#how can one so perfectly capture the vibes of 14 years ago?

[imnotwolverine]

A warm heart(h)

Henry Cavill x OC Lisa - multi-chapter fic

Author’s note: The Christmas vibes continue, including some cute moments with Marianne, Henry’s mom. No smut, just fluff this time <3 Have a nice Wednesday! 

Word count: 3.985

Disclaimer: fluff 

--

This is part 14 of the Tea for Two story.

Find the Masterlist here. 

--

< Go back to part 13

He speaks just like his father, I thought, looking at the two men as they were chatting.

I was sitting in the back of the car while Henry and his father were sitting in front, their melodic voices having an animated conversation which I couldn’t quite follow over the loud racket. Was it about Henry’s motorcycles? Or Kal? 

I soon gave up my futile attempts to figure it out as the car continued to hurdle itself over the loud, bumpy country road that seemed to go on for miles now. I let out a silent sigh as I pressed my travel weary head against the cold glass of the SUV and looked outside. The fields were freshly frosted with white tips of snow, the crisp white merging almost seamlessly with the grey sea in the distance.

The Jersey Islands were every bit as picturesque as Henry had described them. Its rocky cliffs held up an island that was coasted with a number of quaint little villages, a natural reserve, a castle and a zoo. Especially the zoo held a special place in his heart. He had spoken about it in great length while he had shown me some pictures of the Durrell challenge - a yearly running event he was an ambassador for. Yes, this island sure seemed nice and I could totally imagine him as a small boy, running through the fields, climbing in the trees and diving in the sea on a hot summer’s day.

‘You okay back there dear?’ Henry’s voice awoke me from my stare. I sat up a bit, leaning forward so he could hear me over the loud noise. ‘I’m fine.’ The car shook wildly as it drove over a pothole. ‘Could use a cup of tea though.’ I said, touching his cheek. He smiled, moving his head slightly to rub his cheek into my hand. I sniffled, seeing the look his dad was giving us.

Colin was everything you expected a dad to be. A big, burly man with a small heart and that unmistakable dad humour that made everyone cringe in slight embarrassment. The same embarrassment I kind of felt right now, as Henry finished his very eager cheek rub by planting a loving kiss in the palm of my hand. Henry and Colin shared a look between them that I could not fully decipher, but it sure was something along the lines of; “Like it or not, dad, I’m going full PDA in your face.” To which Colin thought “Oh will you now? Be careful before me and your mom start doing the same.”

I snickered at the thought.  

‘We’re almost there lovebirds. Almost.’ Colin rumbled.

—

This week was all about Christmas. We had started off with a small dinner at our place with some of Henry’s friends on Monday. Henry and I had cooked some simple fair since we had little time on our hands, but it had been fun nonetheless. Henry’s friends were surprisingly normal people. Mostly middle aged, slightly balding men with wives who definitely over-plucked their eyebrows. And boy could they drink. It had been a while since I last had a hangover, but Tuesday definitely was hangover day. Much to Henry’s amusement, who had had his hangover from hell just a week earlier. Aren’t we quite the pair?

Thursday we had flown to the Netherlands for a Christmas dinner with my parents. And I must say. I don’t think I’ve ever, ever in my life, seen my mom act this awkwardly around guests. She was fidgeting endlessly, getting up at every whim to ask Henry if he really didn’t need anything else. Coffee? Tea? Beer? Wine? She had downed almost a whole bottle of red wine before she had calmed down to the point that we could have an actual conversation. Poor mom. Thankfully, other then a bit of an awkward start, it had been nice. Kal had totally captured my parent’s hearts - yes they are dog lovers - and Henry’s down to earth, relaxed demeanour had further calmed their worries about “their daughter dating this movie star”.

And now we had finally arrived at his parent’s home. A house that quite perfectly fit the bill of “countryside”, it’s shape barn-like and the large number of classically glazed windows offering a lovely view over the crisp white fields around us.

The car drove up a small driveway as the wheels crunched over the freshly fallen snow. ‘Good thing you arrived early. There’s more snow expected later this afternoon.’ Colin said in his rich brit accent, turning his steering wheel to park the car underneath the carport. ‘Home sweet home.’ Henry cheered in equal vibrant brit timber - he sure got his voice from his dad - jumping out of the car to reach for my door and hold it open. I felt slightly embarrassed by his never ending gallantry as I accepted his reached out hand. ‘Milady.’ He smiled, earning an amused chuckle from me. ‘Darling.’ I mused, giving him a quick peck on the lips, before moving to the back of the car to help his father move our suitcases inside.

—

The house was surprisingly large. We arrived in a spacious hallway, which was heavily decorated; wreaths wrapped around the staircase railing, hundreds of small lights that adorned every nook and cranny, and a small Christmas tree to boot. If you think English countryside at Christmas, this was probably the first thing you’d imagine.

We stalled our suitcases next to the door as Marianne appeared from the kitchen, her appearance every bit the dainty housemother. She was wearing a pink apron, her pale blond hair neatly coiffed, as her hands were still wrapped around a big white mixing bowl. ‘My dears! Come in, come in! Let me put this down real quick.’ She moved back inside the kitchen as Henry followed her, his step as excited as that of a kid who just came home from school. I followed them, walking into the spacious kitchen.

What a dream kitchen. In the middle there was a large oak and grey granite kitchen island with some bar stools, which was surrounded by dove grey kitchen cabinets stretching along one side of the wall, the other wall offering a handsome view over the surrounding meadows through the many, many windows. The air was already filled with a mixture of scents. Roasting meat, spices, sweet cake, a hint of coffee. Hmmm. I took an appreciative deep breath while Henry gave his mother a big bear hug.

‘It smells delicious in here Marianne!’ I exclaimed as she unfolded herself from Henry’s embrace, reaching out her arms to also give me a hug. She smiled. ‘Well it’s Christmas only once a year!’ She cooed, wrapping her skinny arms around me. I noticed in the corner of my eye that Henry had already moved to the stove, stirring one of the pots and eagerly sniffing in the smells. ‘Mmm! This is going to be delicious mom. Any idea when the others will arrive?’ Henry asked, looking at his mom as she joined him at the stove. ‘Not until five [o’clock]. Piers and Charlie are out for a long hike with the wives and kids.. and they only left like..half an hour ago. So plenty of time to get comfortable. Can I get you two something to drink? Eat?’ She put the lid back on the pot that Henry was stirring, gesturing him to sit down. He smiled, kissing his mother on the forehead before moving to one of the bar stools. I also sat down and sighed: ‘A cup of tea, no milk, no sugar, would be..most welcome right now.’

Marianne nodded, a half-smile painted on her lips as she noticed the exhaustion slip through my smiles. She didn’t hesitate a moment to put a kettle on the stove. ‘And you dear?’ She quickly peered at Henry, whom had aimed his gaze at me. I looked from his mom back at him, a silent question in my eyes. ‘You okay dear?’ He brushed a hand over my back, looking at me intently. ‘I’m okay. Really. Just a bit tired. A cup of tea would do me wonders right now.’ I said, offering him a reassuring smile. He nodded, his lips turning in a soft smile before looking back at his mother. ‘Tea would be lovely mum, thanks.’

—

A few hours later the others returned from their hike. Within moments the quiet house was filled with trampling children’s feet, laughter and the rich smell of the hot cocoa I had been making together with Marianne - I had been helping her out in the kitchen.

It was the first time meeting Charlie, Piers and their wives and children, but thankfully this was once again a really relaxed meet-up. The Cavills - or should I say Cavilleers as they called themselves? - truly appeared to be a friendly lot. They acted like I had been part of this family for years already, which was the best and most comforting feeling in the world.

While dinner was being prepared the kids had folded themselves in some blankets in front of the television, the adults busying themselves with setting up the table and sipping on well-earned glasses of hot, spiced wine. This was as Christmassy as one could get, I decided, leaning against one of the kitchen countertops while Marianne instructed the men what should go where.

‘How long have you been cooking them Christmas dinners now?’ I asked as she turned back around to sip on her wine. She shrugged. ‘Forever and a day. I believe I started when I met Colin. And well..now there’s five grown boys and then some.’ She smiled, taking another sip. Piers had wandered back in the kitchen. ‘Anything else?’ He asked, raising his eyebrows expectantly. ‘Oh no, that’ll be all. I think in 15 minutes we’re ready for the first course.’ Marianne smiled. Piers didn’t waste a moment, turning on his heel and slipping back to the living room where the others were residing.

I felt her grey blue eyes giving me a warm, yet curious look-over. ‘It’s quite different without all those fans around, no?’ She winked, walking back to the stove to stir in the curried leak-potato soup that was slowly heating up. ‘Yes. A whole, whole lot more relaxed. And thank you again for having me for dinner. Truly. Shall I toast the toppings real quick or do you want them fresh?’ I asked, moving to the kitchen island where all garnishes and toppings were neatly splayed out.

‘Oh perhaps that’d be nice. Yes, a quick toast of the almonds would be great. Good thinking.’ She smiled, pointing at a pan I could use. ‘Do you and Henry cook together?’ She asked as I started toasting the almonds, her hand still languidly stirring the soup. ‘As often as we can, though on workdays it’s currently mostly me doing the cooking since he’s home much later.’ I shrugged, tilting the pan with a short tug to skilfully flip the roasting almonds. ‘And for you and Colin?’ ‘Same.’ She shrugged in turn. We both chuckled.

‘You know I’ve never seen him so..openly affectionate with anyone.’ Marianne said, offering a cheeky smile. I felt a blush creep up my cheeks - or was it the hot stove? - and smiled awkwardly. ‘Well I wouldn’t know about that. I’ve never known any other Henry.’ Our eyes met again, both amused. ‘Has he always been so chivalrous?…That’s the word right? Chivalrous?’ I asked. ‘Yes, that word totally befits him. Oh goodness. From the moment he could talk he’d say “please” and “thank you”. Obsessing over these fantasy books of his, imagining himself to be Sir Lancelot or the likes. The courteous behaviour kind of stuck from there.’ Marianne crooned, recalling the sweet memory. ‘That’s adorable… And so befitting him.’ I chuckled, removing the almonds from the fire.

‘And I heard he met your parents? What was that like?’ I heard Marianne ask as I scooped the almonds back in a small container. ‘Oh..super awkward. But fun nonetheless. It’s was a bit of a challenge for my parents to speak English and well..let’s say..my mom was not totally ready for his good looks?’

Marianne laughed heartily as she turned away from the stove to give me another look up and down. ‘My dear you are so pretty yourself I hardly believe you never brought home some handsome gent before you met Henry.’ She praised. I shook my head. ‘Only one. And he was good looking, sure. But not..the Henry-kind of good looking. If I had been my mom, I’d TOTALLY have stared as well hahah.’ We shared another knowing look before both bursting out laughing, the hot wine making our cheeks glow.

‘Ladies…’

We quickly straightened our faces, suppressing further chuckles as Henry appeared in the doorway. ‘Are we almost ready for the first course?’ He asked, looking at both our rosy cheeked faces, an amused smile brushing over his lips. We both nodded, wide smiles on our faces as Marianne turned down the hob and took a deep breath to calm her chuckles. ‘Yes dear. Let us eat. Can you call for the others?’ She said, laughter still thick in her pretty brit accent. Henry nodded slowly, not fully wanting to leave now his curiosity had peaked regarding the conversation me and his mom had just had.

“Go” I gestured with my eyes, seeing him hesitate. He peered at us for another moment. ‘Alright then. Keep your secrets, fair ladies.’ He said, winking and striding back towards the living room.

And so started the yearly Cavill Christmas dinner.

—

A half a wine rack of wine bottles later, the kids put to bed and the fireplace cracking, we had settled down for a cozy night.

The others were playing a board game on the kitchen table, while me, Henry and Marianne had made ourselves comfortable near the fireplace. Marianne had sat down on one of the couches, me and Henry on the opposing couch. We spoke a bit about some meddling subjects. Maintenance of the house. Colin’s retirement. The health of some family members. Holiday plans from Marianne and Colin.

I couldn’t help but slowly sink deeper and deeper into Henry’s chest, the fireplace and his heavy arm blanketing me in a soothing warm embrace. Before long my eyes started to droop, my ears no longer registering the conversation as I fell into a most welcome slumber after this long month of almost constant travelling.

—

‘So how are you two doing?’

His mother’s voice sounded through the thick veil of sleep. Were we still in the living room?

Probably, I decided. I could feel the gentle heat from the fireplace near us and hear the distinct sound of fire crackling. I got intrigued by the conversation and couldn’t help myself but remain completely still so they wouldn’t know I was listening, feigning to still be deep asleep, my head now resting on Henry’s lap.

‘Good mom. So good.’ Henry spoke. I could imagine him smiling right now, as his hands were slowly caressing my hair. ‘I didn’t know a relationship could be this ..normal. I feel like a normal person with her and that is more than I could ever have asked for.’ He halted petting my hair as his body slightly shifted, one of his hands untangling from my hair as I heard some soft footsteps on the carpet near us. Probably someone was reaching him a drink, as I now felt his abs press into the back of my head as he bent forward.

‘Thanks,’ He said, relaxing back into the seat, his one hand free hand continuing to caress my hair softly.

‘Oh darling. I can’t be happier. Finally! Goodness..’ His mother’s voice was a bit shivery. ‘Mom..’ Henry said sweetly - probably giving her that sweet, knowing smile. ‘Oh I’m being silly. It’s just..ooph..’ She snouted her nose in something. ‘..It’s just that I was feeling so sad for you. You were trying so hard. And all these girls. They were nice..but not quite right..not for you. You know?’ She spoke, her voice still a touch emotional. ‘I know mom. I was there…believe it or not.’ He sighed.

I could almost feel his eyes look at me, were it not for the fact that I couldn’t actually see as I was pretending to still be asleep. I imagined the way he was looking at me with those silent, ocean blue eyes. Full of admiration and love.

It made me think of a question one of my friends had recently asked; whether I got insecure when being around him - since he was so good looking - and I had simply answered; never because of him. There was not a slither of a doubt in my mind he thought me beautiful, the centre of his love and affection. If anything, he doused me with so much PDA I sometimes came to the point of complete embarrassment (sorry colleagues, sorry friends). 

All the more glad I had been when he had kept it on the down low when his little nieces and nephews had joined around the dinner table, their curious faces quietly deciding whether or not I was “cool”. 

‘And I heard from Sarah that you are taking a bit of a hiatus from work?’ His mom continued. ‘Oh..no, not really a hiatus. More like..getting my schedule to a point that our relationship doesn’t completely revolve around me and my work. We’ve decided to split our schedules. Half the year she follows me around, the other half of the year I follow her around.’ He said. ‘Oh my!..So you are really serious about this. Oh Henry! Sweetheart! I’m so happy for you. This is just so good. OH!’ Her voice quivered again.

‘Is mom being the good ol’ sensitive Sally again?’ Charlie’s voice sounded from the doorway.

