#i just finished the highway star arc and i love him

[lomappreciationblog]

I have all the screenshots for assorted quests I've finished, so here's to posting some!

The Pursuit of Wisdoms is a very tricky quest to finish, and it took me many, many replays of the game to find out how to do it, and then how to do it the optimal way.

Fortunately, four of the Wisdoms are always in the same place. These being: -Gaeus/Gaia at Luon Highway -Tote at Lake Kilma -Olbohn in the Underworld -Rosiotti in the Jungle

The Gorgon Eye will always be triggered when you enter Lake Kilma, while to go freely to the Underworld requires you to finish The Fallen Emperor at least, but once those quests are out of the way it's easy enough to find the Wisdoms in that area (Tote is always on the cliff after The Gorgon Eye!)

However, the last two members of the Wisdoms are much more tricky to find as they only appear in certain quests or moments.

Pokiehl always appears the first time you go to Lumina, so I highly encourage those wanting to finish this quest to keep that in mind. He will disappear after that, but if you missed him there, he appears in a couple other quests, so don't fret. He appears in: Diddle's Had It!, The Cage of Dreams, Pokiehl Dream Teller, and Mine Your Own Business (I suggest this one to catch him since he doesn't move). Technically, Pokiehl also appears in Legend of Mana, but you have to go back home to finish the quest, so this won't count.

The last one, Selva, is the most obscure and probably the most aggravating, because he only appears in Gato once you do a number of quests in the Star-Crossed Lovers arc, and even then he'll disappear after a certain quest. I can't remember for sure, but in my folders he appears just before the Star-Crossed Lovers quest, but a guide will probably be better at explaining when and where he appears. For sure, he appears at Heaven's Gate quest, but if you bring along Bud that means you'll have to let go of either Daena or Escad, depending on your choices, which will kill them. And if he was your last Wisdom, and you talk to him with Bud at the Heaven's Gate quest, this might lock you out of a Lil Cactus diary for Heaven's Gate, so as much as possible talk to him when he appears before the Star Crossed Lovers quest.

All that in mind, my personal advice for this quest is to leave one of the permanent Wisdoms as your last one and prioritize getting Pokiehl and Selva. Unless you're confident in what you're doing, jumbling the order of quests involved with these characters can lock you out a Li'l Cactus diary, so be careful! Speaking of which, the Li'l Cactus quest can interfere with this too, so be aware of that.

With that in mind, here's the dialogue for each Wisdom encounter!

First one is is Gaeus/Gaia.

If you check the World History tome, Halciet is the last mage who fought against Annuella, but when the mages he led began to fought amongst themselves, he left the battle in disgust. It's interesting to hear this from Gaeus/Gaia, because Annuella was the one who brought him to life, but in spite of this he speaks well of Halciet. Just like Gaeus says, Halciet has been largely forgotten, as he doesn't appear again in the history tome after he defected from the Mage-Faerie War.

Next is Pokiehl:

Pokiehl's dialogue is interesting, because it seems like he encourages us to question the Mana Goddess. But if you look at it with the bigger picture in mind that the Mana Goddess is Love, there's a whole theme going on in LoM about the choices we make for love and its consequences, but that love itself isn't a bad thing and in fact makes our lives rich. Pokiehl speaks about this more in The Cage of Dreams.

With that in mind, it seems like he's encouraging Bud, and Shiloh/Serafina as well as the player, to find out our own reason for loving.

Next is Tote!

It's short and sweet, but also I love how consistent this is to Tote's characterization. He is perhaps the humblest of the Wisdoms and in The Gorgon Eye, he even says he's just a turtle.

Next is Rosiotti:

Rosiotti's advice seems more straightforward as advice to a mage. I do love the variation in their responses and how it fits each one's personalities.

As for Olbohn:

His is also more of life advice. I do like the sentiment for his, it's that you have the potential, but never forget about the others around you, too.

Last one is Selva!

As annoying as it can be to track down Selva, he's got a really good point. Where Pokiehl's dialogues have a theme around choice and love, Selva speaks about change, and in fact is the only Wisdom who addresses the events unfolding in all three arcs - the world changing.

Once all Wisdoms are talked to, go back Home to finish the quest!

Heh, but the Li'l Cactus commentary for this one.

Oh, you sneaky Li'l Cactus.

#legend of mana #legend of mana hd #pokiehl #bud #olbohn #rosiotti #tote the turtle #selva

[hostingdemo]

Ash vs evil dead season 3 episode 10

Bassett (coming over from also-on-Starz Da Vinci’s Demons) does give “Bait” some generally awesome moments. The question of whether this whole thing will work without Raimi behind the camera starts getting answered tonight. Hopefully this AvED will eventually build up some actual narrative tension in addition to its tense action to help make the exposition between the fights a little less … dead … ite. I noticed, they’re brown … and lovely, like her daughter’s.”), this whole scene just gets tedious and I’m eager to move on to the next fight. So despite some funny lines (Pablo: “She doesn’t even have the crazy white eyes. “If you snag a little fish you’re not going to eat it, no, you use it as a bait fish to catch the whale,” Ash reasons, “I’m the whale, Pablo.” The problem here is with the breakneck, silly tone of everything else and that, well, he’s goddamn ASH, it’s obvious Ash knows what’s up and Kelly’s mom is a Deadite. Ash is naturally pissed, and the two argue whether or not Mom is a Deadite. Pablo reveals he took the Necronomicon to trick Ash into following Kelly. Ash’s description of running into a deer to explain their state of dress earns the best jokes for the night (“We had to cut it up with my chainsaw … arm.”), and despite their clearly homicidal appearance, they’re invited to stay for dinner. Our two blood-soaked heroes bust into Kelly’s house ready to kick ass, and find a pleasant scene of family reunion. Pablo’s character arc from sidekick to hero in his own right is clearly one of the threads we’ll be tracking this season, but so far Ash’s advice that he’ll know what to do once he’s hit isn’t yielding results. Confined spaces are always a good setting for Deadite fights, and the added threat of being in a speeding car led to a nicely paced little sequence here. Roper surprise-attacks from the back seat in the first of tonight’s two big fights. Evil Dead makes it canon that “Machine Head” is stuck in the Delta 88’s tape deck.Īfter we got a taste of him prowling in the trailer park, the possessed Mr. We got “Space Truckin” last week and now he’s apparently flipped the tape back to side A for “Highway Star” this week. I guess it’s supposed to be redemptive, but I’m still just getting gross vibes from all of this sleazy coloring of Ash.Īlso, he’s a huge Deep Purple fan? That makes sense for Ash. Evil Dead wants us to know that when he’s not fighting Deadites, Ashley J. Man, drinking and driving, hitting on woman half his age, bringing “whores with skanky wrist tattoos” (why is everyone so observant and judgmental of this poor dead girl’s wrist tattoo?) back to the trailer … Ash vs. So Ash and Pablo set off and have a little bonding time in the car, where Ash is finishing off a beer and dispensing fighting advice. Ash wants no part of the rescue mission (“I’m trying to save all the dads everywhere”), but after Pablo tells him she took the book, he reluctantly agrees to follow. Kelly takes off on Pablo’s bike to check up on her dad and recently resurrected mom, and having just had her eyeball nearly removed by a demon-woman, she’s got good reason to worry. We pick up the moment we left off in Ash’s trailer. Then again, a kitchen table got chainsawed in half while it flew through the air, so I guess we’re still getting at least some of what we came for? “Bait” spends it’s entire run time picking up the pieces leftover from the pilot and not really giving us anything new to look forward to, which does not bode well for the show reaching any sort of cohesiveness. So far, the results are disappointingly meandering. Evil Dead to show us whether it’s going to be able to function as an actual TV show and not just a half-hour pleasure cruise for Deadite nostalgists. Photo: Matt Klitscher/Starz Entertainment, LLC

#Ash vs evil dead season 3 episode 10

[jojotier]

now that im farther in diu i can very confidently say that i have immense appreciation of Rohan Kishibe

#rohan kishibe #diamond is unbreakable #jojo no kimyou na bouken #jojo's bizarre adventure #shut up liv #i just finished the highway star arc and i love him #tho tbh i actually really really liked the janken ep with him #Give Me Interactions Between Janken Boy Ken And Rohan #you cowards #you trepid fools

[blorbosondeck]

fic rec masterlist

canon divergent/finale fix its

Anamnesis

THIS! FIC! this fic lives in my head rent FREE it is so good and it makes so much sense in the narrative that the shitty finale concocted, as to why they wouldn't mention cas or anyone else and its just. so good and they write chuck in the most villainous way that i love!!!

"Chuck is depowered, Jack is the new god, and the world is free. Dean and Sam get into the Impala and chase down the miles on an endless highway, and their story is finally, finally their own to follow. At least, that's what Dean tells himself. But the diners and motels and painted interstate lines are blurring together and the smallest details keep catching at his brain like tiny fishhooks and he can't quite shake the feeling that not everything is exactly as it should be. Fix-it/alternate series finale. Canon-compliant through the end of 15.19."

Sunset Sound: Stairway to Heaven by @adhdeancas

GOD FUCKING CHRIST this is so good and sweet and im such a sucker for team ups and reunions!!! its 3:30 am rn and i just finished it and i love it SO much it made me laugh a lot and the last few chapters i had the stupidest grin just plastered to my face

The Closer the Star, the Greater the Parallax by @rocksalts​

repressed bastard dean submits to the mortifying ordeal of being known and receives the rewards of being loved but only after some miscommunication i LOVE this i read it last night and it’s a fast favorite. my interests have overlapped and i am INTO it

“When Dean sits down to watch some bullcrap Discovery Channel episode with Cas, he doesn’t expect to actually learn anything. Except, with Cas explaining, he makes an effort to connect the dots.”

Don't We All Deserve To Be Happy?

VERY sweet and a VERY good pick me up. all around feel good fic!!! 

"Post-canon fix-it, divergent from 15x19 where Jack stays and Dean doesn't die and Cas comes back and everyone is happy. Take a shot every time I'm salty about the finale."

Keep Your Love Alive

okay. okay okay okay this may be my favorite finale fix it just because of how well reasoned it is. like this feels what should have happened i love it SO much

"Dean gets to spend eternity sharing beers with Bobby on the Roadhouse porch and riding around in his Baby with Sam. He’s at peace… or he feels like he should be. But a few things nag at him: Where is Cas, and everybody else Dean had been hoping to see in Heaven? Why does he feel like he’s stuck in a loop, reliving the same memories over and over again? And who are the strangers wearing Sam’s and Bobby’s faces?"

The GoldenRod Revisions by @aethylas​

this is one of the most well written things ive ever read. the script format DID make it feel more real and honestly? this is better writing than this show deserves. the finale that could have been ♥️

“A rewrite of Supernatural’s final two episodes, expanded into a five episode arc - in which Chuck needs to be defeated, Castiel deserves to be saved, and the characters in this story get a very different ending.“

Ascend by @wanderingcas​ 

THEE finale fix it fic!!! written by the AMAZINGLY skilled and talented @wanderingcas !!! it’s 50k of angst and hurt/comfort and pure bliss

“Something in the world is wrong.

Demon activity is rising where mysterious black substance oozes and unusual ecological events are shaking the world. Dean, grief hanging on his shoulders, restlessly searches for answers that might lead him to the Empty… and to Cas.

But what Chuck wrote can’t be undone. The narrative thread pulls Dean along, forcing him to comply. Because once a story already has an ending, it can’t be rewritten.

Or can it?”

Things Happen (They Do, And They Do, And They Do) by THEE @sobsicles

i KNOW everyone has already recommended this and likely you’ve all already read it. but it has to go here bc REPRESSIOOOOOOOOON i LOVE this so much it is one of the most perfect things i’ve read. are you bisexual? did you have a kind of weird relationship with your best friend and not realize that how you felt about them wasn’t necessarily how other people felt about them and you were maybe a little bit in love with them but were too repressed to realize it? you’ll feel seen. maybe a little too seen

Closer (isn't close enough)

are you a sweet and sappy yet horny bastard? do you like cas exploding light bulbs? you will like this.

“the one where they finally talk about what cas said before the empty took him”

You and Your Husband

it is exTRMELY sweet!!! repression dean strikes again <3

"Five times Dean corrects someone about his relationship with Cas, and one time he realizes he doesn't need to."

Tall Grass

miscommunication and a slowburn! despite being written in 2017 and finished in 2018, it feels like a fix it. ft. plant obsessed cas <3 

Invictus

a LOVELY and short (relatively) finale fix it

“They saved the world. They're free. It's done.

Except it's not, and carrying on is the last thing any of them are thinking about.

They still have someone they need to save.”

Unchained Link

post finale- it’s a great case fic and i am compelled i want more!!!

"It's after the end of things. Life continues on while Dean is "livin it up" in heaven. But it's never that simple, is it? A freak occurrence sends Dean into another time stranded back on Earth. And he thought his hunting days were over. But, no worries. His knight in shining armor comes to the rescue. Hijinks, therefore, ensue."

fun and time unspecified

Ladies and Gentlemen, This is Love Potion No. 5

very funny and sweet! miscommunication at its finest ♥️

"Cas gets drenched with a mystery potion from the ‘love spell’ shelf and... Dean has a sneaking suspicion, angel or no— the spell may have taken effect. And Cas might be in love with Sam."

The Way We Were

Y'all. It is so good its a great mix of funny and serious- extremely fun to see dean as like a base bisexual

"Dean and Castiel pose as a couple to gain access to a gated community known as 'The Glen', a pleasant if secretive location that the boys believe might be linked to several dead bodies showing up over the years bearing signs of ritualistic sacrifice. All seems well until Dean's memory is affected from an incident during a solo exploration, leaving Dean convinced that their cover story is true. Castiel is left trying to resolve their case without taking advantage of an increasingly enthusiastic Dean"

While You Were Sleeping

this is basically just the movie but replacing sandra bullock with cas. this is my comfort movie and imo, one of the most perfect rom coms. the fic isn’t finished but i still have the tab open on my phone and i will straight up go back and re read it when i need a pick me up. 

aus/rewrites

The Harvelle Gospels: Offscript

i know everyone ever ( @jewishcharliebradbury ) has recommended this fic. and for good reason go fucking read it

“The Apocalypse is averted, the angels are in Heaven, and Jo is free from the threat of possession. Somehow it couldn't be farther from a happy ending.“

absolute riots

An Ineffably Profound Bond

i honestly would have put this in the finale fix it section! look. i know. i know you've been burned by crossover fics before. but this is Thee good omens/spn fic you want. its funny as hell and immensely satisfying. im weak for everyone working together tropes and that is this

"After Chuck sets 'The End' in motion, the remaining members of TFW make a miraculous escape. Not willing to waste any time, Castiel comes up with a plan to travel to one of the other worlds to try and get help from the angels there, but after a fight with Dean, it's the hunter who gets sent into an alternate universe,with seemingly no hope of return.

When a mysterious human with a heavenly weapon shows up in Aziraphale's shop, he and Crowley learn that their world is not the only one. Now it is up to them to decide whether or not they want to join forces with the human and help him save his world or simply find a way to send him home."

Somebody Up There Likes Me by @lafilleredige

cas is hit with a spell that turns his vessel into a woman, hijinks and sexuality crises ensue etc etc sam is a supportive and bitchy little brother and its all SO fucking funny and also. horny as hell i love it i love it i LOVE it

“’Dean doesn’t want to talk about your breasts, it’s making him uncomfortable because he hasn’t acknowledged the complex fluidity of human sexuality.’“

Stray Cat Strut

a long crack fic that IS one of the funniest things i’ve ever read and i can’t explain why. it’s so ooc but its so funny that i don’t care. if you need a laugh you gotta read this

"Sam and Cas are immediately in love with the adorable kitty they find outside the bunker door, and occupy their time planning how to convince Dean--who they believe is off sulking after a botched hunt--to let them keep their cat. Along the way, Dean learns to use a litter box and hears some confessions he maybe wasn’t supposed to hear, all while realizing just how much he loves Castiel.

Now all Dean has to do is convince Cas and Sam their new pet cat is actually him before they do something crazy--like neuter him!"

canon compliant or slight canon divergence

Give

by @doublestuffedimpala post season 7 episode 7, kind of ambiguous ending but truly a cas is happy to bleed for the winchesters fic

Punch Like Bones 

short, post 5x04 homoerotic moment that i wish we’d gotten

#lmao please interact with this i spent so much time on it #i had to go onto desktop for this #ill keep adding on to it #my fic recs #fic rec #spn fic rec #deancas fic recs #charlie.txt

[my-bated-breath]

Closing Thoughts on Vincenzo

No one asked, but here you go.

I watched the last two episodes of Vincenzo yesterday, but even in the midst of my viewing experience I was able to synthesis and analyze what I was enjoying and not-enjoying, what worked and what didn’t work (for me), so that itself says something about how immersive it was. Of course, Vincenzo is a great show — the action is sharp and satisfying, the schemes are elaborate and spectacular, the humor is cracky yet genuine, and the characters are so, so lovable. And I loved the romance side plot, because yes, I am weak. Still, the last 2-4 episodes strained some of that, and this is my take on why I felt not exactly disappointed, but underwhelmed in the final stretch. I’m also including what I did like at the very end, as that makes sense with how I’m structuring this kind-of-analysis.

spoilers below

Tension, Stakes, and Pay-off

The tension in Vincenzo has been ramped up ever since the death of Vincenzo’s mother, loudly and painfully declaring in that moment that “this is not a game” (contrary to Vincenzo telling Hanseok in jail that he’s toying with him). This leads to a chilling confrontation between Vincenzo and the antagonists while also uniting the residents of Geumga in all-out, unapologetic war. And there is no more game of chess — just one of cat and mouse, with Vincenzo descending upon his prey.

Hence, Vincenzo is noticeably less soft, and he strikes Babel with the steel of his resolve. His schemes feel much more sinister than mischievous as they had been before; he is ending this, once and for all. So, how does the show amp up the tension and stakes from there?

Well, it’s all in what I said before. The tension is teased out in Vincenzo stealing everything Hanseok has ever treasured and then taunting/threatening him in prison, and then with the Babel villains descending into chaos and desperation. The stakes, however, are less noticeable, because Vincenzo is kind of obviously winning. The stakes have already been established with Vincenzo’s mother, then paid off with her death, and then paid off even more with Vincenzo mercilessly seizing the upper hand.

That’s why I feel like Myunghee and Hanseo’s death just... happened. Because it’s been 3 whole episodes since Vincenzo has founded this new resolve, that sort of dragged out follow-up loses its thrill and gratification. They’ve been defeated now, completely and totally. But so what? They’ve been on the losing end for more than 3 hours of screen time now, and even their last resort of a counterattack didn’t hold much narrative weight (which is something I’ll get to later). Their deaths are not boring to say the least — I saw a post that said something similar to “Myunghee, a woman who danced to the music of others’ pain, died dancing to her own” and “Hanseo, a man with no heart, has a hole drilled into that empty cavity.”

