark hole wasn’t healthy, but you couldn’t help it. Everything reminded you of what happened and any loud noise that happened down below brought you back to the sound of the gunshot.

“Y/N, please, let’s do something. Like a museum or whatever. Something outside of this apartment,” Peter’s face lit up at his own suggestion.

“No.”

“Come on, please?”

“No.”

“Stop being so stubborn,” Peter pouted, making you roll your eyes and throw your head back on the pillow.

“Fine!”

-

The museum was a breath of fresh air. The two of you walked around, viewing the centuries of art that lined the walls and the sculptures that illuminated rooms. You were a lover of the arts, so it was hard to stay focused on anything when your eyes constantly darted around the room.

Peter found you hilarious, your small complaints about the people with their flashes on to photograph the art, and the noisy kids running up and down the marble corridors. He found your comments entertaining, chuckling after each one.

For once, you found yourself not thinking about what had happened, and you enjoyed your time out of the apartment. You were thankful for Peter having been there for you the past two weeks as a masked identity, but this felt much more real now that you knew who he was.

“Thanks for getting me out of the apartment.” You smiled kindly at him as you took another bite of your pretzel, the sunshine finally breaking through the clouds as the two of you walked through the muddy Central Park.

“Hey, don’t thank me. I’m just glad I could help,” he shrugged, giving you a goofy grin.

“You’ve really helped. Thank you,” you said sincerely, making his cheeks flush a light pink. You giggled, turning back to your pretzel and taking another bite.

You felt a soft hand link with yours and give it a small squeeze before it was gone. You internally screamed, the overwhelming feeling of butterflies in your stomach making you almost vomit.

“Hey, how about we go check out a show tonight?” He asked, eyes lighting up as he viewed a sign for ‘The Lion King on Broadway.’

You nodded like an idiot, “I’d love to.”

There were a few things you were sure of. One, that the sky was blue. Two, that dealing with Dolores’ murder was going to be one of the hardest things you’d ever have to go through. And three, that you weren’t going to deal with it alone.

Peter stuck by you through the following weeks, attending Dolores’ funeral with you and helping you get a new job working with Mr Stark to prevent these things from happening to other people. Your job nearly took over your life from now on, but slowly and surely you put the pieces back together and with the help of Peter, it seemed everything was going to be okay.

[alexsfictionaddiction]

Alex Recommends: May and June Books

I must apologise for the late arrival of this post. It should have been up days ago but I’ve been struggling to read much for the last month or so. My head has been very foggy and dark with all of the confusion, anxiety and hate that has been filling my news feeds and I’ve been filled with a desire to combat it. Before this month, I’d have run in the opposite direction from any kind of confrontation but recent events have given me the kick up the butt to actively do better. I’ve been calling out bigotry when I come across it and I’ve noticed that some people, notably my older relatives, haven’t necessarily reacted favorably to the changed, more outspoken Alex. It has been pretty daunting and I’ve worked myself up into fits of rage and tears several times over the last couple of months.

A lot of things have changed for me since my last Alex Recommends post. I’m currently temporarily living in Staffordshire with my boyfriend because my depression got too bad for me to stay at home for much longer. I missed him unbelievably much and I knew that spending some prolonged time with him would help -and it has. Both him and I have spent 12 weeks religiously following all of the rules, so we’re both extremely low-risk for catching and spreading COVID-19 and being together was something that we simply really needed to do. Please don’t hate me for it! In other news, I have also started writing again, which feels amazing. I’m now a few thousand words into a queer Rapunzel retelling that I have lots of ideas for. Maybe I’ll even post an extract or two, when I feel it’s ready to show you.

In the centre of the renewed energy of Black Lives Matter and the undeniable exposure of the horrors that is police brutality, the book blogging and BookTube worlds vowed to uplift Black voices. I wrote a very long, in-depth blog post full of Black-written books and Black book influencers. Please check it out to diversify your TBR and educate yourself on Black issues, which is what every white person should be doing now and always.

June was Pride Month and I tried my best to compile a series of recommendation posts in honour of it. These included gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, ace, pansexual and intersex lists. I’ve had some great feedback on this, so I hope you find some fantastic new reads. It felt especially poignant to put them together the same year that one of my childhood heroes came out as an ignorant trans-exclusive feminist. As a lifelong Harry Potter superfan and someone who has repeatedly publicly supported Rowling in the past, I feel the need to clarify where I now stand. I do not support or agree with a single thing that she has said in recent times with regard to transgender people. I’ve never felt my own status as a cisgender female threatened by trans people wanting more rights or believed that children or women were at risk due to their existence. 

I read her words more than once and struggled to find any semblance of the woman who wrote the books that have most defined my life. I’m hesitant to say that we can always successfully separate the art from the artist but I will say that it makes sense to me that the Rowling of 2020 is not the same Rowling that wrote Harry Potter. She was a destitute single mother when Philosopher’s Stone was published in 1997 and of course, she is now a million worlds away from that lifestyle. It breaks my heart but it makes sense to me that she has changed beyond belief because her life has changed beyond belief. I’m not and never would make any excuses for her recent behaviour and I have stopped supporting her personally but I will not be getting rid of my Harry Potter books and I will undoubtedly re-read them several more times. However, I am now hugely reluctant to buy any more merchandise or special editions of the books, which saddens me but at the moment, it feels right. There is no coming back for her from this and I will make a conscious effort to keep Harry Potter and Rowling away from my future content. It can be really tough to admit that the people you once really admired aren’t great humans but it’s something that we all have to acknowledge in this case, in order to move forward with our own quests to become our best selves.

It didn’t feel right to post my May recommendations last month as I didn’t feel comfortable promoting my own content in the midst of boosting Black voices. So today I’m bringing you a bumper edition of Alex Recommends. Here are 10 books that I’ve enjoyed since the start of May that I’d love to share with you. Enjoy! -Love, Alex x

FICTION: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Set in the affluent neighbourhood of Shaker Heights, Ohio in the 1990s, two families are brought together and pulled apart by the most intense, devastating circumstances. Dealing with issues of race, class, coming-of-age, motherhood and the dangers of perfection, Little Fires Everywhere is highly addictive and effecting. With characters who are so heartbreakingly real and a story that weaves its way to your very core, I couldn’t put it down and I’m still thinking about it over a month after finishing it. 

FICTION: Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

When coding nerd Chloe Brown almost dies, she makes a list of goals and vows to finally Get A Life. So she enlists tattooed redhead handyman and biker Red to teach her how. Cute, funny and ultimately life-affirming, this enemies-to-lovers rom-com was exactly the brand of light relief that I needed this month. The follow-up Take A Hint, Dani Brown focuses on a fake-dating situation with Chloe’s over-achieving academic sister and I can’t wait to get my hands on that.

FICTION: The Rearranged Life of Oona Lockhart by Margarita Montimore

Just before her 19th birthday at midnight on New Year’s Eve 1983, Oona Lockhart finds herself inexplicably in 2015 inside her 51-year-old body. She soon learns that every year on New Year’s Day, she will now find herself inside a random year of her life and she has no control over it. Seeing her through relationships, friendships and extreme wealth, this strange novel has echoes of Back To The Future and 13 Going On 30 with a final revelation that I certainly never saw coming.

NON-FICTION: The Five by Hallie Rubenhold

Atmospheric and engaging, The Five details the previously untold stories of Polly, Annie, Elisabeth, Kate and Mary-Jane -the women who lost their lives at the hands of Jack the Ripper. Full of fascinating research and heartbreaking accounts of what these women’s lives may have been like, Rubenhold paints a dark immersive portrait of Victorian London and gives voice to these tragic silenced lives. Although we can’t know for certain if these accounts are entirely accurate, they feel very plausible and in some ways, The Five exposes how little time has moved on, when it comes to the public portrayal of single, troubled women.

NON-FICTION: Unicorn by Amrou Al-Kadhi

From a childhood crush on Macaulay Culkin to how a teenage obsession with marine biology helped them realise their non-binary identity, Unicorn tells the story of how the obsessive perfectionist son of a strict Muslim Iraqi family became the gorgeous drag queen Glamrou. Packed full of humour, honesty and heart, this book will give you the strength and inspiration to harness what you were born with and be who you were always meant to be.

MIDDLE-GRADE: The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates by Jenny Pearson

When fact-obsessed Freddie’s grandmother dies, he discovers that the father he has never met may actually be alive and living in Wales. So he has no choice but to grab his best friends Ben and Charlie, leave his home in Andover and go to find his dad! I laughed so many times during this madcap adventure and I know the slapstick crazy humour will hit the middle-grade target audience just right. It’s also a wonderful depiction of small town Britain with a focus on the true meaning of family.

MIDDLE-GRADE: A Kind Of Spark by Elle McNicoll

When Addie learns about her hometown’s history of witch trials, she campaigns tirelessly to get a memorial for the women who lost their lives through it. This wonderfully beautiful novel gives a unique insight into the mind of an 11-year-old autistic girl with a huge heart. Busting myths about neurodiversity while tackling typical pre-teen drama, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry but most of all, you’ll close the book with a huge smile on your face. 

