#this has been waiting to be edited since July oops

[spookshow-sims]

[juliathephantom]

JATP Fanfic Recs: Multichapter Edition

* indicates complete

'Stupid Cupid, Stop Hitting On Me' by Bluefire510

Juke

Luke, a troublemaker cupid, meets Julie, who is also one of Love HQ's toughest cases to crack.

She claims to have no desire to fall in love.

But Luke is always up for a challenge.

Let's see if he could get Julie to fall for her Perfect Match by next Valentine's Day.... and maybe teach her all about love while he's at it.

*Operation Hashtag Rulie by where_you_go

Reggie/Luke/Julie

“Explain yourselves,” Caleb ground out.

“Uh…it’s not what it looks like?” Reggie tried, wincing.

“Oh really, Reginald? Because it looks like two of my most popular band members from a family-friendly band are fornicating in public!”

-

Julie and Reggie get caught up in a PR misunderstanding that leads to them "dating" for a few months. It's not a big deal, or at least it wouldn't be, if Luke would stop acting so weird.

*Unexpected by Phantom_Lover

Luke is determined to breeze through his senior year and onto mega stardom (which means avoiding school, and Principal Lessa, as much as possible). That is until he's forced to work side-by-side with quiet good-girl, Julie Molina, on the big end-of-the-year talent show. The two struggle to see eye to eye, and meeting the all-important deadline seems impossible until something unexpected happens between them.

keys to the cage (and the devil to pay) by HearJessRoar

Juke, Willex

Julie Molina has always thought it would be rather exciting to meet a pirate.

Unfortunately, she's right.

"Julie, Julie Patterson, I'm a maid here in the governor's household," she bluffs. And she wishes that Luke's name hadn't been the first that she'd come up with, because the long-haired pirate's eyebrows raise immediately.

"Luke got married?" he says, sounding oddly betrayed.

His blonde companion looks equally gutted. "He didn't even tell us."

Piss Off Your Parents (Date Me To Scare Them) by TheNameIsBritney

Willex

Alex Mercer doesn't want to go home for Christmas; but if he has to, he's certainly gonna raise a little hell. Enter: Willie, the cute guy in his history of English class who would be the perfect fake boyfriend candidate.

So if you wanna piss off your parents, date me to scare them, show them you're all grown up. If long hair and tattoos are what attract you, baby then you're in luck.

*i'll hold your music (here inside my hands) by musicals_musicals

"Your soulmate must love music just like you do”

Julie is 3 years old, enthusiastically playing a small plastic piano, the first time she sees her string.

It makes sense that music would connect her to her soulmate.

or

How Julie finds her way back to music, joins a band, falls in love, and meets Luke Patterson (not necessarily in that order)

*a masterpiece in motion, more beautiful every day by fairylightsandrainydays

Willex, Juke

Alex Mercer is a merboy with a fascination for the human world. Willie is a prince who he saves from a storm. And Caleb Covington is the sea witch who is going to make Alex's dream come true.

So long as Caleb gets what he wants.

*days go by and seasons change (lets try again next winter) by itsagamefortwo

Juke

julie's ready for a year away from home, studying and trying to re-find the magic in music. luke's about to start on a summer tour around europe opening for a band. they meet one night, sparks fly and emotions run high. now they've just got to try and see if they can maintain a long distance friendship.

Who Could Deny These Butterflies? by xxPrettyLittleTimeBombxx

Juke

“I know this is going to sound kinda crazy…but, could you maybe pretend to be in love with me for a few minutes?”

—

When Julie Molina approaches Luke Patterson at a bar and asks him to pretend to be her boyfriend, she never expects to find herself in a position where she and Luke have to keep up the ruse for longer than five minutes. Figures that out of all of the strangers she could have approached that night, she’d gone and picked the one guy who just so happens to be in a rock band that’s on the brink of blowing up.

*relight that spark by @ruzek-halstead

Juke

julie molina has had nothing but a tough life. after losing both her parents early on, she was left in the care of her step-monster karen and her two step-daughters. while working at her late father's diner, completing household duties and being at karen's beck and call at all hours, julie was well on her way to getting accepted into the college of her dreams and having enough money to move out.

and then one day she received a text message from an unknown number. it started out innocent, crossed wires based on a flyer she put up three years ago.

this is the story of julie molina and her prince charming, and everything in between.

i never saw you coming (and i'll never be the same) by ruzekhalstead (@ruzek-halstead)

Juke

julie molina, a new student to uc berkeley, secures a job at a tiny, run-down grocery store, where she meets a group of people who inadvertently become some of the most important people in her life.

there's nothing like suffering in the workplace with your co-workers to solidify a bond.

a look into julie's life in a brand new city, as told by the customer service experience throughout the months.

an oddly specific grocery store au that no one asked for but i'm writing anyway to satisfy my brain

*Love Drunk by captainkippen

Juke

Thirty-two missed calls. Fifty-eight texts waiting. Over one hundred various social media notifications. A deep sense of foreboding took over. Julie swallowed. Slowly, she lifted the phone back to her ear.

"Flynn… what happened last night?"

After a night out in Vegas, Julie and Luke wake up to find themselves married. Hijinks ensue.

*So that's how it happens by echocharm (@echocharm17618)

Juke

But it had to be today. Julie had this crazy feeling in her stomach. Not nervous butterflies. More like fireflies that were trying to zap her (Do fireflies electrocute people? She should google that). It felt like that moment her parents spoke about all the time. The day they met. And when they first spoke to each other. Her mom always says that an intense zap went through her whole body.

Are you new or nervous? Julie has been waiting a (short)lifetime to hear those words be said to her.

She walked down a few more steps in the auditorium and found a spot. It was one of the few seats left in the room that wasn’t all the way up in the back. She sat down and settled into the uncomfortable, hard, plastic chair and took a deep shaky breath. The prof was nowhere to be seen. But there was a cute boy in the seat next to her. He had sort of long brown hair that was covered with a grey toque. And he was wearing a cut off t-shirt and you could see his very nice arms. Julie’s breathing was still shaky, and his attractiveness wasn’t helping the situation.

*we're too young to know things like love by Ephemeral_Joy

(@lydias--stiles)

Juke

The various ways and situations people notice the connection between Julie and Luke, whether that be a close friend or a complete stranger.

(started as a 5+1 fic and then i kind of went rogue. oops.)

*and i know i've kissed you before, but i didn't do it right (can i try again?) by Ephemeral_Joy (@lydias--stiles)

Juke

Some things just can't be fixed with a song.

(Julie and Luke break up.)

*The Infamous Tale of Luke and Julie's Grand Trip Across America by Ephemeral_Joy (@lydias--stiles)

Juke

In any normal situation, Luke wouldn't let this random girl hitchhike with him across America.

Then again, he wasn't normal. And neither was she.

(or: the roadtrip!au no one asked for)

*We Found Wonderland by ICanSpellConfusionWithAK (@pink-flame)

At the end of season one Julie isn’t able to save the boys and they are jolted out of existence. But what if there was another way? Julie finds herself back in 1995 with a chance to stop the boys of Sunset Curve from ever dying at all. But will she be able to find her way home afterwards? Will she want to? Or has Alice really gone down the rabbit hole this time...

A Moment of Quiet Conversation by JackONeillisTheMan

Juke

Julie and Luke talk about how he was the one who introduced her to rock. Then just fluff, more and more fluff.

*Feels like I've opened my eyes again by ICanSpellConfusionWithAK (@pink-flame)

Juke

After the whirlwind her life has been since the boys showed up it’s not that surprising that Julie would be a little tired. But is it normal that she’s more exhausted than she’s ever been? With Nick acting weird, Alex and Reggie both wrapped up in their own problems and her relationship with Luke still a big question mark, she has her work cut out for her if she’s looking to sit back and relax.

Basically my ideas and speculation about what season 2 might hold, or at least some of the things I would like to see.

find the strength, find the melody by sunset_phantom

Juke

An AU in which the boys are alive, Julie has been kicked out of her music program, and she somehow ends up falling in love with Luke in three days while he simultaneously brings her back to her first love of all: music.

after silence, wake me up by Vargynja

Juke

Julie hasn't been able to make music after her mother's death. She lives in New York working as an assistant for Luke, working hard to move forward in her career.

Luke finds out he's about to be deported back to Canada. A panicked lie leads them to fake a relationship to get married so he can stay in the country. Despite working together for two years they aren't close but a trip to Alaska to visit Julie's family might change that

Based on the premise of The Proposal (2009)

[bayrut]

thoughts on me 😌 jk Okay, thoughts on every solo album from each former member of one direction (but just the ones you wanna do, don’t do anything that makes you uncomfortable 👉🏽👈🏽)

thoughts on ceci: truly iconic i love her. best gifs, edits. funniest person. sweatest heart ever. deserves better. underrated.

i put my thoughts on each solo album under a cut because it got very long (took me 30 mins to write) and sorry i did not proof read i wanna go shower

okay let’s gooo

mind of mine-zayn: i’m gonna be honest, back when it came out i didn’t love it because it wasn’t my music style at all (still isn’t) but i knew it was good. like music can be good even if it’s not my style you know? but i had a few tracks i really loved a lot (for example, it’s you, she, intermission:flower, truth) that i loved a lot. but i have been relistening to the album for the last year and i think it’s really growing on me. but i still dislike pillowtalk, haven’t heard it since it came out, and probably never will again sorry i do not like it

hs1-h: when it came out i listened to it like 1 time, some songs i couldn’t finish, and i honestly don’t remember what they sound like (meet me in the hallway, carolina, only angel, kiwi, ever since new york, woman), the rest (sign of the times, two ghosts, sweet creature, from the dining table) i was like okay, maybe they’ll grow on me, so i listened to them for a while, maybe a month or two, still, they did not grow on me. some of the lyrics are quite sexist imo and make me uncomfortable. then i didn’t listen to them at all, apart for sott since it was played on radios etc. i heard hs1 one last time (not completely, only partly) around july 2018 because i watched a livestream of his last show? but i got bored halfway so didn’t watch it all. it was his only live show i’ve seen videos off. i’ve never heard those two unreleased songs he used to sing live ever (medecine, anna)

flicker-niall: i would like to send a kiss to mr niall james horan i love this album so much!! okay not all songs, but the majority make me feel so warm and i love them!! shout out to this town, seeing blind, paper houses, since we’re alone, flicker, and on my own. i don’t really like on the loose and slow hands, but not because they’re bad, i just can’t relate to them oops. also the orchestra version? amazing, probably the best decision niall has ever done his entire life!!! in conclusion, i love it, what a great opening for his career, iconic, i knew niall would deliver, but, it deserved better.

icarus falls-zayn: thank you king for all this good food i love it. no but really, zayn was like here’s 30 songs enjoy! like wow awesome. ok i don’t love the collabs on it, tbh i don’t listen to them. i like the vibe of the album, the story, the visual videos, etc a lot. it’s a very different feel from mind of mind, very refreshing, i love it a lot. although it’s thirty!!! songs, it leaves me at the edge of my seat asking for more, i can’t wait for his third album. my faves are definitely: let me, natural, common, stand still, flight of the stars, there you are, i don’t mind, satisfaction, entertainer, good years. it has a feel of a 3am drive with a friend, but you’re both not talking and you’re both going nowhere. that sad summer nostalgia. love it, makes me wanna cry.

lp1-liam: i honestly liked liam’s ep, and his singles, a lot better than his album. but he didnt write too many songs on them, it’s a bit weird because i can’t really judge liam’s music from it, since i don’t think it’s completely him. remember and heart meet break are probably my two faves from it.

fine line-h: thank God i have not heard any of those songs, and i hope i never will. i’ve read lyrics of it. very sexist i hate it thanks and can he stop singing about fruit? i like eating fruit he’s ruining it for me

heartbreak weather-niall: okay tbh the teasers were so cute and i was very excited for this album, the whole story concept etc, the colours etc. still to this day idk if i prefer flicker or HW because they’re both really good!! i think in terms of music, you can see a clear evolution from flicker to HW, he improved a lot. but still i love flicker because the songs make me wanna cry. some songs i can’t relate to at all: small talk, arms of a stranger, new angel, etc because niall is horny (which is valid but i’m asexual). but surprisingly i’m addicted to small talk from his live performance... makes me wanna scream i love it. my faves are heartbreak weather, dear patience, everywhere, still. i think still is the best song niall has ever written ever he can’t possibly outshine it it’s too good. 

walls-louis: ok i did them all in chronological order but left walls for the end because i just!!!! love it so much i will cry. there are only 2 artists for which i can not skip any songs at all and louis is one of them i’m not exaggerating. any other artists i like (even like, mika) have made some song-mistakes. louis no. never. never has and never will i know it in my heart. walls means so much to me but before i get into that can i just say i love the 4 pre walls songs???? they deserved better rest in peace 2017!lt1. ok so now walls. it is so personal, the lyrics are so so clever, the music is beautiful. my faves are kill my mind, don’t let it break your heart, two of us, we made it, too young, walls, habit, always you, fearless, perfect now, defenceless, only the brave, (and yes i am adding the japan bonus tracks because i am BITTER), just hold on, miss you. yes i did just list the whole album no i do not care you are not allowed to complain about that. this summer at work i was so bored i’d just sit in the sun and sing all of louis’ discography in my head on loop. and i’d listen to walls 1/2 on my way to work and 1/2 on my way back home. the album is so beautiful ceci sorry i am not making sense i am not eloquent at all but it means so much to me i can’t believe his album was delayed so long. i think because it was delayed, maybe the songs aren’t as coherent as in other albums. so let’s think about that for a second. if it’s a bit patchy and this good, what about lt2? it’s gonna be amazing so good he’s gonna kill it he’s just gonna get better and better and better i can’t wait to see it. i’m so thankful that we are allowed to experience louis as an artist, and louis growing as an artist over the years, because he will, and it’s gonna be so beautiful and i’m gonna cry a lot. my description did not do walls justice but know that i love it a lot okay

ask me about my thoughts on stuff 👀

[locke-writes]

End of the Year Faves!

Rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 8 (ish) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome work!

Tagged By: @lxncelot & @moonlit-imagines (thank you both, this was so fun!)

Tagging: Any writer who’d like to! I’m ready to read what you’ve got to share!

