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abundanceofsoph · 4 years

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SkyFire 1: Chapter 14

New York 2014 (part two)

Word count: 1.3k

SkyFire 1 MASTERLIST

>Instagram posts

When Peter first came to the tower, he was nervous and skittish around the Avengers, something that Aurora could both a sympathise and empathise with, having experienced the same emotions herself. She made an effort to chat with Peter whenever he came over and he quickly became more comfortable once he got into the lab with Tony and the pair started working on his new and improved suit, which was leaps and bounds beyond the sweatpants and hoodie he had been wearing on patrols. The two spent many late hours in the lab and after a few nights, Steve and Rori started to join them, setting themselves up on the sofa, Steve with his sketchpad and Rori with her laptop full of college essays. The four of them found comfort in spending time together, even while they were all absorbed in their own activities.

xXx

Aurora and Tony were sitting in the living room watching TV on a late April afternoon when JARVIS announced that Mark was on his way up to the penthouse. Rori reached for her phone, finding it between the couch cushions and wincing at the notifications stacking up on her lock screen. “This can’t be good,” she said as her manager emerged from the lift.

“How is it that your phone is permanently attached to your hand, but you never answer my calls?” he asked, walking straight over to them and sitting down on the sofa.

“It was on silent and we’re in the middle of binging Community,” Rori replied somewhat defensively, still scrolling through the notifications. “Do I even want to know what’s happening?”

“You and Harry might want to discuss getting out in front of the dating rumours,” he told her, holding out his phone to show her a tweet thread from one of Harry’s fans.

>Harry_is_Life: Ok I might be stretching here but hear me out. Anyone remember those photos of @Harry_Styles & @AuroraStark from the AMAs afterparty? 1/?

>Harry_is_Life: and then the Starks spent New Years in London and Harry was papped in Wimbledon which is where Rori grew up and between NYE… 2/?

>Harry_is_Life: & the start of tour Harry was seen flying into JFK atleast 4 times + they’ve both been liking each other’s tweets/Instagram posts A LOT… 3/?

>Harry_is_Life: So what if @Harry_Styles & @AuroraStark are secretly dating? #Harrora? I know a lot of people will hate this but I think they’d be cute together 4/4

“I guess this was inevitable,” Rori sighed as she scrolled through the responses with Tony reading over her shoulder. The reaction to the theory was mixed; some fans agreed, others thought there was a collab in the works or that Rori would be supporting the boys on the American leg of their current tour, and still others thought it was laughable and that she was too ugly and talentless to be dating Harry. “What do you suggest?”

“Personally, I’d get out ahead of it with a post on social media, but you should talk to Harry,” Mark said. “Their management have dealt with this countless times and I’m sure they’ve got a system in place and a way they like to handle these things.”

Aurora nodded in agreement. “Did you read all the responses?” she asked him.

“Yeah I did. Some of those girls are absolutely vicious.”

“When you idolise someone like that, no one will ever be good enough for them,” Rori attempted to rationalise the hate already directed towards her. “Especially when you’re in love with him.”

“That doesn’t make what they’re saying ok,” Tony said, already itching to respond to some of the nastier comments but knowing that would make things so much worse.

“You ready to deal with all of that?” Mark asked.

“Probably not,” Rori said. “But he’s worth it. I like who I am with him. I don’t have to worry that he’s only with me because of my name, he’d feel the same way about Aurora Bennett as he does about Aurora Stark.”

“I’m glad you’re happy,” Mark admitted. “You deserve it.”

Tony nodded his agreement, placing his arm around his daughter and pulling her against his side.

“Thanks Mark,” Rori replied. “What about you? When are you gonna find someone?”

“God you sound like my mother,” Mark sighed, causing Rori and Tony to chuckle. “I’ll tell you what I tell her; I’m a 27 year gay man, I’m in no rush to settle down.”

“Just as long as you don’t forget to have a life of your own while your managing mine.”

xXx

After Mark left, Aurora headed to her room, already dialling Harry’s number as she swung the door closed behind her and threw herself onto her bed.

“So, I just saw twitter,” she said in lieu of a greeting.

“Yeah Me too,” Harry replied softly.

“What do we do?” she asked.

“I just got off the phone with our management and they think we should wait,” Harry said. “It’s just a twitter theory and it’ll probably blow over.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Rori agreed. “We’ll have to say something before I join you on tour soon.”

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that. Maybe when you arrive before the show in London, we can both post a photo of us together and just confirm it on social media?”

“I like that idea,” Rori smiled. “Sounds like a plan.”

“I’m sorry this is all so complicated,” he sighed, and she could imagine the pout on his lips.

“Don’t apologize. I’d be dealing with twitter rumours no matter who the internet thought I was dating,” she promised.

“You know sometimes I’m really glad that you get all of this. I’m not sure how I’d deal with this otherwise.”

“I feel the same Harry, I think I’d always wonder if it was me or my name if I was with someone normal.”

“And worry if I was ruining their lives by pulling them into the spotlight,” Harry added.

“Exactly,” Rori said, letting out a deep sigh. “Good thing neither of us are normal.”

Harry offered a small chuckle in response to her attempt to lighten the mood. “Normal’s overrated,” he said.

They fell silent for a moment, sitting in their shared confessions for a beat before Rori spoke again. “I miss you.”

“I miss you too. Can’t wait for you to be back here. My family is excited to meet you. My mum won’t stop talking about it.”

“I’m excited to meet them too. I hope they like me,” she admitted.

“They’ll love ya,” he promised.

“I love you, Harry,” Rori said instead of replying.

“I love you too,” he said.

xXx

Aurora had to silence her social media notifications for the rest of the week as fans kept speculating about whether or not she and Harry were together. While neither Harry nor Aurora replied to the rumours, they eventually died down after Ella posted on Instagram in an attempt to divert the story away from the pair. The photo was of the two girls from when their mothers had taken them to the X Factor finale in 2010. She had mentioned in the caption that Rori’s favourite One Direction member had always been Liam and most of the fans had taken this to mean that Rori wasn’t even that big of a Harry fan so it was more likely that Aurora was going to support the band on tour or was writing for their next album. Only the most determined fans continued to theorise about their relationship, however Harry was the one to get the most out of the post, calling Aurora has soon as he saw it.

“LIAM?” he yelled when she’d answered the phone. “Liam was your favourite? I’m wounded.”

“Stop it Harry,” Rori had laughed, her face bright red in embarrassment. “I was 15!”

“I’m so glad you have better taste now,” he joked.

“I’m your biggest fan now,” she promised.

“I love you.”

“I love you too. See you in 6 weeks,” she said.

“Study hard. Goodluck with your exams.”