HISTORICAL FICTION: Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

In 16th century Warwickshire, Agnes is a woman with a unique gift whose relationship with a young Latin tutor produces three children and a legacy that lasts for centuries. This enchanting, all-consuming account of the tragic story of Shakespeare’s lost son, the effects that rippled through the family and the play that was born from their pain will send a bullet straight through your heart. Wonderfully researched and beautifully written, Hamnet is worth all of the hype.

HISTORICAL FICTION: The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

When a vicious storm kills most of the men of Vardø, Norway, it’s up to the women to keep things going but a man with a murderous past is about to come down with an iron fist. At the heart of this dark tale of witch trials, grief and feminism, two women find something they’ve each been searching for within each other. Gorgeously written with a fantastically slow-burning queer romance, Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s first adult novel is an addictive, atmospheric read with a poignant, tearjerker of an ending.

SCI-FI: Q by Christina Dalcher

When one of Elena’s daughters manages to drop below the country’s desired Q number, she is sent away to one of the new state schools and Elena is about to find out something she’d really rather not know about the new system. Packed full of real social commentary and critique of life as we know it while painting a picture of how things could be even worse (yes, really!), this pulse-racing, horrifying sci-fi dystopian gripped me from the first page and refused to let me go. 

[aadhiskanmani]

I am back with Part 2 as promised earlier also because it was bugging me that i have left it incomplete the other day. The formatting is going to remain exactly the same way.. am just saving myself some extra text clutter , time and  typing/copy paste this time round LOL. 

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS COMPLETELY MY OPINION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING FEATURES.  I feel the need to say this again because last time too i got a message but x,y,z film has x,y,z issues . I've said it before and i will say it again  It is all a mixed Bag, Mixed Genres, Mixed reasons to suggest them right from the quality to acting to cinematography to story to critical acclaim to some just for PURE ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES.  I makes these lists because I feel these features deserve love and appreciation and because some made me feel Proud and some just for pure entertainment factor . Sidenote.. all titles are actual links where you can watch the features with subs and most of these are On prime video or netflix as well

K.G.F: Chapter 1 |Kannada| *Yash | alt Link  A young man's promise to his dying mother leads him on a dangerous quest for power and wealth.  If I may say so this One pretty much did the same thing in terms of opening doors to kannada film industry like Baahubali did to tollywood. This one  followed the formula and dubbed it in multiple languages and gave it a wide release worldwide which raised eyeballs and got me curious too esp caz this one has a similar plot with the rise of a hero and the hunger for power just set in a completely different world and era. Now the Strength here is the screenplay  and the non-linear pattern which keeps you engaged, with the growth of Rocky being shown steadily. The film is set between 1951 to 2018 and maintains a sense of curiosity as each character is unveiled. Yash is Phenomenal in it as rocky. I said it back then when i watched it and i will say it again He exuded the same kind of charisma say like a 70′s 80′s hero e.g Mr Bachchan from his blockbuster hits where he Played similar roles or salman khan in his typical masala characters basically Larger than life even if he has this arc of being a nobody to Rocky Bhai to Rocky the messiah. One word of Caution... This one gets a lil confusing in Kannada  and with subs as there are too many characters and each one has his/her own agenda. i was confused at many parts but then i watched the hindi dubbed version and it made a world of difference. this one is fairly well dubbed too just like baahubali and what i mean is the voices didn’t sound robotic. Also i personally felt they went a little too far with the dukhi  junta in prison in 2nd half and the violence as in it got very tedious but thank God that got over soon with the rise of this hero but it is worth watching and rest of it is really good, esp the last 15 mins WOWWWWW I cannot wait for part 2. Also my only sandalwood entry.

p.s all dubbed versions are available on prime including Hindi but i have linked the kannada originals  

Fidaa | tel |*Varun Tej, Sai Pallavi  (on Prime as well) Two young people embark on a winding and rocky path to love after meeting at a wedding. First of all supercute romantic, comedy/ family drama but what is refreshing about it is that it is Mainly from the Heroine’s POV and we have a VERY STRONG heroine who has her opinions, her say ,her own thought process and who is just so real. On the surface it looks like just another tollywood rom com but it’s Not. the music is really Good too and Sai Pallavi is A bundle of joy as Bhanu who calls the shots  mostly here. Needless to say it is one of my Feel good films when  i want to see something that makes me smile and gives me that comfort vibe i  go to this one mostly.

Tumbbad|hin|*soham shah . A man and his son encounter a legendary demon while searching for hidden treasure in 19th-century India. 

This one will come as a surprise to many as it is a hindi title but This one a rare gem that is Underrated af and i haven’t seen a finer hindi film in the last year because of how rich it’s content is and how thought provoking it is. The makers have invested years in getting to final result and it shows. this one gave me goosebumps, sacred me, left me mesmerized and make me go WHAT too. This is also on this list because you may not have heard about it at all just like myself who had no idea and jumped into it out of supreme boredom and was left in complete awwwwww and then did my reading and research. This one is a well thought out psychological horror film with strong visuals and metaphors and makes you question as it plays with your mind. Tumbbad is a perfect example of a film that creates a surreal illusion.

Imaikkaa Nodigal| Tam| Nayanthara,Atharvaa, Anurag kashyap: alt link  A suave CBI officer (Nayanthara), is in search of a serial killer who kidnaps and kills the children of important people. The killer, however, is targeting his nemesis next. a revenge thriller with a strong Plot unpredictable and amazing twists.Each character has an important role and Nayan As a Bad ass cop who freaking sets the bar too high for female officers in desi films. THis one is one of the finest Thrillers in recent years which actually gives you thrills and Shocks and most of them one can’t guess. Let me be honest i gave upon this seeing anurag kasyap as the antagonist as i was unable to bear rudra and just his Ottness on top of that atharvaa’s lovestory as the parallel track mad me go ehhh as i initially clicked on it for nayan and there was so little of her in the beginning but then i gave it another try and couldn’t stop & was WOWEDDD by the Film and Nayan as anjali and yeah she is the MAIN CHARACTER so we get a lot of her later. She is at her FINEST as anjali. this is the film one wants to watch to get a high of sorts. WATCH IT FOR NAYAAAN FOR A STRONG FEMALE ACTOR/CHARACTER Taking the center stage and BEING FANTASTIC. This one is so just so entertaining in so many ways and the film one can watch on any given day despite knowing the plot twist. Beware Nayan and Vijay’s little arc is heartbreaking and i cried a lot tooooooooo... i was shattered at that part..... it is so hauntingly shot too. TW: Graphic violence  In that scene 

Mahanati|Tel|* Dulquer Salmaan, keerthy suresh, samantha, vijay D |alt link  Biopic based on  The life story of South Indian actress Savitri, who took the film industry by storm in the late '50s and '60s Mahanati is a film about the rise of the first female south Indian superstar – Savitri. Her story one of the most heart wrenching romantic tragedies of our times.This film tells a story of the Mahanati; her life, her journey to fame, and the dramatic downfall. Keerthy Suresh, elegantly brought Savitri to life, and Gemini Ganesan, played by Dulquer Salman, makes this film a true pleasure to watch. I had no idea who Savitri was i went into it because DQ and Again was BLOWN AWAY by How well made this film is and how it is made with so much sensitivity and rawness. it keeps the real journey part intact as in doesn’t sugarcoats or overly glamorizes things to show Savitri as some mahaan hasti. They make this film the Grand celebration of her life with all her struggles and tragedies  and makes you connect with her in a very real  manner and All this Makes this film so much more than a film. this one becomes that Larger than life Grand,SHE IS A HERO More because she truly is rather than OH because she had this sob story IYKWIM  like hindi Biopics do. They have made savitri Grand By her resilience by her courage by her will power and invested in the character and plot rather than all taam jhaam. This one is By far the best Biopic i’ve seen from desi industries and Not One and i mean it NOT one Hindi biopic even comes close to this one in terms of presentation. Keerthy suresh is a joy to watch as savitri. i am not gonna lie i broke down at few points and that is because of her acting and laughed too i connected so strongly to an actress’s story (who i had no idea about as in savitri i had 0 knowledge about savitri or in general about south industries retro eras ) only because of keerthy’s presentation.Also dulquer is a Joy as gemini ganeshan. he really slipped into it with ease and lived upto the part. they have achieved finesse in  showcasing a life story and recreating old songs from black & white era. If nothing else on this list watch this and imaikaa nodigal and you won’t regret it 

Rangasthalam |tel| *Ramcharan, Samantha :  Chitti Babu, a hearing impaired boat skipper, becomes caught in the middle of a political feud in the village of Rangasthalam. Watch this one for Ram charan’s performance  He is a delight to watch as chitti babua and this easily is his Best WORK till date this character have so much to play with and He ACES IT . The strong and intriguing story line is also a Plus . The film is not just set in the 80s; it also picks a story template from that era and narrates the tale in a refreshingly raw manner but the characters are so well fleshed out they don’t look caricatures by any means. the songs are grand and super fun to watch too. 

