#alex's father is there telling him that a better version of himself exists if only alex could live up to expectations

[necros-writing-stuff]

(Uuuuh, tw for a/b/o, inc*st, noncon, shitty writing, and implied somnophilia. May or may not be working on a version where Whitney actually likes his cousin. Also, no editing, I'm dying like the parasite babies I forgot existed before fucking off to Alex's farm)

The ride home from the airport is hell. Whitney's mother keeps asking you questions about your life, about the rest of the family. You babble on and on about how you're the top of your class, how everyone in the family is doing great, how you've already got a place at a university reserved for you when you're finished with your year of travel. Whitney's in the back seat of the car with you, but he can still see how it makes his father's hands tighten on the steering wheel each time you open your mouth, each time you remind him how his own son is nothing but a disappointment. 

Whitney stays quiet, using all his self control to not lash out. His parents always compared him to you, 'why can't you be more like your cousin' this and 'your cousin would never' that. 

Then there's the fact that you're a beta. Someone Whitney is supposed to naturally be better then. 

Sometimes it makes him want to scream. 

Whitney's mother ushers you into the house, leaving Whitney to help his father carry in the luggage. 

"Your mother's made plans to go out tomorrow," his father says, "as a family."

"I have plans."

"Cancel them."

His father doesn't give him a chance to argue, grabbing a bag and taking it into the house. 

Whitney grumbles to himself, dragging in the rest of your things. 

Oh, of course they put you in the guest room right next to his. Can't be free from you for one second, can he? 

"Just in case you need anything" he catches his mother telling you as he drops you things off, "Whitney is right next door."

Whitney's about to say something about not being a nanny when his father catches his eye, frowning. Fine, he'll be a fucking nanny.

You sound breathless as you thank his mom, your face flushed and eyes a bit too bright. Maybe you're getting sick? Fuck, would he be expected to take care of you if you got sick? Probably. 

Whitney ducks out of the room before his mother can try to get him to talk to you. There would be plenty of time for him to suffer on whatever "family outing" his mother had planned. 

Whitney locks his door, stripping to his underwear and getting into bed. He's got no reason to be awake. Normally he'd sneak out of the house, smoke a bit in the park with some friends. But no, he gets to be dragged around town, show you all the sights, or whatever. He knows he won't be able to get out of it, might as well not feel like shit from being sleep deprived.

-

It's 2 a.m. when Whitney wakes up, rock hard with the smell of omega in heat permeating the air. Whitney's initial reaction is shock. What shit for brains omega in this hell hole of a town isn't 

on suppressants? The wave of lust that rolls over him stops him from following that train of thought. 

It's not the first time Whitney has smelled an omega going into heat. There had been times at school, when someone screwed up, forgot to take their suppressants. Usually the signs of pre-heat would have the omega sprinting to the nurses office before anything really happened. 

There had been the time Whitney had seen an omega tackled in the park, whimpering as an alpha had dragged them off. Whitney had been curious enough to watch as the alpha claimed them, snapping at any passersby. He’d enjoyed the scent well enough, but hadn't tried to have a go. Sure, the omega had smelled good, but not good enough to fight over. 

This is different. Whitney's not sure if they could describe the scent even if they wanted to. Somehow familiar, but strange, different. 

Whitney's out of bed before he even registers what he's doing, following his nose until he's standing outside your room. 

Oh.

You? You're an omega? His shitty perfect cousin, who everyone compares him to? And you've gone into heat?

The nob turns easy in his hand. You've left it unlocked, in a town like this? But Whitney doesn't dwell on the question as he approaches your bed. 

You're curled up, already built a nest and everything, eyes squeezed shut and whimpering as you rub yourself through your pajama shorts. 

"Pathetic."

You jump at Whitney's voice, try to hide yourself in your nest but to no avail. The bed dips as Whitney climbs in. 

"D-don't," you try to say, but Whitney's amped up pheromones are making your brain go hazy. 

"Everyone thinks you're so perfect, but you can't even take care of yourself." Whitney pulls at your clothes as he speaks. You try to fight him but your attempts are weak. "Talking about how fucking smart you are, can't even remember to take your suppressants."

"D-didn't know," you manage to get out, losing the battle to keep your shirt. 

"What dumb fucking omega doesn't know when they're going into heat?" He's got your shorts down to your knees now, and you are more focused on covering your groin than trying to get them back. Slick is already coating the inside of your thighs, making your underwear cling to you. 

"Didn't know! P-presenting. Now. First t-time!" Your words are jumbled as Whitney pries your hands away from your crotch.  

The words make Whitney pause and for a moment you think the nightmare is over. That whatever had possessed Whitney to climb into your bed has left him. Your hope is crushed as Whitney gives you a wicked smile, wrenching your arms above your head and pinning you. 

First time! Whitney was going to take your first time! His stupid, perfect cousin! The one everyone fawned over, and he was going to ruin them!

He manages to gather your wrists in one hand, using the other to strip you of your underwear. Your scent is even more powerful now that you're fully exposed. Whitney's surprised no one else has come to investigate, but who is he to complain?

You're crying as Whitney frees himself from his own clothing, but you're no longer fighting him. You seem to have resigned yourself to your fate. 

Good, you've already started to learn your place. 

Whitney doesn't bother to give you any kind of preparation. You're leaking so much slick that there's already a wet patch forming on the bed.

Besides, he wants it to hurt. 

“You know, Everyone always talks about how you’re so perfect, how it's such a shame that you’re a beta.” Whitney hooks one of your legs round him, giving him better access to your hole. 

“Immagine what they’ll think when they learn you’re just an omega bitch.” Whitney's cock presses against you, your breath hitching as he nudges against you. "That all you're good for is spreading your legs for your betters." 

You go rigid under him, eyes wide, mouth agape, a he cock is forced into you. Even with your heat putting your body in the ideal state to take a cock, nothing could have prepared you for this. You start to writhe under him, whining as Whitney forces himself into you. 

"S-stop. Whit, please," your voice is a strained whimper, barely audible even in the relative quiet of the room.

"Shut up," he growls, leaning down to lick your neck, dangerously close to your scent gland, "or I'll do something you'll really regret."

His threat makes your blood run cold. He wouldn't really do that, would he? But he's already done so much, you don't doubt he would take it further. 

Whitney's hips meet yours as he finally settles fully inside you. 

"You're so fucking tight," he groans, starting to pull out. "Sure you're in heat? Not just some shitty beta begging for cock?" 

He doesn’t wait for an answer, slamming back into you, making you cry out. Whitney sets a bruising past, taking no regard for your comfort. The room soon filled with the lewd sounds of skin slapping skin and your cries. 

Fuck, you're too loud. At this rate the whole neighborhood was going to show up, thinking he was killing you, let alone his parents. Whitney wraps a hand around your throat, cutting off your air supply. 

You struggle on instinct, only stilling when Whtiney gives a low warning growl. 

Whitney keeps growling insults about how wet you are, how you obviously want his cock or you would be fighting harder. As if he isn’t keeping you from moving. As if he didn’t threaten to claim you if you didn’t let him do whatever he wanted. 

But your body doesn’t seem to care.

That's the worst part, the pleasure building in your gut, your body responding to Whitney’s in a way that leaves you disoriented. His movements in you become less painful as your body adjusts to him, his cock hitting a spot in you that makes your vision go funny, makes you glad you can’t make much noise with Whitney choking you. You don’t even realize that you’ve started to jerk your hips in half hearted attempts to meet his thrusts. 

The edges of your vision are starting to become fuzzy as Whitney's knot starts to catch in your hole. When Whitney pushes in and can no longer pull out, he lets go of your wrist, opting to force your legs open a little wider so he can grind against you easier. 

 You grab onto the hand around your neck, grip weak as you try to pry it off. It takes everything in you to keep trying when Whitney snaps at you, but you can’t breathe.

The hand on your neck disappears, only to be replaced by Whitney’s mouth. He bites at your scent gland, hard. It sends a wave of overwhelming pleasure though you, even as you're tears start anew. 

He’d claimed you. Whitney had claimed you, just like he’d threatened. And the worst part was you couldn’t even bring yourself to fight him, just crane your neck so he could have better access to scenting you. The attention he lavishes onto your neck driving you to orgasm. 

It’s the tightening on his cock that finally sends Whitney over the edge, his cum painting your insides as he continues to grind against you until fresh tears start to run down your face from overstimulation. 

“Can’t believe you got off during your first mating, fucking slut.”

His words feel like they are coming from far away as  You struggle to keep your eyes open. You groan low in your throat as Whitney shifts, his knot tugging at your hole as he makes himself comfortable.

"Marked….me..." its difficult to speak, toung feeling thick.

"I didn't use teeth, idiot. How the fuck would I explain that?"

You try to point out that you'll still smell like him. That you'll reek of his pharamones, but your words get stuck. 

You let yourself slip into unconsciousness as you feel Whitney start to grind against you again. 

You guys are spoiling me with this content. All those kinks in one?

This is very good, anon, thank you for sending it in!

#Whitney the Bully #omegaverse #tw inc*st #tw dubcon #tw noncon #spill your guts #🎃 anon

[malecsecretsanta]

Merry Christmas, high-warlock-of-brooklyn!

For @high-warlock-of-brooklyn.

Betas: Accal1a, Myulalie

Read On AO3

*****

Bedtime

“Papa, tell me again please,” Max asked, not willing to go to sleep yet. 

Magnus sighed. Getting his younger son to sleep had been a fight each and every night recently. The eight-year old just didn’t want to go to bed. They all paid dearly for it, starting with Alec and Magnus, who had to tell the same bedtime story over and over again and ending with Rafael, who had to endure the same bedtime story over and over again. It took out a good chunk out of Rafael’s playtime, before he had to go to bed, too.

The latter voiced his displeasure about that rather vocally. “Max, not that again, even I know it by heart now and I want to play with Papa. Stop being such a baby and just go to sleep.”

Magnus could feel the familiar tension behind his temple, signalling an oncoming headache, and rubbed his forehead. He wouldn’t want to give up his kids for the world, but sometimes he wished they were someone else’s problem.

“Prove it, Rafe! If you can tell me the story, like Papa always does, then I’ll never ask for it again!”

“Okay.” Rafael’s answer came promptly, even before Magnus had a chance to interject or calm them down.

Hands were shaken and deals were made.

This was how they all found themselves scattered around Max’s bed, with Max peeking out of the night sky blue sheets already dressed in his fluffy seelie onesie. Rafael was sitting next to him on the mattress with one arm around Max’s shoulders and a face that could’ve curdled milk. Magnus and Alec were sitting on the floor next to the bed.

Alec, who had joined the rest of the family on Max’s insistence so that Alec could “correct the mistakes in Rafael’s story” would act as judge.

Rafael took a deep breath and started to tell the version of the story he’d much prefer to hear every evening. “So, one day Papa was dancing in his club and then he spotted Dad,” Rafael was pointing towards his parents, “and when Dad’s sibling annoyed Papa and he wanted to make a portal home, he couldn’t anymore.” Rafael said dismissively and continued with a very bored tone and an exasperated sigh, “and then boom,” Raphael mimed a very unenthusiastic explosion with his hands, “Dad had Papa’s magic and Papa could suddenly bear runes. Then they fell in love. The end. Can you go to sleep now?”

As expected, Max started to complain. “This is not how the story goes. Papa tells it much better.”

Alec sulked a little bit. “And what about me, Blueberry?”

Max’s cheeks flushed purple before he reached out with his hand and patted Alec’s head with childish clumsiness, tugging on Alec’s hair a bit. “Sorry Daddy, but Papa makes the better sparkles. You have other good qualities.”

Alec chuckled.

“You make better pancakes.” 

Magnus fake-gasped, insulted. “I thought you liked my pancakes!”

Before Max could reply, Rafael cut in, clearly annoyed with the whole situation. “Papa, can you please tell the story already, so that we can play? You promised me!”

“Alright then, little Angel. Let’s see... where do I start?” Magnus wrapped his arm around Alec’s shoulder, who leaned in to the touch instantly, getting comfortable on the hard floor.

“Back when Valentine and his goons still threatened to upset the careful balance in the Shadow World, I used to offer refuge to every stray warlock who needed it.” Magnus made a gesture with his free hand, casting a shimmering, blue picture above the bed of a crowded room, all warlocks with their marks out. Max tried to touch someone’s horns in the projection but was only met with thin air. Like always.

“We were hiding away, but that was never a reason not to enjoy life.” Magnus looked at the projection a bit forlornly, clearly deep in thought. Alec knew Magnus was thinking about the warlocks that died that night and squeezed the hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

“The shadowhunters from the Institute needed our help with the summoning of a demon, so they had to come up with a plan. We were hiding very well and meeting up with me was not easy,” Magnus continued wistfully, playing with his ear cuff.

“Auntie Clary and Uncle Jace, right Papa?” Max interjected, barely louder than a whisper.

Alec hummed in affirmation. “They wanted to lure your Papa out and used something that used to be very precious to him.”

Magnus squinted at Alec. “Oi! I am telling the story. If you don’t stop, I’ll be the only pancake maker in the future.” 

Alec sighed and kissed Magnus’ neck. “Go on then, Mr. Storyteller.”

Magnus pouted a bit before continuing. “Well they contacted me via firemessage, and to be honest, it was more curiosity than anything else that made me go to Pandemonium that night. I had a bit of fun showing two of Valentine’s goons the door; and then Auntie Clary and Uncle Jace approached me. I couldn’t give them what they wanted, so I made a portal home. Unfortunately, I must have missed one of Valentine’s goons and he wanted to attack me.”

Max gasped loudly, clutching the blanket tight to his body.

“Max you know what happens, stop acting so scared.” Rafael grumbled next to him and hit the back of his head against the headboard in frustration, but he still laid his arm around Max.

Magnus cleared his throat pointedly before continuing. “Your Dad was a vision that evening. All black and grumpy and very serious. He shot down the evil man that was about to attack me from what must have been 200 feet.” With a snip of his fingers Magnus let the scene happen on Max’s bed.

“Magnus, it was barely 60 feet.” Alec interjected.

Magnus chose to ignore him. “I could feel the arrow whir past my ear before it hit its mark.” Blue magic coiled together into the shape of said arrow and flew past Max’s ear, making his eyes grow big in awe, when he felt the same drag of air behind Magnus’ magic at his ear that his Papa must’ve felt that night.

“And then I turned around and saw him for the first time, but he didn’t even give me a second glance.” Magnus pouted a bit. “To think that I was so distracted by him, I didn’t even notice that my portal had crumbled to nothingness.”

Another gasp from Max, excited this time. “What happened next?”

Rafe rolled his eyes as his only answer, as if he wanted to say Can you believe this guy? Getting excited over the same old story, that he has heard a thousand times.

“When I tried to step through the non-existent portal, I collided with your Dad instead. I almost fell, because I was so surprised not to be in my loft.”

“But he caught you, right?”

“Yes Max, he caught me,” Magnus mused, “I think that was a good omen since your father has always caught me from there on.”

“You’re such a sap Magnus.”

“Only for you, sayang.”

Rafael had definitely had enough. “You two are so gross. Don’t start kissing please, Max and I really don’t need to see this. Or hear this. Can you please go back to just telling the story?”

Magnus chuckled. “Alright, let’s see where was I? Ahh yes, so your Dad steadied me with his shadowhunter reflexes and the moment he touched me there was this spark, and I knew who he was. Well I didn’t know he was Alexander Lightwood, but I knew he was it for me.”

The magic hovering over Max’s blankets took on a slightly purplish hue as Magnus remembered. “Alexander was really remarkable that evening.”

“First of all, I’m always remarkable,” Alex joked, “and second, that spark that you felt was more like me electrocuting you with your own powers, over which I had no control.”

Magnus stared at him in disbelief. “Alexander, how dare you belittle that moment for me? And this is the second time you’ve interrupted me. I am telling the story and you are making pancakes in the morning, so if I say there was a spark, then there was a spark, so stop telling the children lies about our magical first meeting.”

Completely oblivious to his parent’s banter Max asked another question.

“Why did you have Papa’s magic, Daddy?”

“Oh come on! You know all this already, Max. Why do you need to hear it every evening?” Rafael said, clearly frustrated. He just wanted to play with his father already.

Max shot him a dirty look - as dirty as an eight-year old's look could get. “Just because you don’t like to hear it doesn’t mean I can’t like it either. Why are you even still here if it’s bothering you so much?”

That shut Rafael up, and once the boys had settled comfortably under the blanket again, Magnus resumed manipulating the cloud of magic.

“Alexander got access to my magic because he is my soulmate, Blueberry.” The blue cloud took the shape of a person, almost as tall as the skyscrapers surrounding them. There were even shadows of wings cast against Max’s bedroom wall.

Magnus smiled at Alec happily, showing his teeth. “The angel Castiel, the first soulmate, once had his chance at love ripped away as his true love was silenced by the outer realms.” While Magnus spoke a second, smaller, human shape appeared and dissolved again, leaving the winged shadow alone between skyscrapers, with one arm outstretched. “The angel mourned his loss greatly for a long time until he didn’t anymore.” The magical person’s posture changed, determination clear in the stride of their legs and flutter of their wings.

“You see, Castiel and his siblings loved to rile each other up, and so he decided to try his luck with their children, no matter if it was his heavenly or fallen siblings. He wanted to give the children a chance he never had himself so he created soulbonds.” The picture Magnus was projecting changed again, this time it was a pretty perfect replica of Times Square floating over Max’s bed. There were a lot of faceless people, connected by the blue strings of Magnus’ magic, creating an intricate web made out of bonds.

“He didn’t really create them though,” Rafael interjected. “He just amplified them and made them into something tangible.”

“You too now Rafe? I can’t believe my storytelling is undermined by not one but two smarty-pants.” Magnus growled playfully.

“He’s right Magnus. An angel doesn’t have the power to create something like that, even more so if he doesn’t have his full grace, which we know he didn’t.”

“Well if you know it so much better, why don’t you two continue then?” Magnus retorted, pouting. The magic scene on Max’s bed flickered a bit.

“Alright then.” Alec clapped his hands. “Let’s see, so Castiel strengthened the bonds so much with his leftover grace, that they manifested in many different forms. Some mundanes with the sight can even see the lines and follow them, but that’s incredibly rare.”

“Thomas says he knows some girl who can see the bonds,” Rafael supplied helpfully.

“Maybe she can help him find his soulmate one day.” Alec suggested. “It’s a big advantage to have some help, as to not get surprised by a random stranger stealing your talents, especially as a shadowhunter.”

“Or a warlock.” Max chimed in. “Go on now, Daddy.”

“With your father and I, as with most of the shadow world, our powers got switched. It is said that Castiel wanted to force the mated pairs to spend as much time together as possible in order to learn from each other how to get your power back.”

“Because he didn’t get to spend enough time with his, right?”

“That’s correct Blueberry, though many speculate that he still found a way and they are happy together now. The switching of powers is a great way to ensure a good relationship between the different factions of the shadow world, since the mates are required to work together closely. It’s also the reason why the shadowhunter weapon range is so limited and we mainly use swords. I still remember how mad Mom was at me for picking up the bow. I swear I can still hear it sometimes.” 

Alec chuckled quietly and then spoke in a very high voice, that didn’t resemble Maryse’s at all, “I can’t believe you did this Alexander! What will the Clave think? Your soulmate will have to go through intensive training until you two can go out to missions again or risk being a liability to the whole squad. This is a disaster.”

Alec’s fake tirade was interrupted by Max giggling. “Grandma doesn’t sound like that at all!”

“I think I hit it spot on. Luckily it didn’t matter at all in the end. No amount of shadowhunter training could have prepared me for the strength necessary to keep your Papa’s magic at bay.”

“What is that supposed to mean, Alexander?”

“It means that I am very glad to have you in my life.”

Rafael moaned. “They are doing it again! Stop flirting. It’s disgusting.”

Magnus shot Rafael a dirty glance and then gave Alec a small peck on the lips before sticking his tongue out at his older son.

“How did you get your magic back, Papa?” Max asked completely unfazed.

Magnus started fiddling with his ear cuff and gazed at his children solemnly. “Through hard work, through opening myself up to another person, and through the most exhausting training sessions I’ve ever had to endure.” In a very audible stage whisper he added, “let me tell you one thing Blueberry, those shadowhunters are crazy.” Magnus twirled his index finger next to his temple. “Completely loco.”

“Hey!”

Magnus looked between his indignant husband and son. “What? You two know that I’m right. And Max knows it, too. Right Max?”

“Absolutely Papa!”

Their smug expressions vanished instantly once Alec descended upon Magnus, and Rafael upon Max in order to tickle them.

“You better take that back.” Alec growled and nipped at Magnus’ lips playfully.

“Or what?” Magnus challenged him.

“Or else I’ll zap you.” Alec let blue magic swirl around the tips of his finger, like sparks of electricity. “I might not be as powerful as you but maybe I have to remind you that we share our powers now. I can still electrocute you six ways to Sunday.”

Before Magnus could answer with a witty comeback, a loud shriek from Max made them look up. The little warlock had tears in his eyes from being tickled so harshly by his brother, and his face was so flushed it was almost completely purple. Rafael was leaning over him, his relentless fingers still making Max squirm and wiggle in the hopes of escaping him. 

“Rafael, I think he got the message.” Alec chuckled. “You did, right Blueberry?”