‘Oh stop it you.’ Marianne retorted, sniffing her nose again. Henry chuckled softly. ‘It’s fine mom.’ He said sweetly as Charlie’s feet shuffled to the couch Marianne was sitting on. ‘It’s okay mom, we love you all the same.’ Charlie crooned, the couch whiffing as he plopped down next to Marianne. ‘Oh Charlie, don’t tease. And weren’t you playing a game?’ ‘Yea, though I’m..unfortunately..on the losing end, so a few moments respite to come up with some new tactics should be allowed.’ Charlie said. ‘Ah, Piers still kicking your butt?’ Henry chuckled. ‘Not even. It’s the ladies you oughta watch out for.’ Charlie chuckled in turn. I heard Marianne sigh, her breaths becoming more steady now.  

‘Looks like she could use a bed, no?’ Charlie suggested - probably looking at me, sleeping on Henry’s lap. Oh no, don’t. I want to stay! Please! I want to hear what you all have to say. Besides, Henry’s lap is SO comfortable. My mind raced, as I tried to keep a deep slow breathing rhythm. Fake sleep Lisa. Nice and calm. Henry hummed. ‘It’s fine. Just going to finish this drink and then we’ll call it a night. I could definitely use a good snooze as well.’ He sighed. ‘You do look tired my dear. Work’s been busy?’ ‘Yes. Almost constant travel, lots of interviews, cast calls, meetings, you know the drill. I’m glad we have a week off now.’ ‘And so is she, from the looks of it.’ Charlie chuckled.

Marianne huffed. ‘Oh I can remember the days that you didn’t shy away from using napping as the perfect excuse, Charlie dear. Remember? Whenever you had to do a chore, you’d just take a nap instead… I sure do remember.’ She laughed, a tone of mockery in her voice. ‘Mommm.’ Charlie whispered, slightly embarrassed. Henry laughed in turn. ‘Oh..I remember that far too well.’ He said, his hand that had been stroking my hair now halting.

Was he looking at me? I could almost feel his eyes on me.

‘She does look cute when she sleeps.’ Charlie said. Henry hummed in agreement. ‘She looks cute, always.’ ‘Except for when you’re in a fight, right?’ Charlie quipped.

‘Actually..we’ve never had a fight.’ Henry almost sounded surprised himself. ‘We just..communicate really well. Talk about everything on our minds. No secrets.’ Henry said, matter of factly. ‘Ah, so you two already talked about..big future plans?’ Charlie got more curious and I could hear Marianne gasp softly. My heart fluttered. Henry however, remained quiet for a moment as his hand moved to softly brush my cheek. ‘Perhaps that’s the one thing we really should start discussing. I mean. Sure we had some chats. We both want kids, perhaps another dog, and at some point a house with a nice garden so she can make a vegetable garden. And..marriage…of course. But..we haven’t really discussed when…’ His voice trailed off as he shifted a bit.

‘Ohh I know that look brother.’ Charlie squealed in excitement. Gosh. I missed something. Had he given them a certain look? A wink? Had he showed them something? ‘Anyways. I don’t want to rush it either. I know she doesn’t want it to be rushed. So we’re just gonna take these steps one at a time.’ He said, soon after taking a last swig of his drink and moving his body to probably place the cup on the sidetable. ‘And now..’ His hand brushed my hair back again. ‘We’re going to bid you good night.’

‘Good night Henners.’ Charlie said and his mother also cued in: ‘Oh do I need to help? Or can I get you anything?’ She said, her mom-mode activated again. Henry chuckled as his large arms easily scooped me up, lifting me off the couch. ‘Mom, it’s fine, please. I’ll see you all in the morning. Good night.’  

I felt the heat of the fire fall away as Henry moved us through the cool hallway. I involuntarily shivered, leaning harder into Henry’s chest. He hummed softly, pulling me slightly closer. ‘I know you’re awake.’ He whispered. I groaned softly, peaking open one eye to look up at him. Dammit. How did he even know? He chuckled softly, seeing me sneakily peering at him, his legs now walking us up the stairs. ‘How’d you know?’ I croaked. ‘I’ve seen and felt you sleep next to me a hundred times. I KNOW when you are asleep.’ ‘Sorry,’ I said softly. He hummed again, moving us around the corner of the hallway to walk to the bedroom at the end. ‘Don’t be. It was..kind of fun. Besides. Mom and Charlie definitely didn’t know.’ He spoke as he got to the door. ‘Now..if you could..help me out a bit.’ He whispered, glancing at the door knob. I giggled and quickly turned it so the door fell open.

Usually I would have protested him for carrying me to bed. But honestly..this time I didn’t mind at all. I felt so tired I doubt I could have moved up those stairs without my eyelids closing again - they were closed again now - and it was so very sweet how Henry carefully laid me down onto the bed. I sighed and felt the heavy weight of sleep crawl over me, not even noticing how Henry started to unbutton my pants. The lights went out after what had probably been one of my most relaxing Christmases ever.

--

Part 15 > 

#henry cavill fanfic #henry cavill x oc #henry cavill fanfiction #fluff #christmas #parents #dinner #jerseyislands #countryside #awarmhearth #teafortwo #fanfiction #charlie cavill

[playitbyear-laz]

       this one’s for the lovers. Happy (early) Valentine’s Day.

                                    much love, laz

                               PLAY IT BY EAR 026

                                     curated by laz

                           Link to all platforms HERE.

Something About You - CARRTOONS, Will Heard

WHERE: Another CARRTOONS track this week, which again, I found through Mac Ayres’s most recent project. 

WHY: This track screams ‘passion’ to me. Love the way the chords escalate then de-escalate at moments throughout the record, and Will’s vocal performance/lyrics are clearly full of soul.

Dangerous - Jus Lovehall, Foolie $urfin

WHERE: Pretty sure I found this one through a Kronika mix.

WHY: Super fun and easy going track about admiring the beauty of a woman. Jus Lovehall & Foolie $urfin have such interesting & effortless flows that have this bounce-y element to it (similar to what you’d get from artists like Masego, Amine, and Smino). Definitely would love to hear that sound eventually become more recognized within mainstream hip hop.

Let Me Prove My Love To You - Susan Cadogan

WHERE: IG Story - Mark Negado (@_mark.n)

WHY: This song is actually a remake released in 2008 (the original version being from 1974 by The Main Ingredient). Really love this lane of reggae love songs -- the only other track that comes to mind is ‘Made to Fall In Love’ by Daniel Caesar, so if anyone has some good recs def send them through.

Another You - The WRLDFMS Tony Williams, Kanye West

WHERE: Remember hearing this track in my peak Kanye stan days, but it came on my feed a few months back (I forget by who). 

WHY: I spoke about this a little bit on the last episode of ‘Something Real,’ but thinking about the music from this 2008-2013 era (specifically within the scope of hip hop) has been pretty interesting to me lately, mainly because it was the music of my teenage years (14-18). For most people, this is a pretty definitive period of time when it comes to developing your tastes in adulthood and beyond. I’m still very much so into hip hop, but the genre at this time (sonically) feels so much different than what exists now (mostly trap and drill beats). 

Work of Art - Naj

WHERE: the good good homie Hec

WHY: If it wasn’t obvious already -- I’m a simp. Whenever I find a song like this (usually on album interludes), I tend to play them in my room on repeat for days at a time. My love for music with just vocalists and a guitar definitely stems from my Asian YouTube cover days, and this feels like the more mature and natural evolution from that era. NAJ is an incredibly talented artist, and the depth of his appreciation for his significant other is captured perfectly on this intimate track in every way. I usually try to find records that act like interludes for tracks 4-5 on these playlists, and this one worked PERFECT.

Tell me how I mean more than someone else Things I would do to get closer to you You're beautiful art

Baby - Donnie & Joe Emerson

WHERE: Drake (@drakegreen) sent me this one 2 months ago

WHY: Love it when you listen to a track and can immediately visualize a perfect setting for it -- this one giving me a slow dance under the moonlight (or in the living room) vibe.

I CHOOSE YOU - Adam Melchor

WHERE: IG Story - Chelsea Pham (@chelpham)

WHY: Again, I immediately envision this record working perfectly as the background track for a montage in a TV or film (maybe I should look into music supervision). This track feels like it could’ve been from the late 80s and yet still ‘timeless’ with the emotion from these lyrics being universal.

Yours - SG Lewis

WHERE: Opening track from my brother Jon Antonio’s (@jonnntonnio) 'Love in Slow Motion Vol.1′ mix.

WHY:  Not often can I say that a track PERFECTLY captures an emotional state, but this one always leaves me with an understanding of what real love is. I know that’s a pretty huge statement, but to me, the feelings I get from listening to a track like this accomplishes everything that music is supposed to do. I had never heard this song before listening to Jon’s mix and since it was the opener (you guys know how much I value opening/closing tracks), I was CERTAIN the rest of the mix was going to be perfect (don’t think I’ve ever told you, Jon, but its def my favorite of all your mixes).

[gotatext]

PREFERRED NAME — nora. i think i started going by it in like, 2009?? my full name is eleanor but i hated it n thought it was way too pretentious n i never felt like it fitted me so when i started writing on forums i decided i’d be a nora rather than eleanor and then my school friends called me it and it just kinda stuck, the only person who calls me eleanor is my mum

PRONOUNS — she / her / ethereal being beyond comprehension

AGE — 23 but i tell everyone im 21 because even tho time is literally fake im desperately clinging to that fleeting thing we call youth trying to catch it like smoke in my hands

PINTEREST — i actually have two. this one is my main one where i just cram all my shit n i’ve had it for years and some of its super unorganised. then i also have this one which is one i made for exclusively female characters. it started as mythological figures but now its like, women in literature and the occasional oc as well. variety is the spice of life!

DISCORD — lindsay lohan’s meth#8664

TUMBLR (PERSONAL/MUSE/RPH) — i used to be froseths but now im pvrscphones cos ya gal is a fucking whore for mythology 

OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE — oi oi guvna ere’s me twitta. also here’s my letterboxd n my goodreads if anyone still uses tht

MYER-BRIGGS — enfp / infp border .... the classic profile of a lit student

HP HOUSE — hufflepuff, am fuckin mad. 

ZODIAC — libra which is a joke because i am in no way balanced but i guess i AM indecisive and a peacekeeper so?

DO YOU BELIEVE IN ASTROLOGY? — i believe it when it says good shits gonna happen in my life and blame it if bad shit happens but i don’t strongly follow it i just find it interesting

HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU STARTED RPING ON TUMBLR — maybe like 14?? my first rp blog here is literally so embarassing i wrote as clove from the hunger games n my best friend irl wrote cato :/ it was wild

WHAT YEAR WAS IT? — like 9 years ago?? 2010 maybs

NAME A RANDOM ROLEPLAY THAT STICKS OUT IN YOUR MEMORY — me n my friend ellie made this really cool group the summer before we left for uni which was loosely based on a concept mentioned mayb once in the divergent series, but it gave us loads of freedom to make it our own thing. it was called the fringe n it was like..... this dystopian society where people with different genes were cut off from the rest of society n lived in overrun slum cities where different groups had like, a monopoly over weapons, produce, etc.... my character jack was the leader of this lost-boy-esque tribe called the wolf pack who were hunters n used to run across the rooftops wearing the skins of animals they’d killed and engage in tribal rituals with sacrifices to the gods n shit. sounds lame but everyone there was so invested in their character arcs that it was a shame to see it go. but ! it kind of reached its end point so we blew it up w nukes n they all died. tragic.

WHAT WEIRD ANIMAL WOULD YOU HAVE AS A PET IF IT WAS REALISTIC — a fox?? do ppl keep foxes? idk i’ve always just felt a sense of connection w them like when a fox stares at me im like this shit is life i am living and breathing in this bitch.... visceral

NAME THE FIRST SONG ON YOUR DISCOVER WEEKLY ON SPOTIFY OR THE FIRST SONG THAT COMES ON APPLE MUSIC / ITUNES SHUFFLE — everbody party tonight by cobra man n summer girl by haim..... not my usual stuff but big summer chillin vibes,.....

NAME A BOOK THAT YOU READ IN SCHOOL THAT YOU SURPRISINGLY LIKED — lord of the flies and also the handmaid’s tale. one of assignments was to write a chapter from another character’s perspective n i chose moira

NAME A BOOK YOU HATED THAT MOST PEOPLE LIKED — skellig. fuck off with ur asprin ugly bat man i don’t care. also of mice and men. don’t care about the rabbits or curley’s goddamn wife.

WHAT TV SHOW DID YOU RECENTLY BINGE? — im not a big binger bc i find it jst makes me depressed if i watch tv all day but im nearly finished stranger things season 3 n i recently finished euphoria (big rec but proceed w caution as quite triggering content)

FAVOURITE QUOTE — cool girl speech from gone girl. but also “there’s something dangerous about the boredom of teenage girls” i know its like.... such an overused quote but it really encapsulates this kind of feral girlhood that a few of my characters like bridget n greta have tapped into. i also loved the line “i feel like i could eat the world raw” from song of achilles, that really captures this kind of.... pure n childlike enthusiasm tht i wanna achieve w rory 

LINK TO A VINE THAT EXUDES YOUR ‘ENERGY’ — this is my energy completely am always covered in glitter n staring broodily out of the windows of ubers at 4am like im in the sad bit of an indie film 

DO YOU WRITE OUTSIDE OF RP? WHAT DO YOU WRITE? — uhh.... not as much as i shd.... i want to be a writer so i shd be makin some effort to get my stuff Out Into The World but im just not.... lol. ive done a lot of poetry collections . i wnt to finish a novel @ some point too.

THREE YOUTUBERS YOU STILL TRUST — bold of you to assume i trust any youtubers

A CELEBRITY CRUSH THAT JUST WON’T QUIT — id literally die for saoirse ronan n timothee chalamet :/ chance perdomo also owns my ass. 

EVER MEET A CELEBRITY? SHARE YOUR STORY — i once high-fived dani harmer, the actress who played tracy beaker. today my sister text me tryin to make me guess what celebrity she just saw on holiday in wales and for ages she let me think it was timmothee but it was actually bradley walsh from the chase :/

WHAT’S YOUR PICTURE-PERFECT NIGHT? — i am in a bomb ass crop top and mini skirt, several scrunchies in my hair, glitter all over my face, wearing cowboy boots. we eat dinner in a trendy but affordable pub that doubles up as a cocktail bar n then we drink zombies or sex on the beaches n go to a rave where everyone is on the same wavelength n i share drugs with girls in the toilets and we swap numbers knowing we will never text each other but its ok bc in that moment we feel like we are soulmates and everyone is super drunk n touching everyone else n its all very visceral and we walk through the woods when the rave ends and lie in the grass because we wish to suck out all the marrow of life 

A CONSPIRACY THEORY YOU KINDA BELIEVE IN — princess diana was murdered 

ARE ALIENS REAL? — maybe the real aliens are the friends we made along the way

PLAY ANY PHONE GAMES? WHICH ONES? — love island game im addicted and way too invested in my fictional relationship with bobby, a cartoon

WHAT’S A FILM YOU LOVED WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG AND RECENTLY WATCHED, ONLY TO FIND OUT YOU DON’T ANYMORE — bold of u to assume i remember my childhood. but if we’re talking last 10 years angust, thongs n perfect snogging is so so cringe 

DO YOU COLLECT ANYTHING? — pairs of glasses belonging to other ppl when they break / get new ones even though i can see perfectly well. 

WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BUT YOU’RE TOO LAZY? — mythology...... always a craving and a wish i’d read like ancient texts but my school wasn’t good enough to do greek or latin or any of that shit n even tho i could read english translations i cant be bothered. also criminal psychology

THREE LANGUAGES YOU DON’T SPEAK, BUT WISH YOU COULD — italian, french and latin

MOVIE YOU’VE WATCHED MORE THAN 5 TIMES — ladybird, about time, angus thongs, shrek 2, what we do in the shadows, the history boys, atonement, coraline, the breakfast club, ferris bueller’s day off

NAME A FICTIONAL CHARACTER FROM TV/FILM/MOVIE/GAME/BOOK THAT YOU FIND YOURSELF PROJECTING ON / YOU RELATE TO — cecilia lisbon. rue in euphoria. alison brie in glow. adam parrish in the raven cycle. richard papen. olivia cooke’s character in thoroughbreds. allen ginsberg in kill your darlings. lily in sex education. holliday grainger’s character in the film animals --- i too am an aspiring writer who never writes and just gets drunk instead .

DO YOU FOLLOW ANY SPORTS? WHO DO YOU ROOT FOR? — no. cba

HOBBIES BESIDES WASTING AWAY HERE? — i go to the movies basically every day bcos i work in a cinema. im also a voracious reader n i occasionally do theatre or costume making

PLUG A TV SHOW / MOVIE / BOOK / VIDEO GAME / ETC… YOU WISH MORE PEOPLE WOULD CHECK OUT — where the wild things are (film by spike jonze).  animals. beats. the book fen by daisy johnson and a girl is a half formed thing by eimar mcbride. andy warhol’s biography from a to b and back again

WHOSE BRAIN WOULD YOU LIKE TO PICK, ALIVE OR DEAD? — phoebe waller-bridge on how i get her life. carey mulligan on how she got to be such a good actress n how i can become her. maybs wes anderson. maybs gillian flynn. i tend to listen to podcasts w the ppl i really wanna pick the brains of.

TEAM EDWARD OR JACOB? — edward :/

LAST MOVIE SEEN IN THEATRE — blinded by the light n i lovd it

DO YOU STILL READ? — when i finished uni i kinda got out of the habit but this week i finished two books so ive set myself the challenge of a book a week.

IF SO, WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING? — i finished song of achilles yesterday n i also finished call me by your name yesterday. started circe by madeline miller today, im also partway through milkman by anna burns and the plays of annie barker

ON A SCALE OF 1-10, HOW MUCH DID YOU HATE FILLING THIS OUT? – 3 i didnt hate it bcos at heart i am self-indulgent and love fashioning some sense of self when i feel lost in a world that is scary and constantly changing 

#wshedtask002

[sparklyjojos]

KOMATSUKI MAKIKO summary

[Note: this short story centers Jirou from Smoke, Soil and Sacrifices, which I recapped here.]

[tw: gore, sexual content, mental health issues (mostly DID as understood by Maijo), mentioned child abuse, suicide?]

--

The narrator--Komatsuki Makiko--briefly remembers the time when Natsukawa Jirou was called a “man like the eternal return itself” by Salman Rushdie when the two had a chance conversation in a New York cafe in 1998.

Jirou once told Makiko in a quite philosophical conversation that God doesn’t think. Or rather, God “thinks” (ie. has thoughts, brain processes necessary to perceive things and work towards creating the world), but doesn’t really “ponder” (thinks about stuff, philosophizes etc.)--only humans do.

Makiko thinks that by saying this, Jirou is drawing a line between himself and humanity. Jirou certainly seems to just know the answer to anything without pondering it first.

Makiko notices that Jirou’s atmosphere of ‘just knowing’ was deftly put into the main character of Natsukawa Saburou’s book Tsukumojuku (!!!) -- as Jirou’s brother, Saburou would of course know Jirou as well as to capture the vibes he gave off. Although Saburou made Tsukumojuku “ponder” different things from around halfway through that novel, maybe Jirou would be okay with just “thinking”. To force him to “consider” would feel like trying to force God himself to do that.

As he is, Jirou is a genius. He can perfectly remember any image he saw even once and everything he read, and he gets through books so fast it looks like he’s just idly flicking through the pages. He can even memorize a hard scientific text verbatim and only analyze it later in his mind.

Jirou keeps his vast knowledge inside a memory palace--“Natsukawa Dormitory”--not unlike the one that the book character Hannibal Lecter has. But while Hannibal was the only keeper of his palace, Jirou has several.

Jirou claims -- and Makiko isn’t sure whether to believe him or not -- that he experimentally caused his own personality to split and create four additional parts. When Makiko first met Jirou in 1995, those four were as follows: Shi Un, a quiet and wise 14-year-old boy; Daniel, a 36-year-old part-time painter; Sugisaki Yuri, a 17-year-old ghost [who is also described as 性転換した, as in “sexually transitioned”; I think Maijo means just that Yuri’s female?], and Aka Tsuki (or just Akatsuki?), a 21-year-old elderly dog that speaks in a rough tone.

Jirou “raised” those four and eventually “overcame” them, after which he changed their names. Shi Un became “Ichirou”, Daniel - “Jirou” (not the surface Jirou we know), Sugisaki Yuri - “Saburou”, and Aka Tsuki - “Shirou”. Considering that these were also the names of Jirou and his brothers, you’d think that it was a bad idea, but Jirou seemed to be okay with it.

--

But anyway, Makiko first met Jirou in a cafe in Brussels, where she and her friend Toda Erika planned to take some photos (Makiko is a photographer). The instant Jirou saw Makiko, he called her by name and congratulated her on “fulfilling her wishes”. He explained that he once saw a middle school graduation book from Makiko’s school, in which she wrote down her wish of becoming a  photographer.

Ever since that first meeting everything’s been going well, Makiko says. It’s like Jirou is one of the Seven Gods of Fortune, Vaisravana. As if he’s the God who fulfills all her wishes and hears even the unspoken ones --  surely nobody except a god would have that power.

If we stretch the concept a bit, the other Natsukawa brothers would seem fit as the other Four Heavenly Kings: Ichirou the politician as Dhrtarastra who upholds the realm, Saburou the writer as Virupaksa who sees everything, and Shirou the successful surgeon as Virudhaka who brings growth.

--

Jirou likes to look through school graduation books, photos and anthologies of kids’ work, and gather them all in Natsukawa Dormitory. From what he says, back when he was 19-20 he used to sneak into schools in Japan just to page through these anthologies. When the two were in Jirou’s house once (which had only a few beds and piles upon piles upon piles of books as internal decor), Makiko asked him why he enjoys these child pictures so much. Instead of giving a straight answer, Jirou drew a picture...

...which Makiko recognized as the work of Ikihara Akira, her classmate from primary school. Jirou explained that after drawing this picture Akira was murdered and eaten by his mother. Apparently the police and everyone else thought the motive could be the mother doing it “out of love”, so that the boy would become her flesh and blood, but Jirou personally thought it was just something she did for her own enjoyment.

Jirou then talked about Hannibal Lecter playing a monster for amusement, and noticed that acting is a basis of human play. Even when people grow up, their tendency to act is still there, just moves from childish play to performing the role of “themselves”.

Akira’s parents lived in separation, but in the picture, he drew himself holding hands with them in harmony and wrote down yokatta (“I’m glad”, “everything went well” etc.). Even if nothing actually went well, Jirou still likes that yokatta, a simple wish of a child. Seeing as time doesn’t flow in this picture, nothing ever changes within it, maybe in a way Akira’s wish really did come true.

Makiko is wondering if you could really say that considering how Akira ended up. Jirou answers to this by flipping the page and drawing another picture that Makiko quickly realizes is how the original one really looked like.

The first thing Jirou showed was fake. Akira’s actual drawing looked like this:

Makiko really had thought the first one was the original until she saw this one. She wonders just how many memories of hers are actually faithful to life, and how many were altered with time. Maybe it’s that frail memory that makes her love capturing time in photos. Maybe Jirou, whose memory was perfect, preferred those emotionally charged pictures made by children.

Jirou said he’d be fine with whatever end awaited him.

But things don’t come to an end, Makiko thought. This is the eternal return. Things start and end and then happen again. If Jirou really was “like an eternal return itself”, then he would never end either… so maybe would never “be fine”.

--

Jirou sometimes killed that other “Jirou” in Natsukawa Dormitory, only to have him be reborn later. Maybe this repeated killing was Jirou’s attempt to reach some sort of an end--to finally “be fine”. A chase in the middle of eternal return.

Makiko wondered if the two ever changed places. Was the original Jirou still succesfully staying on the surface, or had he been pulled inside and exchanged for “Jirou” a long time ago? Was the Jirou she loved even a single person? Certainly she also had a fair share of experiences with those others.

After they returned to Japan and started living in Makiko’s family house in Chofu, she was once woken up by Jirou touching her body (and, er, himself). To her questions he answered awkwardly that “Jirou is asleep”, introduced himself as Shi Un, said he’s sorry, that Makiko and the family are really kind to him, and that he doesn’t really know stuff yet.

(And then Makiko instantly jumped to the occasion to have sex with him right then and there, because Maijo Otaro.)

When Jirou later renamed and “contain” the other four in Natsukawa Dormitory, Makiko commented that he seemed jealous of Shi Un, but Jirou just answered that this accusation didn’t even make sense--they were the same person, after all.

Makiko still isn’t sure whether the existence of the other personalities is real and not just Jirou putting on an elaborate play. Makiko herself remembers acting a lot in previous relationships. It’s different with Jirou, feels more real - instead of overthinking, her head just goes blank whenever she’s with him… though maybe her head going blank is also a sort of a performance, more to convince herself than him that their relationship is true? Then again, maybe every internal emotion is in a way “performed” when shown on the outside. Even assuming her emotions were “fake”, surely they wouldn’t fall that far off from the true ones.

When she was with Jirou, she felt like he’d know the answer to anything, and felt like it was just fine to stop thinking… or at least stop “considering”. There likely wasn’t a point to asking all those “ifs” like whether or not Jirou was actually Jirou.

When she once asked him why he repeatedly kills “Jirou”, he answered: “because I only kill myself.” Did it mean that the one he wanted to kill more than anyone else was himself? Or that if he had to kill, he wouldn’t do that to others, but to himself?

--

Just before they left Belgium, Makiko drove them to Bastogne while unusually serious Jirou recited Miura Tetsuo’s short stories from memory on her request. She wondered how he imagined things from the stories to look like and how close they were to her own imagination. Could imagined, fictional things also remain as memories?

They stopped by a residence that, according to Jirou, belonged to one of the world’s richest men, who out of paranoia hid himself inside a house filled with security. They said nobody was even allowed to see him without stripping completely naked and undergoing a body search.

Jirou left the car and went to the house with the security guards. He returned pretty soon, safe and in higher spirits. Makiko started driving to a restaurant, but Jirou asked her to park on the side of the road for a second. As she watched, he suddenly took off the entirety of his hair - apparently it was a wig hiding bare skin underneath - and then just as casually took off a part of his skull and retrieved from his own head a small knife, still red with the rich man’s blood. He asked Makiko to bring him the surgical tool set from the trunk and proceeded to carefully put his head back together.

When he was done, they went to the restaurant and ordered a meal. Jirou explained that he hadn’t killed the rich man, just roughed him up a little with the knife he’d hidden in his own head. It was the same knife used by the man back when he was a child… well, not the same one, but looking similar enough that the man would imagine it was the original thing.

Even if Jirou did horrible, horrible things to people, he never killed them. He only killed himself.

--

Three days after Jirou “conquered” Daniel and renamed him to “Jirou”, he killed him. About two months later “Jirou” showed up again, this time not as a 36-year-old artist, but as a shy six-year-old.

Jirou would have that child “Jirou” bullied, hit, kicked, and having unspeakable acts done to him. Throughout all that abuse, and being made fun of by “Ichirou”, “Saburou” and “Shirou”, “Jirou” would after some time grow up and become the strongest out of them. At that point Jirou would beat him to death. Later he’d raise him from a weak child to a powerful man again, and kill him again.

Makiko often cried when she thought about it, not sure if she emphatized more with the pain of the killed “Jirou” or the Jirou who killed. If time can flow differently inside one’s mind, then “Jirou” (or maybe even the surface Jirou, if they ever switched) could have endured horrible abuse for hundreds of years. Neverending death and rebirth. Like the eternal return itself.

Jirou didn’t kill others, but maybe the things he did to them were close enough to killing that you couldn’t really make a distinction. So maybe killing “Jirou” was also coming just close enough to death that it really felt like dying while still maintaining life.

Maybe that child that Makiko sometimes spotted in his expression was actually just the same child all this time, and Jirou just acted like he was killing him, an elaborate act of play-pretend for the world, or maybe just for himself.

--

Since ancient times - Jirou said - humanity had a concept of monsters. At first these were god-like beings removed far from humans, but then they started progressively approaching our kind. First as animal shapeshifters, then beings like vampires and Frankenstein’s monster that skirted the line between life and death, and finally as zombies, dead humans who ate others. Then there was Hannibal Lecter, not any undying being of any sort, but just a human gone mad.

Although, as Jirou points out, there was a hypothesis that Lecter wasn’t actually insane. At one point in Red Dragon Lecter says to Will Graham that “we’re just alike”. One could interpret this as Lecter assessing that Graham may end up becoming a criminal too, but in Jirou’s interpretation, Lecter meant that they both simply enjoy acting the role of a serial killer. In Graham’s case, that’d refer to his method of putting himself in the mindset of a criminal to investigate. In Lecter’s case, it’d refer to him being a genius who became so bored with humanity that he murdered and ate people just for the joy of play-pretend.

Makiko can’t help but wonder what exactly is the difference between Hannibal Lecter -- who in Hannibal would mix into society and have a certain woman be with him -- and Jirou.

If Jirou was a monster, then maybe the monster of our times was found inside humans. A monster creeping closer to us than ever before. Hiding inside our friends and families. Inside the people you love.

And--judging from what she could piece together using the few fragments of Jirou’s past he told her about--inside the Natsukawa family.

Every person has their own story inside them. In the stories of the Natsukawas, the rich man from Belgium, and all the people Jirou ever hurt, Jirou was no doubt the monster.

But he wasn’t one in Makiko’s story.

--

Makiko remembers the time Jirou was called “a man like the eternal return itself” by Salman Rushdie, even though the writer couldn’t possibly know about his internal death and rebirth. Rushdie also said that he had a strange feeling like he’s met Jirou somewhere before and had an important conversation with him, but couldn’t place it. Jirou just looked familiar to him. Makiko agreed worldlessly; she had the same feeling whenever she looked at Jirou.

When they were alone later, Jirou expressed the opinion that Rushdie had been sarcastic or speaking nonsense. Eternal return sounds like quite a pessimistic worldview that’d just make people feel that life is pointless, which is maybe why philosophers invented the whole nirvana thing that allows for escape from the cycle of rebirth.

Whether or not Rushdie’s words had a point, maybe Jirou would feel fulfilled in eternal return, Makiko thinks. Maybe the goal, the thing to strive for inside eternal return was keeping one’s will to live.

If eternal return really is a thing, then Makiko is fine with it. After all, she’ll get to meet Jirou again and again and love him again.

No matter who that Jirou actually is.

