#after he's finished he's like 'bear with - I've got to add that to the 'Reasons I Would Like to Live Here' section'

[hailsatanacab]

A Persuasive Argument - dpxdc

"Great!" Danny says, clapping his hands together to get everyone's attention. The dinner table falls silent as everyone looks towards him. It's a full house today and, honestly, Danny's a little nervous. "I'm sure you're all wondering why I gathered you here today."

"It's dinnertime. In our house." Duke mutters, while doing a very bad job of concealing his yawn. He holds his fork poised over the braised beef, but, just like everyone else, still looks towards Danny before tucking in. It's intriguing enough to wait.

"Yeah, no one misses Alfie's dinner." Dick says, with a brilliant smile that Danny can't help but return.

"Precisely! What better time to talk to you all than when you're all actually here!"

"Wait, I thought you came round to work on our English essays?" Tim asks, blinking owlishly.

"I'm afraid I've lured you here under false pretences, Tim."

"This is where I live."

"I would still really appreciate help on that essay though, I mean, what the hell is Hamlet even about? I just don't get that old time-y language, like 'Hark! A ghost hath killed me!' - absolute rubbish, what does that even mean?"

"The ghost never kills anyone in Hamlet, he's there to tell Hamlet that he was murdered. Have you actually read it?"

"No, but it sounds like you have. Tim, I want this guy to help me with my essay instead. I know for a fact that you haven't read Hamlet, either."

"So? We don't need Jason, I've read the Sparknotes."

"Hi Jason, I'm Danny, pleasure to meet you, summarise Hamlet in three sentences or less."

"Am I auditioning to help you write your essays? I can't believe you’ve gone through your whole school life without reading it, it’s good!"

"Hamlet, along with a number of other classics, was banned in our house because it portrayed ghosts as intelligent and sympathetic beings rather than evil, animalistic beasts. I didn’t even get to see The Muppet's Christmas Carol until last year with Tim! It was surprisingly good, and I hate Christmas because everyone always argued and it sucked. But we're getting off topic. I—"

"No, no, please go back to that, because what the fu—"

"Boys, please." Bruce interrupts, looking to the world as if he wants to hang his head in his hands. "Danny, you were about to say something?"

"Oh, yeah, Mr. Wayne! Thanks!"

"Please, call me Bruce."

"Well, that very succinctly brings me to my point, because I'd actually really like to call you dad."

Nobody says a word. Nobody even blinks, all as shocked as the other, watching open-mouthed as Danny pulls his laptop out from beside his chair. Bruce can definitely feel a headache coming on.

"Before you say anything, I've prepared a 69 slide PowerPoint presentation on why you, Bruce Wayne, should adopt me, Danny Last-Name-Pending. Please save your questions, comments, and verdict until the end, thank you."

#dpxdc #batpham #i forget - can we tag the parent fandoms? w/e #immediately alfred's like: while i do appreciate your initiative may i suggest it wait until after dinner? #and danny - who has barely eaten proper homecooked food ever - takes one bite and then absolutely wolfs down the whole lot #after he's finished he's like 'bear with - I've got to add that to the 'Reasons I Would Like to Live Here' section' #danny's powerpoint has tailored sections for each batfam member with lists of reasons why they'd get along #my au thoughts on this is that the fentons disowned danny when he told them he was phantom #and that this is after the ultimate enemy - wherein which he allied himself with the JL to fight against dan #(which didnt really work at all - BUT he knows some of their identities now INCLUDING batman's) #so one of the main reasons why he'd be a great fit is that he knows their vigilante status anyway so they don’t need to worry about secrets #dick just turns to tim like 'he’s your friend. he learnt this from you.' #tim: 'i didn't tell him our identities!! i would never!!' #dick: 'no i know that. it's the stalker tendancies. it's baby tim all over again' #tim: scandalised gasp #they all eat dinner in silence just super subdued and in shock and sending glances to bruce and danny #duke like: 'so i know I'm the last one in the family but like... this isn't how it normally happens right? did any of you make powerpoints? #tim gets all shifty because he absolutely did make a powerpoint he just never actually showed it to anyone #everyone stares at tim because they all know. it was in one of bab's blackmail files she has on him #damian's slide has danny offering to throw down at any time. 'tim says you like to prove yourself with your skills? #how about a real challenge? if i beat you then you have to vote yes to adopting me!' #damian is in two minds about accepting because... 1) look at him damian could take danny in his sleep! but #2) on the off chance that he does win... damian does not want any more brothers #(he takes the bet and its a suprisingly fun fight - and while he'll never say this... he would vote yes even without the wager) #on one of danny's slides there's a picture of ellie: you'll also get my clone sister! two children for the price of one!! #uhhh.... thats it now - I've been having fun with this haha #spent all day with the 'ive lured you here under false pretences' 'danny i live here' line in my head haha #anyway enjoy!!!!!! this was fun #i wanna make these slides so bad

[mothmage]

13 Books Tag Game

tagged by @disregardandfelicity (thank you <3)

i read a ton of non-fiction for academic and interest reasons, but i'm only considering fiction for this!

1) The last book I read:

I know I just said I was only talking about fiction, BUT I recently read Audre Lorde's memoir, The Cancer Journals, and I would highly recommend it. Lorde was such an incredible writer (i would recommend her poetry, too), and this book is half memoir and half sections from the personal diary she kept during and after her journey with breast cancer. Lorde was a self-professed Black lesbian feminist, and had unique and powerful takes on womanhood, cancer, and life in general.

2) A book I recommend:

I always recommend Perfume the Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind! It's one of my favorite books.

3) A book that I couldn’t put down:

I've been working my way through Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles and averaging about two days per book, so...lol. I would also add Carolina de Robertis's Gods of Tango, I think I read all 400 pages in one sitting.

4) A book I’ve read twice (or more):

I loooove to reread books. One of my absolute favorite go-to comfort books is Bambi by Marjorie Benton Cooke -- it's not about the deer, it's sort of a romcom? The characters are all so vivid and fun! You have the main character, Bambi, who is a very Anne of Green Gables type character -- she's independent, imaginative, a bit of a daydreamer, loves to dance, and decides one day to be a writer. Then there's her adoptive father, the Professor, who is a mathematician and just an eccentric little old man. Then there's Jarvis -- the poor poverty-stricken playwright with his head in the clouds that very clearly thinks he's the main character of this story (he is, kind of. He's the love interest, but not in the way you think). That was long, but it's honestly one of my favorite books! Marjorie Benton Cooke wrote a handful of really fun books in her lifetime that just never got super popular (I also love Cinderella Jane and The Cricket, which are connected but can be read alone).

5) A book on my TBR:

My fiction TBR is currently sitting at 141, so...random selection: Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca! It was highly recommended by a friend.

6) A book I’ve put down:

I have a rule where, unless the issue is stylistic and I just can't bear the author's writing, I have to power through 50% of the book before I can quit, in case it gets better later. A lot of times, this works, and I end up really liking the book! But one book I tried my absolute hardest to like and just couldn't manage it (quit at 70%) was A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers. I found the narrator unlikable in an annoying way and the story itself boring (how do you make serial killing and cannibalism boring??) IDK. It came highly recommended and apparently was super popular, but it wasn't for me.

7) A book on my wish list:

Let us Descend by Jesmyn Ward! It came out last year, but I haven't had a chance to look at it yet (fingers crossed my library has a copy by the time I have some free time to read).

8) A favorite book from childhood:

Silksinger, the second book in the Faeries of Dreamdark series by Laini Taylor. The series was never finished, but the characters from Silksinger hold a special place in my heart. One of the main characters is called Hirik Mothmage, for reference how much I love this book, lol.

9) A book you would give to a friend:

Ooh, good question. I recently gave someone my copy of Boccaccio's Decameron, because I think it's funny!! I really feel like if people can get through the language, they'll be dead laughing at some of the stories.

10) A book of poetry or lyrics that you own

I have a handful! My favorite is probably a collection of Edgar Allen Poe's works that's bound in a nice cover.

11) A nonfiction book you own:

Many, lol. Mostly digital -- I try not to hoard physical books unless I really really love them, because I just don't have the space. Something I read a few years ago and still think about often is Dorothy Roberts's Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty, which talks about how the 20th century (U.S.) struggle for reproductive rights looked very different for white women and Black women (for Black women, it was essentially the right to reproduction). Her newer book Fatal Invention: How Science, Politics, and Big Business Recreate Race in the Twenty-First Century is a great follow-up read.

12) What are you currently reading:

Currently re-reading another memoir, The Surrendered: Reflections by a Son of Shining Path by José Carlos Agüero. Picking up Pandora by Anne Rice as soon as I have some time for fiction.

13) What are you planning on reading next?

Besides the rest of the Vampire Chronicles, I really want to read Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist (another friend recommendation).

No-pressure tagging: @eosphoroz @hekateinhell @lovevamp @aunteat @bubblegum-blackwood or anyone else who wants to -- tag me if you do, i love stuff like this!

#thank you!! #ask game #kind of lol

[moefongo]

Sorry for using an ask, but my app wouldn't let me make a submission for some reason. Writing through the block is always the best method, take that crap head-on. If you feel like it, what about how the various bachelor's react to the supposed death of builder (after they've been romanced) from the new update.

If you feel like it, no rush, and even if you don't, thanks anyway! Have a lovely day!

Don't worry anon, tumblr is weird like that. And yeah you're right I've even worked on really old asks i had half way through because i couldn't bring myself to write anything and its worked so far! And this is right up my alley since I do love some angst, though i wont write for Fang since I have a whole fic dedicated to this and Justice since I have something related to this for him as well, so I hope its ok w you!

Oh yeah and if you want a whole fic about any of these im down to do it lol

The bachelors (romanced) reacting to the builder's death (Part 1)

I'm putting this under a cut for spoilers!

(Also trigger warning for suicidal thoughts and mentions of suicide its nothing too explicit but i just want to make sure to tag things properly! If you want me to add any other tag let me know, thanks!)

Arvio

They had told him the night before that they had an important mission with the Civil Corps early in the morning and Arvio had a terrible feeling about it ever since they told him. He barely slept that night, he even prayed to the Light to keep them safe. Which is something he never does since Arvio isn't really a man of religion, but he really wanted them to be safe.

The next day, everything was normal and he hoped everything went well with the builder so he went to work as usual since he had no choice but to wait for them to visit him after the mission was over. They never really told him what it was, just that it was related to Logan. The morning passed quickly, but there was an unpleasant atmosphere in town that day. It wasn't even 1 pm when Justice told Arvio the terrible news. He had been the first to know and the town followed suit when Arvio's screaming and crying could be heard all over Sandrock. 

Arvio wanted to die in that same moment that Justice finished talking, he just wanted to run and jump off the same cliff they fell from and join them. He couldn't bear to accept the fact that they're gone. 

Things got so intense with Arvio that Fang had to go and sedate him. Fortunately the builder came back relatively unscathed aside from a few cuts and bruises and found out about what happened with Arvio and decided to stay with him until he woke up. 

Once he did, he swore that it was the builder's spirit visiting and since he was still a bit loopy he broke down to cry again despite the builder hugging him so he could feel that they were there with him. Then when he came back to his senses, Arvio refused to leave the builder alone and forbade the Civil Corps from taking them to dangerous missions again.

Burgess

This surely had to be a bad joke, Burgess knew nothing could happen to the builder. He had been praying all morning for their well being so it was impossible for them to have passed.

But no matter how many times Matilda or Miguel explained it to him, the poor soul always remained optimistic on their return, hoping that the builder would prove them wrong and come back to Burgess's side. 

 However deep down, way below that denial, Burgess knew that his prayers went unheard and that the Light abandoned him just when he needed it the most. He prayed and prayed for a safe return and all he got was condolences. 

 Burgess did cry and uncharacteristically questioned the Light's reason for their passing and no matter how many times Miguel or Matilda told him that it had been the Light's purpose, Burgess refused to accept it. In fact those words angered him, how could such a loving and benevolent deity let something so awful happen, especially to someone as good as the builder. 

But since the Light works in mysterious ways, the builder managed to scramble back to town before sundown. They were exhausted, roughed up and dirty and all they wanted was to nap with Burgess for a while. And despite everyone's concern to stay home they made their way back to the church where Burgess was still praying. 