Rafael stopped his attack momentarily and peered down at Max, who gasped for air. “I don’t think shadowhunters are crazy.” And then just a little bit quieter. “Not all the way.”

Before anything else could happen Magnus shooed Rafael and Alec out of the room and tucked Max in. “Do you think you can sleep now?”

Max nodded happily. 

Magnus turned around one last time before turning the lights off when the question came.

“Papa?”

“What is it Max?”

“Do you think I will find my soulmate?” The timid, scared tone almost broke Magnus’ heart and he sat down on the edge of the bed, stroking Max’s hair gently.

“I can’t guarantee you that Max, but I know that if you meet them, they will be very lucky to have you. It may take some years. I mean, I waited four centuries for mine and had almost given up hope, but in the end it was worth it. For now, all you can do is wait for them and in the meantime enjoy your life.”

Max looked at him for a long time. “I hope my soulmate is like Daddy.”

Magnus smiled. “No matter who they will be, they will be it for you.” He pressed a kiss to Max’s hair and stood up.

“Goodnight, Papa.”

“Goodnight, Blueberry.”

---

Later that night, when Rafael had gone to bed as well, Alec and Magnus laid in bed together. Alec caressed Magnus’ pec, where he could see their soulmark over Magnus’ heart from where his head was pillowed on Magnus’ arm. He can still remember the moment it had appeared. The moment he had gotten his bow skills back and had lost a good chunk of Magnus’ magic. The moment it became clear that they would have eternity together. In that very moment it had been so clear and he’d been so full of love.

“What are you thinking about, sayang?”

“How much I love you.”

“You’ll turn a boy’s head with those words Alexander.”

“I don’t need to do that anymore. You’re mine already; and I’m yours.” With those words Alec kissed the arrow flying through a flaming portal on Magnus’ chest.

“Till death do us part.”

#high-warlock-of-brooklyn #malecsanta20 #*fic20 #*gifts20

[welcometotheocverse]

Marvel OCs ( wip )

Name: Nico Ikol

Story:

Faceclaim: Logan Lerman

Summary: Let’s get one thing straight, Nico was absolutely not some kinda norse god Okay? Nor the reborn version of one or whatever. They were just a normal kid. 

Okay so they sorta had a knack for getting people to agree with them and fine they’ve been having dreams about a blonde man with way too long hair and lightning and then there’s the whole...powers thing.

But I mean, aside from that.

And oh yeah the guy from their dreams is at the door claiming he’s their lost long brother. 

Name: Ruth Parker

Story: tbd

Faceclaim: Rowan Blachard

Summary: Ruthie Paker has been dubbed her brother’s shadow from the first time they arrived at their aunt and uncle’s doorstep. The siblings have been together through everything; their parent’s deaths, their adoption by their aunt and uncle, their uncle’s death. It was the Parker kids against the world.

So when Peter starts acting weird Ruthie’s the first ( and it starts to dawn on her, the only one) who notices.

Name:  Astrid Odinsdotter

Story: tbd

Faceclaim: Dove Cameron

Summary: Loki wasn’t the only child stolen from a battlefield. Nor was he the only one Odin and Freya raised as their own. Astrid was raised along side her brother as the princess of Asgard unware of her parentage; but her world gets thrown into utter chaos first when her brother is exiled to Migard and then when her true parentage is brought to light.  

Name: Grace Wilder.

Story: tbd

Faceclaim: Kat Graham

Summary: tbd ( takes place in Runways) 

Name: Isabelle Nyx

Story: tbd

Faceclaim: Holland Roden

Summary: Heir apparent to Nyx Incorporated, Isabelle like all of the PRIDE kids seems to have it made. Never mind the fact that her best friend killed herself or that her friend group fell apart soon after. 

On the anniversary of Amy’s death, Isa tries reaching out to her former friends but out of everyone, Alex Wilder seems to be the only one interested in mourning Amy with her. She’s surprised when the others join them, and even more surprised by what they find out.

“Fuck our parents. How about we actually run away.”

Name: Michelle -Miche- De Santos

Story: tbd

Faceclaim: Siena Agudong.

Summary: Miche  knows the church of  the Gibberin is evil, knows that they paste on happy grins to prey on runaway kids. She knows because they killed her sister. The problem is no one believes her. It doesn’t matter though, she’s not gonna stop until she figures out how to make people see the rich assholes for the evil they are.

Except that she wasn’t planning to find the very children of the people she’s sworn vengeance against. 

And apparently, they ran away.

Name: Lucille Harkness.

Story: tbd.

Faceclaim: Amber Benson

Summary: Lucille knows about Agatha Harkness, how could she not. She grew up on stories of the witch that betrayed her coven ( Lucille’s coven) and committed the most atrocious of acts against their own during the time of the Salem trials. Agatha’s name was whispered in Lucille’s family, a warning of how reaching for forbidden knowledge could corrupt; a horror story of the witch who slaughtered her own kind without a care in the world. 

Still she never expected to find any trace of her in her lifetime, never expected Agatha to be more than whispers and campfire side stories, much less find out she’s in  a bubble of  Chaos Magic in a small town in New Jersey. 

Name: Nancy Keener

Story: The Mechanic

Faceclaim: Sadie Sink

Summary: tbd

Name: Tracey Stein.

Story: tbd

Faceclaim: Sophie Lillis

Summary: Tracey has known her dad was evil since he beat her brother over a B-. She’s also known better than to think anyone would believe her. Except for of course her brother. They both knew it, they covered for each other, protected each other and that was enough. Even when their social group expanded to include the other PRIDE kids, it had always been her and Chase against the world. When Nico’s sister died and their little friend group falls apart it’s still the two of them against the world. 

And then on the anniversary of Amy’s death the siblings find themselves at Alex Wilder’s house of all places. Turns out her dad’s not the only evil asshole in their parent’s little social club. Turns out all their parents are.

Turns out they have to runaway. 

Name: Gwendolyn -Wendy- Maximoff

Story: tbd.

Faceclaim: Millie Bobby Brown

Summary: Finding out her brother was a mutant and that the men who came to look for him when she was five years old, finding out she herself was a mutant, finding out there was a special school for mutants. Gwendolyn Maximoff thought the weirdest parts of her life were behind her. She’s starting to settle in at the institute, starting to call it home, and she has her big brother with her which is the most important night.

Then overnight Peter disappears. Months go by with Hank and the professor poring over resources and Wendy wondering when her brother might come home. When they finally find him she demands to be the one to go find him.

As it turns out she might be the only who can; and that’s how she finds herself in Westview New Jersey...on an entire different dimension. 

Name:  Kamila Maximoff

Story: ( Love ) Persevering 

Faceclaim: Malina Weissman

Summary: Kamila lives in Westview, a little town in New Jersey where nothing out of the ordinary ever happens. Kamila lives with her older sister Wanda and Wanda’s boyfriend Vision who might as well be her father for all intents and purposes. Life s simple in Westview, Kamila wakes up every day and goes to school. She helps babysit her little cousins and gets help for her advanced courses from Viz. She and Wanda are as close as ever...she thinks.

Kamila doesn’t always remember what she learned in school. Their neighbor Agnes gives her the creeps. She doesn’t remember the twins turning 1, or 2, or 3. She doesn’t know why Wanda’s the closest thing she’s had to a mother but she is. She wakes up screaming sometimes with nightmares of Vision’s body and her sister screaming and turning to dust. She feels like time isn’t passing and is passing too fast at the same time. She remembers things..things that never happened. ( why would she ever be in sci-fi YA novel looking lab? Why would Wanda?) 

Kamila lives in Westview New Jersey with her family; in a suburban little town where nothing ever seems to happen. But she’s starting to think their lives are anything but boring. 

Name: Anne Rogers

Story: tbd

Faceclaim: Sarah Michelle Gellar

Summary: Steve Roger’s genetic clone. Shield’s pet project. Avenger’s Family Member. Darcy Lewis’ girlfriend. Anne’s gone through a lot of changes throughout her existence. And a lot of loss. 

She refuses to have Darcy be one of them.

“I’m not gonna ask again assholes. Where the hell is my girlfriend?”

Might end Tyler Hayward’s entire career and existence.

Name: Audra  Ward.

Story: tbd

Faceclaim:  Zoey Deutch

Summary: Audra doesn’t remember much before her brother gained custody of her as baby. That’s what happens when your grandparents and uncle are a load of abusive assholes ( that much Grant did tell her) She doesn’t know what led to their deaths, how Grant was able to find her and gain custody when he was a teenager himself. She doesn’t know anything other that the life they build together after.  Still she has her  brother, and school,  and her life is...well not normal. One does not simply have a normal life with a brother who works for S.H.I.E.L.D but all in all her life is good. It’s her and Grant against the world, and she has a plan to graduate early and find her own calling helping to keep the world safe from H.Y.D.R.A. like her big brother does. 

Then Grant’s team finds a break in  tracking down a hacker and her life gets decidedly  more messy.  

Other Plot bunnies:https://welcometotheocverse.tumblr.com/post/651928008282816512/marvel-plot-bunnies

#i have a few plot bunnies but they won't come to light so for now here they are #no I do not like Tyler Hayward why do you ask #i did give him a daughter tho to be fair she Also may end him idk yet #we'll see #my ocs #Marvel Ocs #wip #im gonna drop a few more but am now still hyperfixated on my Gilmore Girls ones #so i figured id just dump em here and then come back when the hyper fixation fades #most of them are Runaways bc i loved the comics and am salty with the show lmao #with some wandavision bc Current Events #child abuse cw #because of Tracy's bakstory #masterlist

[forgadgetsandgizmos]

There Were No Words To Speak

Malex AU inspired by the novel The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. 

I wrote this a while back but never posted it on tumblr. I recently deleted the stand alone version of it and added it to by my ficlet collection on AO3 (which I didn’t have at the original time of posting) so I figured this was as good a time as any. 

How ironic that the first time Alexander felt he understood what it meant to be a defender of man was also the first time he killed one.

—

Alexander preferred to spend his days with Mother. She was a simple woman with few thoughts of her own, but she held a happiness in her that made him happy as well.

Father sneered but allowed it – a sickly spare was of no consequence when he had three stronger sons and more to come.

“A waste,” Father declared.

Alexander said nothing to that. What was there to say? He did not choose how he was born, and there was nothing to be done that could change it now.

So, while his brothers trained to fight every dawn and tutored in strategy every afternoon, he wondered empty stone halls with Mother.

At night, they would lay under the old moria in the courtyard garden and gaze up at the stars. He hung on her every word as she spun tales of the gods. She spoke until her words blurred together and his breathing grew steady in her arms.

That night, he woke again in his bed as her harp-song filled the room and flooded out into the hall. In his mind, she played for hours before meeting his eyes with a gentle smile.

“I have a gift for you, dear heart,” she whispered. She unfolded her hand and presented a small carving of a harp, perfectly painted to match the one she held in her arms. “A harp of your own to remember me by.”

He knew his eyes had never been so wide as he picked up the carving as if it was made of glass. Our little secret, her eyes twinkled.

Mother merely smiled again and tucked it under his pillow. Sleep, and he did as her lullaby filled his room once more.

—

He was young, too young to remember the exact age, the first time he called to Mother and she refused him. He thought it strange. It was night but the hall was silent.

An aging woman with a firm hand and a strange look in her eye put him in bed.

He fell into a fitful sleep still waiting on Mother to arrive.

—

He hadn’t understood then. He learned, slowly, that he would be sleeping in silence now. Learned that the firm hand of servants and midwifes would be the only hand he felt. He learned there would be no more sons.

Mother was dead. And the name Alexander, defender of men, became his curse.

—

“She ruined you,” Father seethed, “and now I have to fix it.” Fix you, he meant.

A king couldn’t have a son preferring the harp to the sword. Princes lead armies in battle, they don’t hum lullabies and cling to childhood toys. Alexander understood that now, though it was lesson he had not relished learning.

His brothers held no refuge. If he served any purpose in their eyes, it was to draw Father’s attention away from them.

—

He traced the lines of the wooden harp until every trace of color had faded.

—

Alexander joined his brothers in training. He could barely hold the wooden training swords.

His brothers’ betrothed laughed at his efforts during their walks through the courtyard.

He didn’t listen. His arms trembled, but a hint of approval shone in Father’s eyes.

He picked up the sword again.

—

He was twelve when he first left their kingdom. He was to travel to King Tyndareous to compete for the hand of his daughter.

He knew it would prove pointless. Father knew as well as he she would have far better suitors to pick from – legends of her beautiful had reached them long ago.

He did not dare question his Father’s decision and risk him changing his mind, merely accepted the direction and promised not to prove an embarrassment.

Not even Father’s worsening glare at every bump of the carriage could taint the pure, utter joy of leaving.

—

The court of Tyndareous was a busy place, drenched in finery and powerful people who traveled far and wide to court the beauty that was Helen of Troy. Alexander was in awe. Not of the fine tapestries, not the chests overflowing in rare gifts, or the indulgent feast far larger than needed, for he has seen such finery before. His father was a proud king who often boasted of his wealth.

No, Alexander’s eyes were drawn to a boy who seemed to glow, a beacon calling out to him.

The boy was a god on earth. Or more accurately, a demigod, if Alexander believed the rumors claiming the boy was Michelakos, son of King Peleus and the sea-nymph goddess Thetis.

It was not a claim he found difficult to believe.

Michelakos was everything Alexander was not. He won every race, every fight, every argument. He was proud and boisterous. He left his golden curls free to tangle in the wind.

He was himself. Call me Michael, Alexander had heard him offer to kings and bastards alike. No one dared to tell him that was improper, not with his lineage and the prophecy that followed. Michael was radiant. Michael glowed.

A heavy hand tightened around Alexander’s neck.“That’s what a prince should be,” followed, hissed in his ear. What a son should be, that sour tone implied, singing with the familiar promise of pain.

Michael’s laugh filled the room and Alexander couldn’t bring himself to care.

—

It wouldn’t be until after (after he gave his oath to protect Helen and her future husband, after he was turned away as expected, after his father grumbled again at his failure) that he wandered away from the bustle of court.

Valenti followed, said they play. Alexander didn’t want him to.

They made it to the creek and found a towering moria. Alexander watched Valenti climb the old wood, yelling and laughing. Alexander went to run his fingers over his harp, tucked safely in his pocket.

“Look for something?” Flecks of leftover paint caught the sun from where Valenti held his harp in the tree.

“That’s mine,” he cried. He darted up the tree to get it back, faster than he ever had in his life. “Give it back!”

Alexander didn’t know how it happened. One second he was yelling and fighting over his harp (with Valenti, who was strong and fast and could have anything else he wanted but took the one thing that his) and the next, Alexander had his harp.

But it was silent. He was alone in the tree, and a broken body staring back up at him.

—

“You should have lied.”

Alexander jerked his head up from where it lay in his hands to see Michael leaning casually against a pillar before him.

“Now, you are no one. Not a prince or a son, just another orphan of Peleus.” Careful, brown-gold eyes (a reflection of Zeus’ favor, perhaps) watched for a reaction.

Alexander had none. An orphan of Peleus… his father had chosen exile after all. He was not surprised. A prince’s funeral would be a costly expense. Now, it would be as if he had never existed to stain his father’s name in the first place.

Neither boy spoke for a long time. There was nothing to say.

Alexander had told everyone what happened, that it was an accident. It had not occurred to him until well after that the scowl on Father’s face was not because Alexander had killed Valenti, but because he told the truth.

And yet, staring at Michael, still dressed in finery, wild hair still glowing, Alexander remembered how he felt that day in the hall. He’d been inspired.

He would not – could not – think about the body on rocky shore, but if he had lied…

If he had lied, he would still be the weak, cowardly Prince Alexander of Jacobus, with all the wealth and responsibility that come with that name.

Alexander did not want to be a lying Prince Alexander, who grew up frozen in the clash between his dreams and a father’s expectations.

And now he wasn’t. It must be a gift from the gods, then. They used his ignorance to answer his prayer and lift his curse.

He stood, grinning madly at Michael’s thinly-masked shock. “I’m Alex.”

#roswell new mexico #roswell nm #malex #fic #alex manes #michael guerin #malex fic #my writing #alicewrites #ao3

[mearcatsreturns]

From Illusion to Reality, or Luka in ER’s Seasons 10-12

A couple days ago, I got a lovely anon who wanted me to talk about Luka’s journey from season 11 to 12. I may have gone overboard and expanded it. If you’re not interested in the whole, hella long post, I’ll summarize it in a couple pictures:

to

I’ll put it under a cut, because of how long it is, but I’d love comments and dialogue!

To talk about Luka’s trajectory from season 11 to season 12, I think it’s very important to consider season 10 Luka. His “coming back from the dead” served as a sort of topical soft reset on his character--at least to him. That is, while it undoubtedly deeply affected him and those around him and does seem to have led him to important realizations, it didn’t actually change his personality or his desires and loves.

Firstly, when Luka comes back from Africa, sick and with another woman, it’s still readily apparent that his love for Abby hasn’t gone anywhere. He might be able to deal with it better and not self-destruct to the same extent, but at least initially, what was Gillian (and later Sam, but that was more involved)? He’s the same Luka at work, too, though the outward trappings seem different. He still cares about caring for his patients, though he’s still in crisis mode. He has the same disregard for bureaucracy, though it’s about treating as many patients as quickly as he can to help the largest number of them instead of spending all his time with his patients, etc. 

It’s so interesting, because for the first half of season 10, Luka is torn between wanting to go back to Africa--where he even said things seemed simpler--and moving forward, probably with Abby. He legit lights up around her and is looking out for her constantly, and the only reasons they didn’t get together then were fear, some small misunderstandings, and a misguided sense of propriety. Then you can see it happening again--Luka backs off from Abby because he seems to think she’s hung up on Carter and because she’s his student. It’s not as hopeless as before, so he doesn’t spiral out of control, but he legitimately does the same thing he did in season 9 on a smaller scale. Sam thinks Luka is hot, he’s good with Alex, so she makes a pass at him, and Luka passively goes along with her making a move. Sound familiar? Yeah. The biggest difference is that Luka has realized that he was deeply unhappy with non-monogamy, so even though he falls back into sleeping with Gillian pretty quickly (after he forgot about her visit, lmao), when Sam is willing to grant him the opportunity for even a little bit of commitment, he takes it. 

Relatedly, Alex is a huge part of his journey in season 10 and 11. Or rather, Luka’s continuing longing for family and fatherhood. We’ve seen that from pretty much the beginning, and the only time it didn’t seem to be a huge driving force for him was with Abby. When he can’t have Abby and his love for her is thwarted, it’s like he looks for that kind of fulfillment from this idealized notion of family and being a dad again (see: Nicole, Sam). It’s not surprising to me that as Luka thinks Abby is unavailable and uninterested in him, he gets close to child...who has a single mother who thinks he’s good-looking.

It’s not a good fit. Abby describes hers and Carter’s relationship as doomed from the start, and you can easily talk about Luka and Sam the same way.  I could do a more Doylist explanation, but there’s plenty of in-universe material to say this--they and their relationship are plagued by problems from the very beginning. They’re never on the same page, any of them--not Sam, Alex, or Luka. Luka has a hard time articulating what he really does want from them, probably because he doesn’t want to fully examine that for himself. After all, if he has a good woman who cares about him and child he can be a father figure to--though not a father--why would he not be happy? Sam seems to want stability and sex, and Alex...Alex wants a friend. So yes, while there are a lot of external issues that come up, the primary impediment to Luka’s happiness with Sam and Alex (and for them as well!) is internal.            

As we go into season 11, we see, strangely enough, that Luka can’t be around Abby anymore while he’s with Sam. Like, @somekindofflowergirl  and I were looking and thinking about it, and we’re not sure he’s capable of talking to Abby when Sam is around until season 12 (not for more than a few sentences about whatever case they’re working on, at any rate). He starts brushing her off more and more, culminating in him all but dismissing her in 11.02 (shockingly, right after he tells Sam he loves her. Almost like there’s a correlation there, hmmmm). Instead, he focuses on his friendship with Carter and his relationships with Sam and Alex.

As the season goes on, Luka gets more miserable. Carter gets caught up in his own issues, Kerry and Susan are too busy to be there for him, and he’s busy pushing Abby away. But the tension is creeping into his home life, too. Alex lets him know in no uncertain terms that he will never view him as a father. Sam at first drags her feet about moving in with Luka, and then it seems like they have maybe a month or two of living before it sours and never recovers. He just...flounders again. Not as severely or apparently as in season 9, but he’s clearly looking for something again by the end of season 11.

Luka and Sam are on the precipice of breaking up at the end of season 11, but they prolong it for a variety of reasons. On the surface, it’s for Alex’s sake. In reality, it’s because they both want things from their lives that they get all the trappings of together, even if neither of them is happy with it. I mean, it gets to the point where  they can hardly talk at work or home, and Sam even says she doesn’t think they should be together. Then the situation with Steve, Alex’s birth father, blows up and worsens things, and Alex runs away. 

When they’re in the middle of nowhere in this crisis, Luka and Sam actually have to confront how poorly their relationship is going. Well, Sam does, though Luka is still feeling that fear of not having anything left if he loses Sam and Alex completely. But Sam says it eventually--they’ve been pretending for a long time. The truth is out, even when Alex is back. 

Luka, for all his many good qualities, does not handle life deviating from his plan or idea very well. He just straight up goes into denial (again, a recurring theme with him). 