END

#sparkly reads komatsuki makiko #maijo and jdc stuff #maijo is really good at creepy illustrations #also this story made me really confused as to some chronology #like... when was tsukumojuku completed in natsukawa verse? did saburou and jirou meet again at some point? so many questions #I love how it thematically ties so many things together though...

[flowercrownoreo]

Okay so that last reblog has inspired me to make a list of my top 15 Taylor Swift songs and why because I don’t think I’ve ever made one. These aren’t in any particular order (for now) because that would be way too difficult. It’s under read more because I’m prone to rambling so this post might get a little lengthy.

1. Enchanted

Okay, so this song is like, magical to me. The whole album is but this particular song has me imagining all kinds of scenarios and it’s hard to pinpoint why I love it so much but I feel happy and warm when I hear it. Reminds me of sitting up late at night, listening to this song on repeat thinking about enchanted worlds and magical stories. There’s also a story attached to this... this song became especially important to me after I got to hear it at my first Taylor Swift concert back in 2015 (The 1989 World Tour) :3

2. Long Live

I love this song with all my heart! It never fails to make me cry either. I had a really difficult final year at university last year, and when I finally finished my dissertation, and got my results that confirmed whether or not I’d graduate, I thought of graduation, and I thought of this song. How I wanted that to be a moment I cherish for the rest of my life. I remember waiting for the Reputation Stadium Tour setlist to be announced and being all like “omg I hope Long Live’s on it” because that would have been perfect (the concert was in June, the same month I was graduating) and of course... it got announced and I cried with happiness. No joke, when I heard Taylor sing it live I was blubbering like crazy I was an absolute mess. Two weeks later at graduation and I listened to it in the morning before I got ready.

3. Love Story

It wasn’t the very first Taylor Swift song I heard (it was White Horse) but I remember it being the first one I fell in love with. I have a lot of fond memories attached to this song, listening to it all the time when I was like, 13, and watching the music video and loving the aesthetic. I love being swept up in the story of the song and the whole Romeo and Juliet aspect.

4. I Knew You Were Trouble

I remember the very first time I heard this, and how everyone was going wild because it was a totally different style for Taylor (at the time) and I loved it! I have very specific memories of 16 year old me listening to it on repeat on Youtube waiting for the album to be released. At the time I had a story planned out that I’m still trying to write and it somehow fit two of my OCs really well so I loved the song for that reason too. It sounds great as an acoustic song and AMAZING as a rock song. I would love to hear a studio version of the 1989 World Tour rendition because omg. That performance alone is why I want her to do a rock album.

5. New Year’s Day

Another song that pulls at my heart strings and makes me cry. It’s so soft and gentle and I love the lyrics. The idea of being there with someone through everything, the good and bad. I particularly love the line “hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you”. I really feel that deep in my heart.

6. Begin Again

This song is so pretty, and I really love the message of hope it conveys. That there will always be another chance, another opportunity. The road to recovery, to moving on from whatever experience it was might not always be easy, but it’s there and a brighter tomorrow does exist.

7. A Place In This World

This song is like a reminder that it’s okay to have those days sometimes where you feel a little lost. Sometimes life isn’t always sunshine and rainbows but it’s okay because you’ll get through it. I remember feeling really down one night a few years ago, and my friend that got me into Taylor Swift messaged me with a link to this song and I listened to it and it was reassuring.

8. Tell Me Why

I like this song mainly because of the fact I kind of relate to the lyrics and the frustration. I’ve been in similar situations, and sometimes you don’t know if they’re aware of how they’re making you feel but deep down what you do know is that they have no right to make you feel small and that they don’t get to control how you feel.

9. Out Of The Woods

There isn’t really a particular reason why I love this; I just really like it! I think this was the very first song I heard from 1989 and I immediately fell in love because aaaa! I love the whole 80s vibe I got from it.

10. I Did Something Bad

I am obsessed with this song! I love the badness, the “I don’t give a fuck” vibe. It’s such a bop! I really wish this had a music video because could you imagine?? Also, the live version of this is incredible!!

11. Last Kiss

This song is so sad, especially when you think of the 27 second opening and the significance of that. You can really feel the sadness and how much she misses him. Some of the lyrics in this are really heartbreaking, and then you get to the part of the song where it sounds like she’s trying not to cry and it hits you in the feels.

12. Sparks Fly

I love this so much, mainly because the imagery in it is so powerful and my imagination runs wild listening to this (as it does with most Speak Now songs) I really love the line “I’m captivated by you baby like a fireworks show” and “The way you move is like a full on rainstorm”

13. Look What You Made Me Do

A lot of fans seem to have mixed opinions on this song but I really really like it. I love how different it is and I love the dark, edgy vibe it has. It perfectly captures that feeling of “I didn’t actually do anything wrong but if I’m going to be the villain in this narrative well then fuck it I’m doing it in style!” She takes complete ownership of all the bad things people ever said about her. Also, the music video for this is awesome!

14. The Best Day

This is one of the cutest songs ever! I love how pretty it is musically, and I love how sweet the lyrics are. It makes me think of my own family and how much I love them.

15. Style

This song has such a serious aesthetic. Like, I can perfectly visualise everything in this like it’s a story and a work of art. I love it!

#i had to make it 15 because i really couldn't condense it to 10 songs #special mention for you belong with me which i really wanted to add but i ran out of room #it was a contest between that and style #taylor swift could honestly write the soundtrack to my life #pretty sure she has been already

[justanothercinemaniac]

Epic Movie (Re)Watch #141 - The Librarian: Quest for the Spear

Spoilers below

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: I don’t think it’s ever been shown in theaters, so no.

Format: DVD

1) The opening to this film (Flynn inside the pyramid then it turns out it’s just a class project) creates a nice juxtaposition between expectations and reality going into this film, especially when it comes to the establishment of Flynn Carsen.

Noah Wyle as Flynn is a really interesting character who is in a lot of ways a counter response to your typical male adventure hero. At the time of release (and an argument could be made for today as well) Flynn wasn’t different. He’s not Indiana Jones with brains and brawn to match. He’s not debonaire or smooth. He’s a giant NERD who is painfully awkward in social situations and is afraid of living his life. But he never comes off as pathetic or annoying or gripping, something I think can be attributed to Noah Wyle’s fine performance. This was one of Wyle’s first major efforts in comedy, having starred on “ER” for about ten years at the time of the film’s release. Wyle is able to perfectly capture Flynn’s nerdish and awkward qualities and a likable, fun, and interesting way. He also doesn’t make Flynn feel like a know-it-all jerk like Sherlock Holmes. He doesn’t have much of an ego, he doesn’t seek knowledge to show off how smart he is. He truly is just interested in knowledge for the sake of knowledge, a bedrock which creates for a fun and unique character.

2) Wyle has a fun chemistry with Olympia Dukakis.

(GIF originally posted by @j2stwincestiel)

There is a bit of that awkward, “He still lives with his mother,” thing going on but there are nice moments between Wyle and Dukakis very early on which show you that their relationship is not unhealthy. This isn’t some bullshit Howard Wolowitz and his mom relationship from “The Big Bang Theory”. They actually love for each other, care for each other, and Dukakis as Mrs. Carsen is supportive and caring towards her kid. It’s a nice relationship we get a small peek into.

3) The whole idea of the Metropolitan Public Library in New York sending out this letter looking for it’s next Librarian is something I like a lot. It gives the whole world of The Librarian sort of an extra bit of mythology, a Harry Potter vibe if you will.

4) Jane Curtin!

Jane Curtin isn’t in the film much but she is able to create a memorable character from the moment we meet her as Charlene. A bit of a tight wad who takes her job seriously, Curtin is also able to bring some extra X quality to Charlene. Maybe it’s just me, but by watching her you sort of just KNOW there’s this extra warmth hidden under the surface. Curtin does a nice job in the movie.

5) I love this, and not for reasons I usually do.

Charlene: Tell me something you know that nobody else who has walked in here could tell me.

[Beat.]

Flynn: You have mononucleosis. Your marriage broke up two months ago. You broke your nose when you were four, and you live with three cats. Is that what you had in mind? Swollen parajugular lymph nodes and distended eyelids are clearly mono. It takes three months for an indentation on the ring finger to completely disappear. Yours is two-thirds gone. Your plastic surgeon gave you a terminus paralateral scar, which is given to children under the age of six, and I can clearly see three distinct types of cat hair. A white Himalayan, a tortoiseshell, and an orange striped tabby.

Usually when a character whips this out it’s because they want to show off how smart they are, but not Flynn. There’s no ego in his analysis in Charlene, he didn’t sit down and say some bullshit like, “Oh, how’s your divorce going?” just to show off his smarts. No, he only did it when he was asked and clearly isn’t gloating in it. He’s just doing what she asked of him: telling her something he knows no one else could have told her.

6) FYI - just like Flynn - I would lose my mind in The Library!

When I was a kid I was big into myths and conspiracies. Indiana Jones, National Treasure, those things were my bread and butter. The Library would have my going NUTS!

7) Bob Newhart as Judson

Bob Newhart is a comedy legend and I have never once seen him be bad in anything, and The Librarian is no exception. He’s able to play Judson with such subtlety and heart while still making some of the film’s best jokes, it is absolutely wonderful. He would be nominated for playing this role in the third Librarian film, but he’s just as good here. Newhart brings an extra level of heart and humor to the film that helps make it as good as it is.

8) Some of the jokes in this film just have me floored.

(GIFs originally posted by @flynnscarnation)

9) I think the fact that this film decided to personify Excalibur (and in later installments give it even more personality) was a smart decision. It not only give The Library an extra flair of magic but also another unique character to add to its halls in addition to Judson and Charlene.

10) I think the entire idea behind the villain of this film being a former Librarian is a good way to kick off the series. It shows just how corrupting/tempting this power can be (an idea later seen in depth in Return to King Solomon’s Mines) and also what can happen to Flynn if he’s not careful. Contrarily, however, it creates a nice juxtaposition between Kyle MacLachlan’s Wilde (who is very much your typical tough guy/fine-as-hell action hero turned villain) and Wyle’s nerdy Flynn.

11)

Charlene [after the bad guys come and steal something]: “They knew about the fail safe.”

But they DIDN’T know about the security cameras?

12) Honestly if I were ever in an action/adventure movie situation, I’d probably be Flynn.

Flynn: “The fate of the world is in my hands? That is just so...sad”

13) Ugh, femme fatale intros. The moment when a female character walks on screen in slow motion with saxophone music or something playing behind her while the male lead ogles her. A clear indication that this is more of a trope than a character.

14) However I will say, despite that introduction, Nicole Noone ends up being a pretty interesting character. I personally don’t think it makes sense that she sleeps with Flynn after having her heart broken so recently by the (supposed) death (and eventual betrayal) of her last love, but on her own she is fairly well written. Tough as nails, we understand her sense of humor, what makes her tick, her sense of loyalty, what gets her to smile, what gets her to cry, we get a pretty nice peek into who she is as a character. It’s a shame the franchise would lose Sonya Walger (although I do like the female characters in the proceeding films) as she does a pretty great job in this movie, but I’m glad we got her here.

15) While this film does work against some established tropes with action/adventure characters, it unfortunately does fall into, “Super attractive woman falls in love with someone she disdains at first AFTER we make clear just how HOT she is.”

Nicole [to Flynn]: “I’m WAY out of your league. WAY out. If your league were to explode I wouldn’t see it for days.”

It does establish Flynn’s reasoning for calling her egotistical throughout the early parts of their relationship, but still. It would be so refreshing to me - personally - if we had a movie where two characters like this formed a deep friendship instead of a romance. Not that it ruins the film by any means. It just reminds me of tropes I am bored with in cinema in general.

16) I love the running gag of Kelly Hu’s Lana seeing Flynn as this brilliant Librarian and having a massive crush on him.

Rhodes [Wilde’s thug]: “That’s the Librarian?”

Lana: “Don’t underestimate him.”

Lana [after Nicole pushes Flynn out of a plan with no parachute]: “He brilliantly lowers our expectations then dives without a ‘chute! Remarkable!”

Kelly Hu is great in general but this running gag just makes me chuckle every time.

17) The reason I say I’m Flynn is not because of his brains or anything, but because of how he reacts to what’s going on around him.

Flynn [after Nicole pulls out a sword]: “How did you get that on the airplane?”

18) We don’t get much of a peek into the relationship between Flynn and his late father in this film. That’s coming up in the sequel.

Flynn: “My mother said my father was a dreamer...”

19) While I do greatly enjoy this film, I think it misses some opportunities to increase how fun and adventurous is. This is an observation I’ve made mainly through comparison with the film’s two sequels (which were directed be someone else than this film), but still. An example of this is the scene where Flynn and Nicole make their way across the rotted bridge in the Amazon. I personally feel that with some faster pacing in moments and the addition of music it could have been a lot more fun, a lot more adventurous, but that’s just me.

20) Flynn and Nicole do have fun chemistry, more when they’re bantering than anything else. But Flynn is also shown to understand Nicole, despite her claims to the contrary. There’s not only a whole scene where he tells her what he’s noticed about her character, but also fun lines like this:

Flynn: “Why are you smiling? I don’t like it when you smile. It means you’re about to do something dangerous.”

21) I will say, any issues I have with the bridge scene, those issues do NOT apply to the temple waltz scene. The fact that the only way Flynn and Nicole can only get through the booby traps by doing a waltz is just so fun and well paced, while also providing some nice character interaction between the two. I love how Nicole leads in the dance and how she dips Flynn. It’s just a lot of fun, and that’s when this movie is at its best. When it’s having fun!

22) Lana is so turned on by Flynn just speaking a dead language, I love it!

23) Another moment I find sort of weaker in the film is when Flynn falls off the mountain on the way to Shangri La and Nicole has to save him. It sort of just happens, I feel. Its over and done with out of nowhere with little tension. It doesn’t feel real, if that makes sense. But again, maybe that’s just me.

24) Are we not going to address the fact that these supposedly peaceful monks just start fighting out of nowhere? Do they train in fighting? Did they ever have to use their fighting skills before today? I must know!!!!

25) Okay, in this moment I’m Judson.

Flynn [upon learning a former professor is evil]: “I should’ve known he was evil. He gave me an A-.”

Judson:

26) Bob Newhart gets a fight scene! Bob Newhart has a fight scene! Bob Newhart has officially done everything! Well...probably not. But still! Fight scene!

27) I like how Flynn is able to outsmart Wilde into causing the pyramid to crash down on him instead of taking him on in a straight fist fight. It is a perfect illustration as to how Flynn isn’t your typical action/adventure hero.

28) I would love to see the whole “Time Traveling Ninjas going after HG Welles time machine” adventure this film ends on. Maybe not as a full movie, but in some format that’d be fun.

While I do prefer the sequels to the original, The Librarian: Quest for the Spear is an exemplary start for the franchise. The unique mythology is established in a fun way, Wyle excels as Flynn Carsen, Newhart and Curtin give A grade performances which will continue throughout the series, and we just are taken on a fun adventure for about 100 minutes. Because that’s what this movie is: fun. If you’re looking for something a little more off the beaten path than Indiana Jones or National Treasure, this film is a worthy substitute.