In order from oldest to newest:

Things My Heart Used to Know - Frank Castle x Reader (Posted: May 8, 2020) - I’ve always loved writing for Frank Castle and I don’t know. I just had to write something using the song (Once Upon A December), the idea came to me. There was no real one point in this where I knew I was going to get through and I’m pleased that my rambling writing turned into this

Worry - Freddy Newandyke x Reader (Posted: May 21, 2020) - Reservoir Dogs is arguably one of my favorite fandoms to write for because the film itself leaves a lot open ended. It’s great to explore the various directions that you can take the characters and I wanted to use this piece as a way of exploring what would happen after the film

Bound - Tony Stark x Reader (Posted: July 13, 2020) - Ok this one just came to me. I had the ending idea before I’d even written the rest of the fic and it was more a matter of writing everything to get to the one scene I knew I just HAD to write

Imagine being in a long-term relationship with Malcolm and him telling you about Martin - Malcolm Bright x Reader (Posted: Aug 21, 2020) - So this says it was requested by Anonymous but it was actually something I wanted to write and felt guilty about posting since it wasn’t really requested. Oops. Anyway I was playing around with stuff for the Prodigal Son series rewrite and I wanted to explore another avenue where Malcolm has been seeing someone who doesn’t know about Martin. I’m not certain how realistic that would be but I like the concept of Malcolm getting to be open with someone who doesn’t care about his past and what caused Malcolm’s trauma, they just accept the trauma and want Malcolm to heal

Only Time Will Tell - Bucky Barnes x Reader (Posted: Aug 28, 2020 [that’s my birthday, hey!]) - This was something I’d been wanting to write for years but I’ve always felt guilty about posting things I wanted to write when I had requests that people were waiting on. This was the first year I really allowed myself to write for me and this was the first Follower Celebrated Content where followers vote on original ideas that I’ve collected over the years. Again this was always something I really wanted to explore and it was gratifying to see that others wanted me to explore the idea too

Becoming Whole - Aaron Hotchner x Reader (Posted: Sep 8, 2020) - Sometimes you’re just inspired to write something and nothing inspires me more than writing fluff for my favorite characters. What can I say, I just want Aaron to be happy and that’s all this was about.

Contemplate - Buddy (Baby Driver) x Reader (Posted: Oct 2, 2020) - Contemplate is the third in a series of personal fics that I’ve posted as a way of coping with certain things but all are connected by the same medical syndrome that I have (and don’t worry they can all be read as standalone pieces). I wrote this one because migraines fucking suck and I wanted some comfort shit with a favorite character.

Shattered - Arthur Curry x Reader (Posted: Nov 8, 2020) - Confession time: I wrote this the morning of Nov 8 and posted it the same day because I had been putting this off for a bit of time due to life stuff. I’m not certain what was originally written but halfway through I scrapped it and wrote this instead. I’m so glad I did. All I wanted to do was explore the real life aspects of being a member of the Justice League as well as ruler of Atlantis and what kind of toll that might take on someone’s personal life

[chaeryybomb]

july comebacks review

CHUNGHA ft. CHANGMO: PLAY

holy shit this is definitely my favorite song of the month!!!

the entire song just screams F E S T I V E

the music video, choreography and outfits were all so amazing

and it’s only a pre-release

honestly I can’t wait for her album to come out

I love how she interpreted Spanish elements in this comeback

I love the tango part in the dance and when the hip hop dancers come out!!!

and at the end where everyone just comes out like it’s a huge fiesta!!

this song also has quite a lot of high notes but chungha’s voice gets a rest during the rap part

speaking of the rap part, her expressions during that is amazing!!

overall, definitely my favorite song of this month (maybe this year), its so colourful and festive and its perfect for summer!

IRENE & SEULGI: MONSTER

this song exceeds my expectations

when I first saw the teasers, I thought the song would have quite heavy edm and maybe some bad boy/peek-a-boo elements

while the song does have some of those elements, the entire thing is literally not what I expected

the music video is very aesthically pleasing and it reminds me a lot of a dreamcatcher mv

the mv was also delayed because I heard that they needed to edit some parts out. for example, someone said that if according to the teasers, there should be a scene where Irene stabs a doll with scissors but that part has been cut out I think

ngl I wanted seulrene to perform in the white corset outfits because holy shit those outfits s e r v e d

it also definitely proves that Irene is not just a visual, she’s a very talented rapper and singer so people need to stop seeing her as “red velvet’s visual”!!!

irene has sort of a husky voice like Jisoo’s, just not as deep

I also love Seulgi’s part after the first chorus?? she’s literally g r o w l i n g

as much as I love blonde Irene, why did they give her the wig dhshdhd I bet she was uncomfortable dancing in that

especially she has to bend her back at one point. and speaking of that part, there was one stage where she “winks” while doing it it but Irene said she was actually wincing in pain. (also the mv scene of it where her part morphs into a monster scared me dhshd)

which is why I think irene likes performing “naughty” more instead. maybe it’s because it’s more a mature concept but Irene seems more natural doing so

do not get me started on “naughty”’s choreography,,, it’s SO PLEASING to watch, all those tutting w o w, it looks so hard but Irene and Seulgi make it seem effortless

and when they released the “easy” version on tiktok 😭😭 it still looks so hard please

overall, I hope they make another Irene and Seulgi comeback in the future like EXO-SC! I also hope they try this subunit thing with the rest of RV as well, I’m looking forward to a Seulgi Wendy Joy subunit and Irene Yeri subunit!

ATEEZ: INCEPTION

*inhales* what does seonghwa ACHIEVE by SHOWING his ABS every performance

like hongjoong come collect your MANS

waiting for an episode where yeosang calls him out for over doing it

speaking of yeosang, he’s improved so much! he’s gotten more than one part of the song this time and I’m so proud!

and I’m in love with their “I’m in love” during the beginning and chorus

also woosan is out for my bias list-

ngl I find it kinda weird there’s a mini breakdance in between the the song cause usually breakdances are at the end

I also hope Jongho isn’t overworking himself as it seems he’s just recovered from his injury, I hope none of the boys will injure themself like during wonderland era

also yunho and hongjoong exchanged hairstyles from wave era dhshdh

per usual, hongjoong and mingi’s rap parts are my absolutely favorite

the music video honestly has a lot of theories going on and I’m still waiting for the smart atinys to decipher them dhshd

honestly, ateez reminds me a lot of bts, they’re both from small companies and I hope like bts, ateez will be able to rise to fame

overall, I like this comeback a lot but I wouldn’t say it would be my favorite era of them. Again I hope none of the boys overwork themselves this time

SOMI: WHAT YOU WAITING FOR

ahhhh I’m so glad she’s back!!!

I love this song a lot and somi seems more comfortable with it too!

at first, she looks nervous performing it but I can see her getting more confident through out promoting the song

and it’s definitely more different than “birthday”

personally I like this song more than “birthday” (but “outta my head” will always be my absolute favorite)

somi’s “ring the alarm” has the same energy as “oops you’re not invited” dhshhd

I also love how she interpreted her name in the music video as “ennik” means sword in Dutch

I’m also glad that this time she isnt matching outfits with her backup dancers

personally, I feel that this song fits somi’s vocals better than birthday and she switches from high to low in the chorus

the chorus is 2nd verse is my favorite part of the song

overall, this is a really nice comeback from somi and I hope next time she’s back with more songs

GFRIEND: APPLE

HUGE GODDESSES VIBES!!!!

the entire mv just SCREAMED Greek Goddesses to me

the dresses were so beautiful this era

I especially love the black dresses

and all the accessories made it 10x better

personally I feel very wrecked by yuju and yuju alone

(and maybe sowon's red eyes but shhh)

I was kinda hoping they'd make a comeback like "labyrinth" but boy this comeback was amazing

ever since they joined with big hit, everything has become so much better

plus umji getting her lines and centers!!!

I'm addicted to the "wee o wow wow wow" and the "kiss dance" parts

I'm honestly quite impressed that gfriend was able to perform in long dresses but I feel its better than performing in fitting short dresses

overall, I really like this comeback and the entire album is a bop. my favourite song is "eyes of the storm" because it sounds so much like an anime opening

APRIL: NOW OR NEVER

omg I'm so glad I started stanning them after lalalilala era

also yena said she wanted to do a beach concept next in an interview during lalalilala as well soooooo

the song is soooo catchy and I can't help notice how smiley chaekyung and yena are this era!

I'm so glad that yena and rachel has actual lines this time (also I noticed rachel kinda has a lisp?)

chaekyung was rlly smiley during lalalilala so I thought a cute/fun concept would suit her and it does!

she's shinning during now or never era!!

I feel like the line distribution is pretty fair for 4 vocalists and 2 rappers

plus yena's "eottae" is really adorable!!

my favourite part of the song is the "nunbushin nunbushin" parts and I find the choreography for it rlly cute

and paradise is really catchy b-side!

overall, the comeback is very refreshing and it's nice to see them back on stage again. personally I'm not a huge fan of some of the outfits because I like matching sets instead but other than that, I really like this comeback!

LEE HI: HOLO

did this song make me weep?

yes, yes it did.

queen lee hi making me cry with another song again

I just find lee hi's voice very emotional okay

it reminds me of the time when I first listened to "breathe"

honestly the song is such a breather for anyone's who's having a hard time

listening to the words "one day it will stop, and I'm gonna stop crying, stop feeling, stop thinking about you my baby" is quite comforting to hear

it really makes you think that is being alone really a bad idea?

I've listened to song on repeat ever since it came out

[fabfoxly]

Fun with Photos: The Gang’s (Not) All Here (UPDATED!)

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted, during which time I’ve mostly been awash in extra work and attending family events -- although none of my fam’s came even close to that secret um, private event on 6 July: the christening of Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor (poor tot will need the entire roll of stick-on name tags for his first day of school). And just like my fam, they took a couple of snaps to celebrate a milestone (well, maybe not *just* like -- my fam is more the flip-flops-and-shorts-with-IPA-in-hand sort, but I digress). Don’t you just love family photos, especially ones that people pore over again and again? 

Anyway, other eagle-eyed Tumblrs among us have already sorted out some of the more, ah, interesting features, of the Sussex group christening snap, and there’s one burning question that seems to be on people’s minds so far: Is it Photoshopped? 

Let me save you some time. I ran it through my most favorite online tool at http://imageedited.com/ and got this unequivocal answer: 

That got me wondering: what if we took a journey through this lovely family photo together, and picked out some of the more interesting highlights? Shall we? 

Hazza’s bald spots are completely gone, but he’s gained couple of goose-eggs on his forehead, and the edges of the sampled, edited areas are visible. Seriously, wtf? Has Megsy been swinging that baseball bat a bit too hard? Where’s Dr. Pimple-Popper when you need her? 

But that’s not all. After prettifying Harry, someone couldn’t decide whether to go with a black line or an eraser to bring the couple together -- so they used both. Artistic, isn’t it, especially that shoulder spot where Hazza’s grey jacket melts right into Megsy’s white dress? And they say Kate’s the photographer in the family!

Here’s the proud mama, who seems to also have a hair makeover. Check out the solid dark wedge under the TP-and-mosquito-netting hat; it reflects no light or colour variation at all (unlike her cheekbones, nose, lips and forehead). It should, because the light pattern and shadow on right side of her neck indicates lighting coming from above left -- except there isn’t any, because that’s where Will is standing, There’s no light reflecting off Kate’s face, either. Oops!  

Speaking of nose, what’s that thing dribbling down the right side of it, and the fish-hook-shaped highlight on the right chin? Girl is very bronzed/strobed/baked here, and a wee bit cross-eyed as well. Maybe it’s the special kale-avocado-vodka smoothies -- but I’d smile too if I could get my left jawline and chin to airbrush into my neck like that!  

And what is going on with that blush-coloured shoe? It’s clearly a left shoe, foot coming partially out. Her body is angled to her left, with a smooth flow of fabric over the lap and no crossed legs, but the shoe and foot angle sharply to her right -- that doesn’t even look anatomically possible. 

Oh, wait... YOGA! 

Here’s Charles, with a painful Photo-fail: 

What’s up with Prince Charles’ hand, especially the short grubby forefinger, the giant, swollen knuckle, and the line on the chair that runs vertically through his finger like his finger is not even there -- Ouch! 

The back row ladies get a bit of creative styling; just check out Doria’s upper lip area and left cheek. That’s nothing, though. Get ready for the creepiest Photo-fail yet: the gold leg on that clock caresses Lady Jane’s face!

Even though this enlargement is a bit pixellated, you can see where one of the legs seems to be floating in front of of her cheek, kind of like a creepy gold finger. His... loincloth or whatever it is, seems to be dangling down over part of her black floral collar, too. No wonder she looks uncomfortable -- who wants a facial groping from gilded Cupid’s upper thigh? 

Closer inspection of Goldie’s muscular right thigh reveals it’s still connected to his hip, though; there’s no way it could float in front of her cheek like that -- even if she leans alll the way back (in which case her head would be resting against his solid metal crotch -- I’ll just leave that there). 

The chilling part of the picture, however, is behind all of them. Even though they’re standing directly in front of a giant mirror that should be reflecting at least their hats, all we get is a mysterious, mixing-bowl-shaped object the wrong colour and several inches below Lady Sarah’s blush-toned headwear. 

Maybe they’re all actually vampires? Who knows? 

What do you think?  

[chid-sen-gan-blog]

My Reaction to GoT 8.03 (”The Long Night”)

Hello! I’m back for another recap/review! 

I’m so sorry this took so long, but I was a bit… uninspired. But it’s here now, and I hope you enjoy! 

Once again, featuring running commentary from my Dad and Brother because I love them and their witty remarks. (all thoughts and quotes are from our first time viewing it, per usual)

WARNING: Spoilers for anyone who hasn’t seen the episode yet, though this warning might be irrelevant at this point.

WARNING 2: My family and I (namely me) weren’t really fans of this episode, so things get… pretty snarky at some points. Also, there’s a lot of shade - no pun intended - thrown at the lighting throughout. A lot. All these are just the opinions of three people, however, and not meant to offend anyone. If you enjoyed the episode, then lucky you more power to you - you do you! :)

And last, but certainly not least, a huge thank you to everyone who supported the first two installments! Now, time for part three!

So… the new opening credits still haven’t grown on me. But the inclusion of the crypt for this episode is a nice touch

(I have a sinking feeling that taking refuge in the crypts is going to backfire for those hiding there and really hope I’m wrong)

Yay! Sam! Please don’t die on me. Please…

Pre-battle preparation montages always puts me on edge. Now is no exception

Another Alys Karstark shot and I’m still not sure why the crew keeps including them…

“So, the showrunners keep giving us glimpses of Alys Karstark, but do they actually plan on doing anything with her, or…?” - My Wonderful Brother; so I guess I’m not the only one curious

“With D&D at the reigns, she could be there for anything from the kidnap theory to a faceless man revival.” - My Wonderful Dad

“True. Let’s hope they get their story right right tonight, though.” - My Wonderful Brother

“I don’t see how they couldn’t. They already have all the pieces in place. All they need to do is not try anything random.” - My Wonderful Dad

Awwww. My children! D&D, don’t you dare kill off Jaime, Brienne, or Pod. I will find you if you do!!! And no CGI dragons will be able to save you!