BUT he also does something very right. He lets Abby back in. In season 12, a year after he blows her off, she tentatively reaches out again, just wanting to know if he’s okay after a case. She fully expects him to brush her off again, and you can see the surprise, delight, and relief when he opens up to her. And it’s interesting, because he tells her that he doesn’t want to talk about it with Sam, and that’s probably why Sam is moving out. 

Luka tries to talk to Sam in lockup, though he doesn’t offer any changes, which is fairly telling. And he says something even more telling: “I don’t want this to be one more thing I messed up.” He’s not so afraid of losing Sam herself or Alex, he just doesn’t want to have messed up at love (Abby) and family (his kids and even Danijela) again. He wants to be husband and dad because he remembers being happy in those roles, and even though Sam and Alex didn’t give him that, they gave him a lesser version of it. And since our Catholic boy loves rolling in that guilt and self-blame, he seems to think he should just take what he can get since he’s not worthy of more. When Sam and Alex can’t and won’t even give him crumbs anymore, he...I don’t know. He doesn’t really fall apart, because his heart isn’t really in it. It hasn’t been for a long time, if it ever was in more than a performative way (and Luka, for better or for worse, is not a fake-it-til-you-make-it kind of person). 

Once again, though, Abby is there at a moment where he’s willing to be vulnerable. And he says something so honest about what he wants: to be seen (12.03, “if it were me...would anyone know who I am?”). Abby’s yes, combined with her just being there for him unasked, seems to immediately grant him peace in that regard. He is seen and he is cared for. 

Luka never shows any signs of having feelings for Sam again, though he still looks out for her and Alex if they seem to be in trouble, but it’s no more than he’s done for friends and even strangers. In fact, they’re so back to friendly and professional by the next episode that it’s annoying and counter-productive when Eve tries scheduling them for different shifts.

Something else seems to have happened: Luka doesn’t rush off into an ill-advised romance or series of hookups. He isn’t pining, but he’s not frantically searching for family and fatherhood again, either. Given that each episode has them having a nice scene together that emphasizes their growing closeness and comfort together, it isn’t unreasonable to think that Abby is part of this. He isn’t pushing for more, but that’s not who he is with her, not after their first relationship. If friendship is all she can offer, that seems to be enough for him. In reality, it’s Abby being enough for him, but we’ll get to that later.

At that same time, one of Luka’s foils, Victor Clemente, arrives. Clemente exists narratively to be a catalyst for action in Luka’s life (which is why his role is such a mess once he’s accomplished that, but I digress) and it works like a charm. They butt heads from the start, and it’s the prospect of Clemente running the ER that goads Luka into applying for the position of chief. Kerry was right, it’s not his style at all, but also? A way for him to be everyone’s dad. (And yes, he’s better at it than Clemente would have been.) It gives him another marker of professional success, even if his personal life isn’t where he wanted it to be. As Luka’s foil, Clemente is also perceptive while Luka is oblivious. As such, he seems to see right through Luka and Abby to their connection, and he needles both, seemingly to get at Luka. It works, and as Abby says in 12.07 after their child patient dies, Abby ends up in the middle of it. 

Then, at the end of The Human Shield, Abby goes to Luka. This time she isn’t reaching out to him and going to him to support him, but to justifiably yell at him for putting her in the middle of a conflict between him and Clemente. But more importantly, Abby went to him and told him how she felt. She was vulnerable with him. And that...that was something he’d rarely seen, and not in a long time. Finally, that having woken him up to hope once again, he did something he hadn’t done in a long time: he took action. And that was something he didn’t do much, mostly with Abby, and he starts exploring it more throughout season 12.

I’m not going to turn this into a Luby meta (though I could also do that if anyone wanted, ahahaha), but 12.07-12.10 is Luka stepping forward and making choices. For love of Abby. He doesn’t push her for more so much as very obviously hope for it and ask, in his way, if she’s as in as he is. 

This extends to his professional life too! He (very sexily and pettily at the same time) takes charge of his new position and fires someone his first shift as chief. It was the right thing to do and he did it, but it wasn’t a passive reaction to something happening to him. 

Then at the end of 12.10, Abby drops the bombshell that she’s pregnant. Once he recovers from the shock of that, he does seem to spring into action, but...reserved action? He isn’t as proactive as he’s been so far, but he is also scared out of his mind that he’s going to lose Abby. Here he is, seemingly with everything he’s wanted for YEARS within reach. Not just a family, but Abby. And not just Abby, but a baby with her. But he also has years of experience with Abby, and he knows her fears, and he doesn’t want to lose her by scaring her off or pushing her for something she doesn’t want or that would make her miserable. 

So Luka lets Abby know what he wants but leaves it up to her, while also making one big mistake: he’s not clear about how much he loves her. He showed her with the compass, with gestures and moments, but he doesn’t seem to realize how much Abby needs the words. This is also typical Luka.

I love If Not Now (12.11) as part of his journey, because it’s when you finally see Luka realize, if he didn’t before, what matters most to him. He goes to Abby and tells her in no uncertain terms that it’s not about the baby, that he wants her no matter what. And that’s HUGE. Family and fatherhood have been a motivator for him for at least 4 or 5 of his 6 years on the show so far, so for him to say “yes, that would be nice, but Abby is the important one to me” represents a big shift. It gets swept over a bit in the subsequent and also life-changing news that she wants them to have the baby together and hasn’t had an abortion.

Most of the back half is solidifying what’s come before for Luka. We see him become more assertive professionally. He dotes on Abby and shows his commitment to her over and over, though it is interesting that in spite of how obviously in loved and devoted he (they, really) is, he doesn’t explicitly state it. I kind of think he’s worried that pushing for that, for everything that he wants, is asking too much of the universe. After all, he has the woman he loves and they’re having a baby together. 

You also see his compassion, not just with the patients, but in how he breaks his and Abby’s news to Sam. I don’t know that it was better for him to have told her, but it was a kind impulse borne out of a desire to do the right thing, and she knew that. 

Things get interesting again in Strange Bedfellows (12.18), when Luka tells Abby he’s thinking about going to Darfur to help Carter. We also find out Luka hasn’t told Carter about him and Abby or the baby. It seems a little odd of a choice for him, honestly. Not the keeping Abby and him and the baby a secret--I think that’s more compassion when he seems to have picked up on Carter and Kem maybe not doing so well and their continued mourning of Joshua--but the idea of going to Darfur. He’s new enough in his position as chief that it wouldn’t have been allowed, for starters, so I don’t think he’d have been able to go. And maybe that’s it--it was something he could do to help and make the world a better place for his baby (shoutout to @somekindofflowergirl again for this theory), and he wanted to try to go but probably knew he wouldn’t be able to. Also, he’s kind of an idiot sometimes, and one who sometimes loses track of the details when looking at the big picture. Which he did big time. 

But Abby, as she often does, grounds him and lifts him up at the same time. She makes it clear that he can go, but that she wants him there and wants everything with him. And that’s it for Luka. He’s already made it so he could stay, but you can see the light of “oh, maybe I can have everything I’ve yearned for” go off. The next couple of episodes show them settling into their commitment even more. 

Then the finale of season 12 comes (though I’m going to carry this through 13.02, as that feels like the real end of the season to me), and they’re clearly domestic and cute. For all Abby saying they don’t live together/hinting broadly for more clarification, they clearly have built a home together. I think Luka is trying to get her to realize she lives with him without saying it, which is a strategy, if not the best one. The second Abby voices her uncertainty, though, Besotted Idiot Luka jumps straight to saying they should get married, instead of, you know, telling Abby he loves her and wants to move forward with her. 

I think his reaction is another example of him poorly handling...it’s not rejection, it’s just they’re coming to the same thing from different perspectives. They do affirm their love, and it’s clear they would have dealt with things had they not been interrupted by everything that ensued. 

But interrupted they were. Abby’s abruption, Joe’s birth, Abby’s hysterectomy, Joe’s close call...what an interruption.Luka makes it so clear throughout that he’s there for Abby, that she’s his family. He obviously loves Joe and is devastated that he might be in danger and that they won’t be able to have a bigger family (though not as devastated as Abby, interestingly). That said, he renews his proposal to her and is CERTAIN of their love, even with the strain and uncertainty of Joe’s life.

Within a couple of years, he’s moved from trying so hard to look like he had everything together and trying to force it to having everything he’s wanted and more, even with the thorns and pain. It’s so much more than he could have hoped for, and he is more hopeful and settled.

#luka kovac #Luka Kovač #er #nbc er #luby #let's get meta #my apologies for typos and stuff #but I am tired #and full of love for Luka #the tl;dr is that it's a switch from the illusory and passive to reality and the more active/assertive #and it's absolutely intrinsically tied to him and Abby

[popculturebuffet]

Close Enough: So Long Boys And Clap Like This

ON this hour’s episodes: Josh decides to have a vasectomy after a pregnancy scare and soons end up dealing with second thoughts and bostonian robots while Alex regrets getting his after meeting what are maybe his children. Then Josh finally sells a game but it falls through and takes up extra jobs to avoid telling his family while Bridgette is forced to get a real job on her birthday and Alex enjoys inudstrial humis. Clap Like This under the cut. 

So Long Boys

Aka the greatest vacesctomy based comedy episode since Brooklyn Nine Nine’s “Choclate Milk”. If you don’t know the show or don’t remember that episode if you are a fellow 99er it’s the one where Jake thinks his superior officer and friend Terry getting a vasectomy means chopping his penis off. I mean it starts off just assuming he’s making a joke but it becomes blurry if he’s just making quips or genuinely thinks that’s how it works. It’s also easy to compare these two because they both, while vastly diffrent and great episodes in their own rights: have a simlilar beat to the plot: a character trying to get a vasectomy for responsible reasons but being unsure they don’t wnat more kids. It’s just Brooklyn Nine Nine is more also about Jake being hurt Terry dosen’t think of him as a friend, a position he reverses while Close Enough has indentured pop and lock teenagers, a dark ride dedicated to scaring people out of kids and bostionan robots that sound like JFK from Clone HIgh. How does any of this fit together, let’s take a look. 

So we open with Josh and Emily having a huge pregnancy scare, which was caused by the birthday sex from the pitch trailer aka Josh trying to pass it off as “we’re just doing our taxes sweetie!”. In other words the main bit I wanted to see transfered to the show proper. And while there’s a few joke this scene is mostly played for drama.. it’s not out of tone with the rest of the show. What really has made this show work for me is it combines regular show antics, but with the added maturity of having an older cast dealing with growing up. A bunch of 30 somethings to start instead of a bunch of 20 somethings so instead of dealing with stuff like video game competitionts, guys nights, and dating woes, it’s more dealing with juggling family and friends, having a job you hate and trying to ballance your career with your passion.  And here is no diffrent: Josh and Emily HAVE no money, live in a cramped apartment with their best friends and a newly divorced couple which as we’ve seen isn’t always easy, and work jobs htey utterly hate and would have to double down on, snuffing out their real dreams, in order to support this kid. Josh outright says he’ll get a second job and give up his video game development which wihle it’d probably be miserable for him would be a sad neciscity. I myself do this blog on the side while trying desperatley to get an actual paying job, it sucks and their situation is compounded by having a kid on top of it who needs their support and attention. It’s stressful enough without adding a second child. Thankfully it’s a false alarm.  However Josh, in a show of responsibility decided to do something about it and get a vasectomy. Still being josh though, his getting one also involves a massive and hilarious vasectomy party, where a bunch of people we never met, and alex and bridgette obviously play party games involving pinning sisssors on testies and theires even a breakdancing sperm. Emily and Pearle’s reactions are gold to this: Emily, before the opening, tells Josh he’s not allowed to plan parties anymore, understandable while Pearle genuinely didn’t belivie they were dumb enough to have a vasectomy party and gives out an understandable “Damn you white people” when she’s proven wrong. Alex also gets set up for his subplot in the episode mentioning he got his a year ago, which given his and Bridgette’s relationship was probably falling apart around then was a good call. I do however like this: Something big happend and Josh is taking responsibility for it, while still being josh about it, but it shows how unlike a lot of idiot heroes in adult cartoons,he’s still a genuinely nice guy who tries to do what’s right, and has more than one brain cell. he has two thank you. So Alex drives josh to get a vasectomy, while Randy presumibly watches Candace as we only see her at the start (Peale was watching her during hte party to help keep her in the dark for now) and finish of the episode. Meanwhile Emily, Bridgette and Pearle have a small B plot having brunch mamosas and boxing up candace’s baby stuff. We also find out for 100% sure our heroines nationatlities: Bridgette is japanese while Emily is Mexican. Mostly because Bridgette always saw Emily with a bigger family and only half for racist reasons that get her handcuffed to a pipe by a drunken Pearle. This show really needs more of Pearle asa every time she shows up she’s a fucking delight and if the show hopefully returns for season 2 I could easily see her getting more screentime. Emily ends up in tears and realizing she may want more kids, which is.. resonable. Their only 32. While it’s resonable to want or have any amount of kids, except like 20 like that one tlc show... I never watched it but when the only two things you hear about a show you don’t watch is the weird, archacic dating setup they have that feels like it produces a good marriage as much as Charlie Sheen did, and that the mother won’t stop having kids despite it nearly killing her  multiple times and having you know 20, you kinda don’t want to watch it.  Anyway it’s resonable to want a family of any size you want, Emily realises she’s not sure she wants to stop at 1 just yet.  Meanwhile in the A-Plot Josh has come to the same conclusion after finding out that not only is this version of a vasectomy he’s getting permentant, mostly due to ball scorching done by robots, but after a hilarious but deeplly insulting carnival ride in the clinic that’s supposed to Scare josh out of having kids and features two teenagers fighting and pop and locking, a goblin and a wall just saying why why why why, impilng kids ruin your sleep, your romantic lives and are terrible. Josh however understandably takes offense to this, and seeing a brother and sister.. only make him not want to deprive candace of possibly having a sister oneday. Again while he and Emily are in no way in position for a second kid now.. they have time and Josh could easily sell a game at some point: he almost does in the next episode. ONe of Emily and Bridgette’s songs could go viral. Or Josh could end up finding a much better day job or Emily could get a promtion at hers. While not wanting to have a second child while they can’t support one is the right move, Josh realizes not wanting ot have one at all, at least in their spectfic case, was an overreaction to a scary situation.  Josh decides to think more, despite the doctor offring up some pubic scaping for extra, and he and Alex end up finding the Teens from the ride.. who are in fact real kids who look an AWFUL lot and act an awfl lot like alex and are basically indentured to the doctor,who treats them like crap and has them undder contract to pop and lock for him and look at his new pubic hair designs (”Those nights are the hardest”). Josh decides not to go through with it but the bostioan robots who do the procedure refuse to let that happen and leave Josh, Alex and the Twins on the run, while Alex himself reconsiders parenthood as he’s now proud of what he thinks are his kids. As the four are cornered it turns out the doctor is also a prisoner.. but an unsympathetic one since he can A) go home and B) is willingly collaberating with obnoxious robots to do a dangerous verison of a serious procedure to save his own ass and is karmically atomized. When Alex brings up his thinking the kids are his, they sadly explain he isn’t: Their dad’s a republican senator (Tot hteir shame the girl, who I almost forgot to mention is voiced by the wonder Kate MIccui, in her second role in a JG Quintel show. HOpefully if there’s a season 2 or the show stars having arcs they can find a full role for her on the show. ) and Alex finds his sperm he donated ended up in a dumpster.. but is determined to protect the kids anyway. Thankfully our heroes are able to escape with Emily, who sneaks ina fter the robots locked down the faicility’s help, with Josh bummed because he was proud for being responsible as the two discuss still wanting to have kids, with Emily pointing out .. this is STILL responsible. Not going through with something you have doubts about and having an honest talk with your partner is the responsbe thing> The five of them escape, and while Alex knows he’s not the teens father, offers to be there for them if they ever need it.  Wrapping things up at a skating rink, The Ramierz’ skate and Josh and Emily plan to do their taxes again later, though likely with a rubber this time, and Alex got his vasectomy reverse and is really weird about it to Bridgette’s annoyance. Also 20,000 years into the future subhuman cavemen versions of hismelf are the dominatne lifeform Neat. Overall this ep was really good, having great character stuff for Josh Emily and Alex, while still having some good bits for the rest of the main cast minus randy who I feel the show honestly forgets exists half the time, with drunk Pearle being a delight. But it’s the emotional core for both sides: Josh and Emily hastily deciding to not have more kids before wondering if they want to keep the option open while Alex realisses he might want to be a dad himself and his bond with waht he thinks are his kids and protectivness of them is really sweet. It’s also not lacking in great jokes; The entire rollercoaster of “DON’T HAVE KIDS” is just black comedy gold from start to finsih including the green goblin for some reaosn, the boston robots and vasectomy doctor are great vilians and overall the episode is just really good and really mature for an episode that also makes plenty of testicle scaping jokes. You can do both. 

Clap Like This

And continuing the trend from the last few episodes, we have the weaker one (though Golden Gamer was still pretty damn good), second this time around, though like Golden Gamer it’s still decent.  The plot is a bit simplier and starts with Josh FINALLY selling a game to two idiot tech billionares, Clap LIke This, a game about clapping along that actually seems really damn fun and I wish were real like Ladder World.  While Emily enjoys being able to spend money and her husband finally living his dream or so she thinks, Bridgette, who we find out has been on an allowance from her parents, is cut off on her birthday and has to get a job at a forever 23, one of the few times this show has used an offbrand and not nearlya s awesome a name as “Plugger Inners” it feels lazier if only because again, Plugger Inners exists. But as was revealed earlier, the two guys who bought it went broke and the deal feell through but josh, feeling terrrible about them not being able to afford the finer things anymore, hides it from his family and takes as many shifts as possible at plugger inners. He also runs into David Hasslehoff doing his best mitch von malibu as he just.. throws more money at josh to do what his son asks. Or nephew or whatever. I went back and redited this after finding out that really was him and supposed to be him. I’m also calling his annoying son Hobie for reasons that will be come clear if you’ve ever watched allison pregler’s baywatching series but it’s always fun to see the hoff in something. Especailly the time he made this really embarassing music video. 

But alass the 200 dollars Hoff made off “jump in my car”  that he gave josh isn’t enough and with him having taken all the insltation jobs josh is forced to turn to black market insltations including one where he installs a tv while jaws eats a guy.. I genuinely wish they’d used this song.

#close enough #jq quintel #reviews #animation reviews #hbo max #so long boys #clap like this

[nicknellie]

First, numbering them is absolutely brilliant because especially where paragraphs kind of change abruptly. I just keep like saying a word before it with a little dash mark just so you can (hopefully) have some reference as to what I’m talking about, but now I can do numbers!

1. Never knew I needed this until you typed it however this is everything

2. Exactly, that is the thoughts that they have and it takes Reggie breaking down for them to finally talk to each other about it because none of them wanted to approach the situation

3. Yes, I maybe should’ve chose a better point but I was like you can tell he’s passionate and it kind of shows what I mean. Also I feel like the fact that he still hasn’t processed his death might also be a sign that it’s hard for him to change his mind (Alex doesn’t like change, and neither does Luke)

However eventually Luke is able to reconsider what he said and also sometimes admit that he might’ve been in the wrong (but not often, hmm thinking of what I can reference from the show, possibly the dance ?)

4. Yes, and if he did intervene then everyone knew that they needed to be quiet and listen (also Alex is one of the only people who Luke would possibly let change his mind and or consider the other side quicker)

5. Due to his upbringing Alex always tries to be respectful hence why he said sir to Caleb however he is a sarcastic person and has quick comebacks

6. And that loneliness only grew after the boys passed away (part of the reason why he isn’t able to get close to people in fear that they will pass as well)

7. Same here, that’s part of where my theory came from. I agree, people grieve in different ways and that could’ve been how Bobby grieved and he shouldn’t be judged for it.

8. Yes he definitely goes through their bags. I do agree with you however at the same time I wonder if the bag did stay in the garage just because at the time Bobby knew how Luke and his parents parted (possibly could be that after a while, more so after he talked to them, he gave them the bag)

9. Absolutely and Reggie kind of switches between crosswords and sudokus just because he’s interested in lots of things

10. Precisely, despite the fact that Reggie is the one who is actually afraid of heights not Alex, Reggie tried to convince Alex that he was going to climb Mount Everest. Another time Reggie tried to convince Alex that they were going coffee tasting and didn’t want to make him feel bad because all of them had toffee nut in it (Owen is allergic to toffee nut hopefully and that’s the explanation I can offer😂)

11. They can’t lie to each other at all, Alex is the best liar sometimes when talking to other people (at least in defense of the boys) and in general Luke just can’t lie

12. Luke would definitely be the person who would cut someone off for something rude that they said. (Usually after exploding and saying why exactly they are wrong, especially if someone says something bad about Alex)

13. There’s a drawing of Reggie with a cowboy hat (https://kidovna.tumblr.com/post/639425200784572416/hi-little-reggie-in-a-cowboy-hat-even-if) (oh how I hope that link will work) and now I just want to see a picture of Sunset Curve with cowboy hats because Reggie was sad and they couldn’t say no

14. Yes, alongside those songs I offer the ‘devil went down to Georgia’ (i’m basically saying it because a version of this should be this song the boys use against Caleb and it’s basically them saying that they are better than Caleb) (also because it was released at some point during the time that they were alive I believe)

15. Yes those are the only art styles that Reggie has. Sometimes he randomly has half of the picture be realistic and then the other half be like Booboo Stewart’s art (Picasso like maybe ?)

