#born out of my frustration of finding a good review

[wingedjellyfishflight]

Harem in Reverse

"You're soon to be 26, Your Royal Highness. You must put together your harem soon or risk being married off to whomever the regent chooses for you." You sigh, nodding in agreement. Choosing a direct husband would be against the rules, and frankly, you weren't interested in interviewing for the perfect man. Choosing many for their adherence to various qualities, though. That would be a good choice. "Shall I put forth a call for certain attributes? Strong arms? Large chest? Impressive intellect?"

"No, I want to review the troops this week. I will find my consorts among the best our nation has to offer." The advisor looks stunned.

"Your Royal Highness, those are rough men. They do not have the breeding or training to handle you gently as a consort should. They are-."

"Advisor Williams, I know what attributes I am looking for. Schedule me to review the best of the troops, then. If none catch my eye, then I will consider others." The advisor nods, frustrated at not being heeded, but knowing they must follow a direct order.

The following week, you are almost nervous while getting ready, the beginning of butterflies in your stomach. If you weren't so tired, you're sure it would be worse, but the night before was yet another attempt on your life. They are becoming more frequent and more violent now.

Sighing, you hurry to the courtyard where your mount, Rosebud, is waiting. A gift that you feel had been meant to be another threat on your life. The mount was no ordinary horse or pony. Instead, it was the largest draft mule you had ever seen. If you had treated him like a horse, you're sure the thing would have stomped within minutes. He was a vain creature who had to be sweet-talked and treated with utmost respect before he would agree to do much of anything. He was covered in whip and spur scars, telling anyone that he was difficult to force submission from, despite their best efforts. Not that you thought anyone could force an animal born of a mammoth jack donkey and a Shire horse to submit physically. You loved each and every scar, the signs of his stubborn nature on display for all to see.

"Hello, sweet boy." You greet him and let him snuffle you over, waving off the over eager stable hand. "May I ride you today? I am to inspect the troops." He blows a huff of air and turns his head away. You slide your hand along his proud neck and across his withers to the saddle. Checking it over, you deem it done well enough and climb on his back. Your legs spread wide across his broad barrel. Your advisors turn away, knowing that you will refuse their most strident pleas to ride sidesaddle.

"Let us inspect the troops." With that, the company is off at a quick walk to the parade grounds. Your group of advisors and the personal guard that you only marginally trust join the General and his entourage at the front of the formation. You strongly dislike the General. He is somehow the worst mix of ass kissing and condescending.

"The army is excited to be inspected this morning, Your Royal Highness." You barely manage to cover your snort. There is no way they are happy to be here standing in the sun to be inspected on your whim. You move from company to company, looking over the men and pointing out individuals to be inspected, but seeing none you would consider as consort. Reaching the special forces, the rabid dogs as your advisors refer to them, the General is incensed to see that the leader of one is missing.

"Where is the Captain? This is not an optional inspection!"

A man steps forward, "He was injured in a skirmish this week and is still confined to the hospital, General Argus." Looking over the group, you see several still sport bandages and healing abrasions. You nudge your mount closer, his ears perked forward in a match to your curiosity. The General apologizes to you for the disrespect of the men for not appearing but is cut off.

"Your Royal Highness. Escaping the hospital took longer than predicted. For that, I sincerely apologize." You turn, seeing a man limping toward the formation at a quick pace. This must be the Captain. As he falls in, you dismount your mule, resting your hand on his broad neck. Your personal guard hurriedly surrounds you, standing much too close. Rosebud takes exception to being crowded, ears flattening against his head. He strikes out like a snake. His teeth click just shy of the nearest man, who stumbles back yelling and unsheathes a sword. Without a thought, you draw your own ceremonial dagger.

"Touch one hair on Rosebud, and I will gut you." Everyone around you freezes before slowly backing away. "I will not be crowded by your incompetent forms when I am here to inspect the troops." They retreat from your anger, not wanting to risk you calling for their death. Rosebud drops his head, relaxing, and you absentmindedly rub his long ear the way he loves. His lip twitches and his eyes half close for a moment before he pulls away. You step forward, and Rosebud matches your pace, keeping his shoulder just behind yours. It took months to build up a relationship with him, and now he is putty in your hands most days.

An advisor tries to signal you to stay back, but you ignore them, your eyes on the men, looking for the best of them. You memorize the name of the Captain and another likely candidate, signaling Advisor Williams to your side. He groans but carefully walks to you, eyes locked on the increased alertness of Rosebud.

"I will have an audience with this Captain Price and Colonel König. As soon as the men are dismissed. In private." You walk forward and give a cursory inspection to the man who had spoken on the Captain's behalf. His uniform is impeccable, you are happy to see. You don't want them punished on your behalf. The smirk on his face beneath his mask sends a thrill through you. Another man who is not cowed by your station. That is important in advisors. Lieutenant Riley, his uniform says. You nod and mount Rosebud again, rejoining the pack of advisors to inspect the remaining troops. No others catch your eye.

Walking into your State room, you signal for everyone except the two soldiers to leave. While unusual, they are compelled to do so by your haughty glares and Advisor Williams guiding them away, barring the doors behind him and standing guard. Sitting in your throne, you drag your eyes over the men. Colonel König is wearing his customary face covering, and Captain Price has the cover he is well-known for in his hands.

"I have a proposal for you both that I want you to carefully consider. This proposal will not be spoken of again if you decline and it will not leave this room." The men perk up, and you see heat in their eyes as they consider one of the possibilities of your words. "I need advisors who are not advisors." That throws them off, and you see the Colonel shift uneasily. "These advisors would be the closest of any man or woman to me. They would teach and protect me with their very lives. My life is under threat and has been since the King and Queen died, my uncle taking over as Regent. I need advisors who will help me oust him and take my rightful place on the throne without contest and without raising his suspicions. Thus, I need men who will join my harem." You pause, savoring the way their faces change as they process this.

"Your Royal Highness, are you asking us to find you men to join your harem? That is most unusual, but we will do our best." You shake your head at Captain Price.

"Yes, but not in the way you are thinking. I am asking the two of you to join my harem and to advise me on the best men to round out such a harem. To be advisors and leaders in removing the despot from his fake throne. To be my lovers, spoiled in every way and to guard me from all attempts on my life. I want you both, and I trust you to choose others and to bring them to me for approval. If you decline this position, we shall never speak on it again."

"Yes, I would be honored to be chosen for your harem, Your Royal Highness." Colonel König does not hesitate to agree. He feels he has loved you from afar for years, and this is an opportunity he will not squander.

"I would be as well, Your Royal Highness." Captain Price is confident that declining now would be a mistake, and he is not a man prone to mistakes. "I have a few men in mind that would be good additions. They are a bit of a package deal." You nod, expecting as much.

"Their names?"

"John MacTavish, Simon Riley and Kyle Garrick, Your Royal Highness."

"I have two in mind that would be good choices as well. Hiro Watanabe and Kim Hong-jin. They are foreign, but good, loyal and strong men, Your Royal Highness."

The smile you bestow them with is almost a surprise to the men. "Then, I wish for you to gather your men and their belongings. You will join me tonight, my consorts."

"Yes, Your Royal Highness." The men bow and leave, stunned at the way this meeting has gone. You order Advisor Williams to prepare the harem quarters and pack your own belongings secretly. It would be folly to live apart from the men who will be your new private guard and you would be lying if you weren't excited to see under those perfectly done uniforms.

#konig x reader #könig x reader #call of duty #cod smut #ghost cod #ghost x reader #john soap mactavish #kyle gaz garrick #simon ghost riley #captain john price #price x reader #soap x reader #gaz x reader #hiro watanabe #kim hong jin #simon riley x reader

[lutawolf]

I Will Knock You Episode Six D/s point outs

We start off the episode seeing Noey fixing Thi's hair, and we see that chin hold again. Everyone who has read my previous reviews knows how the chin hold is serious Dom behavior.

I'm with @pharawee that slow blink Noey does is everything. It's like he is taking a picture. I also find it amusing that Thi just got Noey's last name, but we're all going to act like it's because he is joining the gang. Do the other guys go around using watphlu? Hmm.

I love this next part so much. Okay so Thi turns around to leave and Noey asks if he is going to get his helmet. He tells him that he'll give him two minutes "If you're late, I won't wait on you.", which Thi is like, no way I can be done in two minutes. Sorry! Better go ahead. The next words out of Noey's mouth are so Dom. "Hey, I won't wait, but I'll make sure you get on my ride. I'll hurt you." I know what you guys are thinking. He's going back to bullying. Nah, he is showing his hard line. Notice, he even laughs at Thi. He knew what Thi was up to, so he became harsher.

Notice on the bike that he is once again 100% okay with Thi holding onto him. Also telling him that he was lucky he didn't have class, because he would have just made him skip it. Do you hear the amount of confidence. He is fully aware that he can make Thi, skip class.

They get to the temple and Noey is upset that they are late considering he gave him a wake-up call. We are seeing Dom responsibilities being taken up by Noey. He knew he wanted to take Thi somewhere, so he made sure to notify him and in a good amount of time. He wasn't inconsiderate. Noey also reaches over to help Thi out of his helmet. We see some back and forth of commands. No punishment as yet, Noey is trying to figure out what is going on first. He just forces him physically to do what he wants. "Do I have to surrender to you on everything?" Okay so previous review I talk about how complex it can be when people just fall into a D/s relationship. Some people are just born this way, and they meet each other early before they even realize they are Dom or sub. Then it's a complex navigation of the relationship without guidance.

Noey is finding out that Thi isn't worth shit if he hasn't eaten breakfast. Let's see if he remembers this tidbit because a good Dom would. I would also show more leniency if I knew this was an issue. Some people have a very hard time regulating their mood when hungry. I have been known to tell my husband and daughters to shut up and not say another word until they've eaten something.

This is such a fucking Dom moment. He's showing he understands. He'll feed Thi after he has completed what he's done. Noey takes control of his face and tells him what he wants. Then says, "Just do as I say. So you won't be in trouble." This is so fucking Dom! It literally can be nothing else! He is saying, I understand, but you will do as I say. It's soft and dominant, it's so well done.