#The Librarian #The Librarian Quest for the Spear #Noah Wyle #Flynn Carsen #Bob Newhart #Jane Curtin #Kyle Maclachlan #Kelly Hu #Sonya Walger #Olympia Dukakis #Epic Movie (Re)Watch #Jimming the Camera #Movie #Film #GIF

[magicaleurovision]

Tagsy tags and long answers

 Half a century ago, I was tagged by @eurovisin to do this. I LOVE these, but since I tend to write novel-long answers and sincee I do it half on my phone and half on my computer, it tends to take another half a century to get it done. But here we are now ! The questions answered and others asked ! :D

 Rules:  1. Always repost the rules 2. Answer the questions given by the person who tagged you 3. Give 11 questions of your choice to the people you tag 4. Tag 11 people 

 1. Which times (in your opinion) had the best clothes:

I'd say now! The availability of different fabrics for different occasions means that everyone can find something for them... Either now or the Antic time, that is xD simply attach a drape around you and allow it to hang. Practical, comfortable, and you don't get into "I don't know what to wear" situations. You can lose weight or gain weight and your clothes will still fit because they're basically drapes. 2. If you could choose a language that has the role of the worldwide communication (like English nowadays), which could it be?

THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL QUESTION! :D

I love that English has the role of the worldwide communication because it's a very rich language, which perfectly captures all the nuances of every meaning. It's not my mother tongue and I'm a hyper-polyglot; however, I still feel that it's the language that allows one to express themselves the best... Other than that, I'd choose Arabic. I don't even speak Arabic, but I've looked a bit into the structures of the language and... and it seems awesome. It also seems like one of those languages that can properly capture different nuances of meaning and suggest a very vivid picture of everything. Unfortunately, I plan to learn all the European languages before going further (simply because I'm more likely to use those, due to geographical proximity xD), I don't think that I'll learn Arabic for years to come :'(  3. Favourite places you've been to:

I enjoyed Tignes (French Alps) more than I thought I would! Mentioning it because I find that people there were incredibly kind and hospitable and the place itself was idyllic... and also, because the recent avalanche tragedy there really shook me :( Other than that, it's usually who I'm with which makes the place better for me. I went to Edinburgh when I was 16 and to Prague when I was 14, so both more than a decade ago, and both figure amongst my favourite places because I've been there with friends, as a school trip :3 4. Is there a celebrity people claim that you're similar to?

I've been told that I look like Zaho (a very real French singer) and Lara Croft (a very fictional video game character) it's pretty much due to my hair and skin colour and to my body shape; since I have on one hand a feminine figure (that chest-hips accent) and a pretty strong physical build, with large shoulders and a strong back... and a love for sweet stuff, which means that I actually look like Zaho/Lara Croft if they swapped their gym sessions for food parties xD just a little though, I intend to turn those little fluffs of fat into muscle soon enough :3 5. Any New Year resolutions?

I made a JAR of New Year resolutions. Or rather, "affirmations". I have a wonderful friend who believes that if you write your goals on a piece of paper in the present (ex. "I can speak Dutch" instead of "I'm gonna learn how to speak Dutch"), put it in a box, and give that box good vibes (I guess through positive reinforcement, prayer, or the such), those affirmations will come true one by one. So I took a jar and filled it with mine ^^ 6. Do you like mythologies? Have some favourites?

Yes, pretty much... I like legends or ancient tales too... I don't know if religious mythology counts, since it's often accepted as true as well, but yeah, that's my favourite... those stories related to the three biggest monotheistic religions (lots of which I consider either true or plausible, so I don't know if it counts as "mythology"). Also, when I dig through my memories, I realise that most of the mythologies I know are either born or popularised either on the European soil or pretty close... as in, there's a whole world of legends and myths and wonderful stories from all the other continents, but I haven't been exposed to those. Now once again, it's understandable, since geographically, what's closer to you is more likely to resonate with you... still, if you have some beautiful American or Asian or African or Australian mythologies I could look into, I welcome your ideas :) 7. Vanilla or chocolate? 

Chocolate 8. Favourite names?

I like names with a diphtongue or otherwise two vowel sounds following each other x)) they look somehow eternal to me; you could imagine them in a time long ago or long after us, but they'd still fit the present too! Some frequent ones are Raphaël, Mordecaï, Faysal, Andrea, Chloé, etc. In literature, you have those often used in fantasy, be it Eowyn or names like Cersei, Shae and Tyrion 9. Was there something you were fixated on as a child?

Superheores, Barbies, and Moomintrolls J Oh, and bead jewelry ! 10. Do you believe in lucky charms?

Nah. I believe, however, that carrying something you love with you makes you feel better, so that can count as a "lucky charm", if you want, but I still believe that you carry your real lucky charm in your heart and in your heart alone 11. If you were to write a book, that you know would be widely read, what would be the topic?

Oh, the nature of humanity, most definitely! Whether it would be a science-fiction novel or something set in the present (or heck, in the past), I would write it in a way that it would question the fabric of society and the idea of what makes us truly human My eleven questions are: 1. What would you say is the best book you've ever read? 2. If there was one thing that you could improve about yourself, what would it be? 3. What are the top ten languages that you would want to speak? 4. Who are the most beautiful famous people to you right now? 5. What sort of food do you eat the most frequently? 6. What is your biggest victory?  7. Did you ever have have a weirdly specific wish that came true?  8. What's your favourite song to sing during karaoke nights? 9. What cartoon is the epitome of your childhood ? 10. If you were a fictional character, who would you be ? 11. What movie have you seen so many times that you can quote it ?

And I tag, and I tag... @slightlyintimidating @marysuestarkaryen @childrenoftheeuroverse @european-euphoria @thatguy-allan @yodelvision @namasteale @myslowianie @stufforestlikes @fandomfishie @uselesseurovisionfacts @esc-is-for-eurovision and everyone else tempted to do this x)))

#tag games #why do i always take half a century for these? #I enjoy them I swear #ask games #tags #games #zampy stuff

[the-last-alicorn]

The MCU Films Ranked

All of these are good movies. Seriously, in the nine years since Iron Man, Marvel Studios has gotten so great at churning out superhero films that it's kind of miraculous. Films that not only capture the fun silliness of the comics, but are also well made, well casted, well written and are full of love. The entire MCU, from the movies to the shows have been a truly awe inspiring effort of multi franchise continuity and genre blending, which is not something that was ever seen before. And the weird part is that the profitability and the popularity of the megafranchise has put the MCU in it's own kind of immortality. If there is an end to this ever increasing universe, I don't see it. Personally, I'm looking forward to the year 2050, when we're waiting for out twelfth Avengers sequel (in which we will probably have Venom, Nova, She-Hulk, Squirrel-Girl, Valkyrie, American Dream and the Beyonder as our heroes) But until that point, I figure that it'd be fun to rank the 14 movies we do have. Sans Dr. Strange. I just haven't seen it yet. Before I start, the top four for this list (and yes, I do mean the four obvious ones), change all the time depending on the kind of movie I'm into at that particular moment, and I actually thought for a while on what order I wanted to place them in. I thought a while about the different values of a film being memorable or technically proficient, entertaining or smart, and my own preferences besides. And if I'm being honest? I still have no idea what the answer is. 13) The Incredible Hulk - I don't really care about the Hulk. Sorry. As it stands, the second Bruce Banner is infinitely funnier and more endearing than this first one. I stand by what I said about no bad MCU movies, it's just that this is... just serviceable. It's a perfectly fine monster movie, and it's probably the best adaptation of the 70s TV show that you're ever going to get. 12) Thor: The Dark World - Even though the banter between Thor and Loki is as entertaining as you'd expect, and one of the infinity stones shows up, you can be forgiven for counting this as one of the filler movies. It seems oddly embarrassed by it's own existence, as if the first Thor movie took place in the idealistic toddler years, and Thor 2 opts for a more self conscious teenager vibe. Just meh all around. 11) Iron Man - I thought that this would be higher on the list, but it isn't, largely because of it's unremarkable third act and the remarkably boring Iron Monger. I will say that Downey is the BEST POSSIBLE CHOICE for the role of Iron Man. 10) Iron Man 2 - the first Iron Man was a better movie in every way. That being said, I just found myself remembering this second film a lot more. Possibly because of Rohdey, possibly because of Whiplash, or possibly because of Black Widow or Agent Collsun. Who can say? 9) Ant-Man - Yeah, I thought that this would be WAY up on the list, and I'm not sure why it's not. It did what no one else thought possible: It made Ant-Man awesome. And it did so in a really fun way. But whenever I think of this movie, it's never with quite the same fondness as the ones I'm about to mention. 8) Thor - This is a very silly movie for one of the sillier heroes. And it is really fun. It did everything it set out to do and more. It gave us a great villain, a great hero, and it nailed the complicated relationship between Thor, Loki and Odin, and it made me care about everything that was going on. 7) Iron Man 3 - Tony Stark is one of the best characters in the entire franchise, and this movie captures the PTSD and very slow decent into madness that any sane person would be feeling better than I thought possible. Tony's struggle is of course one of the better parts of the movie, but everything else is also very well done, with a satisfactory resolution. If this were the last film to feature Iron Man, I would have no complaints. 6) Guardians of the Galaxy - I'll admit, this was not a movie I was expecting to like. I didn't even know it was an MCU film until after it came out, and even then I was never interested in seeing it. I guess some part of me was too snooty to accept that the MCU could produce a better-than-Star-Wars-Star-Wars space romp that only featured D-List heroes who I would grow to love. And I was wrong. Absolutely, without a doubt, dead wrong. And it is glorious. 5) Captain America: the First Avenger - I love Captain America. And this movie made me love him. Chris Evans is right up there with Downey as THE BEST POSSIBLE CHOICE for his role. There will never be another set of actors who will be able fill these shoes. But unlike Iron Man, The First Avenger is a great movie throughout, and it made Captain America one of the most popular superheroes in the world. It's silly, smart, endearing, bold, humble, funny, and good. And it came at a time when superhero movies (for the most part) were scared to be any of those things. (The Dark Knight trilogy can go die in a fire). 4) The Avengers: Age of Ultron - Anyone who's ever heard me voice my opinions of this movie knows that I'm eating my words right now. But I stand by what I said. Age of Ultron is a better movie than the first one. It has a smarter script, better action, awesome new heroes, better characterization, awesome Hawkeye moments, and the BEST Quicksilver ever. It raises the stakes like a sequel should, and keeps the comedic tone that the MCU has perfected. And as much as I like Loki, Ultron is just a more interesting and more entertaining villain. However... 3) Marvel's The Avengers - ...This movie is both incredibly memorable and unbelievably satisfying. And that combination really does beat technical proficiency any day. The problem I had with this movie is how it was received: people said that this was the better Avengers movie because it was the first, and therefore special. This is not important. The order in which something came out does not affect the movie's quality. But in the end, that didn't matter. I watched this movie again recently, and I came to the conclusion that while it's younger brother was a good movie, this was a great movie. It has an incredible amount of memorable scenes, it is a seamless blend of the Iron Man, Thor and Captain America franchises, and all of the memorable action scenes are primarily character driven, which of course I love. 2) Captain America: the Winter Soldier - This is my favorite MCU film, and one of my favorite films of all time. It is a perfect blend of the superhero and spy genres, it's dark without being bleak, it's serious while still being funny, it's full of action while being the smartest film yet, and it's conflict is ingenious and terrifying. The Winter Soldier is an amazing villain, the Falcon is a cool hero and the best possible sidekick to the Captain, and this film made Captain America my favorite hero in the MCU. But more than that, something very heartwarming and happy stood out to me that made this a great movie for me: when HYDRA was revealed, and the Helicarriers were about to be sent up, there were just SO many loyal SHEILD agents (some without guns) who were ready and willing to lay down their lives for the right thing, and in doing so, they became just as much of heroes as Captain America. The damn movie made me like humanity, and I fucking needed that feeling in 2016. (Fun fact: I actually saw this after Age of Ultron and Civil War. Needless to say, I was kind of confused as to who the hell the Falcon was) 1) Captain America: Civil War - Winter Soldier may be my favorite, but Civil War makes it on the top not only for being a great movie, but for also the sheer unlikelyhood of it's existence. A decade ago, a movie like this was absolutely unthinkable, and everyone and their mother was sure that this was going to fail. Even the most optimistic of us were sure that this would finally be the Marvel movie that sucked. We were sure that there were finally too many heroes for the movie to work. Never has anyone since WW2 been so wrong. Everything about this movie is phenomenal. ESPECIALLY the new cast. I never thought that there would be a Spider-Man to top Toby McGuire. I never thought that I'd be excited for a Black Panther movie either, but there you go. And that airport fight? OH MY FUCKING GOD THAT WAS AWESOME!!! And while this has been called (unfairly) the REAL Avengers 2, it's also very much a Captain America movie, and it wraps up the strings of The Winter Soldier remarkably well. Bucky Barnes especially was one of my favorite parts of the movie. And I look forward to the day when he leads his own team of Avengers. This was just such an awesome movie! And there you go. My humble list. I am looking forward to the next three Marvel movies that we'll be getting this year, and I'm sure that they'll all make it into my top ten.

[actutrends]

Tales of the ‘Iron Lady,’ who is the real Germaine de Randamie?

Germaine de Randamie is set to compete in her second career title fight at UFC 245. Whether it’s in or out of the Octagon, she’s never let anyone hold her back.

The sound of the horn echoed throughout the Barclays Center. It was the second time that the state of New York had hosted a UFC event and history had just unfolded in the evening’s featured attraction. Bruce Buffer began to read the scorecards.

“All three judges score the bout 48-47 …” The fans and fighters gazed into the Octagon anticipating the result. “For your winner, and new UFC women’s featherweight champion … Germaine ‘The Iron Lady’ de Randamie!”

UFC 208 had officially belonged to the Netherlands’ favorite fighting daughter. But what would be a great moment for her and her homeland was soured in the eyes of the public – mid-fight as well as post-fight.

21 years ago, a 200-plus pound 14-year old Germaine de Randamie discovered combat sports thanks to a friend. From there, she would go onto become a multi-time world champion in kickboxing and establish herself as one of the greatest strikers in Mixed Martial Arts.

Prior to that, sports were already a big part of her life as more often than not she could be found out on the Dutch soccer fields scoring goals aplenty.

“I played soccer, very high level, I was in the selection team of the Netherlands,” de Randamie shared with FanSided. “I played soccer for a long time and I really enjoyed it. And one day I woke up and I looked at my mom and was like, ‘I’m done playing soccer.’ She’s like, ‘Okay, well, that’s fine. If you’re done with it, you’re done with it.’ And a friend of mine, he was doing kickboxing at the time. He asked me, and I was a very heavy girl, I was pretty heavy. I think I was walking around at almost 205 [pounds], yeah. I was heavy. I was a big girl – at the time.

“Then that friend of mine who was kickboxing was like, ‘You want to come with me one time?’ I’m like, okay, I’ll do that. And then I was training for two months and then the coach said, ‘You want to do a fight?’ I’m like, okay, let’s try it. I never ever had intention to become a world champion. Never ever. Honestly, one thing just led to another, and it all played out, right now being here,” she laughed, “It’s been a crazy journey.”

Like notable MMA figures, Kenny Florian and all-time great, Jose Aldo, the transition from kicking soccer balls to kicking faces panned out for the Utrecht native.