Maari 2 |tam|* dhanush, sai pallavi :  Maari, a gangster with a heart of gold, tangles with a new nemesis who is determined to bring about his downfall. First things first this one is mileas ahead of the previous version in everything. A much stronger film in every way. Otherwise it is a pure masala entertainer with all the masala elements and  dhanush and sai make a BOMB pair and their lil story is ahh sooo full of feelz. 

Sudani from Nigeria |Mal|* soubin shahir:  When a soccer club manager brings one of his injured foreign players home to recuperate, they form an unlikely bond despite their cultural differences.. A refreshing sports drama that touches your heart. explores the cultural differences so beautifully. the characters stay with you much longer after the film is over. The film effortlessly explores iissues in the neighborhood and much bigger political issues too. overall SImply an underrated film and one should watch it for it’s warmth and sincerity.

Koode|Mal|*prithviraj,nazriya nazim, paravthy  A family tragedy causes a young man to reflect on his childhood and reassess his future.Anjali Menon and that brilliant cast should eb your reason to watch. i don’t think i need to say another word to convince you but still anyway. it takes you on and emotional roller coaster ride. it is a flawless film with an extraordinary cast. also Naz is as charming as ever in her comeback film. there are very few films who actually jump into exploring the bond between a brother and sister and this one aces it with reflecting upon various issues and things they had to go throughasa family  as well as their individual struggles. AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING. Also Paro and prithvi yeah. .. simply OUTSTANDING film

Varathan |mal|* fahadh faasil,Aishwariya lekshmi:  After losing his job, Abin and his wife, Priya, move from Dubai to Priya's family estate in Kerala, but peace eludes the couple. It takes it’s time in the first half but in second it comes all guns blazing and turns into a worth watching survival thriller. it does makes one uneasy at times with the contsant stalker guys lurking around but it is all worth the wait at the end. trust me..

Chekka Chivantha Vaanam |tam| *vijay sethupathi,arinswami,jyothika,simbu;  An attempt is made on the life of a reigning don, and it sets in motion a succession battle between his three sons. In other words Godfather with Mani ratnam  twists A delicious film to devour it si an out and out maniratnam film with massy fan moments and smart filmmaking techniques. watch it for performances esp. i wish jyo had more to do but she is good at what she does in her supporting role. . this one is a true blue  multi starrer ,family drama.

Merku Thodarchi Malai |tam| Antony, Gayatri Krishnan, Abu Valayamkulam :  it  revolves around the life and times of a group of people living along the foothills of the Western Ghats. basically we travel along with Rangu ( teh pratagonist) who is a daily wage worker and his struggles in bringing that load upto the city  and his one dream to own a piece of land someday. this oen is almost like a documentary. this makes you thank and count your blessings. feel every bit of pain and effort and struggle that these daily wage workers have to go through in their daily lives. i broke down at so many points and i just wanted to do something to help makes lives a bit easier. IDK it hit me so hard at places and made me thankful for all the things i have. 

Mayanaadhi |Mal|*tovino thomas,aishwariya lekshmi : A mule driver in a gang and an aspiring actress try to navigate their way through an unexpected romance. Mayaanadhi is a beautiful tale of love. The emotions it conveys needs to be experienced and the movie gives us a taste of life. Aashiq Abu really knocked it out of the park once again with this one. this one. It is a simple enough tale with a plot that is real to life and familiar.It is perhaps the most Soulful Romantic film i’ve seen in last year or so. 

Takeoff|Mal|*parvathy,fahadh :  A young Muslim woman (Parvathy) struggles to find love and happiness in midst of the ongoing civil war in Iraq. It  an ode to the Indian spirit. This is a riveting survival saga, made by a team gifted with acute political and social awareness. It is, in one word, stunning. Paro Simply have slayed. A bit like airlift as in the basic setting and premise is similar but poles apart. it is one hell of a film( in a good way) PARO,PARO,PARO. this is all i have to say to explain the brilliance of it. 

and with that this comes to an end.. again please feel free to share your thoughts and opinions with me i would love to see you guys actually taking the use of this list and sharing your thoughts. Bye and Have a Wonderful Summer binge watching these hehe. i hope you love them as much as i do. looking forward to your thoughts 

[malangmovieonline]

Malang Full Movie Download Tamilrockers, 123mkv 480p HD | Watch Online

Box Office: Even though Love Aaj Kal released last week and now two new releases, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan and Bhoot – The Haunted Ship, are running in theaters together, holdover releases Malang and Tanhaji – The Unsung Warrior are managing to find audiences for themselves. Of course the numbers are on the lower side but still the fact that they have certain count of screens and shows allocated to them and the footfalls at least to some extent are still there is good enough news for them. Malang Full Movie Download 480p HD Tamilrockers, 123mkv Filmywap, Watch Online, Pagalworld, mp4movies, movierulz, khatrimaza, utorrent with torrent magnet, filmyzilla download.

Malang brought in 1 crore* more on Saturday and in the process has crossed the 55 crores mark. Currently standing at 55.30 crores*, the film would come closer to 56.50 crores mark before the third weekend is through. Post that it would be all about how much closer to the 60 crores milestone does it manage to come in its lifetime. An average affair.

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On the other hand Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior has its own great journey continuing with every passing day. On Saturday, it yet again collected well with 0.80 crores* been added to its total. While it has already achieved the 275 crores milestone, it’s now the journey towards the 280 crores mark that is being looked at with keen interest. The film has so far collected 275.80 crores and with some push, it could well manage to touch 277 crores before the close of weekend.

Filmmaker Mohit Suri is basking in the success of his latest release, Malang, starring Aditya Roy Kapur, Disha Patani, Kunal Kemmu and Anil Kapoor. The film, which has earned more than Rs 50 crore (the third Bollywood film of 2020 to do so), is still going strong at the box office.Even as Malang continues its great run at the box office, Suri has already moved on to his next project, Ek Villain 2. While the original 2014 hit starred Sidharth Malhotra, Shraddha Kapoor and Riteish Deshmukh in the lead roles, the sequel will feature Aditya Roy Kapur and John Abraham.

–> Malang Full Movie Download <– 480p

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Suri opened up about the response to Malang, Ek Villain 2 and the much-awaited Aashiqui 3. Excerpts:

Q. With your last two films - Half Girlfriend and Humari Adhuri Kahaani - not doing too well at the box office, has the success of Malang been reassuring?

A. The major change I made is that I essentially went back to writing. That’s why I took a break for around a year and a half. Following Malang, I wrote Ek Villain 2. I am also working on something for Vishesh Films and for Rohit Shetty also. I felt that the last two subjects, even though I had worked on the screenplay and the script, were not essentially my stories.

It was the most obvious choice to make Ek Villain 2 or make a love story with Aditya and ride on the success of Aashiqui 2. But I decided to not play defensive. I wanted to do something unconventional and take Aditya for an action film, because I felt that he had the aptitude for it. I am working with Disha for the first time. It’s a film I did not do with Shraddha after very long, even though I have worked with her so much. I’m making a film with Kunal after 15 years. I worked with him in Kalyug and although he is now known only for comedies like Go Goa Gone and Golmaal, he has an intense and insane role in Malang. Someone like Anil Kapoor came in the end and added a certain amount of energy and authority to the film; he is also someone I have never worked with before. Even for Luv (Ranjan, producer of Malang), this was a very different kind of film - he usually makes rom-coms or romances.

Everything was unconventional about it, and then the kind of response that we got is definitely very encouraging. I got responses from people who have probably never watched my films before. In the kind of limitations we had, I think whenever you are confined, your creativity goes to break the barrier. It’s an adult film, it’s not held back, doesn’t fall into your conventional endings where the hero is beating up everybody. So, it’s a new animal which has been appreciated.

Q. Are there any plans to make a sequel?

A. Did you recognise whose voice was there in the last scene? There was an interesting scene in the end, we will come out with the twist of that later. It’s a little too early to talk about it now.

Q. Ek Villain 2 has an all-new cast - Aditya Roy Kapur and John Abraham. Is it a standalone sequel or will it take off from the events of Ek Villain?

A. It has references of the previous film but what Ekta (Kapoor, producer) and I tried to do is build a couple of badass villains who can play heroes. We wanted to create antiheroes or dark superheroes in a realistic space. I loved all the guys I worked with - Riteish, Sid and everyone - but there are references of their characters in this, so I couldn’t cast the same people. But it’s a standalone film by itself and we are looking to make other standalone films like this, almost like a dark superhero universe.

Q. Have you cast your leading ladies for Ek Villain 2 yet?

A. The boys are locked, but we are looking to cast the girls. In my films, the girls don’t come and dance around trees or feature in songs. They are really interesting roles, so I have to be able to cast the girls right.

Q. There has been talk that Sidharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt will star in Aashiqui 3. What’s the update on the film?

A. I have been working on the script of that. With Aashiqui 3, I have to get the script and the music right before I start work on it. Sid is a friend and we do hang out, but no one has been confirmed for the film till now.