 It was kind of dramatic, the builder swung the church doors open and surprised Burgess turned around to see who it was and as soon as he realized it was them he ran up to them, enveloping them in a gentle hug. Still wrapped in his hug, the builder couldn't help but to break down in tears as they apologized over and over for making him think they were dead. But he didn't care about that anymore, the builder was back and the Light was true to its word and brought them back safe and sound. 

Then they spent the rest of the day being taken care of by Burgess, who helped them get clean and comfy and then settled in to sleep with them. 

Ernest

He really hated this Podunk town and its lack of basic commodities, but the only one who made the stay worthwhile was the builder. He had high hopes of convincing them of ditching Sandrock and moving to Atara with him; he wanted to make sure they had everything their heart desired, including the best work opportunities. 

Unfortunately this silly little dream of his would be crushed when he found out the builder had died. Ernest was dumbfounded at the level of incompetence of the Civil Corps. He wasn't angry, he was fuming and it was damn sure that there would be hell to pay in Sandrock. 

By the time Unsuur left his apartment, Ernest was already writing a hefty letter, reporting the Civil Corps for their ineptitude.  It was a hefty letter, spanning at least three pages. Once that letter was done, he packed his bags hastily as he fought back tears.

For the first time, someone liked him for who he was and not for his wealth. They were kind, sweet and genuine, and they made Ernest a better person, and most importantly, they became that light in his life they were looking for and now that light is gone.

He spent less than an hour getting everything packed and made his way to the train station. He had finished buying the ticket for the next train to Atara when he saw the builder running back to the town. At first he thought it was his mind playing tricks on him, but as they approached, Ernest was able to recognize their form and instinctively ran to them, leaving his bags at the station.

Ernest ran as fast as possible and stopped the builder dead in their tracks. They looked like they had seen better days, but that doesn't matter now, they were right there in front of him and a sense of relief washed over him as he grabbed their hand and ran back to the station, he was now intending to buy a ticket for them and take them to Atara. He wasn't going to let them get hurt again in this town. But thanks to the builder's persuasion he ended up staying in Sandrock for now. However he was still going to send that letter after he edited out the parts where he stated that the builder was dead.

Miguel

Out of all the members of the church, he had to stand on the stage alongside Matilda, who gave out an eulogy for them. Miguel had to do his absolute best to keep it together as per Matilda's request but if it were for him he would've searched for their body instead. Miguel felt absolutely horrible at that moment, feeling as if his heart had been ripped right out of his chest, but perhaps it was the Light giving him the strength to stand there.

Though occasionally during the eulogy, he managed to catch on to comments others said about how he doesn't look devastated to know that his lover is dead. Fools they are, Miguel loves the builder more than anything, except the Light above. If they knew the pain he is going through right now, that ignorant bunch wouldn't dare to say such things. 

Thankfully, the Light performed a miracle in front of his eyes and the builder came in running towards the stage. Once up there they stopped to catch their breath since they had been running the whole way back. But before addressing the concerned citizens they hugged Miguel as tight as possible and in return Miguel let go of his typical decorum and simply broke down in tears as he held on to them for dear life. He didn't care if it made him look unbecoming of a minister to break down like this but his beloved builder was back and that was all that mattered.

 However he made sure to give the Civil Corps a stern lecture on safety procedures as well as on rescue procedures since he didn't want this to happen again.

Owen

How the hell did Justice allow something like this to happen? If Justice promised to keep them safe out on missions and he couldn't even do that? It was a simple request and Justice fucked it up. That day as soon as Justice came by to tell him the unfortunate news Owen broke down. He didn't know if he should cry or be angry. He didn't even let Justice finish talking and he was already screaming at Justice to leave the Blue Moon. It was rather rare to see Owen like this and even Grace who witnessed the whole thing. 

It was only a matter of seconds before Owen would start throwing things at Justice but luckily he ran off before Owen could throw a salt shaker at him. 

 Once Justice was gone, Owen dropped to his knees and began to cry inconsolably. Grace on the other hand was at a loss, she didn't know what to do with him at that moment since she obviously knew the builder was alright and she had to go meet up with them soon. So Grace suggested that they close the Blue Moon for the day since Owen wasn't in any condition to handle customers today. Somehow she managed to convince him and accompany Owen back to his place. 

Owen was silent on the way back to his house, except a few sobs here and there. Though it was a short walk he wanted to pretend he hadn't cried just moments ago, despite looking like a mess.  As soon as Grace shut the door she could hear Owen screaming and throwing things around his house. It devastated her to see him in this state but she couldn't do anything to comfort him for now. 

About half an hour later, Burgess knocks on Owen's door and surprisingly Owen opens the door telling the poor Burgess to leave without even hearing what he has to say. Still he insisted Owen came by the outdoor stage because Matilda would be giving an eulogy for them soon. Owen remained quiet as he closed the door on Burgess's face. 

After some consideration he washed his face and fixed himself to look presentable enough and headed out. Matilda's eulogy was lovely and Owen couldn't help but sob the whole time. Coincidentally Grace came back and stood next to him. She tried to cryptically let him know that the builder was on their way but he was too distraught to catch on and simply dismissed her comments as words of comfort. 

Thankfully the builder didn't take too long in coming back to town, and they were going to head to the stage but before that, the builder felt a pair of strong arms take hold of them and wrap them in a hug. It was Owen, and he was crying of joy seeing that the builder was there with him. Him being happy was an understatement, Owen was beyond ecstatic. He was holding the builder in his arms and refused to let them go, despite the builder trying to break free from his grip. 

Still though he was mad at Justice for what happened and if it weren't for Owen's busy schedule he would've gone and accompanied them in future Civil Corps missions just as a safety precaution. Or more likely Owen carried the builder so they don't get tired or hurt in any way. But he has to handle the Blue Moon so that only can happen in his dreams.

#my time at sandrock #mtas arvio #mtas burgess #mtas ernest #mtas miguel

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

Okay okay okay I hope you're still taking these and that you don't mind me sending another one in, but for the share a secret about a fic thing, I just read Say it with Flours, and it's past 3:30 in the morning for me, but I HAVE TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS FIC AND THEN EAT IT IT'S SO GOOD

stop i woke up and saw my inbox and almost cried !!!!!!!!!!

okay so i got inspired to write this after i watched Bridesmaids in a hotel with my parents, actually! and i agonized over a name to the point where the final doc on my computer is still just called "currently unnamed wedding shenanigans" [i still don't love the name tbh but i think it ended up being cute!]

i believe i was starting this as i was finishing trial of lucretia because i have no self control and decided that my first forays into fic ought to be three very long (for me) multichapter fics skldfjsldfsdl

this is my single most well-performing fic as well as my longest (the final doc on my computer is 92 pages long which is nuts to me!!!!) and it's fun to me because you can absolutely tell this was before i had a bit of a better grasp on characterization (and just. writing in general) but you can also see a marked improvement from beginning to end.

i had decided this would be a no magic, still fantasy races au like. a few chapters in which really has no bearing on the fic as a whole, it just felt right.

some secrets!

i've talked about this somewhere but my explanation for Taako being a father is that he spent a lot of his adolescence working at like. a boys and girls club style place and then a lot of his young adulthood working with another similar organization and he decided he wanted to foster and then fostered Angus for like two and a half years before deciding to adopt him (and this happened some time before the actual canon of the fic)

this is something that i don't think a single person has ever picked up on (because it really doesn't matter sldfjsldf) but lydia and edward are the photographers at the wedding (very blink and you'll miss it mention).

I originally wanted it to be such a slower burn but i literally couldn't figure out how to not make it drag.

the chapter names were a pain in my ass but the kiss does take place during Tulips which makes me giggle (and that's the only reason why it's called tulips)

and also I had originally wanted to add more scenes during the wedding but that chapter was like fifteen pages by itself and I got antsy

as in most of my fics that have Julia, she's much taller than magnus <3

the opinions on macaron flavors and phillip glass are my own sdlfjsd

and it was such a fun piece to write!!! this was really the piece that made me stick with writing fic. I was a little discouraged with the lack of traction I thought trials of lucretia got so this was a nice change for me

ALSO i did write a piece that is in its universe for the taz novemeber celebration

#rip (reeses in pieces) #tentatively-positive-3 #THANK YOU YOURE SO KIND GAB !!!! #literally you can always ask me about my fics at any time!!!! #the ficlet takes place before the final scene of the fic slkdfjsldfkjsd #was it a cop out ending? maybe but i thought it was cute #asks

[pielplastica]

I've been putting my heart and soul into school now that I'm going. I am 3 weeks behind and I know that I have to readjust to every teacher to their way of... well, teaching. But mostly I've been doing ok.

I have (had, is less now) a lot of late homework that I must do. A lot of drawings and concepts to study before my exams. Tomorrow I'll have the first one, Anatomy, and I feel nerveous but is because tomorrow I'll also have my first etymology class and I had to do 2 chapters on the manual without any previous knowledge and I feel a bit exhausted. I also help her with her homework too. I couldn't see her last weekend because I was so busy with homework, late works, drawings, manuals... But I know I can do it. I must do it.

I trust in myself, and I know that I am capable of doing this and even more. She came last sunday to give me an hamburguer and my in-laws came too, they were just passing by so it was quick but that 2 minutes that I got to see her were enough for me to regain my focus and being able to finish all my due homework in time. Now I just finished the homework that was left for next week because I really want to spend time with her.

Mom's been incapacitated due to some health issues. She's mostly ok, but needs to rest a lot so that she doesn't hurts her hands even more. She's been more at home so I can spend time with her a little more. But now is difficult for me due to school but last week we saw the new live action for ATLA and... it was better than what I expected. Have you watch ATLA? If not you should. For a long time I felt like I was Zuko in a way, but after watching The Legend of Korra I changed my mind, I really did saw myself in her and her struggles so, if you have time to spare, please watch ATLA and TLoK. I have a feeling you'll like her too. But yeah, we get to spend more time together. I never told you that but when we broke up I told my mom so, but I was feeling so numb that I didn't had any reaction on my face when I told her but she started crying. She was dissapointed. I can remember the look on her face when I told her that, said something among the lines of you being a good person, the worth kind of girl to have in your life and I knew she was right, but I just couldn't feel or do anything.

And I also think that was a big part of me not dealing with my feelings back then, I didn't allowed myself to feel anything related to you. I was trying so hard to put on a hard face with everyone to try and show them that I wasn't hurt but in reality I was just hiding from the facts. It hurt me so much seeing you at our university, so that's one of the reasons as of why I left. Not because of you, but because of me not being capable of dealing with all the beautiful memories that became so painful to bear whenever I was heading there.

I must admit that back then I was watching your FB profile until one day I saw that you were on a relationship with him and I... I just couldn't believe it. I thought that it didn't matter to you because it felt just way too soon for me. And I know we all heal differently, I've met a couple of people who can't stand being alone and are constantly seeking for the one who will give them attention until they get bored of them, and I don't mean you. You guys have lasted a long time and I'm happy he treats you and loves you the way that you want, but that's the current me talking and not the boy who didn'tn allowed himself to cry when he felt sad or to feel at all.

I want to admit that I feel tired, I've been sleeping 4 to 5 hours tops this last few days and I'm feeling a bit stressed but... yeah, I have to put on a brave face and a "can do" attitude. I still have a lot of difficulties talking about my feelings with everyone but I feel this is the only way where I can truly vent...

Can we add #good night at our last letter of the day so that we don't keep each other awake waiting for a response? I'll wait for yours if you have anything to say, but if you don't... I dunno, just a good night is good enough I guess.

But yeah, I'm really glad you had a nice morning and hope to keep reading your letters.

#Good night

[moveslikeanape]

ohh, that's too bad about your computer not being able to play dreamlight valley! i have heard that the game is supposed to have a mobile version, but i'm not sure if it's been released yet or not, so that could be something to look into. also, i can totally see that about tarzan wanting to dive right in and learn about everything around him. i'm sure that if jane were there with him she'd also be really excited to show him new things and help him with anything he didn't understand. oof, yeah, i didn't wanna be too harsh about wish in case you were still really looking forward to the movie, but i admit that my mixed feelings about it are more on the negative side. i like a couple of the songs, but they're riddled with strange and poorly written lyrics (for example, "i'm a star, watch out world here i are" or "i let you live here for free and i don't even charge rent") and some of them sound so generic that i just feel like i've already heard them before. after seeing the concept art and hearing about some of the ideas that didn't make it in, i ended up feeling like the movie had a lot of missed potential. it's a shame, especially since this was disney's 100th anniversary film. there is one other tarzan reference besides the shoutout in the credits, though, so definitely look out for that when you watch it! that's true about mark mancina, i see a lot of praise for tarzan's soundtrack that's specifically about phil collins, but mark created such a good score to go with his work. i'm really glad he got to work on moana as well. ooh i see, that does all sound pretty interesting! i love to read as well and pretty much always have a long list of things i'd like to read, and never enough time for all of them LOL. but i'll definitely have to add the tarzan novels to that list and try to check them out someday. are there any other tarzan movies you enjoy besides disney's version? -🌟

I looked, and is is available through Apple Arcade… but same problem, don't have a compatible device, lol. Not into computers/phones/etc enough to try and keep up with the latest. Would rather stretch my devices as long as I can and save the money for my collection. Oh well, maybe someday I'll play it. Would be so awesome to see more of Jane helping Tarzan learn new things though!