16. Reggi definitely help decorate because not only was he impatient but he wanted to eat the cake. (The shape was kind of horrendous because Alex was trying to get it to be the exact shape of the character however the cake came out fantastic)

17. Yes the boys always juggle between if they should be concerned about the fact that he’s baking or the fact that he’s baking again so happy times (once again something he did that reminds him of his parents so for a long time the boys were the only ones who got the bake goods)

18. It took me longer than it should’ve to find this link and honestly I have no clue who wrote it but it’s so good https://archiveofourown.org/works/28308108 (same for this one as well)

19. Precisely it wasn’t like he was fixing the amp and then all the sudden it started raining. He just thought that starting to fix it in the rain would be best

20. You took the words right out of my mouth, yes. Honestly Alex was another son to Emily and Mitch so the fact that he was hurting so bad made them so mad. Maybe that’s why he had his stuff because if he was kicked out then he probably wouldn’t have had time to get everything that belong to him so because of Mitch and Emily that’s how we got his stuff (if they caught the rest of the boys climbing a tree to get what belonged to Alex and honestly only provided a car they will never say) (what if they just egg the house with Emily and Mitch’s help)

21. Exactly, Alex didn’t have the courage the tell Luke for a bit and still to this day Luke has no clue that Alex spend those nights at his house. (Also occasionally that Emily and Alex would talk and Emily would give him food just to make sure that they were well fed)

22. Sunset Curve just needs more in general, any scenes for them works

23. Yes!! Sadly I don’t have the book but I did see that (sometimes you just never know with shows because they easily could’ve taken a theory that the fans had and turned it into something completely different). I’m so happy that this is confirmed, although this still does leave the potential for them to reveal her in season two maybe (not sure) (just more Rose in general is needed)

24. Thank you, yes and I get that part of the reason may be that they don’t have as much screen time and don’t have as much about them known as the boys (hence the need for past stories) however they are wonderful characters played by wonderful actors and deserve more. Also the fact that neither of them really sang in season one is my one regret. (Flynn had ‘I got the music’ however that was kind of like an alternative reality partly, and aside from a bit in ‘the other side of Hollywood’ we don’t see much dancing/singing for Willie)

Flynn just like Luke is very set in her beliefs and also would be the first person to cut someone off/explode at someone if needed. However eventually she is the first person to reconnect with Carrie. Honestly just more of both of them is needed, in any fashion.

25. He does blame himself for their death and the fact that he wasn’t there (could be part of the reason why he started therapy because he believed this for so long)

26. Honestly I want them to give Trevor more character because aside from being Carrie‘s father and stealing the songs we don’t really know a lot about him or who he is (same for Bobby as well) Agreed, I would love to see more Carrie and Trevor moments.

27. Honestly I feel like that will be how they start to process their deaths because they realize, exactly as you said, that they are not going to age however everyone else is

28. Yes, everything you just said needs to be canon. There’s no in between for Reggie song writing it’s either pure country or heavy-metal. (Once he wrote a rock-ish song for Luke but it was most so along the lines that Luke needs to let him add his country music into the set list)

29. Exactly, that is entirely my thought process as well

30. Lightsaber fights happen all the time, Ray gets concerned by the floating lightsaber but Carlos shrugs it off with ‘it’s the ghost that’s been haunting our house’ (Tia is there and is shocked)

31. Wait wait, that is brilliant. Although Reggie can do it by himself, the pictures always turn out much better when Bobby isn’t there so the last few steps of the developing process are always saved for Bobby alone. (Also once Reggie just left a picture in mix while he was soaking the film and the picture turned green, no one knows why)

32. Yes, and if for some reason a fan can’t locate Reggie, they give the stickers to Alex. also the album is not only full of pictures but the stickers that they gave him, also a drawing that a fan made of Han-solo that made Reggie cry in a good way)

33. They all cried to be honest, although Alex only cried because all of them were crying

34. Oh my yes, that is his blackmail material and he uses it well. You are absolutely right that is exactly what Luke does, (also once got stuck in a child swing set)

35. I didn’t even think about her managing it but yes that is precisely what she does and she is in charge of those photo shoots. However once during golden hour, he is the reason for that one happening (also did the same for Willie because)

36. You stole the words out of my mouth that is exactly what he did.

37. I’m just now picturing it in my head and I need this in my life (imagine Julie just bundled up and since the sleeves are long they are overflowing as well and Alex just melts).

38. Luke is such a scaredy cat although when they meet Caleb, Alex said that he would be hiding behind Luke they all knew that if it came down to it that Luke would be hide behind Alex. So obviously this sentence meant that this needed to be created

39. They have matching costumes.. what if it’s like dirty candy where each costume is in a different colour. (Luke hates them even though he once bought them matching pjs)

40. They all dance with each other, just to displeased Luke for the longest time Bobby and Alex would just waltz around the garage (we all know that Luke joined them after the first time). Also once Willie sees Alex waltzing with Julie and decides that this is the greatest thing that has ever existed (also bamboozled because Alex never told him he could dance)

41. I wasn’t thinking about these things existing at all but I now need one as well

Ok I’m going to do my best to answer this quickly because I’ve got schoolwork to do but I absolutely love responding to these and want to do this instead, so I’m just going to expand onto each point I can and I might come back and edit it later with more detail!

2. Yes! Like one day in rehearsal Reggie just seems really out of it and the guys ask what’s wrong and he basically just asks if they even really want him there or they just keep him around to spare his feelings. Prompts Bobby to make them all sit down and talk it out because clearly they all have some issues they need to get a grip on

3. Oh yeah I get what you mean, kinda like it’s hard for him to adjust to any new or different way of thinking, even something as trivial as a song they’ll play probably like one time. I think you’re right about him actually managing to change his mind - it takes him a while and he despises admitting he’s wrong but he will do it if it’s really clear he wasn’t right

4. Oh yeah I love that! Like Alex knows just how to talk to him to get him to at least start reconsidering. Alex is a good influence in that way because he ensures Luke is always looking at every perspective and considering everyone in the band rather than only himself or sticking to only his ideas (I feel like he probably gets carried away writing songs and only wanting to include what he comes up with and Alex needs to gently remind him that he’s in a band, he’s not a solo artist)

5. Yesss you’re right - I think he has surprisingly quick wit and he doesn’t like arguing because it’s so fast that he’ll sometimes say things he doesn’t mean and finds it hard to take it back

6. Yeah omg that hurts to think about - having the boys in his life made him happy and less introverted but all that was ripped away from him too when they died

8. Oh yeah actually I like that! Seeing as we see ambulance lights/police lights in Unsaid Emily it’s likely Bobby was there first to identify bodies and collect stuff, so if he didn’t know Luke’s parents were coming then he would have just taken Luke’s things and gone through it - he finds a completed Rubik’s Cube (seeing as that’s part of where this whole massive list started lmaooo) and remembers Luke fiddling with it before the sound check and even that just breaks his heart

10. Now you mention it, Reggie being afraid of heights is something I could get behind - the boys would sometimes go to theme parks and Reggie would be the one who would wait with all their bags while they were on the rollercoasters. He preferred watching them all have fun anyway, it made him feel like a proud parent. Abbcoeprke yes definitely, Alex has the same allergy as Owen so Reggie was just panicking like “we just didn’t want to risk your health!”

11. Oh yeah definitely, Alex can lie unless it’s to one of the boys; Reggie only gets away with lies (not to the boys) because he comes up with the weirdest stuff and people just think it’s Reggie being Reggie so it’s hard to tell when he’s lying; Bobby is just way too casual when he’s lying which is how they catch him out; Luke “where is your kitchen by the way?” Patterson cannot lie to save his life

12. Luke is 100% willing to just cut all ties with someone even if they’ve been perfectly nice before - if it was an honest mistake that the person is willing to learn from, Luke would still keep them at arm’s length to avoid them hurting any of his best friends again

13. Yes omg thankfully I made the link work and that’s freaking adorable (I follow that person and I love ALL their art especially Reggie, they’re so talented) and yes oh my god. Reggie has been sad for a few days, maybe because his parents are fighting, and so Luke has the idea to do something kind of like a cowboy-themed party. It’s not really a party, it’s just the four of them spending the whole day wearing cowboy costumes and line-dancing but it definitely does the job of cheering Reggie up

14. Omgggg I listened to the song and I’m amazed at how perfectly that fits!!! Wow you’re exactly right, Reggie loves that song and he loved it even more after Julie pointed out how much it related to their situation

15. Ooooh I love that like a combination of the two styles!! Definitely a bit of Picasso inspiration in there too!

16. Yes lol the shape was weird because of that and also Reggie kept picking bits off to eat (Alex kept slapping his hand away but Reggie was so excited that he couldn’t bring himself to kick him out of the kitchen completely)

17. Yes omg and now I’m just thinking about young Alex being taught to bake by his mother back when they were really close, so now that’s all he can think about when he bakes - it gives him equal amounts of comfort and stress because he’s comforted by the happy memories but sad that he’ll never have those days back. But the cookies he’s left with at the end are great so it kind of gets rid of any sadness!

18. Ooooh I’ll read that when I’ve got time!!

19. Yeah lmao like it just didn’t occur to him that it would be a terrible idea. He kinda thought that rain was relaxing in a way and just. Went for it.

20. Asjkxbskl I love that like Mitch and Emily being good responsible parents the majority of the time but someone upsets Alex?? His own parents upset him??? Ok boys it’s time for payback get in the car

21. Yesss Alex just showing up at Luke’s house whenever he needed to just to speak to Emily! And the way she would look out for him!! 🥺🥺 plus Mitch making sure he took on the role of Supportive Father Figure

23. Yes you’re so right any more Rose content will make me so happy! I’d love to see her interacting with young Julie and Carlos, or her and Bobby being friends, or her meeting Ray, or her and Victoria being supportive sisters, plus her with her band Rose and the Petal Pushers!!! Just anything to do with Rose and I’ll be happy

24. Omg yes I’d kill for more performance from both of them! I want a Flynn and Julie duet or even Flynn and Carrie, or just Flynn becoming their resident rapper so whenever they want a rap section in a song they call on her. I desperately need a Willex duet, and yesss I need Willie dancing more - we were robbed of him and Alex dancing together at the HGC so we need any dance between them tbh. Ooooh yes I totally agree like when she’s like “watch it Carrie” in the music class, she’s just very protective and loyal and I honestly love her for that. Yesss more Flynn and Carrie!!

25. Definitely, he must have suffered so much survivor’s guilt afterwards and I think it was probably a while before he went to therapy, so maybe a lot of damage had already been done

26. 100% right, Trevor needs more character development. Honestly I kinda want to see him just losing his mind trying to figure out how the boys came back, and I also want to see him somehow communicate with them, explain his point of view and apologise. It’s an idea I’m including in a fic I’m writing but it could work here too if Trevor was to become the band’s manager to help them achieve the goals he did but they never got to

27. Especially Luke!! Him realising that Julie is growing older would be really tough for him :(((

28. Lmao yes Reggie writes songs to tell the boys to do things or to get his opinion across like “this one’s called: Shut Up, Luke, Country Music Is Good, You Just Have Poor Taste” or “I present: Alex, Just Ask Willie Out Before I Do It On Your Behalf”

30. Lightsaber fights are the way Ray actually finds out the guys are ghosts. He doesn’t believe Carlos so asks Julie and then as she’s trying to talk her way out of it the fridge opens by itself (well, Luke opens it, but that’s how it looks) and Ray is just like “are you sure there’s no ghosts?” and she has to explain everything. Tía Victoria just watches in horror and won’t come back to the house for months - eventually she does come back and bonds with Alex somehow

31. Absnfoflske yes the amount of pictures Reggie has accidentally ruined because of his terrible developing methods is unreal. Bobby stopped finding it funny when Reggie started getting really upset about it and spent like a week straight perfecting the technique

32. Awww yes Alex being like a sticker messenger and fans giving the boys fanart! For Reggie it’s almost always Star Wars (a lovely Han Solo like you said omg I love it), and for the others it’s usually portraits of them (Alex was once given a jigsaw but never figured out how people knew he liked them so much bc he never really made it public???)

34. Omg YES. Other places Luke has got stuck: halfway through the railings of a fence, inside a washing machine, his foot got stuck in a toilet, he got his arm trapped in a vending machine for five hours, in a tunnel on a children’s climbing frame (that was the same day as the swing set lmao), and once inside a suit of armour (nobody ever figured out where he got the armour from - even Luke himself wasn’t really sure)

35. Oh my god oh my god oh my god Willie and Flynn photoshoots together!!!!!! With Luke and Flynn, Willie is definitely also the most photogenic (they found out because Reggie accidentally took a photo one day and everyone looked dreadful except for Willie who was practically glowing) so some days during golden hour like you said Reggie will just take the two of them down to the beach and make them do a photo shoot omgggg

37. Yes 🥺🥺 the second he sees her he just marches right up to her and hugs her (bonus points if she’s sad (about her mum or something else) and she found Alex’s jumper and put it on for comfort and she’s crying when he finds her but he calms her down just by hugging her and letting her keep the hoodie for as long as she wants it which ends up being forever)

38. Akdbsokcod yes exactly that’s freaking amazing I love it

39. Oh my god yes! Alex had multiple outfits but his favourite was pink, Reggie’s was red, Luke’s was blue, and Bobby’s was yellow (he wanted black but Alex said no because he didn’t want him to overheat while exercising like he would have done in black). And matching PJs yes omg that’s so cute. And Julie gets them all matching onesies - Reggie absolutely adores them

Here’s a genuine real actual photo of Sunset Curve in their workout gear (left to right is Reggie, Alex, Bobby, Luke)

(Could I have found a better picture? Probably. Is this a thousand times funnier and therefore worth choosing instead? Definitely.)

40. Yes totally and after that Willie insists Alex teaches him too and Alex once again resumes his position as resident dance teacher

#this definitely wasn’t a quick response lmaooo but oh well i had fun doing it 😂😂 #williexmercer #asks #emily answers #julie and the phantoms

[jazy3]

Thoughts on Grey’s Anatomy: 16X12

I watched the new episode of Grey’s Anatomy over the weekend. I liked it. It was a standalone that focused on some of the characters I'm less interested in so it wasn't as thrilling as it could have been but it was good. One thing I loved about this episode and last week’s was the humour! They’ve really brought the humour back to Grey’s Anatomy and I am here for it! We could all use a laugh these days. Meredith’s Voice Over this week is about secrets and how they all come out eventually. Very true. I loved her line, “The question is what are your body’s secrets? And are you ready to know?” We all fear the truth sometimes. Meredith Grey asking the real questions. 

Maggie and Jackson run into each other at the hospital. We find out that she took Richard’s advice and went to ask Koracick for her job back. He hasn’t decided yet. Jerk. Jackson proceeds to throw shade and Maggie throws it right back. That’s my girl! We find out that Maggie and Jackson have been invited to what they think is Richard and Catherine’s anniversary dinner. Next we see Catherine and Richard arguing. We find out the dinner is actually happening so they can tell their kids that they’re separating. Yikes! The other clue here is that judging by the promo Meredith does not attend. If it was a real anniversary dinner Meredith would absolutely be in attendance because Richard is like a father to her. 

Her absence really should have tipped Maggie off that something was wrong. That being said, Maggie’s been going through a tough time recently and got kinda drunk pretty soon after arriving and she is historically pretty oblivious sometimes so I guess I can’t blame her for that. Meanwhile Levi is at home recovering and Nico is there helping him. Awww they’re so cute! I love them together. I loved Levi’s line, “Except for the ball gag and jock strap were good.” LOL! 

We find out that Levi’s Great Uncle Saul is in hospice and he’s dying. According to Levi he was an ass to everyone else except him and he’s devastated that he’s dying. Poor Levi. Meanwhile, Maggie shows up for dinner at Richard and Catherine’s very nice house. She wishes them a happy anniversary and gifts them chocolates. Richard and Catherine are stunned. They completely forgot it was coming up. Oh boy. 

Jackson arrives next and wishes them the same and gifts them an Alice Mann painting all the way from South Africa. Maggie feels bad for only bringing them chocolates. Catherine tries to smooth things over. Richard wants to cut to the chase and tell them. Catherine wants to hold off and gets everybody wine. You can see where this is going. Then the doorbell rings. It’s Vic from Station 19! Jackson invited her because he thought it was a dinner party. And she brought Dean because she thought it was a party party, not a dinner party and as we later learn is trying to set Maggie and him up since he previously showed an interest in her. 

Meanwhile, Levi comes to visit Uncle Saul with Nico in tow. They banter and then Saul chastises him for still living in his mother’s basement. Levi beats around the bush and Uncle Saul is having none of it. “You think I’m getting on a roof with a bugle horn anytime soon?” Oh Uncle Saul! With that Levi introduces Nico as his boyfriend and comes out as gay to his uncle. Nico goes to shake his hand and Uncle Saul promptly dies right in front of them! Only on Grey’s! Which results in a stunned Levi uttering the phrase, “I killed him. I killed him with my gayness.” Oh my god! Interestingly Justin Chambers is still credited on this episode even though he does not appear. As with last week’s episode this is likely because he was away but still under contract and expected to return when this episode was shot last year. 

I think we’ll start to see more obvious storyline changes beginning with episode 13 as it would have been the first one filmed in the new year either during or after Justin decided to leave the show. It’s a shame we’ll never get to see the original storylines as they were planned, but Justin gave 15+ years to a show that nobody thought would make it past Season 1. So as much as I miss Alex as a character I get it. When it’s time to move on it’s time to move on. You have to do it when you feel ready and not by anyone else’s clock or timeframe. 

Back at the hospice Levi is doing his best to follow Jewish tradition with regards to Saul’s body. His Aunt shows up and then promptly peaces out! Oh man! Over at the dinner party Jackson is a complete ass and Maggie calls him on his crap completely! I’m so here for it! You tell him! You go Glen Coco! Catherine continues to be cold towards Vic and honestly I kind of love it! She asks Vic if she’s allergic to shrimp and in response Dean says, “Vic? No! She’ll put anything in her mouth!” Oh Dean. You are not helping. LOL! 

Dean and Maggie seem to get along well which is nice. Maybe there’s hope for them still. We find out from Vic that during her training the nickname first responders used to refer to Pac North was The Morgue! Oh boy. Back at the hospice Levi and Nico are playing cards. Nico still wants that sandwich. Levi’s a hard no. Then in walks a man who Levi doesn’t recognize but who clearly knows Saul. Then Levi introduces himself and the man recognizes him. He knows who he is because Saul talked about him all the time. My heart! 

He correctly identifies Nico as his boyfriend and Levi is confused. We find out that Uncle Saul was gay and this man was his partner. Twist! We find out that Saul and Daniel were the loves of each other’s lives and that Daniel is heartbroken at his passing. I guess Levi’s gayness didn’t kill Uncle Saul after all! That’s a relief! Back at dinner Maggie shares Catherine and Richard’s proposal story and then Jackson makes this lovely speech about how they’re the gold standard. Which would be wonderful if they weren’t separating. 

Catherine and Richard talk in the kitchen. Catherine gets emotional and says that maybe they’ve been too hasty with the separation. Richard agrees and says that if he wants things to move forward he needs her to apologize. He says he knows that doesn’t come easy for her, but to him he can’t move forward with her without it. I loved their exchange. “Richard I am sorry, but-” “Apologies don’t have the word ‘but’ after them.” Talk that truth Richard! Talk that truth! 

I’d really like it if we got more of an explanation of Catherine’s actions. They still haven’t explained why she didn’t stand up for Richard or didn’t apologize afterward or try to fix it. Back at the hospice Daniel and Levi lovingly prepare Saul’s body in accordance with the Jewish tradition. It’s very moving. I loved Daniel’s line, “Your generation takes for granted what is possible.” It’s heartbreaking but also true. There’s some really wonderful commentary here about how far social attitudes and legal rights have come for gay people in the U.S. and elsewhere in the last few decades. Like many things we, the younger generations, often take hard won victories and certain possibilities for granted. This scene made cry because as Daniel says the fact that our generation can even do that for a second is reason to hope for a better tomorrow. The acting was very well done.

Back at dinner Maggie and Jackson are arguing about his yacht when Richard gets a text that he’s very happy about. Catherine goes off because she thinks he’s talking to his girlfriend. He’s not. It turns out the text is from Alex. Richard has been talking to him about making Maggie an offer to run their Cardio Department and he’s approved it. Judging from this information and other info we’ve received Alex is still living in Seattle, still running Pac North, still married to Jo, and still spending time with Meredith. 

So does this mean their new plan is to off screen his character? Justin Chambers has moved on but the character of Alex will continue to exist off screen? Not sure how I feel about this yet. On the one hand I don’t want them to kill him off on the other I hate not seeing him and want him to get a proper send off. But this also leaves it open for him to come back on screen in the series finale which I would love. It’s clear to me that they had a storyline planned out for Alex’s character and Pac North prior to this. Obviously since the actor had moved on they are having to scrap and rework that plan. I’m sad we’ll never see the intended version. 

But at the same I also respect that an actor has the right to move on when they’re ready to do so especially after 15 years. It sucks for the character but it’s good for Justin Chambers so it’s a toss up as a fan. Also why is Catherine outraged? Koracick said he’d think about it when Maggie talked to him. You snooze you lose pal. Also why is Jackson such a patronizing entitled asshat these days? What’s up with that? 