The dancing commentary between them killed me. "No, I don't want to dance. I'm not good at it." "I'll teach you. I'm not good at studying, but you still want me to study" "Move your arms and legs now!" The frustration mounting as Thi won't dance. "Harder! Stop being shy!" He's realizing that Thi will need something to push him past the shyness. "If you don't do it. I will just keep you walking around here. You can't go anywhere" So Thi dances. See how Noey follows up with the praise. He doesn't just punish, he praises and rewards when Thi does well. That's not bully mentality, you guys, and that's not gang leader mentality, because Noey isn't praising anyone else.

Some temple flirting. Noey tells him to just pay attention, and Thi basically says, "Yes, captain." That's so D/s right there. When Thi is getting pushed around, Noey steadies him. Noey protects Thi when it's clear that Thi is just getting knocked around, but it's very much in Sadist style. Still romantic in my opinion. Pay attention to the conversation between his followers and the difference on how he treats them vs Thi. He also describes Sadist flirting to a Tee.

"I'll just buy a new slide." "You didn't even try to find it." "We tried already. But we can't find it anywhere." "You think money can solve problems again?" "Huh, what do you mean by again." "Like the lotus! My lotus!" "Don't you remember?" Then he flicks him as punishment for not remembering. Asking Thi if he wants more when he says it hurts. Only nodding when Thi assures him he remembers. Now this whole conversations talks to something much deeper. What do you think Noey is really saying? What is he trying to teach Thi? You don't value what you don't work for, and you can't buy love.

The whole fight over the sandals is very D/s. The whole fucking thing. Then we have more Sadist flirting when he tells them it's to keep the shoes from being stolen. The girl totally knows what's up. Then they get to the restaurant and it's Thi sitting with Noey. Not one of the other members. Noey pretty much orders for him and tells him to just eat. He tells him to go ahead and order another because he's taken note of how Thi is. There is some name-calling, but notice he Thi isn't bothered. He's only been bothered once and since then, Noey hasn't used it.

Now we get to the point with the picture above. I know it looks scary and harsh but honestly if you asked the subs who are watching, they don't see it that way. Think of this as a backward cage. He doesn't push him back but pulls him forward, it's no less effective though. He is saying, "Pay the fuck attention to me and take heed what I'm saying, and don't make this mistake again." The other arm hasn't come up. There is absolutely no threat of him being hit. It looks scary and harsh, but a D/s relationship is very intense.

Alright, so Noey wants Thi to do his homework. He has resorted back to bully because this for sure is not Dom and Thi puts his hard no limit down. See guys. He knows how to say no, what's more he is aware that he can say no to Noey it's just that he really doesn't want to. I find it very interesting that Noey tried to teach Thi that, You don't value what you don't work for, and then tries to pay him to do his homework. That tells you how little value he finds school. Thi is genuinely putting down a hard no. Noey wants to know why. He isn't being a jerk there, he needs to understand why Thi is saying no. He needs to understand the thought process behind it. Noey says, "You're good at beating around the bush." and then he smiles at Thi. He wanted Thi to speak up for himself.

Now, that doesn't mean he doesn't want a sub. It means he doesn't want a doormat. Two different things.

Alright, that's it for this episode! Hope you guys enjoyed.

#i will knock you #i will knock you series #noey watphlu #noey x thi #luta opinions #luta talks kink #luta talks i will knock you

[okayto]

Mini-Review: My Happy Marriage

Miyo's abusive family deems her worthless without a magical gift, and her betrothal to an infamously cold man has everyone—including herself—expecting that she'll be thrown out into the streets. With no home to return to, Miyo resigns herself to her fate—and soon finds that her pale and handsome husband-to-be is anything but the monster she expected. As they slowly open their hearts to each other, both realize the other may be their chance at finding true love and happiness.

I was super excited when I heard earlier this year that My Happy Marriage was getting an anime, because I had coincidentally picked up the first volumes of the manga on a whim from the library and was immediate hooked. First, the manga covers that caught my eye are gorgeous, and while obviously things change in adaptation, this is still a very pretty anime.

It's set in an alternate Taisho era (circa 1912-1926; I'm guessing this takes place sometime in the second half of the era, considering we see some flapper fashion) where magic exists. Miyo is enduring a Cinderella-esque nightmare that's lasted a lifetime: despite both parents coming from strong magical family lines, she's powerless. Her mother died when she was young; her father immediately remarried his old flame, who takes delight in beating Miyo down, metaphorically and literally.

Normally in a Cinderella-type story, the father is dead, gone, or oblivious, but here her father is absolutely complicit in the physical and emotional abuse hurled at Miyo. Her mother's belongings are stolen, she's kept malnourished and inadequately-clothed. To her father she's nothing more than a tool to marry off, and abuse is a great way to make sure she doesn't have the energy to try doing literally anything other than what she's told. To her stepmother and half-sister, she's an object of ridicule for her lack of powers, and a target for the crime of being born from a political marriage rather than the love match that they're related to.

Even when told she's now engaged to and going to live with an infamously-cold man who has driven off multiple fiancees already, Miyo just accepts the situation, because what else can she do? She fully expects to be thrown out at some point, and just hopes that she can manage to put that day off as long as possible by being as invisible and inoffensive as possible.

Kiyoka, the man, for his part is a little prickly, but mostly annoyed at having to deal with a string of upper-class socialites, and rapidly comes around when it's clear that Miyo isn't that.

In fact, Kiyoka realizes what's going on, and also recognizes his feelings, faster than she does--a lifetime of abuse isn't easily healed by a few weeks of respite, and Miyo is essentially waiting for the other shoe to drop the entire time. She's survived abuse, but if she lets herself actually want things, and enjoy her life, then it will feel so much worse when it inevitably gets ripped away like every other nice thing she's ever had.

It's easy, as the viewer, to get a bit frustrated with Miyo sometimes because she won't say when she really wants something, but that's the point. This isn't just the story of a young woman escaping her abusive family for someone who values her, it's also about her having to come to terms with that fact that she has value, and that she's allowed to want things.

Overall, this was a great series, and I'm hopeful it'll get another season at some point. The original light novels, and the manga, are still ongoing (I can recommend the manga; haven't tried the novels) so there's more story. And it's ripe for more: the Cinderella story is the beginning, but the magic of the world and Kiyoka's role in what's essentially an anti-demon military unit of all supernaturally-gifted soldiers gets a good amount of screentime and has its own tantalizing mysteries (and exciting action sequences).

Honestly, the only thing I disliked about the series was this scene near the end when Kiyoka and Miyo are attending an event wearing western-style clothing...those aren't ~1920s clothes, right? I'm not crazy? What Miyo is wearing doesn't matter (I'm still dubious about it but far less so), but the background women... are those gowns with bustles like it's ~1884? Why are there Victorian ballgowns??? This scene lasts for less than 3 minutes in a single episode, it doesn't matter, but I can't stop thinking about it.

Verdict

English dub? Yes!

Visuals: Very pretty. It's a pleasure to watch!

Worth watching? Absolutely. The Cinderella story aspect is great if you like those types of stories, but that's not the only thing going on. The magic here, and politics surrounding it, are intriguing and I can't wait to dive in deeper, whether than manga or anime. Plus, who doesn't like a cool character who can set things on fire? I LOVE a cool character who can set things on fire.

Where to watch (USA, as of December 2023): Netflix

Click my “reviews” tag below or search “mini review” on my blog to find more!

#My Happy Marriage #Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon #anime #reviews #recommendation #like I'm willing to be wrong about the dress thing in case Japan did keep wearing Victorian-style gowns into the 20s. but. seems weird.

[lily-drake]

The Demon’s Queen

Chapter Ten

First <> Previous

The plane ride to Paris was uneventful.  It was just himself and Tim, and both were trying to find any clues from their laptops.  The sound keys being hit filled the plane until Tim let out a loud sigh of frustration.  

“No luck either?”

Bruce asked casually as he turned to face his youngest son.

“No.  I’ve been reviewing different security cams for the past three hours and I haven’t found a single thing except how crazy some of the Akuma Attacks were.”

Tim paused for a long moment, his brows furrowed and lips turned down letting his features show how concerned and unsettled he was.

“Some of them were really bad B.  Like even worse than the things we’ve seen in Gotham.”

That last comment made Bruce’s lips turn down into a grim frown.  To imagine it was only these two kids for so many years without any help.  If he had known about the whole situation, he would have been more than happy to lend his support in whatever way they needed.  Now, it was too late, and one of the kids was in trouble that could have been avoided if they had known sooner.  

“We’ll figure this out Tim.  Wayne Enterprises will help the people there in whatever way we’re able to.  And Batman and Red Robin will find and bring a hero back home.”

He said gently as he looked his son in the eyes.  Tim gave a firm nod, before he turned back to his laptop, continuing whatever it was he was doing with a renewed vigor.  Bruce would figure this out, nothing would stop him from finding this child and helping her back home no matter how long it took.

__________

Damian was born in the shadows, and while some use that metaphorically, for Damin, it was literal.  So when he decided to hide in them, they welcomed him like they were the oldest of friends.  Damian watched from the shadows as Marinette trained, she had been with the League for a little over a month now, and she was making great progress in that short amount of time.  He was sure that she would be just as skilled as his mother in the near future.  Speaking of his mother, she was to return from her mission today.  He should go, wait for Talia at the entrance, but for some reason he just wanted to watch her movements.

Her face was pinched with both frustration and what appeared to be some sort of self loathing.  Her body language showed that she was more open to the critique of Hadid, like she trusted him more than the others here as her body showed she had more of her guard up with them.

He watched as she landed a hit, moving away in one swift movement to avoid Hadid’s counter.

“That move was perfect…that is if your definition of perfect is a ballerina that trips over her own feet.”

A frown marred her lips as she deepened her stance slightly, angling her feet till they were at the proper angle before she attacked again, this time with more force than the last, though this time she was quickly blocked and thrown to the floor.

“Good try, though I’m sure your great-grandmother could have landed that.”

It went on like this for what felt like hours, but as the fighting got faster and harsher, so did the words spoken.  Despite that, Hadid never seemed to lose the calm connectedness that was his voice, never did he sound of breath, or exhausted.  But there was a gleam in his eyes that seemed to grow, a cruel smile on his lips.  Gentle touches that were quickly turned against her, but he never stopped it.  Despite the feelings warring in his chest as he observed the anguish that continued to grow in her body language and demeanor, he never stopped it.  This was exactly the type of training that he endured, and if she was to become one of his generals she would need to learn that this was the way of The League of Assassins.