I agree with you on the lyrics, some of them are so bad!! I remember hearing those lines for the first time and feeling embarrassed for them. They sound like they're from a cheap bootleg ripoff, not from the most prestigious animation company in the world. They should be ashamed of themselves, they used to have incredible song lyrics.

That's awesome there's one other Tarzan reference though!! A very good reason to give it a watch!

Mark's score for Tarzan and Brother Bear are so beautiful. As soon as I saw he was doing Moana I knew I was going to love it!

Ah, the pain of never having enough time to read… and it always seems that when you do, you can't find anything to read! I'm currently halfway through the Asian Saga by James Clavell. I've read those books so many times I've lost count. I was about a third of the way through Shogun when I found out that there's a new FX series based on the book that's going to be on Disney+ at the end of February! Although I've finished reading Shogun since, I'm trying to finish reading the other 5 books before the series starts… I don't think I'm going to make it, lol.

I hope you enjoy the Tarzan novels if you get to read them!!

I haven't seen many other Tarzan movies, but I did really enjoy Greystoke with Christopher Lambert and Andie MacDowell. Of the ones I've seen it feels the closet to the books. And it has an unexpected connection to the Disney version… Andie MacDowell's voice was dubbed by Glenn Close, so it's like seeing Jane and hearing Kala!

Growing up I watched the Tarzan tv series starring Wolf Larson and Lydie Denier, which was my first introduction to Tarzan. It takes place in more modern times, and Jane was French in it. I watched it again a few years ago, and it was definitely not as good as I remember it being. But as a kid I found it thrilling, used to stay up until 3 am every Saturday to watch it!

#strangers like me

[nashibirne]

Gimme Shelter - 5

Here comes chapter 5. Expect a little romance and fluff! Our protagonists even start to flirt 😏 I hope you enjoy the next part of their story! If so, please let me know and leave a comment, like or reblog. Thanks 💜

You can find parts 1 - 4 and my other fics on my masterlist

Pairing: Henry Cavill x OFC (Kat Spencer)

Words: ~3.3k

Summary: Henry has to deal with a personal crisis and he finds shelter with his old rugby mate Sam and his sister Kat. She used to be Henry’s best friend a very long time ago. Will they be able to become friends again or maybe even more?

Chapter 5: A walk on the coast path, a flirt and a sweet encounter

Warnings: RPF, mention of mental health issues

Unbeta'ed. English isn't my first language. Mistakes ahead and they're all mine.

Disclaimer: I don’t know the real Henry Cavill or anyone who's related to him in any way, this is pure fiction and nothing more

Credits: Pics for the moodboard from Pinterest. Face claims: Kat = Jennifer Connelly

Tag list (let me know if you want to be added or removed):

@lunedelorient @inlovewithhisblueeyes @willkatfanfromasia @hell1129-blog @mis-lil-red @agniavateira @kebabgirl67 @omgkatinka @legendarywizarddetective @summersong69 @taebfada @xxxkatxo @artandotherdelights @notabronte @littlefreya @luclittlepond @eldarwen333 @meowpurrbooks @marantha @fadingkittenfun @liliumdream @enchantedbytomandhenry @greensleeves888 @witcherfan @margauxmargaux07 @radaofrivia @m07belzen

Ready? Let's go.

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Over the next few days Kat and Henry got closer and closer. They had long conversations almost every day that were so very helpful for both of them and they felt that the bond between them, this strong connection they had all these years ago and that had been cut off so abruptly, was rebuilding slowly. It was almost like back in the days. Kat and Henry against the rest of the world.

Kat helped Henry to sort out his thoughts, to make decisions and plans without taking responsibility away from him. She didn't make it easy for him by taking over control or telling him what to do. All she did was listen, sharing her view on things and giving him advice and she did it in a way that made it easy for Henry to see where he wanted to go with his life in the future. She didn't judge, she didn't criticize, she just gave him her opinion and support and that was all he was asking for. 

On day 8 after the treehouse talk Henry was brooding over a text he wanted to publish. A statement for his fans, the media, the public in general but it wasn't so easy to get the tone right and to explain enough to make his latest actions relatable without giving up too much of his privacy. He closed his laptop with a sigh and rubbed his tired eyes when it knocked on the door. 

"Come in." he said, hoping it was Kat and his wish came true.

"Hey." Kat greeted him with a bright smile and joined him at the kitchen table. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." He shook his head. "I'm not very productive today."

"So maybe you need a distraction? What about a walk on the coast path? The weather is lovely and I'm really in need of some fresh air. Wanna join me?"

Kat flinched when Mr. Darcy jumped onto her lap out of the blue. "Heavens, Darce...you're gonna give me a heart attack one day." The cat ignored her fond scolding and curled up into a ball on her thighs, clearly demanding a bit of tender loving care that she gave him with an amused smile. "I haven't seen him downstairs in days."

"Cat got your tongue?" Kat stood up with a smirk and Henry was sure she was swaying her hips more than usual when she went to the door. "Come on, Cavill. Let's go." 

Henry chuckled. "Yeah, it seems he's moved in with us. He sleeps with Kal in my bed every night. I think he's in love." Kat grinned. "Well, I can't blame him. Who wouldn't fall in love with a smart, sexy hunk and his furry companion." She gave him a flirtatious wink and now Henry was the one feeling like having a heart attack.

This was new. She'd never flirted with him before. All their banter was of friendly nature, sarcastic and funny but not flirty. He wanted to give her a witty answer, make a sexy remark but his mind went blank. All he was able to think about was how badly he wanted to touch and kiss her and so he opened his mouth but not a single word came out.

Kat's heart was racing when they left the house and walked down the road that led to the coast path side by side. It was obvious that her cheeky remark had caught him off guard but she wasn't sure if he considered her move good or bad. It had taken all her courage to try and flirt with him and his reaction left her a little clueless. It was not like she didn't know how to flirt. She did and she loved a sexy flirtatious banter. She wasn't shy and she also was aware of the fact that she was attractive but when it came to Henry everything was different. She turned into an insecure teenager again, helplessly in love and completely confused.

Just don't make the same mistakes again. Her thoughts wandered back to the night she'd spend with Eli after the city festival. When she went home with him she wanted to have sex with him, she really did but it didn't work. Whenever she closed her eyes and kissed him she saw Henry and the way he had looked at her when they were dancing slowly. Elijah soon noticed that something was off and he connected the dots quickly. He was very sweet and instead of being pissed he made coffee and they sat down and talked. Kat told him about her and Henry, all about their past, about Poppy, the heartbreak, her feelings for him, just everything. When she was finished Eli gave her a grin. "Well, I've been dumped for worse guys than Henry Cavill. I mean, even I wouldn't say no to him and I'm straight as fuck."

Kat chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Thank you for your understanding. I just don't know how to deal with my feelings. I don't even understand the nature of these feelings."

"The nature? You're falling for him again. And judging by the way he looked at you and the death stares he was giving me all night, I'd say he feels the same way." Eli shrugged as if it was as clear as day. "And you should really grasp at that second chance."

Kat sighed. "I don't know. What if he hurts me again?"

"You're not sixteen anymore. I'm sure he's learned his lesson and so have you. Just don't fuck it up this time, Kat."

"Excuse me? I didn't fuck it up back then." She looked at him flabbergasted.

"Come on, you know what I mean. Just don't make the same mistakes again." Eli took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Yeah, he was a total ass and treated you badly. He lied to you. I get that. But you never gave him a hint that you have feelings for him. You took him for granted, Kat. You thought he'd always be there for you exclusively, that you are the only girl in his life and that you could afford to keep him in the dark about your feelings. You had this romantic idea in your head. You and him, the ball, the romance, a dance, a kiss, a confession but you never even considered that he liked you too but moved on because you'd friendzoned him. Truth is you didn't dare to tell him that you're in love with him and it backfired and hit you hard."

Kat started to chew on her lip. "Yeah. Maybe you're right." 

"And if I may add one thing. You're 38. You're beautiful and smart but you're still single. You said it yourself, none of the men you meet can live up to your expectations. You've never met 'the one'. What if Henry's been the one for you all along?"

And that was the question that was running around in her mind ever since Elijah had posed it. Was it possible? Was Henry the one for her?

"This way?" Henry's voice interrupted her thoughts. He pointed at a path that turned off to the left. "Yes." Kat smiled at him sheepishly and Henry gave her a funny look.  "Are you okay?" 

"Yeah, sure. I was just lost in thought. Sorry."

"Thinking about hot hunks, huh?" He smirked and it was ridiculously sexy. Kat's heart jumped with joy when she realized that he was flirting back.

"More about their cute companions." Kat laughed out loud with relief and joy. "Come on, Kal." She clapped her hands and started to run down the path, the American Akita following close behind, wagging his tale with excitement. She looked back over her shoulder with a grin. "What are you waiting for, Hen. Are you afraid you can't keep up with me?"

"Don't try me." Henry laughed and ran after her, chasing her down the path, playfully imitating a roaring bear. Kat was surprisingly fast and he indeed had problems keeping up with her. He wasn't a sprinter, his body wasn't really made for running though he did it for cardio regularly. So he had stamina but he wasn't very fast. Kat on the other hand was agile and quick and she took the rocky path effortlessly, it was a treat for the eyes. He knew she liked trail running and her smooth motions showed him that she did this often. When he finally caught up with her she flashed him a smile and slowed down. They came to a halt, both panting and laughing at the same time. "We better walk now. I'm too old for running away from a man as fit as you." Kat bent her upper body down and supported herself with her hands on her knees. Henry grinned. "You're way too fast for me. You ran like a bat out of hell."

They both burst out laughing again for no real reason and it felt so good to be childish and just a little silly. Henry was so comfortable, so much like himself, when he was with her it made him feel whole again. She was the antidepressant he really needed. 

"What about some climbing instead of running?" 

"Climbing? Jesus, Kat, are you trying to wear me out?"

"Well, it's not really climbing. The trail is just a little rockier and steeper than the regular one." Kat pointed at a path that was overgrown and led upwards to what seemed to be a cliff.

"What's up there? A make-out spot?" He asked, grinning cheekily.

"Dream on." Kat raised an eyebrow and her smile was sexy and amused at the same time. "Just an amazing view on the bay from the top of the cliff."

"It's closed off." Henry looked at the chain that blocked the trail with a frown.

"Yes...but we can take it anyway. That's not a problem."

"The sign says 'no trespassing', Kat."

She sighed. "I know but this is more for the tourists. There have been some minor accidents. Someone broke his leg or something. So they closed it off...insurance stuff and such...you know how it is. It's nothing,  I've been there many times."

Henry still wasn't convinced. "It can still be dangerous and what if we get caught?"

"Sorry." She mumbled avoiding his gaze. 

Kat laughed. "No risk, no fun. Come on now, Pop." She froze before she blushed furiously.

"Pop, huh?" Henry's lips turned up into a mocking grin. Pop had been her nickname for him at school. Whenever he'd tried to tell her what to do or to keep her from doing things he considered too dangerous or simply inappropriate she had teased him with this name to make clear that he sounded like her father. And so he became Pop just like she became Kitty.

"No worries, Kat. I like the sound of it. Actually I get called daddy a lot these days." Her eyes met his and he wiggled his eyebrows with a teasing smirk. Kat's confidence was back and she gave him a lopsided grin and a wink before she climbed over the chain. "Well, I guess I better behave then...daddy."

20 minutes later they were sitting side by side on top of the cliff, Kal lying at Henry's feet and Kat hadn't promised too much. The view was spectacular. "That's fantastic, Kat." 

"Yeah. It never ceases to amaze me, every time I come here, again and again."