Things finally come to a head at dinner and Catherine and Richard finally announce that they are separating. Poor Dean. He gets invited to what he thinks is a party and instead winds up at someone’s break up dinner. Fun! Catherine and Richard both leave the table and Jackson and Maggie follow them out. I’ll give Jackson one thing: he’s a wonderful and loving son. He’s there comforting his mom when Vic comes to drop off some plates. Catherine finally warms to her and offers her some cobbler. It’s a very sweet moment. 

Meanwhile Maggie and Richard talk outside. They have a heart to heart and then Maggie asks about the job offer. It’s a lot of money. She’s surprised Alex thinks she’s worth that much. Richard says he thinks so too. She accepts! It seems to me that the original storyline would have seen Maggie, Richard, Owen, and Alex working together at Pac North. But since Justin Chambers has moved on it looks like that will be happening off screen now. 

As everyone prepares to leave Vic and Maggie talk it out and clear the air. I’m glad they did. They’re issue is with Jackson not with each other. We cut to Levi and Nico. They’re back at home packing up his things. His mom comes downstairs. Levi explains that Uncle Saul is gone and that he’s moving out. Levi gives this great speech to his mom about how he’s super gay and that his mom saying she accepts him but not telling anyone isn’t really acceptance and he can’t do this anymore. Because Levi’s made a decision. He doesn’t want to wait until he’s old and dying to be free. He wants to be free and live openly now as a gay man and be happy. Levi’s mom thinks Nico put him up to this but as Levi explains he loves her but he has to do this. 

I’m so proud of Levi! Standing up to family is hard especially when you love them but you have to do it. Back at the house Catherine and Richard argue. Richard asks if Catherine was hoping he’d fail when he took the job at Pac North. She says she hoped he’d come to his senses and asks if Maggie turned down his absurd offer. Why does Catherine think the offer is absurd? It’s more than Grey Sloan was paying her clearly and they indicated they weren’t interested. Why wouldn’t she take it?

Richard has had enough. He calls Catherine out on her need to control everything and that the success of Pac North is because of him and that she had nothing to do with it and it’s killing her. I’m glad Richard is finally calling Catherine out on her need to control everything. It really is absurd. In response Catherine calls someone named Harry and asks them to find out how much it would cost to buy Pac North. Seriously? This woman would rather buy a struggling hospital than apologize to her husband? 

I saw the Catherine Fox Foundation buying Pac North as a likely resolution to the storyline but I pictured in a more positive way. This is just mean and spiteful. I figured Alex and Richard would turn Pac North around, make it a great hospital, and bring it up to Grey Sloan’s level. At which point Catherine and the other doctors would see the value in it and offer to make Pac North part of the Foundation. That way everyone would keep their jobs but we would see the doctors go back and forth. However, that plan obviously involves Alex being on screen as he’s the Chief. I’m wondering if Justin’s departure caused them to have to rewrite this storyline in a more negative way or if that was the plan all along. 

It’s impossible to say and we’ll never know for sure, but one thing that is evident to me is that the writers and showrunners didn’t think Justin would be leaving this season or this soon in the season. If they had known they would have written this storyline differently. That being said everyone has a right to move on when they’re ready to do so and it’s up to the writers to make it work now that the actor has moved on. 

Also did this woman just threaten to shut down an entire hospital that employs hundreds of people just to spite her husband for succeeding without her? WTF?!?! Where would those people go? Where would their patients go? Mercy West Medical Centre and Seattle Grace Hospital merged years ago, Dillard Medical Centre was shut down for obvious reasons, and the show has established that both Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital and Seattle Presbyterian Hospital run at capacity patient wise. Where would they go? 

I feel like Catherine’s line at the end about not being sorry was supposed to be empowering but to me it just felt cold, selfish, and cruel. Richard didn’t do anything to her. Richard stood up and stood alongside Meredith who he loves like a daughter and instead of trying to understand that Catherine is acting like he betrayed her. Next week’s promo seems to be more Station 19 oriented and doesn’t really tell us much so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see! 

Until next time!

#grey's anatomy #Meredith Grey #review #Thoughts #critique #16X12 #the last supper #season 16 #levi schmitt #nico kim #maggie pierce #jackson avery #catherine fox #richard webber #alex karev #vic hughes #dean miller #station 19 #schmico #judiasm #lgbtq #gay rights

[dailyaudiobible]

09/19/2020 DAB Transcript

Isaiah 30:12-33:9, Galatians 5:1-12, Psalms 63:1-11, Proverbs 23:22

Today is the 19th day of September Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I'm Brian it’s great to be here with you as we bring to a close another one of our weeks together and what a week it is been, so much for us to ponder and consider. So much, so good…like so good the territory that we’re moving through right now. And, so, let's dive in and…and close out our week together. We’re reading from the English Standard Version this week. Isaiah chapter 30 verse 12 through 33 verse 9.

Prayer:

Father we thank You for Your word. We thank You for another week. And, yeah, every single week we get to the same point and we essentially say the same thing, we mark the time, we thank You for Your faithfulness, we thank You for all that Your speaking into our lives through the Scriptures, all of the many complexions, all of the different facets, this beautiful gift that You have given to us to pour over and to meditate upon and to drink deeply from because it points us to You. And may we, as Paul is saying, press through in faith knowing that You are our Father and that You are good and that You love us and that You are present. And, so, as we release this week and seal it and it becomes a part of our story, a part of the past, a part of our history, we’re here and we're here now and we recognize Your faithfulness because we wouldn't be here now if You hadn’t loved us first. And, so, with assurance we look into the future knowing that You are there and when we arrive You will be there. You are faithful even when we are not, and that is remarkable, unspeakably good news. But we don't want that to be our story, the story of a faithful God and our unfaithful heart. Draw us deeper Holy Spirit, that we may never look to the right or to the left, that we might look only where You are going. We pray this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

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If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if…if the community that we were just talking about, if that’s good for your life, if that's light in your life, if that's good news in your life, if the Bible in community like this is…is…well…is working for you than thank you for your partnership, we’re in this together. And this doesn't exist if we don't stay in this together. And, so, thank you for your partnership. There’s a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address, if you prefer, is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you've a prayer request or encouragement 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that's it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hey everybody this is Abigail from Oregon again. I called in about a month ago with regards to losing my baby and just were asking for prayer for that and I and I think you so much everyone who’s prayed for me. It’s weird because I never even heard my own recording and yet I heard people praying for me. It’s crazy and I’m so thankful for that. So, we’re doing a lot better. Unfortunately, we’ve evacuated due to the fires now. My family home is in grave danger. There’s a fire that’s less than half a mile away from our home and church where we’ve spent…my dad’s spent 50 years pastoring. And, so, we’re all evacuated to a local camp and we’re doing well as far as morale but of course it’s super, super scary in thinking about our home and our church and I know that we are one of millions right now that are facing the same exact fears. And so just be praying for all of us. I’m sure that many have already been praying for Oregon and Washington and California but here’s just another personal account of people who are in the midst of the fire right now, literally and figuratively. And, so, yeah….and also be praying for my husband. He is finally looking towards getting grief counseling for himself with regards to losing our baby and this is a huge deal because he’s had a lot of trauma in his past and this is just kind of the last final straw. He’s finally seeking help and it’s a huge answer to prayer from me and a lot of other people that have been praying for him for years to get help. And now he is looking towards it, but he is not made the call yet. So, yeah, anyways, just praises and prayer requests at the same time. Thank you all and we hope to update you soon with the progress on the fires are here in Oregon. Again, this is Abigail from Oregon calling with prayer with regards to this slater fire in southern Oregon.

Hey, DABbers it is the 15th of the month, this is your girl here Val in Vegas just want to give a shout out to everybody. I really love and care about you guys so much. To be honest todays been a tough day, just world and, I don’t know, I’m feeling some kind of guilt about being okay and so many people not being okay. And I don’t know…I just…my frequencies just not as high as I like it to be today but I just wanted to call on the 15th like I said I was going to do this year, stay loyal and faithful to it. You guys mean the world to me and I tell you, I don’t know where I would be without this community, without the prayers and praise reports, and just the fellowship. I love you guys. I care about you so much and I’ll see you next month.

Hey the DABbers this is Joe I called in a couple of weeks ago and my…my wife and my daughter and my son, you know, stopped wanting to go to church with me and I’m the only one going and I’m just kind of ousted. But I just wanted to give a shout out and I’m so encouraged from Joe the Protector from Georgia. Man, I’m praying for you. You’re like…there is somebody out there that has the same thing. How great God is that He brings us together. Whoa…hold me to get the Lord. O I gotta get through this. Susan from Canada, wow, thank you for your prayer. Whoa…I need more of you. I need more of that. O and I know I can feel it, the Lord is moving in so many different ways I don’t have enough time to tell you everything that’s happening. The encouragement, I can see it…it’s like…O…I’m so excited I can’t hold myself down. And also, Tammy from Texas, I’m praising God that your husband got that job and I’m so sorry that it’s far away. But I’ve been out in the field too and I know my wife and my family have been alone too but I’m back home now. But I’m praying for your you and your colon cancer and that would…would disappear and I pray the Holy Spirit would encourage you too. Your…your testimony just made me smile and tear up and laugh in great encouragement from the Holy Spirit. And you…you just I…I…I love how there are so many that are so…I can see the vision, I can see the future and hold onto the Lord. I praise God for all of you.

Hello Daily Audio Bible this is Duane from Wisconsin all praise and glory to our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Today is September 15th and I’m calling in with a…a praise report. I talked to my son Nicholas who is in jail. He will be getting out shortly and seems to have been watching a pastor, I forget the name, while he’s been in jail and just listening to…to the word of God and spending some time in that. So, I encouraged him when he gets out to find a local church and just find a pastor and talk with him. You know, let him know, say hi, you know, a pastor might help direct him in the direction he needs to go. So, let’s lift that up and continue praying for him. I want to thank all of you that have prayed for all my children. What a blessing it is, this community we have, and I thank you all for such a great kind and uplifting words for all of us. So…and continue to lift up his girlfriend Carma. She’s due October 1st so that’s coming up. Pray everything is going well. So far it is, she delivers a healthy baby. And my stepdaughter Jackie, she’s __ to have a C-section here pretty soon. So, we’ll have grandchild number seven coming so that’s exciting. Thank you all for lifting them up. And just want to thank Brian and Jill and your family and all those behind the scenes for doing such a wonderful job and we have this community and can lift each other up in times of need and make each other laugh at times as well. So, again thank you all. God bless you all. Stay safe and remember that the God that has saved us is the same God that can save all of our children.

Hi family this is Biola from Maryland I hope you’re all doing well. Brian and Jill God bless you God bless your ministry. You know family as I was listening to all the prayer requests and some praise reports my heart was overwhelmed. And the Lord reminded me of Isaiah 65:24 that says that before you call, I will answer. And while you’re yet speaking, I will hear and also Ephesians 3:20 it says that He is the God that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we may ask or even think. So, He knows it all. And when we’re praying the Lord is listening. He’s so faithful and He answers. First of all, I want to pray for Lenny. Lenny I’m so sorry for your loss. Your daughter-in-law passed away from COVID recently and for Joe’s loss, I pray that the Lord will strengthen all of you, He will give…give Joe peace, He will give the children Alex and Lily peace and He will give you wisdom to know how to navigate this. You know, I pray that He will comfort you in your grief in the name of Jesus. And I am thankful Prodigal. Look at you Prodigal. I am thankful that God is turning your son’s life around. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord for that. Brother Joe, I heard your prayer request. You see God that has a God that has a heart for prodigals. He’s the God of the prodigal son. He’s the one that told the story of the lost coin. He’s the one that told the story of the lost sheep and I pray that God will bring your wife and your daughter back in the name of Jesus, that He will fan the flames back into the hearts and they will come to know the Lord. Brother you just keep holding on, keep trusting God, keep praying for them, keep being the believer that you are, and the Lord is doing something. He’s working right in them in the name of Jesus. And I’m praying for every single person in the family who has lost loved ones to this COVID or to any other thing and who has cancer or anything. I pray that the Lord will touch you all and comfort…

Hello Daily Audio Bible family I am a new listener and a first-time caller. I want to thank you for the blessing of this ministry, for every person who is dedicated in prayer and who listens and who blesses me every single day. Thank you, Brian and Jill and China and Ben for all you’re doing. This is the Openhearted Overcomer, that’s the name I am going to use. I’m located in Michigan. I want to pray for all of us right now that, whatever we are trying to overcome the Lord will allow us in the name of Jesus to overcome. We are all overcomers and we can do it in the name of Jesus. I pray Father that each person who seems to have an insurmountable obstacle that is listening within the sound of my voice today will be able to summon the strength that only your Holy Spirit can provide in the process of overcoming. I pray for each and every one of us because we truly are all overcomers in this life. You have overcome the world Lord and we will overcome it as well. Thank you again for this wonderful ministry. It has blessed my life since January the 1st and I plan to listen every day until I close my eyes for the last time. I love all of you and I pray that we will all continue to overcome in the name of Jesus.

[douxreviews]

Roswell, New Mexico - ‘Pilot' Review

Before we get started, let’s address the elephant in the room.  This is not a reboot of the 1999 WB show Roswell.

It is a show based on the same Roswell High books as the ‘99 show.  So yes, there are similarities.  And if you liked the show, you’ll probably enjoy this one too.  But if you thought a high school drama built around star-crossed lovers trying to hide the existence of aliens from the government and their parents was on the cheesy side, you may still want to give this a shot because while the themes of otherness and acceptance are still there, the characters and plots have all grown up.   And if you never saw the original but science fiction that’s heavy on alien metaphors with a side order of science is your jam,  you’re in for a treat.

I promise I will not spend every episode comparing the two versions.  Art is a product of its place and time.  The expectations viewers have for the shows they watch have changed. Therefore, each iteration must be judged on its own merits. What are they trying to say and how well do they achieve their narrative goals?  For all their similarities, these two shows are saying something very different.

In many respects, the original show’s focus on Liz and Max’s love story sucked up much of the narrative oxygen in the room.  The larger themes of alienation and acceptance,  when they occurred, were almost solely through the metaphor of the aliens on earth.  Here we address similar themes from multiple angles.  By embracing diversity, in terms of ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, immigration status, and, yes, human vs. alien, they hammer home the idea that being “other” doesn’t necessarily make us different.

The feelings of otherness are not limited to our alien friends.  Liz doesn’t fit in not only because of her father’s real, and her suspected, undocumented status but also due to the town’s residual hatred regarding her sister Rosa’s actions.  Alex is a military man from a military family in love with a man who despises authority and refuses to conform.  On paper, Kyle looks perfect.  He’s a good-looking doctor from a respected family but he’s so lonely he’s willing to have a romp with an ex in his car while knowing she’s using him.  Each of them is desperate to find a connection, and that desperation has the potential to lead down some dark paths.

Don’t get me wrong, at its heart this is still the love story of Liz and Max; two outsiders with an undeniable attraction for each other but separated by facts that would give Romeo and Juliet pause.  At least those two were both human.  Yet if not for Max’s love for Liz, we’d have no inciting incident.  Liz would have died in a random shooting and he, Isobel, and Michael would have quietly continued their existence in Roswell with no one the wiser.  Instead, Liz returns after a 10-year absence and Max refuses to lose her again.

His actions are not without repercussions.  Liz is no longer a half-smitten high school student.  She believed she was shot, her uniform had a bullet hole, there is a handprint on her chest, and no visible injury.  No self-respecting scientist would let that mystery go uninvestigated which only leads her to more questions.

Thanks to her aborted fling with Kyle, he knows something is up too.  Unfortunately, for all involved, Kyle goes to a far more dangerous source for answers.  Now the secret Max, Isobel, and Michael have been harboring for over 20 years, that they are the aliens from the 1947 crash, is in danger of coming out.

Add to this the mystery of Liz’s sister’s death.  As far as the residents of Roswell are concerned, Rosa, as her father put it, “took drugs, and she drove, and when she died, she took two innocent girls with her.”  We know that’s not true or at least not the whole truth.  Max, Isobel, and presumably Michael have something to do with Rosa’s death and whatever that truth is would spell an end to Liz and Max’s budding romance.  So, of course, she’s going to find out, right?

Regardless of whether the trio is responsible for Rosa’s death (and does anyone really believe Max and Company deliberately killed her?) their fears of exposure are both real and well-founded.  Sergeant Manes and Kyle’s dad were involved with Project Shepherd.  According to Manes, this project was created to protect humans from any threat that aliens might pose.  However, Manes has already made that determination.  And he isn’t subtle about his position on the monsters that landed in 1947 or the killers he believes they are.

What Have We Learned:  

For starters, we know that Max can heal, Michael can move objects with his mind and Isobel can affect people’s thoughts.  We also learned that Isobel used that ability ten years ago to send Liz away when she started reciprocating Max’s feelings for her.  And apparently, Max isn’t the only one who’s been carrying a torch since high school.  In Michael’s case, there was a lot more to the relationship than simply mooning over Alex from afar.

I happened to love the original show and I’ve always been skeptical of reboots.   So, I approached this with a healthy dose of curiosity and very low expectations.   However, the complexity of the characters, the adult themes, and the not-so-subtle commentary on the differing views on aliens of all stripes left me impressed.  Consider me all in.

4 out of 5 glowing handprints

Parting Thoughts:  

I loved the nods to the original, such as Crashdown’s waitress uniforms.

Project Shepherd is a military exercise, right?  Was Kyle’s dad in the military too?

Liz’s confession to Max regarding her mother and sister’s mental issues sounded like a legitimate plea for information and not just a line to get Max’s DNA.  Please tell me that’s going to get explained at some point.

While we’re on the theme of things they better address, Michael has a chemical similar to meth coming from his trailer.  Huh?

And what’s Maria’s story?  She got the short end of the stick as far as storylines go.  I want to know what’s with the fortune-telling?

Quotes:

Liz: “Every small town has a story, but my hometown has a legend.”

Arturo: “I like it here.  I like making milkshakes for tourists dressed like little green men.”

Max: “I’m not one of the bad guys, Liz.”

Max: “So, where you been?” Liz: “Denver, working on an experimental regenerative medicine study.  We were onto something special, but of course we lost funding because someone needs money for a wall.”

Kyle: “So, we could do the awkward exes small talk thing, but I’m guessing that’s not why you’re here.”

Valentin: “For God’s sake, Evans. Shave.” Max: “I heard you ranting about patriarchal dress codes and grooming standards last week. I’m just aligning myself with your feminist agenda, Sheriff.”

Hank: “Isn’t that the Ortecho girl?  I thought she went back to her own country.” Maria: “Uh-uh, Hank.  You’re not distracting me from my money with your thinly veiled racism.”

Isobel: “The good old days.  Just three happy kids who aren’t in danger of being dragged off to the Pentagon by men in hazmat suits because someone couldn’t keep his superhuman healing hands to himself.”

Isobel: “Fall in love with someone else, Max.  Anyone else.” Max: “It’s been ten years, Iz.  If I could have, I would have.”

Kyle: “This is probably a bad idea.” Liz: “I thought we were ignoring that in favor of the whole sex thing.”

Liz: “This is probably a bad idea.” Kyle: “If only someone said that earlier.”

Kyle: “If you see the handprint go to Manes.”

Liz: "Michael outscored me on every AP exam.  I thought he would get some scholarship, change the world.” Max: “I don’t think Michael likes the world enough to bother changing it.”

Max; “She can never know what happened to Rosa.”

--

Shari loves sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural, and anything with a cape.

#Roswell New Mexico #Roswell #Liz Ortecho #Max Evans #Roswell High #Roswell New Mexico Reviews #Doux Reviews #TV Reviews

[tcplnyteens]

All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories Of Queer Teens Throughout The Ages Edited by Saundra Mitchell

Written by Anna-Marie McLemore, Natalie C. Parker, Nilah Magruder, Mackenzi Lee, Robin Talley, Malinda Lo, Dahlia Adler, Kate Scelsa, Elliot Wake, Scott Tracey, Tess Sharpe, Alex Sanchez, Kody Keplinger, Sara Farizan, Tessa Gratton, Shaun David Hutchinson and Tehlor Kay Mejia

In this wonderful collection of short stories, you will be pulled into worlds filled with magic and worlds much like ours, where love, in any form, can overcome all. Whether it be two girls becoming pirates and taking charge of their lives, a thief and witch tearing apart a corrupt system or a new years revelation, this book will pull at your heartstrings and is bound to make you want to fall in love.

–SPOILERS–

This book is such a great collection of short stories and I would highly recommend it to all. There are so many important lessons within each and every one of these stories and I think there are valuable pieces of information that I think everyone should have in their repertoire.

Roja: This story was so good, I’m not usually one for historical fiction but it is starting to grow on me, especially when magic and fairytales are involved. I loved this retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. I loved that it involved an accurate trans character, there are real historical accounts of girls dressing as men to fight, although they were not always trans, I did love the accurate historical representation. It was so great that the girl wasn’t ashamed of him and loved him for who he was, she fought for him even though people looked down on her for existing. These people didn’t even care enough to acknowledge her as a human. Her strength, her power, her willingness to fight against those oppressive men is not only representational of the plights of what women have gone through for centuries, but it’s also great to see a powerful female character stand up for what she believes in and for the people she loves. This story was just wonderful and I loved it so much. It is one of the many reasons I would recommend this book.