But their deaths also happen very isolated from everyone else, not just physically, but emotionally as well. It’s almost as if Vincenzo’s clapping his hands and saying, “Let’s wrap this up now, I’m getting a little tired.” And while I wouldn’t say their deaths are unnecessarily cruel, given everything they’ve done, I don’t think Vincenzo does this in response to anything particularly substantial. Is this for his mother’s death? For Chayoung’s injury? For everyone else? Well, maybe, but it sure didn’t feel like he was contemplating that during or after torturing them. If I put the Vincenzo from the beginning of the show there in those two scenes vs Vincenzo from the end of the show, post character development and all, I think the only difference would be that beginning-of-the-show Vincenzo would still be unfamiliar with Babel’s crimes and see this as a waste of time.

A sort of side note: Now, one of the strong points of this show is its use of comedy in its otherwise very serious schemes (I still thinking about episodes 8 and 15 all the time). But with the impending climax and increasingly serious tone, there was no comedy to make said-serious schemes as engaging to watch. So now unable to rely on one of its greatest strengths, the show must rely on emotional impact. Or similarly: narrative weight.

Narrative Weight

In episodes 19-20, Chayoung is shot, Hanseo dies, and Chulwook is stabbed (and you think he’s going to die but he doesn’t). Who said there was no emotional impact in these episodes again?!

Oh right. Me.

Beyond Hong Yuchan and Oh Gyeongja’s death, injuries and fatalities suffered from our protagonists’ side don’t really have that many consequences. You can argue the consequences of Hanseo dying is that we’re all very sad, but both we and the characters are barely given a moment to grieve before we have to move on. What does Hanseo die for? He dies as an abuse victim just beginning to break out of the cycle he was trapped in, and that itself isn’t necessary a bad narrative choice, and he dies as a warrior in this Mafia vs Conglomerate war, but what does he die for? If it’s for Vincenzo and Chayoung to live, they pretty much get lucky with Hanseo running out of bullets. If it is to show that he had changed, and that this tied into some greater theme of redemption, then his death really isn’t really given enough thought for it to resonate well. I would’ve loved to see Vincenzo reflecting on Hanseo learning to trust and love again, despite all the mistakes he made in the past, and how that influences his own decision to embrace his version of villainous justice. But no. This is something I only thought of after reading a few Vincenzo posts and trying to justify my own moral for the show.

Don’t forget that Chulwook almost dies too. Like I genuinely believed he was dead, shed a tear for the daughter he would never meet, and then the show went like, “Guess what? Psyche!”

I’m not very fond of that injury/pseud-death-but-not-really.

And now we have Chayoung, the person who Vincenzo is the closest to. Don’t get me wrong, I amso weak for her never giving into Hanseo and asking for death over Vinceno getting hurt, for guarding Vincenzo from the bullet, for Vincenzo’s shocked and empty eyes, for Chayoung’s glazed gaze, for him desperately and powerlessly hugging her tightly because that’s all he can do for her now. Afterwards, she’s in the hospital, her shoulder is recuperating, and there’s a nice Chayenzo parallel to episode 4 when Chayoung was waiting by Vinny’s hospital bed. But afterwards afterwards? She’s just in the hospital. Sidelined from the climax.

Vincenzo told her, “I will finish this, for you.” That could’ve worked, because we could’ve seen Chayoung emotionally or spiritually with us during the climax and Myunghee and Hanseo’s deaths. But like I mentioned earlier, it really didn’t feel that way. Ultimately, the narrative tells us that Chayoung’s injury just means she can’t strain herself for a couple of days, despite initially delivering it so dramatically and emotionally.

As one of my friends said while we were discussing this episode: Vincenzo is the titular character, but Chayoung has so much to care for too. Her father died because of Babel, and she said, “We should share the danger.” Instead, we got a decentish-but-slightly-underwhelming scene where she is driven to see Vincenzo off. Okay then.

Characters

Speaking of, Chayoung receives much of the short-end of the character development stick in the last 4 episodes. I found this to be acceptable in episodes 17-18, and she does have that moment where she looked uncertain and nauseated at the death of the “hunting dogs” before shoving down her misgivings, clinging onto a facade of strength as she says “this is what I wanted.” Also, even though it wasn’t episode 14, I wasn’t complaining about the Chayenzo moments either.

But still, this is the second most important protagonist in the narrative and nothing about her really changes in these last few episodes. Nor does she experience catharsis alongside Vincenzo, emotionally or otherwise. There had been some buildup about whether or not Chayoung can swallow the cruel path that she has chosen, but if she’s not even the given the chance to make her own decision on said cruel path, that’s just wasted set up.

(I know that during the Babel Tower party-fiasco Vincenzo told Chayoung that he originally wanted her to push the button that’ll kill one of the hunting dogs, but then decided against it upon seeing Chayoung’s wavering face, but like. Narratively, if she was the one to press it, and then we had some follow-up character arc about her coming to terms with her decision... Oh, we could’ve had it all.)

Another thing I want to point out is that Chayoung has been a foil to Vincenzo in that she represents the happiness, love, and innocence now unattainable to him. (This is just his view, by the way, since Chayoung isn’t exactly innocent herself, which he could’ve seen if the show had only taken this direction.) That is to say, Vinceno’s most interesting character moments are drawn out of him by Chayoung: In his apartment, when they are under the ceiling-stars, and she asks him whether he has ever killed anyone. On the rooftop, when they decide that Hanseok must lose everything before he dies, and he promises to her that he’ll stay in Korea to see things through to the end, in direct contrast to himself at the beginning of the show. In the highway pass, when she embraces him after a gunfight, the closest he’s ever grazed past death. When they drink makgeolli together and he tells her about what her father wanted to say to her. When they sit together by the riverside and she tells him that his mother would have been proud of him.

One of my favorite parts of episodes 11-12 during the gun fight is just how emotionally present Chayoung is, despite not wielding a gun herself, or even being anywhere near the action. I’m not sure if I’m getting this right, but I think this is the first time Vincenzo had killed people on screen, so to see Chayoung embrace him so tearfully afterwards almost felt like he was being reminded of his humanity. And this also shows that Chayoung, despite saying that she would feel distant towards Vincenzo if he did have blood on his hands, loves him closely, so closely it hurts.

We think about Vincenzo, what it means to be a consigliere, and his distorted flashbacks of flesh and blood and killing and losing himself, and that teddy bear, slowly panning out to a child, staring at him in fear. We think about how is it possible for him to love again? Can he even know what love is?

Then Chayoung appears, a woman whose very presence unraveled the mystery that is Vincenzo. But the moment that Chayoung’s development was stunted, that was the moment Vincenzo lost his foil, and we, the audience, lost the ability to see how his past, present, and future reconcile.

Themes: Loving in Sin

In episode 20, Vincenzo and the monks have a conversation about whether he was worthy of love or not before being told that he was Vaisravana — and though he could never be accepted by Buddha, he would be appreciated at times, and he would have his own role to play too. I like this conversation a lot in concept. In execution, it would’ve left much weightier an impact if only we had seen Vincenzo’s journey to reconcile his villainy and humanity play out more, if we had a glimpse into the moral conflict warring in his mind. The last time the drama showed that to us — not told it to us — was with the death of Vincenzo’s mother.

I would add more, really, but I feel like my review up until here says everything I want it to. In my opinion, there was no real epiphany that Vincenzo reached upon hearing those words from the monk because he hadn’t reflected on it enough for there to properly be one. And the ending to Vincenzo and Chayoung’s romance would’ve felt a lot better if it was Vincenzo choosing to love her despite his fear of himself, despite his belief that he could only hurt people. (Also that ending monologue wouldn’t have felt so tacked-on, like, oh wait this is supposed to have a theme right? Here, this is vaguely related, right?)

Because a lot of this emotional potential was not quite met, I think the finale also had to resort to some cheaper ways to make us feel for the romance, such as Chayoung rushing to see Vincenzo off and Vincenzo leaving the diplomacy-relations party early (he very poetically disappears while walking behind this sculpture, but I thought it was hilarious that if the shot didn’t get cut off there in another 2 seconds we could’ve seen him walking out of where that sculpture thing blocked him lol).

Overall though, I’m pretty happy with the romance’s ending, at least conceptually. The way they incorporated the story of cow herder and weaver girl and the bridge of pigeons (not magpies!) that will allow them to see each other again every year was so bittersweet, and as someone familiar with this myth, it made me very nostalgic. Also, I do think it works better with Vincenzo’s themes that he would be apart from Chayoung in some way. They each have their own lives to lead, but although they met by coincidence, they’ll remain by each other’s sides by intention. He is a villain, and so is she, but villains love tenaciously.

#vincenzo #chayoung #chayenzo #chaenzo #which one is it huh #jang hanseo #kdrama #i'm so tired i tried posting this so many times #i made a whole side blog so i could post this review without exposing myself as a kdrama fan #but it's not worth it #anyways these are my thoughts #please let me know yours #but only if you phrase it in a kind way #apparently this is 2279 words of me breaking down #my bated breath analyzes #my bated breath's posts

[starr-fall-knight-rise]

HASO, “Angel Wings.”

Setting up for some other stuff really quick, don’t worry I am going to finish the krill arc, I just needed to jump away from it really quick. Hope you enjoy today’s story :)

“I am not willing to take unnecessary risks.”

“We don’t have enough men to cover all that area.”

“We will do what has to be done.”

“With all due respect, Admiral, do you understand how big space is?” There was a silence in the room, twenty or so men and women stood around a large dark table. All around them on the walls light up star maps and ship configurations glowed blue in the dim holographic light. On the table before them a star map had been laid out casting shadows upon the faces of men and women.

Admiral Vir was sitting partially facing admiral Massie who was half standing, his heavy frame leaning palms flat against the table.

The two stared very intensely  at each other, the older man trying to dominate the younger with the sheer intensity of his presence. It was rather unfortunate for him that after two years of almost continual active service in space, Admiral vir was used to being stared down by Adaptids, Starborn, Drev warriors, and --on occasion-- space dragons, so this rather portly man in a funny hat was unlikely to get a rise out of him.

“You better watch your tone, boy.” The man hissed quietly

Admiral Vir looked back at him unblinking, “This is the 41st century Admiral, and that superiority bullshit isn’t going to stack up to experience, so I will watch my tone when you sit down and realize that what you are suggesting, not only puts our entire fleet, and all of the fleets of the GA at risk, but it's also based on outdated military naval strategy from a thousand years ago that does not take into consideration that space is, in fact, three dimensional.”

The men and women about the table shifted awkwardly in their seats, unsure how to proceed.

To some degree superiority DID fly, especially within the Office of Galactic Intelligence, where Admiral Massie was head officer, but out there, among the stars, where Admiral Vir had spent nearly 90% of his career, the ability to question your superiors could be a matter of life and death.

In the end it was Admiral Kelly, a strong political supporter of Admiral Vir, and his long time ally who leaned forward in her seat, “I think Admiral Vir does have a point. He is, after all our resident expert in galactic warfare.” She looked around the table, “I don’t see anyone else here who has been involved in a pitched space battled?”

There was murmuring and the shuffling of feet.

She Adjusted her cup of coffee lightly where it sat on the desk, “In fact the only person here who has ever flown a ship, being me, would have no idea how to go about galactic combat, so Admiral Vir, please proceed.”

Admiral Vir stood and nodded to Kelly before taking his stand at the head of the table.

“As I was saying earlier, putting warp gates too far out near the border of the system is inadvisable and extremely risky. Even if those warp gates were to be accessed through a security code on the ship itself, I wouldn’t trust that someone wouldn’t be able to hack them. Which is why I suggest keeping the warp gates towards the center of the GA system, but not near planets themselves. There are only a few ships galaxy wide that can approach a planet unknown and unseen, those being the major command vessels used with most GA species. All other ships would require access to a warp gate, or be forced to do multiple warps before reaching the system giving viewers enough time to ready for an attack. My suggestion is, instead of trying to protect the entire GA system, we make hub nexuses around the most important sites, planets, colonies, stations, and warp gates. Then we station smaller military vessels around those areas to keep enemies out. If we were trying to cover the entire area, the only people who might be able to show up in time to defend against an entire arriving fleet are myself and a select few others. If that were to happen we might be completely taken out in one fell swoop. No, better to reinforce likely areas of attack, defend and use the warp gates for what really matters, and allow ships like mine to free float and provide support when needed.”

There was silence about the room as the other men and women nodded.

Admiral Massie glowered at him from the other side of the table.

Admiral Vir ignored him.

He played politics, but only so far as not playing was playing. He wasn’t looking to move up in the ranks, and he wasn’t looking to make enemies. Everyone in UNSC command knew and understood that he had only one goal, and that was to keep his people alive and well. While his unsheathed interactions with some of the other Admirals made him unpopular, particularly within the ranks of some of the older generations, it was hard to deny that he did his job well.

Then again he and Admiral Massie had been at each other’s throats since the start of Vir’s command.

Massie was a planetary isolationist and had opposed joining the GA since the beginning, while Admiral Vir was a staunch supporter of intergalactic cooperation and alliance. Admiral Massie was under the impression that Admiral Vir had romanticised the idea of extraterrestrial life to the detriment of earth itself, and Admiral Vir thought Admiral Massie was a pompous jack-off with more interest in his political career than he was in the lives of his men.

Both of them may have been right to a certain degree.

Either way the other admirals, while being somewhere middling on the spectrum, tended to lean towards agreeing with Admiral Vir when it came to discussions about planetary defence. He was, after all, the only one with personal experience in the area, and they didn’t really have time for Massie and his superiority complex.

It was for many of these reasons, that their meeting eventually steered itself towards a discussion on isolationism versus GA involvement.

“It isn’t our job to deal with THEIR problems. We lose trillions of dollars every year to the defence of alien species, and for what? What can they do for us that we cannot do for yourself as a much lower cost.”

“If it weren’t for our intervention, Admiral, the entire GA system would be overrun with Burg, and we would be next.” Admiral Vir cut in gently pounding his fist against the table for emphasis.

“Not if we fortify our own strongholds.” The man continued to argue.

Admiral Vir felt his skin going hot under the collar, but took a deep breath to calm himself, “You forget about the over ten human colonies that exist within GA airspace. This may have been an argument two years ago, but with those colonies in existence as of now, we cannot abandon them for an isolationist principle. Furthermore, we need the cooperation of the GA in order to buy and sell the materials needed to keep the economies of those colonies running. Without them we don’t have the resources, the time or the labor to be isolationists.” He relaxed back into his seat and allowed the other Admirals to jump in with their two cents.

He would have liked to stay quiet and just listen, buthe found he was actually a poor hand at keeping his mouth shut when someone was saying things that could be potentially harmful to the good of humanity.

He was only partially paying attention when a soft voice came in over his shoulder, “Admiral.”

He turned to look, finding a smartly dressed young lieutenant waiting at his side.

“The UN President is almost done with her address, and you’re up next.”

He nodded and took to his feet quietly excusing himself from the table as he followed her down the hallway. The automated catwalk whirred to life, and the two of them stood next to each other as they were carried off down the long hallway. On either side of them rain slashed against the windows in great sheets. The sky overhead was dark and overcast,and the green of the lawn was soaked in great frothing puddles.

He reached into his uniform pocket and pulled out his note cars glancing them over once more before putting them back in his pocket.

At the end of the catwalk two marines were waiting for him.

Ramirez grinned at him and Maverick raised an eyebrow as he stepped off the catwalk, “That’s a lovely expression.:” Maverick commented, “Are the Admirals not playing nice.”

He snorted slightly, “Most of them, but there are a few who just don’t seem to understand how space works, but I guess thant can be expected when you spend your entire career behind a desk.”

The two Marines nodded and fell into step beside him as he made his way towards the outer lawn where the press conferences were being held. A massive black tent had been erected just outside on the lawn, and the sky overhead was soon to grow dark. In the distance he could see the glowing neon of advertising signs hovering over the highway. Those same bright neon lights lit up the tent itself, and projected inflated pictures of the UN President onto the walls as she spoke.

Secret Service agents milled about on the lawn in the rain their jackets soaked and spitting water in a glistening halo of white. Even from here he could see the little strips of clear white tubing that marked their earpieces.

“A shit day to give an address.” He muttered as he was led towards the back entrance, taking a seat by the door as they waited for the president to finish. Rain continued to drum loudly on the tent and the windows at his side. The door was slightly cracked open, so he could just hear the sound of her voice over the pouring rain.

Off on the other side of the room Maverick was watching the address on her implant through her eyes were glazed with boredom.

Ramirez didn’t even pretend to pay attention and was, instead playing holographic paddle ball on his device.

Admiral Vir smiled a little and shook his head at the antics of some of his favorite marines before pulling out his notecards again and giving them a once over. This was becoming more common as his position became more and more political. When he was younger he would have balked at the idea of getting involved in politics, but somehow he had found himself to be the lynchpin holding intergalactic relations together, which turned out to be a very political position to have.

As it seemed his enthusiasm for joining the GA was not shared by everyone, and if if wasn’t for his popularity, and ability to hold their enemies at bay, talks and interaction with the GA might not have gone nearly as far as they had. The thought that he might be the only thing holding intergalactic relations together was nauseating. He was sure that wasn’t entirely the case, by now people understood that in order to have colonies, they had to have cooperation, but that didn’t mean he still wasn’t an important part of all this.

It was his fault after all, and he would probably be blamed if things went south.

Outside cheering rose up, and he lifted his head and stood as the UN president was ushered back inside on a wave of applause.

Most of the secret service agents went with her, but security still stayed behind as he stepped past her and up to the lectern. WHen he had said tent earlier, he had not fully grasped the size of the place. It might as well have been an indoor auditorium with places to sit at the back and large projection screens.

A dim blue light fell over him from the side, and he tried not to look at how own awkward figure as he appeared on screen. Cameras flashed below him as reporters vied for the front seat. He set his notecards on the lectern  and began to speak.

His heart hammered and his leg wobbled nervously, but that was common for him these days.

He was a decent public speaker, or was becoming proficient, but that still didn’t stop his nerves.

“The GA has asked me to take the time and announce that they have begun peace talks with the Lumin and the alien species known as the Mikes, who contacted us through long distance laser transmission just last week. The conferences will be held on the GA hub, and life updates will be broadcast to the GA website for the duration of those talks. As someone who has been active on the intergalactic stage since the beginning, I urge you all to-” His eyes drifted over the crowd as he continued with his speech, discussing the importance of voting for their representatives as a new election period was coming up. He stressed also the importance of a couple of economic bills which might strengthen their political report with the Tesraki. He had practiced this speech hundreds of times, and so the words flowed from his mouth with no real issue as he stared down into the crowd. He scanned his eyes over their faces, some of them smiling, some of them concentrated, and others downright annoyed with the words coming from his mouth.