Also read | Ayushmann Khurrana signs Anubhav Sinha’s political drama Anek: report

Q. A few years ago, you were writing a film for Karan Johar. What’s happening on that front?

A. I write films and pitch them to people, based on what they like and don’t like. Some people make it and some don’t. It’s not like every film I write, I make immediately. Sometimes, I come back to it. I had written Malang but I was not getting the right cast and timing to make it. My job as a filmmaker is to keep writing and making films. I don’t stop that process. When Karan approves the script that I have written, I will make the film with him.

जेएनएनl फिल्म मलंग हाल ही में बॉक्स ऑफिस पर रिलीज हुई हैl इस फिल्म में सोहा अली खान के पति कुणाल खेमू ने विलेन की भूमिका निभाई हैंl फिल्म देखने के बाद सोहा अली खान कुणाल खेमू के साथ घर जाते समय डर गई थीl फिल्म मलंग में कुणाल खेमू की भूमिका आलोचकों और दर्शकों को समान रूप से पसंद आई थीं लेकिन उनकी पत्नी सोहा अली खान फिल्म देखकर कुणाल खेमू से डर गई थी। कुणाल ने एक इंटरव्यू में इस बारे में बताया है कि कैसे सोहा उनकी विलेन की भूमिका से डर गई थी और उन्होंने कुणाल से कहा, ‘मुझे घर जाना है और मैं अब आपके साथ घर जाने से डर रही हूं।’ कुणाल खेमू ने बताया कि हर अभिनेता को उसके काम की समीक्षा की जरूरत कैसे होती है।

Explaining this, Kunal Khemu said, ‘I tried to do something different and people had good things to say about it. It also makes you responsible. ’ ‘Malang’ is released on 7 February. The film has grossed more than Rs 50 crore at the box office. It stars Aditya Roy Kapur, Disha Patni and Anil Kapoor. Recently, Kunal also confirmed that he will soon be seen in Golmaal 5 and Go Goa Gone. Kunal Khemu is married to Soha Ali Khan. Kapal also has a daughter. Recently for Soha Ali Khan, Kunal Khemu also wrote a sentimental post on Wedding Invasion. Kunal Khemu and Soha Ali Khan’s Love Marriage was Soha Ali Khan film. The actor is the sister of Saif Ali Khan. Both the siblings have deep love and both still take care of each other.

[takaraphoenix]

I HAVE SO MANY EMOTIONS LEMME TRY TO BE COHERENT.

Okay, look, I absolutely hate rom-coms. Straight rom-coms are absolutely the worst genre in existence and I really believe it just shouldn’t exist.

That being said: I LOVE Crazy Rich Asians SO MUCH? SO SO MUCH?

Like, shit. Where do I even start? Maybe let me broaden everything for a second. Let’s include Black Panther and Coco for a second. Even the deadest, most tired genre can be revived when you do something new with it. I am really fucking tired of seeing the same-looking brunette doe-eyed white girls cry over their hunky white boys. I am absolutely loving the fact that we’re now getting movies that show a different culture and I just marvel at the detailed character-design. It’s the thing I loved most about Black Panther too - so many characters, so many female characters who were strong and individual.

Crazy Rich Asians introduces sooo many characters and let’s be frank, if this movie was white, at least half of them would just be cut-out cardboards standing in the background and having no individual personality traits. Seriously, countless movies have taught me that lesson.

There are so many individual characters in this movie? So many awesome strong female characters? I absolutely loved this!

And not just the brilliant character writing, also the peek into a culture I’m not familiar with. I find that so fucking refreshing? I genuinely don’t understand that white man fear that white viewers wouldn’t understand non-white stories?? Like? Fuck you?? I already know the white experience, it’s pretty lame. I’d rather learn something new and see something new!

It was refreshing, it was engaging, it was funny, it was also really fucking gorgeous to watch because it was so extravagant??

Rachel was a great lead, I loved following her, I loved seeing her stand her own woman against her future mother-inlaw. The way she encountered this to her foreign world. I particularly enjoyed her dynamic with her badass best friend and also Oliver! The make-over scene was definitely one of my favorites.

What I also loved was the soundtrack? Even before the movie really started, the music really set the mood. And all through the movie, it was just brilliant. It accentuated the film. What has really been bothering me a lot about movies by now is when they just blare some obnoxiously loud pop-song that ruins the scene and throws me out of the story. The music was so well-picked and also beautiful to listen to.

The introduction scene already got me really hooked. It’s also very clever because you think “Oh yes, I can totally sign up for her journey” when half-way in, this very character is sold more as the... villain of the movie. And what absolutely makes this movie a winner is that she isn’t. She’s neither the hero nor the villain of the story. She’s just a nuanced character with personal motivations. As much as I hated Eleanor at times, she was astonishing.

And? And when Nick proposed? I rolled my eyes at first because urgh cliche plane proposal. But when it was his mother’s ring, I legit had tears in my eyes and was clapping like a very dumb seal...

Nick was rather weak, compared to the strongly drawn female characters in this movie, but that’s okay because that’s... a rom-com thing. The men are always weaker than the women because the focus is on the women. He was just the pretty-boy sweetheart who carried his girlfriend on his hands. So, he’s a cutie pie but he doesn’t really win for overly individually designed character.

Now to the absolute star of the movie, at least for me: Gemma Chan as Astrid. I love her? Both? The actress was so good and even though she was more of a secondary character compared to the main romance, she was played out so fucking well and Astrid most definitely is my favorite character?

I spent half the movie just yelling at my screen “ASTRID DESERVES BETTER. SHE IS A BEAUTIFUL AND AMAZING STRONG WOMAN AND SHE DESERVES BETTER”, that happening mainly because I don’t trust rom-coms to not go “Oh and she saw that it was also partially her mistake for neglecting her husband so they get back together and decide to work through their issues”. And if you have been following me for more than a month, you know my opinion on cheats. Cheats are the scum of the Earth and do not deserve a second chance. Ever. At all. So when the scum of the Earth cheats on who has already become my favorite character in the movie? I tend to get protective.

I CHEERED SO LOUDLY WHEN SHE BROKE UP WITH HIM. BOTH TIMES.

When she went to the wedding with grandma, standing tall and proud through this, and even more so when she then told him that she would be moving out and declaring that she indeed does deserve better. Her putting on the earrings that she bought for herself? So empowering. Because she deserves to treat herself and not feel like she has to be smaller just for a man. Fuck him.

I also spent half the movie yelling: “PLEASE GIMME AN ASTRID SPIN-OFF.”

Now, please do imagine the inhumane sound I made when I watched the post-credit scene. I DID NOT KNOW HARRY SHUM JR IS IN THIS MOVIE. I DIDN’T KNOW THAT HOW DID I NOT KNOW THAT I LITERALLY ONLY FOLLOW Shadowhunters BLOGS HOW HAS NONE OF THEM EVER MENTIONED THIS BEFORE.

AND NOT JUST LIKE THAT. AS ASTRID’S LOVE INTEREST?? POTENTIAL LOVE INTEREST?

LISTEN. YOU CAN’T DANGLE THAT SCENE IN FRONT OF ME AND NOT GIVE ME A SPIN-OFF SEQUEL ABOUT ASTRID AND HIM THEN. SERIOUSLY I WILL SELL YOU MY SOUL FOR THAT.

Okay.

To summarize one last time: I absolutely loved this movie. Music, acting, characters, writing, everything. First time watching and I couldn’t spot a single flaw in it. It was very engaging, it was funny, it made me want more. It was such a fascinating experience, to see this for me foreign culture and from such a point of view at that. It was lovely, the love-story was beautiful, the friendships were amazing, the family-dynamic was fascinating. Seriously, I am so high on happy-feelings right now!

There’s just one thing: Don’t watch it on an empty stomach! There is so much delicious-looking food in this movie? I’m so hungry now??

[brandannrhillmann-blog]

I like my endings like I like my chocolate

Something grabbing my interests lately is the way a work of fiction’s ending affects us all differently. I think everyone comes into their favorite media with different needs and expectations (I am certainly no exception), so these varied things will appeal or not in various ways. I don’t have a preferred ending, so long as it fits the genre and completes the narrative in a satisfying and logical way. For me, happiness needs to be earned, and anything else has to have meaning to explain why it’s not happiness. If there are no emotional stakes, the various endings become interchangeable, and that’s just boring to me.

I find a lot of current discussion about story endings comparing the virtues of the happy/Happily-Ever-After and the unhappy/GrimDark. I have my feelings on both, and often find myself pleased with something when a good deal of my friends are not, which is honestly a healthy way to enjoy your favorite things, in my opinion. What puzzles me, though, is this bizarre dichotomy being drawn between the two, as if HEA and Unhappy are the only options, and that the absence of one means it is automatically the other. This binary leaves out something that I, personally, find incredibly satisfying, but as a writer and a consumer of fiction, and that is the Bittersweet. 

