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hollandorks · 2 years

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domesticity--motn oneshot

battinson!bruce wayne x f!reader

a/n: time for another motn oneshot! This is set after chapter 31 but before the epilogue. It’s also set after the “partners” oneshot (but you don’t need to read that to understand this one!) This is just pure, unadulterated fluff. Get your toothbrushes ready, it’s going to give you cavities.

If you feel like supporting me further, here’s some info on ko-fi perks!

The song I listened to when writing this chapter is The Lament of Eustace Scrubb by The Oh Hellos (mostly for the overall vibes!)

Series Masterlist

word count: 3300

It was the middle of the night in early December.

Y/n was wide awake, curled in front of a roaring fire in the living room with a new book, waiting for Bruce to get home from his nightly patrol.

It was still early, not quite two AM, still hours from Bruce being back. Even with the freezing rain outside, he still patrolled every night. He was adamant that winter was worse–longer nights made for more crime while the cold and snow made for more desperate people, hoping not to starve or freeze.

Y/n was working on her own way to help–her budding restaurant, still as yet unnamed, a way to pay it forward and have a small homeless shelter all at once. She was going to feed, clothe, and house people as much as she could. In fact, she had just found the perfect building–two buildings next to each other, actually–in the heart of Gotham. She couldn’t wait for Bruce to get home so she could show him the listing. The place was a bargain, actually, long abandoned and rotting. But the less they spent on purchasing it, the more they could spend making it perfect.

There was a loud clang from the general vicinity of the basement.

Y/n frowned. It was too early for Bruce to be back yet.

Unless something had happened.

She tried not to panic as she set her book aside and hurried in the direction of their bedroom.

She ran smack into Bruce, who was stepping into the hallway from downstairs. The cowl was off, the tips of his hair wet and turning to ice, drops of ice covering the armor he was still wearing.

She immediately looked him over head to toe, worried he would be bleeding out.

“Bruce?” she asked carefully. He usually stayed out until at least four, but sometimes six or seven if it was a busy night. Two AM was too early. Much too early.

A shudder went through him at his name. His eyes met hers but they were distant. Cold. He was still in Batman mode. But usually he didn’t come upstairs in the armor.

“Are you hurt?” she asked, hands already on him, fingers searching the places between armor plates for blood or bullet holes.

He shook his head. “Not–not bad,” he amended after a second. “Might have cracked a rib.”

“Not bad?” she said. “A cracked rib is not great.” She would know. Her ribs had been broken at the gala, and she was just now getting to where it didn’t hurt to stretch in certain ways. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”

He was covered in ice, melting quickly now, and mud. She wanted to ask what happened, but knew he needed time to switch back into Bruce. He’d gently explained it to her, a couple of weeks after their first date, that he wanted to share things with her but that he needed a little time when he first got back. He said it was like shedding a skin every night. He took off the armor and wrote out his thoughts while reviewing the footage from the night. He needed to process everything, to let himself think, to let Bruce Wayne resurface slowly.

Bruce let her lead him into their bathroom. She gently helped him remove the armor, promising in a murmur to clean it later, while she let the bathtub fill with hot water.

There was something almost haunted in his expression. Something bad had definitely happened. She swallowed hard. Her heart broke for him.

She slipped his shirt over his head. There was a chill coming off of his skin, icy water dripping from his hair into his eyes and over his bare shoulders.

His left side was already turning purple. “We should have someone look at this,” she said softly. She went to unbutton his pants but he caught her wrists in his freezing fingers.

She stared up at him, at that terrible look in his eyes. She grabbed his wrists in turn so they were holding on to each other. “What do you need?” she asked.

“Just–stay,” he whispered. His eyes closed and he lowered his head until their foreheads touched. “Just stay with me.” His voice was broken. He was hurting.

“Always.” She lifted one of his hands and kissed the bruised knuckles. “You’re freezing.”

He shivered as if her words made him finally realize it. He quickly shucked off his pants and got into the tub, shuddering heavily at the hot water.

“Too hot?” she asked as she knelt beside him. He closed his eyes and shook his head. She pushed her sleeves up and lightly touched his shoulder, just to reassure him that she was there, that she was with him.

Y/n reached over and shut off the water, dousing the room in sudden silence. She went to the shower, got his shampoo and a bar of soap, as well as a washcloth.