He would have estimated that the ratio of pleased to displeased was three to one, though that percentage was still pretty high 33.3% wasn’t nothing.

He continued to scan the crowd eyes trailing up and towards the center of the crowd where a strange sort of commotion had started. The people parted, and as they did it was like watching a dog run through a field of grass where the stocks began to bend sideways under their weight.

His eyes tracked down to the source of the disruption even as he was speaking.

And found a figure dressed in a heavy black raincoat, face covered.

His voice was just beginning to trail off as the man or woman lifted their head and raised their arm.

Water dripped from the ceramic barrel, and the screaming began just as a loud CRACK erupted in the room.

And then he was plowed into the ground by what felt to be a speeding freight train. THe wind was knocked out of him as he landed on his back. His ears erupted into squealing static which drowned out the sound of secret service men running into the crowd and people screaming. The muzzle flash had left spots in his vision.

Was he hit?

He gasped for air unable to breath for two horrible seconds as the breath came flooding back to him. When his hearing came back the chaos was almost deafening enough to leave his ears ringing again.

A figure knelt in front of him.

Someone else Dived to his side as security flooded onto the stage with them.

Maverick grabbed his shoulder, “Are you hit.”

He looked down at himself, and his pristine grey uniform looking for a spot of red.

He ran his hands over his body, “I…. I don’t think so.” But if the bullet hadn’t thrown him to the ground than what….

He looked up to see Ramirez still kneeling in front of him. He must have seen it coming and tackled Adam to the ground before the shot was fired.

But something…. Something was wrong.

Adam crawled into a kneeling position and grabbed Ramirez by the shoulders. The other man hadn’t moved.’

Frantically he began to look Ramirez over, “Ramirez! Are you hit?”

The other man raised his head and his eyes were glassy, “I….I don’t know.”

The crowd had tightened around them, and he waved security off as he looked his friend over. As he scooted forward, grabbing Ramirez by the back of his uniform, he felt something wet and sticky against his hand.

He drew back…. Only to find his hand drenched in blood.

“SHIT! SOMEONE GET A DOCTOR!”

Ramirez swayed, and Adam caught him around the shoulders gently lowering him to the ground, “Woah, just, relax alright, you’re going to be ok. HE’S BEEN SHOT!”

Ramirez grunted still staring glassily into space.

“Help me roll him.: his voice was tight and strangled, as Maverick grabbed Ramirez by the shoulder and rolled him into his side. Adam could see the blood now, a large stain on his lower mid back.

He pulled up the shirt just to see the bullet hole oozing dark red, already smearing over the other man’s tanned skin, “Shit, shit, shit, Ramirez….. ANGEL!”

Angel grunted, “If you wanted my shirt off, you could have just asked nicely.”

“Is he going into shock?”

“I dont know I’m not a fucking doctor. Just keep him awake. Keep him talking!”

Adam ripped off his uniform jacket, wadding it into a tight ball which he pressed against the oozing wound. Maverick had pulled off her jacket and rolled it under Ramirez’s head. He groaned in pain as Adam applied pressure.

“It's alright, buddy, you're going to be alright, just hang in there.”

“That looks like it went through his kidney.” Maverick muttered.

“Shut up and keep him talking!”

Maverick nodded and patted Angel on the cheek, growing annoyed he wasn’t responding and then lightly slapping him. His eyes fluttered open, “Ow.”

“Stay awake damn it.”

“Bossy.” Angel muttered.

Just then a crack medical team burst through the line shooing everyone out of their way as they did. Adam backed up hands out speared with blood and as he let the professionals take over.

He listened to them talk, heard words coming out of their mouths but didn’t understand what they were saying. He was grabbed by the shoulder and urged to go inside where it was safe, but he shook them off vision fixed on his friend lolling helplessly on the ground, covered in blood.

The men and women removed  his bloodied uniform jacket and pulled a blue cylinder from somewhere. It was shoved into the wound and a button was depressed. There was a sharp hissing noise and Angel groaned in pain, though when they withdrew the cylinder he was no longer bleeding.

Adam was dragged back as men rushed forward with a stretcher transferring his injured friend onto it and hurriedly dragging him away. Adam was waylaid by the security detail that dragged him into a safe room as everyone tried to figure out what had happened.

Angel’s blood began to dry on his hands.

The shooter hadn’t gotten far, and when detained it had been pretty clear that that bullet wasn’t just meant for the marine.

It had been meant for Adam himself.

Even though he knew that was likely the truth, that revelation still came to him as a shock, and his skin grew clammy and cold with the realization.

Angel had saved his life, and taken the bullet that was meant for him.

***

This realization still haunted him hours later as he sat in the waiting room at Mercy Core Hospital heavily guarded by a crack SWAT team and a small military garrison. He stared down at his hands, at the blood that had turned brown and was now flaking off in his hands and onto the waiting room floor. Blood stained the white shirt he wore underneath, and his tie hung loose and undone around his shoulders.

The commotion of footsteps out the door and he lifted his head towards the voices. He tried to understand what they were saying but, somehow, couldn’t. He chalked it up to his brain just not functioning correctly until the door burst inward and a short dark-haired woman burst into the room followed by a grey haired older woman, and a young girl.

They looked too much like Angel to be anyone but his family, and as they walked in Adam stood sharply nearly knocking his chair over in his haste. He realized now why he couldn't’ understand them before, they were speaking Spanish.

The middling woman’s eyes fell on him instantly and she rushed forward grabbing him by the wrists, “What, what happened, what do you know, is my son ok.”

He hadn’t truly grasped what had happened until just now, and fought hard to bite back the tears as he gave her the details, “He was shot, the doctors had to bring him into surgery about an hour ago…” Her eyes went wide with horror and shock, his throat squeezed tight causing his voice to rise in pitch though he tried to fight it down.

“He...he has the best medical care you could ask for…. Our ship doctor arrived…. Arrived on scene thirty minutes ago…. He… hes the best surgeon in the-galaxy.” He could barely speak now, his throat thick as if it was stuffed with cotton.

She put her hands over her mouth and turned in a distressed circle.

His eyes fell on the older grey haired woman and her eyes pierced into him like she could read his sole like a book.

He had heard enough stories about this woman to know who she was immediately.

Angel’s Abuela, the family matriarch.

Adam shrunk under the intensity of her gaze

Mother and, what must have been Angel’s younger sister were sitting together hugging each other for comfort. Adam stood awkwardly hands at his sides not wanting to intrude on grief that was…. Not his own, grief that was, in fact, caused by him.

It was his fault.

Angel had taken that bullet for him.

He should have been in that operating room. He bit the inside of his cheek took a deep breath and stared up at the ceiling, willing the tears to absorb back into his eye.

The older woman was still watching him, and as he watched she walked over, and touched his arm gently, “What happened.” He opened his mouth to say he already told her but the expression she gave him made it pretty clear he had not given enough details, “I was giving an address to the crowd just outside UNSC headquarters. I was about halfway through when there was a disturbance in the crowd. I saw someone pull a gun, and then Angel tackled me to the floor just as it fired. We didn’t know who had been hit at first but, he…. It looked like it got him in the lower mid back….. I I tried to stop the bleeding but I… and then the paramedics came…. And I…. I…. I’m so sorry.” his voice hitched but he bit it back with gargantuan effort, “It should be me in there not him.”

He turned to look down at his feet 

But then the hand came and touched his arm again, “It wasn’t your fault, boy. That’s just our Angel.”

And with those words he couldn’t fight it back, and warm hot tears began spilling down his face and onto his shirt. His vision blurred and he could barely see, but he felt arms wrap around him patting him on the back as the old woman’s voice came softly, “There there, he’s going to be alright, our Angel is strong. He’s going to be ok.”

He didn’t try to pull away from the old woman.

Her arms were warm and comforting, and he desperately wanted to believe her.

.

[veeples-archive]

Aahh Vee, hi- hello!! If it's not too late! No. 35 for lulix - please - I beg 😭💕

hey buddy! sorry this is.... very late! but i have finally finished these two boys having a good time together. :D

35. things you said at the top of your lungs

---

Motorcycles let Luce taste freedom. 

Wind nipping at every inch of exposed skin. The red flare of tail lights of cars on the highway. Colors blurring together until all he could see is a smear of green against the wide arc of blue sky.

It’s rare he gets to bring out his bike now. Usually it’s kept in storage under a dust blanket and only gets taken out once to keep the battery alive. Makes those few and far between times he could sneak away from his busy schedule and take to the roads even more precious.

Now that he’s got Felix nestled behind him though? They’re highlights in his life.

Felix’s warm weight at his back contrasts against the icy air slicing through his jacket and sweater. Winter is only beginning to bow to the oncoming warmth of spring. Nights remain cold and in winter’s icy grip, yet.

Luce tilts his head up to the blanket of stars. Farther out from Wayhaven they’re clear, less obscured by the light pollution. Tonight is especially clear, not a cloud in sight to mar the twinkling stars overhead. Without the day’s traffic to slow them down, the bike takes the winding curves up the hills with ease until they slide to stop beside a site seeing spot partially hidden by dense pine.

By the time the bike is propped up safely against a tree, Felix is already at the stone wall protecting visitors from the cliff’s edge, eyes wide and reflecting more light than any number of the stars they can see. Moments like these, where Luce gets to watch Felix take in every little detail of what Luce shows him of his small corner of the world, are nearly sacred. Words aren’t needed and don’t belong, extraneous, annoying clutter to Felix’s awe.

Still, he’s more than happy when Felix turns those lovely amber eyes on him.

“Wow, I can see the whole forest from here! It’s gorgeous!” Felix glances to one of mounted scopes and gives it a playful flick. “No quarters needed.”

“Not all of us have impeccable vampire vision, Fel,” Luce crosses his arms along the edge of the wall as he leans forward. Miles of forest stretch before him. To his eyes, just a formless, dark shape, broken up only by the sky. “Still pretty, though.”

Taking his place, Felix bumps their arms together. “Yeah, damn pretty,” he whispers. “Say, you know we’re kind of close to the Warehouse…”

“Close?” Luce arches an eyebrow. The Warehouse is in this general area but well away from the main road.

“Close for us, babe,” a grin flashes between them. “Maybe even close enough for the others to hear if we yell super loud.”

Ah. A laugh bursts out, sudden and barking. How many ridiculous notions did Felix suggest that Luce would never have followed before? Taking a day trip out to the next town over with no plans, no itinerary, nothing but gas in the car and Felix’s camera to capture it all. Digging through the bargain DVD bin and picking one blindly and watching it together, cuddled under blankets, laughing at bad acting and poor shots.

Another whimsy, and who is he to say no?

Deep breath. Hands cupped around his mouth. Lean back.

From the depths of his chest.

“AVA IS A BUTTHEAD!” 

The shout bounces further, echoing out into the faceless night. Alongside its fading whisper, another joins it in Felix’s bright tones.

“AVA IS A BUTT!”

They’re laughing, the both of them. Laughing and yelling as loud as they can, their chants rippling with laughter until they’re bent over. Hoarse and misty eyed and bursting with nearly (only nearly so) painful joy. Heads touching, hands reaching out to each other for support. The forest sings with their echoing laughter instead.

The night is alive and young, and distantly, Ava thinks she hears the clipped edge of her name.

#the wayhaven chronicles #veep writing #veep prompts #felix hauville #lucedio jansen #lulix #THANK YOU VIENO I LOVED THIS PROMPT FOR THEM!!!!!

[betterdaysareatoenailaway]

RANDOM REVIEW #2: ANY GIVEN SUNDAY (1999)

“This game has got to be about more than winning. You’re part of something.”  Any Given Sunday (1999), directed by Oliver Stone and featuring Jamie Foxx, Dennis Quaid, Cameron Diaz, Al Pacino, LL Cool J, James Woods, and Matthew Modine, is my favourite sports movie of all time. Of all time.

I’m not betraying my favourite sport by saying this. The Mighty Ducks is a kid’s movie. It’s okay, but it’s not a timeless classic. I don’t like the Slap Shot series, Sudden Death is fun but silly, and the Goon movies were a missed opportunity. The only truly good scene in Goon is the diner scene where Liev Schreiber tells Seann William Scott: “Don’t go trying to be a hockey player. You’ll get your heart ripped out.”

  Such is the sad circumstance of the hockey enforcer. They all want to play, not just fight. Here’s a link to a video in which the most feared fighter in the history of the NHL, Bob Probert, explains that he wanted to be “an offensive threat...like Bobby Orr,” not a fighter: https://youtu.be/4sbxejbMH4g?t=118 Heartbreaking. But not unusual.

Donald Brashear, Marty McSorley, Tie Domi, Stu “The Grim Reaper” Grimson, Frazer McLaren: they all had hockey skills. But they were told they had to fight to remain on the roster, so they fought. As Schreiber says in the film: “You know they just want you to bleed, right?”  If the players don’t bleed, they don’t get to stay on the team. So they fight, and they pay dearly for it later. Many former fighters have CTE or other head injuries that make day-to-day life difficult. The makers of Goon should have taken that scene and run with it. I was so disappointed they didn’t, especially given what happened right around the time the film came out, with the tragic suicides of Wade Belak, Derek Boogaard, and Rick Rypien, all enforcers, all dead in a single summer. So Hollywood hasn’t even made a good hockey movie, let alone a great one. Baseball has a shitload of good films, probably because the slower pace of play makes it easier to film. Moneyball has a terrific home run scene, Rookie of the Year does too. Angels in the Outfield was a big favourite of mine when I was a kid, plus all the Major League films, and Bull Durham. 

Football has two good movies: The Program (1993) and Rudy (1993).    

And football has one masterpiece. The one I am writing about today.

A young Oliver Stone trying not to die in Vietnam. ^ Now, I know Stone is laughed at these days, given his nutty conspiracy theories and shitty behaviour and the marked decline in the quality of his films (although 2012’s Savages was underrated). I know Stone is about as subtle as a sledgehammer, but do you want a football movie to be subtle? Baseball, sure. It’s a game of fine distinctions, but football? Football is war. And war is about steamrolling the enemy, distinctions be damned, which is why Any Given Sunday is such an amazing sports film. I love the way it shows the dark side of football. In fact, the film is so dark that the NFL withdrew their support and cooperation, forcing Stone to create a fictitious league and team to portray what he wanted to portray.

This is not to say the movie is fresh or original. Quite the opposite. Any Given Sunday has every single sports film cliché you can think of. But precisely because it tries to stuff every single cliché into its runtime, the finished product is not a cliched mess so much as a rich tapestry, a dense cinema verite depiction of the dizzying highs and depressing lows of a professional sports team as it wins, loses, parties, and staggers its way through a difficult season.  Cliché #1: The aging quarterback playing his final year, trying to win one last championship. (Dennis Quaid) 

Sample dialog: Dennis Quaid (lying in a hospital bed severely injured): Don’t give up on me coach. Al Pacino: You’re like a son to me. I’ll never give up on you. ^ I know this sounds awful. But it’s actually fuckin’ great. Cliché #2: The arrogant upstart new player who likes hip hop and won’t respect the old regime. (Jamie Foxx) 

Cliché #3: The walking wounded veteran who could die if he gets hit one more time. Coincidentally, he needs just one more tackle to make his million-dollar bonus for the season. (Lawrence Taylor) 

Cliché #4: The female executive in a man’s world who must assert herself aggressively in order to win the grudging respect of her knuckle-dragging male colleagues (Cameron Diaz). Diaz is fantastic in the role, though she should have had more screen time, given that the main conflict in the film is very much about the new generation, as represented by her and Jamie Foxx, trying to replace the old generation, represented by Al Pacino, Dennis Quaid, Jim Brown, and Lawrence Taylor. Some people think Diaz’s character is too calculating, but here’s the thing: she’s right. Too many sports GMs shell out millions for the player an individual used to be, not the player he presently is. “I am not resigning a 39-year old QB, no matter how good he was,” she tells Pacino’s coach character, and you know what? She’s right. The Leafs’ David Clarkson signing is proof positive of the perils of signing a player based on past performance, not current capability. Diaz’s character is the living embodiment of the question: do you want to win, or do you want to be loyal? Cuz sometimes you can’t do both.

Cliché #5: The team doctor who won’t sacrifice his ethics for the good of the team (Matthew Modine).

Cliché #6: The team doctor who will sacrifice his ethics for the good of the team (James Woods) 

Cliché #7: The grizzled, thrice-divorced coach who has sacrificed everything for his football team, to the detriment of his social and familial life, who must give a stirring speech at some point in the film (Al Pacino…who goes out there and gives the all-time greatest sports movie “we must win this game” speech) 

Cliché #8: The assistant or associate coach who takes a parental interest in his players, playing the good cop to the head coach’s bad cop (former NFL star Jim Brown). 

Best quote: “Who wants to be thinking about blitzes and crossblocks when you’re holding your grandkids in your arms? That’s why I wanna coach high school. Kids don’t know nothing. They just wanna play.” 

Cliché #9: The player who can’t stop doing drugs (L.L. Cool J).

Okay, so the first thing that needs to be talked about is Al Pacino’s legendary locker room speech.  Now, it’s the coach’s job to rile up and inspire the players. But eloquence alone won’t do it. If you use certain big words, you lose them (remember Brian Burke being endlessly mocked by the Toronto media for using the word “truculent?”). The coach must deliver the message in a language the players understand, while still making victory sound lofty and aspirational. This is not an easy thing to accomplish. One of my favourite inspirational lines was spoken by “Iron” Mike Keenan to the New York Rangers before Game 7 against the Vancouver Canucks in 1994. “Win tonight, and we’ll walk together forever.” Oooh that’s gorgeous. But Pacino’s speech is right up there with it. 