The HEA is not ‘boring’, but it doesn’t always feel right in context. Sometimes the MC works through the story and gains everything they long for, and it’s certainly not dull to watch that work pay off. We want the hope that stories like this provide us. Sometimes, though, the plot unfolds in a way that makes the HEA impossible. There is no logical way all the ends can be tied up prettily, not without breaking the narrative through cheap gimmicks that conveniently solve all the conflict. And that’s okay. Everything doesn’t have to come out perfect in order for happiness to be gained, nor does happiness in all things make a story objectively good. To quote Danielle in Ever After, a bird may love a fish, but where would they live? As much as we cheer for the bird and the fish to find happiness together, it’s not possible. It doesn’t diminish what they’ve worked together to gain, and it doesn’t mean that they’ve not found happiness and purpose they can enjoy individually. Now, Danielle and Henry earned their HEA by growing and changing in ways that work with one another, because the setting and plot events make it possible. Most birds will never survive underwater, and a fish must breathe water to live in Olden Times France. With Prince Lír and Lady Amalthea in The Last Unicorn, to have Amalthea choose to remain human and forget what she was would have broken the impact of her journey, and we wouldn’t be left with a unicorn who learned to regret. Regret may not be the most pleasant feeling, but an immortal being who must now carry it? The gravity of that feels profound. To say nothing of how Lír lived out his long life as a good king with a drive to be worthy of the love of that same creature. We learn that the loss of the thing you most want isn’t always the worst thing that can happen to you. How a character deals with that loss is, many times, is a happiness all of its own. It’s not a Happy Ending, but it still rewards us for sticking out the journey.

On the other side of that, you have to be careful with your unhappy endings. A dark story can feel like a hopeless slog when you get no payoff whatsoever. When the characters you’ve journeyed with suffer with no relief. When their travails bring about no new equilibrium, whether for themselves or others, you can be left feeling overtaxed emotionally. We all love a bit of angst, but when it’s overused and no one grows as a result, it’s just exhausting.

Done well, these endings can have a rewarding impact. The hero could die, such as in The Death of Superman. This shakes up the status quo. We expect Superman to save the day because he always does. He’s the Man of Steel. If Superman can be defeated, if he can die, what does that tell us about the world? What does that mean for those who remain? It leaves room for those who maintain hope through that to step forward and carry the story onward, and gives the spotlight, potentially, to someone new.

Other times, the so-called sad ending isn’t even an ending. It’s a pause in the story. The end of Avengers: Infinity Wars is devastating. We watch the heroes fight. We watch them fail. We see them cease to exist. We don’t expect or want to see our favorites meet these fates, but sometimes it makes sense, narratively. We see mistakes made, sacrifices paid that challenge the nature of a character, people underestimating the Big Bad or even each other, for better or for worse. On its face it’s not rewarding. It’s not meant to be. But, to quote Prince Lír, you can’t have your happily ever after in the middle of the story. The story needs somewhere to go, and up is interesting. Now you’re invested, because you were left unsatisfied. The Neverending Story movie ends (ha!) with a spark of light in a grain of sand, all that’s left of a world wiped away. Everything has been destroyed by the Nothing, but as the Childlike Empress tells us, in the beginning, it’s always dark. These are little more than pauses, and sometimes the medium demands their use. 

That’s not to say that people coming into these things with different wants are wrong in their enjoyment or disappointment--certainly not--because like I said, we all have our own needs in what we consume. That sort of storytelling isn’t going to appeal to everyone. Not every story is for every audience. Sometimes we expect our needs to be met through a story where it makes no sense to meet them because of the narrative arc. It’s not better or worse, just different from what we wanted. That’s going to impact our feelings as we walk away and mull over what the storyteller decided to tell. Do we want everything tied up right now? There are stories where that’s possible! Do we want to watch an epic unfold and see the impossible overcome? There’s stories where that’s necessary. The HEA has become a staple of rom-coms and romance novels. If you’re looking for a different ending, you’re searching the wrong genre. Sam and Annie will get together at the end of Sleepless in Seattle. That’s why we’re all here. Okoye and Shuri now have to figure out how to go forward without T’challa to unite Wakanda. How do you get to be a hero with no heroic challenge in front of you? 

Stories are created and shared, but they don’t always cater. No storyteller owes you the payoff you desire, but that doesn’t make you bad for being put off by it. It means that the story this person chose to tell wasn’t for you. You either enjoy it for what it is, or you don’t. There’s no right or wrong side here. Stories are not objectively good or bad. It’s all about what we want when they are shared, and managing our expectations.

[sunflowersforphoenix]

Interview: Phoenix Wright

The renowned defense attorney discusses social media, rom-coms, and his unforgettable hairdo.

(Based on Vanity Fair’s Proust Questionnaire)

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Enjoying a celebratory dinner after winning a case, with family and friends, at our favorite restaurant.

What is your greatest fear?

When the restaurant bill arrives and I have to pay for it.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Abraham Lincoln.

Which living person do you most admire?

My husband Miles, who is a far better man than I am.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

Lack of tact. I have no filter.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Insincerity.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Name-brand grape juice. It’s Welch’s or nothing, baby.

What is your favorite journey?

Parenthood.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Cleanliness.

On what occasion do you lie?

I’ll plead the fifth on this one.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?

My hair, first thing in the morning.

Which living person do you most despise?

Whoever came up with FriendFace or FaceSpace or whatever it’s called.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

I’ve been told I say “Objection!” a lot.

What is your greatest regret?

Not returning that copy of “Legally Blonde” to the Video Shack before the store closed down. Actually, I take that back, it’s a great movie. No regrets.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

Miles, of course. I knew since the first day I saw him, he was the one.

When and where were you the happiest?

The day my daughter’s adoption was finalized.

Which talent would you most like to have?

Playing the piano.

What is your current state of mind?

Feeling like I’m under cross-examination!

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

My height. I could use a few extra inches.

If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?

Nothing. They’re perfect.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Raising my daughter Trucy. She is a remarkable and talented girl and I’m very proud of her.

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?

Charley, our office plant.

If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be?

A famous artist. Like Van Gogh. Though I’d like to keep both my ears, and my sanity, if I could.

What is your most treasured possession?

My attorney’s badge, definitely.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Unemployment.

Where would you like to live?

Europe would be nice. I’ve been to Germany a couple times.

What is your favorite occupation?

Being a lawyer is my calling and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

What is your most marked characteristic?

My spiky hair. People may forget my name, but you know what, they always remember the hair.

What is the quality you most like in a man?

Honesty.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?

Her smile. And a sense of humor.

What do you most value in your friends?

A driver’s license and a working vehicle.

Who are your favorite writers?

Does Shakespeare count? I like his sonnets.

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?

Atticus Finch.

Who are your heroes in real life?

Public defenders. They do good work.

What are your favorite names?

Miles. Trucy. Mia. Maya. Apollo. Athena.

What is it that you most dislike?

Not being able to help someone in need.

How would you like to die?

Well, I’d rather not, if that’s all right with you.

What is your motto?

As my mentor would say: “Believe in yourself, believe in your client, and no matter what happens, keep smiling.”

[mickstart]

how do you work on outlines my brain writes like the vaguest things and then i figure the rest of it as it goes.

sfsdffsd okay so I am a terrible planner. If it's a short piece I will literally just write a summary and go.

For a longer piece I like to have a vague idea of where it's going, how long it is, and then my outline is usually 3 steps. A list of all the chapters with the key thing that has to happen that chapter, then a separate bunch of random notes on things I want to happen / themes I want to explore / character arcs going on, then a more organized set of notes attached to each chapter of those things and how they relate to the chapter, little details I thought of at 2am in the bathroom, etc.

This tends to take shape as I'm writing, with bakery au I just had a beginning, an end, and a bunch of vague scenes in my head that I had to sort into chapters. I sort of did this by consulting timelines and checklists of actual wedding plans. I normally like to write the story from beginning to end without jumping around because it allows me to grow my outline without confusing the story too much.

I don't like, write down how I see each part of the story fitting into theories of narrative structure, but in my head and as I'm organizing the chapters I am aware of them?

For exampleeeeee, I think of bakery au as a 3 act thing in my head and I know exactly where those 3 acts cut off. I've also compared it to the 8 act structure, not RIGIDLY (because of genre. I think rom-coms only loosely follow a hero's journey format, not strictly) but to cut out redundant bits and keep the narrative running smoothly. I also like, read a lot of romance writer's thoughts on the narrative structure of a romance novel, but I prioritize the story over genre and use it as guidance rather than a rule book.

So I guess TL;DR, I start with a rough beginning and end point, sometimes a middle, I brainstorm out a bunch of ideas whilst researching narrative structures for whatever genre I'm writing in, I organize the ideas into chapters, then I outline each chapter individually when I get to it. It's both organized and messy as hell just like me sdfsdffs

Rhu I am so sorry that you got my "I just woke up and feel like rambling" brain

[theajaheira]

2017 fic roundup

tagged by the incredible @catty-words!! which is a delight bc 1) cori is amazing and 2) i LOVE talking about my writing. so here goes

Total 2017 Word Count: 252,499 (.......that’s a lot wow) Total 2017 Hits: 7,515 Other 2017 AO3 Stats: Kudos: 653; Comment threads: 197; Bookmarks: 76; Subscriptions: 49.