(I’m super worried about Pod. He’s right up there at the top of my list with Theon and Grey Worm. And possibly Jorah, but I’m 50/50 with him)

(Maybe 60/40; if Dark!Dany’s a possibility, she needs to suffer a huge loss in this battle. And considering Jorah’s her morality pet/conscience, he would fit the bill)

(basically if Jorah dies this episode, then my confidence in the show going the Dark!Dany route rises)

Tormund! I’m guessing you’ll live. The writers need some fan favorite B characters to make it through the night…

Ooh, Beric. Yeah… you’re probably not one of them… 

And the Hound will be needed for Cleganebowl, so he’s safe. No way they’re writing off the guy with all the hype surrounding him and his bro’s one-on-one

Actually, he’s one of the few people I’m absolutely sure will live past this episode

Gendry… 50/50 on you, too, sadly. I hope you make it, though

Darn it, knowing I’m never going to see some of these characters again is making me emotional. And it’s not even ten minutes into the episode!!!

Awwww. Poor Edd. You’re definitely a goner, since you essentially doomed yourself last week

Aaaaaaaand now I”m tearing up. Darn it!!! It’s too early to cry!

My new mantra: Please let Sam live

Wow, that shot is… dark. I wouldn’t have known those were horses if not for the whinnying 

GHOST!!! Are we going to see him fight this episode? Because Im so here for it!

My wonderful Dad and Brother are just as pumped to see him as I am. Bless them

“But, seriously, why is Ghost with Jorah and the Dothraki and not with the Northerners in the crypts? Wouldn’t that be more practical” - My Wonderful Brother; taking time from his celebration to ask the tough questions

And here’s Dany to ruin my mood. Absolutely spectacular

“So, do you think she’ll abandon Jon and co during the battle?” - My Wonderful Dad

“Nope, she still wants the North to see her as their hero. It’s more likely she’ll rush in at some point and ruin the plan.” - My Wonderful Brother

Sansa!!! Arya!!!

Hey, remember when Dany stans said that Sansa’s S8 hairstyle was based on their kween’s? Good times, good times

Oooooh. A rider in the night? But who? The gang’s all here, except for Cersei and Euron

Is it Bronn? Kind of bad timing if it is…

No, wait, Carice von Houten was in the credits. It’s Melisandre, isn’t it?

They’re zooming in on Davos, it must be…

Yep. 

“So, let’s none of us question why she’s here or how she got around the undead army marching on the North. Deal?” - My Wonderful Dad

“Deal.” - My Wonderful Brother and Less Wonderful I

And, once again, everything’s super dark, even for this show. Is it supposed to be intentional, or…?

I love how Jorah’s like: “I don’t know who the heck you are or what you want or why you’re here, but sure I’ll do what you ask, weird pretty red lady” 

FINALLY!!! LIGHT!!! Thank you, Melisandre! 

I’ll admit, that was a beautiful shot

I have a real affinity for how Liam Cunningham portrays an angry Davos. I’m not really sure why, but I do

Okay, so Melisandre’s going to die before the dawn. Why do I feel somewhat emotional about it?

(I’m still not over Shireen, so I really have no clue)

Ooooh, that look shared between Melisandre or Arya. Is Arya going to kill her? Maybe because of what happened to Gendry?

Ummmmmm…. Dothraki. What are you doing?

Seriously, what are you guys doing?

Don’t tell me these knuckleheads are actually charging at an enemy they can’t even see…

Oh, shoot. That’s exactly what they’re doing.

………… and now were’s firing the catapults. Umm, hello, don’t we kind of need our supplies for later?! What are you dimwits doing?!?!

No, really, this is idiotic. Why are they lighting things up and charging all gleefully like it’s a 4th of July cookout?!?!

“No, Ghost. Turn around. You’re too smart for this.” - My Wonderful Dad

Well lookie there. The Dothraki charged right into the army of the dead. Who could’ve possibly predicted that? *sarcasm, sarcasm*

“And just like that, the Night King’s added tens of thousands more soldiers to his army. Everyone say “thank you, Dany” for bringing your men who apparently have zero impulse control.” - My Wonderful Brother

“So this is why God didn’t give cavemen fire.” - My Wonderful Dad

You just know that Jaime’s watching this display thinking “why did my men have such a hard time fighting those guys again?”

Aaaaaand the screen’s nearly pitch black again. Dandy 

Oh, look, slow-mo Jorah. At least I think it is. It’s kind of hard to tell…

Ugh. Dany. I’m not in the mood for you

Wow, astounding. She’s not going to stick to the plan. I’m sure this will work out just fine

“Told ya’.” - My Wonderful Brother

Nothing screams true love quite like yanking your arm out of your boyfriend’s grasp and snapping at him. 

(Anyone else ever get CerseixJaime vibes from these two? And I’m not just talking about the incest…)

Grey Worm putting on his helmet is somehow one of the best parts in this episode so far. And I don’t think that’s a good thing

But still, it’s too early to judge, so I’ll shut up

Why hello, Army of the Dead. How was that 4th of July cookout the Dothraki ran into?

And now it’s time for my favorite game - count the fallen red shirts! Let’s see… 1, 2, oh, there’s a third…

And there’s one red shirt who just realized his name’s never been said on the show and booked. I respect his genre-savyness

Meanwhile, back with the important characters…

No!!! Brienne!!! No!!!

Jaime’s “wench sense” prevails again. That’s my boy

Dany’s “ruin-my-mood sense” is also as strong as ever, apparently

Well, at least the dragonfire shone some light on things

Sansa looking awed at Jon on a dragon is so far one of the best shots in the episode

I will forever hate Jonerys, but Ramin Djawadi always knocks it out of the park with his score - even with their theme.

I wonder if he’ll have anything new to present for this episode…

Jon’s gotten a lot better at riding Rhaegal. That could be very useful in upcoming conflicts… *grins wickedly*

Lovely, now Jon’s stuck in a snowstorm. *sighs* Really, I give him one compliment… 

“I just hope that Dany remembers she has to light the trench and doesn’t follow him in.” - My Wonderful Dad

“You’re asking for way too much, Daddy.” - My Wonderful Brother

Aw, Sansa. I’m so proud of you. And this is why I love the Starks - no matter the dangers they face, they’re loyal to their people first and foremost

… Arya, no offense, but your sister’s not much of a fighter. Don’t you think you should give her more than just one tiny dragonglass blade? 

Ah, callbacks. But, seriously, give Sansa another weapon 

Seeing Jaime, Brienne, and Pod together in any capacity gives me all the feels. All of them. Even when they’re fighting literal zombies

And now Dany’s also lost in the snowstorm. Well, on the bright side, at least she didn’t fly directly into it

Theon!……�� yeah, you’re a dead man. I’ll sincerely miss you

And we’re back to the battle. That was… interesting editing

16 red shirts… 17 red shirts… 18 red shirts… 

So it’s twenty minutes in and no named characters have died yet. I’m surprised…

And there goes Edd. *cries* Why did I think I was safe?!?! Why?!?!?!?!?!

So that’s one death I guessed. I wonder who else…

Okay, is it even possible for Sophie Turner to look anything but beautiful? I mean, even with this episode’s lighting…

I forgot Tyrion was alive Oops

Still have a sinking suspicion the crypts are going to be overrun with wights…

I honestly admire how calm Tyrion is. If my brother was out fighting an army of undead popsicles, you could bet I would be anything but

Jon and Dany bumping into eachother on dragonback is really making me smile. Even though I know it wasn’t intentional this time

If Jorah doesn’t die, Lyanna Mormont will. I’m calling it now

Grey Worm is so far the MVP of this battle. Now I’m really worried about his survival odds…

Soooooooo… are the dragons just going to be lost in this snowstorm the entire episodes? I mean, they have to play a bigger part than that, right?

(if they don’t then Jon really went through some serious guff for nothing)

Jon calling Dany by her nickname again despite knowing she doesn’t like it gives me life. So what if I’m petty?

And back with Theon and Bran after… nothing really happened

“Is it just me, or does the editing this episode feel a little… off?” - My Wonderful Brother

“Not just you. It has been so far. Strange, considering that’s usually one of D&D’s strong points.” - My Wonderful Dad

Aaaaaaand back to the battle after nothing really happened

“….. really?” - My Wonderful Brother

Brienne checking on Pod is what I live for. Honestly, I’m so far more interested in my J-B-P Family Trio than the actual battle 

(Though I don’t think I’m supposed to be)

And the lighting is pitch black again. Huzzah

Unsullied don’t feel fear, huh? Welp, Grey Worm’s quickly realizing that most Unsullied don’t usually fight dead men

Really, though, this scene is on-point. Kudos to everyone involved

And now Dany can’t see the signal to light the trench. Yippee…

“YOU HAD ONE JOB, DAENERYS!!! ONE!!!” - My Wonderful Dad

On another note, I think I finally figured out why Melisandre conveniently strolled back into the picture when she did

 And there we go

You know, everything has played out so predictably thus far that I feel like D&D are going to pull a huge, random move at some point

One that likely won’t make any sense, knowing them

Oh, I hope that’s not the case

Alright, that shot when Melisandre finally light up the trench is beautiful. I must admit

…………………………………………………………………………. wait, so Jon was just chilling right next to the trench when he could’ve lit it up this whole time?!?!?!?!

Ugh. So far he’s been utterly useless this battle. I mean, I love the guy, but really?

Please tell me they’re just saving his potential for when he fights the Night King. Or, even better, fights him so Bran can take him down

(D&D wouldn’t honestly butcher my boy like this without a reason, right?)

Oh, great. I forgot the Hound has PTSD when it comes to fire. This should be interesting. With any luck, he’ll overcome his fear this episode

Back in the crypts which are still somehow safe

And it’s times like these, when Tyrion touts his own greatness, that I remember he’s much more like Tywin than I’d care to acknowledge

Yes, Tyrion. You would make all the difference out there in the battle. When not even your swordsman brother should, logically-speaking, be near it, given his one hand situation. But, sure. You keep on thinking that. 

Sansa laying some truth down. I stan 

I really do enjoy her and Tyrion’s chemistry. And it’s actually nice to take a bit of a break from the battle

Oh, look at that. Sansa and Dany aren’t besties after their talk last episode after all. Odd, I could’ve sworn some stans said they were

One of which was, apparently, Missandei

Gee, I love you, Missandei, but that comment was totally uncalled for. They weren’t even talking to you

“And maybe if it weren’t for the dragon queen, the wall would still be standing and the dead wouldn’t even be here.” - My Wonderful Brother

“The girl didn’t even light the trench. Which was, again, her one job!” - My Wonderful Dad

*sighs* I really hate brainwashed Missandei. But I’m sure Dany’s stans will find a woman of color being blindly devoted to a white woman totally empowering

(And, before anyone bashes me, I’m speaking as someone who’s got the blood of all walks of minorities in my veins) 

Ad back to Theon and Bran. Are they actually going to do something this time?

Oh, they are! 

So, Bran’s “home” quote was said to Theon. Odd, and here I thought he was supposed to have said it to Dany… oh, well

Ooooh, warging Bran. With any luck, he’ll warg into a dragon at some point in this episode

I don’t even care anymore, just let the poor guy be useful in this battle somehow

So… when the army of animated corpses have better battle plans than your armies, exactly how screwed are you?

Jorah ushering Sam to the walls is actually really heartwarming

As is surrogate dad Jaime checking on his adopted son Pod en route to their battle stations

…… Jon has been sitting on the walls of Winterfell for who knows how long doing absolutely zilch. Not burning wights, not guarding Bran, not even brooding. And I’m ticked about it

What the heck, D&D? I thought you loved CGI dragon stuff

Well, finally. Yes, go fight the head popsicle, even if you don’t kill him. Go, my boy, and redeem yourself

The J-B-P Family Trio dynamic is my favorite thing in this episode thus far. Fight me 

And Sam and Jorah. I want a spin-off named “Mormont and Tarly” with these two just hanging out

So, it’s almost halfway through the episode and only Edd has died out of the named characters. I have a feeling things are about to get bloody

Well, there goes another red shirt. What was I up to? 42?

No no no no no no no no. Bad wights. Not Jaime. Get off my problematic child! Get off him, darn you!!!

Brienne has “Kingslayer sense” confirmed

Who needs plot armor when you have your totally platonic not girlfriend watching your back? 

My children fighting together… *tears up* I’m so proud…

And who needs plot armor when you have your totally platonic not boyfriend watching your back?

Jorah saving Sam with Heartsbane is all kinds of right. That is all

And the Hound is not making any sort of progress with his PTSD. I’m rooting for you, Sandor

Aaaaaaaaaaand…. I’m really tired of ninja!Arya already. I’m sorry. Unpopular opinion, I know, but it seems like the show’s going out of their way waaaay too much recently to make her seem all BAMF. I don’t know, call it personal preference, but I like it when there’s some vulnerability to a fighter

And maybe that hit to the head will take her down a peg. Knowing D&D, though… not likely

Oh, boy. The Hound’s really got it bad. I feel for him….

The fact he cares so much about Arya takes me back to S4, and I couldn’t be happier about it. Ah, the great seasons…

My wonderful Dad and Brother have taken to trying to adjust the brightness on our tv…to  limited success. And this isn’t even the darkest the episode’s been…

Okay, I got over Lyanna Mormont in S7, but I have to say, she got the coolest death ever in the show by far. And I’m glad

Also, another predicted death. Makes me wonder about Jorah’s fate now…

So… the dragons above the clouds is a pretty shot and all, but are Jon and Dany just playing hide&seek with the Night King at this point, or…?

Oh, there’s the head popsicle!

(oh, if only fire could burn the unburnt…)

(speaking of which, how does Wightserion manage to breathe fire if he’s a wight and fire kind of kills them all over again? I’ve been wondering…)

“And after less than a minute of the dragons looking like they’d actually do something, we’ve now transitioned in to a game of tag, you’re it.” - My Wonderful Brother, getting fully annoyed with this episode

“At this point you could put Little Sam out in the field and he’d do more than the dragons.” - My Wonderful Dad, getting fully annoyed with this episode

And now Arya’s playing hide&seek with the wights. What is this, buy none get three day?

So… this scene is going to contribute something other than more bad lighting, right? Please say it is…

And nothing’s really happening…

And nothing…

Nothing….