“You know, when you get old in life…things get taken from you. That’s parta life. But you only learn that when you start losin’ stuff. You find out…life’s this game of inches. So’s football. In either game – life or football – the margin for error is so small. I mean…one half a step too late or too early and you don’t quite make it…one half second too slow, too fast, you don’t quite catch it. The inches we need are everywhere around us. They’re in every break of the game, every minute, every second. On this team, we fight for that inch. We claw with our fingernails for that inch. Because we know when we add up all those inches that’s gonna make the fuckin difference between winnin’ and losin’! Between livin’ and dyin’!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_iKg7nutNY  Somehow, against all odds, Any Given Sunday succeeds. It is the Cinderella run of sports movies. You root for the film as you watch it. The dressing room scenes are incredible…the Black players listen to the newest hip hop while a trio of lunkhead white dudes headbang and scream “Hetfield is God.” There is a shower scene where a linebacker, tired of being teased about the size of his penis, tosses his pet alligator into the showers where it terrorizes his tormentors. There is a scene where a halfback has horrible diarrhea, but he’s hooked up to an IV so the doctor (Matthew Modine) has to follow him into the toilet cubicle, crinkling his nose as the player evacuates his bowels. There is a scene where someone loses an eye (the only scene in the film where Stone’s over-the-top approach misses the mark). There are scenes that discuss concussions (which is why the NFL refused to cooperate for the film), where Lawrence Taylor has to sign a waiver absolving the team of responsibility if he is hurt or paralyzed or killed. I wonder how purists and old school football fans reacted to the news that Oliver Stone was making a football film. If they even knew who he was (not totally unlikely…Stone made a string of jingoistic war movies in the 1980s) they probably thought the heavy hands of Oliver would ruin the film, take the poetry out of every play. But the actual football is filmed perfectly. The camera gets nice and low for the tackles. It flies the arcs of perfect spiral passes. It shows the chaos of a defensive line barreling down the field. When Al Pacino asked quarterback Dan Marino (fresh off his own Hollywood experience acting in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective) what it was like to be an NFL QB, Marino said: “Imagine standing on a highway with traffic roaring at you while trying to read Hamlet.” A great explanation. Shoulda made the movie. So the football itself is fabulously done. Much better than what Cameron Crowe did in the few football scenes in Jerry Maguire. The Program had some great football, as did Rudy, but neither come close to the heights of Any Given Sunday. In one of the film’s best scenes, Jamie Foxx insists that his white coaches have routinely placed him in situations where he was doomed to fail or prone to injury, and we believe him because white coaches have been doing that to Black players for decades. Quarterback Doug Williams, who led his Washington Redskins team to a Superbowl victory in 1987, was frequently referred to by even liberal media outlets as a “Black quarterback,” instead of just “quarterback,” as if his skin colour necessitated a qualification. Even now, in 2021, the majority of quarterbacks are white, although the gap is gradually closing. The 2020 season saw the highest number of starting Black quarterbacks, with 10 out of a possible 32.  Quarterback is the most cerebral position on the field, and for a long time there was a racist belief that Black men couldn’t do the job. Foxx’s character is a composite of many of the different Black quarterbacks who came of age in the 1990s, fighting for playing time against white QBs beloved by their fan base, fawned over in hagiographic Sports Illustrated profiles, and protected by the good ol’ boys club of team executives and coaching staff. Foxx’s character isn’t demoted because he can’t play the game. He wins several crucial games for his team en route to the playoffs. He’s demoted because he listens to hip hop in the dressing room, because he recorded a rap song and shot a video for it, and because he’s cocky. Yes, the scene where he asks out Cameron Diaz is sexist, as if her power only comes from her sexuality, not her intelligence and business acumen, but it’s meant to show how overly confident Foxx is, not that he’s a sexist prick. Any Given Sunday isn’t a single issue film. It’s basically an omni-protest piece. It gleefully shows football’s dark side, and there is no director better than Oliver Stone for muck-raking. He’s in full-on investigative journalist mode in Any Given Sunday, showing how and why players play through serious brain injuries. How because they are given opiates, often leading to debilitating addictions (this happens in all contact sports...Colorado Avalanche player Marek Svatos overdosed on heroin a few years after retiring from injuries). As to why, Stone gives two reasons. One, team doctors are paid by the team, not the players, therefore their decisions will benefit the team, not the players. And two, the players themselves are encouraged to underreport injuries and play through them because stats are incentivized. James Woods unethical doctor argues with Modine’s idealistic one because an MRI the latter called for a player to have costs the team $20k. But the player in question, Lawrence Taylor, plays anyway because his contract is stat incentivized and if he makes on more tackle he gets a million dollars. Incentivizing stats leads to players playing hurt. And although I loathe this term, a lazy go-to for film critics, Stone really does give an unflinching account of how this shit happens and why. When Williams is inevitably hurt and lying prone on the field, he woozily warns the paramedics who are placing him on a stretcher to “be careful…I’m worth a million dollars.” It’s tragic, yet you’re happy for him. The film really makes you care about these guys.  Thanks to the smartly written script, the viewer knows that Williams has four kids, and you’re pleased he made his bonus because, in all likelihood, after he retires, his injuries will prevent him from any kind of gainful employment (naturally, they give the TV analyst jobs to retired white players, unless Williams can somehow land the coveted token Black guy gig). Stone is not above fan service, a populist at heart, and he stuffs the film with former and then-current NFL players, a miraculous stunt given the fact that the NFL revoked their cooperation. Personally, I think this was a good thing because it meant Stone didn’t have to compromise (the league wanted editorial say on all issues pertaining to the league…meaning they would have cut the best storyline, which is the playing hurt one). It also meant that they had to rename the team and the league. While I’m sure this took away from the realism for some fans, I’m cool with it. It also allowed the moviemakers to name the team the Sharks, a perfect name for this roving band of predatory capitalist sports executives. In another example of fan service, the call-girl Pacino’s quintessential lonely workaholic character rents a girlfriend experience from is none other than Elizabeth Berkley of Showgirls, who had been unfairly blacklisted after the titular Verhoven/Esterhaz venture, a movie my wife showed me one day while I was dopesick, which I became so transfixed and mesmerized by that I forgot I was. As mentioned above, the only misstep in the film is one of the offshoots of the Playing Hurt arc, where a player loses an eye on the field. Not because he gets poked, but because he gets hit so hard his eye simply falls out. A medic runs onto the field and puts the white globe on ice. Stone cast a player with a glass eye in order to achieve this effect. No CGI! Still, the scene is unconvincing, a tad too over-the-top. But this is Oliver Stone. At least Any Given Sunday’s sole over-the-top moment is a throwaway scene lasting all of thirty seconds. It easily could have been a secondary plot-line in which government officials try to sneak a Cuban football prodigy out of Castro’s communist stronghold but the player is brutally murdered the morning the officials arrive at his apartment to escort him to the private plane. Or else the team GM is revealed to be a massive international cocaine dealer. Or the tight end is one half of a serial killer couple. The film follows its own advice, focusing more on the players growth, particularly Beamon’s (Foxx). The anonymity of the title, Any Given Sunday, elevates the game, not the players. Thank God, the movie doesn’t force Beamon to assimilate into Pacino’s mold. He buys into the team-first philosophy without renouncing his idiosyncratic POV or his fierce individuality. This is a triumph. One of my biggest problems with sports is the flattening effect it can have on creative individuals. Players take media training in order to sound as alike as possible during media interviews, a long row of stoic giants spouting cliches. It’s boring. Which is why media latch onto a loudmouth, even while they scold him for it. All sports are dying for an intelligent mouthpiece who can explain his motivations in a succinct, sound-bite-friendly, manner. Sports are entertainment. As much as I love Sidney Crosby, in my heart I have to go with Alexander Ovechkin because Ovechkin is far more thrilling, both on and off the ice. Unlike almost every other NHL star before him, all of whom were forced to kneel and kiss Don Cherry’s Rock Em Sock Em ring, Ovechkin defiantly told the media he simply did not care about Cherry or Cherry’s disgusting parental reaction to one of Ovie’s more creative goal celebrations (called a “celly” in the biz). On the play in question, Ovechkin scored the goal, then dropped his stick and mimed warming his hands over it, as if his stick were on fire. As cheesy as the celebration appeared to the naked eye, it’s both a funny and accurate notion. Ovechkin was the hottest scorer in the league for many years and his stick was on fire, metaphorically speaking. The only celly I can think of that matches up in terms of creativity and entertainment value came from Teemu Selanne in 1993, who scored a beauty of a goal, threw one of his gloves straight up into the air, then pumped his stick like a shotgun while “shooting” his glove. Of course, Cherry took exception to it. Cherry’s favourite goal celebration features Bobby Orr putting his head down and refraining from raising his hands over his head. Cherry’s idea of an appropriate goal celly is no celly at all. This from a man who claims “we’ve got to sell our game.” But when an arrogant player shows up and he’s not white, he’s in for a shitload of bad press. Foxx’s Beamon illustrates this beautifully when he yells at Pacino after Pacino cuts him for an older QB who has lost four games this season. “Don’t play that racism card with me,” Pacino warns. “Okay…okay…” Foxx nods, “Maybe it’s not racism. Maybe it’s ‘placism’…as in…a brother got to know his place.”

Here is the original theatrical trailer, featuring Garbage’s classic “Push It.”

Above Lawrence Taylor begs Matthew Modine for Cortazone.  There’s also a great scene where Pacino is trying to figure out where he has gone wrong and Diaz just looks at him. “You got old,” she says simply. No enterprise is more cruel to an aging human being than sports. And this movie makes football a big giant corporate machine that chews players up and spits them out, injured and drug addicted, after four or five years. Those who play for a decade are lucky. This is still how the NFL works. And the NHL is increasingly becoming a young man’s game. Experience matters less and less.

When I started watching hockey in the 90s, players regularly competed into their late 30s. Not so anymore. Players peak at 23-24 now, and are often out of the league by age 35. Thornton and Chelois are exceptions, not the rule. After more than two hours, Any Given Sunday finally lurches across the finish line, bravely refusing to give its viewers a traditional happy ending, in the great tradition of underdog sports films like Rocky and Rudy. The bombshell dropped by Pacino’s character at the end feels less surprising than inevitable, but by now the movie has explored so much of professional sports' seedy underbelly that you're glad it's over. The film is great but exhausting. Stone seems to be advancing the notion that the sport itself is pure, but the people in it are corrupt. If money weren’t involved, the game would be played for its own sake.

I agree with this. People playing pond hockey are engaging in wholesome fun, not necessarily practicing to make a professional league. Commerce corrupts the purity of the game, and the extent to which it corrupts is directly proportional to how badly the individual in question needs the commerce. Of course, the sport is highly racialized, with people in positions of authority white, and those being told what to do with their bodies Black.

Any Given Sunday is an important film, but it never sacrifices entertainment for the sake of moralizing. That it pulls off such a strong moralistic stance is a testament to the actors, who are all incredible, and the material, which is among the strongest of Stone’s career.

He never really made a great movie after this one. So check it out sometime.

#betterdaysareatoenailaway #anygivensunday #al pacino #jamie foxx #dennis quaid #james woods #matthew modine #jim brown #lawrence taylor #cameron diaz #ll cool j

[prairiedust]

Gimme Shelter livewatch under the cut.... I was on my phone when I wrote it so apologies for the typos

“Patchwork Community Center: Care Given to All” with a huge, lurid heart. Hmmm.... patchwork having two meanings here.....

Pastor (?) has 2 Timothy 2:22 tattooed on his arm! “Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (NIV) Are we looking at growth and found family in this episode?!?

Oh that’s the alleyway!

Hitting mythology themes— Connor is an Anglicized version of an Irish name— Conchobar mac Nessa is maybe the most famous bearer of the name, from Irish mythology— he’s the king who lusted after Deirdre and had her locked up until she came of age, which is probably neither here nor there as far as this poor Connor is concerned...

That thing has a big lurid heart on his overalls better run lol— Oh shit it’s an evil Teddy Ruxpin!!!! Thanks Davy Perez!!!!

That’s the thing animal control uses to manage aggressive animals??? Is this saying something about the Patchwork people?

And that’s it for the cold open.

——

The uh, the mcfuckin what, the Camelot Palace Casino? Is this a tour of the legends of Ireland and Britain all of a sudden? What’s with hitting this theme so hard so fast?

Uh-oh the whole Highway to Heaven reference has me side-eyeing Dean’s suggestion for Cas snd Jack to leave the bunker... Dabb even “spoiled” that line in a tweet lol... in that show the cop and the angel got their (vague) assignments from the big guy.......

Oh SHIT “we’re standing in what I call ‘the trap zone’” Perez is coming for my whole life with this episode!!!! And they’re doing highkey “season one totally-normal Winchester investigation questions script” I love it!!!!

“Slasher flick” Oh we’re revisiting Mint Condition. This is fine.

AND TOMBSTONE THIS IS NOT FINE DAVY! We’re running the good times backwards what did I say about this being the flipside of Last Holiday!

H2H again but this time it’s sus... plus I’m with Zack, I totally want the cozy murder spinoff I imagined Adam and Michael doing plz

Oh the Cas and Jack dynamic here is so sweet.

Pastor just leaving his door open like there’s no such thing as a thief bless his heart. They must be torn up about Connor but Pastor was the last one to talk to him so he’s sus I don’t make the rules.

Oh no Red’s a THIEF!!! Who ever would have guessed. Okay I did NOT expect that jumpscare because of the way Connor’s murder primed me, that was masterfully done.

That’s vaguely an Ohio Star quilt square on the sign behind her except um I forget what that tilted square in the center turns it into? It’s chiming with something... I’ll have to look that up later.

“Divide and conquer” no never split up in a slasher movie that’s how you get murders use the buddy system!

Gonna stop a sec because I just realized that Zack is two-faced. The British dandy was an act. The killer is wearing a Cinderella mask. Ok I’m gonna make a prediction that Zack is actually the killer, a la the demon in Repo Man...

Okay there was definitely a beat after Dean said “Glad soneone’s taking charge” [ofHell] and the focus shifted to Sam. Hm.

“We’ve got to set her up for her own death” so meta, these writers are gonna shred us.

I love being shown how much Castiel has changed throughe Jack not understanding the Kool-Aid reference. And the cats line lol. That’s both amazing and poignant.

That’s a log cabin pattern in the cafeteria. Home. Makes me think back on other quilts we’ve seen this season and if “weaving” is the right metaphor for writing lol. I mean, the action of “patching” is synonymous with “mending” or even healing, but patchwork is also a craft with a long, long history in America (idk if quiltmaking is called patchwork everywhere) of taking a few often mismatched fabrics and cutting and sewing into something beautiful. There are generally two kinds of quilt tops— patterns, like we’ve seen so far in this season, which are carefully planned and involve precise measurements, and “crazy quilts” which also require skill but are often more freeform and piecemeal. But both aspire to be beautiful. That’s an interesting way to conceptualize a serial text... as both creating and mending....

That prayer was sweet and not at all what I was expecting.

I get the finger-cutting for Valerie (stealing=sticky fingers) but not for Connor? Tenuous connection still betw lying and writing? It’s evocative of Se7en but the killer seems to have the same MO for all the killings (I attended CSI for a while.)

Snow White is making me uneasy. Oh she’s the preacher’s daughter... we’ve seen that in early days, too.... oh.... oh....

It’s not the AV guy despite having seen all the AV equipment around Valerie. That’s too easy.

“A saint is a sinner who keeps trying-“ no scroll back, the important part was “we all have to take care of each other.” That’s a theme in the series.

She’s all in pink....

dean and amara on the same wavelength about food lol

Ha ha inversion of “oh you’re a fan of religion? name all seven gods then.”

Castiel’s testimony just wrecked me.

“Members serve the gift of food” hmmm the signs in this episode are tip-top

Gonna just watch for a while.

Oh crap “each is a finger” oh it’s about the sins of the father— No Cas no, you’ve fallen for the misdirection!

Oh okay good, Chuck’s not done snuffing worlds. That had me REALLY WORKED UP ha ha because Amara has no reason to lie right?

That was a really good conversation.... and implying that Former Death bent the truth...

Oh fuck I’m gonna cry “I wanted younto see that your mother was just a person” YES! DISMANTLE THIS MYTHOLOGY AMARA!!! Name it!

THE MYTH THAT YOU’D HELD ON TO FOR SO LONG did they just— THEY DID

rigging the game— ftfoh with the casino metaphors already we know the house always wins except when it doesn’t

Lying, lying, lying,

Do we even know Snow White’s name yet? And why was Connor a liar? Because I think we can make a guess at this point.... ah ha ha her name is sylvia— “forest spirit” she’s Mrs Butters— and she’s after hypocrites— but the killing isn’t supernatural, just churchy?

Oh shit SHE IS A DEAN MIRROR IF SHE STABS JACK I’LL FLIP A DAMN TABLE

....

....

prairiedust.exe has encountered an error and must be restarted

....

....

Okay so “Dad” steps in and stops Sylvia’s attack on Jack...

Why is that Zack? What????

“I’ve been lying to you” oh here we go

Oh it would be death #3, remember what Dabb said about threes a long time ago, two attempts that are unsuccessful and one that satisfies the parameters— but no he’s a jack :((((

I have to stop watching for a while.

Okay I finished it. Holy cats do I have some Thoughts about this episode.

What I loved: Revisiting Dean’s anger, BUT the parental mirror here (in retrospect, at least for me) was a John mirror-- all the mothers (exc for Rowena) in this episode are dead. And Pastor Joe didn’t apparently embrace his wife’s faith until she had died, and then his vision was radically different than his wife’s was-- much like John’s reasons for becoming a hunter were vastly different from Mary’s... but much like “patching” this subtext was possibly even more “healing” than having John back in the 300th ep... This was... looking at a child’s anger when they’re in the middle of their own family mythology. Am I implying that Dean’s anger is immaturity? Eh, it’s... unripeness. I have an old meta in my drafts about the heroine’s journey and why Mary’s story conformed to it while feeling totally unfulfilling in her actual character arc and I’m so glad I sat down and examined that rather than finish it. I have a lot I want to say about Cas’ testimony too, but that has to sit a while. ALSO also, Cas has already thrown away his shot by making the Empty deal, right?....

LANGUAGE! Cas saying “I found myself lost” is a bonkers sentence, right? It’s like when people say someone “turned up missing”-- AND it does not have the same meaning as “I realized I was lost”-- you get a double whammy of the connotation “to search for.” I loved loved loved how language was such a big deal in Last Holiday and then again here, I need to rewatch while paying closer attention to Sylvia and things she says... but these two were sister episodes in so many ways, that when I said there was a “lack of narrative mirrors” in Last Holiday, that’s only because the lens for that kind of reading is Gimme Shelter. That is not the first time spn has played with a “coin” or paired structure-- I think the first time I noticed it was Fan Fiction/Ask Jeeves but I was a transfer student from another fandom at the time lol. But of course, we get a huge truth bomb at the end of the episode, and again that splashy cymbal all over lying...

What I got wrong-- Zack wasn’t the killer but he’s fishy as hell-- he stole Sylvia! Is this part of Rowena’s “people generally end up where they deserve to be” except she’s built in an express lane? “Do you need a driver” is that his actual job now? Taking unripe souls to Hell Orientation? What’s up with him being there... the other shoe did not drop. So there is a third episode out there somewhere where this might get wrapped up? The conversation between Dean and Cas can easily be something that happens offscreen, and I don’t think that it would be the first time we miss an “important” conversation, especially since we know roughly what will be said and how it will wrap up-- it’s an “open text” of a sort. Maybe a fanfiction gap lol, I can’t wait for the codas.