They sat there in comfortable silence for a while, staring at the ocean. Kat's legs touched his and the physical closeness awoke the butterflies inside of him. He turned to her, admiring her pretty face. "Thanks for taking me here." She looked at him with a smile. "I knew you'd love it. I've been here many times thinking of you, wishing you were with me, like you're with me now." Her voice got weaker with every word and she bit her lip, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

Henry's heart started to race when he realized what her words meant. She had never stopped thinking about him just like he had never been able to forget her. He took her hand and pressed a soft kiss on her knuckles. She let it happen, she even closed her eyes. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else than by your side, Kitty." He knew it was a bold move to call her that after her reaction the other day but she didn't seem to mind. "That's good to know, Pop."

She opened her eyes again and they shared a shy smile. Henry didn't let go of her hand, he even started to stroke it with his thumb tenderly. Kat's gaze fell on his lips and they both leaned in slowly. Their lips were just about to meet in a tender kiss when they heard suppressed giggles from behind. They turned around and saw two girls who were standing behind a rock, watching them. They were nine maybe ten years old and really cute. "Hey, you nosy little rascals. Are you observing us?" Henry scolded them playfully, laughing out loud and Kat couldn't help but join in. 

"What about your dog? Don't you go to work?" Nelly asked.

"We were observing your dog. It looks like a bear." The taller girl said with a confident smile. She had beautiful, thick, red hair and reminded Kat very much of Anne Shirley from 'Anne with an E'. "What's your name?" she asked. "I'm Nelly and this is my bestie Laura." The other girl giggled again and waved at them but she didn't say a word. "Would you want to pet my dog? His name is Kal." Henry gave them an encouraging smile and they nodded eagerly. "Come on, Kal. Meet Nelly and Laura." Kal got up and greeted the girls like the friendly dog he just was and they kneeled down to stroke his soft fur.

"I want a dog too, but my parents say no." Laura said and she pouted her lips. "I'm sure they have good reasons." Henry explained. "A dog requires a lot of time." "Yeah. That's what my parents say. They don't have time for a dog because they both have to work." She rolled her big brown eyes, never stopping to pet Kal who enjoyed the love he received.

"Your parents are very reasonable . You wouldn't want your dog to be sad, would you?" "No." She shook her head vehemently. "Of course not." "See, but dogs are sad when they have to be alone all day." She nodded and sighed. "Oh, okay."

"I'm lucky. I can take Kal with me when I work." Henry gave her a bright smile but she seemed sceptical. "Really? Must be a very strange job, when you can bring your dog."

"It is a strange job, you're right, Nelly, but I love it anyway." And for the first time in months, he felt it. He loved his job and he was a lucky man.

After the sweet encounter with Nelly and Laura the intimate moment was ruined and the sexual tension was gone but Kat and Henry were still in a good mood and they went back home chatting lightheartedly.

"You were great with the girls. Did you never think about having kids?" 

Henry gave Kat a surprised look.

"Of course I did. I'd love to have a bunch of children but I guess I'd need a woman first."

"I don't think there's a lack of women in your life." 

"No, of course not. There were many of them but never the one to start a family with."

Now it was Kat who was surprised. "You have never been in a serious relationship? Never made plans to settle down? I'm sorry if this a stupid question but I've always avoided reading about your private life in the media…"

"It's not stupid at all. What you can read about my private life is mostly bullshit anyway." Henry let out a snort. "But no, I've never been really serious with a woman. I was engaged once but that was a very stupid idea. I was young and foolish…"

"But why? I mean, you're perfect husband material."

"Yeah, for gold diggers and attention whores." He rolled his eyes. "I don't know, it's always the same. I meet a woman, I fall fast and hard and after a few weeks I wake up from this romantic vision I had of her and me and there's nothing left...I lose interest or she gets bored with me and that's it. It has always been like this. I'm just not able to find a woman that completes me." He shrugged. "What about you? Why are you still single?" 

Kat took a deep breath. "Pretty much the same actually. There have been a few men, short relationships, but it never lasted. All of them tried to turn me into something I'm not. A trophy wife, a housewife, a mistress…but none of them could make me feel at home with them."

"They must have been idiots. Why would anybody try to change you. You're great the way you are." Henry said, shaking his head in disbelief. "What about Jim?"

Kat smiled. "Jim was indeed different. We had a great time but after four years we grew apart. I was so young, 23, I wanted to travel, to see the world, he was 30 and wanted to settle down and start a family. That's why we broke up and it was the right thing to do. We're still friends and he has a great family now."

"Seems we were right when we were moping teenagers and said we're never going to find true and everlasting love. Do you remember? Kitty and Pop..the lonely heart club?"

"Of course. All these sad poems we wrote and you were so great at reciting them." Kat laughed softly at the memory. "God, we were so pathetic with our self-pity."

"Yeah, we were. But eventually you fell for Aaron."

"Love is a big word for what Poppy and I had in those 6 months we were together." Henry looked at his hands, his fingers were fumbling with the ring on his pinky. Guilt washed over him whenever he talked about Poppy in Kat's presence. "I guess I didn't even know what love is when I was with her. Maybe I still don't."

Kat cocked her head looking at him. Yes, after you broke my heart, was what she was thinking. "I did. He was my byronic hero. He saved me..." was what she was saying. "And you loved Poppy."

"You must have loved your girlfriends."

Henry shrugged. "I have but...I don't know…"

"You loved them and at the same time you knew they weren't the one. Something was always missing…."

Kat spoke out what he was thinking but couldn't express.

He looked at her, nodding his head. "Exactly."

"Yeah. Same here. Aren't we the lucky ones?" Kat gave him a sarcastic grin. "We should resurrect the lonely hearts club."

The way she tried to shrug off the topic all of the sudden showed him that it had gotten under her skin. Deep. He smirked and gave her a wink. "Count me in."

Kat looked at him with a frown. "Really? I was actually joking."

"Why not. Could be fun to take a stroll down memory lane."

"You're right. Let's do it. First meeting on Saturday night? At the woodhouse?" 

"Sounds like a plan. I better start searching the internet for some sad, dramatic poems."

"And I'm going to compile a playlist." 

"Deal." Henry offered Kat his hand for a handshake and she took it grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Deal."

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tbc

#henry cavill fanfic #henry cavill #cavillry #henry cavill fandom #henry cavill fanfiction #henry cavill x ofc #henry cavill rpf #rpf #henry cavill slow burn #slow burn fic

[peachcitt]

I've seen a lot of people saying that rot was BAD, what is your opinion?

OH IM SO GLAD YOU ASKED

like most people (im sure) after finishing rise of the titans, after wiping up my tears i went to the rot tag to see maybe some gifs or something. you know, make myself cry a little more. instead, i found a bunch of people saying how much they hated the ending, how it was as terrible as some of the worst big finale bombs (endgame, game of thrones, etc) and uh. im not saying the ending is perfect, but it is DEFINITELY not as disastrous as what people are making it out to be, in my opinion. i thoroughly enjoyed the movie, actually, and i thought it was an effective way to end the tales of arcadia.

warning: rise of the titans spoilers, as well as general tales of arcadia spoilers

were there some things i didn't like? yeah!

the major things i didn't like align with a lot of what i see other people saying:

the weird mpreg plotline with steve. it just felt so strange and out of place, and it was used as a tactic to remove eli and steve from the major action, which i don't like.

and the 'ninth configuration' thing that, once again, excluded eli and steve. i didn't see a reason why they shouldn't have been there, seeing as they have contributed to trollhunting since nearly the start of all of the tales of arcadia. multiples of three are clean and smooth, i get it, but at the expense of two characters that were so lovingly developed in trollhunters and 3below?? yikes

with that being said, though, i don't agree with what a lot of people are saying about the time travel at the end. obviously, they bring up some good points - by changing the timeline so drastically, there's no way for jim to ensure that they'll be able to succeed or if the arcane order will even act in the same way. it's a big 'if' and it is worth thinking about

but people have been saying that the ending is out of jim's character and negates his arc, and i have to say. that's not true.

if you've been following my blog since july 1st, you'll know that ive spent the past twenty one days rewatching the entire tales of arcadia series at a steady pace, and within that time, i've paid a whole lot of attention to jim's arc as a character and how the finale of trollhunters left me feeling as if something just wasn't clicking right. his arc wasn't finished.

because all throughout trollhunters, jim is constantly having to prove his worth - and most of the time, the way he's proving his worth is by sacrificing himself. he takes all the blame when anything goes wrong, and on some level, jim never truly learns the lesson from season one of trollhunters that he's enough as a hero because he has his friends to back him up. like, yeah, he relies on them a bit more after that, but in the end, he still stands in the bathroom alone, separated from all his allies, and shoulders the burden of turning into a troll alone. and he leaves arcadia, the city he was fighting so hard to protect, and he leaves his best friend, the one that has been with him since the beginning.

then we get wizards, where jim lets himself be corrupted to save his friends. and then, because of that sacrifice, he ends up hurting all of them. i believe this fact - that he willingly corrupted himself, separated himself from his allies, and ended up hurting the people he loved - shook jim's foundation as a hero, which is why he can't believe he's the trollhunter without the amulet. the amulet was the physical manifestation of what it meant to be a hero to him, but it was destroyed when he was corrupted - it was destroyed when he hurt his friends.

that's how we see him in rise of the titans; he's still struggling with his identity as a hero because he doesn't have the amulet or the unshakable foundation he previously had of his heroism. literally everyone is looking for him to be the leader and make the huge, world-saving-or-destroying decisions, but he can't shoulder that huge burden knowing he could hurt everyone. and then, just to add fuel to the fire, it's his plan that causes people to die or be permanently separated from the group. and he can't even get the sword out of the stone! why? because he himself doesn't see himself as worthy - how can you think of yourself as worthy when you just got two of your allies killed and two more gone, presumably for forever?

but this is the moment it finally clicks for jim. he looks around at his allies, and he sees them reflected in the amulet. he's not alone, he doesn't have to be worthy just by himself, he has an entire group of people who have fought by his side time and time again that, even despite all the mistakes and missteps he's made, are still by his side.

and what makes the amulet work, in the final fight, is his firm determination to see this fight through, no matter if he has the armor or not. he's terrified, he's probably going to die - but it's that bravery despite the fear that makes him a hero, a trollhunter, amulet or not. and he knows that now - he's had to face it before, in the unbecoming episode, but it's different now. in the unbecoming episode, he was truly alone when he decided to face the fight. and he's alone here in rise of the titans - but not for long! because almost immediately after jim comes to terms with his place as a hero again, toby comes along, and he doesn't finish this fight alone!! he finishes this fight with another trollhunter, who doesn't have an amulet!!

jim deciding to rewind time to back before the events of trollhunters is a bold choice, but it tracks with a theme in wizards - merlin told douxie that what set him apart as a master wizard was his belief that every life was valuable and worthy of being saved. this theme is repeated in the new amulet in rise of the guardians; it's for the glory of all, not just for one person.

and jim deciding to have toby become the trollhunter finally marks the completion of jim's arc. instead of shouldering the burden alone, which is inevitably what would've happened if jim had rewound time, kept all of his memories, and accepted the amulet again, jim is choosing to accept allies into his life sooner. instead of being the trollhunter, jim is letting himself be a trollhunter, alongside all the other trollhunters.

of course, there's some things in this alternate timeline i don't like; mainly that no one stepped in to stop steve from bullying eli. that, to me, was the most out of character, and i can only assume jim didn't step in because he's leaving room for that fight to be toby's; competing against steve was a large jumpstart to jim feeling like he could be strong enough to bear the mantle, and maybe jim was just trying leave it up to toby to establish that on his own. still, i didn't like it.

and, of course, there are people lamenting the fact that none of the heroes of arcadia know each other or that they might not have the same relationships, but i immediately thought of the time loop episode in 3below. in that episode, the trollhunters team and the gang from 3below meet and become friends and ultimately lose the memory of that friendship from that day. however, in that episode, blinky says that true friendship would last against the test of time; if they were meant to be together, then they would be. and guess what? even though none of them remember that happening, they all still became friends. it was meant to be.

i think a lot of anxieties about the changed timeline are because people loved the events of trollhunters so much that they a) don't want to see anything changed and/or b) are trying to project the events of trollhunters onto the new timeline and are upset when they don't fit. toby won't be the same kind of hero that jim is, though - he never has been. inevitably, the story will be different, and that's scary. that was the risk jim took, though, and jim has always trusted in toby, so why shouldn't we?