Total 2016 Word Count: 61,766 (oh my GOD in COMPARISON i wrote. so much this year) Total 2016 Hits: 4,651 Other 2016 AO3 Stats: Kudos: 360; Comment threads: 55; Bookmarks: 38; Subscriptions: 15.

links and titles to 2017 works

i wrote. um. a lot. like a lot. didn’t realize how much until i had to compile an actual list and now it’s like....wow.

orpheus (4,721 words) that one time i wrote a giles/jenny orpheus & eurydice au. set during....s5-ish? i had fun with this

determination unmatched (1,576 words) set during school hard; ft. giles and jenny in the library and jenny panicking over her Commitment Issues.

the sunnydale high mortality rate (1,722 words) i’m PRETTY sure i wrote this in 2016 for jenny calendar day, but i posted it again as a standalone in january so. still counts sort of. jenny’s musings on life and death in sunnydale.

on gambles (5,577 words) a tara/faith au of the office; tara is a shy receptionist and faith is a flirty paper salesgirl.

bravery (50,445 words) IM GETTING NOSTALGIC because last time i did this fic roundup thing my goal for 2017 was to finish bravery??? and then i did??? and it was beautiful??? fjsfsdljk do i even need to summarize this fic; u all heard me talking about it at Some point or another....it’s a giles/jenny becoming au. i reread it recently and i feel like i’ve really improved since then, but it was a landmark fic for me and the first multi-chapter fic with a complex plot that i actually finished (and last lmao whoops). i love it still

first steps (5,740 words) the follow-up to bravery!! set during dead man’s party. kinda fluffy & pointless but it was still super fun to write

second chances (9,371 words) oh boy this fic is the only one from early 2017 that i’m still genuinely really proud of. set during s6; jenny comes back as a ghost, and only anya can see her.

impromptu vigil for the dead scooby mom (3,226 words) jenny dies in chosen instead of in passion, and giles copes.

missing (13,402 words) s3 jenny, from a world where giles died, forms an accidental supernatural connection with s3 giles.

conscious choices (6,708 words) MY CHEESY ROM-COM FIC. i love this one so much so much so much. told through emails, phone calls, and texts, giles and jenny fall in love (again, sort of) in s4 when jenny comes back into town.

mermaid magic (13,140 words) some anon sent me an ask once upon a time re: jenny as a mermaid and that ask spiraled into a lot of asks and then a tag on my blog and finally this fic. it was inevitable, really.

grand romantic gestures (10,558 words) this was without a doubt my secret masterpiece of 2017. femslash calendiles, set after passion. while attempting to cope with jenny’s death, gil stumbles across something surprising, and then things just start spiraling from there.

restraint (4,305 words) a prequel to on gambles, though they could be read in any order. faith attends the dundies and pines over tara (though she definitely doesn’t want to call it pining). also there is of course some jenny/giles content because i’m Me

forever (4,031 words) kind of still in progress?? various femslash oneshots (faith/tara, willow/buffy, and willow just being a lesbian in general)

irredeemable evil (5,919 words) jenny tries to get used to being a vampire. giles is desperately in love.

on heroes (6,054 words) look i GET that slayers have to be the one-girl-in-all-the-world thing but i hate the cpr scene with romantic undertones so like. i wrote this. with semi-gratuitous mostly-platonic jenny/giles because i’m Me.

fortune favors the bold (2,768 words) jackaby fic!!!! for my traumatized ghost girl and her mess of a paranormal detective boyfriend, who both very clearly have no idea how functioning relationships work, but they love each other so they muddle through. written before i read book 4 bc i was afraid jackaby and jenny wouldn’t get a canonical love declaration & kiss. everyone please read jackaby 4 me

loving parents (6,259 words) am i ever going to finish this? who knows? giles and jenny are expecting a baby in some alternate v happy s5. literally just scooby shenanigans and wish fulfillment.

closeness (1,532 words) my headcanon for giles and jenny’s first kiss!! soft and tentative.

friends with extras (788 words) leverage; sophie/nate and pillow talk. not my best work and i don’t think i really Got their dynamic, but i think someday i might return to write fic for them? maybe? canon gave me so much already so i don’t really feel the need. 

many kinds of magic (2,394 words) my favorite thing about this fic is the fact that i felt 0 need to explain why jenny was alive. she’s just There. willow and tara fall in love, aided gently by jenny. except not really bc lbr willow and tara need NO help to fall in love, so jenny just listens and offers advice.

imperfections (76,843 words) someday i really will come back to this. maybe. hopefully. i wrote it while i was sorting through Sad Feelings and i don’t......have.....those feelings anymore, which is Excellent for me but kinda bad for this fic. anyway. faith and jenny form a friendship in s3 (or: a braveryverse rewrite of season 3 where jenny is alive).

pint-size potential (7,212 words) the first fic in what will hopefully be a series of short fics!! giles is charged with the care of baby buffy summers, a potential who isn’t likely to become a slayer (according to the council).

adapting (3,327 words) sequel to pint-size potential! giles adjusts to his life in sunnydale; buffy throws things and gets excited about animals

inevitability (4,881 words) post-chosen faith/buffy; soft and hesitant and frightened but both of them are still determined to try.

Favorite Fic: DEFINITELY grand romantic gestures. like i love all these fics (and i feel like the calendiles day fics were some of my best. jenny as a sarcastic smitten mermaid??? giles and jenny passive-aggressively emailing?? jenny and buffy forming a tentative friendship over the fact that they both loved giles???) but grand romantic gestures was swoony and gorgeous and sapphic and incredibly romantic. i’m so so proud of it and i want it to get Lots of attention but it. does not. so like...please go read & review

Hardest Fic: definitely missing, because i was writing it under time constraints and i felt like it wasn’t good enough the whole time. but it surprised me by turning out to be really nice!! i went back and reread it and. solid work celia.

Do You Plan to Take Prompts in 2018? oh totally!! i don’t know if i’ll Complete them but i’m definitely down to take them.

What was the best thing about 2017? wow this is hard. this is hard and i really like that this is hard. the best thing about 2017 is 100% that i cannot decide what the best thing about 2017 is. i have a lot of options and a lot of friends and a lot of happy things that i did not have last year. i feel very good about that.

What was the worst thing about 2017? that i didn’t Actually meet robia. but there were so many good things that balanced it out!!

Any last thoughts for 2017? i’ve been saying for a while that 2017 felt like a stepping-stone year towards something better for me, but i think it was actually a damn good year as a whole. i think i need to stop thinking of things as a journey towards happiness and start just...enjoying whatever journey i’m on.

Goals for 2017

FINISH THE TOP-SECRET DETECTIVE AU and find a title and start posting it!! it’s intricate and gorgeous and i can't wait to show it to u all

write more femslash!!!!

stop telling myself i’m not writing enough. i was telling myself that all this year aND I WROTE OVER 250,000 words SO CLEARLY I AM DOING PRETTY DAMN WELL WHEN I’M NOT EVEN TRYING

tagging @regenderate and um i’m not sure if i can think of other people that cori didn’t tag?? i love my small corner of the buffy fandom but it’s. difficult 4 tagging people. so like if u see this ur tagged congrats

[go-events]

GO Rom Com Spotlight: chewb

The lovely chewb (@probablypicturesofquilts on insta) has claimed Grosse Pointe Blank to adapt for Good Omens in the Good Omens Rom Com Event.

For reference, here’s a little background about the source material!

About Grosse Pointe Blank: After assassin Martin Blank (John Cusack) has trouble focusing on his work, resulting in a failed assignment, he returns to his hometown, Grosse Point, Mich., for his 10-year high school reunion. There he meets Debi Newberry (Minnie Driver), an old girlfriend that he stood up for the prom. Martin's secretary (Joan Cusack) sets up a hit for him while he is in town, but Martin starts to reconsider his life. Meanwhile, he is hounded by an unstable rival hit man, Grocer (Dan Aykroyd).

We spent some time chatting about how the adaptation is coming so far, as well as future plans for it! Now, get to know chewb a little better!

* * *

goromcom: You chose to adapt Grosse Pointe Blank as your rom com. Has this movie been a favorite of yours, or is there some other reason you chose it?

chewb: I've loved this movie for AGES, it's so silly and fun, and I love the anti-hero hero. Most of why I chose it, though, is because it maps to GO absurdly well. Like, maybe too well? That has me a little bit worried.

goromcom: I think a lot of people are feeling that about their rom com choices, so I’m sure it’s fine! Do you have a favorite moment of Grosse Pointe Blank, and are you looking forward to presenting it in your adaptation? Any loose plans for that scene that you can share?

chewb: I love this whole movie almost top to bottom, but I think my favorite thing is all the fast-paced dialog. So, John Cusack's character's retorts whenever anyone asks him what he does for a living, the scene with the Feds where the one explains to the other why they can't just kill the mark so they can kill John Cusack's character (Martin) already.