Also, the fingers thing being Sylvia’s father’s favorite analogy is where she got her MO, something that I definitely didn’t see, although it fits right in with her father’s slightly pithy character. I think it’s interesting again how we’re playing with threes and fours. Three fingers got cut off but it was apparent that Valerie (valorious one) wouldn’t die until finger #4.... Jack really seems to be our last hope.

#the folklore of supernatural #the mythology of supernatural #mary winchester #davy perez #the second timothy of supernatural #gimme shelter #season 15 #my mom gave me the family baby name book when i was about eleven and so i had an obsession with names #all of my characters in all of my stories had Important Symbolic Names LOL #it amused my father who told me I needed to read herman melville #and there's a little bit of my own family mythos. #now i harangue my own kid to write and stuff ha ha ha except instead of a baby name book i gave him watership down #same effect #more rabbit fighting

[paunchsalazar]

hey!! bro ur my number #1 source for lupin III content so can I ask like how in the hell I go about watching all the series / movies / etc for it in order??? I’m really pumped for the live action so I wanna at least dip into all the other stuff. thanking ya kindly //tips hat

hello!!! what an honor!! oh my… ok I’m so sorry in advance… I’ve gotten a few similar asks and I started writing out a list and it was getting over 1500 words long so I had to try to chill out…so…

LUPIN III CRASH COURSE

I’m sorry that this is so long.. and consider I cut it down! but here is my intro because I know this franchise is huge and confusing!! (I’ve had multiple instances of friends being like ‘I tried to find that Lupin thing you like but I could only find the third one?’) 

I kind of liken it to Scooby Doo? it stretches some 60 years and has been handled by many different writers, directors, and animators across very different eras? most important to know! the order doesn’t really matter and things aren’t really sequential (save for where the three most recent shows) so you can jump in and explore whatever seems compelling! it’s overwhelming because there is so much but also nice because there’s something for everybody! if you like fun and pure, edgy, etc. etc. 

feel free to disregard everything coming… I will say my personal priority order is

- Castle of Cagliostro

- some episode of part 2

- part IV, ideally all of it! there’s filler but it’s hard to know which ones

- part I (or some episodes of it? up to you!)

- Fuma Conspiracy

- part V 

- part III (it’s great too!! just not as sequential as IV and V)

- First Contact… truly indulgent but its so cute!

(below I broke down a little about each and my favorite episodes, where to find them, etc. and there’s so much more but just doing everything below is a whole lot)

TV (All the shows except for The Woman Called Fujiko Mine are on Crunchyroll!)

Part 1 (1971) - crunchyroll!

The beginnings kind of a weird feeling because the first half was directed with one vision vs. the second half being co-directed by Takahata and Miyazaki, there’s a shift in Lupin’s personality and most significantly they sought to shed his ‘sense of apathy’ and make him more of a hero? something that’s echoed later on! honestly, I don’t think the transition is as dramatic as some people find it? but it does shift across the episodes and end on a sweet note!

truly they all have something to enjoy but I made note of 

episodes 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 16, 18, 19, 23 

for some reason? really really suggest watching the last episode! but get a bit of the first and second half beforehand!

Part II/Red Jacket (1977-80) - 155 episodes - on crunchyroll dubbed and subbed

there are a lot so I tried to narrow it down to a few of my favorites/ particularly noteworthy ones? I bolded my absolute favorites! I’m sure I missed a few but save for a few two-episode arcs you can jump in anywhere and it’ll be fine.

episodes 1-79 are dubbed on Crunchyroll! In my personal opinion the script makes it worth it!! there are a bunch of non-dubbed episodes anyway if you want to get a feel for both

(these episode titles are often hilarious, misleading, and/or horribly embarrassing?)

1 - ‘The Return of Lupin the Third’ - just a good starting point!

5 - ‘Will the Leaning Tower of Pisa Be Standing?’

6 - ‘Tutankhamen’s 3,000-Year-Old Curse’

7 - ‘Venetian Super Express’ - I want to say this is a cute little road trip episode? it’s been so long

9 - ‘Steal the FIle M123’ - this dub… madness. very strange Christopher Walken impression for absolutely no reason?

10 - ‘Bet on the Monaco Grand Prix’

15 - ‘Crude Reproduction, Perfect Frame’ - Lupin keeps committing strange and uncharacteristic crimes, but he has no memory of doing so!

29 - ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ - Lupin has some mysterious Levitation Technique and everyone is after it 

32 - ‘Lupin the Interred’ A famed hitman is after Lupin!

34 - ‘But Your Brother Was Such A Nice Guy’ - this episode is one of the zaniest ones and that’s saying a lot… Vampires? Jesus? Really really funny moments though especially in the dub

42 - ‘Cruisin’ in Drag’ Lupin infiltrates the ship of a wealthy bachelor disguised as a woman 

45 - ‘Diamonds and Minx’ kind of a mess of people stealing from each other? 

46 - ‘The Island of Dr. Derange’

57 - ‘Alter-Ego Maniac’ - Inspector Zenigata goes criminal

62 - ‘Church of the Poison Mind’ - Jigen and Goemon stumble into a religious cult

69 - ‘Zenigata Getcha Into My Life’ - this title is awful but this episode is great. 

78 - ‘Ice, Robot’ - an inventor has made a machine that can cry diamonds!

79 - ‘Baton Death March’ 

81 - ‘Fujiko, Men are a Sorry Lot!” - Fujiko gets engaged to a Prince, the rest of the gang goes after the monarchy’s Golden Bell

96 - ‘Lupin’s Gourmet World’ tbh this is a vore episode but there are some great gang moments here and a really fun third act

99 - ‘Fighting Jigen’ - first anime episode (I think like in history? but I could’ve misread) in stereo! And I believe the first to air of the TMS staff’s work, you can tell because the style shifts to a more Miyazaki/Cagliostro look and this will keep happening for the rest of the show

101 - ‘Fervent Love at Versailles’ - a crossover episode with Rose of Versailles! 

103 - ‘The Wolf Looked at an Angel’ - Goemon is an angel I can say little else

104 - ‘The Most Dangerous Golden Bed’ - debut of perhaps the best opening! I love this episode?? so much?

112 - ‘Danger! Goemon’ 

122 - ‘An Unusual End to an Expedition for Napoleon’s Treasure’ 

143 - ‘The Miami Bank’ 

145 - ‘Wings of Death: Albatross’ - ah yes, one of the famed Miyazaki-directed episode, truly so worth it

151 - ‘To Arrest Lupin, the Mission at the Highway’ - another not exactly Miyazaki episode but a lot of the people he trained? They depart from the part 2 style(s) again but its a good bit of fun all around! Really lovely character animation

152 - ‘Jigen and the Hatless Pistol’ - Jigen loses his hat and thus his ability to shoot

155 - ‘Thieves Love the Peace/Farewell, Dear Lupin’ - the finale episode! Miyazaki-directed as well, and just beautiful 

Part III (1984) - 50 episodes - crunchyroll!

I’m still very early in this one so I can’t say much yet! But it gets a bad rep? Perhaps for being more inconsistent stylistically and a bit on the zanier end! But I really like it!! these drawings are such a blast! I think each bit has its merits and this one is no exception. Plus with all their freedom animation-wise they can do a lot of fun stuff!

The Woman Called Fujiko Mine (2012) - 13 episodes - on kissanime for certain and I think animetake?

this is the most dramatic departure from the rest of the shows/films/specials. Fujiko Mine is the star of this part! It definitely has less obviously plot-important episodes but it’s one narrative from start to finish. I must note that it’s by far Lupin’s edgiest, I think it’d be safe to deem this part as R-Rated. There’s sex, violence, sexual violence, abuse, bodily mutilation, obsession… a gay character who gets a pretty tragic fate (at first I was excited by the very existence of an LGBT+ character but he really goes through the wringer and never gets a resolution.. I don’t want to spoil). This is probably Lupin at his ickiest? I do like Jigen’s personality here! And his dynamic with Fujiko, but it’s a lot more disjointed than the other parts. She meets each of them separately and towards the end, Lupin and Jigen interact more but there’s barely a time when they’re all together. That’s not meant to be a deterrent but personally, I’m a sucker for their friendship and love them as a group so it’s a bit of a bummer. Sequential plot-wise though! This one is definitely captivating, a bit disturbing, and there is a plot-twist that really got me. The villain design is really cool too!

Part IV (2015) - 26 episodes - on crunchyroll, also dubbed on Funimation

This part is narrative-based and sequential! It still has some more standalone episodes but there’s definitely an overarching story throughout! I think they’re all worth watching and might leave little important bits that’ll be confusing later on. Essentially this part takes place in Italy for the most part and starts with Lupin getting married to a multi-millionaire heiress/model/celebrity who wants to get into the thief business. This one feels like a good combination of old and new, it’s not quite as silly as the earlier parts can be, but it’s full of nostalgia while still feeling original. I really had a good time!

This dub isn’t bad but!! It comes with a different opening and soundtrack, I guess Lupin’s pretty big in Italy and perhaps there were licensing issues? I’m not sure? But it’s a bit of a bummer to be without the Yuji Ohno soundtrack. The alternate opening feels more like a collection of stills and footage found throughout the show? It’s not horrible, just different! Regardless, the Part IV Japanese OP (vs. the Italian/US one) is worth a watch!

Part V (2018, airing on Adult Swim right now, summer 2019!) - 23 episodes 

I’m actually not done with this part but its good fun! more directly tied to part iv then the others are to each other. It’s more sequential as well with a few sub-arcs and since it fell on the franchise’s anniversary it has callback episodes with Lupin in various jackets in various tones. Interesting Lupin characterization here… he seems… sadder, wistful? and we get hints of Lupin lore! Lots of fanservice but… I love it! I still think they could’ve pushed it more? it feels somehow more reserved than part IV in some ways, which is already different from the 70s and 80s, but it’s got a lot of lovely moments!!

Films/TV Specials

From 1989 to 2011 they had a special every year!! So much!

Castle of Cagliostro (1979) - Available on Netflix! 

perhaps the best-known piece of media in the Lupin franchise? And rightly so. This film is Hayao Miyazaki’s directing debut and a blast from start to finish! This characterization of Lupin is definitely Miyazaki’s more than Monkey Punch’s but that seems to be the strange nature of the Lupin franchise! I could really go on forever… please watch it!

The Fuma Conspiracy (1987) - 

perhaps harder to find, but it’s on Kissanime! Goemon is getting married but before the ceremony is over the bride is taken by the Fuma ninja clan and the gang helps him to get her back as well as learn the story of a family heirloom? Really great stuff from everybody! Adorable Zenigata, the fluffiest and most handsome Goemon, cute Jigen, Fujiko, and Lupin interactions, a really really incredible car chase! Even with Cagliostro’s fame, this one has got some serious pizzazz

Episode 0: The First Contact (2002) - on Kissanime as well! 

A journalist asks Jigen how he met Lupin III, this is probably my favorite TV special? And features one of my favorite opening scenes in the whole franchise. The instrumental!! Perhaps each member of the gang at their purest, whatever that means, really great moments between everybody and peak Lupin and Jigen meeting and somehow signing up to be life partners

#oh my god #i'm so sorry #please.. feel free to ignore this #lupin #lupin the third #lupin iii #lupin the 3rd #diggitydamnsebastianstan

[anxiousstark]

緣分 ⎪Yuanfen {1}

Pairing: Tony Stark x Reader.

Summary: A relationship by fate or destiny; the blinding force of two people.

Warnings: Not for now.

Word Count: 1302

A/N: This is the first time I wrote for Tony Stark. In the end, I decided to do a Tony Stark x Reader in a romantic relationship. But don’t worry, I will do another one when I finish this series where Tony has a daughter and she grows up along the story.

All Rights Reserved. The author, me, don’t allow any type of copy or adaption.

IMPORTANT: Tony Stark is 45 years old in this story and the reader is 28.

"Is that what teenagers do nowadays?"

At the familiar voice, Peter stopped paying attention to the new Star Wars ship model that Ned had brought to the tower. "Mr Stark! This is Ned!" Peter could not help but smile widely. He felt totally privileged because after whining for a couple of months, Tony had finally given permission for Ned to visit the Stark Tower on condition that they did not come to his place of work.

Clint watched Peter smile as if he was a 3-year-old child, and wondered just how the teenager had been able to convince Tony Stark. Everyone in the tower knew that Tony had a soft spot for Peter, but nobody imagined he would be able to be so soft. 

"I was telling Ned how last time we fought against Loki and that army he created himself using other people's powers." Most of the Avengers who were present couldn’t help but roll their eyes when Peter started talking quickly without pausing to breathe.

"Peter." Tony stared at him, trying to hide the small grin that was beginning to appear in his mouth. "Get to the point."

"Peter says you are invincible!" Ned's eyes shone. After all, Tony Stark was in front of him.

"Thank you very much, little Hawaiian child." He walked away from them both as he made his way to the kitchen, wanting to drink a couple of cups of coffee after spending all night working on improvements for his suit. Improvements that didn’t seem to convince him much.

"He just called me..." Ned's voice was immediately interrupted by Peter, who was already used to Tony's nicknames. "Let me show you the balcony, you can see the whole city from there. I advise you not to look down or you will puke. I puked all over Clint.”

"Do not remind me of that day." Clint grumbled, closing his eyes and trying to forget that disgusting moment. The day he had lost one of his favourite pair of jeans and boots.

"Another night awake?" Banner asked, entering the kitchen.

"Mmmh, I'm trying to create some new features for JARVIS. I got it, but I'm not very satisfied with them. I think something is missing." He drank some of the coffee he had prepared, closing his eyes and letting a sigh leave his mouth after swallowing. "A cup, Doctor?"

"Oh no, no, no." He made excessive and unnecessary gestures with his hands. "If I drink a single cup of coffee, I don’t think I can control the other guy."

Tony smirked.

But he was interrupted by the screams of Peter and Ned. He left his cup on the counter and ran to the balcony where everyone else was there now.

"Why the fuck are you screaming?" Tony approached Peter and Ned, who had their backs to him.

"Tony." Steve caught his attention and gestured to where the two teenagers were looking and the probable cause of why they had shouted like that. Tony wrote down on a mental note to laugh, after discovering which of the two had shouted in such a highway.

A girl. In front of everyone, there was a young girl. She was sitting on the floor, her legs against her chest and her face hidden by her long hair and the angle she was in, looking at the ground. She didn’t raise her head at all. Not even after all the commotion.

Her body was covered by a kind of thin sheet that was broken in many places, showing most of her skin.

"S-she just fell from the sky." The two teenagers were still enthralled with the person who, as they had said, had fallen from above before them.

Tony took two steps forward. "It's not like I'm complaining about seeing a girl in my tower, but who are you?" Natasha and Steve couldn’t help but roll their eyes again due to Tony trying to make a joke of it all.

The girl got up slowly, though her hair still covered her face. All of the others ended up in positions, ready to attack if necessary. Natasha and Clint realized that she was weak. Her legs trembled to maintain the weight of her body. Her bones were visible, more than they should be, which indicated that she wasn't in good condition and could pass out anytime. 

 "I don’t think it's a good idea to approach her." Steve whispered when Tony stood in front of Peter and Ned, just in case.

"Do you understand what we are saying? Where did you come from?" Natasha directed her words to the young woman, who eventually lifted her face, revealing her blue eyes. 

Blue eyes that weren't normal. The young woman directed her gaze towards Tony, and those blue eyes began to shine even more.

Under her gaze, Tony began to feel great pain in his chest, specifically under his arc reactor. He placed his hand on it and noticed how the device was overheating. His head started to hurt and breathing seemed to be more and more complicated.

"Mr Stark?" Peter grasped Tony's arm, who was beginning to struggle to breathe. He fell to his knees on the floor, clutching his chest and staring at that mysterious girl. What was she doing?

At Steve's signal, Bruce ran to Tony, who was now lying on the ground. Clint, Thor, Steve and Natasha pointed their weapons at the girl, who didn’t stop looking at Tony.

"What the fuck is going on, Bruce?!" Clint began to get nervous noticing that this girl could be a danger to everyone and could have been sent by someone to harm them.

"This is incredible." Banner whispered. "The arc reactor is not working, I think she is consuming Tony's energy."

“How the fuck is she doing that?” Steve asked without removing her eyes from her.

“I don’t know! I don’t know what she is doing but she needs to stop before the arc stops working completely.” He took Tony’s pulse. It was faint, almost not there.

“You are hurting him! Stop!” Peter screamed, now protecting Tony with his own body. “I don’t want to hurt you so please stop!”

The girl stopped consuming the energy that Tony's reactor provided.

"What the fuck?" Clint exclaimed, nudging Natasha. Before, they had acknowledged the bad state in which the girl was, and although she was still wrapped in a torn sheet that covered just enough, her legs no longer quivered while trying to hold her own weight and her bones were no longer visible as before.

"She just consumed the reactor’s energy to increase her own." Natasha explained.

"Cool." Clint frowned. "Another little monster."

He and Natasha approached the girl, keeping their eyes on her and their weapons still pointing at her.

"Are you okay, Mr Stark?" Anyone could notice the concern in the young boy’s voice, but honestly, everyone was worried about Tony. With Bruce's help, Tony managed to sit on the ground after recovering his breathing. He nodded, still looking at the girl.

"Didn’t you say he was invincible?" Ned whispered, earning a little punch on the belly from Peter.

Thor, who had disappeared for a few seconds, reappeared with a blanket in his hands. He approached her slowly, reaching out to offer her a blanket so that she could cover himself.

She extended her hand, her fingers touching the blanket, and then, bubbles and smoke began to come out of where she was touching. Thor quickly let go of the blanket, letting it fall to the ground.

"That reaction is typical of..." Bruce started, completely shocked.

"Sulfuric acid." Tony finished for him.

MASTERLIST  ⎪ Chapter 1 ⎪ Chapter 2 ⎪

“What happens when two people meet by fate but it is physically impossible to be together?”