NEXT CHAPTER

OR CONTINUE READING ON AO3

#skyfire #skyfire fic #aurora stark #dad!tony #iron dad #step dad steve rogers #stony #stony fic #harry styles #boyfriend harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #superfamily #tony stark

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i-think-2-much · 5 years

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Morgan Stark+Babysitter Peter Parker

Peter nearly lost his balance as Karen’s voice startled the white noise of the city below him. He had been perched on his favorite gargoyle (a hilariously deformed figure on the roof of an apartment complex on 54th and 3rd) for what felt like an hour, his vision scanning the streets for some sign of trouble. It was relaxing. The only sounds were the hum of conversation, cars, and various machines that blended together into a pleasant, familiar hum. The wind that came along with being so high whipped past him, gently cooling him and preventing the spider suit from getting too hot.

That’s when Karen spoke up, “You have a call.”

He was in such a meditative state that when Karen’s clear, robotic voice shattered the silence, he jumped and had to scramble to keep himself on the gargoyle, “Oh jeez, Karen! You scared me!”

“Peter. You’ve fought aliens, monsters, and fought in a war unlike any seen by an Earthen, and you got scared by a voice?” Karen asked, confused.

“Well, yeah,” Peter huffed, trying to get his heart rate under control, “It came out of nowhere and-- wait, you said I have a call? From who?”

“Pepper Potts.”

Peter blinked, “Weird. I don’t really talk to her that often. Answer it, please,” Peter let a moment pass before launching into his usual phone call introduction, “Hey, you’ve reached Peter Parker. What can I do for you today Ms. Potts. No wait! Mrs. Stark, right? You guys got married while I was… you know. I’m sorry. This has already turned sad. What’s up?”

“I just found an old upgrade Tony was planning on making for your suit, and I was wondering if you wanted to swing by and pick it up. I can’t make any sense of it, but you’re a clever kid. You might be able to figure it out,” Pepper explained.

“Yeah, I’ll make sure to drop by Miss uh…” Peter hesitated, “What do you want me to call you?”

“Pepper is fine.”

“Okay, Pepper,” Peter affirmed, testing out the name, “Any specific time?”

Pepper sighed, “Just whenever you can. I’m going to be working from home all day. Morgan’s babysitter quit without any warning and I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Peter hadn’t run into the daughter of Tony Stark very many times. He didn’t interact with the Starks as much as he wanted to, really. He had always been closer to Tony than Pepper, and now since they didn’t have Tony in common, it was sort of awkward. The two couldn’t be any more different: the single mother who was CEO of Stark industries and was constantly finding new tech in her house, and the high schooler who could barely get his homework done because he just happened to be a superhero. Or maybe they could be more different. Whatever the reason was, Peter and Pepper never clicked like they had with Tony.

Due to their lack of a relationship, Peter hadn’t seen much of Morgan. He spoke to her briefly at Mr. Stark’s funeral, and a few times at the formal events Pepper was sometimes forced to make her attend when her babysitters backed out. Still, Peter could hear the stress and the frustration leaking through his suit’s speakers.

He already regretted his decision, but spoke anyway, “You know, the city’s really calm right now. I could keep an eye on Morgan for a bit. I’m generally pretty good at making sure people don’t kill themselves or die in some form. I should be able to keep her alive. Other than that, I make no promises.”

Pepper laughed, but it was tense, “I appreciate the thought, but it’s okay.”

Peter pushed himself to his feet, “Okay, well then I’ll just swing by webber you want me to or not,”

Pepper sighed, “Can you superhero types go a day without making a pun?”

“Sorry Miss, that’s against my contract,” Peter joked.

“Just come pick up this upgrade before Morgan finds it and does something she’s not supposed to,” Pepper pleaded.

Peter took a few steps back, crouched into a sprinting stance, and took off in a mad sprint. When he reached the end of the building, he pushed off with all his might, effectively launching himself in the air.

He hung with a final, “On my way,” and turned his attention to the challenge in front of him. He sent out a web and gripped the coarse cord. He’d probably have to find somewhere to change and just take the bus to the Stark’s place… Or he could just hitch a ride on a bus. Was that legal?

Peter dismissed the concept and turned his mind to other matters, “Karen? Would you please call Aunt May for me?”

The speaker in his suit rang a few times before the woman picked up, “Hey Peter! Everything alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I helped a kid get home after school. He got lost, so I gave him a ride. That was adorable. And I managed to prevent a bank robbery the second it started. This dude was acting, like, super suspicious, so I followed him into a bank and caught him as soon as he took out his gun. Not a single shot fired.

“ Anyway, I just got a call from Pepper—you know, Tony’s Pepper— and she found a suit upgrade Tony had been working on before… Anyway, she wants me to pick it up ASAP. Apparently Morgan has developed an interest for that sort of stuff.”

May let out a little laugh, “Well then you and Morgan have a lot in common. How are you planning on getting there?”

Peter had to dodge a particularly low-flying bird before answering, “I’ll just take the bus. It’s not too long of a ride,”

“Don’t you have an essay due soon?” May reminded him.

He considered the problem before making a decision, “I can type it out on my phone during the bus ride. It’ll be fine.”

May sighed, “Okay, fine, just stay safe. I lost you for five years. I never want to lose you again. You know how much I love you, right?”

“Yeah, don’t worry. I love you too. I love you too.”

With immense difficulty, Peter located the next bus to the Stark’s neighborhood and secured himself a little spider-nest on the top and began typing away. Thankfully, he had had the foresight to download a digital copy of the book he was analyzing, which meant that he could just switch between his writing app and the ebook. It was annoying, but doable. By the time the bus was off the highway, his essay was completed and sent to Ned for a peer review.

Not too long after that, Peter found himself ringing the doorbell of the Stark’s house. He hadn’t been on this property since Tony’s funeral. He could remember crying on the bench on the front porch with May running her hands through her hair mumbling reassurances, but May hadn’t been there. She wasn’t the one holding him as the life faded out of his body. Watching as the life—

Pepper opened the door, pulling him out of her thoughts, “You’re wearing your suit? Of course you are. Why not. Come in.”

Peter lowered his mask as he entered the house. He had briefly seen it during the funeral, but he was a bit distracted. Now that his eyes weren’t blurry from tears, he could admire the rustic decor. It drastically juxtaposed with his original expectations of the Stark’s home. The CEO of the most powerful company in the US and one of the generation’s greatest innovators lived in a warm, quaint, older home without the stainless steel accents and whites Peter had expected.

“You have a lovely home,” Peter notified Pepper.

Pepper brushed a strand of hair that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear, “Yeah, Tony built it himself. I had no idea what he was up to. I actually got mad at him, because I was pregnant and he just ran off, but then he showed me…”

Peter brushed a hand against their kitchen table, studying the wood grain, “And let me guess, the Table’s actually a 3D model rendering system that can be used for calculating quantum theories?” He speculated.

“I’m pretty sure you were being sarcastic, but it actually is,” Pepper confessed.

“Oh no, I wasn’t. Mr. Stark always thinks of everything. He made me a space suit and a parachute built into this suit.”