Okay, so I have a feeling this is supposed to come off as a horror movie kind of thing, but it reads more like Tom&Jerry, imo

Wights have better hearing than me. I’m a little jealous

*shudders* Alright, the way that wight re-died (coining that term as of now) when Arya stabbed it was really gross. I tip my hat to the special effects and make-up team

Arya’s running like mad. And I’m happy she seems human again

(On another note, all this focus on Arya is really making me wonder what D&D are planning on doing with her. I can guess it’s something important…)

Too dark to see too dark to see too dark to see too dark to see…

I’m still surprised the crypts are safe. Maybe I’m wrong and they won’t be taken over by the dead after all

“This episode needs more Sansa. I said what I said.” - My Wonderful Brother

The Hound and Beric’s buddy cop adventures continue

Sweet move, Beric. We should enter you in javelin-throwing

Arya fighting just fine with a head wound. Even though I’m pretty sure she must have a concussion. Oh, what the heck, it’s a fantasy show

Beric sacrificing himself for Arya and the Hound in an honestly brilliant scene… that I could hardly see… -_-*

Beric dying to protect them also means that I was probably right before when I said Arya’s going to play an important role in this fight. Or the Hound

But my money’s on Arya. They’ll want a girl power shield in case their plans fall through

Really, the lighting on this episode looks like the contrast effect I add to my Sony Vegas-made AMVs before filtering the colors

So… Melisandre’s alone in this room surrounded by a bunch of doubly dead wights. Did she kill them all herself? Did she flambe them? I would really like to know

And blue eyes. Wait… no.

“They’re going to have Arya kill the Night King. That’s their big twist” - My Wonderful Brother

“But that wouldn’t make any sense. I mean, what about Bran? Doesn’t his whole story revolve around taking down the Night King?Didn’t Uncle Benjen say in no uncertain terms that without Bran they lose everything?” - Me

“Yep. But it’s still going to be Arya.” - My Wonderful Brother

“But what about Jon?! Doesn’t 90% of his arc center around facing this guy, too?! What about their stare down in “Hardhome”?” - Me

“Maybe Jon gets a crack at him, but it’s going to be Arya who finishes him off.” - My Wonderful Brother

“They wouldn’t!” - Me

“Remember Joffrey’s funeral  scene in “Breaker of Chains” and how they changed it?” - My Wonderful Dad

“……… oh, no. They would.” -Me

And now I’m worried

I mean, I love Arya, I really do. And I love girls being great. But something like that would just feel so… out-of-the-blue

Please don’t let that be the case

(But then again, my wonderful Brother’s always right)

Theon and the red shirts going to war and I can’t even try to appreciate it

Oh, well, I couldn’t see much of it anyway

And there goes Rhaegal and Wightserion fighting in the sky. And I can’t even see what’s happening. Wondrous

*squinting*

No! Not the cloak Sansa made for Jon! Bad dragon, bad!

*more squinting*

… did Drogon just bite Rhaegal? It looks like it. But I won’t jump to any conclusions just yet because I CAN’T FRICKING SEE!!! 

Jon has to be hurt after that fall. There’s no way he only got a few scrapes

Then again, the damage to his body is probably far less than the damage my eyes have taken straining to see the screen

And back to the battle. Time to see if anyone I love is still alive…

*even more squinting*

Ya’ know what, I can’t tell

Oh, great. Dany and the Night King. Well, let’s see if she’s going to kill him and become the heiress of a million more prophecies

Bet you ten bucks she’s going to smile when she burns him

And knock knock I’m here to collect my money

Well, Jon’s staggering around like he’s hurt, at least. That’s good enough for me (at least someone seems to be affected by bodily wear-and-tear)

And the Night King’s not burnt. Oh, this is great!!!

AND THAT SMIRK!!! I CAN’T!!! *falls off chair laughing* 

“Can we stan the Starks and the Night King at the same time? Is that even possible?” - My Wonderful Dad

“Well, Dany, your purpose here is done. Time to go back to Meereen.” - My Wonderful Brother

“Excuse me, but what did the people of Meereen ever do to you to have you wish such a thing on them?” - My Wonderful Dad

“Nothing. I just really want Demanding Tourist out of Westeros already.” - My Wonderful Brother 

Yes, head popsicle. Get the dragon brat!!! Yeeeeeeeees!!!!!!

Aw, darn it. He missed

Oooh, Jon running at the Night King. Here we go! One-on-one!!!

Oh, shoot. He’s running towards him as the guy’s reanimating the corpses?! Is he really planning on sacrificing himself?!??!

(you know what, never mind. It’s Jon - we already know the answer is yes)

Okay, sweetie, all you need is a few good jabs and I’ll be happy. Just get a couple hits on this guy and I’ll be satisfied

Immediately has “Satisfied” from Hamilton play in my head and chooses to ignore it

Ummm… Jon. Why are you stopping? The path is still clear? Just run through!

Oh, shoot, everyone that was killed is coming back

Oh, hey, look, Jaime and Brienne are still alive… and they’re probably not going to be in two more minutes so I better enjoy it. Good thing I have both Wench and Kingslayer sense, or I might not have been able to tell it was them in the dark

Now where’s Pod? *activates Squire sense”*

And there’s the crypts not staying safe. I fricking called it and I wish I hadn’t

Don’t you dare touch Gilly or Little Sam or Sansa, wights!!!

On another note… how did the wights manage to punch through solid stone with their skeletal hands?

My boy Theon still stepping up. *sighs*  I’m really going to miss him… and back from a quick cut, Jon squinting at that dragonfire is me right now, after nearly a whole hour of watching an almost fully-black screen

Giving credit where credit is due, Dany just saved my fav. Thanks for that, but don’t get used to it

Ooooooooh Dany stuck in the middle of nowhere without her dragons surrounded by wights… *pulls out White Walker paraphernalia and foam finger* Team Wights forever!

(What? I did say don’t get used to it)

No Jorah! Nooooooo! Why?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

“WE COULD’VE HAD IT ALLLL!!!!” - My Wonderful Brother

Also, kind of hate how the sword belonging to the family Dany burnt alive is now being used to defend her, but who cares what I think, right?

Jon running past Sam is so wrong on so many levels

On another, however, it shows that he prioritizes Bran - his family - above all else. So, maybe I’m giving D&D too much credit here, but if that’s what they were trying to convey, I can see where they’re coming from

This tunnel run is the most fighting Jon’s actually gotten to do in the episode thus far, which is actually pretty dissapointing

Y’know, considering he was all gung-ho about fighting the Army of the Dead and all

Theon , my boy, you make me proud

Also, what is Bran actually doing? Something important, I hope…

Wow. Dany can magically wield a sword. Where did this sudden skill come from, I wonder…

Are Sansa and Tyrion taking refuge behind Ned’s tomb? *heart breaks into a million pieces*

“YES! WE’RE FINALLY GOING TO SEE SANSA IN ACTION!!!” - My Wonderful Dad

*scene cuts away*

“Hey, I said in action, not inactive! I want to see my girl kill some wights!” - My Wonderful Dad

He’s been a full Sansa stan for only a week yet he gets how awesome she is. I’m so proud of him

Oh, great, Wightserion almost killing Jon

Oh, great, wights almost killing my J-B-P Family Trio

WHY DO PIANO SCORES NEVER MEAN ANYTHING GOOD IN THIS SHOW?!?!?!?!

Yet I’m already loving this score. Let’s see just how much of a next level Ramin Djawadi takes it to

No, bad wights! Don’t kill my children!

No! Don’t make Sam cry!

Noooooooooooo! Don’t say thank you, Bran! Now he’s really going to die!

NOOOOOOO! THEON!!!!!!! *cries hysterically*

Jon… just can’t catch an awesome break this episode, can he? Now he’s got to deal with the dragon he already faced again… *sighs*

And yep. Ramin Djawadi outdid himself with this score. And that’s the hill I die on

Jon, sweetie… why are you randomly screaming at a dragon? Did you hit your head when you fell off Rhaegal? Has the stress of obsessing over the undead finally caught up to you? Did Dany finally break you?

Okay, a white walker’s hair has suddenly turned into a Maybelline commercial

And it’s…

Arya. Oh, boy. Here we go…

Aaaaaaaaand… it’s over. Just. Like. That.

We never even got to know anything about him and that’s it

They Snoke’d him

And Bran was utterly useless, to boot

*left eyes strained from too much squinting twitches*

“They really did it…” - mMe

“Called it.” - My Wonderful Brother

“Well… I guess good for Arya. Right?” - My Wonderful Dad

“No. Not good. Not good. I’m glad she got a chance to shine and I don’t even care about her hitting the final blow. I don’t care who hi it, honestly!!! But Jon and Bran were both completely useless?! EVEN BRAN?! ARE YOU  KIDDING ME?!?!?!?! BRAN’S ENTIRE STORYLINE WAS THE NIGHT KING!!! NOW WHAT’S HE ANY GOOD FOR?! TELLING HIS FAMILY THAT JAIME PUSHED HIM OUT A WINDOW?!?! DON’T GIVE ME THAT! I DID NOT SIT THROUGH SEVEN ENTIRE SEASONS OF GAME OF THRONES AND PUT UP WITH SIX OF THEM WATCHING BRAN’S BORING-AS-ALL-HECK VISIONS JUST FOR HIM TO BE PLAYING WARG THE RAVENS THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE EPISODE AND HAVE NO SAY IN TAKING DOWN THE POPSICLE!!!” -  Me, with an unpopular opinion that will get me in so much trouble later

“True. His lack of involvement was… dissapointing.” - My Wonderful Dad

“You know, there’s a way it all could’ve worked. All they had to do was have Bran warg into the Night King to try and keep him at bay to give Arya the chance to finish him off. Show a bit of struggle between all three of them and ultimately have Bran be the deciding factor. Maybe throw in a bit of flashbacks to the guy’s past, while they were at it” - My Wonderful Brother

“Yeah, but that would require making the guy look like a legitimate threat in terms of fighting.” - Me

“Oh, that’s an easy fix. They should’ve let Jon fight the Night King before and get royally owned. That would’ve established him.” - My Wonderful Brother

“Not only that, but it would also heighten the expectation that Jon would make a huge comeback, which would really throw the viewers for a loop when Arya comes to save Bran instead.” - My Wonderful Dad

My family, everyone. Also known as my bright spots in the abysmal world

To be fair, the one thing I like about this is that the knife originally intended to kill Bran eventually saved him. Bravo

Welp, there goes Jorah. My heart is already in pieces, so a few more breaks won’t do anything

*cries anyway*

Guess Dark!Dany is probably coming. At least I hope so. And then we’ll have Bronn fight her or some other nonsensical decision. Who cares anymore?

I can’t bring myself to feel a shred of pity for Dany or an ounce of compassion. Yet even I know Emilia Clarke’s acting in this scene is fantastic

And now at the end of the episode we finally have light. And my eyes actually are having a hard time adjusting to it

So long, Melisandre. I’m surprisingly emotional about this but maybe that’s just because I’m still crying from Jorah

That’s it? Huh. That’s it. Who lived? Who died? Don’t ask me.

I’m going to go work on my AU now. It may suck, but at least I put real effort into it. Maybe I’ll be a screenwriter. It seems to require very little

I’m bitter and ready to be unfollowed

Sorry

[holidaysat221b]

The 12 Days of Sherlolly 2018 Masterlist

@lilsherlockian1975 and I (@darnedchild) want to thank everyone who participated in this winter/holiday fest.  We had nineteen submissions from ten different authors and artists.  Six photo edits and thirteen fics this year!

Thank you to @mel-loves-all, @goodshipsherlollipop, @simplyshelbs16xoxo, @ellis-hendricks, @mizjoely, @bekah1218, @mrsmcrieff, @giulytrinka, @lilsherlockian1975, and @darnedchild (although that’s me, so I don’t know why I’m saying thank you to myself other than to complete the list).

And a special thank you to @mel-loves-all for creating the beautiful graphic used for this year’s 12 Days of Sherlolly fest announcements. 

Below are links to all of the works in this year’s collection, in alphabetical order.

1) 12 Days of Sherlolly #1 - Created by @mel-loves-all Happy Holidays, Sherlollians.  (On Tumblr)

2) 12 Days of Sherlolly #2 - Created by @mel-loves-all The Twelve Days of Sherlolly  (On Tumblr) 

3) 12 Days of Sherlolly #3 - Created by @mel-loves-all The Twelve Days of Sherlolly  (On Tumblr) 

4) All I Want for Christmas - Written by @darnedchild Molly didn’t expect to be dragged from her warm flat in the middle of the night to deal with a drunk consulting detective, but she found herself at Baker Street nevertheless. Sherlock, on the other hand, had been eagerly looking forward to a visit from his favourite pathologist. All Molly wants is to get a tipsy Sherlock tucked into bed. Thankfully, Sherlock has similar idea. (Somehow a fair bit of plot got mixed up in my Christmas smut. Oops.)  (On Ao3, In Progress, Rated M)

5) Another Holmes Family Christmas in Sussex - Written by @goodshipsherlollipop When Sherlock, Molly and their baby are at the Holmes family home for their second family Christmas post Sherrinford, John gives Sherlock some welcome news. But when Mycroft arrives with some explosive news of his own, Sherlock is beyond shocked at the turn of events. Can Molly help him sort through his conflicting emotions? (Continuation of my “Journey” Sherlolly timeline.)“  (On FFdotNet, Complete in 5 parts, Rated T) 

6) Christmas in Sussex - Written by @goodshipsherlollipop Sherlock and Molly Holmes travel with Mycroft to spend Christmas with the Holmes parents. Pregnant Molly has a secret she can’t wait to reveal to her husband. Set several months after “A Journey to Love, Faith and Marriage.“  (On FFdotNet, Complete in 8 parts, Rated M) 

7) Christmas is the Time - Created by @simplyshelbs16xoxo Christmas is the time to Say I love you!  (On Tumblr) 

8) A Dead Man in the Family: Life After Death - Written by @ellis-hendricks Five-and-a-half years after the events of Sherrinford, Mycroft finally goes home for Christmas - but does it still feel like home?  (On Ao3, Complete in 2 parts, Rated G) 

9) Epiphany - Written by @mizjoely It’s his birthday. Twelve days after another Christmas has come and gone without him. Molly draws in a shuddering breath and lets it out slowly. It’s January 6, another birthday he’ll never celebrate. Because Sherlock Holmes, world’s only consulting detective, is dead.   (On Ao3, Complete, Rated T) 

10) How Abigail Mercedes Holmes Got Her Name - Written by @bekah1218 On a dark Christmas Eve, a car is pulled over at a lay-by…  (On Ao3, Complete, Rated T) 

11) Merry Christmas Molly Hooper - Written by @mrsmcrieff Molly is alone at Barts on Christmas Eve, reminiscing about that last few months and her friendship with Sherlock. Will Santa bring her a present this year?  (On Ao3, Complete in 5 parts, Rated E) 

12) Naked Santa and Fornicating Reindeer - Written by @darnedchild Molly and John share a love of festive Christmas jumpers. Sherlock … doesn’t. (Originally written for a Fandom Christmas in July thingy on Tumblr)  (On Ao3, Complete, Rated G) 