“So this is the reason you didn’t greet me MyDemon.”

Damian didn’t jump nor did he flinch, though he wanted to.

“I apologize Mother.  I was observing how the training of one of my future generals is going.”

He said as he turned towards his mother, bowing on one knee.  He may be the Demon’s Head, but his mother was the reason he was here in the first place, and he would not dishonor her.  Talia rested her hand against his hair, the smallest of smiles on her lips before she looked up at watched the match before her.

“The girl?”

She asked softly, removing her hand from his head, a single that he could stand with her.  

“Yes.”

Talia hummed as they both stood quietly in the shadows just watching as the girl fought and seemingly failed at every turn.

“She is very skilled, where did she come from?”

“I took her from France.  She was the past Ladybug Miraculous holder and apparently the Grad Guardian of the Miraculous Box of Life.”

Not much shocked Talia, but that was news to her.  She had thought that all of the monks had died and with the destruction of their temple, the loss of all of the Miraculous and their creatures.

“That girl is the Grand Guardian?  She looks far too young according to their customs.”

“The Guardian before her was forced to pass over ownership to her because a villain that was in possession of two of the Miraculous, had captured the past Guardian.  I checked, he is of no use to us as he remembers nothing.  It is all in my report if you wish to read it, Mother.”

“Yes, I think I will.  What did you say her name was again?”

“Marinette.”

“No last name.”

“It is unimportant now, but I believe it was Dupain-Cheng.”

“Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, that name does not set off any alarms.  Only time will tell.”

“Indeed.”

“I wish to introduce myself.”

“Of course, Mother.”

And with that, they both emerged from the shadows of the room, putting a pause to the training session.

“My Demon, My Liege.”

Hadid said with a deep bow, but Marinette didn’t bend, simply glaring at him as she panted for breath.  She glanced over at Talia, eyes scrunched with slight confusion before they widened slightly in understanding.  She was still far too easy to read, hopefully one day they could train her out of that (part of him never wanted her to lose that, he liked being able to read her emotions).

“Marinette, this is my Mother, Talia al Ghul.”

Marinette stood up straight, looking Talia in the eyes with her lips turned down to show her displeasure at the situation.  Talia stared back, never wavering.  Manyhad tried to stand up mto Talia, none had succeeded, but that didn’t stop this girl from trying.  Neither would back down, Talia could tell that much.  There was a fire behind her eyes, one that would be very hard to extinguish.  She wondered if it was like this before she came here, wondered if it had dimmed at all since she started her training here.  The silence seemed to grow as the two just stared at each other, one out of defiance the other with curious examination.  A small smirk creeped onto Talia’s lips as she finally broke eye contact first to look at her son.

“I would like her to dine with us tonight, make sure she has something suitable to wear.”

“Of course Mother.”

Damian replied with a short bow as Talia left the room without another word.

He could feel Marinette’s eyes burning into him, if he looked he knew there would be some sort of glare on her face.  It didn’t now, he still had time to convince her that The LEague was better for her than anywhere else.  His spies had told him that the Bat still hadn’t found anything yet, that they were not suspected.  But Damian knew that wouldn’t last much longer.  His father was known as “The World’s Greatest Detective” after all.  Not to mention the amount of resources he had with the Justice League who were also a part of this case.  He was glad that Grandfather had lined the insides of the wall with lead so that no kryptonian could hear what went on here.  Without glancing at her he too left the training room.  He would get her when it was time, for now he would need to discuss important matters with his mother as well as her last mission.

Next

Taglist:

@sinoffalsejudgement @peachmuses @myazael @snnoww26 @dur55 @tip-tap-tired @ledalasombra @jennifer-rose123 @kylamai @plz-excuse-my-inner-gay @stella17luna @meduarts @toodaloo-kangaroo @valeks-star @crazylittlemunchkin @achaoticmess1 @queenz-z @doll246 @aespades @liquid-luck-00 @a-slytherinish-gryffindor @demigraceling-blog @kashlyn @castle-bookworms-world @a-classic-bookworm @wheredoesonegetnameideas @ascetic-orange @night-ngale @0anodite0 @strawberryfire17 @laurcad123 

#maribat #enimies to lovers #damian is the demon’s head #damian al ghul #marinette dupain cheng #talia al ghul #good parent talia al ghul #talia sugar #mlb x dc #bruce wayne #tim drake #league of assassins #assassin in training #assassin!marinette #mental manipulation #marinette will not stand down #time goes on #chaos continues #and Batman is looking for a blue eyed black haired child #Please comment #comments=my payment #Thank you!

[elleaitch22]

Chapter 1

“Ma!” She screamed crawling towards the limp body. “MAMA!” She continued, curling her body around hers. Her eyes were blank; nothing was there. She’s gone.

She heard a cough and a wet gasp behind her. “Ri,” the weak voice called as she turned around.

“Daddy,” She cried, her eyes blurring with tears. “Please don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me all alone.” She wept.

“Love you babygirl.” He smiled, gasping with each word. “Make me proud, Rianna.”

His chest was still, no longer rising and falling with the life that filled them. “NO! Dad! Daddy please! NO!”


She shot up quickly, heart pounding in her ears. It’s just a dream. You’re safe. You’re fine. Just a dream. She reminded herself as she forced her lungs to fill with air. So much for getting a full night of sleep. She scoffed as she rolled over and looked to see what time it was. 2:39 a.m. The phone light almost blinded her, making her even more frustrated than before.

As she laid in her bed, she went over the answers she would be giving in her interview later that day. It certainly wasn’t the most lucrative option, but hopefully she would get the job. If everything goes as planned, she would be babysitting a two and five year old within the next three days.

From the short conversations she’d had with Ayo and Aneka Buhle, they just needed childcare for their little ones as Aneka was going to be returning to work. They would be meeting at some coffee shop called Verve, which sounded too expensive, but they wanted to pick the location, so Riri agreed to the first thing they offered.

When the sun started rising and the rays began to peak through Riri’s crappy blinds, she forced herself to get up and find an outfit.

The Buhle’s had said that this was a casual interview, just to be sure that Riri was the right fit. She pulled out a pair of black skinny jeans and a black turtleneck. To add some color, she went with an oversized hot pink cardigan and a pair of white Converse. She took down her Bantu knots and fluffed them out, deciding on a side part. She finished her look with some gold jewelry to compliment the chain and wedding rings she never took off.

Once her phone dinged to notify her that her Uber had arrived, Riri swiped on some Carmex, put her AirPods in, and walked out the door.

The ride to the coffee shop wasn’t too bad, in terms of LA standards. Despite it not even being 7 a.m., there were still lots of people on the roads. As they pulled up, Riri left a five star review, noting that the driver was friendly, even though he said nothing to her.

She walked in quietly, taking in her surroundings; incidents from her past had left her extremely scarred and constantly on edge.

“Ms. Williams.” She heard a voice call out. Riri turned her head to her left, and there they were. Ayo and Aneka were seated at a table with four chairs, looking as poised and regal as one could in a coffee shop.

Riri walked to the table wearing a small smile before she took her seat. “Good morning,” she began cheerfully, “I am happy we are finally meeting in person.”

The couple smiled at her warmly, “As are we.” One said with an accent. “I am Aneka, and this is my wife, Ayo.”

Aneka had a warm accent, like she was from the Caribbean or maybe Africa. Riri wondered if her wife shared the same accent.

“Thank you both so much for taking the time to meet with me.” Riri wore a bigger smile this time.

Ayo smiled lightly and straightened her back. “We were pleased with what we saw in your application. We just wanted to get a few answers before we officially offered you the job.”

Same accent! Riri thought to herself. “Well I am happy to provide you with a bit of background if you’d like.” When the women gestured, she continued. “My full name is Rianna Williams. I am 20 years old. I was born and raised in Chicago. I was previously studying chemical and mechanical engineering at MIT, but tuition was too steep to continue my education there. I am looking to save up so that I can finish my degree. I really love children, so I thought that being a nanny would be a good way to make money and help others.” Riri paused as she tried to think of anything else that would be necessary to the conversation. “I don’t have any allergies, that I know of. I love throwback shows like Living Single and Martin.” Why would you talk about your favorite shows??? That’s so dumb. Stay on topic and be professional.

“Martin is my favorite show!” Aneka exclaimed. “We have to hire her Ayo. I need my kids to be with someone who has taste.”

Ayo looked at her wife with fond eyes before turning back to Riri. “We will have to do a trial run with the children, but I believe you will be a great fit. We have two children, as you know. Our son’s name is Olufemi, Femi for short. He is two, though he is much calmer than his sister. He likes to read and cuddle, like me.”

“Thandiwe is five. We often call her Thandi or Love. She is loud and funny. She can be sneaky, at times, but she will never lie. She will want to play dress up to get out of her schoolwork, so you will have to be firm, or she will walk all over you.” Aneka describes her daughter with pride.

“Their names are beautiful,” Riri says with a smile. “Would I be able to meet them at some point this week? I want to make sure they are comfortable with me before there are any job offers or accepting.”

The two make eye contact, speaking in some sort of telepathic way, the same way Riri had seen her own parents communicate before they told her no.

“Of course,” Ayo began. “We could go now, if you are free, and discuss some of the other components of the job.”

The only thing Riri had planned today was to wallow in self-pity and figure out how she would be paying her rent if she different get this job. “That sounds great!”

The three women walked to a blacked-out Escalade parked on the side of the street. Before she could open the door to get in, another bald women opened the driver door and came around to welcome them into the backseat. Aneka slid into the front, while Riri and Ayo got into the back.

“Thank you, Nosipho.” Aneka addressed the woman. “Home, please.” She continued before she turned to Riri. “So, if you are a good fit with the children, and decide to accept the job, Nosipho will be your driver. Driving is already stressful enough, and we want our little ones as safe as possible at all times. If you agree, you will also be staying with us. Our jobs have unforeseeable issues that need our immediate attention at times, and it will take away the hassle of having to call you in. You will not be expected to do any of the cooking, cleaning, or other errands, unless you wish to do so. We will pay 1,000 dollars per week if you work from 8 to 6, but 2,500 if you decide to be a live-in nanny. You will have one day off each week if you desire. We will provide you with a new phone and anything else that you feel you may need to be happy.”

By the time Aneka had finished with her speech, Riri was reeling. $2,500 a week? That’s 10 grand every month! I can go back to school in no time! She’d thought to herself.