“Mama, can we please play now?” A small voice pleaded from the adjacent room, “It’s been ages.”

The tiny girl went around the corner and froze at the sight of Peter, “There is a weird human in our house. You’re human, right?”

Peter grinned, “Yeah. I’m Peter Parker.”

The girl smirked and crossed her arms, “No you’re not. You’re Spider-Man.”

Peter froze, “How did you—“ he paused and looked down at his Spider-Man suit, “Oh.”

Morgan walked over and grabbed Pepper’s leg, “Mama, why is Spider-Man at our house?”

“Daddy made something for him awhile ago before everyone came back. He just came to pick it up,” Pepper explained.

Morgan gasped, her hands darting to cover her mouth in disbelief, “Daddy knew Spider-Man!”

“She’s a fan,” Pepper explained. Morgan just stared at Peter in awe.

Peter grinned at the little girl’s adorable reaction. He lowered himself to her level and made eye contact with her, “I knew your daddy very well. He made me my suit and—“ tears welled up in his eyes”— and taught me almost everything I needed to know about being a superhero. He made me an avenger, a good person, and a hero. In fact, he was like a dad to me in some ways. I really miss him.”

“Daddy was pretty cool,” Morgan agreed, “He was friends with Scarlett Witch and promised me he’d teach me how to make my own radio,”her face fell, “but he never got around to it.”

The look on her face broke Peter’s heart. She was so hopeless and resigned…

He made up his mind right then, “Maybe I’ll have to teach you,” he decided, “If it’s okay with your mom, I’ll show you right now.”

Peter looked up at Pepper. He took some delight at seeing the surprise written on her face as she protested, “No, Peter, you don’t have to—“

“Pepper, please, it’s the least I can do. Besides, she’s a Stark. Something tells me that if no one shows her, she’ll figure it out herself eventually. I might as well save her the time.”

“Please Mommy!” Morgan pleaded, using a child’s most important tool: the puppy eyes.

“Fine,” Pepper relented, “All of our scraps are in the garage.”

Morgan squealed in excitement and gripped her mother’s leg tighter before letting go and snatching Peter’s arm. Morgan pulled him into the garage and showed Peter to the scrap pile.

Peter rubbed his hands together, “Okay, so how about I get everything we need and then I’ll explain everything to you.”

Morgan seated herself on the floor and nodded.

Peter rummaged through the pile and gathered everything they would need, “Okay, so now… oh. Uh…” he turned to look at Morgan, “What do you know about radios?”

“When you turn the dial, it’s a different song. That’s it,” Morgan admitted.

“Well okay. Do you want me to explain it quickly or the real way?” Peter inquired.

Morgan perked up and squeaked, “The real way!”

“You sure? It’s gonna be a bit harder to understand,” Peter warned.

“I can do it!” Morgan slammed her firsts against the ground with a loud BANG.

Peter raised his hands up in surrender, “Okay, jeesh. So there’s something called radio waves…”

Morgan was a surprisingly good student for someone so young. She was eager, constantly grabbing things straight from Peter’s hands, and forgot everything that Peter told her, but Peter expected worse. After lots of consideration and promises that she would be careful, Peter let her solder a wire or two, but for the most part Peter did all of the hot stuff. Morgan’s job was to line everything up and to learn.

By the time they were done, the radio was a mess. Peter would have done a much better job on his own, but that didn’t matter.

He raised an eyebrow at Morgan, “Okay. I think it’s ready!”

Morgan gasped, “Really!”

Peter shrugged, “Only one way to find out,” he held their small metal box of wires out to her, “Do you remember which one was the switch?”

Morgan nodded and pressed it. Immediately, Black Sabbath filled the room. Morgan squealed of joy, the sound twisting with the heavy bass of the band.

Peter barked out a laugh at the girl’s reaction, “You did it!”

“And then we change the channel by doing…” She frowned at the device, “THIS!”

The song was replaced with some song by Imagine Dragons. Morgan squealed again, “Can I show my Mama?”

Peter nodded, “Yeah, I’ll come with you!”

Morgan sprinted out of the garage with surprising speed. Peter had to run after her in order to keep up.

“Mama! Mama! Look what me and Spider-Man made!” Morgan squealed to a closed door.

There was a short scuffle from the other side of the door before Pepper opened it and knelt down, “Oh, what is it?” She asked, feigning ignorance, “Is it… your lunch?”

Morgan giggled, “No, silly! We made a radio! See!”

Morgan pressed the button and shone with pride as the music blasted out of the speakers.

Pepper raised her eyebrows in surprise, as if she hadn’t been expecting their endeavors to be so successful, “Wow! It sounds so good!”

“I know! And look! It can change songs!” Morgan squealed, showing her how she turned the knobs for the channel and volume, “Spidey said that the numbers we see on our car radio are actually the frequencies of radio waves!” She launched into an explanation that summarize exactly what Peter had just explained to her, going into the science and everything.

Peter laughed when she finished, “Wow, Morgan. I’m surprised you remembered that much.”

Morgan seemed even more surprised than Peter, “I just listened and asked questions.”

A small, wistful smile wormed its way onto Pepper’s face, “Well, she is a Stark after all.”

———-

“But MOOOooooOom,” Morgan complained as Peter slipped his hood back on, “Does Spider-Man have to leave?”

“He has school in the morning, honey,” Pepper chided.

Morgan crossed her arms with a “Hmph”. She moaned before relenting, “Fine. Bye Peter. I love you… Ten. That’s close to one hundred, right?”

Peter couldn’t help but smile, “Close enough.”

#peter parker #spiderman #funny #cute #fluff #domestic #one shot #head canon #morgan stark #pepper potts #pepper stark #endgame #spoilers #end game

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idreamof-music · 5 years

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Grad Night is for Lovers

Pairing: Peter Parker x Female Reader

Word Count: 1.9k

Warnings: Slight one-sided angst and tons of terrible writing!

Prompt: “Hey Cutie”

Summary: Alcohol is just liquid courage and Katherine needs that courage to face Peter Parker. Grad night is the best time for last chance confessions.

A/N: This was written for @hillsnholland’s birthday writing challenge. This is my first writing piece EVER so please prepare for tons of terrible writing. Constructive criticism is completely welcomed.

“Katherine, you need to put that book down and live a little.”I looked up from the novel in my lap, meeting MJ’s stare with my uninterested eyes. Rolling them, I put my book in the bag next to me and stood up. “Says the girl who can’t seem to put her books down long enough to socialize during lunch. I didn’t even want to come to this party, MJ. All I see are a bunch of drunk eighteen-year-olds sucking face with one another. That’s fun? That’s living?”

“Dude, we just graduated. We deserve to let loose a little.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes right back at me, handing me a plastic cup.