The Sweet Trade: I feel like this story fits a common theme that appears in some of the books that I’ve read: girls wanting to be pirates, which is awesome. I love that even though Clara is only sixteen she knows what she wants from life and it’s not to be married to some pushover of a man who only wants money. She wants to take control of her life and create her own destiny which is completely badass if you ask me. And then she meets Pearl, who is also running away from her wedding, and they help each other, women supporting women at its finest. It is such a sweet little story of two girls falling in love as they take charge of their lives. I liked it very much, although I wish it were a tad longer.

And They Don’t Kiss At The End: I don’t have a whole lot to say about this story but it did like it a lot. My most prominent reason for enjoying this story so much was that it had asexual representation. You never ever see aromantic or asexual representation and I really loved how this book went about it, it was just wonderful to see. Another reason I loved it was because Vince didn’t pressure Dee into doing anything she didn’t want to, he was completely accepting of her boundaries and that is so important in any kind of relationship. These types of stories are the kind I want to be made into a full out book, it’s so important for teens to know that they have options and whatever they might be feeling or not feeling is normal. Diverse representation in media is so important, and this book does it right.

Burnt Umber: This story was sweet and simple. I love the fact that you don’t really see the end coming. From the beginning, all Constantijn can think of is the handsome boy who works at the docks, it’s very endearing until Joost comes to model for his class. I was so excited that maybe they’d become friends and then something more, but then it turns out Joost is kind of mean and Constantijn loses interest, yes he may be pretty but he isn’t nice to Constantijn’s friends. I think that this is an important story about knowing what’s good for you and what’s not, no matter how appealing it may look on the outside. It is a very sweet little story and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

The Dresser And The Chambermaid: Again with the wonderful historical fiction! This was such a sweet little story, I don’t have a whole lot of analysis for this one but I will tell you I was so happy in the end when they both got to be dressers and Suzanna got recognition for her hairstyle. It was so funny that when they were kissing in the hallway and the king kind of walked in on them and was just like “whatever, I can’t judge since I’m going to meet my mistress and cheat on my wife” and just left. Like that was a little piece of comic relief and I loved it, what a wonderful upbeat little story.

New Year: Same as the last, I don’t have much to say about this story. I do think however, it was a great way to highlight the adversity that queer people have faced throughout history, especially queer people of color. ‘Minority’ groups have long faced persecution, as well as queer people. When you persecute two groups that sometimes overlap, its an onslaught of discrimination, and although this story doesn’t go very deep into that issue it hints at it. But I also think that this story was a little bit about the main characters queer awakening. She has little exposure to the LGBTQ community but she sees something in it that intrigues her and makes her feel something, and I think it’s important that people realize that exploration outside of the socially accepted “norms” is good and can show you parts of yourself that you didn’t even know existed. At least that’s what I gained from this story.

Molly’s Lips: I love this story, first it is a reference to one of my favorite songs, which is great, who doesn’t love Nirvana(more specifically the Vaselines)? I think it’s great that this story addresses the insane amount of grief the country was feeling over his man’s death. He was an icon loved by millions, and he was just gone. I love this because I totally get what Molly is feeling. When you love someone that much you just want to be enough to make all the hurt go away and make sure they will always be okay, but it’s not always enough to just be there, you have to listen and try to understand because that’s what they need you to do. The way this story played out, however short, was just perfect and adorable, like so many of the stories in this book I wish it were a full-length book.

The Coven: This story also contains something I read about often, witches. I love magic! Magic is so cool, in almost any aspect. I also just love the way this was laid out, I love Dean’s description of Vivi, I’m a sucker for women in cool hats and doing *scandalous* things in eras past. I also love the little easter egg in there, Gertrude Stein was having a conversation with young Ernest Hemingway, cool! But I just love this story, it’s very mysterious and its another piece of historical fiction, a story after my own heart. And who doesn’t love a little magic in Paris? I also liked that Dean had those foggy days because I totally feel that, when you’re a person who tends to take on other peoples problems because of your big heart, you put those problems ahead of dealing with your own pain, it was really great to see her deal with her grief and realize that she can help herself.

Every Shade Of Red: Another take on a fairytale, yay! Everyone knows the classic story of Robin Hood stealing from the rich to give to the poor, most kids my age grew up watching the Disney version with all the animals. But this version has a special place in my heart. I love fairytales and retellings of them, and I love that in this story we have Robin as a leader of a motley crew but he’s also trans which is so cool, we have a trans character where the story isn’t only about them being trans. That is so important, most YA novels and stories that have trans protagonists its only about their journey of self discovery and figuring out what they want to do with this newfound freedom, which isn’t a bad thing, but trans people have lives outside of their transition and dysphoria and I think it’s important that people recognize that. But I also think that this story would ring true for many trans people, their parents disowned them or cut ties completely because of who they truly are and this happened for Robin in this story, although I do like the twist that he used to be Marian, I was kind of suspecting it but it was still surprising. This story gives off Six of Crows vibes, even though there are no trans characters in that book it has similar themes (go read it if you haven’t yet). But I was so incredibly upset with the ending!! Totally unfair of them to do that to Robin, it was a cruel twist of fate that I didn’t see coming, and Will’s father no less, like wow. Did not see that coming at all, not cool, not cool at all. I did love this story but there needs to be more, I need to know if they find their way back to each other because if they never do I’ll be very upset for like, the rest of my life.

Willows: I had mixed feelings about this story. It was interesting and weird but also really confusing. Benjamin was himself, but also other people. And the Return? Like what is that? And if the town knew that he and Sebastian were a thing, why hadn’t they taken care of it yet if they cared so much about maintaining the sanctity village? Also in the end when they run away it was kind of implied that Sebastian knew that the witches were there and teat they could protect them, but it was written in a way that made it kind of hard to understand. Overall this story was intriguing but I think things could’ve been laid out more clearly so that it makes better sense to the reader.

The Girl With The Blue Lantern: I love this tory! Although its a little short for my liking its so cute, although I wonder what Oriana is, is she a sprite? A fairy? A nymph? Who knows but I like her. It sucks that Ella had to live with her father like that it was so awful, I can’t imagine, and then she’s been taking care of him and helping him this entire time and when she finally has enough money to et themselves up for a decent life he takes her money and accused her of stealing from him and selling her body to make money. Like that an awful man she never deserved that. I was a little nervous though when she stepped into the water, I thought something bad might happened but I was so glad that they are able to be together now and will be able to love each other forever, it’s such a nice happy ending. Very cute, 10/10.

The Secret Life Of A Teenage Boy: Again too short! I know this is a book of short stories but I want all for them to be full books, I love all of them too much. I did love this story, its just so sweet and innocent and its kind of a self-realization story, he always knew he was different and was to afraid to say anything but then by fate he meets this guy and it changes his whole life, even though it only took not even an hour, stuff like that just makes my heart melt, because that’s what I want true love to be like, one minute can change your whole perspective on life, and you just gotta roll with the punches but you also have to know what is good for you and what you want from life and I think that this story was a perfect example of that and I really enjoyed it.

Walking After Midnight: I love this era, the ’50s and ’60s are my jam, especially fashion-wise, but the era was so cool in many ways. This story was so sweet, I think it was another little piece of the lgbtq+ spectrum that we don’t usually get to see, maybe demisexual or asexual, but either way it was a super cute story about exploring your options, no matter where you are in life, you’re not stuck, there is a way out and you have options, it doesn’t matter your age or race or gender, you have those opportunities if you look for them they’ll be there. I just really like this story because it was just so hopeful and upbeat and it did have some serious parts but it was very just flowing but it also had a great underlying message.

The End Of The World as We Know It: I love this, I was born two years after the Y2K thing so I totally missed it but it sounded interesting. I also missed the Columbine shooting, the fact that this book brought it up was like a punch in the gut, the way that the characters said it was probably never going to happen again, and here I am in June of 2019 and in the twenty years since the Columbine there have been over 230 school shootings in the US, and although I don’t usually get into politics on this account I think that this is an important statistic that everyone should know. On a different note, I did like this story, it was sweet and simple, another story of self-discovery and young love like many in this collection, it was just super chill and I love the note at the end when it says “sorry I couldn’t stay I had to go break up with my boyfriend” like what a great way to start out the new year.

Three Witches: I love this story although I am a bit confused about the title, I don’t really know what it had to do with the story, I can only assume it is Gracia, Violante, and the unknown woman at the end of the book. This story made me sad but also happy, sad because this woman was being accused of being a sinner for loving a woman, she was being punished because the church said it wrong to love freely. It made me happy because she, in turn, found love in her imprisonment and set both herself and Gracia free. Stories like this really pull at my heartstrings because I don’t understand, and this is my personal opinion, I’m not judging anyone, how you can believe that one superior being makes everything so and he said that loving someone is wrong, I just don’t understand that. But this story made me happy because they both discovered strength in themselves and each other in times of weakness and that’s what love really is.

The Inferno and the butterfly: I love love love this story! It’s so good! Both of these boys had gone through so much and thought they had people who loved them and cared for them and both had that idea ripped from their hearts and minds but they found each other and they found a way to create real love that wouldn’t be taken away by anyone else, and that is beautiful. As I addressed earlier, historical fiction is growing on me, but magic has always been something I loved reading about. This story kind of reminded me of a darker shade of magic, old London and magic are like the best duo ever and this is such a great little love story and the combination is so good, this is probably my third favorite out of this collection.

Healing Rosa: This story is so cool, I have a little bit of an obsession with different cultures and their healing rituals, myths about where they come from interest me so much and I think that’s why I love this story so much. Another reason why I love this story is that it addresses in some aspect, mental illness and how it can affect someone, not only mentally but also physically. Lastly, I love this story because, in the end, Rosa’s dad accepted her for who she was and realised that his own sadness and bitterness was nothing compared to what he would experience if he lost his daughter and that’s what truly pulled me into this story. There are so many people in this world who are disowned and pushed away by their families because they don’t know how to accept their children’s differences and I think it’s important that we address the happier sides of the narrative instead of only the bad ones, it gives hope to those who may not have it, and that goes for everything in life.

Top Three: Every Shade of Red, Roja, The Inferno and The Butterfly

-maren

#all out the no longer secret of queer teens throughout the ages #saundra mitchell #anna-marie mclemore #natalie c parker #nilah magruder #mackenzi lee #robin talley #malinda lo #dahlia adler #kate scelsa #elliot wake #scott tracey #tess sharpe #alex sanchez #kody keplinger #sara farizan #tessa gratton #shaun david hutchinson #tehlor kay mejia #book review #short story #short stories #ya short stories #maren reviews #YA #YA novels #YA Books #ya fiction #ya lgbt #ya lgbtq books

[mysmedrabbles]

RFA Reacting to Jumin Attempting Suicide

requested: yes

a/n: i hope I managed to do it at least a little bit of justice,, jumin’s pov is there and the other’s reactions are under the cut,,jumins is longest as well. i hope you enjoy,, remember requests are open!

warnings: dark themes, suicide, self harm mention, alcohol mention, car crash, angst-ish

-mod alex

Jumin

- “robot”

- “emotionless”

-these words rung through his head as he sat on his sofa, taking another sip out of the bottle, staring into empty space. the initial talkative effect of the wine had passed, leaving him with eight messages he wished he hadn’t sent to MC. Mostly useless poetry, hopefully she thought nothing of it. He now felt sluggish, processing was becoming harder, not even realizing when Elizabeth curled up next to him on the pristine white couch.

-he knew he shouldn’t go out for a drive, not this drunk, not this emotional

-the cold facade he placed in front of the world to see was crumbling, until there was close to nothing left. he was a shell of a man, nothing more than a business suit holding together years of acquired knowledge. at least he had Elizabeth.

-his bones felt heavy as he lifted himself off the couch, sluggishly walking towards a door. no not that door- that was the bedroom. he needed to get out. not just out of the house but out of his skin, this horribly tight skin that had been suffocating him for so long.

-should he write a note? thats what people in movies always do.

-then again, in movies the characters are all saved.

-running a hand through his tangled black hair, he tried to loosen the knots in it as he made his way into a car. fancy car. it’d be a shame if something happened to it.

-he let out a dry laugh as he sat in front of the steering wheel, in a way, he was like the car, fancy, capable of doing almost anything, but he was merely a puppet being used by a corporate company. much like this car was useless without a driver. useless. that was the word. he was useless.

-he stopped for a second, trying to remember how to drive one of these things. key in the ignition, right. he pulled out of the garage, driving slowly in order to not accidentally hurt any civilians. he drove all the way out to a secluded mountain range, surely no one would find him there, nature would have his way with his body by the time anyone figured out what had happened.

-he let go of the steering wheel.

-funny how life seems to fly by at a seconds notice. he looked out at the gorgeous snow capped mountains in front of him, moon glistening, creating an otherworldly effect. the tree branches, reaching out for a truth that didn’t exist, their branches spread in vain towards the sky.

-he braced himself, trying to remember this very feeling. the insignificance, the fear, the shaking; a combination of adrenaline and alcohol hitting his system. he tried to remember you, the one who had always been so kind to him in the group chat, the only one to treat him like a human. he hoped that the poetry would make you smile in the morning, that you’d hold the lines written by great men of the old ages close to you, something to remember him by. but for now, he tensed, watching the boulder come up ahead, closer and closer until him and his doom could finally become one.

-the next thing he remembers, he’s in the hospital.

Jaehee

-when she hears she’s immediately guilt ridden, needing to sit down for a second to process the information

-tries to get all the information she can before even daring to head to the hospital

-however when she does, shes afraid. afraid of seeing jumin in such a weak state.

-the actual version of him, hooked up to iv’s, face bruised and bloody, large gash from glass stuck in his arm, looking so small under the covers in a weird hospital gown, she nearly breaks down on the spot

-goes straight into assistant mode the second she manages to pull herself together

-makes sure that he’s getting the best care from the best surgeons, always has extra blankets etc.

-when he finally wakes up, she apologizes, and they have a long talk, leading to a good closure between them.

Yoosung

-when he heard he immediately rushed to the hospital

-when the nurses tell him that he can’t visit jumin yet, he heads out, buying anything that he thinks jumin might need while recovering, everything from real blankets, a fresh pair of clothes, to silly snacks

-can’t get it out of his head, just the idea of jumin being broken,,,he seemed so strong.... poor boy starts crying in the middle of the frozen foods isle

-jumin had been something of a father figure, always helping him make the right decision, or at least giving him the right advice to make the right decision.

-jumin had always been there for them? so why hadn’t they been there for him?

-spends most of his days afterschool visiting jumin, bringing him some home cooked snacks, he knows that jumin has a professional chef, but jumin secretly prefers yoosung cooking since nothing tastes superficial and knows that yoosung actually cares enough to do this.

Seven

-doesn’t show up to the hospital

-he’s ashamed, knowing that he might as well have aided jumin in his own demise,, and he ends up secluding himself for fear that he might hurt another one of the rfa members

-wires some money to the hospital to ensure that jumin has good care at least

-literally doesn’t go to the hospital until jaehee practically drags him there

-when he gets there he apologizes about a million times and is close to tears

-jumin tells him to shut up and that he did nothing

-him and jumin werent always on the best terms, but he had always been the one to confide in, a kind of friend when he had no others

-makes sure that he’s accessible 24/7

-gives away a few of his cars in auctions and antique car shows

-its hard for him to work for the next few weeks after having hacked into the case files,, all he wanted to do was to make sure that jumin was being properly treated for everything he had been injured with, when he stumbled on photos of the crash

-jumin in the car, bruised and bloodies, windows smashed in, airbags out, wheels on fire, car upside down, jumin half dead,,,,, the picture haunted him every time he closed his eyes

Zen

-when he hears, a deep pain hits his chest

-what is this?

-guilt? fear?

-relucantly visits jumin

-the first ten minutes of his visit is zen awkwardly standing there in silence until he finally manages to say it, “im sorry”

-this means nothing and at the exact same time it means everything to jumin

-he just gives a sharp nod of his head to zen

-tries to abstain himself from making any rude comments, or at least to lessen them

-visits about twice a week, most of the visits are silence but every once in a while they’ll make light conversation

-jumin attempting suicide was a wake up call to zen, that sure, jumin was rich and pompous and acted like he had no feelings but.. maybe there was a reason for all that. why he pushed people away so much

-tries to get to know jumin as a person and not an rfa member

-id like to think that it was from there that they slowly started to heal their broken friendship, starting to even become close

V

-when he gets the call, he doesn’t even let the reception desk lady finish what she has to say

-is there for jumin ever single step of the recovery process

-will come back hourly to check if he needs anything else

-ends up falling asleep in the chair in jumins room, waking up to a blanket having been placed on him, no doubt by jumin

-they stay up talking, a real, deep conversation, no bullshitting this time

-they end up solving a lot, and even if they haven’t they’ve still gotten to know each other better than ever before

-blames himself, even though jumin specifically told him not to

-seeks to find him a therapist, and cries when jumin says that all he wants is to just be heard by his friends

-v falls asleep the jumins hospital room for a week straight, rarely leaving jumin alone

-he knows the pains of having to suffer alone for something that isn’t your fault and isn’t willing to let jumin feel alone ever again

#mystic messenger #mystic messenger reaction #mystic messenger headcannons #mystic messenger imagines #mysme jumin #jumin han #jumin #jumin x mc #mysme jaehee #jaehee kang #jaehee #yoosung #yoosung kim #mysme yoosung #saeyoung choi #mm saeyoung #707 #mm 707 #zen #mysme 707 #mysme zen #hyun ryu #v #v reactions #jihyun kim #suicide #self harm #car crash #angst

[janethepegasus]

BMC Miraculous Ladybug AU RP Thing: I Am Alexander

An RP me and @pika-ace did relating to the BMC Miraculous Ladybug AU, to give you all some context before this happens, basically Lin had this nightmare where this voice tells him that people only see him as just “the guy that played Hamilton”, and it repeats itself for a couple of nights. Until Lin starts to doubt his own identity, believing that people will love him as Alexander and not Lin. Cue the Akuma flying in and he becomes an Akuma version of Alexander Hamilton.

(While walking home from school, Michael noticed someone walking down the sidewalk from across the street, he couldn't really believe it but it looked like Lin in his Alexander Hamilton costume.)

Michael: Linny...?

(Alex slightly looks at Michael but doesn’t say anything and just keeps walking)

Michael: Wha-Hey!

(Michael tries to catch up with Alex, eventually, Michael crossed the street so he can get in front of Alex)

Michael: Lin, what’s up with you, why are you dressed like that?

Alex: ...Who's...Lin...? I'm not Lin...I'm Alexander Hamilton.

(Michael’s eyes widen as the pieces come together) Michael: Oh shit...!

Alex: So please, young man, call me Alex. The man you're seeking doesn't exist anymore...

(Michael stares at Alex before booking it, heading straight for home; he just about bursts into Eric and Jordan’s apartment and Jeremy’s already there)

Michael: YO, WE GOT A PROBLEM!!

Jordan: Whoa, son! Where’s the fire?

Michael: It's Lin!! He turned into an Akuma!!

Everyone: WHAT?!

Michael: Yeah! He was wearing the same costume for Alex and he said stuff like "I'm Alexander Hamilton, Lin doesn't exist" and stuff like that!

Eric: What? That...that actually sounds familiar...

Jeremy: Really?

Eric: Remember? Lin’s friend had the same issue, with thinking he was a character he played...what was his name again...?

(They thought for a moment, and then it hit them) Jeremy: Ooooh! Evan Duo!

Michael: Yeah! Ben Platt got akumatized! Jordan: Damn, was it that long ago? Boy do I feel old...

Jeremy: Yeah it was!

Michael: Yeah...But maybe we should go stop him now??

Jeremy: Oh, yeah!

(They transform and head out; Meanwhile, in another part of the city Ben Platt somehow hears about the new akuma)

(When he hears what the Akuma looks like, his eyes widen in shock)

Ben: Lin?!

Ben: Oh god...not him too...! (Ben thinks back to how he got Akumaized, he got so sick and tired of people seeing him as Evan that an Akuma corrupted him and turned into a mix between himself and

Evan. And he fears something similar happened to Lin that made him this way.)

Ben: I gotta help him...!

(He heads out)

(Meanwhile, the main four manage to find Alex)

(Alex looks at the Main Four)

Alex: What do you want?

Cyber: We’re here to turn you back to normal, Lin! (Alex tenses up)

Alex: Lin doesn't exist anymore

Hound: Yes he does! I know he does!! He’s in there somewhere, I just know it!!

Alex: Well then you're wrong

Alex: Lin no longer exists, cause no one even acknowledge his own existence. I’m the man that these people remember of him, not the man himself.

Timber: Speedy, that ain't true!!

Alex: Don't lie to me!! Everything i do in the creative field, they always see me instead of him. They don't see a passionate writer and artist doing whatever he can

to bring something to the world, they only see just "the guy who played Hamilton". And that's all they see. So...i gave in. I became the man that they always see me,

this is the real me now...Lin is nothing more than a shadow no one even mentioned or looked at...

Cyber: Oh Lin...

Hound: Lin, we love you as YOU. As LIN!! No one else!