I just think it's all so smart and funny and rat-a-tat-tat. (Which, incidentally, is one of the things I'm most worried about with my adaptation!) The Feds are going to be Hastur and Ligur, so that should be fun.

goromcom: Other than turning the Dukes of Hell into Feds (ha!), do you plan to stick very closely to the story beats of the original story, or make bigger changes?

chewb: Yes, I'm going to stick pretty close to the beats of the original story. The biggest changes I'm trying to make are to give Aziraphale more of a journey; in the movie, Minnie Driver's character, Debi, doesn't have much of a journey. She's not a sexy lamp because she has hilarious dialogue, but she might be a sexy lamp with a witty post-it on. She doesn't really grow at all, she's kind of just along for the ride. I want to change that for Aziraphale.

I'm also changing the target of Martin's last-ever contract killing. In the movie (maybe tag for spoilers?) it's Debi's dad; in the fic, it will be Aziraphale's young nephew, Adam.

goromcom: Look out, Adam!

Other than what you’ve already shared, what's another interesting decision you've made in your planning so far--a notable casting decision, a changing of venue, or some other plan you have to paint Good Omens all over your rom com?

chewb: I'm a little sad I can't put it in Tadfield, but I chose to make the setting Torpoint, in Cornwall, pretty much exclusively because that makes a better title (Torpoint Blank).  My dear friend @diamondot is beta-ing for me, and she had the genius idea that the school Crowley and Aziraphale went to was a Catholic school run by the Chattering Order of St. Beryl, which isn't going to be a huge part of the story, but will definitely (hopefully!) color a lot of it. Stuff like why the teachers are all so chatty, maybe some slightly creepy Satanist undertones, etc.

goromcom: Well, I think that’s all we can expect you to divulge before you actually post the story! One more question about you to wrap things up.

I am blatantly stealing this last question from The Good Place: The Podcast, but here goes: Tell me something "good". It can be something big or small. It can be a charity you think is doing good work, or you can talk about how great your pet is.

chewb: Something good! Um all I *want* to tell you is how anxious I am about this project! But instead, I wanna tell you about RAICES, which provides free and low-cost legal services to underserved immigrant communities, and could use all the support any of us can offer! They're an amazing organization and I'm really really glad they exist.

goromcom: That is a great cause, and unfortunately, so needed right now. Let’s hope that someday soon they have a lot less work on their hands.

But also, don’t forget to watch for the GO adaptation of Grosse Pointe Blank, coming very soon!

[rebeccaheyman]

reading + listening 9.29.20

It was another week of soaring highs and middling mediocrity, but fortunately no DNFs. Notably, I’ve been dragging my heels on PIRANESI by Susanna Clarke, which has been sitting on my desk in gorgeous hard cover since release day. You ever want to love a book so much that you’re afraid to actually read it? No, no, me neither. Here’s hoping I get brave this week. In the meantime...

It’s Been a Pleasure, Noni Blake (Claire Christian), eBook ARC (US pub date February 2021). I loved this book so much that I’m already looking forward to owning the aBook once it’s available, just so I can relive the magic in a new way. Here’s my five-star NetGalley review: 

I have discovered the antidote to the unmitigated disaster that is the year 2020, and it is IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE, NONI BLAKE. I inhaled this book in under 24 hours and feel soul-satisfied in a way I forgot existed. NONI BLAKE is a rom-com that's so much more than a rom-com; it's as much a character study as LESS and as much a travelogue as WILD, with the sweetness of Mhairi MacFarlane, the delicious heat of Sally Thorne, and the humor of every best friend you've ever gotten drunk with. It is, in a word, perfect.

When I say this book has it all, I am not kidding. In it, you will find: - an average-bodied woman finding sexual empowerment and body positivity - a Scottish book boyfriend for whom you do not need to travel through time - healthy adult friendships - A+ Bechdel Test score - adventurous, consensual sex that is at times hilarious and at other times really, really hot - situational comedy that will legitimately make you laugh out loud - adults who talk openly about their feelings in an authentic, mature way - portrayals of grief that range in severity from mourning the loss of an unborn child to coming to terms with years of self-criticism and negativity - rich, descriptive prose that does not drag down pacing - excellent plotting, perfectly balanced with the protagonist's complex internal journey

...the list goes on. This book is joy exemplified. I can't wait to give it to every woman I know. My only complaint is that the world needs this book immediately to inoculate us against the tidal wave of awfulness bombarding the globe, and yet it won't be released until 2021.

Notably, Australian readers have access to NONI BLAKE as of... today (!), so if you happen to be reading this in Australia, please do yourself a favor and buy this book immediately. And if there’s someone you especially like elsewhere in the world, maybe box up a copy and spread the love.

Act Your Age, Eve Brown (Talia Hibbert), eBook ARC (pub date March 2021). I know, I know -- how many contemporary romcoms with the exact same title structure can I read in a single week? Real answer: 2. But based on how fabulous both these titles were, I’m open to more. Here’s my four-star NetGalley review:

I've decided it's entirely impossible to read the Brown Sisters series without feeling amazing. Hibbert's writing is so smart, funny, and full of A+ banter -- not to mention scorching-hot heat -- that it almost feels like we don't deserve her books' nuances, diverse representations, and patriarchy-shaking feminism.

But we do deserve it, actually, and it's all there in ACT YOUR AGE, EVE BROWN.

If at first Eve seems flighty and difficult to connect with, don't discount the intentionality of her characterization. In a tidy narrative trick, Hibbert gives us the very experience that defines many of Eve's friendships: while the youngest Brown sister may have made a great first impression in Chloe and Dani's books, her flightiness feels off-putting once she takes center stage. But sticking with Eve -- instead of pushing her to the margins of our two-person social circle -- has a massive pay-off, as she soon reveals herself to be intensely focused on helping others, spreading joy, and baking delicious cake. It's a side of Eve too many of her "friends" never get to see -- but Reader, we do. And it turns out, Eve is a wonder.

Many of Eve's quirks align with behaviors on the autism spectrum; while Jacob's autistic presentation is perhaps more conventional, Eve's traits are equally validated by Hibbert's sensitive, nuanced treatment of the disorder. Romance + autism usually means antisocial behaviors, rigidity, and/or Asperger's-like presentation (The Kiss Quotient/Bride Test, The Girl He Used to Know, The Rosie Project... the list goes on). But ACT YOUR AGE explores the all important "spectrum" side of "autism spectrum disorder," and urges us to resist believing we understand what these labels mean just because we understand one small aspect of a very large picture.

All of this happens while a truly compelling, heart-melting romance unfolds. Eve and Jacob are incredibly fun to watch, and Hibbert keeps things moving at a lovely clip. I especially appreciated her resistance to the "h/h have to spend totally unnecessary time apart after an argument/misunderstanding" trope in Act III, which is a convention I would happily see go the way of the dinosaur.

Fair warning to your TBR pile: If you don't reread Chloe and Dani's books prior to picking up ACT YOUR AGE, EVE BROWN, you're going to want to afterward. There's simply no other way to maintain the rosy glow of post-Hibbert reading.

Finally, I'm predicting here and now that Mont, Alex and Tess are the next sibling trio to get the Hibbert treatment. (Please? Like...PLEASE please?)

Set My Heart to Five (Simon Stephenson), aBook (narr. Christopher Ragland, Rachael Louise Miller, Lance C. Fuller). If you combined the signature humor/love combo of David Nicholls, the deeply felt nostalgia of Ready Player One, and the bots-with-feelings hypothesis of Spielburg’s AI, you might come close to understanding what makes SET MY HEART TO FIVE so good. In the year 2054, the world has taken some unexpected turns: humans have accidentally locked themselves out of the internet, Elon Musk blew up the moon (also accidentally), and humanoid bots have been integrated into society as second-class pseudo-citizens. We meet Jared -- bot, dentist, cat-owner -- who has begun to experience curious malfunctions. With a friend’s help, and a heaping dose of old movies, Jared realizes he can feel real emotions. He resolves to journey west to Hollywood, where he’ll write a movie that changes the way humans view bots and paves the way for his bot brothers and sisters to enjoy the full range of human experience. 

Jared’s explanations of human behavior provide a satirical commentary on our curious, often contradictory behaviors (”Humans. I cannot!”). Since films from the pre-bot age figure so prominently in Jared’s emotional awakening, that same satirical analysis is applied to movie synopses, which are rendered with necessary frequency but occasionally feel like overkill. The book relies heavily on a lovely trick of narrative reciprocity; Jared is on an archetypal hero’s journey, even as he strives to write a formulaic screenplay according to the “golden rules” of the fictitious script expert, R.P. McWilliams. But SET MY HEART TO FIVE never feels hackneyed, and in more than one way proves the rule that great stories are all in the telling.

With the innocence and clarity that can only come from being something of a stranger in a strange land, Jared embraces his existence with infectious enthusiasm and charm. It’s virtually impossible not to cheer for his success, even as we’re warned again and again that a great story will “eff us in the heart” at its conclusion. Audio is brilliantly narrated by Christopher Ragland, who manages to imbue the bot cadence we expect with believable nuance and big style. 