Scoffing, I peered into the red Solo cup, a subtle coconut scent hitting my nostrils. Deciding she had a point; I took a large sip. We all literally just graduated earlier in the day and most of us would be leaving for college over the summer, some further away than others. It was our chance to be young and dumb before we were thrown into what I assumed would be hell compared to high school. After four years of being a good child, keeping textbooks practically glued to my face and busting my ass at after-school jobs to save up for college, I sure as hell deserved this. With that thought in mind, I downed the drink in my hand and followed MJ to find something a bit stronger.

A couple hours and a few drinks later, MJ and I had found ourselves sitting next to a pool out back, giggling at the cringey couples “dancing” inside. My eyes shifted to a pair of boys exiting the house and making their way through the yard. Brown hair, brown eyes, and a signature science pun tee caught my eye. Naturally, MJ had noticed my silence and craned her neck to find what was currently holding my attention.

Peter Parker was probably the only guy at school to have piqued my interest. We shared a majority of our classes. He was also MJ’s best friend, or at least male best friend, which meant he was around a lot. Peter was always so clueless, but constantly happy which was the complete opposite of who I was, and it honestly got under my skin. At first. At some point in our friendship, my irritation turned into a fascination with the boy.

“So…You gonna make a move on Parker before he goes off to MIT?” MJ shakes my shoulder as I laugh at her.

“It’s three hours away, that’s barely considered “going off to,” I reminded her. She mumbled a whatever and I sighed. “You really think I should? She nodded frantically, grinning ear to ear. I brushed my hair over my shoulder before getting onto slightly unbalanced feet and fixing my skirt. “Ok, how do I look?”

“Hot. You look hot. Now go get him, tiger!” She cheered me on as I shakily made my way to Peter, who was seated near Ned on a lawn swing, animatedly talking.

I watched his hands fly around the air as he talked, a smile gracing the edges of his lips. It was cute, that boyish charm of his. That charm was what ended up being the metaphorical nail in the coffin for my crush on him. My heart skipped a beat as I got closer to them, the quickly fading alcohol in my system is the only courage keeping me going.

“Hey, cutie! Can I sit here?” I motioned to the open spot next to Peter. He snapped his head up and upon recognizing me, smiled.

“Yeah, um, just let me move a little.” Before he could move closer to Ned, the boy stood up, quickly shuffling his body away from the swing.

“Don’t worry about it, I think I saw MJ waving at me. I’m gonna go talk to her a bit. Catch up with you guys later!” With that, Ned bounded off in search of MJ, leaving a disgruntled Peter and a confused look on my face.

I sat down in the now empty seat that Ned had previously been sat in and pulled on the sleeves of my sweater. A small, shy peek over at Peter proved he was just as nervous as I was. Kicking my feet at the ground, I sighed. “How is Aunt May doing? It’s been a while since I’ve been over.” Peter shot me a smile, breaking the ice between us, ice that had never been there before.

“She’s good. Ya know, same old Aunt May. With me leaving soon, she’s been pretty mopey.” That last part held sadness to it, just a slight bit.

“You’ll only be a few hours away though. I’m sure you’ll visit whenever you can, right? I mean, I’ll be in town still and can keep her company. It’s not the same as if you were to visit her, I’m sure...” I took a deep breath at the end of my rambling, looking at Peter through the bangs that had fallen in my face.

He smiled at me, a smile that made my heart melt. “I think she’d like that. She’s always bugging me about when you’re coming over next.” A blush formed across my cheeks at that. “Of course, I plan to visit as much as I can. She would literally kill me if I didn’t. We laughed together at that accurate statement.

Aunt May was not one to cross. She had proved that when she caught me sneaking out of Peter’s room after a late-night movie marathon back in sophomore year. It was a school night, and with all that Peter had going on, she had strict rules about friends staying over during the weeknights. That rule had been broken many times by the two of us, but that was the first time we had been caught. Definitely not the last time though.

“Are you excited for NYU?” I looked over at Peter and gave a small shrug.

“Yeah, I guess so. Mom is still pissed I’m not choosing something science related that can make “big bucks”. Dad is on board though, but I don’t know. I worry too much about what she thinks of me.” I wrung my hands together in my lap, looking down at the cracked polish on my nails.

“You decided to go the writing route, right?” I nodded and kicked my feet a little. “I think that’s a cool thing to do. Your mom will probably come around once she sees how happy it makes you. Don’t worry too much,” he reassured me. I mumbled thanks, shooting him a small smile before letting it grow silent between us.

I leaned my head back against the swing, closing my eyes and listening to the party still in full swing around us. The chill air hitting my face cooled the heat in my cheeks from our close proximity. At this point, any alcohol that was in my system had faded. Here I was, sitting on a lawn swing with Peter Parker, the guy I had fallen for. All the times we had been alone in the past never felt like this. There was a new electrical charge in the air between us.

A warm hand on my knee jolted me from my thoughts. Whipping my head to the side, a pair of wide, brown eyes met my hazel ones. When had Peter gotten so close? I blinked a few times and smiled at him. “Have I ever told you how adorable you are?” Well, there went the filter on my mouth.

Peter chuckled, shaking his head. “No, I don’t think you have. It’s not too late though,” he playfully whispered, leaning closer to me.

In mock shock, I slapped a hand to my chest and gaped at him. “Peter Parker, are you flirting with me?” A grin spread across his face, cheeks turning a rosy shade that accentuated the freckles across them. A shrug of his shoulders and he had turned his attention to the hand still on my lap.

I watched as wheels seemed to be turning in his head, his thumb rubbing circles into the fabric of the socks covering my knee. Oh, how I wished I could have seen or heard what was going on in there. His bottom lip was caught between his teeth, something that happened when he was nervous or thinking. The sweet innocence he had was just the icing to the cake. A man normally wouldn’t be called beautiful, but when it comes to Peter, that just goes right out the window.

“Peter?” I whispered. I was almost hoping that he couldn’t hear me over the music that was playing, but he did. He lifted his head, brown eyes searching my face. There was a softness to them that I swear I had seen before. Before I lost all confidence, I made my move. Smacking my lips into his, I nearly knocked the boy off the swing.

Strong arms wrapped around my waist, steadying me before I could completely fall on him. His lips were still beneath my mine and I had faintly heard the squeak of surprise slip past them. The lack of positive reaction caused a million negative thoughts to run through my mind, each one filled with regret. How could I have been so stupid to misread him like that? Sure, we had flirted a ton throughout the years, but that didn’t necessarily mean he was into me.

As I started to pull away Peter sprung into action. His arms tightened around me and his lips parted sucking my bottom lip into his mouth. I couldn’t hold back the gasp that left my throat. And that was all it took for me to throw myself into him and this kiss. Our lips melted together into a perfect rhythm, nipping gently at each other’s lips, and hands finding their places in each other’s hair or wrapped around someone’s neck. This was it. This had to be what heaven felt like.