TAG YOURSELF

Taglist: @vesta-ro  ⎪ @lovely-geek  ⎪ @kasiarella  ⎪ @leia-saveourskins  ⎪ @supernaturallover2002  ⎪ @alexandria-argent  ⎪ @amanda-m-111  ⎪ @mybabyboytony  ⎪ @loverholland  ⎪ @buckybear97  ⎪ @havanaangel

Tagging some mutuals in this chapter for if they would want to check it out (I'm sorry for bothering): @hollandandi  ⎪ @spiderboytotherescue  ⎪ @hollandfanficlove  ⎪ 

#tony stark fic #tony stark x reader #tony stark blurb #tony stark scenarios #tony stark imagines #tony stark fanfic #tony stark fluff #Robert Downey Jr #robert downey #robert downey jr. #robert downey jr x reader #avengers #avengers!reader #avengers x reader #tom holland #peter parker #spiderman #clint barton #hawkeye #bruce banner #hulk #thor #chris hemsworth #chris evans #captain america #captain marvel #natasha romanoff #Scarlett Johansson #tony #stark

[whatmack]

“Being attracted to people is exhausting” man Neil mood. Big mood XD I love mattneil

how can neil have energy for ROMANCE when there is EXY

Theair changes once they’re closed inside Matt’s truck (a different one from hisPalmetto days, but no less beloved). Neil knots his hands together in his lapand stares out the window. He can’t stop remembering that this is a date. He’s on a date, a real, physicaldate, with Matt. His best friend Matt. He’s on a date with him. Matt.  A date. For romance and stuff.It’s so much bigger than their Skype dates. Neil wants to open the door andleap out onto the highway. It’s survivable if you know it’s coming. The shirt Matt is wearing has a deep vee down the front, exposing the long lineof his neck. Whenever Neil turns to answer a question or make a comment, he’sovercome with the desire to find out how it feels under his lips. Thinkingabout wanting someone other than Andrew is weird enough, and Neil has hadmonths. Actually doing something about it might give his central nervous systemthe final excuse to tap out.

Mattpulls them into the parking lot of a bistro that has an alarmingly elegantspray of poppies carved into its sign-front. Warning bells sound inside Neil’shead as Matt leads him through exposed-grain wooden tables and couples incollared shirts and pretty dresses. His casual getup marks him instantly as anoutsider. Neil dodges the judgmental glances, curling his shoulders anddropping his gaze to the floor to be as invisible as possible.They get to a small counter at the back that turns out to be the cash register,hidden so as not to offend delicate sensibilities. Matt chats easily with thecashier and is soon handed two large paper bags, receipt attached marking themas take-out. Neil nearly sinks to the floor in relief. He keeps his legs steadyout of sheer will.A childish lisp breaks him out of his thoughts: “Mommy, look at the man withthe scars.” A haggard mother tries frantically to silence her child at anearby table, darting fearful glances up at Neil. She’s not distressed at herchild’s rudeness, Neil realizes, just afraid that he’s heard them. Neilstraightens his spine and bores his eyes into her plastic smile, keeping hisface still and staring much longer than social norms would dictate. Her palemouth turns down. Her son has no such compunctions.“Guy! Guy! What happened to your face?” He points to both his cheeks, eyesbigger than the plate in front of him. “How did you get those?”

“Kidnappingchildren who ask too many questions,” Neil says, not dropping the mother’sgaze. She flinches and yanks her son close to her, but not before a peal oflaughter bursts from him, bouncing off the exposed decorative rafters.Matt is beside him, takeout bags in one hand, the other rising to restproprietary at the small of Neil’s back. “Do we have a problem?” He’s smilingat the mother, and for once—Neil didn’t know it was possible—the expressionholds no warmth.Neil has to give the hostess his respect. It’s the fastest he’s ever beenushered out of a restaurant.

They don’t get back in the truck. Instead, Matt steers Neil across and down ahandful of the city’s long blocks, chatting idly. Neil memorizes the pattern inthe automatic back of his mind. It’s a warm evening, humid but not miserablyso, and people on the street nod instinctively to Matt’s general aura of charm.His hand remains on Neil’s back the whole time, pressing lightly to guide him.It’s something Andrew does when he’s feeling possessive, but not in public. Neilhas always liked the way it makes him feel taken care of.They stop to buy cups of lemonade from a dinky stand (the “best in the city,”Matt proclaims. Neil takes charge of the bags of take-out while Matt fishes forhis wallet), and then they’re tramping through the close-cropped grass of apark, dodging picnickers and other (other!) couples. A frisbee arcs through theair towards them, and Matt catches it one handed, laughing and calling out tothe children tossing it while he sends it back. His easy athleticism makes Neil’sskin burn under his collar.Expecting to be out in the open, Neil is pleasantly surprised when Matt ducksaround an intentionally arranged copse of trees and crouches to put thelemonade cups down behind a hedge. He motions for Neil to sit beside him andhand over the bags.“I was worried this spot would be taken,” Matt says, pulling out napkins and Styrofoamcontainers. “I found it last summer, but I can’t have been the only one. Look.”He points with a plastic fork through a gap in the hedge, and Neil squints tosee an outdoor amphitheater, concrete steps dotted with clusters of sunhattedpeople.“There’s a concert?” Neil has, in the past years, gained somewhat of a passionfor live music. It is as much of a shock to him as anyone else. He blamesKevin.“Most nights, once it’s warm enough. The sound carries decently well to here,and the important part is you can eat as messy as you want and nobody else cansee you.” Matt nudges Neil and passes over one of the containers. The hedge and the trees block them from the rest of the park, enclosing them ina small bower of greenery. On the stage in the amphitheater Neil can see thesound crew taping wires and gesturing to microphones. Matt leans against a treetrunk, leaving space for Neil to curl beside him but letting him decide whetherhe wants to or not.He understands Neil so well. Neil’s fingernails make dents in the Styrofoam.He has to swallow rapidly.“Eat that before it gets cold,” Matt says through a mouthful of food, and thelump recedes from Neil’s throat. He crawls to slump against Matt, heedless ofthe grass stains he’s getting on his jeans, and opens the container to find alarge, crusty-breaded sandwich and a cup of sauerkraut.  “Because your taste in food should be acriminal offense,” Matt says.“Won’t be the only thing criminal about me,” Neil says, elbowing Matt’sstomach. Matt yelps and nearly overturns his own, much less cabbage-y dinner.

It’snot the most comfortable place to be. Roots dig into Neil’s ass, and the drygrass is prickly even through his clothing. He keeps on the lookout for ants.The sandwich is too good to sacrifice to them, as is, true to Matt’s promise,the lemonade. They use every single one of the paper napkins and need more.Neil rubs his sticky hands on the grass, and Matt unselfconsciously sucksdipping sauce off of his fingertips. It’s an action he’s done a hundred timesbefore. This time Neil is allowed to stare.A four-person band takes the stage. Neil misses their name and half the lyrics.The drumbeat thuds up his hipbones to control the pulse of his heart. He closeshis eyes and wiggles into Matt’s lap, listening, feeling the sweat make theirt-shirts stick together. Dusk turns to twilight turns to the fluorescent brightnessof a city night.“I was worried you were going to take me somewhere with white tablecloths. Ortuxedos. Or chandeliers,” Neil says. He wraps the flap of Matt’s jacket tighteraround him. He’d stolen it after sundown had turned the gentle breeze to chill.That is, after all, why Matt has brought it.Matt chafes Neil’s arms. “Give me more credit, c’mon.” He pauses, and Neil canhear him thinking, so he waits. “Would that be…absolutely horrible?”The band finishes their last (no really, their last) encore to the scatteredapplause of the visible audience. There’s the shrieking of feedback as theybegin to pack up, the crew reappearing to monitor the band’s abuse of theequipment. Neil uses the time to figure out how to put his words in an orderthat makes sense.“I don’t get it,” he finally says. Matt’s legs shift under him, tipping Neilinto the crease, and Neil grabs Matt’s shoulder to stay upright as Matt leansback to look at him. “Why does anyone do that stuff? If you care about eachother, it shouldn’t matter.”Matt takes a while to answer. “When I was a kid,” he says, slowly, “I used towatch a lot of those—pirate movies, knights, cowboys…where it was all about thegood men and chivalry and beating the bad guys and winning over the fair lady.And Mom wasn’t…she was busy, but there were a couple months when she had donesomething to her elbow, and she read a whole book of Arthurian legends to me.It was the most time I’d ever spent with her all at once.” He traps Neil’sankle in the circle of his fingers; unties his shoelace when Neil kicks at him.“I guess I thought that that was what it would be like, for me. Stupid, I know.”He tips back, taking  Neil with him sothey’re sprawled on the grass. Neil is grateful to have Matt’s cushioningbetween him and the rocky soil.“Everyone’s stupid when they’re a kid,” Neil says.Matt laughs weakly. Neil can feel it rumbling against him, like the musicearlier. “Yeah. Anyway then I moved in with Dad and it didn’t. Happen likethat, I mean. I think the most romantic thing that happened to me was one timea guy made edibles that were m&m cookies because he knew those were myfavorite. And that was only because he thought I’d suck him off. When I got toPalmetto, I wanted…I think I want to be the one to make it better for otherpeople, you know? It doesn’t have to be like that, but it can. And not just toget someone to put out, or as a trick, or whatever. When I was younger I wantedit to mean something. I guess I still do.”Neil digests that, lying on Matt’s chest, Matt’s arms clasped around his waistas they look up at the sky through the shadowed branches. The city lights aretoo bright to see any stars, but Neil knows where they are. “Do people reallydo that?” He asks. “Have sex with someone because they’re nice to them, or givethem things?”“I don’t remember,” Matt says.Neil flips himself so he’s kneeling with his legs on either side of Matt’s,hand resting on the ground beside his head. With two fingers he traces Matt’snose, his cheek, the swoop of his browbone and the delicate skin of hiseyelids. He is so much bigger than Neil; Neil forgets he was built on ascracked a foundation as the rest of them. Neil wants to kill every singleperson that made Matt have to be strong.“Can I kiss you now?” Matt asks in the breath between them.“Do it,” Neil says, and leans forward first.Matt’s lips do not feel appreciably different from Andrew’s. Slightly fuller,perhaps, but just as soft. Neil goes down on his forearms as Matt’s palms pressagainst his spine, urging him closer. How long Matt has been waiting, Neil doesnot know; Matt does not rush him, keeps the kiss soft, pressing and easingagainst him in waves. Only when Neil tugs at the back of his neck does Mattroll them over so he can pin Neil to the ground with his mouth. Neil can’tfeel the roots with the weight of Matt’s hips on his. His heart is a wellspring, and Matt keeps adding water.“I would try it,” he says against Matt’s lips. “Thetablecloths and chandeliers. If that’s what you want. You can explain it to me.”“We’ll talk about it,” Matt promises, and kisses him again.

Can u believe Matt KISSED Neil after Neil ate sauerkraut…..what a mans

(No they did not fuckin a city park, Matt is a Gentleman)

#all for the game #the foxhole court #mattneil #boydsten #part 7 of #I'm not making u eggs #AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH #my fics #Anonymous

[triumphorce]

under umbras of bundles  of stars,

canopies of leaves & branches that shatter-scatter sky image held indirect

as a gleam in eyes

as conscious lay in fabricated gardens watching memories, & desires in dream form

from across highway covered by

blue-white, 

yellow,

& orange lights

sound of tires, mufflers, sirens, 

amidst a higher sense 

attuned to

muffled far cries muffled while crossing empty lands

filled with chilling wind howls, stealing hope, 

which

kickstarts the power on survival mode..

ups& downs 

drown the cries further,

that

war, warn, or cheer..

or just sing..

maybe

a hymn made by souls for souls under same umbra to set free to lead to wonder & beauty beyond the surface of senses directly to free to seek love loss between me and me

buried beneath  road of longest journey to reach

turn feet all around

all about a world I have no idea about

just mad ideas about Kept in journals i turn over

to all but from in front of views not yet exploited by value of which is, views are power,  & are the will in word- to-page transaction

self diminished to substantiate

entries from entrails, not shown to be conquered

win or lose is how I never saw things.

win or win, only optionss, only progress..

yet..,always over complicating;

marathon sprints from start to finish

as I choose, If i choose, to continue to choose to overlook slopes in existence, where hides I, in ruins, digging for recognition

contribute to a mind overloading with what I know I owe society, &me,

burden of see-through beast, I see illusions of future thru,mistaken as truth, play victim, get stressed or believe I'm down on luck ,in dumps of depression and slum of beliefs,

 in a slump with headphones on temple and music up, reminisce about the golden olden, me and broseph, SSB, PSO, kanto, johto, cartoon cartoons, many one saturday morning’s, plenty cinnamon toast, fruity pebbles, so many card games at Books-a-million

but when I open eyes from trance

I'm forever face to face with today is today

not then not later...

just

 changes who changed how I changed regret and anger to compensate for blaming everybody but me

now I stare afraid at dilemmas mass effect decisions

 daily in-and-out-terventions

to keep from falling back into resentment.. spite blinding shelves of subconscious-self- disappointed perpetuating judgment of others binding progression, tying tongue, boiling blood because old habits die hard and I continue fucking up, up raging rapids w/o a paddle,   almost 3 decades of failing infinite (according to projections) feel I missed and am missing out on so much, so much world, so many words coiled inside, waiting to explode,

all the time, just like everybody.. everything mind sets sights on turns to target issue     how unfortunate for aforementioned coordinates, for anyone close enough for me to put in poems' , important enough to torment conscious over, used to be everybody, used to be nobody, used to be just some people, now its just me and i dont know him

   attempts to speak, to learn again, to teach me about me       to learn to teach                     myself, to set example for ambition directed toward a better version, better verses, better reimbursement of time given tryna be an extrovert, free from bitter, free from bitch asses, set internal standards to never  get fucked with again, fuck you, fuck him, fuck her, i only fucks with a journal & question  everyone,  everything, every word, every whisper, shit ima tell my children every day, breakfast lunch dinner,  do your best and fuck the rest, get it, get lit off enlightenment, fuck rest, save roosting for death, dont look at me, looknat the sky, seize the day in everyway brain permits, dont reach for others' and if anyone tries to take yours, that means they dont fundamentally respect life, so always permeate passion, ignore distractions keeping you from creating, test limits, test intentions, challenge imperfections with wisdom, know that perfect is just cosmetics, but i remain quiet.. remain tied up being alone, wondering..           whether I'm right to do any god damn thing        'cause if I don't do it right..       was I right to think I could, wrong to think I understood

am i wrong not to try?

what of what's sacrificed ?

how do i keep count

how did I end up here       in standby...

standing squeamish & deer eyed in light of opportunities rising in horizon of night skies, to step in to obtain warmth, maintain from days before, to do something, do the one thing, but when will I be ready will eyes be ready to comprehend right or wrong

only me, here. only us, on planet.

only who's responsible? how is who is affected by, afflicted by? when is too late? when is just right, always too soon to tell and.. if I don't do it now, then why expect change..

why, why, why

'cause I expect anything at all

anger toward unmanned vehicles imminent to collide with mine

driven mad up eighty-five degree angled walls during rush hour, sun beaming heat into ride, where i travel on path, thru battlefield of past where fallen intentions decompose to ignorance and wisdom sprouts in the mean time.. I'm in between times, feelin down, down down down down by the way

a trail thru fears past dead ends, rotting trees, looks like fallout hit

a past I try an' forget..

but remember out of reluctance 

to accidentally revisit regret,

stand next to biggest fears,  see if facing them uproots soul

rolls ideas in head, non-stop

like trolls troll under bridges 

to which billy goat gruff temper charges like crono's katana on zenan crossing,

lodes of odes to oaths, lightning loaded, aimed at negative minded sapiens bioshocks via rhythm and syntax, cryo cascades of ideas, locked away in moleskine or computer files to put to rest the rest of an inside in arrest to judgment, in side quest of public playthrough, i feel im on public display, static complaining in front of pretty much strangers   modes of awareness to mental problems i exploit to people who might not think im crazy, who might like what i write, might like to write about the same thing, might see giants in those same nodes i stand near, i hear crisp crackles filling an awkward air as i stare at words on sheets that i might tear, might let collect dust, or share prolly might be quiet, only sound is poetic drafts that fill in under open windows, I open slowly, cool rush, goosebumps, awake aware always, even when mind is a crinkled, crumbled candy wrapper still just construct wrinkles in time via           hairs stand, ovation, and encores to

     helping to cross over doubts, screams of slander, stop it all, right now, shed truth in another light, fed through veins like pen's ink to go over and correct vision of pinheads vane turnin art, free thought to cash and competition, trade purpose blow for blow with obstacles in the name of the next step, over opponents, trade nervous for nerves robust to withstand standing up to stretch and spread chest to stand up for work where time invested is braided circulation    goin in circles,        time wasted pet peeve number 1

    a nowhere never felt before        but something seems familiar.. overlooked,   under yards, under pressure of bone leverage, give life a lift thru cracks of a collapsing effort stretched behind chest and ribs

a heart glows in

hot coal hues hearth warmth under carbon sheets

till blood boils till steam coils from pores to kill the cold along roads

sun or none

no light above, isn't lack of.. 

(look inside)

----

harsh heat of reality hot enough to feel cold

make me go ghost in dark times..

friction strong enough to spark moist..

continue until i sear nerves disembody fromm pain till im felt by meta-form of others

heartfelt arcs between soul and soul-mind 2 mind

light releases thru iris folds spectacle in spectacles----

spectrum wheel of emotions spins &spins to  understand self an urge that intensifies the more  i live life as well as I can Improve every day, no excuse, don't ignore the corners, get behind my ears,every nook and cranny in creative muse-um, uhm, duh, raised on books, nintendo, animation,& wishbone, outside, only myself as playdate, use every square inch as play-scape under every hair in head, a mind uses face and body as way to create 4 fourever& vice versa to escape who ever & know I can do whenever, wherever

wherever i go, a voice in mind goes

that keeps on talkin , keeps me talkin tellin me I've talk--, wrote enough hoped enough to last a lifetime, but that's not enough

and I still got a lifetime

to either solidify or fuck it up

gradually let go of 

to concentrate on life's finest moments i build to build form in appreciation, saying get up, enjoy the sun rays breaching clouds just before dawn; gett off yo butt and do what you know what you taught you to do when you were at multiple low points and you promised you, you'd never fall to end, even if you fall again, again, and again, never stall in the middle of  takeoff stop in middle of road, cant press play if you lost remote, might as well get up and do it, crawl, run or walk away when the times calls to brawl dark-inner energy only honorable mentions defend health during dishonorable discharge of nega, into rivers, into blue sky.. bordered by white clouds and linear silver

a safe place, work space, desk clerk sifting day to day thru file cabinets memories in memos in notebook; written relativity explaining how I see, what I think say what i want like im eight, glad i spent so much time with words and space-bars,   to escape judgment, hatred,

anxious surrounded by bad vibes

above an Earth, below expectations; over a self under surveillance by approval from inside, crazy dimensions, On the fence between people and myself I close eyes, ride waves of nostalgia once more..

see plenty light to traverse pathways, walk fer hours, walk like back in younger days, playin, runnin, completely captivated immersed in games played, tv, roller blades, monopoly, scary stories, trampolines

&10thousand songs later, 10million thoughts later, here I am doing what I made me to.

can't wait for the next chance

supplied energy through lines to hidden gracelands.