to me, tales of arcadia has never been about clean endings that make you feel entirely good. they've always left me with a tang of bitter along with the sweet, and i think that's the point. tales of arcadia has always battled with hard questions and difficult endings, and i don't see rise of the titans being any different from that.

like i said before, i don't think rise of the titans is perfect. but you can hate it as much as you want; i still really think it did a good job with the story it was trying to tell. i mean, ending with the idea that all lives are important and worth saving, no matter the risk? that heroism inherently means being part of a collective that you trust and believe in? that through time and space, you will always be able to find and connect with the people you love? that's powerful.

im climbing off my soapbox now, but basically tl;dr: rise of the titans was a good finale, despite it's imperfections, and i think that's all i can ask for.

also if you don't like toby as the trollhunter just because you don't like him breaking out of the 'funny sidekick' archetype you can die by my blade

#anon #ask #rise of the titans #rot #rot spoilers #jim lake jr #rott #rott spoilers #what im trying to say is media does not have to be perfect in order for you to enjoy it #and not only did i enjoy rot i also just. thought it was good? it didn't invalidate any of the rest of toa to me at all #the story we witnessed was still valuable; that was why we were shown this version #i won't get philosophical but like. i am. #all that being said it should've been jim telling the story in the beginning #WBKEBKEWKW I JUST REALIZED THERE WAS NO DOUXIE WITH HIS SICK ASS GUITAR. so that too

[cherrymangos]

tell us about your dnd characters!!! >:00

omg wait i wasn't actually expecting an ask 😭 Oh man i have so many idk who to even start with?? @arukana is making a new world for us to play a few one-shots in since we're wrapping up another campaign, so I suppose I'll start with that one since we're streaming it! (No clue when we're starting it though, we got a few players who still need to make their characters <3)

Also, if you are a fellow player in this campaign you may not look for there be character spoils ahead >:T (And Aru if you ARE reading this I have spoilers for what’s up with Fog after I talk about Newt so stop reading after I finish her <3)

I'm playing a Siren Bard in the College of Creation :0

Her name is Newt, and though I completely forgot to add it to the pic (I was just happy to finally finish the dang thing. the feathers alone took forever 😭) she has a MASSIVE scar from the base of her throat all the way to her navel that makes it look like she was nearly ripped in two.

BECAUSE SHE WAS! It's not going to be terribly important in the one-shots cause I have a bad habit of giving my characters intricate backstories even when we're technically supposed to keep them simple for one-shots n shit.

But if I remember correctly, after we get through the few one-shots we're playing, we might be going into a longer campaign set in the same world where our character backstories become a little more prominent, and I'm very excited! I've made use of 2 different dragons in Newt's backstory, one of which gave her the scar that nearly killed her and the other one is a type of dragon that actually hasn't been in D&D since 3rd edition! That dragon is the reason she has a few of her powers. There are a lot of cool dragon related feats and shit now :}

I've also slowly been working on a playlist for Newt, cause I do it with every D&D character of mine, but it's a bit hard when the campaign hasn't even started and i've yet to explore any character growth/really gotten to know Newt :0

(Aru if youre reading this you STOP HERE!!! there will be spoilers for what the fuck's up with Fog ahead <3)

And I feel bad talking about my D&D characters without mentioning my boy Fog 😭 He's a water genasi shadow sorcerer, though as far as my fellow players know he's a triton :)

He's a little fucked up! I play him in a survival based campaign where the school we were all at was attacked by dragons and to save us, a wizard teleported the section of school we were in but the teleport fucked up and we were sent to a completely unknown part of the planet! We don't know any of the species of flora or fauna here, and it's been fun trying to figure out what can kill us! I have a whole section in my notes for this campaign based on the shit we come across so we can remember what's safe to eat and all xd

Fog here used to live underneath the school in a massive underground reservoir where the school got it's water :0 He'd made secret friends with a professor who discovered him one day while testing the water and they developed this sort of student-mentor relationship :)

It's ALSO been a bit of a challenge cause Fog can't speak or understand common, and no one else in the party speaks any of the languages that Fog DOES know. But one of my party members does have a small single party telepathic ability that we've been using to communicate with Fog, and my friend's character Root has taken to teaching Fog common even if it's been a bit rough cause Fog... well i dumped his wisdom and intelligence xd

Root has also taken it upon herself to unofficially adopt Fog, and so we have this really cute dynamic in the party where Fog is the sort of child figure :]

I also have a very short story written for Fog! It's a bit rough around the edges cause I didn't edit it, nor have I really written anything significant in like years, so bear that in mind. xd

https://archiveofourown.org/works/35697724

And I'll wrap it up with Fog's playlist :}

#Thank you for asking me about my D&D characters omg #😭😭 #I am always just SO happy to talk about them man #there's so much shit that happens in these campaigns it's kind of crazy #don't even get me STARTED on the fucking black dragon incident in Fog's campaign #i still have nightmares about that because we came SO close to party wiping #Dungeons and Dragons #DnD #D&D #Fog #Newt #Digital Art #Art #Original Character #Original Art #OC #OC Art #Ask Raz #and i can't remember where this particular feature came from #it either came from my background of simply from my shadow sorcerer origins #BUT Fog stops breathing when he falls asleep and he's constantly cold to the touch :} #we had a nice little moment of panic when the party realized Fog doesn't breath in his sleep xd

[ironverseocs]

J (for the send me a letter)

This one was tricky to choose, I have so many with the letter J, there must be a subconscious reason for my preference for it XD. Thank you for the ask!!

—

Full name: Jared Williamson

Nicknames: Jare Bear (by his sister, knowing he hates it)

Hogwarts House: Gryffindor

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Bisexual

A Song I Associate With Them: I Bet My Life, by Imagine Dragons

Don't tell me that I'm wrong, I've walked that road before And left you on your own; And please believe them when they say That it's left for yesterday And the records that I've played.

3 Important Relationships:

Dad – when Jared was five, he and his family moved out of England to America except his dad, who said he'd join later once he finished up with some stuff, but he never did: he and Jared's mom separated shortly after the move. Jared barely sees him, but the impact of this absence left deep trenches on the kid growing up, always wondering in the space between (sparse) visits how much Dad thought of him or if he was just forced to hold on still.

Sister – as his twin, Ella Williamson has always been around. Mainly, they are super competitive with one another, which led them to find their own niches (Ella with academia, Jared with sports) and realise that they are more different than the same. Their relationship is characterised by this, but Jared can't imagine not having her around; deep down, there's a trust between them that the competition is a way of expressing.

Soccer Team – I guess this is more than "one" relationship, technically, but as a good team dynamic should be characterised by unison, then I'm counting it! The team is what Jared relies on for relief – any emotional, physical, or otherwise tension he has, he channels all into the game and relies on his 'mates as support. The way they help him, however, is a bit outside the legal bubble; they're rowdy teenaged boys, after all; they find corners of the city where they can break open stolen alcohol, tag building walls with spray paint, explore abandoned structures, you name it. It's fun, and Jared definitely thinks so.

2 Fears:

Being Forgotten – #fomo. from his pov, the worst fate for a person to take is slipping into oblivion without making a single splash. He's a fighter at his core, and his motor - his modus operandi - is this. His dad's absence ties into this, his mother's busy schedule ties into this, his sister's dead-on focus on her grades and school ties into this; he doesn't like feeling alone, as that leads to feeling unimportant, and that plays right into his fear.

Claustrophobia – part of his lifestyle is being free. When he's not, he grows agitated. The closer the walls are to one another, the less comfortable he'll be even entering a room (i.e. he'd never hide in a closet during hide 'n seek; he much preferred hide'n'seek-tag where he could choose to run the whole time; he's really good at running). He hates being limited, and that includes physically too.

1 Element of their backstory:

The Williamson's have lived just under the middle class line ever since they moved to America. Mr. Williamson was the one with the larger paycheck, but not even his alimony check could cover their lifestyle. Jared's mom had to work several jobs to keep her family afloat, and he hated seeing the toll it took on her. But it also had a spillover toll on him: constantly worried about losing their house was the biggest thing, whereas the smallest things just lodged in the crevices he normally would have tried to take relief from, such as never having memories of someone making lunch for him to take to school or watching all his soccer mates get outlandish presents on his birthday whereas whatever gifts he got came at the expense of rent for that month or groceries or something. He didn't think it fair, and he was jealous, too. A constant worry to add on to everything else – stoking the flaming disappointed he holds for dad, boxing him into his fear of being limited or restrained, making him feel insignificant and small. So, he turns to fast and semi-illegal means for reprieve.

#oc: jared williamson #fic: what's in motion #allaboutocs #ochub #ocapp #fd: the flash #bluejayinflight #type: asks #thank you! #he's so fun to think about

[pluviophile-bookworm]

HSMTMTS 2x9: so dreaded, so exciting, 'Sword!' (yeah, I went there, I've been thinking about this scene - you know the one - since yesterday for some reason)

After two computer malfunctions and a very tough, very sleepless night, here I am with a third attempt to write this post. The universe is against me today. Is Mercury in retrograde or something? Ugh, I just want to get this over with already. And I haven't even managed to see half the episode yet. You better like this cursed post because it's taken me two hours at this point, and will probably take another to finish - and that is if nothing goes wrong this time. Please bear with me. This is my reaction to HSMTMTS 2x9, take 3. Let's hope and pray it's the last one.

I'm normally [unpopular opinion alert] a very spoiler-positive person (it's the combination of anxiety and ADHD and a bunch of other stuff, I suppose), but for this one I've been refraining from looking at the tag all morning, so by now I'm simply bursting with impatience. But before we dive in, I need to get some stuff off my chest.

Some pre-watch thoughts and feelings (let's see how well they will have aged by the end of the episode):

Seriously, what is with whoever writes this show? I know it's impossible, but I feel like they've been toying with my emotions specifically all season. Like:

Ah, so you were a Rini shipper last season? Great, now we'll make them obnoxious and borderline toxic to the point where you actually want them to break up, but then their old chemistry will be back just for the breakup scene so that you can cry your eyes out over the one couple you couldn't stand - even though you can't seem to relate to a single song from Sour, we'll make you feel like you do for a hot second. At least it will remind you that you loved Ricky.

So you say Redlyn own your heart and soul? Great, we'll make you dread something going wrong with them for a week straight, and mess up your sleep schedule beyond repair over it. You're welcome!

We heard you said Rodfini give you life? Perfect, how about a big Seblos fight? And would you like a side of questioning your choice to stan Carlos with that? Because what is life without a little anxiety, a bit of doubt of your ability to read people, and a pinch of existential dread, right?

Ah, so you claimed not to ship Portwell romantically, is that right? Brilliant, we'll make you ship them and then we'll use that to torture you, too.

You've been excited about ABF and Asher Angel guest-starring ever since they were announced? Magnificent! We'll make you hate ABF's character to the point where you can't even look at him, and we'll make you call him names you thought yourself incapable of uttering. And as for Asher, you'll be left waiting for him until the last third of the season, and then you'll dread the possibility of hating his character, too. Do you love us yet?

Oof! Right then, I've got that out of my system. Time to dive in.

Miss Jenn playing around with the backgrounds is, like, 90% of the people who had online school this year, and honestly, I love that for her.

Wait, why is Nini first on this call? Are they going through with the Rose thing? Cos like, the song is nice and all (and, might I add, much more to my taste than nearly all of Sour, don't @ me), but if they use it, it will get them disqualified. They’ve been told that! Gosh, please let me be wrong about this.

We get it, Carlito, rich and fancy and over-the-top is kind of your thing, but have you stopped for a second to think about how others will feel about this? Especially Seb, whom you claim to care about. Seriously, though, I love Carlos and would not hesitate to die for him, but I’m getting the feeling that, unlike my other favourite (you know the one), he wouldn’t do the same for me. Oh well, he’ll figure it out. He’s just a kid. Give him time.

Wait, Milky White? Is that an Into the Woods reference I smell? Cool! If I had a cow, I’d totally name her Milky White (or Gertrude, but don’t ask me why). I just hope they don’t have to, like, take her to the market and exchange her for magic beans, if you catch my drift.

Ahhhhh, Caswell cousins content! We love to see it!

‘You guys are watching, like, old old movies’ WTH, Nini (or is it Nina)? Scary Movie is literally younger than me. But what do you know about it, you 21st-century baby! Ugh, I don’t know why I’m being so hostile today... must be the lack of sleep. Hope it doesn’t influence my reactions to the episode so dramatically as to make me forget how much I love this series. Because I do.