After what felt like ages, yelling from across the yard broke us apart. Both of us looked around out of breath, trying to find the yelling, only to spot MJ and Ned by the back door. The excitement written on their faces said they had watched a good portion of what just went down. “About time, you dorks!” MJ yelled at us. I flipped her off, laughing and shaking my head. When I turned to look at Peter, he was smiling, nose and cheeks pink from our kissing. I placed my hand on his neck and pressed a sweet kiss onto his cheek.

“You’ll be visiting me at MIT when I leave, right?” He asked nervously. That pure look on his face made me smile.

“Of course, I will, Peter. You’re not getting rid of me now.” I pulled him towards me by the fabric of his shirt, picking up where we left off, our lips meeting much slower this time.

This was never how I imagined grad night to go. It was a million times better than expected. With Peter’s lips on mine and his arms around me, I felt safe. The world couldn’t touch us. Our summer was bound to be just as amazing as tonight was. The future seemed optimistic despite the setbacks we had over our years of friendship. I couldn’t wait to see what was in store for us.

#t&t birthday wc

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florrickandassociates · 6 years

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TGF Thoughts: 2x04-- Day 429 (1)

If TGF can do two episodes in one, I can do two recaps for one episode. This recap covers Liz’s part of the ep.

The episode begins on a promising note, informing the audience that there will be two chapters: Liz’s Case and Lucca’s Case. One second in, and it’s already apparent that this episode will be (a) innovative and (b) focused on Liz and Lucca.

I have a feeling I’ve heard the Kings talk before (like, season 5/season 6) about wanting to do an episode like this. Does anyone else recall this? At any rate, I’m glad the writers have TGF to experiment a little more with structure. And I think this particular structure works better on Fight (an ensemble show) than it would have on Wife (a show with one lead).

After we’re informed we’re going to be watching “Liz’s Case” first, we see a sheet of paper with ABC written on it. Jay is running active shooter training with some of the members of the firm, including all of the name partners, Lucca, and Maia (who doesn’t get a seat at the table). This is both timely and a good way of furthering the KILL ALL LAWYERS fears without hitting you over the head with it. (This episode, in general, is light on the KILL ALL LAWYERS stuff, as well as on Trump commentary. There’s just enough to remind the viewer that it’s still weighing on everyone, especially Diane.) A delivery man barges in, making a loud noise and spooking everyone. Yep: they’re definitely still on edge. (A little goes a long way: these are the kind of details I love.)

Also, I appreciate that Jay is running the training. Last week I was impressed/surprised he knew how to deal with the ricin scare, and now I’m assuming that office safety is part of his job (or something he’s volunteer to help with).

Marissa walks in and whispers something to Lucca; we don’t hear what it is.

Someone asks a question over the phone. It’s Liz, but it’s impossible to tell since the connection is terrible. This is relatable. I don’t even want to know how much time I’ve lost at work waiting for clients to figure out how to improve their phone connections.

Liz’s connection is terrible because she’s in the car. And why is she in the car? Because she’s taking her son (!!!) to a doctor’s appointment. I’m so glad the writers didn’t forget about Liz’s son. There aren’t enough parents in The Good Verse.

Liz drops her son off at school, where she learns that his favorite teacher has been fired. They let him go in the middle of the year? Sorry. Not the point.

Liz jumps into action as she heads into work, getting on the phone with the principal and explaining that this teacher was one of the few who was able to get through to her son. Liz walks past Lucca and we see a brief snippet of what’s going on with Lucca before going back to Liz. (Can’t remember if it was at this point or slightly later I realized we were going to get info on what was happening with Lucca, but whenever I had that realization I had to pause the TV because I was so excited about the idea. One could say I liked this episode.)

Liz points out to the (white) principal that the fired teacher was one of few people of color at the school. “Our push for diversity is renowned,” responds the principal. Hm.

Speaking of diversity, before I forget to mention it, after last week I was worried about TGF centering itself on its white leads and becoming too enamored with Marissa. This episode focuses on Liz and Lucca, and while this focus is a little overdue, it does make me hopeful that TGF understands that its black characters are also leads, and that an episode can focus on two black women. That’s especially important for the show to do after it pretty much traded Barbara for Liz.

(I’m still so conflicted on the lack of Barbara. On the one hand, the writers seem to have a great grasp on Liz and they did not understand how to write Barbara at all. But I don’t like calling it a good move to get rid of Barbara, because if they’d just written her character well and given her consistent development, if her fourth episode also showed her POV (ok, fine, her fourth episode was actually the most Barbara-centric one but it wasn’t like this) and expanded what we knew about her life, then maybe I wouldn’t be writing something right now about how the writers had to write her out. I’m a broken record about this, I know, but it doesn’t seem fair to praise the writing for Liz when I know the only reason we have Liz is because the writers failed Barbara/Erica.)

“Yes, I’ve heard about your push quite a bit at the school assemblies,” Liz tells the principal (like she already thought the school wasn’t doing enough…). She also says she thinks they’ll be in touch, since at this point she knows she’s going to try to help the teacher keep his job.

Lucca asks Jay to help her with something; he agrees. As she walks off, Liz approaches him. Now that Jay’s helping Lucca, he doesn’t have time to help Liz, so Marissa jumps in. Liz is reluctant but she goes along with it.

In an informal meeting of the name partners in Diane’s office, Adrian explains that they’ve had lots of cancellations for their party. “The lawyer killings. Our chemical scare,” Diane understands. (Um, why would these people have RSVP’d yes in the first place? The party wasn’t thought up before the chemical scare. It’s what Adrian talks to Diane about at the end of Day 422.)

“I say ‘fuck it,’” Diane responds. “You’ve been saying that a lot lately,” Liz comments. Indeed she has. “Making up for lost time,” Diane winks at the camera. She doesn’t, but, like, come on. This line is extremely meta.

Diane then swivels in her chair and stares Liz down. It’s kind of comical-- not because it’s silly, but because Diane really doesn’t give a fuck and she doesn’t care who knows it.

Adrian picks up on the tension and asks Diane what’s going on after Liz exits. Diane laughs and answers a call on her laptop instead of responding.

It’s Kurt! He’s away on a trial somewhere, sitting in a hotel room. To be completely honest with you, I didn’t remember where Diane and Kurt’s relationship stood. I assumed from the fact that Diane was alone and microdosing they were separated. I also believed this was a pretty safe guess based on the seven years of Alicia/Peter relationship limbo we had to endure in TGW. These writers have never met a separation they didn’t want to prolong until the absolute last minute possible.

And indeed, even though Diane and Kurt were on good terms in 1x10, they’re still “giving it time.” Then the connection breaks up (‘cause miscommunication and technology being unreliable are THEMES this week) and Kurt thinks Diane said the separation is over. Diane closes the laptop instead of attempting to call back. I dunno, I feel like if I was in the middle of a convo like that I’d call back on a cell phone, send a text, something…?