She quietly shampooed Bruce’s hair, letting him dunk and rinse it while she started gently washing the grime from his skin. He hummed softly as she wiped the cloth over his shoulders and down his back. She took one arm and then the other, then worked her way down his chest and stomach. She dunked her arms into the hot water and scrubbed down his legs next, careful not to accidentally pull the hairs that covered them. The edges of her sleeves dampened.

Satisfied that at least most of the grime was off of him, she grabbed one of their shared makeup wipes and started removing the black makeup, heavily smudged down his cheeks from his dripping hair. The water sloshed as Bruce leaned his head back against the edge of the tub. His eyes were still closed. She held his jaw still with one hand and the wipe in the other.

“He killed a kid,” Bruce suddenly said. The movement of his lips ghosted against her wrist. Under the water, his hands tightened into fists. She’d stopped wiping at his face when he’d spoken, but quickly resumed so he would keep talking. “He broke in and the kid tried to stop him. Made enough noise that the neighbors called the cops. I got there first.”

Done with removing the makeup, she switched to a facial cleanser and used a clean cloth to wash his face.

Eyes still closed, Bruce said, “He shot the kid when he saw me. He tried to run, made it into the backyard, out in the suburbs, but–”

But Bruce had caught him.

“I almost didn’t stop,” Bruce whispered. His breath gasped from between his lips. Y/n was done with his face and gripped it with both hands. “I almost didn’t–”

“It’s okay,” she said firmly. “You did. You got the guy. And he’s going to go to jail forever for what he did.”

Bruce’s eyes opened and latched onto hers. He was still breathing heavily, blue eyes even bluer in the light of the bathroom. Her breath hitched a little. “I was too late,” he whispered, broken, hurting, ashamed.

Y/n pressed a kiss to his damp forehead, brushing the wet strands of his hair back. He leaned into her touch, watching her from beneath his long, dark lashes. “But you got him, and he’s going to be punished. You can’t blame yourself, Bruce. You did as much as you could.”

“But I–”

“What? You could have gotten there sooner? Sure. But he probably would have killed the kid either way. Or maybe he wouldn’t have killed that kid, but he would have had enough time to run. And then he would have killed someone else later. I know–I know it sucks. I’m sorry he was killed, really. But you’re doing enough. You’re enough.” She kissed him lightly. “You’re doing the best you can, and that’s enough. Gotham is better because of it.”

Bruce’s eyes closed. She released him and watched as he relaxed, little by little.

“What do you need?” she asked again. “Food? Sleep?”

Bruce opened his eyes a little to look at her. She studied the long column of his throat as he swallowed. “I want–pizza.” He gave her a sheepish grin, cheeks turning slightly pink. “I just–I haven’t had pizza in a long time and–”

She smiled. “You don’t have to explain yourself to me. I’ll make it happen. How about I order while you get dressed, or you can relax here for a bit. Then we can watch that new documentary I told you about.”

Bruce hummed again. “That’d be nice,” he murmured. She kissed him one more time and climbed to her feet.

She wasn’t confident that a pizza place would be open so late, even in a city as big as Gotham, but she was going to make it happen. Bruce never asked for things for himself, and if he wanted a pizza, she was getting him a damn pizza.

A quick search on her phone revealed only one place that was still open, and they were set to close at three. It was 2:45. With a small curse, she called the number. They didn’t pick up, so she called again.

When they answered, she made her case, and offered a hundred dollar tip if they would deliver it despite closing soon. The person on the phone asked the delivery driver in a skeptical voice if they were willing to risk it, not caring that she was still on the other line listening.

“What’s the address?” he asked with a sigh.

She gave the mailing address for Wayne Manor.

The guy was suddenly angry. “I–that’s Wayne Manor. Is this a prank?”

She bit back a retort and instead only said, “Yes, it’s Wayne Manor. Bruce Wayne wants a pizza. I’m telling you, I’ll give you a hundred bucks if you can get here. Please.”

There was another hushed conversation before they finally agreed to do the order, promising to have it there within half an hour.

Y/n hung up with a triumphant smile. Pizza acquired. Now she was going to stoke the fire in the living room, queue up the documentary, and hunt down every appropriate movie snack she could come up with in the house along with as many warm blankets as she could find.

As she gathered up some throw blankets–ones she’d bought on sale as soon as the weather turned freezing a few weeks before, because Bruce didn’t really have much in the way of comfortable blankets–she called down to the guards at the gate to let them know there was a pizza delivery coming.

Bruce found her in the kitchen scrounging up snacks and drinks. He was wearing his favorite pair of gray sweatpants and a sweatshirt that was so faded she couldn’t tell if it had always been plain or if it had once said “Nirvana” or something.