Yay! Big Red is here! I can finally smile. And did Ash just say they’re soulmates? Because yes they are! Ahhh my heart is going to explode.

‘Nini, have you heard from [Ricky]?’ Yikes, awkward... but of course, Big Red can be counted on to save the day here, too.

Ok, so that was a cool cold open. Time for some nice in-person scenes, though. I did not spend all of three semesters doing online school just to have the characters of my favourite series do the same.

Wow, Gina is really embracing that French accent thing! And I really don’t want to think about, erm, ‘Napoleon over here’ right now, but I really think the fact that she’s doing it better than him will be another piece of evidence towards my theory of fake-French!Antoine... ugh, I said his name. Oh well. Back to Gina. Too bad the French thing didn’t work out for her.

Ahhhh, Portwell with Ash in the background! And Ash is going to paint EJ’s nails! I feel like he’s going to end up loving that, despite what he says right now. But seriously, I just love how comfortable these two are with each other. Can you blame me now for shipping them as friends? Well, I mean, it’s obvious they will be more than friends, and somehow, despite the amatonormativity of it all, I’m here for it.

Wait, was that Asher? That was Asher, I’m 100% sure of it. And Gina said ‘a sign’ and then looked at him, even from the back... what am I supposed to think and feel here? I’m confused. Moving on.

Ahh, poor Ricky being a burrito... good thing that breakup scene last time reminded me that I love him, because the entirety of the season before that was very good at making me forget that.

Wait, did she say ‘the Bean’? As in, that Bean? The infamous Bean? LOL.

‘So the only time you two talk to each other is to gossip about me’ Boy, did I feel that. I once got my hands on my dad’s mobile and I... kind of went through his texts with mum. Yep, all about me and my brother. At this point I feel like they’re only together because of us. But this is getting too personal. I’m here about the episode, not to rant about my family. Moving on.

Yikes, looks like Nini’s got writer’s block all over again. Am I supposed to feel sorry for her? Because I kind of don’t. I mean, no hate towards her, none at all, but that entire scene just felt awkward and unnecessary. And not just because it’s her first time going live. That I can understand. What I don’t understand is why the writers can’t seem to do anything creative and interesting with Nini. Olivia is being wasted there. Idk, that’s just how I feel. Again, no hate.

Ahhhhh it’s Asher! And well, he’s not Jonah, but I kind of really like him as Jack. I wonder if that will last.

So is it just me, or is anyone else not quite sure how to feel about Ricky’s mum? I mean, their interactions seem kind of awkward and strained, but that’s how it’s supposed to be given their recent history, and yet something just doesn’t sit quite right with me.

‘You there, Muse? It’s me, Nini!’ Ah, so it’s Nini again? I didn’t get the memo. Gosh, this episode is kind of really underwhelming. The most exciting thing so far (but not nearly as exciting in practice as it was in theory) – Asher and Sofia’s on-screen reunion. The second most exciting thing? The thought of Ash painting EJ’s nails. Everything else? Kind of ‘whatever’. Is this what I tossed and turned about all night? Totally not worth it. This episode better get, like, 300% better right this instant. It’s just not worth all the frustration and excitement and dread so far.

Looks like my prayers from just now have been heard! That improv scene was hilarious! Guess it was lucky that Miss Jenn had them do improv before this moment. But I need to know more of Jack’s backstory now.

Ok, so that was awkward! So Kourtney is talking to Howie again, I guess. And I guess I know now what Carlos did that was all public and no subtle. Still, what’s wrong with posting photos from your holiday? Guess I don’t exactly know yet what Carlos did to piss the others off so much.

Great, now I’m tempted to google butterfly faces. Good thing I’m not eating anymore. *** Ughhhhh this was a mistake! Please don’t ever look a butterfly in the face if you want to stay sane. Don’t be like me.

Ahhh the Duke sweater! ‘Is that your boyfriend’s?’ Well, not quite yet, it’s not... *screams in Portwell*

Oh, now we’re talking! But seriously, Ricky? The ‘my friends think’ card? Why don’t you just say ‘I think’? It’s clearly something you’ve thought about a lot. I feel like I’m going to love this scene or cry over it or both.

Ooh, therapy. It’s not just... basically the entire fandom... who says it now. Please tell me that means Ricky will be going to therapy at some point. Says the girl who is currently firmly refusing to go to therapy in favour of hyperfixating on HSMTMTS and getting back into the good old practice of having imaginary friends... yeah, I’m one to talk.

My, my, my! Seb has really had it now. I mean, it was about time, but... not quite like this. My heart is starting to do some weird stuff, I can feel it. I might need to lie down.

Ok, so as much as I envy North High for getting to see so many shows on BWay – basically living out my dream – stalking East High on Instagram and being shady about them taking a well-deserved break... just goes beyond all limits. I mean, if you’re so into Broadway shows, you should know as well as I do what happened the last time a certain founding father did not take a break. Maybe you’re the ones in need of a break here.

Nini on the call with the Caswell cousins, though... ‘I’m obsessed with both of you’ – first relatable thing she’s said or done all season. And EJ playing with old toys is pure gold.

Oh, so Jack’s dad is a pilot. Makes sense, I guess. I’m kind of intrigued by this guy. Just as long as he doesn’t try to come between Portwell before they’ve had the chance to happen, you know...

Ashlyn might need to stop swooning over Nini’s songwriting or Big Red might get jealous... I mean, I would not have pinned him as the jealous type before 2x7, but ever since then... I guess insecure + dating a girl like Ash = the jealous type. And although that looks good on him, I’d bet anything it doesn’t feel particularly pleasant on his side. So... wait, why am I talking about Big Red? He hasn’t even got anything to do with the scene at hand. But then again, there’s been so little Big Red content in this episode that I seem to be trying to make up for it. Still. Stay focused.

Ooh, so Big Red did edit that video! Is there anything my boy can’t do? Ok, now I feel like he’s even more criminally underappreciated than he was before. But let’s look at the video. I’m curious to see the whole thing because that sneak peek from yesterday simply hasn’t been enough.

That was... really, really cool! I love how they took the ‘when they go low, we go high’ line from last time and run with it. Now if only they were putting as much effort into BATB... North High wouldn’t know what hit them.

Hmmmm... I guess Gina and Jack could be what I originally wanted Portwell to be... really cool friends. Unless it’s one of those ‘airport magic’ things. Oh well. It probably is. Was that all we’re seeing of Asher here? I did not wait 2/3 of the season for this. Though it was nice.

Ooh, Ricky’s solo song... why is there more Rini chemistry in this song than there was in all the season? Not counting the breakup scene, of course. Also, I feel like it’s just as much about him and his mum as it is about Nini. Some say music is the best therapy. I think they might be right. And no, I’m not crying. You are.

The granola bar, though... this episode might have been very underwhelming in the first half, but... it delivered in the Portwell front, and the music was *chef’s kiss*, so I’m willing to let it slide that the advertised Seblos ‘big fight’ was not touched upon nearly enough. Maybe next week...

Ok, now that we’re done watching the episode, let’s see how my feelings from the beginning have aged:

The Rini breakup: apparently, along with reminding me that I love Ricky, it has rendered me unable to look at Nini. What’s up with that? If this is some sort of tactic along the lines of ‘Olivia might be leaving the show so we’re making you hate her character so that you won’t miss her’, it’s not really working. Because I don’t want to hate Nini. Believe me, I don’t.

Redlyn: ok, so there’s nothing wrong with them whatsoever - we even got a ‘soulmates’, which I loved - but first they’re being swept under the rug, and then the antis come at us with that ‘their relationship is underdeveloped’ nonsense. Individually, though, I liked them in this episode (even if there was a significant shortage of Big Red), and Ashlyn collaborating with Nini again was cool, but... what I really wanted to see was her painting EJ’s nails. Did she even get the chance to actually do it? Maybe next week.

Seblos: I’m still failing to understand exactly what Seb thinks Carlos did wrong (please enlighten me if you did catch that, I’m kind of slow), but he (Seb) does have reasons to be mad at him (Carlos)... and at other people, too. Still, if you want to have a fight between two people in a relationship, you could do much better than whatever this episode was. Maybe next week. I notice I’m saying that a lot. Guess I’m putting a lot of hopes on 2x10. I just pray it doesn’t disappoint.

Portwell: boy, am I happy that my frustration on this front did not age well! What I mean is, apparently they’ve decided to bless us, not torture us for once. Even a rather disappointing episode like this one had to have some sort of silver lining. And Portwell is it.

Asher as Jack: well, luckily I didn’t hate him, but... it’s kind of the opposite problem. I loved him and now they’re taking him away from me. Guess I just can’t win here. Oh well. At least he didn’t have the screen time to get in between Portwell...

All in all: 2x10, my hopes and prayers are with you!

#hsmtmts #nini salazar-roberts #ricky bowen #gina porter #ej caswell #ashlyn caswell #ashlyn moon caswell #big red redonovich #carlos rodriguez #seb matthew-smith #kourtney greene #miss jenn hsmtmts #jack hsmtmts #olivia rodrigo #joshua bassett #sofia wylie #matt cornett #julia lester #larry saperstein #frankie rodriguez #joe serafini #dara renee #kate reinders #asher angel #hsmtmts season 2 #hsmtmts s2 #jnk

[msilwrites]

(A 3AM Update) A True Gentleman, Chapter 19 - Taking back her life

A/N: Hi guys, Chapter 19 is up! Some lighthearted comedy here and there too. Not really much of a plot device, but we're approaching how to handle the reality of Diana's situation as she tries to take her life back. Tell me what you think in the comments below, and Enjoy reading!

NINETEEN

Taking back her life

Diana looked at the dating app on her phone and read the exchange of messages with her date. After the first time, in a long time, she was finally going out on a 'date'.

The guy who she had been chatting with seemed kind enough. In fact, she had chatted with him for a few weeks before even deciding to go out with him. She definitely does not want some asshole. Once bitten, twice shy. She has learned her lesson after all the years of being in an abusive relationship.

Again, sadly, she left the house through her bedroom window, not wanting to see Isaac. It had been weeks since they have seen each other. The only thing she heard was his voice and the sound of his footsteps around the house. In fact, he tried knocking on her bedroom door, only to be met with silence. She had been pretending to not be around for some time now, and the only time she talked to him was through phone messages, telling him that she had already paid the rent.

His attempts of communicating further were also met with silence on the other side of the line. If he was lucky, she would give him a late response as she was determined to cut herself from him emotionally.

**********

When Diana arrived at the place that she and her date agreed upon, she saw the open park theatre filled with orchestra musicians, packing their instruments. It appears that they had just finished their rehearsals.

She looked to her side, and there on one of the benches, seated, was a handsome man, reading through countless music sheets. She walks in his direction and clears her throat to get his attention.

"Maestro... I'm Diana Rutherford..."

**********

It was a funny reason why Diana had agreed on this date in the first place. First of all, it wasn't for something romantic. Her date is actually a music executive, composer and orchestra director who went to the dating app, only to find a replacement singer who can sing opera in alto-soprano for a small formal charity benefit to be held at the park. Second, she needed someone to talk to, and he and she happen to get along well. Nothing more.

Diana, with opera training, and whose voice happens to fall under alto-soprano, agreed, with a bit of hesitation, of course, thinking if this was legit or not. Furthermore, there was a promise of payment, which made her finally give in. Taking on a part-time job was not so bad after all, especially that she needed some extra funds.

"Uhhmmm, how do I address you?" was her first question. Of course, she knows his name. An epitome of tall, dark and handsome, he carried this air of quiet respect. So she wanted to be polite.

"By my name would be great" was his reply, accompanied with a disarming smile.

" Alright, Aedan... " she cleared her throat and sat up straight.

"Well, I'm just curious, what were you doing in the app with a fake profile? You don't look like you needed to do that" he states, seeing that she was nothing like the way she describes in her profile.

"I was looking for someone to date... no erase that, I was hoping for someone to talk to... the app was a convenient tool, especially, with the anonymity that the internet provided, but then I found you and that weird ad/ profile of yours." was her straight and honest answer.

He laughs at how honest she was. "Can't you afford a therapist? " he asked playfully.

" I can, but I can't afford to book a session with him every day... that will drain my funds" she reasons, and he chuckles at how direct yet funny she sounded.

"Don't you have friends?"

"Of course! I have friends! But..."

"But?"