Now the teacher is in Liz’s office and she’s offering to represent him in arbitration. “You are the only teacher to break through Malcolm’s shell,” she explains. She continues by saying that she’s always advised to put him in private school, “but if everybody abandons the public school system, it’ll implode.” Yes, thank you, Liz! (Also, I see why you didn’t get along with Alicia. I’m sure Alicia would also say she supports public schools but, um, she wouldn’t send her own children there unless she absolutely had to. And Liz would find that hypocritical.)

Liz then calls in Maia. That’s right. Maia is working! THANK GOODNESS. Maia has almost nothing to do this ep, and the little that she has to do is work. Yay!!!

Malcolm’s public school is a charter school, which is… not exactly what springs to mind when I think of “believing in the public school system.” I was a bit surprised the writers didn’t delve into this, especially since other than a few mentions about the threat of unionization, it doesn’t really matter that it’s a charter. And charter schools are their own can of worms.

Elsbeth barges in (HELLO!!!) and only Maia recognizes her. She’s in the wrong place-- she’s looking for Lucca-- so she compliments Liz’s jacket and leaves.

Marissa goes to the school and pretends to be the mother of a second grader. She rambles a bit too much about her TOTALLY REAL husband, but it works. Marissa makes a vaguely racist comment to try to get a teacher to make an explicitly racist comment. She doesn’t get that, but she does get an explanation for why Mr. Coulson (Malcolm’s fave teacher) was let go: he’s gay.

Arbitration begins, and Nancy Crozier is representing the school. Seems she’s on the PTA. So… she has a kid?! I guess that doesn’t surprise me, but now I’m curious about the personal lives of all the recurring characters.

When it comes out that the principal had fired a teacher from her previous school (a Catholic school) because he was gay, we immediately get a reaction shot where Maia’s visible. It’s not Sad Puppy Owen from 4x09, but it’s just a little thing that clues us in to how Maia’s feeling.

The school used an algorithm to decide which teachers to fire so there would be no bias. Maia jumps in with the counterargument before I can scream it at my screen: “All algorithms are pointless unless they are based on good data.” Absolutely. An algorithm is not inherently objective.

I know I am now nitpicking stock footage (would you expect anything else from me?) but in this stock footage of Chicago it is Christmastime (see the red and green lights on the buildings) but in the show it is March.

Also, not at all the point, but one of the buildings in the stock footage now has a huge TRUMP sign on it so I am going to headcanon that Diane (and the others) have to walk past it every day, multiple times, ‘cause I think that’s fitting.

Now we’re at the poorly-attended RBL office party. There’s a lot of champagne and very few people. There are 18 non-RBL people there; Colin Morello makes 19.

I still don’t get why Colin has to be a series regular, but I do like that the writers are making full use of the fact that he and Liz used to be coworkers. They chat about work for a few seconds until Colin sees Lucca through the glass walls (so! helpful!) with a man. He instantly gets jealous.

Guests 20 and 21 arrive. They’re the algorithm boys from last season. One of them hates a lot of things, including swearing. And, apparently, elevators. What he does like, though, is Marissa. Adrian refers to Marissa by name and as an investigator, which I’m sure would make Marissa happy if she knew about the interaction.

Diane and Liz chat at the bar. Liz asks for advice on dealing with Nancy Crozier, but Diane sees right through it: “This is a thing you do, isn’t it? You ask for advice in order to ingratiate yourself.” Probably true.

“You know, your ‘fuck it’ mode is starting to feel more like ‘fuck you’ mode,” Liz responds. What powers of observation you have, Liz! It’s almost like Diane walked into your office last week, said “fuck you” and left! Oh, wait…

(Also, Liz is wrong. It was Liz’s response to Diane’s ‘fuck it’ mode that made Diane angry enough to say ‘fuck you.” What’s Liz’s endgame?)

“Just appreciating your style,” Diane responds. “I’m just doing my job,” Liz says. Uh-huh. It’s her job to drink with Diane, pretend to ask for advice (ooh, it is a pattern), and then report back to Adrian? “And using what I confide in you to undercut me?” Diane counters. Liz sighs. “Look, I thought Adrian already knew you were thinking of leaving. That’s all,” she explains. Um. Does that track? I thought Liz approached Adrian about bringing on a new partner and told him about Diane, but she could be telling the truth. I am going through Day 415 to see exactly what Liz said, and omg, now I have to watch the Rindell nonsense again and it’s just highlighting how great Day 429 is. The All Access player really needs a 10 second skip feature.

Ok, Liz DOES tell Adrian “She never said anything to you?” so it’s possible that she was trying to be proactive about a situation, not trying to undercut Diane. The whole thing where she suggested Diane take time off and then told Adrian that Diane requested that time… not sure how to spin that one. But best case scenario here is that Liz is just blunt and didn’t mean anything against Diane. A girl can dream, right?

Diane says “it’s more fun to go at each other” in response to Liz, and nope, NOPE. 100% disagree. It is far more fun to watch them be friends. This plot is not fun and I spend every second it’s on screen trying to figure out a way to interpret seemingly malicious actions as benevolent. So… yeah. Sorry, Diane. It’s more fun for you to be friends. And you seem like you could use a friend right now. (Did Diane lose all her friends?)

Diane does offer Liz advice on dealing with Nancy: “She plays at being the nice girl while being tough. She’s good. But her rhythm is thrown off by objections.” The first part, definitely (I’m shocked that still works for her). The second part, is that a thing we’ve seen before?

Elsbeth arrives at the party and Diane’s excited to see her. Who wouldn’t be excited to see Elsbeth? Elsbeth is the best.

Elsbeth doesn’t seem to understand why the offices don’t have furniture (answer: they do; it’s been put in storage for the party). But she doesn’t spend too long wondering, because Diane asks her to sit down and compliments her dress. That’s right: Diane compliments Elsbeth’s wardrobe.

“Ooh! What do you think they’re talking about?” Elsbeth remarks when she sees Lucca spit out her drink. And then things get meta.

“It’s weird,” Elsbeth says. “We’re just the background characters to their story.”

“And they’re just the background characters to our story,” Diane points out.

“And we’re all just background characters to his story,” Elsbeth says, speaking of the bartender. “He could be the hero, and we could be the villains of the story.”

“Or we’re the heroes, and he’s the villain,” Diane spins. “That’s what keeps us humble. Not knowing,” Elsbeth says. “Or paranoid,” Diane counters.

I love this exchange. Is it incredibly on the nose? Is it an all caps Thesis Statement for the episode? Is it one of the least subtle things I’ve ever seen? Is it as obvious about the point it’s making as I am being right now, saying the same thing four times? Hell yes, it is. Is it still great? Yep.

The show is poking fun at itself, Elsbeth is exactly the kind of character that would start talking like this, and I totally believe that Diane would be game for this kind of conversation given her state of mind. It fits to have Diane thinking about these things-- even if only while making small talk with Elsbeth-- when she’s already questioning so much.