13) A New Year’s Eve Party For Two - Written by @goodshipsherlollipop On New Year’s Eve, anticipating their first night alone since the birth of their baby in May, Molly plans a special night for Sherlock that involves a cute balloon game. Sherlock makes a decision about their future at Baker Street after coming to some conclusions of his own. What will Molly think of this turn of events? Sequel to “Another Holmes Family Christmas in Sussex."  (On FFdotNet, Complete in 2 parts, Rated T) 

14) A Piece of That - Written by @ellis-hendricks It’s the first Christmas since Sherrinford, and John reckons he knows exactly why Sherlock is out of sorts…  (On Ao3, Complete, Rated G) 

15) Scarlet Lips - Written by @giulytrinka "Merry Christmas, Molly Hooper” he said softly, leaning towards her. At first, without thinking, he wanted to put his mouth on that scarlet patch. So soft, warm, alive. Then the mind took over, and it diverted the trajectory until it landed on her cheek. —x— Or a Sherlolly AU-Canon Divergence fic of episode 2x01. What could have happened if Sherlock hadn’t received Irene’s message?   (On Ao3, Complete, Rated T) 

16) Skulls - Written by @lilsherlockian1975 It starts with an unusual morning at 221B and soon becomes a game of silly gifts and inside jokes. Or so Molly thinks until the gifts get a bit… personal. “Billy,” she said with a bit of venom. “Is female and she’s quite old.” He smiled. “You wanted to tell me and I wished that you had. No one else noticed. Well, my brother did, but no one cares about Mycroft.” Steepling his fingers just under his lips, he studied her. “I saw the recognition on your face, however, and that was enough.” “Enough for what?”  (On Ao3, Complete in 4 parts, Rated T) 

17) Under the Mistletoe - Created by @simplyshelbs16xoxo Build a fire to escape the cold Bing Crosby on the stereo Tracing letters on my skin Slowly starts sinkin’ in You love me?  (On Tumblr) 

18) The Yuletide Treaty - Created by @simplyshelbs16xoxo She didn’t have time to process her thoughts before Sherlock’s lips were on hers– firm and soft at the same time. How was such a thing possible? It was as if his mouth– and oh God, his tongue– was electrifying her bloodstream. Her heart hammered in her chest furiously, and if possible, would probably jump out of her chest cavity.?  (On Tumblr) 

19) The Yuletide Treaty - Written by @simplyshelbs16xoxo Months after the events of Sherrinford, Sherlock and Molly reluctantly make a deal where she pretends to be his girlfriend for the holidays, and in turn, he’ll watch her cat for her holiday in the new year. By signing a ‘Yuletide Treaty,’ this arrangement proves to be mending their broken friendship.  (On Ao3, Complete in 7 parts, Rated T)

[terresdebrume]

I am home

Well, I thought weddings were tiring before but let me tell you French weddings have nothing on Cambodian weddings (soft edition)!

I am currently slumped on my couch, waiting for meal delivery (and also maybe death, judging by the sting under my eyes xD) and vaguely thinking that I should maybe consider getting up to put my laundry out to dry (that will probably wait until I need to get down for my food, tbh).

Longer account of the past three days under the cut!

Things started pretty good on Thursday because no one was late or got  lost or had major trouble, and the minivan was even at the rendez-vous  point on time which, it being Cambodia, is not always a guarantee, even  if we did book the van for our group. We strapped down for an 8 hours  bus drive around 9:30pm and chatted a little bit before settling down and all would have been fine if, like the driver had driven like a reasonable person.

Which he did not.

Apparently  (I couldn't see the dial) we drove at an average of fifty-ish  kilometers per hours, sometimes sixty, which you just should not do on  Cambodian roads, especially not at night, on account of

The  poor state of the roads (especially considering the guy ditched the main  road and went for the country roads, aka sometimes we were drivingon  dirt trails more than actual roads)

Everyone drives but  almost no one has a license, which means you get a lot of really funny  behaviors like people driving without lights at dusk, people driving  with their lights at maximum intensity all the time (including anti fog  lights) or our own driver taking turns fast enough to make us all think  about barrel rolls every time

Sometimes, a roaming animal  appears! I'm pretty sure there's a veal out there who's still a little  shaken from our encounter with it on Thursday night.

So,  the trip was strange. The driver stopped about ever hour to go and pee  (we nearly forgot one of our friends, Champey, at one point. He was  lucky his girlfriend noticed his absence) but apparently didn't know a  place where there were actual toilets, which is how at least one of our   friends accidentally mooned a passing car and then a random and adorable  woman ended up taking us to her home so we could pee at two in the   morning.

(Side note, there is something really eerie about having   about nine or ten people crossing a random family's main living space,   motorbikes on the left and people asleep on the right, trying not to   overheat in the warm layers they put on to fight off the chill of   overeager air con and whispering about their misadventures in   toilet-using while traveling and the perils of our driver).

At one   point, we stopped to deliver a package (and also I think another dude   who wasn't with us but whom the driver must have sold a ticket to on the  side, because that's prety common in Cambodia) and then things mostly went in an uneventful, if really bumpy, way.

Although of course I  think all of us would have appreciated it if the buss ride had NOT   turned out to take 10 hours instead of the estimated eight.

Anyway,  we got to Ratanakiri province mostly in time for the wedding (I think around seven ish?) and went to change. I had to limp because eight hours  in a bus were hell on my left ankle, which I now know for certain is  sprained, but other than that it went fine. We did a bit of washing up,  changed, got ready, and rejoined the wedding... and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

I swear, so much of being a guest in a khmer wedding is about waiting xD

From  the outside, a lot of the ceremonies seemed to be essentially visual   things. Julie & Channy (the marrying couple) had to change outfits   throughout the day (Julie had EIGHT outfits to go through in a day! Plus  hairdos!) and a lot of the ceremonies seemed to be mostly about taking a  billion pictures of them under ever angle, slightly adjusting the pose  and thentaking another billion pictures from there. There was also a LOT  of talking, which I'm pretty sure doubled the length of everything and  felt really unusual to me... and then more waiting.

My favorite  part of the day was the last of the morning rites, during which the  newlyweds are surrounded by their parents and the attending 'stable  couples' and candles are passed around the circle of guests so they can  pass their hands through/over the candle and send the flames of love  toward the bride and groom. After that, anyone who wants it can go and  tie a red string around the couple's wrists to wish their marriage  longevity (the newlyweds are then supposed to keep the strings on at  least three days).

I didn't go and do that, because I really had to  go and prop my ankle up but also because I was embarrassed at not having  anything to give as an offering (I mean, I know Julie & Channy  wouldn't have minded, but I was still embarrassed). That is, honestly,  my only regret throughout the day x)

Anyway, after this ceremony,  which apparently the key one (as in the point where the couple is  officially married) our group was shown to the place where we'd sleep at  night and proceeded to 1. wash up a little and 2. collapse into a nap.  We pretty much slept on the bare hardwood floor so I was anticipating an  achy back when I woke up but that actually didn't happen at all which  was a great plus!

Then around six, we changed back into our pretty  utfits and went for dinner, which was delicious and greatly enjoyed.  There was one more ceremony, which I didn't see, and then some dancing  but at that point I went back to our sleeping spot because my ankle hurt  and it's not like I was going to do any dancing xD

In the  meantime, Champey (who took care of most of the dealing with the minivan  driver) had gotten a call from the driver who said he wanted to leave  at 4PM on Saturday, instead of 8pm like we'd planned. That was not  exactly well met by the group (at least the French portion was pretty  open about that. Khmer people tend to be more reserved about what they  think, but I'm not sure they were entirely un-annoyed either) but since  his argument was for security we thought it might actually be for the  best. So, we agreed, but asked him to drive us to a nearby lake we  wanted to visit on Saturday so we'd be on time. He was, apparently,  insistent that we should be ready to depart at the set time, which is  absolutely hilarious (in an ironic way) when you consider the propensity  of khmer people in general to not be punctual at all xD

(That's an  interesting culture gap tbh, and it would have been purely funny if we  hadn't been peeved about his wanting to change the departure time and  being difficult about our rendez-vous point in Phnom Penh the night  before).

So, come Saturday morning, we took the bus at ten (maybe  five past, mostly because of me, oops) went to the aforementioned lake  and dealt with the usual khmer/foreigners price difference, then had to  wait while someone (either the driver or the lake guards) refused to  take the $20 bill they were given on the basis that it was 'too damaged'  (it was not). And then, finally, WATER! :D

I'm a huuuuuge water  baby, I could spent entire days in the water if I have someone or a book  to pass the time with, so obviously that rejuvenated me in record time.  We had a great time there, bathed a lot, ate a lot (the caramelized   chicken was delicious) and I bought a shirt. It was really cool.

We  were mostly done around 3:30pm, so we called the minivan so he'd come and get us, but when the driver and his wife arrived and opened the   door, it turned out there were now two car engines there, one of which   was in the way of entering and exiting the minivan. It took something   like twenty minutes of insisting before the driver agreed to move it to the front, where his wife sat (she wasn't happy about it) because he   tried telling us we'd only reserved 15 seats in an 18 seats minivan   (wrong, we'd gotten the whole vehicle) and then apparently said the   engines were for a nearby delivery (they were still with us when we   reached Phnom Penh) and then the guys (minus me) had to move the engine up to the front themselves.

So that was fun.

The  ride back to Phnom Penh was as bumpy as the ride out of it, but there was a lot more singing and aside from two really scared dogs there   wasn't really anything of notice. We got proper toilet breaks this time (lucky for the periods-havers of the group) and even got to buy some   bamboo rice on the way there, which was a really nice evening meal :D

After  that, it was mostly a matter of waiting the ten hours to Phnom Penh,   getting in tuktuks (in my case, with one of the group members who   couldn't go home to her parents (or didn't dare ride alone?) at 2am) and  crashing into bed.

And today, or mostly this afternoon, will be mostly dedicated to being a couch potato until bedtime as far as I'm concerned xD

[lirlovesfic]

The Choice

A Doctor Who fanfic

Summary: After GitF, the TARDIS brings the Doctor, Rose, and Mickey back to the estate to solve a problem involving the TARDIS herself. But when they see a familiar face, the face of someone who should not exist, they realize the problem is deeper than they thought and could endanger the Doctor’s very existence. Primary characters: Ninth Doctor, Tenth Doctor, Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, Jackie Tyler. Genres: Romance, mystery, adventure, drama, character study, HN AU, fobbed!Nine, sick TARDIS. Pairings: Nine/Rose, Ten/Rose Rating: Adult

Warning: None for this chapter

a/n: I am currently working on editing this chapter-by-chapter, with the hopes of completing a chapter a day until I catch up with myself. As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m doing it to try to get back into the swing of writing and to build some momentum in order to finish this. Also, there have been some tiny things nagging at me for a while (grammar, punctuation, etc.) so I’ll be correcting as many of them as I can find as I go. The story will not change. In fact, most of the changes are going to be so minor that I doubt anyone (besides myself) will notice. But to keep me on target, I’ll be posting it all here as I go, with links to the other websites it’s on. I hope you enjoy it.

Catch up: on AO3, on TSP, on ffnet

This chapter: on AO3, on TSP, on ffnet

Chapter Twelve—London, 14 July, 2007, and the Time Vortex, twenty-four hours after leaving the Powell Estate

John frowned as he stared thoughtfully at his computer monitor. He had spent hours researching Rose’s ex-boyfriend, Jimmy Stone, and what he had found disturbed him.

The stupid ape had been brought up on the Brandon Estate, one that was not too far from the Powell Estate. Single mother, absentee father, barely passed his GCSEs. Formed a band called Shriek with three other blokes: Christopher Neely, Charles Samson, and Reginald Taylor. Lead singer and guitarist, reportedly talented but had frequent run-ins with the local police over drugs, public drunkenness, and brawling.

Attempted a solo career, short-lived. Arrested on charges of domestic violence (not against Rose), charges later dropped. Arrested for robbing a pub he had been playing at. Convicted and sent to prison for three years. Recently released.

The thought of this man anywhere near Rose sickened him. She had told him that Jimmy had verbally abused her and pushed her around when they were together. He had no doubt she had told him the truth, as far as it went, but he just hoped that there wasn’t more to the story than she had let on.

Although he had warned Rose’s ex-boyfriend to stay away from her, he had no confidence that the younger man would actually leave her alone. He’d have watch out for him. There was no way he’d let Jimmy hurt her again. He wished he had a time machine so he could go back in time and stop Jimmy hurting her, or from even meeting her in the first place. Then he snorted at the thought.

“Me with a time machine,” he said, shaking his head. “I must be losin' it.”

~oOo~

The morning after going to Dallas, Mickey had a quick breakfast before making his way to the console room.

The trip to the Kennedy assassination the day before had been disturbing to say the least, but once back on the TARDIS the horror of what he had witnessed quickly faded and he began yawning loudly. The Doctor had sent him to get some food and some sleep, saying he would need it before their next stop. He himself would work on the TARDIS while Mickey rested. Evidently Time Lords didn’t need as much sleep as mere humans.

Completely knackered, Mickey had been grateful for the break between adventures. Although he’d never admit that to the Doctor. The arrogant git.

As Mickey entered the room, the Doctor called, “Careful where you step.”

Several sections of the metal grating surrounding the console had been removed and set to the side, revealing a number of compartments for storage and for accessing various portions of the TARDIS’s circuitry. The Doctor was lying on his stomach, his right arm shoulder deep within one of them as if he were reaching for something. Mickey could hear the whirr of the Doctor’s sonic screwdriver coming from somewhere underneath him.

“What are you doing?”

“Trying to override the space-time redundancy limiter. It’s preventing us from landing at our next destination.”

“Hitting it with a mallet isn’t enough this time?”

To Mickey’s surprise, the Doctor took his mocking comment seriously. He shut off the screwdriver and sat up.

“No, in this case the mallet won’t help. She not only doesn’t want to land, she is programmed not to land. I have to rewire her circuitry to override it.”

“Where are we going that she’s programmed not to land?”

“To the Titanic launch. That’s the next stop on our list. Well, it’s either that or Krakatoa, and with the way the TARDIS is acting up, I don’t want to risk an exploding volcano if we don’t have to.”

“I don’t get it,” Mickey said. “What’s so special about the Titanic that the TARDIS is programmed not to go there?”

“It has nothing to do with the Titanic,” the Doctor told him. “It’s that she’s programmed not to land somewhere where I already am. Usually I can persuade her to do it anyway if necessary—”

“Like you persuaded her last time?”

“But this is different,” the Doctor continued as if Mickey hadn’t spoken. “I’m already there.”

“Yeah, but isn’t that the point of us going? Because you already went?”