Alex: No!! Lin was never loved outside from his family, none of his "fans" saw him that way, they all saw him as me! And ONLY me!! You're just saying that because i

mentioned his name! I'm Alex now! And you're NOT gonna bring me back to that hideous, un-loved, shell of who i once was!!! *he pulls out a gun and points it at the

main four*

Leo: HOLY-

(Alex fires his gun at the main four)

(Timber and Cyber shove Leo and Hound to the ground, so the bullet ends up aiming for Cyber) Timber: WILL!! *jumps towards him*

(Timber shields Cyber and the bullet hits Timber's shoulder)

Cyber: JORDAN!!! Leo and Hound: DAD!!!

Alex: Down you over-sized MUTT! *he shoots his gun again, the bullet hitting Timber's other shoulder*

(Timber screams but keeps sheilding Cyber) Leo: STOP IT!!

Alex: I'll stop it until you four accept that Lin is gone and Alexander Hamilton is here to stay!! >:(

(Just then someone throws something, knocking Alex's gun away) ???: That's enough, Lin!! (Everyone turns to see Ben)

Leo: Ben?!

Ben: Lin? Remember me?

Alex: *glares* Don't call me Lin, i'm Alex.

Alex: You of all people should understand.

Alex: Alexander Hamilton is who i am now, Lin is gone, since no one even cares about him...

Alex: Don't you remember Ben? When everyone only saw you as Evan Hansen? Ben: Of course I do...that...was a dark time for me.

Ben: It's true that people saw me as just Evan Hansen...and i just got so fed up that...if i was both myself and Evan...things would get better...but it didn't...it

really didn't...

(Ben moves closer and takes Alex's hand, lowering the pistol) Ben: You helped me through that. Even after you de-akumatized me, you stayed by my side and helped me realize that I was me, no matter what anyone said. And I'm not

letting you go down that same path

(Alex stares at Ben and starts to shake, but he shakes his head, as if he's denying himself)

Ben: C'mon, this isn't you. You're not a founding father who made mistakes in the past, you're an artist. You're a genius. You're one of the most talented composers

and songwriters out there who can take a simple concept and make gold out of it. And you're one of my closest friends. Please, come back...don't let this darkness beat

you

(Alex stares at Ben, shaking and trying to deny himself) (In his mind, Lin sat in front of a mirror, his reflection being Alexander Hamilton. Lin was curled up, tears falling down his face. But then, Lin perks up, hearing

Ben’s words echo through his mind.)

Lin: Ben...

(He looks at his false reflection for a few seconds and then he looks at himself. With Ben’s words echoing in his mind, slowly, confidence in himself, his own

identity, comes back to him.) (Then, Lin slowly gets up, glaring at the mirror with the reflection of Alexander)

Lin: I'm...I'm not Alex...I'm me...I'm...I'm Lin...! I'm LIN MANUEL MIRANDA!!

(With all of his strength, he punches the mirror as hard as he can, shattering the glass into a million pieces)

(Back in the real world, Alex's eyes seem to go blank and he slumps against Ben)

Ben: Lin...!

(The black bird slowly emerges from Lin)

(The darkness slowly melts away as the akuma slowly emerges out of Lin's body)

(Eventually he's back to normal) Ben: Lin?

(Lin stirs and looks at Ben)

Lin: Ugh...Ben...what...what happened...?

Ben: You...You turned...into an akuma...

Lin: Wha...oh god...did I- Cyber: JORDAN!!! (They turn to see Cyber holding Timber, blood pooling under Timber from his two gunshot wounds)

Lin: Oh god, Tank...!!

(Cyber takes off Timber’s Miraculous making him change back back and holds his face that’s rapidly turning pale) Cyber: Jordan...honey, c’mon, stay with me! Stay with me!

Jordan: W...Will...

(Cyber tears up and starts to panic until Leo tugs his sleeve) Leo: C’mon Dad, hospital! Let’s go!

Cyber: A-Alright...!

(They rush Timber to the hospital, but after he’s taken back, they’re informed that Jordan will have to stay over night due to having two bullets in him, so everyone

heads home)

(As Lin and Ben go home, Ben told Lin everything that happened to him, this causes Lin to feel guilty for giving himself in like that.)

Lin: I can’t believe myself...and I let it get so far and now Tank...

(Lin starts to tear up, guilt taking over him)

(Ben hugs him) Ben: It’s over now...trust me, it’ll get better, I know that

Lin: You...think so...?

Ben: Yeah...you beat that akuma. Ben: And I’m sure your friend will forgive you

(Lin tears up and hugs Ben back, hugging him tightly)

(The next day, Eric goes to see Jordan at the hospital) Eric: Hey

Jordan: Hey...

Eric: *sits next to him* How are you doing?

Jordan: I’ve been better, but the doc said once I get my strength back I should be able to go on as normal...you know, aside from that thing where I ache when it

rains, heh

Eric: Yeah...

Eric: *squeezes his hand* God you’ve been in here way too much...

Jordan: I know, but it's a risk we have to take if we're Miraculous Holders...

Eric: I know...that doesn’t mean I can’t hate it...

Jordan: Yeah...every time i'm in here, you get real worried about me...i wouldn't blame ya for feeling that way...

Eric: I know...it’s just...I guess ever since I realized I love you romantically...losing you feels even more terrifying... *strokes his hair* I can’t lose you...I

can’t... *tears up*

Jordan: Peach...

(Jordan reaches up and touches Eric’s cheek and he guides his head down so their foreheads touch) Jordan: I can never stand it when you cry...you won’t lose me, I promise...

Eric: Please don't...i...i love you...so much...i-i don't know...where i'll be...without you...

Eric: I...I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go on... Jordan: Hey c’mon don’t think like that...I won’t leave you and you won’t leave me okay? We’re gonna go out together, no matter what, get me?

(Eric slowly nods)

(They kiss briefly) Jordan: Change of subject...how are the boys? Eric: Didn’t want to go to school today, but they should come after

Jordan: Okay...and...what about...Speedy? Is he okay...?

Eric: I haven’t seen him...he left with Ben... (There’s a knock and they look up to see Lin)

Lin: Hey Tank...

Jordan: Speedy...! :D

(Lin walks towards Jordan's bed)

Lin: Are...are you okay...?

Jordan: Yeah...i'll be okay...

Jordan: I mean, I’ve definitely had worse... (Lin nods and squeezes Jordan’s other hand, tears spilling over)

Jordan: *looks at Lin* Speedy...?

Lin: *sobs* I’m sorry...I’m so sorry Tank, I...god I’m so sorry...

Jordan: Speedy...

Jordan: I don’t blame ya...

Jordan: You had that Akuma inside of ya...i know you didn't do it on purpose...

Lin: But...I still hurt you... Jordan: And I know you didn’t mean it...

Jordan: You would never hurt any of us...i love us so much...just the thought of one or any of us getting hurt from you...would tear your heart apart...

(Lin smiles through his tears and carefully hugs Jordan)

(Jordan smiles and kisses Lin's forehead)

#bmc miraculous ladybug au #bmc au #lin manuel miranda #alexander hamilton #michael mell #jeremy heere #squip #Jordan Ellis #ben platt

[stardusttkachuk-main]

New Boy

Title: New Boy

Pairing: Jack x Reader

Word Count: 1225

Warnings: fluff

Prompt: How The Grinch Stole Christmas

Summary: The Winchester’s come to visit Jody, and bring along a friend. Jody is sure the girls will appreciate him, especially Y/N, as they have something in common. But, she sends him up at the exact wrong time and Y/N is left embarrassed and dreading an entire night with him.

This is Day 13 of 25 Days of Christmas. Check out the full masterlist here!

The Winchester boys were on their way to Jody’s halfway house for hunter girls (as you liked to describe it.) They figured it was time to pay Jody, and everyone else, a visit and her place was on the way back from their last hunt.

You’d only met Sam and Dean once, which is how you met and began living with Jody. That was a year and a half ago after your father had had his eyes burned out by angels and you were next. It was all because your dad was the son of a Nephilim and you and he had “angel grace” running through you. You didn’t believe a damn word, but you also didn’t know angels existed until that day.

“Girls! Company.” Jody yelled from the bottom of the staircase. Alex and Patience were already down the stairs before you even left your room. Claire stopped by the window, looking back at you.

“What if we just jumped out the window now. Think they’d notice?”

You laughed. It was nice to have a roommate like Claire because she understood the whole hating being here thing. You shook your head, “I’m sure they would. God if we aren’t down there in two minutes you know she’ll come up.” You pulled a pair of jeans out from your drawer, knowing fully well that Jody would make a comment about your shorts if you walked down like that.

You didn’t bother closing the door, you rarely did in the house full of girls and it was a habit not to. That was your mistake because when you had gotten down to your underwear and were slipping your feet through the pant legs when some boy appeared in the doorway.

“I’m uh… sorry,” he said slowly, his eyes lingering on your body.

You quickly pulled your jeans up, fiddling with the button while he just stood there and watched. “Well don’t stare!” you yelled, “Who the hell are you?”

“I’m Jack. Jody asked me to come get you two. Claire and Y/N, right?”

Claire laughed, resting her hand on Jack’s shoulder as she was leaving. “Next time you see a girl half naked, compliment her if you’re gonna stare.”

“You have nice legs,” Jack smiled, quite proud of himself until your grumble confused him. You walked by without a word, trotting down the stairs with heavy feet to put as much distance between yourself and this kid as possible.

“Nice of you to join us,” Jody smiled. “You met Jack?”

“Oh yeah. She met Jack alright,” Claire smirked, nudging your shoulder with hers.

Your cheeks reddened and you quickly sat down, Claire following and sitting beside you. Of course, Jack sat across from you, and you wanted nothing more than to slink back to your room and hide under the covers until everyone left.

“You know, Y/N… Jack’s a Nephilim,” Jody mentioned, pointing her fork in his direction.

“Is that why you sent him up to my room?” You asked, still refusing to make eye contact with the man across from you.

“No. I’m just saying, maybe you two should talk.”

“Being an offspring of an offspring of a Nephilim does not make me a Nephilim.”

“You’re related to a Nephilim?” Jack asked curiously, poking his head up to look at you.

You sighed and finally made eye contact with him. “My grandpa was. I don’t have powers though.”

“Are you sure?” Sam asked. “Have you tried exploring if you do or not?”

“No, and I’m not going to. If my dad wanted me to know about Nephilims or their powers, I’m sure he would’ve taught me himself. I didn’t even know angels existed until six of ‘em came knocking at my door.”

“Well, they believed your dad had some powers, so why wouldn’t you?”

“Because I don’t, okay? Jody, can I be excused?” You pushed your plate away from yourself, having finished your dinner long before this conversation started.

“Sure. Wash your plate off.”

You nodded and got up, taking your plate and cup to the sink and rinsing both off, happy now to be away from the table.

You were back in your room now, phone in hand, when Jody knocked and leaned on the doorframe.

“So he saw you in your underwear,” she acknowledged.

“I didn’t think you’d send some teenage boy to wander around your house,” you grumbled.

“Dean suggested I send him. He’s just a little bit older than you are and they’re trying to get him some friends.”

“I thought this was a girls home,” you teased.

“Funny. We weren’t trying to reopen an old wound out there.”

“I know… I just don’t know him.”

“He said he liked your legs,” Jody laughed this time, unable to hold it back.

Your blush returned. “Well, I don’t need some random kid who’s seen me in my underwear and likes my legs knowing all about my past. He has to take me on a date first.”

Jody smiled, “We’re watching a movie downstairs if you want to join.”

“Let me guess, Jack’s on the loveseat by himself.” Jody couldn’t help the smirk and you rolled your eyes, pushing yourself off the bed and following her down.

“What are we watching?” You asked, finding the open spot next to Jack and sitting beside him.

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” Dean said, throwing a hand up to the tv. Sure enough, Cindy Lou Who was wrapped in Christmas paper with a bow on top.

“Netflix said it was popular,” Jack smiled, “I’d never heard of it before.”

You nodded, relaxing into the couch. “It’s a classic. But the animated version is better.”

“Well duh. It’s the original,” Dean pointed out. “Now hush.”

When the movie was over, you excused yourself to your room again, following Claire as you both needed to get ready for bed. The bad thing about the boys visiting on a weekday was you still had classes in the morning. Jody was doing a great job of keeping you girls in line, and you admired her for her push for you to succeed.

You were making your bed when Jack appeared in the doorway again. “I’m sorry I saw you in your underwear,” he apologized.

You giggled and shook your head. “You know what, let me see you in yours and we’ll call it even.” Jack nodded, going for his belt without hesitation. “Jack!” He paused to look up. “I was kidding.”

“Oh.” He nodded and fixed his shirt. “We’re leaving. Jody told me to tell you to come say goodbye. And Dean wanted me to give you my number.” He almost questioned the last part, like he wasn’t sure if it was a normal thing or not.

Claire snorted from the other side of the room. “Yeah with each other's numbers, you two can trade underwear picks.”

“She’s kidding!” You added quickly. “We’ll be down in a second, you can give it to me then.”

“He’s cute!” Claire whispered when Jack was no longer in sight.

“And he’s your technical stepbrother, so he’s all mine.”

She rolled her eyes. “I didn’t want him anyway. I wanted you to know that he’s cute, I approve, and you should definitely bang him like a screen door in a hurricane.”

Your cheeks reddened again “C’mon… before she sends him up again.”

Forever Tags: @iwantthedean @a-fan-fighting-for-equality @smoothdogsgirl @jayankles @faegal04 @feelmyroarrrr @27bmm @maddieburcham1 @melonshino @sayukoi @impalaimagining @riversong-sam @atc74 @goldenolaf25 @plaidstiel-wormstache @thegrouchiestunicorn @thebitterbookeater @growningupgeek @sandle44 @rda1989 @weasleywinchester @fightmenegan @itsmyeffingstory @angelblazon @mrswhozeewhatsis @meeshw777 @jotink78 @poukothenerd @mogaruke @devilgirlsarah @queencflair @hexparker @ruprecht0420 @summer-binging-spn @holychuckitsthewinchesters @super100012 @jerk-bitch-and-an-angel @supernatural-jackles @taste-of-dean @casownsmyass @danradislife @holyfuckloueh @hsjolie @winchester-negan @emoryhemsworth @i-am-enough-always @samisimportant @brooke-supernatural16 @there-must-be-a-lock @greys-anatomy839 @babytheimpalaimagines @obsessivecompulsivespn @superapplepie @esoltis280

25 Days of Christmas Tags: @alex-zeppelin @imagineplotfulcharacters @alwaysbummedout

My tag list is still open! Add yourself here!

If there’s a strikethrough on your name, it means I can’t tag you! Go here to fix it!

#jack kline x reader #jack x reader #jack kline fic #jack kline fanfic #jack kline fluff #jack fic #jack fanfic #jack fluff #supernatural fic #supernatural fanfic #supernatural fluff #supernatural #spn fic #spn fanfic #spn fluff #spn #25 days of christmas #jpadjackles 25 days of christmas #a jpadjackles production

[kuciradio]

KUCI’s Top 10 Albums of 2017

As the year comes to an end, we asked our fellow DJ’s of KUCI to name their top 10 albums of 2017. After sorting through over fifty nominations, here is our list of our favorite albums that were released this year, with a some words from our community explaining why. We’ve also threw in some honorable mentions at the end! 2017 was definitely a great year for music, and we can’t wait to discover more in 2018. Happy New Year everyone! 

10. Citizen - As You Please - (Run For Cover)

“Citizen was a band that I had always known about, but had never quite caught my ear enough to dive into their music. That changed, however, with As You Please. The opening track, “Jet”, is reminiscent of their past work with emotional lyrics and a driving yet somber punk instrumental feel. The following track titled “In the Middle of It All” provides a completely new and evolutionary soundscape for the band, while staying close to their usual deep lyrical content. The album as a whole is easy to listen to for both intent and absent minded purposes. Personal favorite tracks are “Ugly Luck” and “Medicine”.” - Jeremy Bibeau

"After I heard that they had a new record coming out, I just assumed that they were going to continue to develop the sound they decided to go with for Everybody Is Going To Heaven, which is why I decided to pass on As You Please at first. However, after caving in to all of the hype surrounding the album’s lead single entitled “Jet,” I was pleasantly surprised to hear that Citizen had not only made a return to their old sound, but that they had refined their sound to appeal to more of a diverse audience. This is the case for all of the songs on As You Please, not just “Jet,” which made As You Please quite a pleasant surprise upon listening to it for the first time. Much like some of their contemporaries’ latest work, As You Please is by far Citizen’s best and most complete album to date. By combining the best qualities of Citizen’s old sound (i.e. catchy yet intricate guitar riffs, powerful/explosive choruses, and angst fill vocals) with a new found sense of confidence, wisdom, and maturity, as well as more elaborate song structures and piano interludes, you get what in my opinion is the best version of Citizen that has ever existed." - Tommy DeSilva

9. (Sandy) Alex G - Rocket - (Domino Recording Company)

"The songs, while simple, sound absolutely timeless to me. “Proud” sounds like a drive out on the open countryside. “Big Fish” sounds like a quiet confession of strength to a father. “Powerful Man” sounds like a tear jerking show of emotional maturity to a skeptical family. While Alex has always been lauded for his songwriting chops (even earning a Frank Ocean co-write in the process), this is the first record that feels like it has emotional heft to it. " - Stephan Masnyj

"Rocket is revelatory, each song sampling and combining various genres (and creating new, nameless genres in the process) in a completely Alex G fashion. The melancholia, yearning, and dreaminess that pervades this album will tug at your soul in the best ways possible." - Sophie Prettyman-Beauchamp

8. Sampha - Process - (Young Turks)

"Sampha is not one to hold back the heart on his sleeve. While having worked with Sbtrkt and being it's other half, he has finally seem to come out of his shell and give his voice, well, a voice. "No One Knows Me (like the piano)" tells of his past childhood and struggles trying to figure himself out while making the living room his confessional. 'Incomplete Kisses' speaks of unrequited love with amazing lines and utter softness of ones heartbreak. Sampha has shown us his true colors while barely breaking the ice. I can not wait for more albums to come from such an amazing voice in R&B." - T.J. Bingamon

7. Thundercat - Drunk - (Brainfeeder)

"Very solid (and lengthy) release from Thundercat this year with Drunk. Each track on this album is dripping with funky jazzy vibes that make it really difficult to get sick of." - Alex Morrow

"A Personal favorite that could easily go unnoticed from the amount of music set out this year. Thundercat's Drunk is unprecedented in the ability to make emotion through his work with bass. A great album to listen to for long rides in the car alone." - Christopher Santiago

6. King Krule - The Ooz - (True Panther Sounds XL)

"I think The Ooz is one of those albums you really need to listen to a few times before it grows on you. I think it's an amazing follow up to his last album, and I feel like on The Ooz we get a better sense of his Archy Marshall music and sound. The imagery he uses is also interesting and creative!" - Katrina Vergara

"King Krule’s inventive garage punk-jazz fusion and mumbling, growling voice are always worth waiting for. The Ooz oozes creative frustration ingeniously overcame. The esteemed wunderkind who is Archy Marshall really did that." - Sophie Prettyman-Beauchamp

5. Lorde - Melodrama - (Lava / Republic)

"Lorde’s comeback that I didn’t know I needed, putting into words all the themes of finding oneself, looking for love, and just growing up from being a teen." - Caroline Nguyen

"The main narrative surrounding Lorde’s rise to prominence has been her authority for her age (as of now, she is 21), and that has never been more apparent than her clear-eyed analysis of teenage years on this record. “Homemade Dynamite” dissects the social dynamics and self destructive tendencies people often have during a party with surgical precision, while “Supercut” takes a relationship in retrospect and understand that memories of a lost lover usually have a rose-colored tint to them. The most stunning cut on the record is “Writer in the Dark,” a song that embodies the hate, regret, and mourning that often comes directly after the end of the relationship. The way Lorde is able to thread the needle between all the separate emotions throughout the verses and chorus is nothing short of stunning, and her vocal delivery delivers an emotional depth Adele would kill to have." - Stephan Masnyj

4. Alvvays - Antisocialites - (Polyvinyl Record Co.)

"Alvvays are such an awesome band, and in my opinion, Antisocialites is nothing short of a masterpiece. Characterized by jangly guitars, dreamy synth parts, poppy vocal melodies, and lead vocalist Molly Rankin’s soothing voice, the songs on this record sound as though they were taken straight from Indie Rock/Dream Pop heaven. While listening to this album, one can easily lose themselves in the dreamy nature of some of these songs. That’s not to say by any means that this record “drags on.” In fact, no two songs sound alike on this album, which definitely showcases the versatility of Alvvays’ musicianship as well as their ability to keep listeners on their toes." - Tommy DeSilva

“I was over the moon when I found out Alvvays was coming out with another album. Their self-titled is one of my favorites, so I was eager to know what they had in store for their sophomore album. When I first heard "Dreams Tonite" I knew the rest of the album would be just as great. This album is your indie pop dream, with a different feel on each track.” - Caitlin Ison

3. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN - (Top Dawg / Aftermath / Interscope)

"Releases by Kendrick Lamar never go unnoticed and DAMN certainly did not when it dropped. By far a definition of modern classic and experimental." - Christopher Santiago

"Kendrick Lamar's DAMN is an insightful look into the rapper's past life and future. While K. Dot relays the album to be the story of his father coming into a close call of having an alternative life ending, but while still relating to his current life woes. Thru tracks like 'Yah' revealing the grittiness of Compton blue-collar work, to 'Love' a record boasting of vulnerability and questions, Kendrick delivers yet another piece of his life's work and puzzle." - T.J. Bingamon