(I also like how every time Elsbeth suggests something that would have negative implications for Diane’s view of herself-- that she’s a background character, that she’s a villain-- Diane recenters the narrative. I am not sure that Diane’s doing it on purpose, but, uh, she is used to seeing herself as the hero.) (I don’t mean that as a negative thing! Just an observation!)

Diane turns the conversation even darker, because Elsbeth is a surprisingly good confidant: “You know, last week, I was walking down the street, and there was this homeless man digging for bottles in the trash and yelling at the top of his voice about the president and the country and how we’re all going insane. And I realized: that’s what my inner monologue sounds like. And that when I decided. I’ve got to change.” “To what?” “To someone who’s not going crazy.”

Well. There’s a lot going on there. As seems to be the theme for Diane this season, she’s feeling what everyone else is, but taking it one step farther.

Elsbeth doesn’t know how to react, so she compliments Diane. Then she compliments Diane’s necklace, and Diane gives it to her, along with her belt.. I… don’t know that I like this. It’s cute, but it seems so off-kilter it also worries me.

“I never thought you liked me, Diane,” Elsbeth says. “Hey, you know what? That’s my fault,” Diane admits. That’s sweet!

I don’t know what to make of this scene as a whole. Part of me thinks it’s a nice little Diane/Elsbeth moment where Diane’s No Fucks Given policy allows her to connect with a peer. A bigger part is worried that this scene might look like a warning sign (for what, I don’t know) once we get a little farther into the season.

I don’t get why this Colin/Lucca scene is here, in Liz’s story, right after a scene Liz also isn’t in. I understand that we have to see it before we know what’s going on for the story to work, but something (in editing, writing, or directing) could’ve been done here so this didn’t stand out. Also, Lucca invited Colin to the party, knowing she was pregnant and he was the father, but she has no plans of telling him he’s the father? Alrighty then.

And now for a third Liz-free scene in Liz’s section of the show (this one is, at least, related to her case). Marissa and Maia head down to the 22nd, where everyone’s talking and dancing and there’s music blasting. It is a much more exciting scene than the 23rd. But Marissa and Maia don’t join the party: instead, they discuss algorithms.

Nancy, who has now practiced law in Chicago for 8 full years, literally says “I’m just a small-town girl from Michigan.” I’m going to take that as a shout-out to the fans.

Liz’s son is throwing a ball against the wall, repeatedly, and driving Lucca crazy. She tells him it’s annoying. And because Lucca as a Parent is a THEME, we get to see Lucca interacting with a child (and, of course, Lucca’s reactions to her interactions with a child).

“And would you consider state-mandated testing to be a subjective data point?” the mediator asks. I don’t know if I would call it subjective but I would call it a terrible metric! (But I’m ahead of the episode. The minute I heard state-mandated testing I was ready to rant about testing practices and the costs of teaching to a test. I’m a little shocked that Liz didn’t go there immediately.)

Lucca dared Malcolm to make something out of paperclips, and now he’s totally caught up in crafting a paperclip zombie. Awww. My favorite detail about this scene is that Liz picks up a paperclip to help her son with his project, even as she’s still thinking about her case.

Liz realizes something: Malcolm’s score on the state-mandated test went down when he had a better teacher. He got a 92 last year, and a 73 this year. I assume those are percentages, not percentiles? I don’t recall much about these exams, but aren’t these sorts of things usually scored by percentile and not accuracy? Oh, my God, why do I care?

Tbh, this is just making me really grateful for my own education. I didn’t get a single letter grade or percentage based grade until I was 10 or 11 (maybe on a math test before that?), and grades didn’t “count” until 6th grade. We also weren’t ever assigned homework until 3rd grade. I have some complaints about my (private) elementary school, but I think that system worked well. We could learn without the fear of failing an exam. And while I’m sure I would’ve done just fine if I’d had grades when I was a kid (I love structure and I always have), I bet it really helped the kids who don’t test well.

What I’m saying is, and I’m probably preaching to the choir, teaching to a test, particularly a state-mandated standardized test that will determine staffing and funding, is a terrible idea. It doesn’t help the kids learn, it requires teachers to spend time on lessons that may not be as beneficial to their students in the long-run as something that builds critical thinking skills, and it encourages teachers to lie and cheat to keep their jobs.

Liz, Marissa, and Maia get to work going through the exams from the last few years. Maia spots the eraser marks. Of course there are eraser marks.

I wonder how many of the characters on this show (and on TGW) went to public school. My guess is that the list is pretty short.

The cheating teacher denies that she cheated. She claims the students just realized their mistake at the last minute. All of them. Repeatedly. It’s ridiculous, and Maia’s pretty persuasive. (Yay, Maia!) They still need to find proof, but it’s obvious they’re on the right track.

Kurt is in Diane’s office with some roses. Marissa texts Diane “Where r u? Kurt’s here!!” AGAIN WITH THE “WHERE R U”! Marissa would not write like that on an iPhone!!

Marissa asks Kurt, the ballistics expert, if he knows any eraser forensic experts. Not a dumb question, because such people exist! Even if Liz/Maia/Marissa end up with the wrong expert witness initially (they grab Lucca’s witness instead), eraser forensic experts exist!

I don’t understand Maia’s wardrobe. I cannot find the words to describe her style.

When it becomes clear beyond a doubt that the tests were tampered with, all Nancy wants to know is if she can see her daughter’s test.

Liz tells Mr. Coulson the good news, but… it’s too late. He’s accepted a position at a private school that will pay more. “I still believe in public schools,” he says as he leaves. Ah, a TGW (TGF) victory.

As Liz contemplates her next move, she sees Malcolm and Lucca sharing a sweet moment. Aww.

#The Good Fight #YOU CAN TELL I LIKE AN EP WHEN MY RECAP OF THE LESS INTERESTING HALF OF IT #IS ALREADY LONGER THAN MY ENTIRE RECAP OF LAST WEEK'S EP #TGF Thoughts

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delaneypeter · 5 years

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Art Of Safari

with FujiFilm

Safari, conjures up beautiful imagery, The wilds of Africa. Endless grasslands which are teeming with wildlife, antelope, zebras, giraffe, buffalo, rhino and herds of elephant all share this beautiful world. But they are being watched and observed by fierce African predators, lions, cheetah, leopards, wild dogs and hyenas lie in wait to ambush these creatures, this game of life and death plays out every day and every night.

Watching sunsets as the African red blood sun sets below the horizon signalling to the nocturnal creatures that their part in the African safari has begun, hyenas cackle, jackals cry in unison, and the roar of the lion deafens them all. The prey gathers in groups as they look to shadows and smell the night air hoping that they will not be a casualty of the night.

Sunrise can not come quick enough for these creatures, the mist and cold air of the dawn and tip of the sun rising in the east is met with a sense of joy and relief. The antelope run and jump for joy as they have survived to live another day in the harsh and terrible beauty that is called Africa.