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

Danger in Numbers by Heather Graham

 Heather Graham has been a go-to author for me for some time and this book, dealing with cults and a horrific ritualistic killing sounded like a good read…and it was. This is a great introduction to what will be a four-book series starring Amy and Hunter and I am eager to read them all.

 What I liked:

* Amy Larson: Special Agent for Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), newer at the job than some but not a novice, bright, dedicated, an artist that makes drawings at the scene of crimes, capable, thinks on her feet, from a family in law enforcement, likable.

* Hunter Forrest: FBI Special agent, ex-military, knowledgeable about cult and ritualistic murders, mid-thirties, well known on the job, intelligent, interesting backstory, likable.

* The slow development of the relationship between Amy & Hunter – can see them together on the job and off and am looking forward to seeing them together as the series unfolds.

* The side/back story and how it played into the overall larger story.

* The supporting characters: CSI, ME, her FDLE partner-John, FBI agent assigned to assist, others

* The dark, gritty aspects even though the crimes and cult and all the rest were as horrific as expected…and perhaps a bit more.

* Not knowing for sure which characters were good/bad

* It was believable

* That both main characters came from loving families

* That Amy and Hunter seemed balanced people and that they didn’t come into the story with a lot of baggage that drew away from the plot.

* Looking forward to what will happen next

 What I didn’t like:

* Knowing that cults exist and are as bad as or worse than the one in this book

* The baddies I was meant to dislike

* Having to wait till book two is published to find out what will happen next.

 Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Would I read more in this series? Yes

Would I read more by this author? Yes

 Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin-Mira for the ARC – this is my honest review.

 4-5 Stars

BLURB

This Spring, Heather Graham returns with a sultry and shocking standalone thriller about an FBI special agent trying to run from his past and a state police agent bent on solving a horrifying crime, even if it leads the two of them into the web of a vicious cult. Graham deepens the intrigue and raises the stakes in DANGER IN NUMBERS (MIRA Hardcover; March 23, 2021; $27.99).

 On the edge of the Everglades, a brutal murder and an eerie crime scene set off an investigation that sends two agents deep into a world of corrupted faith, greed and deadly secrets. A ritualistic murder on the side of a remote road brings in the Florida state police. Special Agent Amy Larson has never seen worse, and there are indications that this killing could be just the beginning. The crime draws the attention of the FBI in the form of Special Agent Hunter Forrest, a man with insider knowledge of how violent cults operate, and a man who might never be able to escape his own past. The rural community is devastated by the death in their midst, but people know more than they are saying. As Amy and Hunter join forces, every lead takes them further into the twisted beliefs of a dangerous group that will stop at nothing to see their will done.

EXCERPT

PROLOGUE

 Fall 1993

Sam

 Sam Gallagher stood in the forest, deep within the trees, holding his wife and son to him as closely as he could, barely daring to breathe.

They would know by now. He and Jessie would be missed. He could imagine the scene: Jessie wouldn’t have appeared bright and early to help prepare the day’s meal with the other women. He wouldn’t be there to consume the porridge and water that was considered the ultimate meal for the workday—the porridge because it was a hearty meal, the water because it was ordained as the gift of life.

Their absence would be reported to Brother William, sitting his office—his throne room, Sam thought—where he would be guarded by his closest associates, the deacons of his church.

The family had only been in woods for a few minutes, but it seemed like an eternity. Jessie was so still Sam couldn’t hear her breathing, just feel the tremor of her heart.

Cameron was just six. And yet he knew the severity and danger of his situation. He stood as still and silent as any man could hope a child might be.

Panic seized Sam briefly.

What if Special Agent Dawson didn’t come? What if there had been a mix-up and he hadn’t been able to arrange for the Marshals Service to help?

What if they were found?

Stupid question. He knew the what if.

He gritted his teeth and fought against the fear that had washed over him like a tidal wave. Dawson was a good man; Sam knew he would keep his word. He’d arrived at the commune undercover, having the intuition to realize Sam’s feelings, his doubt, and his fear for his wife and his son. Together, Dawson had told him, they would bring down the Keepers of the Earth. His actions would free others. No, their actions would free others.

Today was the day. Just in time. Sam had known the danger of remaining, felt the way he was being watched by the Divine Leader’s henchmen.

They had to leave. Leave? No, there was no leaving the compound. There was only escaping.

Alana Fisk had wanted to leave, and they knew what had happened to her.

It had been Cameron who had found his beloved “aunt” Al- ana’s body at the bottom of the gorge, broken, lying beneath just inches of dry dust and rock, decomposing in her shallow grave. It had been Cameron, so young, who had become wary and suspicious first. He’d seen a few of the older boys in the area when he’d last seen Alana there, and he didn’t trust them. They were scary, Cameron said.

Sam tightened his hold on Cameron. Seconds ticked by like an eternity.

Sam closed his eyes and wondered how they had come to this, but he knew.

He and his wife had wanted something different. A life where riches didn’t make a man cruel.

Jessie hadn’t hated her father; she had hated what he stood for. And Sam knew the day when her mind had been made up. Downtown Los Angeles. They had seen a veteran of the Vietnam War, homeless, slunk against a wall. Only one of his legs remained; he had been struggling with his prosthetic, his cup for donations at his side. The homeless veteran had looked at Jessie’s father and said, “Please, sir, help if you can.”

Peter Wilson had walked right by. When Jessie had caught her father’s arm, he had turned on her angrily. “I didn’t get where I am by giving away my hard-earned money. He’s prob- ably lying about being a vet. He can get himself a damned job doing something!”

Sam had been walking behind them. Embarrassed, he tried to offer Jessie a weak smile. He hadn’t come from money, and he had lost his folks right after his twentieth birthday, but he was working in a coffee shop, dreaming he’d get to where he could work, go to college and have time left over to be with the woman he loved.

He had given the man a dollar and wished him well. Jessie had turned away from her father.

It was the last time Jessie saw her father. Despite the man’s efforts to break her and Sam up—or because of them—Jessie and Sam had eloped. The plan was to both get jobs and finish college through night school. Her father had suspected her pregnancy; he’d wanted her to get over Sam and terminate the baby.

Jessie quickly made friends at a park near their cheap apartment. They were old f lower children, she had told Sam. Old hippies, he’d liked to tease in return. But those friends had been happy, and they’d talked to Jessie about the beauty of their commune, far from the crazy greed and speed of the city.

In the beginning, Brother William’s commune did seem to offer it all: happiness, unity, love and light.

But now they knew the truth.

Brother William—with his “deacons,” his demands on his “flock” and the cache of arms he kept stowed away as he created his empire, demanding absolute power for himself, complete obedience among his followers. And it became clear Brother William’s will was enforced; he had those deacons—Brothers Colin, Anthony and Darryl, and the squad beneath them. They received special treatment.

Sam clutched his family as he strained to hear any unfamiliar sound in the woods. Was that footsteps? Was the rustling of branches just the breeze?

He had to stop dwelling on fear.

He had to stay strong. Maybe not ruminate on what they’d been through.

But there was nothing else to do while they waited, barely breathing.

Think back, remember it all.

  Excerpted from Danger in Numbers by Heather Graham, Copyright © 2021 by Heather Graham Pozzessere Published by MIRA Books

  DANGER IN NUMBERS

Author: Heather Graham

ISBN: 9780778331452

Publication Date: March 23, 2021

Publisher: MIRA Books

 Buy Links:

Harlequin

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Books-A-Million

Powell’s

AUTHOR BIO

Heather Graham is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author has written over two hundred novels and novellas, has been published in approximately twenty-five languages and with about 60 million books sold in print in the categories of romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. For more information, visit her at TheOriginalHeatherGraham.com.

Social Links:

Author Website

Twitter: @HeatherGraham

Instagram: @TheOriginalHeatherGraham

Facebook: @HeatherGrahamAuthor

Goodreads

Q & A with the Author

Q&A with Heather Graham

Q: Please give the elevator pitch for Danger in Numbers.

A: Danger in Numbers is the first in a four book series based on crimes with a mastermind playing with the concept of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. A Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent winds up working a strange, ritualistic murder discovered in the Everglades along with an FBI agent, who, due to his past, has a unique ability to investigate the machinations of cults.

Q: Which came first: the characters or plot line?

A: A drive through my state on Highway 27! The area for the  beginning first--then characters and plot falling in together!

Q: Why do you love Amy and Hunter and why should readers root for them?

A: I always love people who are able to take something negative happening and turn it into something good for others or for the future. I also greatly admire our FDLE, and so many of the men and women working in the department!

Q: What was your last 5 star read?

A: LOL -- I have no idea! I never base my reading on stars, rather on whether the subject matter is intriguing, or I know the author’s work and I know it will be a good read!

Q: What is one thing about publishing you wish someone would have told you?

A: Hm. Publishing has changed so much since I started! But, I did start without an agent and I think that a good agent is priceless. And, a good agent isn’t necessarily the agent you hear about being the “best.” The “best” agent is the one who loves your work and really wants to go to bat for you!

 Q: With your two lead characters being in law enforcement, I was curious about the research into police procedures.  Have you ever taken one of the law enforcement 'schools' for authors?  Or do you personally have experience or know folks in law enforcement?

A: One of my favorite conferences is The Police Writers Academy. It’s run by Lee Lofland and he brings in specialists from all kinds of agencies, dealing with so many factions regarding law enforcement, evidence, and the law itself. I’m also grateful to International Thriller Writers for trips to the New York offices of the FBI--and out to the CIA. Mystery Writers have also brought in wonderful speakers to various conferences, and, of course, I have friends who are still with--or were with--various law department agencies. And my five children have paid off nicely! One has a U.S. Marshal friend who brought me through his offices and another friend is a Miami-Dade detective.

           They may start running now when they see me coming!

           But they’re seriously wonderfully helpful.

 Q: When writing your thrilling mysteries like this one going into the dark side of cults, have you ever felt chills or thrills as you write?  Have any of your fictional villains given you the willies?

A: I’ve seen--thankfully, from a distance--what horrors can arise from cults. I’ve gotten chills many times!

 Q: I've always wanted to see them.  Have you been on location to the Florida Everglades before?  

A: I grew up in Miami and I love trips out to Shark Valley and other areas of the Everglades. I love visiting our Native American villages and information centers in both Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. We do have mosquitos, alligators, and now, of course, massive constrictors, but we also have amazing birds and incredible nature sites. We’re unique! Down at the tip of the state, we also have crocodiles. No, I don’t really want to play with them or get close to them! But the habitat, the hammocks, wetlands, and more are all uniquely beautiful.

 Q: How much research do you do before beginning to write a book? Do you go to locations, ride with police, go to see an autopsy, etc.

A: It always depends on what I’m doing. I have friends who prefer their research on line--when I can, I love to travel. There are certain cities and areas I love and return to, but bizarre stories can be found in tiny towns and almost anywhere. Fiction will never be stranger than truth! When I can, I go to locations and speak with law enforcement or those close to a situation. When I can’t . . . well, I have a massive library and thankfully, friends who have been police and medical examiners!

 Q: What hobbies do you enjoy?

A: Reading! Diving and anything to do with the water, and ballroom dancing.

 Q: Do you write under one name for all books across genres or do you have other AKA's?

A: I do have an AKA -- Shannon Drake. At one time, I was writing historical novels under the name, and then doing a vampire series under it as well. Many of the publishers later reissued them under Heather Graham. (Went a little crazy a couple of months ago and wrote an historical, Arthurian fantasy, Daughter of Darkness and Light. Because it’s very different from contemporary thrillers, it’s up under Shannon Drake.) Years ago, I also used my full married name for a few books--Heather Graham Pozzessere. But Pozzessere is apparently hard to say, making it difficult for booksellers! But my dad was Graham, so writing as Graham is important to me!

 Q: Do you have pets?

A: I do. A shy crazy cat and two pups, Rocket and Nimh.

 Q: What’s your favorite part of writing suspense?

A: Taking a situation--and ending it the way I want it to end!

 Q: Do you prefer reading and/or writing suspense with elements of romance? Why or why not?

A: I like relationships, I think they often define us. If not necessarily romance, I still like a story to contain friendships or other relationships.

 Q: From the books you’ve written or read, who has been your favorite villain and why?

A: LOL - I don’t have a favorite child and I don’t have a favorite villain! That said, I have always loved Maleficent. She was my girl long before they cast Angelina Jolie as Maleficent in a movie. So evil and glamorous! And now, of course, we know she’s the classic, misunderstood villain--if only the world had treated her more kindly!

#Heather Graham #Series #NetGalley #Harlequin-Mira #Romantic Suspense #Cult #Religious Cult #Ritualistic Killing #Murder #Crime

[monasatlantis]

Final Review of Trails of Cold Steel 4 (Don’t search for the review of act 3, there is non!)

So yesterday I finished Trails of Cold Steel 4 and that means it is time for my final review for the game that finished the Cold Steel - Saga and brought a happy ending for this wretched fairytale XD

Spoiler for all Trails - Games including Hajimari!

Lets start with saying that all in all I absolutely agree with those people who said that CS4 has some of the best scenes in the whole series, but all in all is just so-so otherwise.

As you’ve read in my previous reviews, I had a lot of trouble with the pacing of this game this time. It was too slow, then too fast, then suddenly slow again, then suddenly fast again and... you get it. Act 3 was over so fast that I couldn’t believe it was actually over already, while I almost died of boredom in act 1. And its not just the pacing that it was the problem, but also the way the plot was delivered. I mean, from the end of CS3 to the final day of CS4 its been only two months and we barely played one month of those two months and it felt extremely rushed in a weird way. Saving Rean, finding missing Friends, rushing into the the first rivalries and all that in an in-game-week or so. It felt longer and it should have been longer. Even with the Courageous 2 at our disposal it seems impossible to walk though half of Erebonia for all those hidden-missions and so on in one day, enjoy some quality-time with your army of Friends and lovely Ladys in between and then rush to the next Shrine (which is a huge dungeon with hard bossfights by the way...), that you have to free from some sort of barrier first and all that in one freaking day. And while your enemies are so exhausted from the fights that they collapse. we go on, rush though the dungeon, fight monsters, win against the next boss and all we need is this healing-station-thingy and a few spells. Damn are we good!

Fun fact: There was some extremely unnecessary padding in this game, despite the fact that the plot was delivered in such a rush-rush way. Or was it really necessary to run through 5 overlong highways to talk to 3 different people, who all tell you thinks you already knew, just to find a place full of scarlet pleroma grass wish you are supposed to stake but only AFTER someone fights you and THEN makes you fight against a diving knight? While I was searching for a plot, those 3 people that are left of Zephyr were asking the guy who was wanted by the Empire to randomly join them. Huh? Lets not talk about all the necessary stuff you had to do to finally get into the Einhel Keep, when you were freeing Leeves. Or our little adventure though 5 of those Salt Pale towers, with overpowered teams and unnecessary fighting as leveling these guys up didn’t really bring you much for the rest of the game...

Boy was act 3 hard for being over so fast. Actually, I was playing on very easy and still found the game really hard. I mean, around every corner was either someone from Ouroboros, and Aion or a Diving Knight waiting for you. At some point in the game all 3 of those were waiting for you. How do those brave soldiers playing on Nightmare survive this game? And why isn’t Reans damn S-Craft killing everyone in one blow anymore? I was counting on that! XD

I am not going to talk about how they pushed New Class7 on us every given chance anymore. I am just saying that I was really disappointed because I thought they managed the whole “new class7″ and “old class7″ and “Rean belonging to both” thing so well in CS3 and I think they really fucked that up in CS4. I can not believe that they actually dared to say that new class7 is stronger then old class7, given how much more experience old class7 had. Or the way they constantly wanted to portray that new Class7 knew Rean better, even after barely half a year with him as their homeroom teacher... If they think that CS1 and CS2 and old Class7 sucked, then they shouldn’t have made those games!

I say it again I think the Bonding-Event-System sucked! What if I simply want to be friends with those girls for gods sake? I get that Rean is an hopeless oblivious player that deserves a few more trademark glares from Alisa and all... but do I really have to kiss myself though the girls, when I only want to be friends with them? In the end, I basically avoided almost all of them once more and that is really something Falcom has to work on of they want to keep the bonding-system. Personally, I do not dislike the bonding-systems. Relationships make more sense this way, but I want it to be MY choice if I want to allow Laura to kiss Rean or not. And if I have to skip all her events to avoid that, then this is not the right way to do that. Point.

I think Falcom could not handle the extreme mass of characters they thew at us. Which makes you wonder why they added Duvalie, after getting rid of Millium for the time being. Not to mention Crow or being allowed to use Tita and Randy and Sharon and sometimes even Celine. Once again, I hope they learn from that and don’t give a game that many playable characters again. I think the Crossbell-Saga handled that a lot better, even tho their cast wasn’t that small either - but they weren’t all playable, if you get what I mean. Plus... seeing how half the playable cast of Liberl and Crossbell came to our aid in CS4... how will they managed to pull that of with Reans team? Especially given that his new class7 has graduated by the time the Calvard-Arc starts.

Achem... enough with the bad. Lets say some good stuff about the game. I will stay away from “good music” as this is a given for me in Trails-Games. Tho I have to say CS3, was not just the best game so far in the saga, it also had the most amazing soundtrack. Still, the other Trails games weren’t bad with their soundtracks either, so I think it is worth mentioning that CS4 did really well with that too.

As I said at the start of this review. Some of the most amazing-scenes of the series were in this game. I mean yes, we have those memorable moments like when Joshua and Estelle finally were back together in Sky2 and so on. But in terms of amazing-ness CS4 takes the cake and eats it. Aside from the walking and talking part I think the whole part of act 2, were you are on the Pantagruel is just so amazing. I loved how the teams were reunited, how Rean finally was able to talk with Lloyd and how the teams were so harmonic with each other - just give me another round of Fie asking Estelle how far she already went with Joshua XD Or Elie and Alisa feeling the pain because they both fell in love with oblivious players XD Joshua being able to talk to Ash about Hamel. Having an all Girls and All Boys All-Star-Team to fight against Ouroboros. The return of Prince Olivert. Osborne stopping Cedric. B fighting on our side... it was amazing! The best scene in all Trails-Games so far in my eyes. But there were also a lot of other amazing scenes in this game. Not to mention the amazing Epilogue. First time the end of a Trails-Game made me feel whole.

I could write you an essay about how sick I am ob the “Sibling-Zoning” this game constantly pulls at me. Guys, Millium and Jusis are not the second favorite ship in japan (right after Crow and Rean and before Alisa and Rean) for having Siblings-Feelings for each other! The man-eating-tiger collapsing on top of princey-boy after she gave everything she had for him... because she sees him as a little brother? Yeah... right. Oh and by the way, riding a ferris wheel and watching the stars is not something you would do with your “little sister” if this was possible the last day of your life. This is something you would do with your girlfriend on the last possible day of your life. Which was wonderfully portrayed by Rean. There were a few scenes were the translation was changed to something that was less controversial and I do not like it!