“This is different,” the Doctor said again. “When I went, I was already there. I remember being there.”

“I thought you said you didn’t remember going,” Mickey said.

“I don’t remember going,” the Doctor said. “Not after I met Rose.” He let out a huff of irritation. “Why on Earth would I go there of all places? I had to know the risk. I was already there, and I knew it.”

“What do you mean you were already there?”

“I was already there when I went,” he told him. “And if the two of us go, I’ll be there three times.”

Mickey’s eyes widened when he suddenly realized what the Doctor meant. “You mean you were there before…”

“Yep.”

“And then you went again…”

“Yep.”

“And now you’re goin’ the same place and time for the third time?”

“Yep.”

Mickey laughed nervously. “What could happen if you’re there three times?”

“I don’t know,” the Doctor admitted.

“Well, you know what they say,” Mickey said. “Three times the charm, yeah?”

“They also say ‘bad things happen in threes.’”

~oOo~

Rose placed Mickey’s mobile on a nearby table before sinking down on the chair and staring at her own. She was certain the Doctor needed to know that the TARDIS hadn’t given John a new identity in order to figure out what was wrong. But how could she tell him if she couldn’t even phone him?

“Now what?” she said aloud. Her brow furrowed in frustration and puzzlement. “Doctor, what do I do?”

When after several moments no ideas presented themselves, she impulsively speed-dialed the TARDIS again in hopes of the call reaching her current Doctor this time. After all, she told herself, if she reached the other Doctor’s answer phone again, she could just ring off as she had before.

But she didn’t reach her Doctor in pinstripes, nor did she reach the earlier Doctor’s answer phone.

“Rose, where are you?” her first Doctor asked.

Never forgetting the possibility of reapers, her first instinct was to immediately disconnect before she spoke. But she didn’t. The temptation of talking to the Doctor, either Doctor, who actually remembered that he was the Doctor, was too strong.

“Um…”

“I told you I’m not comin’ for tea,” he said firmly.

Rose blinked. Tea?

“I was just about to call you anyway,” he continued without allowing her to answer. “I thought you’d be here by now. I’m done repairing the TARDIS temporal vector relay. It’s time to go.”

“Go?” she asked.

“Yeah, we’ve got to get goin’.” After a moment’s silence he continued, his voice soft and low. It was devoid of emotion. Rose knew from long experience that that was the way he got when he felt hurt. “Did you change your mind about the plasma storm?”

“Plasma storm?” she asked, scanning her memory. They had been to a number of plasma storms since they had begun traveling together.

“Yeah, the plasma storm in the Horsehead Nebula,” he said. “We just talked about going a couple of hours ago. Are you all right?”

She suddenly remembered which plasma storm he was talking about. They had gone right after that first trip home to see her mother. “No. I mean yes,” she said, quickly correcting herself. “I’m fine, and I haven’t changed my mind. I’ll be there soon. Probably already on the way.”

“Probably?” he asked, his voice laced with amusement.

Oops. Shouldn’t have said probably, she thought.

“I’ve got to go… got to finish getting ready, yeah? Be there soon.”

“Don’t be late. I’m not gonna wait forever, y’know.”

Despite the seriousness of the situation, she smiled at the empty threat. For all his gruff words, he had always waited for her.

“See you soon,” she promised.

After she rang off, she stared again at her mobile. Instead of reaching her current Doctor, or even her first Doctor while they had been traveling with Jack, that call had been routed to a time early in their relationship, only days after they had begun traveling together in fact. There had to be something seriously wrong with the TARDIS. She had known that there was something wrong with the TARDIS from the moment it had brought them here, but she had had no idea the extent of the problem. And neither did the Doctor.

Her mind returned to the conversation she had just had. In his timeline, it had happened only days after they had begun traveling together...

Could she somehow warn him there was something wrong? Would she be creating a paradox if she warned him?

Or would she be preventing one?

And even if she did manage to warn him without creating a paradox, would it be too late to do any good? As John, the Doctor was in that tiny amount of time between him meeting her and them traveling together. She’d have to warn the Doctor there was a problem after she’d met him but before the TARDIS had used the chameleon arch on him for it to do any good. A tiny sliver of time, and there was no guarantee that she’d reach him then.

She bit her lip as she continued to stare at her mobile. Should she risk it?

Did she dare not to?

“God, what do I do? What do I do?”

After running through all the possible things that could go wrong – primarily paradoxes and reapers – she decided she had to risk it.

“I’ll just be real careful, yeah?” she said to herself. “Tell him something’s wrong without giving him too much information. Let him take it from there.”

Before she could change her mind, she took a deep breath and rang the TARDIS again. In her ear she could hear the phone ring one, two, three times before it was answered.

“This is the Doctor. Who is this please?”

Rose’s eyes widened in shock. Her heart pounded.

She didn’t recognize the voice.

The person–the Doctor–on the other end of the connection had a posh accent. She knew the Doctor could regenerate, and after meeting Sarah Jane she knew that the older woman had traveled with an incarnation that she, Rose, had never met.

She knew the TARDIS was having problems linking her mobile to her proper timeline, but it hadn’t occurred to her she could end up accidentally ringing a Doctor she didn’t know.

“Hello? Hello?”

“Sorry, wrong number,” she said and quickly disconnected the call.

“Oh, God,” she said. She swallowed hard. “Well, that was a mistake.”

~oOo~

Ten thousand years and countless light years away, the TARDIS hung in the open, empty space between galaxies. Despite being the same TARDIS that Rose traveled in, she would have found it almost unrecognizable. Unlike the coral walls, metal floor gratings, and beat up leather jump seat she was used to, the walls of the console room were marble and lined with bookcases containing a variety of classic works from dozens of planets. Paintings by da Vinci, Manet, and Renoir, and statues by Michelangelo and Donatello adorned the room. Priceless Oriental rugs lay atop floors made from English oak. An ancient phonograph, a chess set (with a game in progress), and Tiffany lamps sat on antique tables. Completing the décor was comfortable upholstered furniture that looked like it would be more at home in a stately English manor than an alien time machine.

The central console, made of a dark wood, was almost unrecognizable as well. It was surrounded by arching metal struts which met high overhead and helped support the tall glass column that held the time rotor. The rotor itself glowed purplish blue, adding to the glow provided by the lamps and the flickering yellow light from candelabras placed strategically around the room.

At the console stood two people, a young blonde woman in a full length burgundy gown and a man with chestnut, shoulder-length locks wearing a silk cravat and a velvet jacket in a deep red. The man stared thoughtfully at an old fashioned telephone receiver in his hand.

“Who was that, Doctor?” the woman asked.

“I don’t know, Charley,” the Doctor responded. “I didn’t recognize her voice.”

“Her?”

The Doctor ignored, or perhaps didn’t even notice, the slight hint of jealousy in her voice. “Yes, her,” he said. “A young woman, probably from 21st century London based on her accent and the sound of her voice. But the question is not ‘who is she’ but how did she manage to ring the TARDIS?” He chuckled. “She said she had a wrong number, but that’s impossible. It’s impossible to ring the TARDIS without her approval.” He paused for a moment, considering the problem. “Perhaps she’s a companion of mine.”

“But wouldn’t you know who she was if she had been a companion of yours?”

The Doctor’s mouth twisted into a small, ironic smile. “Not necessarily. But it’s possible she’s not a past companion but a future one.” He replaced the telephone receiver and looked up at Charley. “But if she’s a future one, best we not think too long on it. I don’t want to accidentally cause a paradox.”

She snorted. “No, if you create a paradox, you want to do it on purpose.”

He grinned at her. “Quite right.”

[eledritch]

2017 Creator Tag Meme

tagged by both the lovely @marmorababy and @the-universalfiction

rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 favorite works you’ve created this year (fics, art, edits, etc!) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you’ve brought into the world in 2017. tag as many writers/artists/etc as you want (fan or original!) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works.

gnuhhhh i create too much ahah so to spice this up, i thought i’d show some of my original senior hs ap visual/sculpture art work alongside my fics which y’all know about!

I’m counting these top 2 as one because they’re meant to be a paired piece :D the black & white one took me aaaages and is titled Cage Them, and the color one is titled …Or Set Them Free. totally wouldn’t have been able to do either of them without the endless cheerleading of my close hs art friend Jasmin, who’s the witchy girl with the dragon :’) this was towards the beginning of the year so it’s really interesting to see how my art style has changed/improved since then. medium is prismacolors, micron, and sharpie.

The bottom 1 is my dearly beloved Earth Lion. I love Earth Lion so much, y’all don’t understand. So much that I gave him to my high school upon graduation :’( I may reclaim him someday, so he can chill with my Space Wolf (who is equally great and who I made in 2016). Anyway, I made my baby painstakingly out of a newspaper/masking tape skeleton, plaster gauze shell, clay detail work, acrylic and spray paint, felt, and a bunch of fake flowers and leaves although he deserved real ones. This guy took…months. and it was so worth it

And now for a shocker lol….The Hurricane in His Veins, a fic that started out (as most of my fics do) with me being disgruntled by something, in this case by the lack of voltron vampire au fics. It ended up being wildly, unexpectedly popular and waaaay longer than I planned - I spent a lot of the first half of 2017 (March-July) writing this sucker, and lovin the heck out of it, and your guys’ amazing responses to it. It feels incredible as a writer to have an idea you thought was kinda weird and out there so readily embraced. Also, a lot of people didn’t see the shklance tag (this was my first shaladin fic bless) and were antis/klance-only shippers who ended up shipping shaladin bc of this fic, which is ??? amazing?? I will treasure every piece of fan art for this fic always, as well as the friends I made along the way and all the stuff I learned - I always learn things while writing fics and this one was no exception. 

I enjoyed writing all my fics for voltron nsfw week, but unsurprisingly my favorite was definitely A Helping Hand/The Chiquita Chronicles, my first dive into the world of consentacles. I’m a firm believer in the idea of go big or go home, so I created a friendly tentacle alien OC. I love her. You guys loved her too, and that delighted me beyond belief, so….thanks for supporting my kinks and also I’m absolutely not sorry to all the people who got into consentacles bc of Chiquita. Good. You’re welcome.

Aaand lastly, a WIP which will be finished frighteningly soon, my first chaptered Sheith fic (that’s so weird to say bc i’ve fallen so hard for sheith in this past year), Between the Shadow and the Soul. The idea is like…the crack-iest one I’ve had yet, and it’s just spiraled out of control…it’s the longest thing I’ve ever written and it ain’t even done yet. Oops. I love Keith POV. I love Keith. and Shiro. and size differences and healing from trauma together and hISTORY and the wild west and azteca culture and just. this fic is super self-indulgent and I love the support for it, and can’t wait to share the (pretty intense) ending with y’all.

hmmm I tag @lancetellations @curdleddoodle @peachy-matsu @unmints @ruvigapo @caseydambro & @fenri if y’all wanna do this, as well as anyone else who wants to do this!

[resamille]

pained noise @mothable tagged me here we go

RULES: ANSWER THESE 88, THEN TAG SOME PEOPLE

BASICS:

a. NAME AND PRONOUNS: sesa, she/her

b. AGE (and birthday!): 18, aug. 12th

c. SEXUALITY: demisexual

d. GENDER: female

e. COUNTRY: usa

f. FAVORITE AESTHETIC: ????? distressed bear noises

TRIGGERS/MENTAL ILLNESSES: nah

THE LAST:

1. DRINK: water

2. PHONE CALL:  uhm i think i got a call from north carolina that i ignored or maybe a friend of mine that i also ignored bc i was bout to take a nap oops sorry

3. TEXT MESSAGE: "good”

4. SONG YOU LISTENED TO: 100 letters by halsey

5. THE TIME YOU CRIED: uhhhh??? squints i think when I was reading the last chapter of crowd pleaser that was good shit

HAVE YOU:

6. DATED SOMEONE TWICE: like the same person??? yeah actually.

7. KISSED SOMEONE AND REGRETTED IT: idk tbh so no i guess

8. BEEN CHEATED ON: i mean not that i know of

9. LOST SOMEONE SPECIAL: yeah. 

10. BEEN DEPRESSED: wiggly hand gesture?? 

11. GOTTEN DRUNK AND THROWN UP: nope

TOP 3 FAVORITE COLORS

12. don’t ask

13. this question

14. bc i can never fuckin decide

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU:

15. MADE NEW FRIENDS: yes

16. FALLEN OUT OF LOVE: uhm. yeah uhm.

17. LAUGHED UNTIL YOU CRIED: yeah like last night jfc

18. FOUND OUT SOMEONE WAS TALKING ABOUT YOU: idk

19. MET SOMEONE WHO CHANGED YOU: yes

20. FOUND OUT WHO YOUR FRIENDS ARE: uh no? idk not really

21. KISSED SOMEONE ON YOUR FACEBOOK LIST: the fuck uh i guess so??? i dont understand the question wtf is facebook >:(

GENERAL

22. HOW MANY OF YOUR FACEBOOK FRIENDS DO YOU KNOW IN REAL LIFE: mo st of th em????

23. DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS: yup. a westie named shadowfax and two tiny ocean dogs aka crabs named ash and cedar.

24. DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE YOUR NAME: nah i’m good.

25. WHAT DID YOU DO FOR YOU LAST BIRTHDAY: i... have no idea.

26. WHAT TIME DID YOU WAKE UP TODAY: like 12:30pmish

27. WHAT WERE YOU DOING AT MIDNIGHT LAST NIGHT: crying on discord bc that fucking vc lmAO

28. NAME SOMETHING YOU CAN’T WAIT FOR: can i steal mattie’s answer bc i’m stealing mattie’s answer fucking VLD S3 i’m so pumped give me more of my boys

29. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SAW YOUR MOM: like two hours ago

30. WHAT IS ONE THING YOU WISH YOU COULD CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE: contentedness? does that count. i’m doing the thing so it counts >:(

31. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW: shit i wish i could say a better song but love me harder by ariana grande fuck

32. HAVE YOU EVER TALKED TO A PERSON NAMED TOM: uhh...... yES ACTUALLY

33. SOMETHING THAT IS GETTING ON YOUR NERVES: cries a lot about my computer being a bitch and girls leaving hair on shower walls please stop leaving hair on shower walls it makes me sad and is gross and i will cry

LOST QUESTIONS

34. MOLE(S): no?

35. MARK(S): i have a scar on my hand from who the fuck knows where and a permanent mark on my lip from junior year when I kept crewing on them so much that my lip scarred

36. CHILDHOOD DREAM: wait like. a dream you had as a child or idk i’m gonna copy the same way mattie answered so like. either vet or singer.