The thrill of photographing this action or capturing tender moments between animals as they meet and greet each other

are the moments that wildlife photographers live for.

It is imperative that we photographers who may only have a fraction of a second to capture these unique moments do so with both accuracy and confidence.

Being able to photograph African wildlife is a childhood dream come true. I had a steep learning curve in becoming a wildlife photographer, and I would like to share a few tips and tricks that I have learnt along the way.

I first would like to discuss the gear and technicals required for a successful safari. Then I will share my knowledge of how to capture memorable photographs.

Gear is always an emotive topic, I have used 35mm film cameras, DSLRs and now Fujifilm's mirrorless equipment. As the cliche suggests a camera is just a tool, and it is the photographer that creates the image.

Yes, it is true to a certain degree but having the right tool for the job at hand makes it easier.

I chose Fujifilm for size and the EVF; I knew from the start the AF system was a work in progress. I am glad to say that five years on the Autofocus is not an issue anymore.

Camera choice may be subjective, but your lens choice will be crucial for a successful safari. Lens choice does depend on one thing? Self-drive safari vs organised safari.

Self-drive safari means driving yourself around a game reserve; the majority of these game reserves have strict rules about driving, no off the roading allowed which in turn means subjects are further away, requiring a long telephoto 600mm(35mm).

If you are on an organised safari where you gave a guide and 4x4 vehicle generally some form of off-road driving is allowed, you will be able to get closer to your subjects; you will only need a medium telephoto or a 70-200mm zoom.

Having chosen the right equipment for your safari, the next important and probably the most crucial is setting up the camera's menu. I will share my setup with Fujifilm's XH-1 as Fujifilm's menu and features are basically the same on all the cameras.

Shoot Raw, if your editing skills are not up to scratch or you are still learning, shoot Raw plus Jpeg, ensure the Jpeg colour space is set to Adobe 1998.

The dynamic range I leave on "Auto" all the other features in Image quality setting I leave alone if you want to change the settings, for sharpness, highlights etc. for how your Jpeg will look that is up to you, as I shoot Raw these settings are irrelevant. For Wildlife I like using the Film Simulation Provia for how the colour that appears in the EVF.

AF MF

Probably the most misunderstood and the root of the majority of unsharp images. First I will start with the correct settings for capturing action images,

I have my camera Iso set on Auto, from 200-6400. The shutter speed to freeze action must be a minimum of a 1/1000 if the light allows you to set it higher, do so. If the sun is low and the Iso is maxed out 6400, and your shutter speed drops below 1/500 for your long telephoto lens or your XF100-400mm zoom, then engage Fujifilms "OIS" optic image stabilisation on the side of the lens.

Drive Setting

I choose CM; I find it the happy medium, pardon the pun, as the burst rate is perfect for action, not too slow that I miss the action, and not to fast that I reach the buffer limit too quickly.

Shutter Type, "MS"; Flicker reduction "On"; Iso auto setting I set to base Iso 200 and max sensitivity to 6400.

Minimum Shutter speed 1/500, I would love Fujifilm to have 1/1000 as the minimum shutter speed.

This setting is essential for sharp images "Is Mode" must be set to "Shooting Only" for still images as "Continuous" mode is for video only and your still images will be soft if set to this mode.

Screen Mode

Leave all at factory setting except, Image Disp turn "Off" irritating if left on as every picture captured will show in EVF as you press the shutter.

Preview EXP, WB in Manual mode; Preview EXP/WB.

Button/Dial Setting

Focus Lever Setting "On",

Function (Fn) Settings we all have different "Fn" buttons set up to whatever our priorities may be.

I use back focus, make sure the AF-On button is set to "AF". I am a fan of the back focus button as it allows me to create compositions without losing focus on the subject. How I wish Fujifilm would make this button bigger!

Power Management, set to "Boost" this can be activated on the battery grip.

Metering mode I leave on "Multi" mode metering the majority of the time; however, in some tricky lighting situations, I may use spot metering to get a more accurate exposure.

If you are photographing action/wildlife, remember to switch camera focusing to "C" continuous to keep track of focus of moving subjects.

I think I have covered everything of importance there may be another setting you use and you may not agree with my way of shooting, and that is fine, whatever works for you, it is the results that matter.

Lastly, I want to discuss some valuable tips and tricks to help you get the best photographs while on safari.

Be ready! Have your camera switched "on" with correct settings? The last thing you want to happen is to have the camera switched off and with wrong settings when the action kicks off.

Charge your batteries, carry spare batteries. Nothing worse while in the field photographing and you run out of battery power.

Make sure you format your memory card to your camera body. Always carry spare memory cards.

Always use lens hoods, avoid unnecessary lens flare and dust. Carry at least two lenses, one telephoto and one wide angle. Know how to switch on the lens stabilisation mode,

Know your Fstops from your Bus stops.

Use a stable platform whenever possible; avoid hand holding unless you have no choice.

Blurr busy backgrounds by shooting wide open this will focus the viewer's eye on the subject and not distracting background.

Always try and focus on the eye of the subject to make an engaging portrait. Use your wide angle lens to show "the animal within its environment." Sounds easy, but it can be challenging to create an exciting photo showing the subject and its environs.

Learn all the rules of composition, not just the rule of thirds. There are many guides, rules and aids to help you make an engaging composition. Once you have mastered them, then your photography will reach the next level.

Shoot low, shoot high, cover all focal lengths and angles. The biggest mistake by photographers is photographing from the same position all the time, go low or high and see how your angle and perspective changes, makes for rewarding images.

Be different, don't always be shooting tight portraits and the same old unimaginative images. It is not easy to be different and come up with a unique photograph. Most of your attempts will fail, but when you get it right, your photo will have the "wow" factor.

The more you know about your subject, their behaviour, their habits and actions, this will help you to get into the right position to capture a great photograph.

Patience is critical for successful wildlife photography, be calm, but always be ready.

If you are on a self- drive safari When you park your car, keep in mind a few things, the direction of light, the direction of animals approaching and leaving, space for you to turn your vehicle around if something unexpected happens.

Goes without saying, turn your engine off or photos will suffer from camera shake. Keep windows open, listen for sounds of the bush. Alarm calls especially.

Don't be that photographer that makes the zebra or giraffe run or have someone chase them for you.

Do not shout or make noises to get a reaction from your subject. Do not change the behaviour of the animals to get a photograph. Do not endanger yourself or the subject.

Some times as photographers we are guilty of hiding behind our camera too much, not wanting to miss any photo opportunity.

We forget to a look around and us and soak in the smells and atmosphere, Mow and again, put the camera down, sit back and relax and enjoy the incredible wilderness surrounding you. But have the camera switched on just in case.

Author Peter Delaney

#Art of Safari with Fujifilm #Tips on using fujifilm cameras on Safari

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