Once de Randamie went pro, it was off to the races with no looking back. Just like Bob Ross, “GDR” stumbled upon a happy accident and started painting canvases of her own. She was a perfect 46-0 in her kickboxing career.

“It shows how crazy life can be,” she reflected, “Sometimes something changes in a person’s life and they’ll be like ‘Well, I had a plan and it was supposed to go that way.’ Yeah, but maybe your journey is supposed to lead another way and brings out something deep inside you that you never thought you had or could. And now you’re exploring something that honestly, truly makes you happy. Even though you thought going down the other road was the road you had to take.”

Consistently exuding positive vibes wherever she goes and whatever the situation surrounding her may be, that hasn’t always been the case in reciprocation.

At UFC 208 when de Randamie defeated Holly Holm to become the inaugural 145-pound champion of the UFC, the backlash received was as negative as it could possibly be.

After the bell sounded in both the second and third rounds of the title bout, de Randamie landed late punches to Holm that resulted in her being warned of point deductions without actually receiving any – to the displeasure of many.

Having gone onto capture the featherweight crown, “GDR” would be treated to death threats and plenty of toxic comments for her actions. To top it all off, her declining to defend against the top challenger in Cris “Cyborg” Justino didn’t help at all either.

Now 35, the “Iron Lady” has always done things her way and isn’t going to let anyone else tell her what she can and can’t do. As the “fans” did over the course of the immediate months that followed her title win, medical supervisors also recently told her that her time was up in the fight game.

“[My eye injury] was severe,” de Randamie said, “My doctor told me I would never fight again and they basically said hang up your gloves, Germaine. And I looked him in the eye and I’m like, ‘Seriously? A lot of people already told me to quit and I’m not gonna make it, but you ain’t gonna be the one to tell me that. I’m gonna do this my way.’ Then over time things got a little bit better. I do have permanent damage on the nerve but nothing that will stop me from fighting. So we’re ready to go. I see perfectly, let’s go.”

Four months after de Randamie won the belt in February 2017 she was stripped of it by the promotion. She wouldn’t step foot in the Octagon again until November of the next year and in that timespan, she had to heal a bad hand injury prior to the eye incident.

Expected to make her return to action sooner than November, the freak accident struck. In a way, it was like her past came back to haunt her.

“It was a stupid accident, it was seriously an accident,” de Randamie began, “I was playing soccer and I kicked the ball, I wanted to shoot on the goalie and make a score, and I really shot the ball hard and it hit the goalie and it came back and the ball hit my eye. A freak-ass accident. Seriously. 21 years of fighting, I played soccer, kicked the ball and … are you kidding me? So this camp I decided not to play soccer. Just to keep it safe,” she finished with a laugh.

“The thing is, I love being in nature and I love seeing so many things. So if you’re partially blind, it’s very scary. For a long time, I was very blind on one side. So that’s very scary. It is, but everything in life, not everything, but a lot of things in life happen for a reason. Sometimes things work out for the better. You learn so much about yourself even though it hurts for a period of time and you’re like, ‘why does this happen?’ But at the end of the day, I came back so much stronger, and I appreciate everything. And like I said, the most important thing is I’m going to do this my way. Like I said to the doctor, you’re not gonna tell me I can’t. So many people already told me that. And I’m still here. Nobody will hold me back.”

While the legacy of de Randamie is one that depicts her doing damage to other individuals, she never wants to hurt people just to hurt people. A consummate martial artist, she cherishes her ability to be able to protect her own as a police officer when she isn’t protecting herself against her opponents.

Full-time jobs and MMA don’t always mix well for many, but there have been obvious exceptions such as the heavyweight champion, Stipe Miocic, who does his service to society fighting fires. For de Randamie, being able to give back is just something she feels is instinctual.

However, that doesn’t mean it’s always easy to find the balance. Especially for such a demanding and strict profession.

“I love my job. It is sometimes hard because I work and train, I really don’t get time off to prepare myself for a fight,” she expressed, “We don’t do that in Holland. They’ll be like, ‘Okay, you want to fight but you still have to work.’ So unless you don’t want to, you gotta take absence of leave but it’s for your own cost. So yeah, at times it’s difficult. Because you know, I’m getting older too. I’ve been fighting for 21 years. My body took a lot of damage over the years. After over 60 pro fights, it’s been a long career. And sometimes it’s very hard, very hard. But at the same time, I’m healthy. And I want to contribute something to society, not just being a fighter, I just want to contribute something.

“For me, it’s very important that people feel safe. When you walk the streets, you feel safe. I want to help people there where I can. So I love my job. I love what I’m doing. And I love fighting. So at times, it’s hard, but at the same time, it’s so rewarding. So I’m in a good position, I’m blessed.”

Opposed to her career putting the bad guys in cages, she admits that the only one holding her back in MMA cages has been herself.

With a 9-3 record in the sport, it took several instances for de Randamie to grow out of being simply that world champion kickboxer she was when starting. Her only losses have all come against future and current champions. Coincidentally enough, all of them saw her beaten due to her lack of knowledge in the grappling department.

Things were learned the hard way right from the get-go that maybe the approach to things was a bit wrong heading into this new venture.

“My advice [to my past self] would probably be tap if the submission is in,” de Randamie stated, “I got arm barred by Vanessa Porto [in my first fight] and I didn’t tap. Well, she ripped my arm in two pieces, basically, she did,” the former titlist said with a laugh, “I had no experience in MMA, you know? I’m like, oh I can get out of this. No, Germaine. You can’t. So that was very painful!

“If the submission is in, tap … and first, embrace the ground game more because Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling is a very different kind of sport and I see a lot of kickboxers right now transferring to MMA, and I believe honestly, some of them look at it too easy. Like, ‘Oh, I just throw a knee.’ It’s not like that, you don’t just throw a knee. So just take your time. Don’t rush anything. Everybody’s just focusing on ‘I want to be in the UFC. I want to be UFC champion!’ That’s great and I completely understand. But take your time. When you’re young, you have plenty of time. You don’t want to rush things because it takes a lot, not only physically, but also mentally being in such a big organization as the UFC. There are no shortcuts in the UFC. So take your time.”

Having not suffered defeat in six years, the Dutchwoman now prepares for the biggest fight of her life as she will rematch with the now UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes – the last one to hand her a loss.

When the two met in 2013 at a Fight for the Troops event, each were still making their ways up the bantamweight ladder as solid prospects. But in the end, Nunes exposed her rival to still be that striking specialist she was known as.

Initiating the clinch to inevitably hit a takedown, Nunes had essentially won the fight within the first 30 seconds. Three minutes later and she had officially scored the TKO win via ground and pound with elbows.

“I give her that credit,” de Randamie said, “I’m very thankful to Amanda. She brought out the best in me after our first fight and that’s the honest truth. I’ve learned so much after our first fight and I’m thankful for that. I am, honestly. If you just walk over somebody and stick to your mind and being that kickboxer in a completely different sport, you cannot compare kickboxing to MMA at all. Not even close. You’re stupid. Amanda opened my eyes because, at that point, I was still seriously a real kickboxer. She opened my eyes, I’m very thankful for that. She showed me that, you know, kickboxing is amazing, but you’re doing something different. So you gotta adjust.”

And adjust she has. Since the loss, we’ve seen de Randamie’s takedown and grappling defense improve in leaps and bounds.

Crediting her team for her continued success, she says she wouldn’t be here without them. Having balanced out her training when it comes to the striking and grappling realms, de Randamie is nothing but honest. Saying that it would be “arrogant and ignorant” to only focus on kickboxing, as when fighting in the ring rather than the Octagon, her style and approach are entirely different.

But ultimately, the CSA Holland representative envisions her gold strapped adversary to come at her the same way she did the first time … because if things start looking like a kickboxing match, de Randamie expects smooth sailing.

“Don’t get me wrong, I have the utmost respect for Amanda, I absolutely do,” she said, “I mean, she’s a great champion no doubt about that and it’s an honor for me step to step in that Octagon with her again. But if this was supposed to be a kickboxing fight with 10-ounce gloves, she would have no chance, with all due respect. But it’s not kickboxing. This is MMA. I expect Amanda to shoot on me and if we look in the past with Amanda you see she has troubles with true kickboxers. Look at Valentina [Shevchenko]. Even she said she had a tough fight with Valentina, both fights were very tough, so I am in for a tough fight. That’s one thing that’s for sure.

“I know she has legit power. So I have to be careful with that too. I have 25 minutes, I have time. I have a plan. And I’m not going to rush anything. Like I said, I’ve got 25 minutes but if we can keep like a kickboxing fight it’s getting more in my favor every minute. But even on the ground, I honestly believe on the ground, I’m not afraid of her. Honestly. I will not make the same stupid mistakes I did in our first fight. But I do believe she’s gonna shoot on me. There’s no doubt about that. I honestly believe Amanda knows too, I am the most dangerous fighter at this moment that can beat her. I believe I am the only one at this moment that can beat Amanda Nunes.”

These big moments and positions with the spotlight on have become enjoyable for de Randamie. They only last for so long, so they’re enjoyed to the fullest.

From knocking out men in kickboxing to capturing world titles, there are only so many experiences in fighting that can be done before it’s time to experience something new. And sometimes, you might even just wake up one day and come to the realization that you don’t want to kick a ball around anymore.

Living in the moment with her eyes on the grand prize once again, de Randamie looks to write another happy ending to this chapter of her storybook career. But what does that entail for the next installment of the “Iron Lady’s” life?

“I’m always positive in every situation and of course you think about it,” she said of retirement, “Because I want to become a mom one day. But at this point right now, I don’t know, because I don’t think it’s a thought that should be in my mind right now. You do have a plan for yourself, but it’s not a thought that is crossing my mind right now. And I don’t think that’s the right thought to have right now. But I do know, there’s not much left for me to do after this. I can defend the belt or if I lose, there’s not much to do after this. We’ll see.

“Of course, you want to defend the belt. But if I lose, I don’t know. Am I gonna try and capture the belt again? I don’t know, but still, like I said, right now my focus is on Saturday. Have fun, absolutely have fun, and that’s the coolest part. Now I get to have fun and I get to fight the best female MMA fighter there is at this moment. So that is just one thing in itself that is awesome. And put another thing in my basket for things that write my legacy. That’s the most important thing right now. That’s my focus. After Saturday, I’m gonna let my body heal then we’ll see what happens.”

The post Tales of the ‘Iron Lady,’ who is the real Germaine de Randamie? appeared first on Actu Trends.

[eatbaketravel]

One of the many decorated doors

  As I was watching Hurricane Dorian batter the South Carolina and in particular Charleston, I think back to the day we spent sightseeing and eating our way through this charming Southern City.  We did our best to see some sights and most of all we ate great food.

We were only in town for one day.  One day or even just a few hours is not enough to really get to know a city.  That is certainly not enough time to get to know a city with such rich history. The food was going to be the main attraction but you should also know the city’s history. It is hard to get it all in. Where do you start?

Charleston’s many colorful doors

Most of the houses are very colorful

Sleeping porches 

Another colorful home

For starters Charleston was important to the early history of the colonies and pirates and and important city during the Civil War and beyond. The city of Charleston, South Carolina was founded in 1670 by English colonists. It was named Charles Town in honor of King Charles II. Charles Town’s location on the coast was vulnerable to attack. Charles Town became a hotspot for pirates from the 1670s; the combination of a weak government and corruption made the city popular with pirates, who frequently visited and raided the city. Charles Town was besieged by the pirate Blackbeard for several days in May 1718. His ransom was medical supplies. Can you say syphilis.

Charles Town flourished during the 18th century. Delegates for the Continental Congress were elected in 1774. During the Revolution the British attacked the town in force three times. On  May 12, 1780  the British captured Charleston. However, the British were forced to withdraw from Charles Town on December 14, 1782. They tried again in February 1780, with a siege that lasted 40 days and resulted in the capitulation by the city on May 12. The British occupation lasted until December 14, 1782. In August of the following year, the city was chartered and took the name Charleston.

Reaction to the election of  Abraham Lincoln in November 1860 swift and quick. On December 20, a convention meeting in Charleston declared South Carolina to be an independent commonwealth, the first act of secession by any state. The first shots fired in the Civil War were the bombardment of Fort Sumter by Confederate forces on April 12, 1861. The war in Charleston came to an official end on April 14, 1865, when the Union flag was raised over Fort Sumter on the fourth anniversary of its surrender.

I had been doing my reseach for about a year looking for the best or most iconic places to eat. The plan of attach was to eat early and often. At least breakfast, lunch and a late snack we had to be back on the ship by 6. The one restaurant that was on the top of the list was Hominy Grill. As we were walking off the ship I spotted an young lady with maps. I asked her how far Homing Grill was from the dock. Her reposnse of they closed on Sunday (two damn days ago) was a shock to my system. @#$# I didn’t faint but the disappointment did show in my  respond “well crap!” That was putting it mildly. But never the less she sent us to TOAST for our breakfast and it did not disappoint. I had the Eggs Meeting Place an egg ontop of a fried green tomato ontop of a crab cake with a romoulade sauce and a very large fluffy buttery biscuit. The perfect biscuit. Visible chunks of butter throughout.

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Egg, fried green tomato

What a great biscuit

Time to walk it Off. We walked passed the pastel houses some had garden in front some did not. It was starting to get hot so we opted to take a carriage ride through  the histortic district. We got a history lesson on our slow ride around town. The carriage rides start and end the City Market. It used to be the center of the slave trade now it is the center of the tourist trade. There are now stalls fill with local crafts. You can find everything from the Gullah baskets, food products and photos of the famous Charleston doors (which we did purchase).

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We found a BBQ joint for lunch. Pullled pork with 7 different sauces. Alabama white to vinegar and mustard sauce. All good in different ways but I will stick to my sweet and tangy sauce with the surprise runner up of the Alabama white.

A typical pulled pork sandwich with traditional  sides 

You need a good sauce

After lunch we decided to walk back to photograph the imposing old city jail. We needed to make room for dinner! It was decaying and imposing and during the day but if you dare there are ghost tours at night. In jail’s heyday a six month sentence was more like a death sentence. Not very many prisoners made it through their punishment. Locals now say it is the most haunted spot in America.

The haunted old jail

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Charleston is known for its many historic churches. Charleston Unitarian Church was started in 1772. It was completed in 1787.  The Huguenot (French Protestant) Church was dedicated in 1845 and Grace Church Cathedral was dedicated in 1846. We found ourselves in two very distinct church yards of the Catholic and the Unitarian Churches.  The Catholic grave yard was perfectly manicured while the Unitarian grave yard was overgrown not just with weeds and grasses but flowers and Spanish moss which was intentional to let the departed return to nature and  did give a very calm and peaceful vibe.

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Now that we had worked up a smallish appetite it was on the Pearlz Oyster bar. Local craft beer and oysters from local waters. The  oysters were very briny and flavorful but I really prefer the oysters from my local waters of the Chesapeake. The highlight was the crispy oyster taco. If I was not already full from everything else that day I may have had more than one.  The Hubby definitely would have and he didn’t even like oyster tacos before he tried these.

Low country oysters

Oyster taco

No trip to the South is complete without a stop in a candy shop. And of course we did. Pralines, Bearclaws and the Charleston sesame wafers.  I couldn’t decide so I brought all three. Most of them did not make it home.