“We will be at our home shortly, so think on that while you are getting acquainted with the children.” Ayo spoke softly.

Riri could only nod her head as she replayed everything in her head. There has to be a catch. People are not like this for no reason. She thought. So what. You have good instincts. If this goes badly, you know how to get yourself out of sticky situations. Just wait a few months, stack your bread, and you’ll be free of it all before you know it.

They lived at that fancy Four Seasons apartment building, or Private Residences as the sign called them. The “apartment” was incredibly beautiful. It had the most amazing views. The children were adorable. Thandiwe showed Riri all of her favorite dresses and costumes, even forcing her little brother in them sometimes. Despite sticking to his moms, Olufemi eventually pulled a book out of the basket and wordlessly gave it to them.

“I would love to work for you.” Riri stated confidently. “If the offer is still on the table, I would like the fulltime option.”

Ayo and Aneka smiled at each other again sharing the same thought. Riri would be perfect for her. She would be perfect for them.

“Welcome to the family, Ms. Williams.”

A/N: super nervous and nauseous about posting my first fic. If you have any suggestions lmk pls!! I hope you enjoyed :)

#Shuriri #shuri x Riri #science wives #au #mob shuri #bpwf au #background Aneka x Ayo #background Attoye

[jacquelinemerritt]

Dragon Ball Z: Broly - Legendary Super Saiyan Abridged Review

Originally posted September 5th, 2018

It’s difficult to care about such a shallow character, even as he has the trappings of coolness.

I am probably not the right person to review this movie. In fact, I’m not even sure I’m capable of approaching this movie with the critical lens it deserves, because of one simple fact: I do not find the concept of Broly to be inherently cool. And I feel like this movie was written for people who find Broly inherently cool, whether or not they believe that he works as a character in practice.

It’s difficult for me to simply accept Broly as cool, because for me, I tend to only be impressed by a character’s “coolness” when I’ve already seen that there’s more to them than whatever external trappings make them that way, or in the best stories, when what makes a character cool is shown off right alongside their depth.

For a good example, we can just look back at Vegeta, who, to me at least, only ever started to feel badass after we started to see how much of a petulant child he is at his core, and how much he has to struggle to succeed against Freeza and his warriors. Vegeta struggling against enemies he legitimately fears, and coming out successful, is what makes him feel badass, not just his ability to quip off perfect one-liners or keep up his façade of confidence at all times.

Broly’s story prevents him from having any kind of interesting struggle here though, as unlike our heroes, he didn’t gain his power by training, or having close encounters with death; he gained his powers by simply being born into them, and having his Super Saiyan state triggered by hearing the name of a baby he hated.

The immense amount of power Broly wields against our heroes does make him an effective antagonist, I admit, but without a struggle of his own, and without any kind of actual reasonable motivation, Broly simply does not work for me, and I can’t bring myself to care at all about him.

And that’s a problem, because while the movie clearly makes fun of people who think Broly is “so cool” by having Vegeta fawn over him, it still seems to find some value in his character’s existence and coolness, mostly by treating Vegeta’s proclamations of Broly’s coolness as genuine, while having him express frustration at Broly’s shallow motivation.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Team Four Star liking Broly on some level, of course, but I have so much trouble wrapping my head around the idea that you could have a genuine affection for such a shallow, flimsy character that I end up feeling lost, almost left behind by this movie’s expectation that I am supposed to be interested in Broly on some level. I don’t care about this legendary Super Saiyan, and nothing short of a complete reinvention of his character is likely to ever change that for me.

So it’s probably weird for me to then say that despite not caring about Broly, I still rather enjoy this movie, even if it loses me about halfway through. One weak character does not a movie break, and the movie is at its best when its focusing on the much better defined characters we all know and love.

Korin and Yajirobe’s wedding reception is very sweet, as is Goku’s horribly inept attempt to get Gohan into a good college. I also love how effectively Paragus plays to Vegeta’s ego, leading him to New Vegeta with ease by simply referring to him as a king, ultimately earning the role of Vegeta’s Royal Vizier through schmooze alone. There’s also the running gag of calling Trunks a princess and using she/her pronouns for her, which is a good time because misgendering cis people is always a good time, especially since Trunks clearly isn’t that bothered by it in the first place.

And I would be absolutely remiss if I failed to mention the Shamoians, a diminutive race of lifestyle submissives, who willingly subject themselves to slavery and beatings, simply because they get off on it. Reframing these aliens as consenting to their treatment opens up a lot more avenues for comedy than If they were played straight, and Team Four Star consistently toes the line between pointing out how absurd this concept is, and being respectful of their collective love for a slavery kink.

Most importantly though, we’re shown that these aliens ultimately do have boundaries, as while they at first salivate over the idea of Broly treating them cruelly, when it’s clear that he’s going to endanger their safety, they scramble to remember their safe word, making it clear that his actions are no longer something they consent to. It’s funny because they’ve been submissive so long that they’ve forgotten their safeword, but it also serves to reinforce the idea that their exchange of power was only okay because of their active consent, an idea that is absolutely essential to ethically practicing kink.

It’s small moments like these, Goku’s search for the person who killed South Galaxy, and Piccolo’s dismay at Gohan possibly not getting into his preferred school, that keep this movie interesting for me, and while I will probably never be able to enjoy Broly as a character, thanks to the other characters still being excellently portrayed, I don’t feel like I have to. One legendary Super Saiyan is enough for this girl, after all.

Rating: 3.5/5

Critical Eye Criticism is the work of Jacqueline Merritt, a trans woman, filmmaker, and critic. You can support her continued film criticism addiction on Patreon.

#dragon ball z abridged #dragon ball z #team four star #tfs #dbza #dbz #dbza movie #dbza broly

[rookie-critic]

Return to Seoul (2022, dir. Davy Chou) - review by Rookie-Critic

I was pretty excited for this one. I'd heard nothing but good things about it and the story seemed like a playground for great ideas; Freddie, a young woman who was born in Korea, but adopted as a baby and raised in France, comes back to Korea in search of her birth parents, mainly her mother. While there were a lot of things about the film that I really liked, there's one kind of glaring thing about it that I just couldn't shake: I didn't like Freddie at all.

I struggle with unlikable protagonists in films, it's probably the personal bias that I struggle the most with being objective about. That's not to say that I hate every story with an unlikable protagonist at its center, there are character studies that have absolute scumbags at their center (like Sean Baker's Red Rocket) that I really enjoyed. I'll probably never watch Red Rocket again, because it made me feel gross, but it was an objectively good movie for a lot of different reasons. I think therein lies my problem, Freddie is a selfish, mean character, which is sometimes needed in the moment, but more often than not she's just being cruel to people who don't deserve it. So much so that the one person she isn't awful to during the film leaves Freddie because she sees how horrible Freddie is being to everyone else. I empathize with Freddie's situation, but I absolutely cannot connect with her as a person, and that makes a lot of the film tough to sit through. After awhile it almost becomes an endurance test of waiting for the shoe to drop and for her to be terrible yet again.

Where I think the film works is in its depiction of someone on a journey to fill a void in their life. Freddie's goal, although not specifically stated by her or the film, is to find her parents, because that is the thing she thinks will make her happy, will make her whole. That's the thing that will fill this gap she has in her life that's preventing her from being truly happy. Anytime something gets in the way of this goal or things don't turn out how she wants, she turns to self destructive behavior, because that instant relief is easier than dealing with the pain of that void, or at least that was my interpretation. All of this is great and a high point of the film. Director Davy Chou even has these wonderful moments where the camera holds on Freddie for awhile, and in those moments you really get a sense of her, and those were the moments in the film that I came the closest to understanding her. However, even with these moments, it doesn't seem like there's ever any remorse for the people she's hurt, no growth from beyond that self destructive behavior, only lateral movements that almost always end her back up in the same exact, emotionally volatile state of mind, and the film takes place over a long enough period of time, with enough self-acknowledgement from Freddie of her self destructive tendencies, to where you would expect some kind of positive forward momentum. Also, and I'm not a doctor or a psychiatrist, but I really believe Freddie suffers from Bipolar disorder/manic depression, or at least a lot of her actions led me to believe that. However, the film doesn't seem interested in exploring that and never makes mention of it at all, which leads me to believe she wasn't written with that in mind, but all the signs are there. I feel like the story would have been more interesting had they explored this more, and might have given more context to why Freddie is the way she is.

I think the most frustrating thing about Return to Seoul is that it does so many things right, it has some great high points and the overarching story has all of the pieces in place for there to have been some kind of redeeming moment or, at the very least, slight character growth, but it never truly happens. One could argue that there is a light that illuminates some hope in the final scene, but I didn't read it that way. Return to Seoul is a good movie, as I've said multiple times, there are a ton of things to enjoy about it, but it stops itself from being great. I'm sure there are those out there that will connect with Freddie, clearly the film has been receiving widespread acclaim, but I couldn't find the in with her character, and it kept me from enjoying this the way I've heard others have.

Score: 7/10

Currently only in theaters.

#Return to Seoul #Davy Chou #Park Ji-min #Guka Han #Oh Kwang-rok #Kim Sun-young #Yoann Zimmer #Louis-Do de Lencquesaing #Hur Ouk-Sook #film review #movie review #2022 films

[xwhatxisxrightx]

"  𝐒𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐇   𝐎𝐑   𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐒  “ (For muses who ship with @ Xiangling)

"What a FRIVOLOUS & IMMATURE question... Are we back in high school again? Hmm..." Condescending, judgmental attitude paired with a raised chin and carefully chosen words. NEVER had there been a greater example of someone on their high horse. "Smash or pass... Xiangling..." A pause as she gave it some consideration. She WAS a cute girl, no doubt about that. And Ningguang certainly admired the girl's evervescent ZEST and UNYIELDING AMBITION. Even if such things were born out of sheer naivete. What was this? Elevated heart rate? "Well, naturally I'd smash, though, it begs the question what exactly does this have to do with you? Surely if it's THAT IMPORTANT to her, Xiangling would come to me directly to find out...?" Of course, Ningguang didn't exactly make that easy. And most people who DID come to her got shot down and cast out just as quick. But now Ningguang couldn't HELP but wonder. How far would Xiangling go? How much could someone like herself POSSIBLY mean to someone like Xiangling? Her job and romance almost never ended well. And judging from her terrible attempts at spying... Xiangling didn't seem to be her BIGGEST FAN right now...