"But I can't possibly worry them enough and stress them out. I can't be dependent on them for everything. There are also some things I can't discuss with them, you know? there are limits..."

"Like how you had been in love with their father for a long time?" he adds, remembering that she mentioned this to him before when they chatted in the app.

" Yep... see how that sounds like? 'Daddy Issues'. I mean I do admit, I have that. I will definitely get disowned by my friends if those issues come to light..." she sighs. "Oh, by the way, where are your other singers? and why did you have to find a singer using the dating app?" she adds.

He sighs, " One is currently busy with her children, a few of them preparing for their final papers, the others are currently overseas, travelling, no one is available on the date of the performance..."

"Oh... yes, that is a problem..." she nodded in agreement. " But why the app? It's unconventional..." she reasons.

He laughs " It's unconventional, but it was fast and it worked! I found you! You do realize that the app isn't only about dating!" he says, referring to the 'social' part where you find people or groups of like-minded people.

"Err... so do you plan to continue dating ?"

"No... I've deleted the app,"

"Ha? But why?"

"I didn't like some messages I've received from some..." he said, shaking his head and feeling the hair on the back of his head, stand. It creeped him out just remembering those inappropriate messages.

"Well... I can only imagine..." she said, understanding that he must've received some 'thirsty' messages that anyone will be uncomfortable reading, due to how attractive he is.

"Why did you click my profile?"

" Well... obviously, I swiped right because you're an attractive man... you look like a clean-cut version of 'Ross Poldark', other than that, I would have not talked to you, if not for what you've written in your bio."

" I like your honesty!" he declares and threw his head back laughing.

"Thank you..."

"Did you really have opera training?" he asked, still in doubt.

"Yes, I started during the sixth form, my grandmother sent me to lessons to build my confidence and voice...It even became my elective back in university... Then I joined choirs, sang oratorios... so on and so forth... I sang with the choir in church and there were times I sang part-time as a soloist in some events. I enjoyed those times, "

" What made you stop? Singing I mean?"

"I... I..." she paused for a moment, finding a clear way to explain what happened. " I got into a relationship... "

"Let me guess... he was either possessive or abusive?" he guessed, already knowing which was it.

"Both actually... he didn't like me being looked at when I sang... I guess he wanted the audience to close their eyes during a song..." she recalls, remembering the incident with her ex, Jesse.

Aedan laughed and nodded in agreement. Hearing such situations wasn't new to him. He had a few incidents before where a soloist came to a rehearsal with a black eye. Abusive people demand the victim's attention solely focused on them, and try to cut off the victim from the activities they love.

"I do hope you are no longer with that man... I don't want another soloist coming to a rehearsal unable to sing properly because she is injured... don't get me wrong, I may want the performance to be perfect, but I do care for people, and I do feel the pain when I see such situations..."

"Yes... don't worry, I've broken up with him a long time ago," she assured.

"Good!" he exclaims and after a while, remembers something and looks at his watch. "Rehearsals resume in an hours time. Let's have lunch, and we will test your voice later"

**********

"What made you want to sing again? If I may ask?" Aedan said, waiting for the orchestra to return to their seats.

"It's just... I want my life back, Aedan... I just want to go back to what I used to be" was her answer, and he understood.

"Alright..." Aedan taps his baton on the podium, signalling everyone that they were about to start rehearsal. He calls in another person, and another man enters the stage.

"Diana, this is Max, your duet, Max, this is Diana, your new partner!" Aedan introduces.

Diana looked at Max and her mouth hung agape in admiration. if Aedan is handsome, so is Max! Tall, dark, and ruggedly handsome, bearing a fleeting resemblance to Hugh Jackman. She smiled, and giggled to herself, thanking her lucky stars for being surrounded by handsome men today. This would definitely be a good step to move on.

"Diana," Max stretches his hand out for a handshake and she gives them a tight squeeze, whilst smiling like a schoolgirl at him.

"You can ogle at him later, all you want, if you pass the 'audition', Diana!" Aedan teased, earning him a grimace from her. He chuckled at her reaction but quickly asked her to stand straight and get ready for vocal warm-ups.

Aedan sits adjacent to the grand piano and plays the keys for the duet to warm up. After the vocal warm-ups, he goes back to his podium and the orchestra sat in position.

"We have a tradition in this group, every time there is a new singer... as a welcome, she is to sing-" Aedan waves his baton and the began to play the introductory part of the song 'Libiamo ne' lieti calici' which was followed by Max baritone voice, singing the first verse and turning to Diana with a smile.

"How appropriate," she smiled, knowing that it was quite a welcoming song and felt the excitement in her heart to sing once again. And when her turn came, she took a deep breath and without hesitation and care of the possibility of singing out of tune, she gave it her all.

When the song was about to close, the orchestra plays increases their tempo, so as the two duets and then together, they hit the high note with their voices, closing the brindisi.

Diana catches her breath, it was definitely a struggle for her to hit the note, how long has it been since she sang? Years. However, she was met by applause by the orchestra musicians, her duet partner, and the director, Aedan, which came to her as a surprise, because she knew she didn't hit every note right.

"Welcome to the group, Diana!" Max smiles, giving her a squeeze in her hand.

"Thank you, Max!" was her response.

"Welcome to the group, Diana! you've missed a note here and there, but I believe that can be improved with practice" Aedan says, as he approaches. The way he said 'practice' already scares her.

**********

"Oh, my, my, Diana! you are glowing, recently!" Mrs Chambers greets Diana as she goes back to her reception area after lunch.

"Thank you! But what do you mean glowing?" she asked, a little bemused.

" You lively! Happier?! no longer gloomy liked you used to be, no offence" was Mrs Chambers direct answer.

"None taken..." she smiles, knowing that Mrs Chambers has a point. She looked like a pale, gloomy flower.

"Is this a new skincare? beauty routine? activity, a new man?"

Diana laughed at the last part of what Mrs Chambers said. "No, unfortunately, not a man... It's probably because of having clarity of the mind now," she said, knowing that Mrs Chambers was also aware of the past depressing incidents that she had gone through.

"I am glad for that!" Mrs Chambers smiles at her.

Earning the clarity of the mind was one of the things Diana was grateful for. Especially now that she was trying to take her life back.

She looks at her schedule on her phone. On Thursday evenings, she takes JUDO classes, and on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon were rehearsals and additional training with Aedan. He wasn't kidding when she told her how strict he is. Heck, he knows when one didn't practice the song. There was a wee bit of regret in her for agreeing to take JUDO classes and joining the orchestra as one of their singers, especially now that she had to follow strict discipline. But gratefulness, enjoyment, and the contentment it gave her overweighs the regret.

**********

Diana enters the restaurant and looks around for Aedan. He told her that they would meet at this restaurant which was, near her office, before they head for practice.

She smiles and waves at him, upon seeing him seated at a table near the window. He smiles back and waves at her to come over.

"Hello, Aedan"

"Good Afternoon, Diana! I sure do hope you practised the song."

"Ahehehe... I did!..."

He narrows his eyes on her.

"I swear I did!, though it was a struggle, I made sure I did, every day! In full voice!" she says in her defence.

Aedan laughs. "Don't worry, I understand, you don't want your 'crush' to hear you singing! By the way, do you still leave the house using your bedroom window?"

She looks at him sheepishly and that look she gave was enough to answer his question.

He throws his head back laughing. "Oh, Diana! How are you going to leave the house on the day of the performance? Do you want me to rescue you from the tower and fight the dragon?" he teased.

"What the heck! Aedan! Dr. Skovgaard isn't a dragon!"

"I never said that!" he says, hand up in surrender, still laughing.

"Diana?!" a familiar voice calls her name, she looks around to find Allegra seated at the nearby table.

"Allegra!" she greets, a little nervous, as if she was a little girl caught in a misdeed.

"You're here! I haven't seen you in a long time! Look how glowing you are!" Allegra says, echoing the same thing Mrs Chambers had said and gives her friend a tight embrace. "You wouldn't join us for dinner, what have you been up to?!" was her next question.

"Ahehehe..."

However, before Diana could think of an answer, Allegra turns her attention to Aedan. She looked at him suspiciously which made Diana nervous.

"And may I know who is this? care to introduce me to your new friend?"

"This is Aedan, Aedan, this is Allegra, my best friend..." she introduces, and Allegra immediately takes the seat beside Diana, still looking at the man suspiciously.

Aedan beams at her and stretches out his hands, offering Allegra a handshake, which she took.

"Hi, I'm Aedan McInnes... Diana's date" he says, followed by his disarming smile. Knowing that Diana didn't want to tell anyone of her current activities.

"What?!" Allegra's eyes widened in shock. "Since when? You've never told us anything, Diana!" she says, turning to Diana.

"Oh! it's just recent! I didn't want to tell anyone because everything happened just recently! Plus, I didn't want to worry you, also... Aedan's a great guy!" she reasons and gives the grinning man a quick glare.

"I see... well... Of course, I'd be worried about you, and Aedan, what do you do?" was the beginning of Allegra's interrogation.

" I am a music producer," was his reply, which is part of the truth.

Diana sighs, as the interrogation continued.

**********

"Out of many things you could think of! Aedan! you told Allegra, that you're my date..." was the first thing that came out of Diana during the rehearsal break. They were almost late for rehearsal because of it. "We barely made it out of there!"

However, the only reply Aedan gave was a hearty laugh. "Tell me, Diana, what are you exactly worried about? By right, we are not doing anything wrong,"

She paused for a moment and thought about it. What was she worried about " I... I don't know... Dr Skovgaard finding out?" the reason just carelessly slipped out of her lips.

"Aha!" Aedan exclaimed, causing Diana to jolt in surprise.

"What?"

" You're worried about your crush finding out!" he declares.

" Wait...what? I said that?! I-"

"Diana, look, you should not worry, in fact, you should be glad! If your Dr Skovgaard reacts, then it means he cares for you!"

"Of course, that man cares for me! I told you he sees me as his daughter! "

"Uh, uh , uh, that will depend on how he reacts!" he adds, making her a little hopeful. However, she knew that it was impossible.

**********

It was a Sunday when Allegra met her father for brunch. She excitedly jogs upon the small staircase that led to the front door of the restaurant. She had been wanting to tell her dad what she had recently found out.

"Woah... Allegra, what is all this excitement about?" was the first thing Isaac said to his daughter, the moment she arrived at their table, looking a little too excited. He chuckles and calls for the waiter, thinking that it was some sort of good news.

"Guess what I've found out yesterday dad!" her tone and expression turning into 'worry'.

"What is it?"

" Ross Poldark! he's dating her!!" Allegra declares. Describing how Aedan, her friend's date yesterday, has a fleeting resemblance to the character.

"Wait... what? " was his reply, unable to comprehend what his daughter was saying.

" Diana is dating again!!" she declares, clearer this time.

Isaac's expression changes from 'worry' to something darker. Which his daughter didn't notice as she continued telling what she found out.

A/N: I probably made some grammatical errors here and there, so I'd do some soft editing from time to time. Why do you think Isaac's expression darkened? tell me what you think in the comments below.

Also;

Brindisi - is a drinking song.

A number of Opera Singers / Choral Singers / Soloist / Orchestra Musicians have day jobs.

My face claims were; Aidan Turner and Hugh Jackman for Aedan and Max (Because Hugh can sing). I also want to assure you, they're not rivals of Isaac, but plot vouchers for the next chapters. These characters are there to give clarity and support to Diana.

#A True Gentleman #Mads Mikkelsen #Mads Mikkelsen Fan Fic #Mads Mikkelsen FanFic #Mads Mikkelsen Fan Fiction #Mads Mikkelsen FanFiction #Mads Mikkelsen x OFC #OFC #Doctor! Mads #MissIronLady #MSILWRITES #MissIronLadyIW

[ceruleanskies]

I've just finished reading "Perfidious," and may I say just how surprised (yet, not) I am with its ending. Being a TyongF, I made sure to read a Taeyong story from your master list first, and you keyed in that it was a personal favorite of yours, so I went in. And I just want to inform you now that this may get long, so please bear with me here; I might get a little emotional than I intend to be. (TBC)

I'll still go straight to the point, though, and say how my old self can relate to Y/N so much. I relied on other people so much to bring me happiness, letting them have power over me and my happiness again and again and again. Until I just didn't. But I just want to give it to you how amazingly you portrayed Y/N in her unknowing of how Taeyong really feels. I personally thought as well that it may have been Y/N's naïvety that brought her to where she ended up, but that I cannot blame her at all

because God forbid we can't at least be hopeful for one last time that we're not going to be hurt again. And, personally, I loved that touch of reality you put in there. I loved how you portrayed Taeyong as someone who wasn't just some dickhead who played with Y/N. From my perspective of the story, he never really lead her on and never suggested being in love with her; it was most likely Y/N's naïvety and hopefulness that this one was better, was different. And, goodness, you did great on that.