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We never did make it to Fort Sumnter, That we will leave for another day. It goes to the top of the list along with a food tour, ghost tour, Rainbow row and the Battery. I think a long weekend should take care of it.

                    A Short Day of Sightseeing and Eating Our Way Around Charleston, South Carolina As I was watching Hurricane Dorian batter the South Carolina and in particular Charleston, I think back to the day we spent sightseeing and eating our way through this charming Southern City. 

#BBQ #Biscuits #Carriage rides #Charleston #Low country #Oysters #pulled pork #South Carolina

[terryblount]

Resident Evil 2 Review: Gruesomely Gorgeous

Ah, Resident Evil 2, the 1998 survival-horror classic adored by millions! And now the 2019 survival-horror classic-in-the-making adored by ever growing multitudes. Two games, both excellent, but how does this new RE2 compare? Thankfully, it retains the original survival-horror charm while also delivering a modern experience. Unfortunately, a bit too much outdated design causes it to occasionally stumble and fall like a clumsy zombie. Read on to discover the joys and bugbears of 2019’s RE2.

Atmospheric Horror-Delight

By far the most brilliant thing about RE2 is the stunningly immersive world built for you to slowly explore and unravel. There’s a palpable feeling of despair mixed with hyper-focus on graphical detail making every room, passageway, and crevice a wonder to discover.

The famous S.T.A.R.S. room. So much 1990s detail! Much pretty!

The moody vibes of the abandoned city and desperate plights of the few survivors meshes perfectly with a spectacular visual presentation. Get ready for one visual and aural treat after another.

Setting Up the Story

You begin on the dark, rainy city streets outside Raccoon City, a fictional US city with a disturbing history. By way of one ill-fated event after another, you go from surreal police station, to the sewers, and beyond. Thanks to the cutting-edge graphics engine and superb game direction, delving deeper and deeper into this twisted underworld is gruesome, gorgeous, and mesmerizing.

Never before has such an iconic and impressive survival horror world been crafted, and RE2 exudes character and personality from the very floors, halls, and walls of its macabre locations.

Just another pleasant stroll through zombie-infested sewers. It’ll be fine! (Run!)

As far as the actual story goes, it’s best you discover it for yourself. There’s zombies, an evil corporation, corrupt authorities, and experiments gone wrong. All the usual stuff.

The story is presented through excellent cutscenes with extremely detailed characters and facial animation combined with smooth motion capture and top-notch voice acting. There’s some standout performances here, but just know there’s only handful of story cutscenes. RE2 gives you just enough plot to make sense but not enough to sink your teeth into, just like the original 1998 game. That’s not a fault per-se; it’s just its style.

Bloody Zombie Survival-Horror

Besides the immaculate RE2 world, the enemy design is absolutely incredible. The attention to detail in each shambling zombie, ferocious dog, and other creature is best in class. Particularly impressive is the zombie dismemberment system that keeps you finding creative ways to eliminate, outmaneuver, and overcome the undead underlings found all across the environments.

This zombie’s just been hit by an acid round. He’ll be fine…feel the burn.

These ghastly and imposing enemies sometimes seem too much to contend with. At first, you often don’t have enough ammo and perhaps question how you can survive. After a while, you learn how to think quickly and overcome RE2. This empowering feeling of increasing mastery is just like how I felt when I played the original back in the day. Speaking of which, let me address this topic.

Disclaimer: RE2 is Special to Me

I should disclose that 1998’s RE2 was my first Resident Evil game. This was back when 3D graphics were young, and I adored this “realistic” PlayStation CD-ROM work of art.

I remember going over to a friend’s house and playing late at night, slowly inching forward through scary hallways on the edge of our seats. It was creepy, scary, and fascinating. I have wonderful memories of playing and replaying the game, finally unlocking the extra weapons and modes, feeling like such a pro.

Even to this day I consider RE2 one of my defining video game experiences. Just keep in mind that a new player to this remake might have that same “revelatory” experience I had in 1998, while I may be more critical of this remake than someone who doesn’t know the brilliance and joy of the original game. Back to the review!

Third-Person Puzzling Exploration

The heart of RE2 is a puzzle-like level design that sees you exploring, discovering, unlocking, backtracking, and going around in circles as you attempt to piece together the mysterious reason for all this horror. The game is quite cerebral in how you must pay very close attention to what items you need, where to use them, and how to make the most of your limited resources.

Fortunately the game provides a very helpful map, without which you’d probably go insane. The map does an excellent job of indicating which rooms are unexplored or still have items left in them.

You’ll be spending quite a lot of time deciphering the map. At least it’s a nice map.

At this point, a large warning should be issued: this is not a typical third-person shooter where you are pushed forward from one set piece to another. No, RE2 retains the sometimes obtuse 1998-style item and level design that seems to revel in hindering the player.

Each item has a specific and often unclear purpose much like an old point-and-click adventure game. For example, you might find yourself going to the lounge room to find a metal tin you must examine to find a film roll to develop in the dark room to reveal a puzzle about a lion statue that unlocks a key to a door to a secret room. Because obviously that’s what the metal tin is for! Duh!

At least the items all have wonderful detail! I love shiny medallions! I want to bite it hard!!

Some players will love this esoteric puzzling retained from the original game, but there will surely be times you’ll leave an essential item back in storage and find yourself out of ammo, isolated, and possibly very dead. Speaking of items and storage space…it’s time to discuss one of RE2’s more tiresome aspects.

Inventory Woes Like It’s 1998

For all the graphical and controls modernization in RE2, what’s confusingly archaic is the inventory and item design. For those of us who played the original PlayStation era Resident Evil games, we all remember the massive headache of organizing a far-too-small inventory with far-too-many items. Sadly, this headache is back in a lesser but still frustrating way.

Sorting through items is way more fun than actually playing the game! NOT!

Most bizarrely unforgivable is how RE2 does NOT bring forward all the excellent quality-of-life changes included in the last 14 years of RE games (over six titles). Faithfully recreating what people loved about RE2 makes sense, but purposefully taking us back to the bad-old-days of Resident Evil inventory design is not cool.

Irksome Item Issues: A Story

So what are these serious inventory issues? Let’s start with an easy one: you can’t use items directly from the pick-up screen. Think this is no big deal? Let me take you on a very scary true RE2 story that’ll have you weeping and gnashing your teeth by the end (or not).

Picture this: you’re one hit from death as you finally limp to a First Aid Spray (fully heals you). So glad to have finally found healing, you attempt to use the item immediately. Sorry, you can’t! Your inventory is full! You confusingly exclaim, “Um, I don’t need to put it in my inventory…just pick it up and use it!”

Being an imprisoned zombie is how it feels to engage in full inventory item management.

The game smiles and patronizingly says, “Nope, sorry, we didn’t build ‘Use’ into our interface…you’ll need an empty inventory slot, you pathetic player.” As the game mocks you, you attempt to find a solution. Every second gone by you can feel the dehumanizing horror of 1998 item management coming back to haunt you.

Suddenly a brilliant idea sparks your mind. You guardedly ask, “Ok…well, can I quickly drop another item to make room and then pick that item back up from the ground?” RE2 begins boisterous, unnerving laughter… “No, silly player! Feel free to drop an item but it’ll be PERMANENTLY deleted as punishment for your full-inventory sins!”

Now you’re livid. You shout furiously, “What about RE4, RE5, RE6, and Revelations 1 & 2?” [Deep breath…] You begin to speak in a low, quivering tone: “This idiotic conundrum was solved years ago in 2005 with a simple ‘Use’ prompt upon item-pickup! How do you not know that?! How, RE2?!”

You continue and defeatedly plead, “Heck, Resident Evil 0 Remaster from 2016 even let us drop items and would display them on our map to be picked up again later! It was the best feature ever introduced to Resident Evil!”

Claire is repulsed at RE2 removing all the inventory improvements from prior RE games.

But RE2 doesn’t respond. It merely smirks, knowing that you’re going to have to PERMANENTLY sacrifice one of your items just to immediately heal yourself…and then you’ll have to stare at that newly created EMPTY inventory slot because “this is old-skool survival-horror.” More like “this is real bad design.”

Item Woes Continued

Ok, maybe I went a little off the rails in the last few paragraphs. But seriously folks. RE2’s inventory system is obnoxious, and I’m not done yet describing the issues!

Did I mention you also can’t use items directly from the storage transfer screen? Then there’s times the game isn’t smart enough to automatically combine the same ammo types when using gunpowder. Just weird.

Another bizarre design choice is how the game forces you to manually discard items with no further use. Past games like the RE0 and RE1 remasters would do this for you because why waste the player’s time? It’s strange that RE2 is so polished overall but has these dumb, rough inventory edges.

This is engineer Claire. She loves trains. Let’s be happy and forgot our item woes!

Some players will defend these design choices saying all this is “part of the experience” and it “builds tension” and challenges you. Yeah, it builds artificial and nonsensical tension. Maybe you’ll disagree, but I feel all these issues do nothing but frustrate and slow-down the actual playing of the outstanding game.

All this dubious design needlessly complicates what should be simple player-to-game-world interactions. They damage immersion and anger players. RE2 would be a VASTLY better game if it included all the excellent inventory improvements the series has seen in the 20 years since 1998’s RE2! Enough said on that.

The Stylishness of RE2’s Story: Multiple Playthoughs

Exactly like the original RE2, this modern incarnation keeps the same story-framing style: multiple playthroughs. Most modern games try to fit everything in to one playthrough, perhaps having a New Game Plus mode just for fun. RE2 defies this approach and asks, nay, dares you to play over and over to unlock the full experience.

Let’s explain RE2’s campaigns real quickly. RE2 is broken into four main campaigns, each telling the story from a slightly different angle with modified items, enemies, locations, and puzzles. Upon first playing, you have the choice of two main campaigns: Leon or Claire. Leon’s campaign is what 80% of players have chosen to begin with, according to Capcom.

The game nicely tracks your various playthroughs, urging you to go faster next time!

Upon completing Leon’s campaign, the game abruptly ends and you unlock a “2nd Run” mode, which is a slightly shorter remixed version of Leon’s original campaign that must be completed to reveal the true ending.

However, most players will want to play Claire’s campaign after finishing Leon’s first campaign, in order to break up the Leon-monotony. Claire’s campaign features a large amount of unique content, including important characters and entire environments not found in either of Leon’s runs.

Getting confused yet? RE2 doesn’t do a great job of explaining these four campaigns, and the menu system isn’t so helpful either. It makes sense that some players will get confused as to the “proper” order to play everything. Basically, the most common pattern will be Leon, Claire, Leon 2nd Run, and then you can choose between Claire 2nd Run or Extra Mode 1.

Will you be able to unlock the secret “Tofu” mode? Do you even want to try?!

Speaking of Extra Modes, if you complete the campaigns fast enough, you unlock two semi-silly modes that each take about 10 to 15 minutes and are pure run-and-gun/survival modes. There’s no saving, and you either die or reach the end. Honestly, most players will attempt these modes a few times and quit in frustration because they’re not particularly well-balanced and rely on memorizing enemy locations and behaviors.

All told, it’ll take you somewhere between 13 to 20 hours to unlock the true ending, at which point what’s left is completing optional objectives, speedruns to get that coveted “S” rank, and Achievements if that’s your thing. So RE2 is definitely a premium title, giving you short but memorable gameplay as opposed to the larger, more expansive action/adventure/RPG/sim games.

I’m so proud of my “S” rank. Let’s celebrate, Resident Evil style! (Just don’t invite the Tyrant.)

Audio: Crisp Creaking and Much Moaning

On the aural front, RE2 deserves special praise for the atmospheric audio touches placed all over the locations. From creaking floorboards, flickering and shorting electrical panels, pouring water, shattered windows, and other horrific matters, this game builds a wondrous world for your ears. It all works extremely well, although the combat sound effects aren’t quite as good as the world sounds.

And the music is very forgettable…you can buy DLC (yuck) to unlock the original PlayStation soundtrack and effects, which some may enjoy for nostalgia reasons. Regardless, RE2’s music isn’t a highlight.

Technically Near-Perfect

On the technical side, RE2 is a dream. The load times are often just one or two seconds even on a non-solid-state drive install. Seriously, how does this game load so fast?! Overachieve much? Please also note I never once had a crash or glitch, and the game alt-tab’s like a champ. Basically RE2 is too legit to quit (working).

There’s only a few slightly odd graphical shimmering effects with the lighting engine, but that’s very minor. Occasionally the game will freeze for a split-second upon entering new areas or finding collectibles, but it’s not a huge deal.

For new players, who could this mysterious lady be? For fans of the series, look who it is!

The game also features a very robust graphical customization menu. It’s wonderful to see the robust configurability that the PC platform deserves. Being able to adjust the FOV, motion blur, depth of field, lens flares, and chromatic aberration is much appreciated. So kudos to Capcom for creating such a native PC experience!

Zombie Bullet Sponges & Damage Issues

Another contentious point is how unexpectedly tough zombies are. It’s clear RE2 is trying to be a “hardcore” survival game rather than an action game, but there’s something profoundly unsatisfying when you put six to nine bullets directly into the head of a zombie and it still gets up again.

As detailed as the zombies are, they’re heads don’t realistically deform when shot with bullets. They simply have blood textures applied instead of starting to cave in and lose parts. This is an unfortunate lack of detail. Also missing are blood pools around some dead zombies. Fans of the original game will lament this omission.

Especially galling is how occasionally you can pull out your shotgun and directly blast a zombie in the head an arm’s length away and sometimes still not kill it! In this shotgun case, you only can truly count on a one-hit-kill with a fully upgraded shotgun. This makes sense in “video game progression land” but it’s contrived and unsatisfying. Watch the GIF below in abject horror.

https://media.giphy.com/media/3NxgDeGa7iQEcWPK2Z/source.mp4

When a shotgun at point blank can’t explode a zombie’s head on Normal difficulty it brings to mind the meme: you had one job, shotgun, one job! Zombie’s head should go boom.

What’s also missing is the satisfying (but unrealistic) blood spurting when you decapitate a zombie with a powerful weapon. The original RE2 was so enjoyable in this way, and RE2’s “head split” animation is just not nearly as enjoyable as the original. Oh well…

Dinky Combat & No CQC

What makes the zombie bullet sponges even more unfortunate is the little sense of power and lethality of most combat engagements, which is perhaps intended to once again “heighten tension” but doesn’t feel very good to play. Your aim is inaccurate. Bullets hitting zombies can feel more like foam darts. Your knife slashes are imprecise and feel like you’re attempting to slather butter on the zombies rather than expertly slash and murder them.

Sometimes scripted sequences override player actions, which is a big sin. At one point several zombies were around me, and one  grabbed me. I used my equipped flashbang to stun it, but another zombie grabbed me a split-second before the flash detonated. Despite a flashbang going off right next to it, the zombie played its scripted grab animation and badly damaged me. These conflicts between player input and scripted results happen too often.

Another huge issue is the player has zero close-quarters-combat (CQC) skills. You would think you could at least have basic self-defense moves when your ammo is gone. Nope. You can’t kick, punch, push, or otherwise repel zombie attacks. You just stand like a fool as zombies lunge at you. They’ve artificially limited your ability to respond to threats, which makes the game a lot less fun to play.