"W-What kind of a question is THAT!? And who's even asking!" Paper slip was crumpled almost as quickly as it had been read, smacking back down against the desk PATHETICALLY. "I really need to hold a staff review as soon as possible. The suggestion box is NOT for juvenile pranks!" Ugh. Keqing groaned out in tired frustration, rubbing at her forehead with her fingertips. SIGH. The question lingered in her mind all the same and Keqing reached for the scrunched paper and unravelled it once more, casting lilac eyes over creased ink. "Xiangling..." Had it been SHE HERSELF who had snuck this in? Or maybe that Hu Tao girl? She loved her pranks after all... Or... Or Ganyu? Doing Xiangling a favor? (And trying to do Keqing one, too, she supposed...) WAIT WHAT? How would this POSSIBLY be doing Keqing a favor? No. No. No. Keqing didn't have feelings for Xiangling. A-And she most certainly did NOT want to "smash" her, right? She didn't even know what SMASH meant! Okay, so she DID. She was insociable. Not an idiot. Tsk. So why then had this tiny piece of paper gotten her so WORKED UP? It was all really silly when she thought about it... Yet still the question remained... "That girl is going to give me a heart attack..." HMPH!! That was it. She'd made up her mind. Ding! And what timing. She had fifteen minutes to spare. She'd just have to make it QUICK. She was going to march over to the Wanmin Restaurant and ask Xiangling HERSELF. (The answer was SMASH, by the way. Not that Keqing ever answered the question. SMFH.)

"Ohh? Now that IS one HELL of a question. If only she were here~ I'm sure she's DYING to find out the answer to THAT particular conundrum." Eyes glanced over the list of names on her VIEWER LIST, skirting the comments. Maybe Emma was HOPING to see Xiangling's username on the list? Of course not. She knew Xiangling's schedule. Girl was too busy cooking up a storm at her dad's restaurant right about now. Something TWINGED in her chest. A mix of PAIN & PRIDE. "So what'll it be~ Does Emma, YouTube's next breakout star, have a crush on Xiangling, Celebrity Masterchef of Tomorrow? Would. Emma. Smash. That. Fiiiiine. Piece of ass?" She smirked into the camera and battered her eyelashes. "Wouldn't YOU like to know?" With a performative breath she gave a soft sigh and smiled again. "Well, unfortunately, I'm not the type to KISS AND TELL, so that'll just have to stay MY little secret. Just between me, my diary, the men I wish to emasculate, and my drycleaners." She checked her nails, though the keenest of eyes would notice the way her own skipped over to the comments DECEPTIVELY. Oh, they were going CRAZY right now. Still, as bullshit as she was being in front of the camera, the question WAS a good one... Xiangling... Of course, it probably didn't mean MUCH that Emma would smash anyone, given her public persona, but between friends? Emma would TOTALLY smash Xiangling. And... Uhmm... No. No that's everything. No and. No uhmm. She'd smash Xiangling. End. Of. Story. Ah, shit, why did she have to go there... "Well~... You guys have been one BEAUTIFUL audience to say the very least but I have WINE drink, a blu-ray of Stepmom and a hot dinner en route. So I'll talk to YOU ALL, later." She winked. She waved. She signed off. She sighed. "Holy. Shit."

Eyes narrowed instantly at the very question, balls tightening into fists. Instinct had told her this was a VERY dangerous question. Her stomach tensed and she glowered up at the other party. "I am sworn to the Tenryou Commision and to Her Eternal Excellency, The Almighty Narukami Ogosho, Raiden Shogun. I have no time for such trivial foolishness..." Hmm... The question did only seem NATURAL. After all, Sara Kujoe had spent a SUSPICIOUSLY INORDINANTE amount of time at the Wanmin Restaurant since arriving at Liyue Harbor. And she seemed to avoid the resident authorities as much as possible. What had brought the Tenyu to Liyue? ESPECIALLY amidst present turmoils deep within Inazuma. The kingdom was in TOTAL LOCKDOWN. Simple, really... Sara Kujoe wanted to know the Naval Captain of the Qixing's fleet of militant ships had showed up amidst Sara Kujoe's battle with Gorou and the Traveler. And it would so seem that Xiangling had a VERY close connection with both Beidou AND the Traveler. "Xiangling is a sweet, sweet, girl. One might even say too nice for this world. But I am on here on BUSINESS and INVESTIGATION above all else." Not that she'd ever told Xiangling this, mind you. Nor had Sara ever described ANYONE as sweet or nice. Which likely didn't help Sara at all in the whole... Stopping people from asking her if she was here to smash Xiangling conversation... "Besides, I don't answer to you. I am but a humble emissary from Inazuma, taking in the sights of Liyue while on leave from duty following my last combat mission." It really was a NICE story, wasn't it? Covered all her bases and held some modicum of truth. Yes, a very nice story indeed. The story as Xiangling knew it. ...And a story that Sara Kujoe continued to like the sound of MORE & MORE with each passing day...

"The fuck kinda question is THAT? Who even ARE YOU? And what are you doing in MY library. Don't you have ANY descency? What does that sign say? 'Shh! QUIET IN THE LIBRARY!'" And Natsuki shouted this at the other with absolutely zero comprehension to the irony of their circumstances, going all BEET RED with bunched fists, pushing herself onto her TIPPY-TOES to try and appear MORE IMPOSING. Lord, she hoped they didn't notice her manga right about now. Least of all the fact that it was an issue of PARFAIT GIRLS where one of the girls just so happened to develop a crush on a guy who had won the most recent competition of MASTERFUL CHEFS. Yeah, that totally had nothing to do with Xiangling. N. O. T. H. I. N. G. Nor did this indignant outburst. Look she just didn't wanna bone Xiangling. She didn't! She did... Not. She did not. She. Did. Not. She did. Urgh. "Now get outta and leave me to read my books and write my poems in PEACE. And. QUIIEETTT!!" Strained lungs made those last words escape as more of a SQUEAK than anything else. She pushed, she shoved. "Excuse me! Miss Keiko-Senpai! This person is DISTURBING ME." The librarian sighed and lowered her glasses, glancing across. 'Natsuki-Kun, might I remind you that you're disturbing everyone else right now, too?' She replied, drawing Natsuki to a NERVOUS silence. "Uh-... Umm... AHEM." Natsuki blushed, pouting, cheeks popping out as she stared at the other, trying NOT to make a sound but vocals straining all the same. Totally made her case that she didnt wanna bone Xiangling. TOTALLY. What was supposed to be so SPECIAL about her anyway? Like, sure Xiangling was super cute and friendly and nice and always liked to read her poems and manga and would occasionally treat her to free samples of Wanmin's newest additions to the menu as an EXCUSE to feed the emaciated girl. But... But that shit didn't COUNT, right? RIGHT!?

#MMMMMMMMMMMMMKAY #FDSL FLNFDLNFDSLNKFDSNLKDFNKSFSDLKNDFSNLFFDSLNKFDLKNFDHEHEHEHLEN SDF #GONNA LAEVE THIS FOR HERE NOW #BECAUSE ADMITTEDLY MY RIGHT HAND IS ACTING UP SO IM GONNA TAKE A SHORT BREAK FOR FOOD THEN GET BACK TO WRITING WITH WRIST SUPPORT <3 <3 <3 #DFLNKDFNFSDNSDFNFLKDNLKSDF #I HOPE YOU ENJOY #THESE #RIDICULOUS #BITCHES #BEING #RIDICULOUS BITHCES #FSDLKNKLN LFDN FDNDFFD #AHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA #KEQING |+|+|+| WE EXPELLED THE GODS & EXTOLLED OUR OWN VIRTUE // NOW THIS IS OUR DUTY |+|+|+| #XIANGLING |+|+|+| IN IT FOR THE FOOD. IN IT FOR THE ATMOSPHERE. IN IT FOR THE EMOTION. NOW THAT'S COOKING WITH HEART!! |+|+|+| #XIANGLING X KEQING |+|+|+| OF ARDENT FIRES & DRIVING THUNDERS // OF OVERWHELMING TEMPERAMENT & BOUNDLESS LOVE |+|+|+| #XFOODXOBSESSEDX #|+|+|+| #KEQING #XIANGLING #XIANGLING X KEQING #NINGGUANG |+|+|+| THROUGH SACRIFICE THIS EMPIRE WILL THRIVE // THROUGH LOVE SO TOO MAY THIS BROKEN HEART OF MINE |+|+|+| #XIANGLING X NINGGUANG |+|+|+| EMPIRES RISE & EMPRESSES FALL // IF ANTIQUE HAPPINESS IS FOR THE MOMENT; ARE YOU FOREVER? |+|+|+| #NINGGUANG #XIANGLING X NINGGUANG #XIANGLING |+|+|+| IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I WAS A NOVICE. NOW LET'S COOK WITH ALL OUR HEARTS! |+|+|+| #EMMA |+|+|+| I'M A PUBLIC SERVICE. I GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT. DUTY CALLS. |+|+|+| #XIANGLING X EMMA |+|+|+| HOW DID I END UP HERE. AND WHO THE HELL IS BEIDOU? STILL THINK YOU'RE A VIRGIN. |+|+|+| #EMMA #XIANGLING X EMMA

[theorist-influencer-untitled]

3.3.24 Sunday

9:55 am

I still have windblow and I feel like I'm floating or a budol or a spell on me... I feel that my head is spinning... I feel like I'm having tipsy or hang-over? Weird... Am I feeling someone's soul or they put a spell on me???

I'm worrying so much... I need a career growth, I'm having self-pity....

Well, I just sent my application on Eperformax in Manila and Amazon thru on-line just yesterday... I will wait for it while me hoping I can get my momentum back to exercise or stretch again or start my diet....It is my dream to flatten my tummy.

I have so many frustrations...I wanted to leave Cavite why I can't grow....Where is Mitch? Is someone guilty for having that double platinum award or reaching the goldenish huge trophy in the world??? What are their plans??? Did they give me a "simple battery"???

10:14 am

If Mitch is somewhere, I have to meet her again... Just make her alive no matter what... If she earning an award off the screen... Just let her do it and make her live....I need to see her again in time like now... I wanna ask why? What's up? I just wanna see Mitch in whole piece again and ask her why and what's up???