I have cried like a Baby multiple times at the end of CS3 but I can not remember EVER playing a game that made me cry every damn chapter of it. CS4 was amazing when it comes to playing with may emotions one way or another. I cried of happiness, sadness and because I was proud or relieved multiple times throughout this game. It often were just a few tears, some of them stayed stuck in my eyes, but they were there regardless and I loved it. Even tho this game has a lot of flaws it still brought out the best of my emotions regarding all the characters we learned to love over the years. And the feeling of happyness for Rean and everyone else finally getting a happy ending was greater then I ever felt before in a game.

And for this alone, I still love this game.

#CS4 Mona Version #CS4Spoiler

[avengerofyourheart]

Leave This Town Pt 12 (Mechanic!Bucky AU)

Characters: reader, Bucky, Tony Stark, Steve, others mentioned. 

Summary: After leaving the small town life behind, you’ve worked hard to make your dreams come true. When something unexpected brings you home, you’re brought back to the place where everything changed. Timing is everything and now there just might be a second chance with the man you left behind.

Song Inspiration: Angela by The Lumineers

Warnings: Tiny bit of angst, mostly fluff.

Word Count: 3.6k

Tags are at bottom (TAG LIST IS CLOSED I’M SORRY)

**This fic is for @bionic-buckyb ‘s 5K AU Writing Challenge**

A/N: Whoo, boy, you guys. It was a little odd writing Steve and Bucky meeting. Even as an AU. haha. :D Hope you like their interaction, though! I really thought this would be the end, but surprise! An epilogue is coming. I do love a good epilogue. Hope you do, too! And I also hope you like this part! Please let me know your thoughts!! All feedback is welcome. I love you guys. 

<<<Part 11   Part 12   Epilogue (End)>>>

Leave This Town Masterlist

Full Masterlist

____________________________________________________

Previously:

Your eyes flew wide and within seconds, you discovered the man’s perfectly styled dirty-blond hair and a pair of bright blue eyes met yours from across the room. He smiled and raised a hand in greeting before making his way toward you.

“Is that Steve Rogers?” Bucky asked with a tone of admiration in his voice. “Looks like he’s headed this way. Are you two close friends?”

“Um…” you hesitated, watching Steve’s progress across the room as he continued to shake hands and greet people along the way. “About that. There’s something I should probably tell you…”

_________________

“What is it?”

You shifted nervously, glancing at the approaching Steve before returning your gaze to Bucky. “Remember how I was seeing someone and broke it off just before I came back into town?” you asked quietly, then hesitating.

“Uh...I guess so, why…” Bucky began, then pausing as the light came on and his eyes grew wide. “You and…he…you were dating Steve Rogers before me?” he hissed at a whisper.

You nodded slowly. “Yes.”

“But he’s…I…how could you not tell me?” he replied, a look of hurt passing over his features.

“I’m sorry, but at what point do you mention that your last boyfriend was literally a famous movie star? Would you have responded any differently, even back then?” you asked as he chewed on his lip in consideration.

“Maybe not…”

“Look,” you began, looping your arms around Bucky’s waist and leaning close, “the point is, I chose you. Okay? I broke up with him before I left L.A., not knowing if there was still a chance for us. I hoped, but either way I still chose you even if I wasn’t sure you would feel the same. I want you. Only you.”

Bucky finally met your gaze and took a deep breath, then nodding. “Okay.”

You exhaled in relief. “Okay. I love you.”

He let out half a smile and pulled you closer. “I love you, too,” Bucky declared, then pressing a chaste kiss to your lips before resting his forehead against yours a short moment.

You released your grip on him and turned around just in time to see Steve merely feet away, his million dollar smile on full display. He wore an expertly cut tuxedo over his muscular frame, his hair perfectly quaffed and chiseled jaw clean-shaven. Eyeing the two of you, Steve offered a soft gaze and came to a stop before you.

“Y/N, it’s so good to see you,” he grinned, leaning forward for a light hug and kiss on the cheek.

“Hi, Steve. It’s been a while. Great to see you, too,” you replied, then returning your focus to Bucky, who was fidgeting with his tie. “Steve Rogers, this is Bucky Barnes, my boyfriend. Bucky, this is Steve Rogers,” you spoke, gesturing between the two men as Steve offered his hand.

“Wow, so this is the infamous Bucky?” Steve asked as Bucky accepted his hand and gave it a shake, the brunet seeming a bit starstruck. “I’m really glad that things worked out for you two. It’s nice to finally meet you, Bucky,” the blond finished with a nod.

Bucky took a moment to respond, “Um…I, uh…it’s really great to meet you, Mr. Rogers. I’m a big fan,” he finally replied with a nervous smile.

“Please, just Steve is fine. And I’m a big fan of yours. I hear you were a big influence on Y/N’s work. I guess it was all meant to be, then, huh?” he smiled at you with a wink.

Bucky looked your way in confusion, but you just grinned at him and mouthed the words “You’ll see”.

Steve opened his mouth to speak again, but was interrupted when his name was called by a gorgeous brunette with kind eyes, painted lips, and soft curls just past her shoulder. “Steve, darling, can you come here a moment?” she called out in a posh British accent.

“I’ll be right there,” he replied to her before turning back to you.

Your eyes flew wide, then speaking in a whisper. “Is that Margaret Carter? You did one of your first films with her, right? I didn’t know you were still in touch…wait…Peggy?” you asked with an excited grin as the pieces fell together in your mind.

Steve ducked his head as he nodded slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yup. Some things just take a little bit more time, right?” he shrugged.

“I’m really happy for you,” you told Steve sincerely, holding his gaze.

“Thank you, Y/N. I’m happy for you, too. It was great to meet you, Bucky. I better get back,” he said to you both with a raise of his hand before he walked back to his date.

“Well, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” you asked, turning back toward Bucky whose gaze was still off in the distance. “Buck?”

“He was so nice and…normal,” Bucky replied, still in awe. “And he knew about me? How?”

You slipped your hand back into his and gave it a squeeze. “I told him the truth about why I wanted to break up before I left town and shared the story of how you and I met. He could tell there was still something there, for me at least, and he even encouraged me to find out if there was a true possibility for us. He really is a good man. Just not the man for me,” you ended, brushing a hand across Bucky’s stubbled cheek. He grasped it and pressed a kiss to your palm before releasing it.

“I guess I have him to thank, then?” he asked with a shake of his head. “Wow. I met Steve Rogers,” he grinned.

Letting out a burst of laughter, you pulled Bucky further into the room and introduced him to a few more people before the doors to the theater opened and everyone filed in to take their seats. You grasped Bucky’s hand as the opening credits began to roll. Now it was your turn to be nervous. You had seen some rough cuts and spent a few days on set, but this was the big production. The moment of truth where you found out if all the pieces came together just as you had hoped.

The first scene opened with a girl pulling an empty bag from the closet and stuffing it with clothes in a hurry. The sound of a zipper closing and she’s down the stairs, feeling her way toward the door in the dark before she stepped out into the cricket-filled air. Adding the bag to her already packed car, she gave one last look at the dark house before climbing into the driver’s seat and starting the engine.

The scene then cut to the car racing down the highway as voiceover was heard of the girl reading a note that is shown left behind on her bed. Her mother would find it in the morning, explaining how she was finally leaving town how she always wanted to and that she just had to chase her dreams. Next the camera panned up from the road, showing steam rising out from underneath the hood of her car which was parked on the dusty shoulder. The girl was spotted sitting on the car’s trunk while the sun rose behind her.

As a tow truck appeared on the horizon on screen, you felt Bucky grip your thigh and you glanced his way to see a teary smile upon his face. You felt happy tears threatening as well, pulling Bucky down by his tie for a kiss before you both settled in to watch a fictionalized version of your love story play out on the screen.

You wrote the screenplay almost a year ago and had changed names to protect the innocent, but anyone who was there would know that it was you and Bucky. The two leads were unknowns, their previous works including commercials and supporting roles on tv shows. Thankfully, they had great chemistry and portrayed their parts exceptionally well. Some of those acting as townspeople were more well-known and were able to help draw attention to the film.

Even though parts of the script were cut during editing and different inflection was used for dialogue, it gave you chills to hear not only the words you wrote but the words you also had spoken yourself. It wasn’t exact, but close, especially during the fight in the hotel room. You still felt a flash of shame that you had acted so selfishly back then. Bucky slipped an arm around you and pressed a kiss to your temple, bringing a smile to your face.

Apologies were shared at the fictional auto shop and tears were shed, which then lead to the scene you were most anxious about. You had debated whether or not to include the car sex scene, but in the end decided it was crucial to their story arc and an important part of the eventual goodbye. A different type of classic car was used, as you had written, but the scene was emotional and tasteful. It still brought some heat to your face, though, as you conjured memories from that moment years ago.

She was back on the road then, wind whipping through her hair until she decided to pull over to the side and got out of the car. The girl stood in the middle of the abandoned road, looked one direction, and then the other with a look of indecision upon her face. She got back into her car and glanced at the map spread across the passenger’s seat before digging through her purse for her phone.

The last shot showed a wide smile upon her face followed by her thumb hovering over the green call button and then the screen went black. Credits began to roll and the sound of applause was heard as you finally came back to the present. You took a deep breath, blinking a few times before you registered that Bucky was speaking to you.

“It’s…it’s amazing, doll. Wow. And you said romance wasn’t your forte,” he grinned, giving you a tight squeeze as much as the theater seats would allow.

Chuckling thickly, you sniffled and met his eye. “Well, I had the right kind of inspiration,” you admitted, brushing a finger under your eye to remove any black smudges from your tears. It had been an emotional experience to witness this particular project come to fruition. “Truthfully, I was a little nervous about how you would react to my using our story for a film.”

“Really? I admit, I was surprised and I’d be more apprehensive if it was exactly the same, but you tweaked it just enough. I loved it. Brought up wonderful memories of that time,” he said with a smile. “So…what happens to the girl?” he asked in a low voice as people continued to mill around and leave the theater.

You shrugged with a smile. “I’m not sure. I left that open to the audience and honestly, I didn’t even know when I wrote it.”

“You wrote it before we—“

“Yup. I had just finished the script a few weeks before I came back into town. I was actually supposed to be working on a different project, but something kept nudging me to finish the one story that I couldn’t leave alone. Inspiration is a fickle thing, so I just let it flow. You were never far from my mind that whole time we were apart,” you confessed, placing a hand on Bucky’s thigh.

He stood then, pulling you up as well before wrapping his arms around your waist. “I think those two kids can make it,” he said knowingly, then pressing a slow, lingering kiss to your lips.

“I hope so,” you whispered as you broke apart.

His brow furrowed then. “Wait…so how did Steve Rogers know I was inspiration for this film?” Bucky inquired.

“Tony mentioned that Steve was sent the script when they were looking for the leads, but casting ultimately decided to go with unknowns, which I’m actually grateful for. He must have seen my name as the writer and connected the dots with what I had told him about you and me,” you answered with a shrug.

“Huh,” he replied quizzically. “He said he was a fan of mine. I’m not gonna get over that,” he declared with stars in his eyes.

You laughed as Bucky led you out the double doors and into the foyer that was packed with people, many of whom were now vying for your attention.

“We don’t have to stay, Buck. It’s okay,” you stated with a soft hand against his chest.

Bucky just shook his head and hugged you tight before releasing you. “This is your night. You deserve recognition. Like you said, it’s a celebration. For you,” he smiled, joining in the applause that had erupted around you.

You brought a hand up to your face in mild embarrassment, finding yourself the center of attention. Tony came to your side and said he “never doubted you for a minute about the ending”, to which you rolled your eyes but thanked him. The two young stars said hello to you along with the producers and director. Some time had passed before you looked around to see that Bucky was standing off to the side with a drink in his hand. He gave you a smile and a thumbs up to say that he was okay, so you turned back to the conversation.

Thirty minutes later, you came to Bucky’s side and stole a drink from his glass. “I’m ready to go,” you declared.

“Are you sure?” he asked. “I overheard that director wanting to talk to you about another future project. That’s great, Y/N. You should go for it,” he encouraged you.

“Not tonight. I have their contact info and they have mine. The talk can wait. I’m all talked out,” you confessed, pulling Bucky into a hug and tucking your head under his chin. “I’m ready to go home.”

Bucky rubbed a hand against your back and sighed. “Okay. Let’s call the chauffeur guy.”

“I already texted him. He’ll be here in five,” you said with a yawn. The adrenaline had kept you going most of the night, but it now began to dissipate.

“Okay, then,” he chuckled.

A few last goodbyes and you two slipped out the back entrance and into the car where you collapsed into your seat. The city lights streaked past through the tinted windows making you drowsy, and in no time, you were awakened by Bucky. He helped you up the walk to your condo and you slipped off your heels first thing, carefully setting them in the box provided by the wardrobe team.

Reaching for the zipper on our dress, you found it difficult to manage so you turned to ask Bucky for help only to see him standing in the dining room near the floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the city. He had his back to you as you approached. Coming to his side, you saw that he had loosened his tie and undone the top buttons of his shirt. You opened your mouth to speak but thought against it upon seeing his faraway expression.

He stood with hands buried in his suit pockets, his gorgeous profile on full display from your vantage point as he began to speak.

“So, this is your life now. Kinda hard to compete,” he said with a sad smile, then looking your way.

“No, this,” you began, gesturing to the elaborate wardrobes and jewels around your neck, “this is not my normal life. The fancy dresses and parties, that happens maybe twice a year and I’m always glad to get it over with by the end of the night. And there’s no competition, Bucky. It’s not small town life versus big city life. I don’t want you to think that I’m asking you to choose, either. L.A. has offered me wonderful opportunities and connections, but it still doesn’t feel like home. Not without you,” you said, gathering both of his hands in yours.

Bucky glanced down at your joined hands and replied softly, “So what does it all mean for us? You are so incredibly talented, Y/N. You deserve this life and you fit in here. I could never forgive myself if I became the reason you walked away.”

You shook your head firmly. “That’s exactly what I’m saying, why does it have to be one or the other? I go months on end where I barely leave the house, so technically, I can work wherever there’s WiFi. You have that now, right?” you asked with a coy smile.

He chuckled. “As I recall, it was installed without my knowledge, but yeah. It’s there. So, what…you’d stay with me for part of the year?”

You cocked your head with a shrug. “If you’ll have me. You’d get to see me in full-immersion-crazy-writer-mode. That’d be fun,” you grinned.

Bucky threw his head back in laughter. “I can’t wait. And I’ll take you any way I can get you. I love you, Y/N,” he confessed, using a finger under your chin to tilt your head up.

“I love you, too, Bucky. So much,” you replied with a slight crack in your voice, then clearing it. “I know it still seems hard, but we can make it happen. There will be compromises and struggles, but every relationship has those. I know you talked about meeting me half-way, but relationships aren’t 50/50. It’s about two people who try to give 100% every single day. We choose each other every day without fail. Sometimes one has to be willing to carry a little more of the weight, but as long as we’re on the same path headed in the same direction with goals in common, we can do it. Are you with me?” you asked, touching your forehead to his.

He let out a sniffle followed by a chuckle. “God, you’re amazing. And once again, very convincing with your fancy words. Yes, I am with you. And for the record, I chose you, too, all those years ago. I didn’t know how or when, but I knew it had to be you,” he stated, pressing his lips to yours that quickly escalated into a passionate kiss that was headed for more, but you were now hindered by those fancy clothes.

Chest heaving, you pulled away reluctantly. “Okay, so we gotta get out of these designer threads so we can shower off the goop in our hair and feel more human before we can get down and dirty,” you proposed with a wiggle of your eyebrows.

He laughed at that and agreed with a nod as he followed you into the living room where you stripped off the expensive clothing and packed it away carefully. You really didn’t want to have to pay full price for any of that. Racing up the stairs only in your underthings, Bucky was right behind you heading for the shower.

___________

You woke up chilly the next morning, pulling the sheet around your bare body before noticing that Bucky wasn’t in sight. The balcony door was wide open, hence the cool breeze, so you slipped out of bed and donned your terrycloth robe before stepping out into the morning sunlight.

The sight before you nearly took your breath away, stopping you in the balcony doorway. The ocean was quite the view, but more notably, Bucky was clad only in those sweats you loved on him, the material tied low on his hips. His torso was bare and his hair wild, giving you the urge to caress every single inch of him. Not that you hadn’t done that already last night.

Glancing back into the room, you spotted evidence of your late night escapades. The down comforter and pillows were strewn about the room along with what little clothing you managed to slip on after a shower. Bucky’s guitar case was open revealing the 6-stringed Flamed Maple acoustic instrument that he had serenaded you with sometime during the night. Once again, he played without a stitch of clothing but this time the song choice was “Rhythm & Blues” by The Head and the Heart, a new favorite of yours. You had practically tackled him after singing that last line of “Won’t you let me turn you on”.  

Snapping back to the present, you turned back toward Bucky and stepped out onto the wooden balcony to wrap your arms around the handsome, muscular man. He broke your grip and pulled you around to face him, wide grin upon his face.

“Good morning, gorgeous,” he greeted you with a coffee-flavored kiss. He had a mug in his hand and another resting on the railing for you.

“Mmm. I’d sure call this a good morning,” you replied with a light swat to Bucky’s shapely behind.

He yelped slightly at that, then setting down his mug to retaliate by tickling your sides. You finally cried “uncle” and he released you. Stepping up to the railing, you grasped the mug in both hands while Bucky embraced you from behind. You both stood in comfortable silence for a moment.

“I wouldn’t mind seeing this view more often. With you,” Bucky said with a tone of finality.

Your heart leapt in your throat, hoping that it meant what you thought it did. While you had promised you could work from his home, you had hoped he would be willing to visit you out here more often.

“Yeah?” you replied casually. “Like how often?”

“As often as possible. Every few months, at least,” he stated, then allowing you to turn inside his arms to face him so you could see he was serious.

A wide grin spread across your face. “I’ll take it. 100%?” you asked.

“You and me. 100%,” he replied, sealing the deal with a kiss in the early California sunlight.

______________

Epilogue (End)>>> 

______________________________________________________

EEEeeee!!! Yup. So that was supposed to be the end, but of course I’m too curious about what happens next so I hope you are too. Epilogue will be the end! For sure this time! I’ve so loved writing this story. It’s close to my heart and I appreciate all of you who’ve been on this journey with me. Any feedback is appreciated. I love you all!! 

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#bucky x reader #bucky barnes fic #bucky fluff #bucky au #Mechanic!Bucky #reader x bucky #reader x bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #avengers au #the lumineers #sleep on the floor #the head and the heart #rhythm and blues