Claire was never taught to KICK when a zombie chews your leg. Another poor education.

It’s just too jarring to have Leon and Claire, both fit and athletic young people, be unable to duck, weave, roll, dodge, and quickly outmaneuver zombies…unless it’s in a cutscene when suddenly they stop being movement morons. I personally hate when games have characters do things in cutscenes that are taken away from you when you actually play. Not cool.

So once again some of the combat improvements in the more modern games have been stripped out…an unfortunate design decision perhaps done because Capcom was too afraid to deliver “an action feel” after the utter disaster that was RE6.

Some Kind of Tyrant

I’m not going to say much, but during the game you’ll encounter this one guy who follows you around and tries to kill you. You might enjoy these segments. More likely, you’ll find them a bit annoying by the end. I personally found these segments to be fairly brief, so I’m not knocking or praising the game in this regard.

This guy is not the Tyrant, but this guy is also disturbingly scary. He needs serious therapy.

Keyboard and Mouse Issues

If you’re using a controller, you can move very slowly by barely pushing the analog stick (like nearly every third-person game). Sadly Capcom forgot to include a keyboard binding for this “slow walk” style, so if you’re playing with keyboard and mouse you’ll be unable to avoid detection in certain important areas. All it would take is a menu option to press down “Ctrl” or whatnot to get your creep on and safely avoid serious consequences. Needed more PC testing.

DLC Costumes, Unlockables, & Promised Content

On the very negative side, one thing they haven’t kept from the old days is quality unlockable costumes. Rather, they’ve opted to modernize things with unacceptable DLC outfits. You only unlock the original 1998 outfits by playing. The interesting outfits…you need to pay for them. I will never condone this practice in a full-price release.

No! Charging for what used to be free unlockable costumes is NOT cool! A terrible practice.

Also sad is how much more annoying it is to unlock the good infinite ammo weapons in this modern RE2. It’s just silly to lock the best stuff behind modes about maybe 2% of your players will finish.

On a brighter side, Capcom has promised three mini-stories to be released for free in the future. They’ll probably be very short, but free post-release content is nice.

Other Minor Annoyances

There’s a 20 save-game limit for some silly reason. This means you won’t be able to keep all your save games from the four different campaigns (eight counting the Hardcore modes), which makes hunting down missed Achievements or unlockables a bit more tedious. I don’t see why the game couldn’t keep separate save “folders” for each playthrough…this isn’t 1998.

Here you play as a little girl. It was the most terrifying part for me. Play it to find out why.

While you can skip all the major cutscenes (thankfully), for some bizarre reason you cannot skip other short cutscenes such as certain item placements and death scenes. When you’re playing the game for the fourth time you really don’t need to sit through a 10 second sequence seeing yourself torn to shreds…just let me load my game already.

It’s also too bad that RE2 lacks a photo mode since this would be a perfect fit for a game as visually attractive as this one! Oh well.

Overlooking Faults: Yes or No?

In reading the overwhelmingly positive Steam reviews and mostly glowing critic reviews, I think it’s fair to say most players are choosing to overlook the larger issues of RE2 perhaps out of nostalgia or relief that Capcom mostly delivered. These issues chiefly are the less-than-stellar combat, lack of CQC, muddy maneuverability, and the tedious item management.

Another gorgeous, breath-taking scene. Amazing what 20 years of technology can do.

As a critic I can’t just overlook any issues, even if I also love RE2. Therefore, what we have here is a faithful and gorgeous remake that retains the original’s mood but lacks the fluid and intelligent modern gameplay it truly deserves.

If you can overlook the faults, RE2 is as perfect a recreation of the 1998 survival-horror experience as you’ll ever get. I still love the original RE2 and the remake brings back all that I love, even if it also drags in a bit too much less-lovely archaic design.

Perfect atmosphere & mood

Optimized & efficient engine

Gorgeously detailed world

Balanced survival-horror

Super-fast loading times

Immersive locational audio

Extremely faithful remake

Free content updates

Inventory annoyances!

Lack of any CQC defense

Some flimsy/quirky combat

Bullet-sponge zombies

Some obtuse item puzzles

Semi-short campaigns

Pointless 20-save limit

Good costumes are all DLC

Playtime: 26 hours total. Nick completed Leon’s “scenic” playthrough in 7 hours. Next was Claire’s in 4 hours. Leon’s 2nd Run took 3 hours, and Claire’s 2nd Run came in at a quick 2.5 hours. Nick proceeded to unlock Achievements and collectibles for a good while more. He’s looking forward to maybe attempting Hardcore mode someday…maybe.

Computer Specs: Windows 10 64-bit computer using an Intel i7-3930k CPU, 32GB of memory, and a nVidia GTX 980 Ti graphics card.

Also read the Resident Evil 2 PC Performance Analysis.

Resident Evil 2 Review: Gruesomely Gorgeous published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/

[eclecticprodigy]

OWN ROOM CHALLENGE || HoHoHolidays

They're here! The holidays...the guests...the parties...my most favorite time of the year!

To be honest, I don't host too many guests, but I host myself enough hours in the day that I like to  add some festivity to my place without going traditionally overboard. So think, integration. You know, accentuating what's already happening in terms of the aesthetic of the space. 

As you know from previous OWN ROOM CHALLENGE posts, I've stuck with and worked around the mint walls. Brass, black, and other pastels have saved me from a dreaded tunnel of doom and I'm actually digging what's happening in here. So I'm really excited to share with you all how I've incorporated some holiday details into the mix.

I thought I'd share a breakdown for you on what I purchased to add some Christmas cheer vs. what was already a part of my everyday space; Just to prove that it doesn't take much!

Let's start with the obvious...

The TREE

For years I had a white tree...decked out with jewel tone ornaments, ribbon, garland and extra lights. this year, that white tree went to goodwill in seattle and i hauled home a new a 4.5' virginia pine (artificial of course) back here in Minneapolis. || $63

'splurged' on about 10 new ornaments from the $3 bins, pickin up a more rustic and boho vibe, and mixed them in with some of my older glam (as i like to call them) ornaments from years prior. I like to go for a mix of textures and scale. p.S. I am the scrooge that will insist their child have their own tree to hang their own colorful, nostalgic, random, homemade ornaments.  || $30

decided to keep the 'ol silver tree skirt as well since it still went with the color story. || Free?

  CANDLESTICKS & Greenery

i went from 0 - 5 candlesticks in one day. three of which are included in this set from ikea used on the coffee table. i was initially looking for some over the top candelabra action but kept it simple and snagged some gold candles at Hobby lobby to keep it classy. || $14 

So on top of the artificial pine tree, i thought to myself, why not buy some more pine, but that 'real real'. You know the $3 Chamaecyparis from ikea that smells like a dream (Took three home). It reminds me of some beautiful shrub you'd find in Paris. Especially when it's seated next to this striped spine. Add a $.99 tin pot and you're set. wait til you see where else i used it. || $13

I was also banking on finding a cypress or eucalyptus garland to use around those circle mirrors. come to find out, mom had some stashed away from hhmmmm... 12-15 years ago that was on it's way to goodwill but the perfect shade. Kind of looks like shaggy plastic mint hair when it isn't hung or laid right but hello! It was free and with a bit of caressing it started to behave. Lesson here; always check your mother's garage || Free

btw. i'd vouch for all three of these books but to be honest, reading one profile from in the company of women, you'll walk away with a pep in your step. 

GARLAND & STARS

homegoods really stole the show in this photo. not only did I snag this killer media stand there last month but this ornament garland was shouting from the aisle for me so... i obliged. Because it fits the color story perfectly. || $12 

you'll see another gold ( medal ) winner  on our tablescape post next week as well. I love to use these garlands as anchors to build around on tables and shelves.

i had this really grand idea to make paper or...maybe even fabric ( like from this slab of pleather i bought when i lived in chicago...5 years ago)  stars to hang from the ceiling but thank my lucky stars ...no pun intended...I lingered around ikea's cash wrap long enough to find these paper lanterns. meant to hang as a shade of sorts to a pendant light, i chose to just hang them by some black twine from the ceiling. saving energy friends (mine and the earth's) || $21 (for 3)

What's the story behind those ice skates you ask?....

Well those dull blades date back to the eighties. handed down to me from my grandma, they were my Mom's and whomever else fit into them at the time...which probably included me before my i peaked to my size 10 foot in 5th grade. But as you can see, Grandma left a beautiful memory on these skates of a scene from 'across lake lithia'. we lived in the White House while grandma and grandpa lived across the way in the brown house. so as you can imagine, they witnessed every fall on that ice. thankfully none through the it...and every late night / early morning arrival in the chevy lumina, tetherball tournaments in the yard, lawnmower rides, accidental slips into the swampy waters and fights with the brothers. list could go on. So it's quite 'fun' to share memories like these during the holidays.

 Check back next week as we share our easy tips to adding festivity to your everyday tablescape.

hint: we take a snippet from one of those listed above!

 P.S. Shout out to @kelseyduncan for capturing the holiday cheer for this post!! xoxo

[themusicenthusiast]

Tuesday, June 6th, 2017 – It’s a ‘No Bumma’ Tuesday in Dallas Thanks to a Blistering Set from Hell or Highwater

All photos by Jordan Buford Photography This Tuesday night saw the Hearts in Hell Tour rolling through Dallas, Hell or Highwater and Stitched Up Heart joining forces for a month-long tour, the former of those having a strong showing of fans out. It probably didn’t hurt that they had been in Dallas barely over a month prior for a show, and clearly, one way or another, they had made an impression on those who ventured out to The Curtain Club this night. In a bit of a repeat from that April gig, Idler was opening for them, fellow D-FW acts Awaiting Daylight and Solice joining them in warming up the crowd, all setting a high bar for the two headliners. Furthering the excitement about Hell or Highwater’s set was the fact that they had released Vista (out via Spinefarm Records) since their last trip through, fans having now had time to indulge in the new material from their sophomore LP. I was looking forward to seeing them as well, having enjoyed what I caught of them while at the Aftershock Festival in 2015. They were good then, but within mere moments of taking the stage this night it was evident they had become a totally different band in the time since.

They only had 37-minutes to work with, Kyle Rosa launching them into their opening number with some pulsating percussion, frontman Brandon Saller jumping around some as they took the place by storm with “Colors”. The lead track from their new album was a stupendous way to kick it off, having a bit of an anthem-esque feel to it, its assertive vibe pulling everyone into the rock ‘n’ roll spectacle they were preparing to deliver, the room feeling electric. “Let me see those hands!! Clap those hands!!” the singer instructed, most of the patrons throwing their hands up in the air and helping out with the beat, feeling compelled to participate as they made a direct segue into “Don't Stop. Get Up”. They continued throwing down, bassist Nick Maldonado and Saller standing back to back as the cut got underway, while Joey Bradford attacked his guitar and belted out the backing vocals that serve to make it (and all of their stuff) that much more dynamic. Saller even climbed atop the kick drum at one point, singing a few lines from up there; the rest of the stage being adorned by some faux palm trees with lights strung from them. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. How are you doing tonight?” asked the frontman, soon mentioning they did have a new album out and asking who had Vista in their collection. A good bit of people did, and they seemed rather familiar with one of the singles released prior to the album coming out, “Don't Hate Me”. No sooner had it begun and Saller hopped off the stage, spending the entirety of it roaming around the Curtain and mingling with spectators. The simple gesture made it that much cooler, that he would go the extra mile into establishing a connection with everyone; and Jon Hoover made use of the extra space now available on the backlined stage, moving more towards the center and shredding on his axe.

The rapid-fire pace continued with “Another Good Time”, Bradford having a chance to demonstrate his musical prowess as he wailed on his guitar, the solo packing a punch as they put everyone in a deeper state of awe. Upon finishing that one Saller commented on their décor along with their attire (they were sporting some Hawaiian shirts), stating they had brought the beach with them, essentially wanting to capture that carefree attitude that is often associated with California living, wearing their “party shirts” to boot. I don’t know how much of a legitimate beach vibe it created, though it did make the environment fell all the more fun, so, mission accomplished.

Patrons were encouraged to pull their phones out for “Lighter Than Air”, the slightly more melodic track seeing most everyone waving their phones about, lights on bright, capturing one of those classic concert moments, albeit with a modern twist. That was welcomed, but someone buried in their phone wasn’t what they were hoping for, Saller playfully calling out a person who he had noticed had been on their phone since they started. “…Don’t text and show…” he remarked, stressing that was almost as important as not texting and driving. That earned some hearty laughs, and as he continued addressing the crowd, Saller noted they would do one old song, which delighted fans and showed just what a solid fan base they had out this night.

It was the lead track from Begin Again that they had planned, the high-energy “Gimmie Love” fitting perfectly with everything else they had been doing this night, and I dare say it wound up being the most electrifying song of their set. They were confident and comfortable throughout their performance, though were even more in the zone on that one. Perhaps it was due to the extra familiarity and assurance with that one, being one they’ve played for years now that made it so enthralling, but regardless as to what it was they knocked it out of the park. As they took a breather, Saller formally introduced themselves to the crowd, then asking if they had it in them for some singing along. It was simple, and he led everyone through “whoa oh” a few times, making sure people had it down. That brought them to the most inspiring song in their arsenal, “Walk Out in the Rain” carrying a message of perseverance and weathering whatever life throws at you. “…You can break me, stab me in the back but I'll still leave with my soul intact… Life's a walk out in the rain,” goes part of the chorus; Saller thrusting the microphone out towards everyone each time their part came around, the crowd singing it back at them, all of that cultivating a magical moment as their set approached the end.

Before their final song, they mentioned the way of life they were out pushing on the road. “No bumma summa!” Saller declared, the audience going above and beyond his request of shouting it and instead making it into a chant as they wished everyone an unforgettable summer. And helping them make this an unforgettable set was “I Want it All”, the striking song bringing things to a mighty finish, even drawing it out, turning over the refrain of “I want it all!” to the onlookers before wrapping it up, the quintet leaving the stage having blown at least a few minds this night. What the five of them did on the stage this night transcended being just a show and instead was an absolute experience. No words could adequately describe it, it was just one of those things you needed to witness to be able to truly understand and appreciate.

The energy they exuded was infectious, their music being specifically geared towards energizing the listener, the near non-stop pace they maintained ensuring they were nothing short of riveting. Said energy Hell or Highwater managed to harness was overwhelming, wielding it perfectly and exceeding everything their fans were hoping for while enthralling all of the new listeners. A completely different band from when I saw them upwards of two years ago, they really seem to have come into their own. The live performance is definitely where they excel the most and if you get the chance you need to see them. Their music is just as impressive, though. The lyrics of their new stuff are uplifting and encouraging, sure to resonate deeply with many who hear it, and that’s what music is all about. It’s about connecting with someone and making them feel something, and everything off Vista will certainly achieve that. The Hearts in Hell Tour will run on through July 9th when it wraps up at Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles, CA. Other stops include June 15th at The Basement in Columbus, OH; June 23rd at The Riot Room in Kansas City, MO; and July 1st at Knitting Factory in Spokane, WA. A few days after the tour is over they’ll be in Chicago for Chicago Open Air on July 14th, and in late September you can catch them at High Elevation Fest in Denver. A full list of their upcoming shows can be found HERE; and go buy Vista in iTUNES or GOOGLE PLAY.

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