10:21 am

For the plastics INC or Church of Christ, oh! Please have a heart.... I do believe I still have good friends in them as well as in Born Again but I'm really a Roman Catholic now not for anyone but my choice!!!

For my insensitive family members, they are almost all stupid, I just don't want to hang on with them here without helping me at all...

I still hate George's family, linking with Betsilog'z gang...

10:35 am

This song are for my true FRIENDS, ohkay???

Whereever you are.... Did you give me a "simple battery"? What's up??? Or Was there a "game plan"? Is it for Us or for something??? What's up? What's up? On every tunnel, I need to understand, why?

What's up???

10:52 am

For the fucking tunnel who got Mitch and changed her, if I find you, I will kill you all....There is a demonic young girl who lead that tunnel,they got Mitch... Where is Mitch???

I will kill you all! Fuck you whatever that fucking tunnel!!!

12:08 noon

Get out of my hair 20 those are plastics on me... Group of 20 as if they will protect but they just fuck each other for their own group!

But be responsible,still...

3:23 pm

I feel light-headed it is weird since yesterday afternoon around 5:30 in the afternoon.

Aside from I'm worrying on money and I need a job angels... Just reviewing basics about computer...

Where is Mitch? I have windblow... Did she give me a "simple battery"???

Or Miss Ignaco's group my X-teacher during high-school in my computer class.. What was the program, I think it was Pascal???

Angels,switch my soul.....I feel light-headed and I took my iron already...I need to buy iron and eat rice for awhile...

8:10 pm

I still have windblow... I feel fat and ugly ... I feel so ugly...

11:18 pm

I still have windblow.....I feel fat and super ugly, my deep inside... Argh!

I need to get my momentum back to do my exercise routine... I'm single and becoming fat and bitterish...I don't wanna be called ugly and short, angels...

One of the reasons, I wanna get a black bf but a foreigner aside from Borgy but Borgy's moment was over... I don't wanna be interfered by their follower that is so unreal....Like those red or 20's are commenting negatively on me these day like last Friday, a red suddenly bumped me while walking on the vicinity of Eperformax.

I feel so ugly... I don't wanna adjust coz I was so fucking nice... My younger days was over and my pretty young soul was being stolen for nothing. The wicked witches wanted me to feel insecure and it reached that point these days, that my stretch face was just a history and now all they can see is my sagging skin...

#Youtube

[vvendyreads]

Fake It 'til You Make It by Laura Carter

Abbey thought that she was about to have the best night of her life. Her boyfriend, who was also her childhood friend, asks her to dinner and she thinks wedding bells are coming. She is shocked to find that instead of a proposal he actually wants to break up and he's been cheating on her with someone else. To make matters worse, she then quickly loses her job. Abbey decides to turn things around by spending all of her savings on 6 months rent in her dream luxury apartment building. While there, she runs into her ex, who is now dating someone who lives in her building. She's saved from embarrassment by her suave star baseball playing neighbor Mike, who has been bugging her since she moved in. When Abbey and her ex are both invited to her parent's vow renewal in Canada, Abbey decides that she needs a fake boyfriend to bring. Mike volunteers. What Abbey doesn't know is that "Mike Thomas" is actually Ted Thomas, Mike's brother who has been hiding in his brother's penthouse ever since his fiancée cheated on him with his business partner. After Abbey mistakes Ted for his brother, he decides to pretend to be him, fooling Abbey and everyone else.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this one. I love a good fake dating story. Unfortunately, this one was just not for me. Pros:

Fake dating is always a must read for me. Literally. Tell me a story has fake dating and I'm all in. I love the romantic potential of dating someone you normalize wouldn't in a low stakes way. Even better if the characters initially can't stand each other. How else will they learn to get along? I think this trope is so fun, even if it doesn't really happen nearly as much in real life as media would make us think.

Dual POV: I love getting both characters' perspectives in a story. The great thing about books as opposed to real life, is that you can know exactly what another person is thinking. Especially with how this story goes, I think Ted would have been pretty irredeemable if we hadn't gotten his POV.

Interesting settings: I enjoyed the diversion to Canada. This book was set in New York, which I think is having its moment right now. The author didn't really explore that setting much, so I appreciated that she moved the characters to a different location, so we could at least explore that.

Cons: (Unfortunately, there are more of these than pros for me)

Mistaken identity- I really hate mistaken identity. I honestly wish I had known going in that it would be a part of this book, as I may not have read it. I included it in my summary but the official one for the book only describes Mike/Ted as a "hot neighbor". I would have forgiven the mistaken identity if it had been corrected quickly, but he doesn't come clean (read: get found out) until nearly the end of the book, which made me anxious and frustrated for most of the story. I didn't buy his reasons for keeping up the ruse to Abbey.

Too many Britishisms: I understand that Boldwood Books is U.K. based, so this may be nit-picky and not an actual issue. I would maybe buy that Canadians might have similar ways of speaking to British people and many characters were Canadian, so perhaps those instances were normal. That's all fine, but when the same phrases were coming out of an American character's mouth, it took me out of the story. The American born Ted said things such as "feck" and "join the queue" and "a kilo of strawberry jelly" to name a few. I feel like an editor could have caught this (or hope that one will now!)

Ted was very superficial. He spent a lot of time rationalizing that he wasn't this shallow guy but the brother he was pretending to be is, so he must also act this way to be him. He spends so much time focusing on the looks of the Abbey and his ex and using this as a way to judge them. Ted also spends much of his initial interactions with Abbey deciding that she is superficial for doing really normal things, which felt very hypocritical. He's supposed to be the nerdy, shy guy but he just came off as a jerk. He also repeatedly mocks Abbey's period underwear that she accidentally dropped in front of him, which made me kind of hate him.

The book felt somewhat incomplete. There were story lines that started but didn't go anywhere. For example, Abbey desperately needed a job. A legitimate company wants to offer one and tells Ted to have her contact them, but he never tells her about it. The book also ends pretty quickly. I would have appreciated an epilogue to know how it ends.

Neutral?

I think that my ultimate issue is that this felt like a mid 90s-early 2000s chick lit/romance. The characters fell into a lot of the boxes of this time: the guy is a jerk, the girl is in distress, there's lots of talk of shopping and a glamorous life. This kind of book was incredibly popular and I'm sure that plenty of people will appreciate it. I think there was a lot of potential in this book, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

#fake it till you make it #laura carter #book review

[dollycas]

Darjeeling and A Deadly Disappearance: A British Cozy Mystery with a Female Sleuth (A Waterwheel Cafe Mystery) by Victoria Tait #Review

Darjeeling and A Deadly Disappearance: A British Cozy Mystery with a Female Sleuth (A Waterwheel Cafe Mystery) Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series Setting - Cotswold, England Kanga Press (September 5, 2023) Paperback ‏ : ‎ 220 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1915413486 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1915413482 Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C4BGVLCJ

A canceled wedding. A runaway bride. Can a community cop find the frightened fiancée before the church bells ring? With her sister’s nuptials nearing, Sergeant Keya Varma plans to dazzle in a drop-dead gorgeous outfit. But when the venue double books and cancels the ceremony, her sibling wonders if she’ll ever tie the knot. Taking the plunge to plead for help, they visit the other bride, dismayed to find she’s just disappeared. Desperate to track down the wife-to-be, Keya identifies sinister suspects all with a hand in the marriage. As her enquires continues, she questions whether it’s really a shotgun wedding rather than a match made in heaven. Can Keya untangle the mystery in time to give her sister the Big Day of her dreams? Dollycas's Thoughts Sergeant Keya Varma is in the midst of some exciting things. Her cafe at Akeman’s Antique Center is getting close to opening and her sister, Zivah is getting married in just a few days. Then Zivah's plans go severely awry when she learns her venue has been double booked and she needs to find another place fast that will understand her Indian culture and traditions. Keya thinks they should first contact the other bride to see if she would change her date. When she does she learns the bride is not in control of her wedding, her soon-to-be inlaws are. Not one to give up Keya wants to try again but when she arrives at the bride's cottage she finds that the young woman has disappeared. Keya has a bad feeling so she calls in a missing person and an investigation is opened. She soon has a lot of questions and talking to the bride's family raises even more. Will she find the young woman? Will she get married? Will she find a way for her sister to have the wedding day she deserves? I have enjoyed every book I have read by Victoria Tait. But when I read Keya's prologue I should have closed the book and moved on. Instead, I was intrigued and I always find Keya so entertaining I just kept reading. The more Keya delved into Natasha's life the more my heart started to break. I know the signs and they were all there. Keya and her sister are such kind souls and empathetic. Keya did lose it one time and I may not have agreed with everything she said I understood her need to do so. I also didn't agree with the coroner's conclusion of the case but he may have done so to make it easier for her family. I can tell you no matter how a child dies it is never easy. The subplot of the armchair detectives/reporters was so true to life. People trying to gain their fame by capitalizing on the pain and distress of others is so frustrating. At times people do have information about an investigation but spying and sneaking around trying to make a story out of something they know nothing about only hurts people and can take the police away from pertinent information. Keya Varma is a wonderful protagonist. She is a little bit klutzy but she has a huge heart and great instincts. That is what makes her a grand Rural Enforcement Officer and it will serve her well as her cafe becomes the go-to place in the area. Darjeeling and A Deadly Disappearance really tugged on my heartstrings. It is very well-written and is filled with engaging characters. I am looking forward to Vanilla Chai and A Vanishing Victim because I know there are some happy things happening for Keya and her family. I just hope my heart isn't tested so much. Vanilla Chai and A Vanishing Victim will be available on January 5, 2024. 

Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent

About Victoria Tait

I was born and raised in Yorkshire, UK, and never expected to travel the world. I’ve drawn on my experiences following my military husband to write cozy murder mystery books with vivid and evocative settings. My determined female sleuths are joined by colourful but realistic teams of helpers, and you’ll experience surprises, humour, and sometimes, a tug on your heartstrings. I hope you enjoyed Keya’s first book.  Why not join her and her friends as they solve more mysteries in my Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series, also based in the Cotswolds.  Visit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TMJFL7L Do you like tea, cakes and books? Then why not join our TeaCozy Club for regular news and updates, and receive your free book gift at  VictoriaTait.com Who doesn’t like tea, cake, and a slice of murder? Author Links BookBub   Instagram     Website    Pinterest    Goodreads For access to exclusive content, giveaways, and freebies, sign up for my newsletter at my website: VictoriaTait.com Earl Grey and Shallow Graves is the first book in The Waterwheel Café series. If you’ve enjoyed the Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series, then you’ll love meeting some of your favourite characters and making new friends in Victoria Tait’s intriguing British cozy mystery.