37. HAIR COLOR: red

38. LONG OR SHORT HAIR: long??? people always tell me it is but my perception of it is like. mediumish.

39. DO YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON SOMEONE: its?? complicated???

40. WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF: hahahaa uuhhhhh once i’m board with something i dive headfirst into a project

41. PIERCINGS: nope

42. BLOODTYPE: lmao idk fam

43. NICKNAME(S): kevin, seesaw, sesy, and a plethora of others tbh i can’t keep track

44. RELATIONSHIP STATUS: hahaha loud squawking

45. ZODIAC: leo

46. PRONOUNS: still she/her i’m pretty sure?

47. FAVORITE TV SHOW: nyohohohoho vld probs tho that’s like a recent thing if i had to vote like. alltime i’d probs say like firefly.

48. TATTOOS: nah

49. RIGHT OR LEFT HAND: right handed

50. SURGERY: i don’t think?? i’ve had any

51. HAIR DYED A DIFFERENT COLOR: nope i’m good my parents would probably cry if i did

52. SPORT: i once played basketball and soccer. i used to swim a lot too. also kung fu if that counts but like. i ain’t done shit since 8th grade so. i guess the real answer is no.

53. VACATION: going to didneyland (again) at the end of july :))

54. PAIR OF TRAINERS: what

MORE GENERAL

55. EATING: i wish

56. DRINKING: water

57. I’M ABOUT TO: crave death because i gotta edit my gen bb or maybe outline that one au so still craving death.

58. WAITING FOR: uh ?????????? vld idk man like. let me have that goodass lance content in S3

59. WANT: idk lmao

60. GET MARRIED: sure. someday.

61. CAREER: civil engineer c:

62. HUGS OR KISSES: tbh hugs

63. LIPS OR EYES: there’s??? a preference??? 

64. SHORTER OR TALLER: what uhhhh tbh i don’t. i don’t really care.

65. OLDER OR YOUNGER: see previous answer

66. NICE ARMS OR NICE STOMACH: probs nice stomach rip

67. SENSITIVE OR LOUD: idk man????? i’m loud half the time and people i know are loud so like. i’m indifferent.

68. HOOK UP OR RELATIONSHIP: relationship

69. TROUBLEMAKER OR HESITANT: uhhhh honestly probably hesitant, i say, while starting 5808453254 big bangs

HAVE YOUR EVER:

70. KISSED A STRANGER: nope

71. DRANK HARD LIQUOR: nope

72. LOST GLASSES/CONTACT LENSES: nope

73. TURNED SOMEONE DOWN: yup

74. SEX ON THE FIRST DATE: nope

75. BROKEN SOMEONE’S HEART: uhm. yeah maybe.

76. HAD YOUR HEART BROKEN: wiggly hand gesture. not exactly?

77. BEEN ARRESTED: nah

78. CRIED WHEN SOMEONE DIED: okay same mattie about the dog thing everyone i know who’s died has been like. distant relatives and i’m very unempathetic so. do fictional characters count. bc if so, yes. 

79. FALLEN FOR A FRIEND: haha yeah

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

80. YOURSELF: lm ao uhhhh sureeeee on a goodday

81. MIRACLES: yeah but like. as a consequence of believing in God

82. LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT: not really

83. SANTA CLAUS: nope

84. KISS ON THE FIRST DATE: why do i have to believe in it it happens anyway what

85. ANGELS: yup, but also as a consequence of believing in God so

OTHER

86. CURRENT BEST FRIENDS NAME(S): @idontevenlogic, Patty who i don’t think has a tumblr so i can’t callout, @fluffytheasianpanda

87. EYECOLOR: blue

88. FAVORITE MOVIE: uHHHHHHHHHHH. IDK MAN. UHM. CANNOT COMPUTE.

tagging: nyohohohohoho @idontevenlogic get crackin friend, @mikiri, @mysticalflyte, @karmadash-is-shippingtrash, @shiros-eyes 

[haleyfury]

July was a weird month. It wasn’t bad in the least bit – I had plenty of days floating around the pool, I was finally able to hang out with friends from college whom I hadn’t seen since we left campus in March, went to the beach every week, celebrated one of my best friend’s 22nd birthday, AND got a new T-Swift album! At the same time, I was really busy with grad school this month, and I feel like my uncertainty for the rest of this year really set in.

I’m really content with the amount of books I read July, having read 14 in total! I feel like I’m really in my summer reading groove now – I find that I basically binge read 2-4 books every week between Thursday through Sunday! I read books that I LOVED this month, but I also had a few misses. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve read so many good books this year and a few that have become all-time favorites, but I don’t really have any big expectations for the second half of my 2020 reading year just because of the way life IRL is right now.

The Dare (Briar U #4) by Elle Kennedy | 4/5 Stars

The Dare was another fun installment in the Briar U series (review is coming in August!), but it wasn’t my absolute favorite in the series.

The Idea of You by Robinne Lee | 4.5

The Idea of You was so, so worth the read – if you need a scandalous romance this summer, pick this one up!

Playing with Matches by Hannah Orenstein | 5/5

I’ve been really excited to read Head Over Heels soon, so I figured I should try Hannah Orenstein’s debut, Playing with Matches, beforehand and I LOVED it!

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo | 4/5

I’ve made it my mission to read all of Elizabeth Acevedo’s books this year, and I started with her latest release, Clap When You Land. It was such a unique story, and I loved Elizabeth Acevedo’s writing.

Have a Little Faith in Me by Sonia Hartl | 5/5

I want to put Have a Little Faith in Me in the hands of every reader looking for a summer camp read or YA book with tons of sex positivity and discussions.

From Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon | 4.5/5

Amy Harmon’s From Sand and Ash was such a unique historical fiction read set in Italy WWII, and it made me want to pick up more of Amy Harmon’s books.

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner | 3/5

Unfortunately, Big Summer was one of the books that missed the mark for me this month. I definitely want to give another Jennifer Weiner book a try though – I’m thinking Mrs. Everything?

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo | 5/5

With the Fire on High was beyond worth the hype! Again, Elizabeth Acevedo is such an incredible writer, and the book has such great representation and sheds light on an often untold story in YA contemporary.

Verity by Colleen Hoover | 4/5

I think I finally got back on the Colleen Hoover train this summer through Verity. It was such an interesting blend of romance and thriller that I hadn’t read before.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert | 3/5

I wanted to LOVE Get a Life, Chloe Brown because so many readers have been loving the companion sequel, Take a Hint, Dani Brown, but I just wasn’t that engaged in the story and couldn’t connect to the writing style.

Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman | 5/5

I watched the Netflix adaptation of Unorthodox back in March and loved it, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the memoir – I think I was on my library’s digital holds list for almost two months. I devoured Unorthodox in less than two days, and I’m trying to get all my friends who have or haven’t watched the TV show to pick it up. Although I don’t read a ton of non-fiction, it’s easily one of the best memoirs I’ve ever read.

All Adults Here by Emma Straub | 5/5

I’m such a big fan of Emma Straub’s books, and I think her latest release, All Adults Here, might just be my favorite!

Exodus by Deborah Feldman | 4/5

Although there was a super long hold list for Unorthodox, Deborah Feldman’s follow-up, Exodus, had no wait list at all. Although I enjoyed Unorthodox way more, I thought Exodus was a really great portrayal of the author trying to learn more about her family and herself after leaving her religious community.

The Royal We by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan | 5/5 (reread)

I knew I had to reread The Royal We before picking up the sequel, The Heir Affair, and I loved this William and Kate-inspired contemporary even more this second time around.

I’m currently reading Anna K by Jenny Lee and I’m LOVING it! I’ve been in the mood for adult fiction lately (if you couldn’t tell), but I was finally able to get this book from my library and it couldn’t come at a more perfect time because its YA story has an adult fiction like writing style! I definitely see myself finishing it by the end of this weekend (or today if I push more homework aside, oops). I’m also currently read Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon…and I’m unfortunately thinking about DNF’ing this one. I’m still trying to hold on because I love Sandhya Menon’s other books so much and books about royals, but I just think this book isn’t for me. I haven’t picked it up since last week, and I know if I don’t pick it up by the end of the weekend, I likely won’t pick it up again.

The Babysitter’s Club (Netflix) – The Babysitter’s Club is literally everything I wanted in the Netflix adaptation of my childhood favorite series. It’s definitely geared towards a younger audience, but there was no cringe-ness whatsoever, and I loved the modern updates.

Special S1 (Netflix) – I watched Special for one of my grad school classes, but it quickly became one of my favorite shows I watched this summer! If you’re craving a comedy with short episodes, I can’t help but recommend this one!

Indian Matchmaking (Netflix) – I have a love-hate relationship with Netflix’s reality shows – some of them I’m absolutely obsessed with (I’ll be spending next Friday bingeing the new season of Selling Sunset ), but others I just can’t get into – but Indian Matchmaking was such a love for me!

The Kissing Booth 2 (Netflix) – I had some friends over this week for an outdoor movie night, and The Kissing Booth 2 was our movie of choice. I admit that I don’t remember the first film too well, but I think I liked this second installment better and I’m actually looking forward to the third movie!

Other things I watched: Hamilton (Disney+), Sleepless in Seattle (Netflix), Say Yes to the Dress S19 (TLC), #Anne Frank – Parallel Stories (Netflix), Outer Banks (Netflix)

Continued watching: Below Deck Mediterranean (Bravo), The West Wing (Netflix/NBC), Shtisel S2 (Netflix)

Reviews 

BEST YA SUMMER CAMP READ: Have a Little Faith in Me Review

FAVORITE YA ROM-COM: Today Tonight Tomorrow Review

LOVE & MATCHMAKING:Playing with Matches Review 

PERFECT SUMMER ROM-COM: 10 Things I Hate About Pinky Review

A 2020 YA FAVORITE: More Than Maybe Review

YA CONTEMPORARY & HISTORICAL FICTION: July 2020 Mini Reviews

MUST-READ LOVE STORY: The Idea of You Review

FUNNIEST ROM-COM: You Deserve Each Other Review

Other Bookish Fun

The Sullivan Sisters by Kathryn Ormsbee Review

Anticipated Releases Tag: 2020 Edition 

Favorite Books of 2020 So Far

July Library Book Haul

What did you read and watch in July? Anything that I mentioned? Share in the comments!

BEST READING MONTH OF 2020: July 2020 Wrap Up July was a weird month. It wasn’t bad in the least bit - I had plenty of days floating around the pool, I was finally able to hang out with friends from college whom I hadn’t seen since we left campus in March, went to the beach every week, celebrated one of my best friend’s 22nd birthday, AND got a new T-Swift album!

[topfygad]

Travel Rewards Program Linking, New Citi Rule, Best Stopover Deals, Disney Hacks, AA Sweet Spots

We deliver you all of the journey rewards program linking partnerships, the brand new Citi 48 month rule, the perfect stopover offers, welcome a brand new web site titled Disney Hacks, all of the AA candy spots, all of the world borders by age, all of the states ranked by weight problems, wonderful aerial images, we expose the identical previous manner of running a blog by pretending to be useful to unsuspecting readers who’re clueless and pump them with affiliate hyperlinks, expose clickbait crap which is much more insulting and it’ll solely cease if YOU cease clicking on it, one other airline goes dynamic pricing mode, the Amex RATs are at it once more, nice trying new First and Enterprise class seats by ANA, ebook JAL flights on-line within the AA web site, a tremendous private finance hyperlink you’ll love as a lot as I did, find out how to renew International Entry, really feel the pleasure of Marriott getting Bonvoyed, my first marathon plans and rather more.

TBB Weblog Mission: To Educate. Entertain. Encourage. In That Order!

Help TBB by making use of for CREDIT CARDS, purchasing with our AMAZON AFFILIATE LINK & clicking our REFERRAL LINKS

You want my weblog? Ship a hyperlink to somebody please!

  Buckle up, that is going to be an extended one! I could possibly be doing different issues with my time you guys…why do I preserve doing this? Possibly as a result of I prefer it? Or possibly as a result of I’m an fool. After I retire from this gig, I’m going to be like Mile Nerd and put up as soon as a month, not like Ingy or Rene (see BLOG BUZZ part)

In case you missed this week’s visitor weblog put up, right here it’s once more: Is Alaska Airlines Mileage Plus Program the Best? Sweet Spots, Award Space, Stopovers!

Nice reddit reference: Travel Rewards Programs Partnerships/Linking.

Isn’t it peculiar how journey bloggers who promote bank cards discover each purpose to inform their readers how modifications that occur usually are not so unhealthy…when they are surely! Lastly, we get some information correctly analyzed by somebody who doesn’t promote bank cards and, due to this fact, can weblog freely for YOUR profit: The New Citi 48 Month Rule Now Covers All Citi AAdvantage Cards INCLUDING Business Cards and No, It Isn’t Good!!

The brand new Citi coverage that modifications the AA playing cards bonus availability from 24 months to 48 months makes issues for many mile-and-points fanatics worse, not higher like some of us appear to imagine. Once more, most doesn’t imply everybody, and there are people who find themselves going to learn, which is completely fantastic. In case you are likely to examine baggage and infrequently fly American, your free bag profit alone can pay your annual charge many occasions over. No purpose to shut down the cardboard after the primary yr. That is clearly a churn-combating measure, and simply to make clear: I’m not faulting Citi for preventing churners, simply making an attempt to set the file straight. I feel the brand new coverage will unfold to ThankYou playing cards too.

I discovered it extremely pleasing to see Marriott within the information this week, having to face a monster fine for not protecting our data after which getting sued for pricing practices and scummy resort fees. Lets simply say I’m not getting an invite to any occasion from them anytime quickly lol.

Good reference put up on all of the best stopover deals worldwide. I might ask a lame blogger questions like “what’s your favourite?”. However I’m simply going to return out and say what I actually really feel you guys…that my favourite is something from a bank card you bought with my links

If you’re because of renew your International Entry membership, Journey With Grant has a very detailed post about it.

It seems that Shawn, of Miles to Reminiscences, has a brand new enterprise out: Disney Hacks. If in case you have been studying my weblog for some time, you’ll know that I’m NOT a Disney fan! Hey, we’re all completely different!

With none warning in any way, ANA launched nice trying First and Enterprise class seats: East Meets West: ANA Launches New Luxury Cabins in Collaboration with Famed Japanese Architect and British Designers.

Artistic 3D panorama maps of National Parks. Attention-grabbing hyperlink.

Since we’re into maps, here’s a massive map showing all of the world’s borders by age. I discovered the video hyperlink fascinating too!

There’s a lot BS on-line. And many it’s generated by, you realize, intelligence companies trying to hurt us. Sadly, a number of morons click on on this clickbait crap. Right here is who’s behind the Seth Wealthy “story”: The true origins of the Seth Rich conspiracy theory.

MUST CLICK hyperlink if you’re into private finance. Simply Click on it, you gained’t be shocked. However you’ll be educated immensely! “This I Believe, Money Edition“.