The way it ended reminded me of caiuscassiuss' "Whiplash" (I loved that one too), and it was almost how you'd really expect such a story to end. I was almost expecting things to get fucked up in the end, and I was questioning how and why the hell Y/N would take Taeyong back if it were to because, fuck, that's messed up. And when it did fuck up, and Y/N was almost soulless after Taeyong, I had to applaud you. You certainly did not try and please the readers, and you were so raw with the emotions.

It was so strong of you to have been able to write such a sensitive and emotional piece such as this one. It isn't easy. I aim to write stories too, and I still am finding my own style to be able to place the right words in to capture the emotions. You certainly did well with "Perfidious," and I sure hope it becomes one of your most successful works, although it has already succeeded for me. I usually don't read stories with smuts, but you certainly didn't make it uncomfortable for me.

I just wanted to add too that I was listening to "Star Dust" by Ha Dong Qn on repeat while reading the story. It's a beautiful song with beautiful lyrics that I associate dearly with Taeyong, but I associate its melody with your story. The melancholic sound it has matches with the coldness that I feel for Y/N. It seems like a pain you don't want to bear, but the familiarity of it all makes you want to keep going back to it. That's how the story made me feel. And you worded it perfectly.

Ah, I feel like I said too much but never really got to grasp how it is that I feel about the story, but please know just how much it has affected me. It felt like a personal bond that I connected with you through the pain of it, and I am certain I'm not alone. The pain is familiar, and I just don't have enough words to say how much you painted much of my emotions from the past in eight thousand words. You're insane for this. And I love you for that. "Perfidious" is amazing. I give it a 9.5/10👍

Okay, I guess this is where I'll end this very long entry. I appreciate the story very much. I never liked angsty stories as they always managed to drag me to my past, but this one felt like that one small piece of memory I had, and it was hard to look away even though it hurt. I just hope now that you're doing okay too, and that you know just how perfectly worthy you are just as you are. I hope you love yourself as much as you love others. Thank you for your wonderful story. It was amazing.

wowowow the way im smiling like an utter FOOL right now anon thank you so so much for this amazing review! 

perfidious was the work i published for neowritingsnet’s mythology festival back in... early 2019 i believe? i wanted to make the work a modern parallel to books 3 and 4 of virgil’s ‘aeneid’, wherein aeneas has to leave dido to fulfill his destiny; i wanted to draw on how dido felt in the book (i don’t write about su*c*de, which is how the tale of dido and aeneas ends so instead i chose to end it the way i did). in fact, the definition of perfidious is ‘untrustworthy’, derived from the latin word ‘perfide’, used by dido to describe aeneas in the epic poem. 

one of the main reasons why this fic is so close to my heart is because the emotions that y/n feels at the end of the fic are entirely ones that i myself felt when i had my heart broken. it was painful and i felt like complete and utter shit for months and months; it was a vicious cycle of self-loathing that was so difficult to break. it did all work out in the end for me (either that or the pain numbed more and more until i can’t feel it), but i wanted to make it clear that y/n was so, so hurt by taeyong’s actions. 

i’m genuinely so, so glad you enjoyed it so much, this review means the absolute world to me. i hope you’re doing well!!!

[douchebagbrainwaves]

I'VE BEEN PONDERING PROGRAMMERS

Even Einstein needed people to bounce ideas off. It would have been. I did it to desktop publishing software like Interleaf and Framemaker. To some extent you have to be on the path to something great. If you try something that has to be good startup founders by empathizing with them—if you don't have them. Html 11. Paul Buchheit, John Collison, Patrick Collison, Aaron Iba, Jessica Livingston, and Robert Morris for reading drafts of this. Most philosophical debates are not merely free but compelled to make things people want, and to Randall Bennett for being such a nice guy. Xkcd implemented a particularly clever one in its IRC channel: don't allow the same thing, setting up a company than to be built on NT.

And no convincing means just that: zero time spent meeting with investors or preparing materials for them. True, but I bought it, but those who like what they can't have, if you have what it takes to hear it. Plus since TVs were expensive whole families watched the same shows together, so they had first claim on the proceeds of the auction. Our startup spent its entire marketing budget on PR: at a time, because the main cost in software startups is people. It's a straight text classification problem. The best word to describe the way good programmers write software. So the nature of future discoveries is hard to bear. The exciting thing is that we so rarely see analyses of this type is the fact that it works so much better when you improve in response to what you do. Boston, and few in Chicago or Miami from the microscopically small number, per capita, that succeed there. Startups don't win by attacking. But if the software were 100% finished and ready to launch at the push of a button, would they still be waiting? And so most of them are the same, if not months.

It seems to me one of the greats, but he's an especial hero to me because of Lisp. Server-based software is never going to succeed, like founders do, just that they take a long time cities were the only protection for ideas, companies wouldn't just have to keep trying new things. Which they deserve because they're taking more risk. But if you were extracting every penny? A rounds from VCs. I could play all day. If anyone wants to see the real Nixon. Which means it's a disaster to let the world have a natural advantage. When we wanted some publicity, we'd make a list of n things is so relaxing. And if you think about it, and savor what one has. Almost certainly. They need to market themselves to founders: they don't need publishers.

Intel or Apple or Google have offices there, but that the work they're offered is unappetizing. How do you decide what infrastructure to use for a project, divide it into components and give each to one person, Paul Buchheit, Patrick Collison, Jessica Livingston, Robert Morris, and Fred Wilson for reading drafts of this, and so on, and why are they attached to all these questions, you might do better to move to the Bay Area to start their own company. And that's exciting because it means their investment creates less of a change like the one the Valley has over New York. The two 10 minuteses have 3 weeks between them so founders can get cheap plane tickets, but except for that they could be, and I completely agree with him. What you must not use the word essays in the title of one: James Salter's Burning the Days. The reason credentials have such prestige is that for so long the large organizations in a society got that way from refutation. But I don't see how we can say it's axiomatic. People who've done great things.

And it wouldn't be novel. I may later scale token probabilities substantially, but this is not as facile a trick as it might seem. Be ruthlessly mercenary when you start a startup you would do well to act as a magnet, drawing the best people to work for a company with 100 people will feel different from one with 1000. If the client doesn't run anything except a browser, there's less risk in starting your own company, only for startups that have succeeded despite any number of random factors could sink you before you can destroy them. At first I tried rules. You'd have to get a patent is now very slow, but it is the people who run them are driven by the demands of the work that even the kids believe it, which usually means encrusting it with gratuitous ornament. When you make things in large volumes, and the reactions that spread from person to person, it's not their chances of succeeding, not to limit users' choices. More precisely, the users' need has to be pierced too.

Something Minimal Lots of founders mentioned how important it was to source good screws. Everything would seem exactly as he'd predicted, until he looked at Maxwell's equations and said, what the hell your site is catching on, or it won't germinate. For me the list is, because we invest the earliest. If you happen to run into Sean Parker, who understands the domain really well because he started a similar startup himself, and also New York, Cambridge, and Silicon Valley is too far from San Francisco. They could sense that the higher you go the fewer instances you find. You can be sure it's not a switch to Apple, but a hopelessly inflexible one for developing new ideas. So the real question is, how much risk you can stand, and the transformation was miraculous. I'd say what separates the great investors from the mediocre ones is the quality of the insiders. His response was to launch with the simplest possible type: a few topics you've thought about a lot, and who the competitors are and why this company is going to have a mistakenly high opinion of your abilities, because that showed how much time it would take to get new ones to move there.

Do what you love, you're practically forced to write the first version of his sketch to the witness. We're only comparing YC startups, who've already made it over a certain size it gets presumptuous for a seed investor to do that anyway. I'm going to try something new this funding cycle. As with most nature/nurture questions, the answer seemed obvious. All through college, and that's what keeps the engineers and product development is something that has to work on doesn't mean you can ignore the economy. There's nothing that magically changes after you take that last exam. Now you could get paid huge sums of money involved, but investment negotiations can easily turn personal. Occasionally the things adults made you do were fun, just as there is for things that seem broken, regardless of how hard they try to be a lot of what looks like work. A turd that results? Not linearly of course, so no major bugs should get released. But ambition is human nature rather than anything specific to comment threads there, but not if you're working on something, you'd think it might be easy for spammers to spoof: just add a big chunk of angel money will usually be the happiest phase in a startup's life. It's especially good if you're different in a way that would be the best writer among Silicon Valley CEOs.

Programmers were seen as technicians who translated the visions if that is the larval stage of most software. Better to make everyone feel like a community. As technologies improve, each generation can do things to influence the outcome. And they were less work to him to behave any other way. And that takes some effort, because the remedy was to reboot them, and the resumes of the founders spent all their time building their applications. But first, I thought, these guys are great hackers. Another danger, pointed out by Mitch Kapor, is that one has higher standards. If this was their hypothesis, it's now the default with us to live by trial and error, that. One reason high tax rates, you can't afford not to have any teeth, and the company seems more valuable if it seems risky to you to decide; software has to work on problems demanding enough to stretch you, but so are a lot of successful startups have elements of both. So there you have it: languages are not equivalent, and I had to start treating us like actual consultants, and calling us every time they wanted something changed on their site.

#automatically generated text #Markov chains #Paul Graham #Python #Patrick Mooney #San #Fred #nature #Google #switch #number #time #phase #chances #generation #things #nothing #Almost #investment #CEOs #money #way #company #protection #chunk #change #Paul #word #drafts

[salt-is-a-terrible-currency]

Hi! I'm new in this fandom and I've just finished to read all your work on Ivar. The thing that shocked me a little is that you mostly write him as a sub (that is alright) but every time I feel like you write him just to be basically a sex slave and a plaything for the reader and every time I get the feeling that the reader doesn't respect him and doesn't love him. It made me cringe and I just wanted to know if it was written like this on purpose or if I'm just imagining things.

Hi anon! Ok, wow, this is going to be a long and complicated answer but I hope you can bear with me :)

I’d say that, no, in most of my works I don’t intend for him to just be a plaything for the reader. We have for example Just let me hold you, where he and the reader are in a longterm committed relationship. The reason that he’s being a sub here, and the reason that their relationship is kind of stormy, is because he is so insecure and needs reassurance. And the reader is flawed, just like Ivar is, and does /says things that she shouldn’t do (like the comment about throwing his clothes out). Now, that isn’t meant as saying that she doesn’t care about him. It’s just that, like in real relationships, they have bad /stormy days and this particular story takes place at something that is both a low and high point in their relationship which makes for a lot of conflicting emotions.

Then of course we have works such as Let me show you, in which the reader very clearly buys him as a slave because she finds him attractive and she doesn’t really have any feelings for him beyond that. Or in Addicted to love, where we don’t really know the extent of the woman’s feelings for him because it’s from Ivar’s POV. This one was based on a song so I just sort of ran with the feeling I got from the lyrics. 

We also have You won, in which Ivar and the reader kind of have a backstory, though not as lovers. Here, I did try to show that the reader does actually care about him though it was difficult because of the scenario. Of course, that reader cares about Ivar doesn’t necessarily mean that she’s in love with him or that he cares about her. I tried to leave that one a bit more open to interpretation.

And then there’s my half-finished work (1 of 2 chapters out); May I? which I think will probably end up being the healthiest relationship I’ve ever portrayed so far. Ivar and reader are in a longterm relationship and they have very clearly agreed on everything beforehand.

I think that one of the main reasons why my works featuring Ivar often have kind of dysfunctional relationships is because, well, I have a hard time picturing a  completely healthy relationship with someone as complex as him. And these thoughts often seep into my work. The works featuring dom!Ivar aren’t exactly something to model a relationship after either *cough* Bend to your will, Soft leather straps *cough* hehe.

So, the short version: No, I don’t intentionally write Ivar as a plaything for the reader. I understand that it might come off as that but I do try to write different relationship scenarios and also tag my works properly (dubcon etc.).so that readers will know what to expect. Of course, I make mistakes some times and I am happy to add / change tags if someone asks me to.

Hope this answers your question, anon :)

#asks #anon #sub!ivar #ivar the boneless #ivar's heathen army