Coming January 5, 2024

The Dotty Sayers Antique Mysteries

Coming October 20, 2023

Coming March 15, 2024

Also written by Victoria Tait

Read the full article

#cozymystery #England #KangaPress #VictoriaTait

[existentialmagazine]

Review: Alice Pisano’s newest catchy pop release ‘Part-Time Girlfriend’ embodies fierce vocals, addictive instrumentals and a liberating message of knowing your worth

Italian born, London based rising star Alice Pisano has been taking the London pop scene by storm since her 2018 beginnings, naturally writing releases that both entwine high-spirited releases with messages that carry an emotional value too. Following the release of Pisano’s ‘Shattered but Still Cool’ EP earlier this year, Alice is now sharing her newest single ‘Part Time Girlfriend’ that’s the perfect summer bop to be playing loud and dancing along to at every opportunity you find.

Emphatic right from its beginnings, ‘Part Time Girlfriend’ immediately from pressing play embodies all of the addictive spice you could hope for, upbeat and steaming along at full force. A storming, quick-paced beat brings the momentum instantly into the first verse, accompanied by intermittent claps, pops of synth and a vibrant electric guitar riff, a simple but catchy concoction of sounds. Singing atop it with a more downbeat, casual delivery, Alice rather charismatically tells her striking narrative front and centre of it all, capturing lines with an airy, feel-good approach easy to sing along and get in the groove of. Picking up with added bright, drawn-out beats for the pre-chorus, ‘Part Time Girlfriend’ only continues to grow and keep you completely mesmerised before the chorus finally explodes into a fiery outburst you’ll be utterly hooked on. Crashing into thundering electronic beats, synth fizzles and of course Alice’s staple vocal performance that comes completely unleashed as she cathartically soars through dominant vocal highs and a cascading range, ‘Part Time Girlfriend’ hits every single peak of an exceptionally gripping edgy pop release you could want. While clean and catchy, Alice has also nailed a slight rock-based undertone reminiscent of Avril Lavigne’s witty character and spirited sound, an all around top-notch single that leaves us wondering how long it’ll be before Alice Pisano is a name we’re hearing everywhere.

In an era of “situationships” and half-baked relationships tailed off into nothingness, Alice has penned an all-too relatable lyrical message of letting go of all those people who just aren’t ready to commit after stringing you along for as long as possible. Turning their backs on you when things got too serious, ‘Part Time Girlfriend’ is a liberating anthem for burning all those bridges and knowing your worth, all the while angstily releasing the frustrations of being led on and visualising a future together just to be continually left heartbroken time and time again. As lines like ‘I let my guard down because it felt so natural, I really thought that we were compatible’ share how Alice allowed herself to open up, there’s a definite aching buried inside of ‘Part Time Girlfriend’ that yearns for a connection without the let down, but Alice’s confidence has a natural way of burying it into high energy, sing-along lines. Detailing the way she began to allow their lives to combine, Alice sings ‘you picked me up at the airport… we talk about our families’, small and simple details that began to make their connection feel all the more real and as though it were headed into serious territory. But it’s not long before the chorus hook slams back into reality, declaring ‘Oh, what a waste of my time, I’m not gonna be a part-time girlfriend’ after yet another request to ‘keep it casual’, as Alice knows she’s worth more than just being someone’s piece on the side destined to be discarded when they’re done with her. While it’s constantly delivered with a wit and self-assured conviction, if you really listen to the narrative of ‘Part Time Girlfriend’ it truly carries a deep message of preaching self-love, not allowing anyone to hold you back and finding the love you really deserve, with a sprinkling of pain and heartbreak muddled in too.

Speaking on the track Alice says: “I wrote Part-Time Girlfriend after dating a guy who didn’t want to commit… It’s a kiss-off to someone who made you believe they wanted to be in a relationship with you, but backed out when things got too serious. It was so liberating writing it!”

Check out ‘Part Time Girlfriend’ here to enjoy Alice’s blazing sound and lyricism you’ll be screaming along with and feeling all at the same time.

Written by: Tatiana Whybrow

Photo Credits: Unknown

// This coverage was created via Musosoup, #SustainableCurator.

#music #singlereview #alicepisano

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🦇 Misfortune Cookie Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐

❝ "I guess I can't let things rest. It's not good enough for me to just sit back and let these things happen when I know I can be useful." ❞

❓ #QOTD Write a fortune and tag a #Bookstagram friend! ❓ 🦇 Alongside her sister, Lana Lee leaves Cleveland to attend a restaurant convention in sunny California. With the intention of finding ways to help her family's restaurant thrive, she's focused on making the most of the experience, only to get in the (literal) middle of a catfight between a fortune cookie vendor and the journalist who wrote her a scathing review. Lana can't escape tragedy, though; a few hours later, a body drops from the roof where Lana, her sister, and their aunt are attending a swanky party. The body belongs to Aunt Grace's friend—the same journalist who fought with the fortune cookie vendor hours earlier. Can Lana solve the murder and give Aunt Grace the closure she needs?

💜 It's always difficult to dive into a series nine books in, especially with pre-established relationships and closed cases in the MC's recent past. Thankfully, Vivien Chien does a wonderful job of alluding to her previous books without leaving newcomers in the dark. The little hints we receive about her successfully solved cases, the other Asia Village shop owners, Lana's boyfriend Detective Adam, and the Majong Matrons have me intrigued about Lana's previous adventures. I'm glad I jumped into this series in what operates as a standalone, as Lana is away from home, her friends, and the resources she usually depends on. Her relationship with her aunt was heartwarming. The little shoutout to Laguna, where I was born, was a pleasant surprise, too.

🦇 The writing was, unfortunately, unremarkable. The prose was fluffed up with cliches that felt unnatural or out of place. Given a comment Anna May makes about Lana's metabolism slowing down in her 30s, I assume Lana is in her 20s, but neither sister uses language that feels natural for a modern 20 (or 30...or 40) year-old. Too often, there are random emotional outbursts or gestures (crying, winking, laughing, etc.) that also feel out of place. The emotional whiplash was jarring enough that I had to reread scenes to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

🥠 Anna May's character is a constant annoyance who only seems to exist to put Lana and her sleuthing abilities down, which is unfortunate because I wanted to like her. While Anna May should have acted as a foil for Lana's brash behavior by offering a logical or cool-headed frame of mind (or essential legal advice), she's instead used to spark sisterly tension. I have three younger sisters and I've never spoken down to them the way Anna May does to Lana. With eight solved cases behind her, I would have thought Anna May was prepared for Lana's sleuthing tendencies. Her sister could have acted more as a sounding board. Instead, there's a lot of telling, rather than showing, as Lana closes herself off to process the information she's gathered. The exposition and lack of action only cause the pacing to drag.

🥠 Most frustrating of all was the reveal. If the killer had a handlebar mustache to twist between their fingers or a white, fluffy cat to stroke while explaining their diabolical plan, they would have. The dialogue and tone felt overly sinister, while the killer's physical actions felt awkward and illogical. Having recognized the red herring and anticipated killer early on, the reveal also lacked the tension it desperately needed for a decent ending.

🦇 For fans of the Tita Rosa's Kitchen Mystery and Spice Isle Bakery Mystery series, old Nancy Drew games, or Boxcar Children series as a kid. If you guess the killer before the halfway mark, let me know!

✨ The Vibes ✨ 🥠 Cozy Mystery 🥠 Part of a Series 🥠 Nancy Drew Vibes 🥠 California Vacation 🥠 Female Family Bonding

🦇 Major thanks to the author Vivien Chien and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley . 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

#book: misfortune cookie #book series: noodle shop mystery #book review #arc book review #book lovers #battyaboutbooks #batty about books #author: vivien chien

[ljones41]

"GOLDENEYE" (1995) Review

"GOLDENEYE" (1995) Review What can I say about 1995’s "GOLDENEYE"? For one, it marked a series of firsts for the Bond franchise. The movie happened to be Pierce Brosnan’s first outing as James Bond. "GOLDENEYE" also turned out to be Dame Judi Dench’s first time portraying Bond’s MI-6 boss, "M". And the movie also proved to be a first Bond film for director Martin Campbell, who returned eleven years later to direct 2006’s "CASINO ROYALE".