A group of 41 amazing aerial photography shots. With drones!

Picture Credit score: OvidDPop

Very miserable in the event you stay in one of many states close to the highest in these lists, unhappy! The States with the Worst Eating and Exercise Habits in America.

We at the moment are coming into BLOG BUZZ, a bit for superior hobbyists and veterans of this quick imploding interest and in addition a bit the place I am going on and on about some stuff that occurs in my life as a result of it helps me really feel higher about myself.

All PR is nice PR. That was evident when the brand new proprietor of RenesPoints got here right here to inform me that. So, within the subsequent replace of the TBB Blogs To Ignore, I wish to make an announcement that the weblog Pointchaser will likely be added. Why chances are you’ll ask. And it’s a legitimate query. I might have simply saved quiet and simply shake my head in oblivion each time a one more MS play by play account was posted there. However nope. So, what was it TBB? It was the choice of Rick/Ingy/founding father of Frugal Journey Man, a loyal reader of my weblog, to return out of retirement (you knew that was coming) and unleash his “craft” in writing at Pointchaser ( who, in the event you missed it, is a giant fan of Rick). So, we’ve some weblog posts which are the identical previous crap concentrating on newbies and being “useful” to them and getting them to click on on the affiliate hyperlinks in every weblog put up (which in fact it’s disclosed someplace on the positioning nobody will search for and even suspect). And that is of us how running a blog is completed. Running a blog as in “conversions is all that issues”. Welcome again Rick. What iz da matter, working low on cash huh? In case you solely had not bought so early, unhappy!

Beechy had no clue they have been affiliate hyperlinks. Rick, smelling $$$, goes in for the kill/conversion within the feedback!

Apparently, that is the way it works on-line. Serving to readers by solely posting straightforward recycled “content material’ stuffed with affiliate hyperlinks the readers by no means suspect that the author has an ulterior motive and would possible by no means be running a blog within the first place if it was not for, cough, conversions. In case you see a DIRECT hyperlink right here that makes me cash, I’d add REFERRAL or AFFILIATE hyperlink subsequent to it simply so, you realize, you realize! Oblique hyperlinks don’t rely…which makes me really feel higher about myself. Will I ever recover from this hangup? Nicely, after virtually 7 years running a blog away…I’d not guess on it, unhappy!

Talking of mailing it in to make some cash from the Uber hyperlink, right here goes the founding father of RenesPoints once more, smh:

It’s 90*+ Outdoors – Would you Order Ice Cream by way of Uber Eats from Chilly Stone Creamery?

Hey, I get it. Truly, I don’t. In case you ever see me posting clickbait crap like this don’t make me ever neglect it okay?

Andy once more with all the American AAdvantage Sweet Spots That Are Still With Us. Seemingly not for lengthy…Fast, earlier than they go the dynamic route too any day now!

Talking of going dynamic, one more airline went that manner too. I’ve been warning you it is a secular pattern for some time! El Al Goes Dynamic, Removes The Ability To Search For Standard Award Tickets; Here’s What It Means For Matmid And Qantas Members.

Good that we are able to now book JAL awards online at the American Airlines website.

Causes #889 and #890 to inform Amex to go screw themselves (oops, there goes one other invite, unhappy!): The RAT team is at it again, I swear these guys most likely get bonuses by what number of factors they claw again! After which, please sit down, they killed all of the Precedence Move restaurant entry from their cardholders…I imply, that’s simply one other unhappy blow! Did I say I can’t wait to cancel my Platinum Enterprise card. Oh sure, I did.

I signed up for the Detroit Marathon in October. I’m assembly with a working coach tomorrow, time to take this significantly so I can end. If I might solely get again to my earlier kind earlier than I left for Greece…The warmth doesn’t assist in any respect for that!

The notorious Ann Arbor Artwork Honest DO is subsequent weekend once more. Good to see so many regulars once more. I could have one other announcement about that quickly.

Ben at One Mile at a Time for just a few days was outposting all the complete time writers at The Factors Man, wow! Does he sleep? Is he a robotic? Can I’ve a few of his conversions too? Superb work ethic!

And I go away you with this…Ought to have posted this on July 4th lol

TBB travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com

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[detroitsportspodcastblog]

Chirco: The trials and tribulations of a first-time MLB Reporter

By: DSP Staff 8/13/18

Sterling Heights -  Doc,​ I’m sorry.​ You can​ help me pen an article or edit this story describing my first time covering a Major-League baseball game any way in which you see fit. 

It​ was on Saturday July 21st 2018​ when​ I​ believe​​ “Doc”John Maakaron texted me the exciting news the Detroit Tigers approved the Detroit Sports Podcast Networks credential request to cover games at Comerica Park. I have been with the network since 2015 and Doc has said so many outrageous things and made so many goals, I really never believed anything that he said. (Note: He is Arabic so you believe only five percent of what they tell you, ten if he is one of the honest ones)

So when I got the texts, and he sent 50 of them in four minutes, I was shocked, surprised and a little excited because he made it seem like I was going to be the lead baseball reporter for the network. I immediately responded, “I don’t think I can go for like three to four weeks, I am really busy.” I re-examined what I had just done, and replied four hours later, “I think I can go to Alan Trammel’s retirement day and maybe a couple other games.” I let him know I was interested, but would need to be know how much he would pay me.

John is the kind of guy who doesn’t think lightly on anything. He acts. So when he got that message, he arranged for himself to go. I get it, he goes and makes all the mistakes and learns everything and comes back and tells everyone what he “learned.”

So luckily for us, he did a fairly decent job. I was pleasantly surprised at what he did those first couple games covering the Detroit Tigers. He was part of media scrums, gained attention for the network, provided quality information for the audience. Most important, he did not embarrass the network or me. 

Welcome to MLB.

This is a really great scenario. I got into journalism to cover sports, especially baseball. I should thank John Maakaron and Adam Strozynski whenever I see them for giving a 25-year-old former college radio host such a great opportunity. I still have not. I do not even invite John to drink outside of work. 

My first chance to cover the Tigers came on August 11th 2018 versus the Minnesota twins. Now John told me he would arrive three to four hours prior to the game to get access. I was like, is he crazy? I showed up approximately 90 minutes before the game. I have friends in the media, I should know what to do when I get there. 

So John starts acting like every other editor/producer and starts texting me what he wants. He wants a “breakout” piece on Niko Goodrum, audio, multiple stories, tweets and coverage. This guy. Acts like he knows every job and what the people want. I know what the people want. So did that happen. No.

I arrived and soon found out the Tigers had already completed batting practice and had left the field. Oops. No worries, I can salvage this. I will wait and research veteran Twins player Joe Mauer and get some audio from him. I write down all the questions I want to ask him - as this will get good numbers on the podcast. I will show Doc I can do it. 

The moment of truth arrives, I make my way over to him and politely ask him for a few minutes to talk. He proceeds to politely decline and walks into the clubhouse. Oops. 

So, now I have to explain to Doc that not only did I not get anything he wanted, I struck out with Mauer. Doc is a nice guy, but he has that passive-aggressive tone of making you feel like you are not as good as him. I get it, he is a random “non-journalist.” He does not cover sports for a living, he is not that talented. I still do not know how he took his idea and independently became a media member. I should save his texts instead of deleting them. 

Observations 

Some people eyed-me. I do not know why. Yes, I am shorter in stature but I have been on every media platform for years - I have videos seen by thousands. My podcast has great guests and the numbers are off the charts. I am not new to this game. I wonder why some beat-writers don’t come up and say hi? I won’t take their job that very night? I wonder if they think I am just some “Blogger?” Anyways, I did not pay for food at Comerica. I wanted to cover the game. 

Some people complain a lot in the media. I am used to it, Doc complains more than the media here did in the press-box. They do it so openly - interesting.

In-conclusion

Many people believe my job is the coolest job in the world. Well, do not work for a Podcast. The credential was great, but there were restrictions. Doc still has to tell people what a podcast is, has to prove what he actually is doing, and I am sure people have read his tweets and will not let me build a relationship with them. The Detroit Sports Podcast Network allowed me to cover the game without a deadline, allowed to me to build my resume, but now I have to invoice Doc and that is going to take forever to process. He seemed to “learn” that well from all the media companies in terms of paying talent.

In the end, I think I will let Doc do all the work and I may only go to the games I want where a ton of media attend. Fortnite, softball, dating, drinking, podcasting - Way more fun! LOL 

Thanks for clicking. Doc will tell me now many I got compared to him in like ten minutes. 

Twitter.com @detroitpodcast @vitojerome

www.detroitsportspodcast.com

The Detroit Sports Podcast Network was founded in 2013, and can be listened to anywhere podcasts are found, including on ITunes, Stitcher and Podomatic.

[theworstbob]

the thing journal: 16 july 2017 - 22 july 2017

capsulre reviews of what all pop culture things i took in last week. in this post: from the outside, fall for you, baby driver, adornment, jhud, need to feel your love, and the good place (s1)

1) From the Outside, by Hey Violet: So as far as Albums By Very Young Bands Fronted By Women Bob Enjoys Way More Than He Should go, this isn't as complete as Against the Current's In Our Bones from last year (which honestly still rules). There's a lot more modern pop influence on this record, and while anyone who reads YAS knows my relationship with modern pop is rather fraught, I do find certain EDM tolerable, and I am more than OK with a pop/punk band taking on some of those electronic influences, especially if they're gonna use them to make songs like "Break My Heart." Honestly, listening to this album, I kinda feel like Hey Violet could save pop music. Their music is unapologetically young and dumb, all these songs about hoodies and fuckboys and other early 20s things, but at no point does it get as dour as anything on the pop charts. There's probably little chance this band blows up ("Guys My Age" was a poor choice for a lead single, given how good the rest of the songs are), but man, if anything needed to be infused with bratty pop/punk energy, it's the world.

2) Fall for You, by Leela James: This is a really good soul album. Fun fact about me, one thing I'm trying to do is, after listening to an album, writing down a few things about how I felt so that, when the time comes to write these posts, I'm not apologizing for failing to remember anything about it. For this album, I apparently only wrote "solid, solid soul." Oops! We're learning. But while that summary is over-simplistic, it's not inaccurate; this is really solid work, just ten songs worth of impressive vocal work on well-built soul tracks. I could see this album being something like, let's see, what sort of analogy can I come up with, this album is gonna be like sweet potato fries for me. I never think about sweet potato fries or go out of my way to find sweet potato fries, but if I'm out at a restaurant, and I see sweet potato fries are on offer, I might just say, "Yo! Let me get those sweet potato fries!" and I'm gonna love those sweet potato fries. It's gonna happen where I'm scrolling through my library, get to the Fs, see this album, and have another great 40 minutes. I would like to thank TTJ for allowing me to clarify my relationship with sweet potato fries.

3) Baby Driver, dir. Edgar Wright: This film is a technical marvel. The shootout that is synced to "Tequila" is a miracle, something I can't believe anyone had the mind to imagine and the ability to execute, this film is maybe the greatest feat of editing I've seen since Mad Max: Fury Road. From a story standpoint, it's almost a zero, which is disappointing from an Edgar Wright joint. I never got the sense that the characters were supposed to be anything other than "cool," and none of them felt like they could have existed outside of this movie. It's absolutely nuts to watch these action sequences, this is a movie that was made for a bygone era where people would buy DVD copies of movies to watch making-of featurettes like absolutely don't get me wrong this film is worth seeing, I just wish the people had been more fleshed out, that this film could have hit the "this film means a lot to me" level most of Edgar Wright's films have hit and not just the "this was an incredible cinematic feat" level.

4) Adornment, by Grayscale: The Punk Goes Pop series of compilations from Hopeless Records is often embarrassing, but every year at least one band does something really cool with their cover. I usually encounter one really dope band with each edition; Go Radio on vol4, Set it Off on vol6 (real quick? their cover of “Problem” is still fucking beautiful), and now these cats. Their cover of "Love Yourself" is as good an ad for this album as anything; it doesn't paint too far outside the lines, but it does deliver something solid and entertaining within its boundaries. I wanna real quick shout out "Atlantic;" I can see this band's from Philly, and it's kind of clear this band takes a lot of inspiration from bands like The Wonder Years, because while this song doesn't have the beauty of specificity like "Passing Through a Screen Door," Grayscale seems very young and isn't quite so mature, you can hear a similar sense of ennui and yearning for escape, and I really hope they continue chasing that arrow. I'm eager to watch this band.

5) JHUD, by Jennifer Hudson: So, this was a crummy week for me and new things; I went out and did things with people, spent more of my free time consuming content than experiencing art, and I at least hit the goal of seven, but it kinda shouldn't count, because one of them was this thing I was barely paying attention to? But I'm not sure this was worth paying attention to. It's an OK pop/R&B album, everything sounded clean, but man, I really don't want to hear Jennifer Hudson singing mediocre pop songs with R. Kelly and Iggy Azalea features. Like, the bare minimum I require from an album is that, when the bus route goes through those patches where my cell's connection tanks, I'm willing to go back and resume listening should Amazon Music cut out. It happened to this album, and I said, nah. Nah, I think I've extracted all the value I can from this one. Maybe if I spent last week in a better mood, I might've at least finished it? But I highly doubt the last two songs were gonna change my mind about this album's underwhelmingness.

6) Need to Feel Your Love, by Sheer Mag: Every band from Philadelphia I encounter makes incredible music and if I wasn't so sure living in Philadelphia would be hella expensive I'd be on the next train there. I was in love with this album from the very first riff. Like, legit, I turned this on at the bus stop, heard the first notes of music, and mouthed the words 'hell yeah.' This is a band making music for Baby Driver 2. They have this classic rock vibe that fucking owns and never feels like a retread; more importantly, the novelty of a band making '70s punk music never wears off, they find enough variety from song to song while still maintaining a consistent clear vision of their Baby Driver rock, and the album always feels fresh, I was increasingly excited to hear what trick the band had up their sleeve for the next song.

7) The Good Place, cr. Michael Schur (s1): OK. OK, THIS is what I've been waiting for from Mike Schur. It's nice that Brooklyn Nine-Nine was fun, but Schur always made comedy with higher purpose than just jokes, and my stars, does The Good Place ever fit that bill. It's this really deep and meaningful look into the question of what makes a good person and whether it's possible for anyone to find redemption, and it's also a show where a dude from Florida impersonating a Buddhist monk marries a helpful robot. Oh man, Jane. Guys? Guys? Real quick? Janet. Greatest character. Greatest performance. How come D'Arcy Carden hasn't been in more things or isn't nominated for sixteen Emmys. I love Janet. Janet is so good. I can't believe the show has room for both the deep philosophical quandaries it poses and a character as silly as Janet.