Well Played (Jen DeLuca), aBook (narr. Brittany Pressley). I’ve got bad news for fans of WELL MET: If you wondered whether your enjoyment of Deluca’s ren-faire romcom debut of 2019 was due in large part to the book’s setting -- and more specifically, the way h/h’s interactions at the faire advanced the storyline -- the answer is yes. And why is that bad news, you ask? Well, because WELL PLAYED has none of the crackling Emily/Simon tension that carried the first book through its narrative stumbles. In book 2, the glacially slow Act I relies heavily on Stacy’s recitation of what makes her life humdrum, and a long series of email exchanges we *know* are coming from the conspicuously introduced Daniel -- even though Stacy, apparently suffering a traumatic brain injury, convinces herself it’s idiot playboy (and Daniel’s cousin) Dex. Sorry not sorry for the “spoiler,” which is impossible not to see coming from many miles away. Once this pseudo-conflict is resolved, the book boils down to situational fluff: a wedding, a squeaky mattress, the literal number of pumpkin spice lattes Stacy drinks over the course of a month. If it sounds like this is not a plot, that’s because it isn’t. The romance is low-stakes, the “uncrossable divide” that eventually separates h/h is the width and depth of a puddle, and the last third of the book is pretty much solely devoted to setting up a Mitch/April romance in book 3.

Notably, I found references to Stacy’s body-consciousness extremely strange. If we want to normalize average-sized women in romance, maybe we do that by not including, apropos of literally nothing, how “unflattering” woman-on-top sexual positions are?! Stacy is not characterized by self-consciousness, so the moments when her interiority veers toward self-criticism don’t feel necessary. I’m not saying these aren’t authentic thoughts and feelings plenty of women have, but an editor should have pushed DeLuca to answer the question to what end? Why include body hyperawareness in the precise moments when it appears? Like too much of the prose in WELL PLAYED, these inclusions felt like word-count boosting instead of dynamic character development or plot production. Sad as I am to say it, this book was a missed opportunity that shows the danger of rushing book 2 to market. 

The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics (Olivia Waite), aBook (narr. Morag Sims). This book has been on my radar since its publication last summer. Gorgeous cover aside, I’m always here for diverse historical romance. Sadly, for me, the external stakes here were simply too low, and relied overmuch on the baffling revelation that men -- especially in this historical moment --  underestimate and undermine women. I never felt discernible chemistry between Lucy and Catherine. This could be due, in part, to Morag Sims’ narration, which pitches Catherine’s voice in a low, husky range that accentuated the women’s age difference. From the outset, we learn that Catherine is the widow of one of Lucy’s father’s colleagues; while Lucy is the more sexually forward woman in this partnership, there’s something a little An Education about the whole arrangement. 

On my radar this week:

Piranesi (Susanna Clarke) 

A Deadly Education aBook (Naomi Novik)

We Can Only Save Ourselves ARC (Alison Wisdom)

Angel in a Devil’s Arms (Julie Anne Long)

The Project ARC (Courtney Summers)

The Love Square ARC (Laura Jane Williams)

[kelinswriter]

The Problem with Supergirl

Author note: S3 spoilers ahead (not that you haven’t already seen them). Also, these thoughts are my own, and others may see differently. Respectful comments are appreciated.

For reading clarity: If in italics, I am referring to Supergirl the show, not the character.

So…we’ve all heard the news, had time to process, gotten pissed as hell and maybe a little drunk over it. (Okay, maybe that last part was just me.) Sanvers is on the rocks, possibly irrevocably. And it blows.

But if I’m being honest, I can’t say I didn’t see it coming. I began having concerns around episode 2x14, when it became clear they no longer had any interest in having Alex and Maggie work cases together and that Maggie seemed to be getting shunted into the “girlfriend” role. By not integrating Maggie into the larger narrative (by, say, having her become the NCPD’s official liaison to the DEO), it kept her sidelined and limited her character development. I had hoped maybe that would be in the plan for this season, but…this is me, getting ready to write it myself because clearly no one on their payroll has any interest in it.

So where does this leave us? With Sanvers apparently headed for Splitsville and Alex (presumably) hooking up with Sara Lance in the crossover (because you can’t tell me the people in those writers’ rooms haven’t been salivating over that prospect for ages). And after that, if some of the hints I’m hearing are true, we’re probably getting a good dose of Party Girl Alex – presumably so that at some point, Kara can “save” her. Which is logical from a story standpoint, and Chyler will knock out of the park. But it’s also story that firmly puts Alex back in the number two position within the narrative – the object of the story rather than the subject. And that’s the problem.

 Because Alex…as it turns out…is Supergirl’s biggest problem.

 Now bear with me here, because I realize saying that what many critics and fans believe is the show’s greatest asset – Alex Freaking Danvers (and Chyler Freaking Leigh) – is also its Achilles heel is kind of strange. And as problems go, it’s a good one to have. Having the show’s most versatile and talented actress – and in many ways, its most compelling character – in a secondary role is a tremendous advantage. Need someone who can pull off a coming out story? Chy’s your girl. Need her to convincingly bash a prisoner or go renegade or carry an episode while the lead is off doing a crossover? On it. But these are things that also pull the narrative out of true, because Alex’s strength as a character – and the instinct to give her story of her own - inevitably pulls focus off Supergirl as the lead and the Danvers sisters as the central “love” story. When Alex has her own story, she doesn’t serve the show’s central narrative – she becomes the lead in a show within a show. And while that’s a very happy thing for those of us who think she’s the greatest thing since sliced bread, it also makes for a really sloppy, poorly structured narrative framework.

 “Exodus” is the best example of this. It was largely Alex’s episode, and a thrilling subversion of the usual action hero tropes. Alex bashes a suspect, loses her job, goes rogue, and kisses her girl before going off to have a big solo renegade showdown with the bad guys. And that last point is where it goes off track – because no matter how thrilling the last act was, there is no way in hell “Ride or Die” Maggie Sawyer would let Alex basically go off to war without backup. And yet she does, for one simple reason: If Maggie is there, it pulls focus off the sisters moment at the end. Narrative logic is undermined for the sake of bringing the show back around to the notion that the show’s central love story is that of the Danvers sisters, with Alex in a secondary role to Supergirl.

 Now…I know I haven’t mentioned the elephant in the room yet…yes, him. 2B’s central hero, both narratively and structurally. The reason we’re in this fucking mess in the first place. And I have a fix for him too…and it’s one you might not like. Quite simply: Let him be the co-lead that they so clearly want him to be.

 How? Give Alex her own show.

 Now I know this is a pipe dream (and due credit to those who have come up with it before), though I’d bet it’s been discussed in the writer’s room more than once. Even AK has admitted that in any other universe, Alex would be the lead of her own show (see the commentary for “Supergirl Lives.”) Will she be? If it ever happened, I would probably start believing in Santa Claus again. But from a structural standpoint, it solves all the problems. For example:

 1. It creates space for Supergirl and Mon-El to become the traditional action/rom-com co-leads of the show (a la “Castle” or “Bones”) that TPTB appear to want them to be.

 2. The secondary characters (except for Lena and maybe James) all revolve around Supergirl and no longer have individual stories that distract from the main narrative. They, for lack of a better term, all function in “service” to Supergirl.

 3. It refocuses the story on Supergirl and her journey.

 Meanwhile, in Alex Danvers land, you have:

 1. Alex as badass super soldier/scientist, tracking aliens, solving cases, and having her fair share of angsty personal crises -- in other words, a female-driven version of the traditional male-led action series.

 2. Maggie Sawyer as the second lead, with her own character development and arcs that contribute to, not distract from, the main story. In other words, Maggie moves into the role that Alex has traditionally played on Supergirl – but without the need for “show within a show” stories to create character development. A good example would be a story that was never fully developed on Supergirl – the idea that some cops (including Maggie) aren’t really down with vigilantes, superheroes, and extralegal government agencies operating outside the law. That’s a clear conflict between the two main characters that could easily fuel an entire season.  

 3. Need to build out the world? Have Alex go to work for Lucy. Have Winn be her gadget/tech guy (who carries the exposition, because that’s why Winn exists – he’s this universe’s Data/Geordi LaForge). Have her get her ass fired from the DEO so she has to operate without their resources for a while (Batwoman, anyone?). Do crossovers. Have the Danvers sisters visit each other’s shows. Hell, go hang out with Sara Lance once in a while and have Maggie get jealous as hell.

 Again I say, it’ll never happen, but there have been far worse cases made for a spinoff by TV execs. It would also give DC something they haven’t had in a while (to my knowledge - I am in no way a DCverse expert) – a truly new property, out of which they can build a fresh content, narrative, and most importantly – ancillary marketing.

 So if you’ve gotten this far, thanks for bearing with this flight of fancy that you may perhaps see in fic form someday. Because since they won’t do it, maybe I should.