After 1989’s ”LICENSE TO KILL”, I found myself frustrated by talk that it was time for EON Productions to give up on Timothy Dalton as Bond and find a new actor. To be frank, I did not want them to give up on Dalton. I thought he could have done at least one or two more Bond films in the 1990s. Needless to say, a lengthy lawsuit and Dalton’s reluctance to return to the role had put an end to my hopes. I was quite prepared to dislike ”GOLDENEYE”, until I heard that Pierce Brosnan had took over the Bond role. As much as I had grown to love Dalton’s interpretation of Bond, I had always been a Brosnan fan since his four-year stint as TV detective, ”REMINGTON STEELE”. I felt certain that he would be the right man for the job. Needless to say, ”GOLDENEYE” proved me right. Brosnan’s introduction as the British agent proved to be a major success. The man had the talent and the presence to pull off the job. I must confess that originally, he did not strike me as possessing his own originally style to portray Bond. Critic Roger Ebert once described Brosnan’s Bond as a combination of both Sean Connery and Roger Moore’s styles. To be honest, Ebert’s comments did not impress me very much. True, Brosnan’s style seemed like a combination of his two predecessors on the surface. But in time, I realized that he had his own style – that of a well-dressed dandy who hid his emotions and insecurities behind a poser façade. And yet, sometimes that façade cracked whenever faced by betrayal . . . as it did when he learned that his late colleague – Alec Trevelyan (Agent 006) - had faked his death in order to create a crime syndicate and eventually wreck havoc upon Britain with the aid of a stolen Russian weapons system. Many claimed that Brosnan did not really come into his own as Bond until his next film, ”TOMORROW NEVER DIES” (1997). Frankly, I disagree. I think that Brosnan did a very good job in establishing himself as the James Bond of 1990s, right off the bat. Looking back on the Brosnan era, I realize that the Irish-born actor had been very lucky with his leading ladies. And that luck began with Izabella Scorupco, the Polish-Swedish actress who portrayed Natalya Simonova, a Level 2 programmer at Russia’s Severnaya Satellite Control Station. With her exotic looks and no-nonsense attitude, Scorupco seemed to have no trouble at all keeping up with the more experienced Brosnan. Her Natalya is an intelligent and plucky woman who proved to be a very tenacious survivor . . . no matter what came her way. My only problem with the Natalya character was her tendency to use the ”Boys with toys” phrase or comment upon Bond’s destructive uses of vehicles. I found it tiresome after the second or third time. Brosnan had even better luck with the actor who portrayed 006 Agent-turned Janus crime syndicate leader – Alec Trevelyan. What can one say about Sean Bean? This guy is a true professional and his Alec Trevelyan turned out to be – at least in my opinion – one of the best Bond villains in the franchise. Because he was trained as a MI-6 agent, he proved to be a true match for Bond, as a nemesis. This was never more apparent than in the exciting martial arts fight between the two in the film’s last 30 minutes. Did I have any complaints about Bean’s performance? Nope. Did I have any problems with his character? Unfortunately, yes. Poor Alec Trevelyan seemed to suffer the same malaise as other Bond villains – setting up the agent for an over-the-top death. Shame. He could have been the best amongst the bunch. As I had stated before, ”GOLDENEYE” marked Dame Judi Dench’s first appearance as the head of the British Secret Service – M. I am a great admirer of Dame Judi, but her debut as M seemed a bit stiff to me. I realize that her character is supposed to be new in the position, but I got the feeling that not only did the character went through great lengths to prove that she could be Bond’s supervisor, but the actress also went to great lengths to prove that she could portray a ruthless and no-nonsense head of intelligence. Thankfully, Dame Judi will get better in the role. Bond is assisted by two characters in ”GOLDENEYE” - CIA agent Jack Wade (portrayed by former Bond villain, Joe Don Baker) and former KGB-turned-entrepreneur Valentin Zukovksy (Robbie Coltrane). Baker was his usual competent self and he had some good moments during Bond’s initial meeting with Wade. But eventually, I found the character a little tiresome, especially with his nicknames for Bond – namely “Jim” and “Jimbo”. Coltrane seemed more effective to me. He was just as funny as he was in 1999’s ”THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH”, but Zukovsky came off as a little more intimidating in this film. Trevelyan also had his assistants – namely former Soviet pilot Xenia Onatopp (Famke Jenssen) and the computer geek Boris Grishenko, who had betrayed Natalya and other programmers at the Severnaya Satellite Control Station. I had been worried that Jenssen would prove to be as over-the-top (please, no jokes) as Barbara Carrera’s Fatima Blush in ”NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN”. Thankfully, my fears proved groundless. Well . . . somewhat. There were moments when Onatopp’s penchant for rough sex seemed a little tiresome. However, those moments seemed few and far in between. As for Alan Cummings (both he and Jenssen would go on to portray costumed mutants in the comic book franchise, ”X-MEN” with other Bond girl Halle Berry), his Boris Grishenko seemed at times very amusing and at other times, downright annoying. I must admit that he and Scorupco managed to create a nice little screen chemistry. And Minnie Driver had a hilarious cameo as Zukovsky's girlfriend, who happened to be a singer with a lack of talent. The plot for ”GOLDENEYE” revolved around former MI-6 agent Alec Trevelyan’s desire to exact revenge upon Great Britain for betraying his family and other Leniz Cossacks (former Nazi collaborators) to the Soviet Union following World War II. Trevelyan’s parents managed to survive the purge, but they eventually committed suicide in the face of survivor’s guilt. After Alec learned of his bloody past, he decided to get his revenge. He defected secretly during a routine mission in Soviet Russia with Bond and immersed himself in the underground world of the Russian Mafia. Nine years later, Trevelyan emerged as the mysterious Janus – leader of the Janus Crime Syndicate. And how does he get his revenge? First, he stole “keys” to the secret Russian EMP weapon, "GoldenEye", before disappearing into Cuba. With the keys to “GoldenEye”, he planned to electronically rob every bank in the UK setting off the GoldenEye blast – crippling every electronic device in the Great Britain and disguising his theft. Not a bad plot. Of course, Bond and Natalya foiled him in the end. Although the plot seemed to have similar nuances to those “megalomaniacal” plots to destroy the superpowers and rule the world . . . it seems bearable without going over the top. And despite the almost out-of-this-world aura of Trevelyan’s scheme, director Martin Campbell managed to film ”GOLDENEYE” as a tight and suspenseful thriller with good performances and believable action sequences like Trevelyan and Onatopp’s theft of the NATO Tiger fighter helicopter, General Ourumov and Onatopp’s theft of the GoldenEye satellite keys, Natalya’s survival of the massacre and destruction of the Severnaya Satellite Control Station, Bond and Natalya’s escape from both the Russian holding cell (the tank chase aside) and their escape from Trevelyan’s ICBM train. But the piece-de-resistance for me turned out to be the Bond/Trevelyan fight. I have commented upon how much I enjoyed it. But I more than enjoyed it. For me, it was the best hand-to-hand fight scene in the entire franchise. I consider it superior to the Bond/Grant fight in ”FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE”. However, I doubt that many would agree with me. However, there were scenes that defy reality . . . and logic. I never could understand why Trevelyan did not simply have Bond shot dead in that icon graveyard, instead of setting both him and Natalya up to be blown up inside that Tiger helicopter. Bond’s escape from that chemical weapons facility in the pre-title sequence . . . a tad unbelievable. Although the tank chase through St. Petersburg is considered one of the best in the franchise, I hated it. I’m sorry but I do. By including a tank in a chase scene, it simply bogged down the story for me. And I am not particularly fond of the finale at Trevelyan’s Cuban facility. The acting seemed in danger of going over-the-top and the method of how Trevelyan finally met his death (having the entire complex) fall upon him seemed to ridiculous to believe. He should have died after that fall he had suffered. If there is one thing about ”GOLDENEYE” I truly hated, it was the theme song, performed by diva Tina Turner. Poor Ms. Turner. I think she had the bad luck to perform what I consider to be the absolute worst song in the entire Bond franchise. And the musical score (written by Eric Serra), with its computerized tones combined with music to be . . . I will simply state that I hated it as much as I did the song. End of story. Despite its flaws, I still enjoyed ”GOLDENEYE” very much, after twenty years. It possessed enough good performances and action sequences to be a worthwhile entry for EON Productions. As far as I am concerned, ”GOLDENEYE” is probably Brosnan’s best Bond film and Campbell’s second-best film overall. And it is number eight on my list of favorite Bond films.

#james bond #james bond franchise #eon productions #barbara brown taylor #michael g. wilson #martin campbell #izabella scorupco #famke janssen #sean bean #judi dench #michael kitchen #gottfried john #robbie coltrane #joe don baker #minnie driver #alan cummings #samantha bond #serena gordon #cold war #tcheky kayro

[danielleverboski]

Why Do You Need To Hire a Real Estate Agent?

Buying a new home can be a daunting task, and if you try to do this alone, then you can easily find yourself working a full-time job just to search. Unless you like working multiple full-time jobs then we suggest hiring a Real Estate Agent in Connecticut to guide you through the process. Here are 5 good reasons why you should seek out the services of an agent.

Fiduciary Duty:

Fiduciary duty this means that real estate agents are bound by law to act in their clients’ best interests. The National Association of Realtors has set high standards for confidentiality, privacy, and honesty that real estate agents must follow or face legal recourse. A real estate agent is a seasoned professional that is on your side when buying a home.

Getting The Best Deal:

If you aren’t someone who is familiar with the real estate market, then you might be at risk of overpaying for your. A real estate agent is knowledgable and experienced enough in the market. They are able to know if a house is a good deal or is overpriced. You might find yourself wanting to place an offer on a home due to your excitement and impulse but having an agent can help you evaluate the situation in a logical manner. They will ultimately be able to help you find a house that is both a fair price and a smart investment.

Help with the Paperwork:

When it comes time to handle the paperwork for a real estate transaction you do not want to make a mistake on anything.  If you happen to fill out any of this paperwork incorrectly then it can result in delays with the closing and other frustrations. When you work with a real estate agent, you have an expert who is equipped to help you with these documents. They can review it for you before finalizing to make sure it has all been filled out correctly.

Schedule Your Viewings:

Making the appointments to view the homes you like can be almost as time-consuming as actually visiting the properties. When you hire a real estate agent, they will be the ones scheduling the viewings for you. Real estate agents will usually set up appointments strategically so you are seeing multiple homes in the same area in one afternoon. While you might think that this is an easy task you might be surprised at how much effort it takes. So let your realtor take over this part.

Negotiation Skills & Tactics:

Negotiations are best done between the buyer’s agent and the seller’s agent because they are skilled professionals who will stay calm and rational. Your agent also knows what is worth negotiating for and what isn’t. This is something you do not want to take on yourself.

For example, you just placed an offer on a house, and the next step is to get a home inspection. While you hoped there wouldn’t be any major problems some are found. This now means that you are likely to make negotiations to ensure that you are getting a fair deal. You realtor will be able to negotiate with the listing agent to come up with a fair deal for both sides.

About Danielle Verboski

Whether you are looking for homes for sale or a real estate agent to sell your home, having a dedicated professional who is committed to excellence is essential to a smooth real estate transaction. I am that person! The path to and from home ownership is best traveled with an experienced professional. Let me lead the way and help simplify the process. Born and raised in Connecticut, my expertise in the local area and market is unparalleled. With over 12 years of experience in the customer service industry, the undivided attention that all clients receive while working with me is what sets me apart from the rest. I am committed to each and every one of my clients, no matter their role in the Connecticut real estate market.

Content Source: https://danielleverboski.com/why-do-you-need-to-hire-a-real-estate-agent/

#Real Estate Agent Connecticut

[feuillesmortes]

A Short Film About Love (dir. Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1988); Ocean Vuong, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous (2019); Mark Doty, Still Life with Oysters and Lemon (2001); Jeanette Winterson, Lighthousekeeping (2004); Mark Doty, "Theory of Marriage (The Hug)" Theories and Apparitions (2008); Agamemnon 412-419 tr. Anne Carson (1986)

#a short film about love #voilà my analysis of this film #born out of my frustration of finding a good review #krótki film o miłości #krzysztof kieslowski #a short film about love (1988) #comparatives #parallels #film recs