“From my perspective, it’s weird to think of Kendrick at the top of the pop charts; I always saw him as a supremely talented artist who’s ambitions ran deeper than pop radio. However, it turns out Kendrick can release pop hits while still maintaining the endless depth his raps often do. “Humble” is both a boast and a self-aggrandizement in the form of a three minute pop song. “DNA” is a firestorm of a rap that examines the good, bad, and ugly that exist within all of us.” - Stephan Masnyj

2. Tyler, the Creator - Flower Boy - (Columbia)

“Flower Boy is Tyler, the Creator’s fourth album, and encaptures his wittiness and internal conflict through a softer side with the use of neo-soul and the sounds of early 90’s hip-hop. He delves deep into his emotions in a mere 47 minutes, making this one of his most intimate and sincere yet shortest album. It focuses on isolation, the falling-out of friendships, and the pain of unrequited love, themes many listeners can find relatable. The whole feel of the album holds such a significant difference from Tyler’s older albums, which really goes to show his growth, not only in his music, but as a person.” - Raenna Caguioa

"Whenever Tyler, the Creator would release a record following his breakthrough “Goblin” in 2011, the question always remained the same: When will he finally grow up? His talent was always palpable, the dizzying raps in “Yonkers” and the emotional story in “48” showed his talents as a writer, and his growing production credits on “Wolf” and “Cherry Bomb” showed that he had a distinct style within his musical repertoire. Yet he always fell back on his worst tendencies; frequently using homophobic slurs or creating worthless posse cuts that did nothing but ruin the flow of his records. All of that changed with Flower Boy, easily his most cohesive and mature record to date. Much has been said about his alleged coming out in the record (a subject that Tyler has remained mum on since the album’s release), but it isn’t stated enough just how wonderful this record sounds. The strings and horns that dot highlight “See You Again” are stunning, and the queasy synths that Tyler has used in the past take on a new urgency on “I Ain’t Got Time.” Every single rap, beat, and instrument inform each other throughout the record, and not a single thing sounds out of place throughout. “Tell these black kids they can be who they are,” raps Tyler on the highlight “Where the Flower Blooms.” For the first time in his career, Tyler sounds like he’s living those words to the fullest." - Stephan Masnyj

1. SZA - Ctrl - (Top Dawg / RCA)

"I felt like this album came out at the right time in my life. The deeply personal lyrics on every song made it weirdly relatable for me. SZA really refined her sound since her last album titled Z.  I love the concept and every song on this album. " - Yasmin Moradi

"An album that needs no explaining, SZA's Ctrl ups the ante with her debut studio album, most well known for her features prior to this, she makes a name for herself with this anecdotal release." - Christopher Santiago

"It's no wonder SZA is probably one of the biggest artists to emerge out of 2017. I hadn't listen to her prior, but there was so much talk after Ctrl was released, I knew I had to see what the fuss was about. To say the least, I was not disappointed. Of course there are the standouts of the album, "The Weekend" and "Love Galore," but there are also some underrated tracks like "Drew Barrymore" and "Prom." Personally, I think an artist's biggest success is when they can make a listener feel their emotions, regardless of if they can relate to the song or not. I felt SZA's emotions in every single track, and I don't think I've really ever been in any of those situations. I thought that was really beautiful. Also, it's hard not to fall in love her incredible buttery voice." - Caitlin Ison

"I love this album because all the songs are bangers but they also make me cry. One publication called Ctrl an album about side-hoe anthems but that's so far from the truth! SZA sings about insecurity, adjusting to adulthood, and bad relationships with such honesty. Anyone can relate to her struggles of going through your twenties feeling vulnerable, whether you're a side hoe or the main." - Katrina Vergara

"Where do I start? SZA’s vocals are gorgeous and lush, earnest and biting, confident even when expressing pain and insecurity. It’s a versatile album you can both cry to and dance to, mixing elements of R&B and lo-fi indie rock. It’s a reminder of female strength and independence, and even has an ode to the vagina that simultaneously disses ungrateful, trash dudes. SZA is a normal girl with the same wishes and fears as the women who listen to her music, her lyrics resonate with those of us who are still finding our way and learning how to love and respect ourselves. It’s like sitting down with a good friend who laughs with you, cries with you, and always knows the right thing to say, helping you regain your own power. Ctrl is what it feels like to be a woman." - Sophie Prettyman-Beauchamp

Honorable Mentions

The XX - "I See You" (XL Recordings)

"A perfect balance between pop and melancholy, with songs like "Dangerous" and "On Hold" upbeat despite lyrics suggesting doomed relationships.  Meanwhile, "Say Something Loving" and "A Violent Noise" are filled with the emotional angst that has made the XX so popular." - Jarrett Lovell

The Drums - Abysmal Thoughts - (Anti-)

"You can always count on The Drums to deliver a fantastic surf-pop inspired album, and they do it once again with Abysmal Thoughts, the title appropriate for 2017 indeed. The album does have its fair share of these, as Jonny Pierce, blessed with an airily angelic voice, grapples with heartbreak and feelings of nothingness on “If All We Share (Means Nothing)” and chastises the upper class with “Rich Kids.” Nevertheless, The Drums remain beachy goodness with the beloved simple riffs and chords that bounce along, tambourines, cooing backing vocals, and 80s-esque synths that are sure to leave you dancing through your tears." - Sophie Pettyman-Beauchamp

Tigers Jaw - spin - (Black Cement Records)

"This record felt like it took forever to come out seeing that many of us Tigers Jaw fans had been talking about it ever since their last record Charmer came out in 2014 along with the announcement that Tigers Jaw would from now on be a two-piece band solely featuring founding members Ben Walsh and Brianna Collins. Would they be able to make a record by themselves? Would it sound as good as the original lineup? Two questions that had lingered for quite some time amongst the Tigers Jaw fan base. After making us anxiously wait for over three years (which producer Will Yip made even more dreadful by dropping little hints about the album here and there for like six months), Tigers Jaw finally released spin earlier this Spring, and as you would expect, it was definitely worth the wait. Tigers Jaw have always been an awesome band who have consistently put out great records from front to back, so for me to say that spin is their best album would be kind of stretch, but it’s pretty damn good and should be in that conversation. While staying true to the sound that the original five piece version of Tigers Jaw developed, Ben and Brianna were still able to add their own personal touches to the songs on this record, especially since they were both in charge of songwriting duties for the first time (spin is the first Tigers Jaw album that Brianna has contributed songs to). The thing that I like the most about spin is that you can really tell that Ben and Brianna spent a lot of time on these songs and put their best effort forward to make them the best that they could be in every way. Every song on this album is well crafted both musically and lyrically. No two songs sound the same and everything sounds perfect down to the smallest detail. I really appreciate great musicianship like that, and I look forward to hearing what Ben and Brianna have in store for us next as they continue to keep Tigers Jaw not only alive, but alive and thriving." - Tommy DeSilva

HAIM - Something to Tell You - (Columbia)

"By far, my favorite record that was released this year. I've been a huge fan of HAIM since their first album, which was released when I was in high school, and I had that sh*t on repeat for days. I remember finding out that the three sisters were working on new material, and I was literally counting down the days to hear their new single, "Right Now." The video of them singing the track live in a studio was so raw and filled with emotion, it left me speechless. I knew this album was going to be packed with tears and heartbreak. I love this album because while it dwells on the hurt and pain one can experience in a romance that could've been, the music contrasts it with its upbeat, dancey tones. This album really has got that Stevie Nicks / Shania Twain vibe (which is fitting because they chose to cover "That Don't Impress Me Much" for their tour), and mixing that with their HAIM sound really makes it a memorable record. One of my favorite characteristics of this band is their bad ass attitude, and although it's a record about heartbreak, you can still feel that energy throughout." - Caitlin Ison

BROCKHAMPTON - Saturation II - (QUESTION EVERYTHING, INC. / EMPIRE)

“Arguably Brockhampton’s best album. Nearly every song is one I can jam to (or if it’s the last song- one I can cry to). I love Brockhampton’s unconventional rap lyrics and I think it makes them stand out from up-and-coming artists. They really are the best boy band since One Direction.” - Yasmin Moradi

"BROCKHAMPTON came out with 2 other albums just this year but I would say this was the most iconic one. With this album they really established a signature sound and the members were able to find their voice within the boy band. Even though Pitchfork didn't give this album a good score, I would give this album a 10/10 if not only for cultural impact but for how good SWEET is."  - Katrina Vergara

Hot Flash Heat Wave - Soaked - (OIM)

“HFHW’s sophomore album is what I like to call a true sound of the (indie rock) times. Soaked is a big step in a new direction, after Neapolitan delivered hard hints of garage rock and sunshine pop; this album rides a chiller, more ambitious wave, reflecting contemporary rock genres like Slacker Rock and Jangle Pop [The Smiths, The Beatles, Mac Demarco, Homeshake], while still giving into sunny roots of Surf and Garage rock [The Beach Boys, The Strokes]. The record clocks in at just under 40 minutes, while delivering two more tracks than its preceding album. One play-through will not be enough, especially on that cozy summer day.” - Spartacus Avina

#album reviews #2017 #albums of the year #haim #tigers jaw #the xx #the drums #sza #kendrick lamar #tyler the creator #alvvays #lorde #king krule #sampha #thundercat #(sandy) alex g #alex g #citizen #kuci #radio #college radio

[jamesginortonblog]

The moment James Norton decided he might actually want to be an actor was during his appearance as Gwen Stefani in the school miming competition, when he was 11.

Most people chose songs by a boyband, or Coolio, but Norton picked Stefani, because he loved No Doubt. It was a boys’ school and the female costume department wasn’t very well-equipped – one pencil skirt and a blonde wig between them, whether you were Cleopatra or Courtney Love – so everyone assuming a female role looked rather similar, with very badly applied lipstick. ‘Really young weird drag queens is what we looked like,’ remembers Norton.

A video exists of this debut. ‘And in the first verse I was clearly terrified. But then I remember feeling the audience and being fuelled by them.’ By the second verse he starts to strut, out of nowhere, and the connection was made. ‘F— yeah!’ thought Norton. ‘This is it!’

Here we are 20 years later and Norton is having the time of his life. In what has become a varied career curriculum – a pop star (Gwen Stefani), a padre (Sidney Chambers in Grantchester), a prince (Andrei in War & Peace) and a psychopath (Tommy Lee Royce in Happy Valley), not to mention his theatre roles – Norton has managed to escape the sort of typecasting that could have defined him.

He is a good-looking, fairly posh, highly accomplished and intelligent actor, who in a short time has become very famous indeed.

When we meet he is rehearsing a role in Belleville (which has now just opened) at the Donmar Warehouse in London, and his reputation is set to soar with his new television role – as a young hedge-fund manager in McMafia, the BBC’s eight-part exploration of financial corruption and global organised crime.

Inspired by Misha Glenny’s book of the same name, the series was written by Hossein Amini (who wrote the 2011 film Drive) and James Watkins, who also directed it.

It was shot over eight months in London, Croatia, Moscow and Tel Aviv, with an international cast, including David Strathairn and Faye Marsay. Norton plays Alex Godman, the son of Russian exiles with mafia connections, who has been working to distance himself from his family’s reputation.

Glenny’s book is a masterful piece of investigative journalism and has quite a reputation with both law enforcers and gangsters.

‘Actors can be brilliant at what they do but they don’t necessarily engage in the issues or environment beyond their role,’ says Glenny, who acted as an adviser on the series. ‘James gets the character, and the environment and the issues. He has an extraordinary ability, which enables him to make this very subtle 180-degree turn over the eight episodes.’

It’s a Michael Corleone type role. When Norton was cast, the director told him that what they were hoping for in Alex Godman was part Sidney, part Tommy – somewhere between the vicar and the psychopath. Norton believes McMafia has a valid, topical message, what with the Paradise Papers and the climate of tax evasion, Russian interference and widespread corruption.

‘There’s such an appetite for it now; everyone wants to see what state-level corruption looks like. It’s a catalyst for a conversation, and hopefully we can use it to mobilise something – because of the way that financial institutions are structured, it’s impossible to police that grey area where legality ends and criminality begins.’  

If I ever turned up in a convertible my family would just laugh We meet for breakfast in the Covent Garden Hotel on a cold November morning, before Norton’s rehearsal at the Donmar.

He is chatty and engaging and it is not long before we get on to the subject of his 92-year-old Great Aunt Grania (most interviews with Norton mention James Bond and his Great Aunt Grania), known for her confidence-boosting prowess. He tells me about the time when she looked at him quizzically over dinner and said, ‘I can’t understand why you look so good on the screen James, when you look so bland in real life.’

I don’t like to contradict a 92-year-old, but I beg to differ with Great Aunt Grania. Norton is much better looking in real life than on television. His face is full of light; so is his voice – and he laughs a lot and is ready to be amused at all times. He seems curious, well balanced and up for anything. I imagine he comes from a very happy family.  ‘I do,’ he says. They are, he says, his great leveller.

‘And you do need that constant reminder of who you were before the madness started. I am lucky to have such a normal, grounded family who are really supportive. They enjoy it all through me and I enjoy their enjoyment of it, but they’re never going to be seduced by it. Which means that hopefully I won’t get seduced by it either. If I ever turned up in a convertible my family would just laugh. The person I was at 25 is exactly the same person I am at 32.’  

Norton was born in London but grew up in Malton, North Yorkshire. Both his parents worked full-time – unusual, he says, at that time for where they lived.

His father was a university lecturer and his mother started off as a nurse. ‘She didn’t come on holiday with us for several years because she was doing a PhD in her spare time. She’s a strong woman and an amazing example to us.’ His younger sister is a doctor.

Norton went to the local primary school and had a thick Yorkshire accent (not dissimilar to that of Tommy Lee Royce) then went to the public school Ampleforth College.

‘I didn’t love school. They were not the happiest five years of my life. I didn’t fit in. I hit puberty quite late, which made quite a big difference. I loved theatre and music, which wasn’t as cool as liking rugby and smoking. Also I really enjoyed the academic side and worked really hard; school set me up in a way because I wasn’t popular so had more time to work.’

He doesn’t come from a religious family, but Ampleforth was a strong Catholic school. ‘It was extraordinary. It’s stunning, set in this big valley which was often bathed in morning mist. And you have prayers three times a day, so it was really quite a magical, mystical place.’

Because he was unhappy at school – he was bullied a bit, but not badly – Norton made friends with the chaplain, Father Peter, who became a sort of therapist. A relationship with faith developed ‘but it was more of a fascination and a comfort than a belief’.

After school, ‘I sort of let rip. I went off on an eight-month wander around South Asia on my own and I went a bit crazy. I finally felt comfortable in my own skin – there’s so much contention in that small, pressure-cooker environment of school so when I found people I loved and who loved me it was an amazing relief.’

He spent three months teaching in Nepal then went to India (with a tiny battered little Nokia - no smartphones back then) and had a wild, eye-opening time.

The theatricality of faith in Nepal really appealed to him. ‘Every day seems to be some sort of religious festival; it’s so imbued in their culture and their daily lives.’

When he went to Cambridge he read theology, ‘but I’m not religious; I’m intrigued. And I studied mostly Hinduism or Buddhism, not much Christian theology at all, which was really awkward when people would come up to me on the set of Grantchester and say, “You know – from Corinthians, Chapter Two” and I hadn’t a clue what they were on about.’

He got a first from Cambridge, but still managed to fit in a lot of theatre and alcohol while he was there, and had a relationship with a girl who directed him in several theatre productions; he still wears a bracelet she gave him today. It reminds him, he says, of the second time when he suddenly felt he could be an actor.

‘It was probably the moment it turned from a dream into a reality,’ he says. By the time he left university he already had a place at Rada. ‘It’s such a great feeling when someone asks you what you want to do with your life and you can reply “I’m an actor” – rather than, “I want to act.”’

To support himself, he worked as a children’s party entertainer in the holidays.  Norton graduated from Rada six months early, having secured an agent and made a brief appearance in An Education in 2009. His first major theatrical role was in Laura Wade’s play Posh at the Royal Court in 2010, about the Riot Club, a fictionalised version of The Bullingdon Club at Oxford.

‘There were 10 guys in the cast and every evening, after the play, we’d spend all our wages on booze. It was like a sports team.’  In 2011 he appeared in a revival of Journey's End at the Duke of York theatre, to this day one of his favourite roles.

A solid two years of theatre followed. ‘There were endless conversations with my agent about trying to nail a film role – and then suddenly you break through and your schedule changes – especially if you get a recurring series like Grantchester or Happy Valley – and you have no time left for theatre.’

He then went four years without doing a play at all – until last year’s Bug at the Soho Theatre, and now Belleville at the Donmar. Belleville is a punchy piece of writing by Amy Herzog about a young couple who’ve graduated from Yale and decide to move to Paris. Norton plays a doctor; Imogen Poots is out of work his actor wife. They’re living the American dream, but they have a certain sense of entitlement, and, inevitably, everything falls apart.

Norton didn’t know Poots before they were cast, but they were soon rehearsing sex scenes together. ‘I had only met her two weeks before. You have to just trust, and let yourself be vulnerable.

'Of course it has a brilliant side to it – you get to know someone so quickly and intimately, and you build fantastic relationships; similarly with the director.  I think the definition of an extrovert is someone whose energy is fuelled by other people, which I think I am – so a rehearsal room is a joy.’

Norton appeared in the TV series Death Comes to Pemberley (2013) and Life in Squares (2015), but it was three roles in fairly quick succession that made him a household name: firstly, as the 1950s cleric Reverend Sidney Chambers in Grantchester (2014-17), which had three series.

This, he says now, is the most fun he has ever had on set, mainly because of his friendship with Robson Green, who plays Inspector Geordie Keating. (At one point Green was ordered off set by the director because they were laughing so much.)

He also played Prince Andrei Bolkonsky in Andrew Davies’ revered six-part adaptation of War and Peace (2016), and Tommy Lee Royce in Sally Wainwright’s brilliant BBC police drama Happy Valley (2014-16), which won a Bafta, and saved him, he says, from a life sentence of period drama.

Wainwright, the gifted writer of Last Tango in Halifax and Scott & Bailey, had seen Norton on stage in Journey’s End, but he was still pretty unknown when the call went out to audition for the part of Tommy Lee Royce, the psychopathic killer who becomes Sgt Catherine Cawood’s nemesis in a small town in West Yorkshire.

Norton already had the right accent from growing up in Malton. He was sent the script while he was in South Africa doing a ‘rather ropey’ film about Vikings, and he recorded his audition on video. He was very impressed by the screenplay, but didn’t really think he’d get the part. So, he says, he had nothing to lose, and went for it.

‘The character was so rich… my [audition] scene was the most incredible piece of writing, where a man is so sad and damaged that the most loving act he can think of to do for his eight-year-old son is to kill him.’ Not long after, he got a call from his agent to tell him that the part was his. ‘Being offered Tommy changed my life because it’s opened so many doors. It showed that I could play the baddie.’

And he did it memorably. As Tommy Lee Royce he was horribly convincing – so much so that once when he was in a queue, the girl in front of him turned round and saw him, screamed and ran away.

Last year, he was tipped to be the next James Bond, and became the bookies’ favourite. He gets asked about it constantly, but there's not much to say.

‘It would come with incredible challenges, but beyond that I haven’t thought about it at length because it’s so speculative and silly. I’m flattered that people would even consider me. But I’m also a huge fan of Daniel Craig, so would want him to do a few more films.’  

Happy Valley, which won a Bafta, saved him, he says, from a life sentence of period drama Norton is permanently busy. He has just filmed the remake of the ’90s classic Flatliners; today he is rehearsing for Belleville and then recording voiceovers for McMafia, this evening he is attending a ball in aid of JDRF (Junior Diabetic Research Fund).

He has type 1 diabetes, having developed it when he was 22. His mother and his sister are also diabetic. He injects himself several times a day, but has incorporated it into his life and doesn’t let it deter him. ‘So for example, the kedgeree is about to arrive and I’ll have an injection to counter the carbs; it’s just about having a level of awareness about what you’re eating.

‘It’s interesting being on stage or on set because your body is full of adrenalin and that screws up your sugar, especially when I’m on stage for a full hour and a half. I have to anticipate it at the beginning of the show and make sure my sugar levels are going up or are at least stable. In period plays, I’ve had to stitch little pockets in my costume for sugar tablets.’

A few years ago, during a performance of Journey’s End, Norton was shaking a bit, and sweating from the adrenalin because the play was going well, but one of the other actors thought he was hypoing and told the stage manager.

‘Pandemonium broke loose. The next thing I know, they’re improvising and offering me Lucozade in a teacup, saying, “Cup of tea, sir?” and putting biscuits all over the dugout. So there have been moments where diabetes and theatre have collided.’ But since he started talking about it, he’s realised that he can have a positive influence on young diabetics and demonstrate that it’s a manageable condition.

What else? He lives in Peckham, in a house full of vintage clothes left over from when he used to run a clothes stall in Nunhead, and firmly refuses to talk about his love life, despite what I thought was some rather persuasive questioning on my part.

‘Let’s leave that one vague. Just say that at that point I started tucking into my kedgeree…’ He smiles broadly, disarmingly, but he is steely. Somewhere between a vicar and a psychopath.

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