“Alcohol, soda, juice, or water with your pizza?” she asked. She preferred soda when having pizza, and realized that she didn’t know Bruce’s preference. As had happened often these past few weeks, a little thrill shot through her at getting to learn something so simple but strangely intimate about him. No one else knew what Bruce Wayne liked to drink with his pizza.

Bruce shrugged. “You pick.”

Soda it was. Caffeine didn’t matter for someone who was nocturnal anyways.

“I didn’t realize what time it was–how’d you find somewhere still open?” he asked, helping her carry the drinks and plates into the living room where the fire was crackling cheerily.

“Oh you know, just casually dropped Bruce Wayne’s name and threw in a bribe.” She grinned as he blinked.

“I can’t tell if you’re joking,” he said with a frown.

“For once, I’m actually not.”

Bruce breathed a laugh. “Well, at least I’m good for something.”

She moved around the couch and wrapped her arms around his waist. She tilted her head back to look up at him. “You’re good for a lot of things.”

Their lips met halfway. She leaned into the solid warmth of him, his lips chapped but gentle against hers. She still couldn’t get over that this was her life. She felt a little bit like Cinderella after all.

Bruce’s phone vibrated with an alert from the gate. The pizza was here and being escorted up the driveway.

“Have you ever ordered takeout here?” she asked as she gently pushed him down onto the couch. “Because the guards definitely seemed surprised.”

Bruce sank into the cushions. He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. “Um. No. Usually I send Alfred for stuff so no one bothers us.”

Her response was interrupted by the doorbell.

“Is–that my wallet?” Bruce asked when she pulled it out.

She winked and half-skipped to answer the door.

“Hi,” she said to the pizza delivery guy who wasn’t trying to hide his shock. He craned his neck around her, obviously trying to get a glimpse of Bruce Wayne in his own home. Behind him, the security guard was bundled up on his golf cart, obviously annoyed at having to be out of the warm guardhouse. “Here’s the money for the pizza,” she said as she handed over the cash. Freezing air poured in through the open door. The air smelled crisp and clean, promising snow. “And the promised tip.”

The guy’s eyes almost popped out of his head.

“I–Wow, thank you, wow. I thought for sure this was going to be a prank or something, wow. Have a good night!” The guy gave her a huge grin but made no move to leave. He was waiting to see if he could still catch Bruce.

“You too!” she said as she closed the door in his face.

She brought the two steaming pizzas back to Bruce, who perked up when he saw them.

“I got two larges with each half something different. I have no idea what you like.” She bit her lip. “Probably should have asked before I ordered, huh?”

He tugged her wrist so she would sit beside him. “Perfect,” he said, kissing her temple, before eagerly grabbing the boxes. She watched as he chose a slice of all four kinds of pizza and dug in.

“How long has it been since you’ve had pizza?” she asked with a raised eyebrow as she got a couple of slices of her favorite. Bruce was eating with the enthusiasm of a preteen boy at a sleepover who could have as many slices as he wanted without being told to stop.

“Um,” he said, mouth so full she had to laugh. He chewed and swallowed. His cheeks were pink again. “Before Batman, I think?”

“Wow. That’s…you haven’t had pizza in like two years?” Her mouth dropped open of its own accord. “Isn’t that…a sin or something?”

Bruce huffed a laugh. “Well now that I’m having it, I don’t know what I was thinking.”

She bumped his shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ll teach you all about Gotham’s best pizza places.”

They ate in companionable silence as the documentary played on the screen. After a little while, Bruce propped his feet on the coffee table and pulled a blanket over himself. She snuggled into his side and tucked her knees up.

His cold fingers laced with hers. He smiled at her, all soft angles in the low light of the screen and the fire, and lifted his arm so she could snuggle closer.

Outside, snow began to fall, the first of the season.

Y/n gasped and sat straight up as her eyes fell on the window.

Bruce sat up too, instantly on alert, eyes darting around for any hidden threats.

“Snow!” she said, pointing excitedly towards the window.

He made a face.

“I’m going outside,” she said, scrambling up from the couch and making a beeline for their room. She pulled on snow boots, a hat, and a couple of extra layers.

“It’s freezing,” Bruce said from right behind her. He was frowning deeply. “It’s just snow.”

“Yeah, but I’ve never seen it snow here. I’ve always been stuck in the city where it turns brown as soon as it touches the ground. Here though–” She sighed wistfully as she began lacing up her boots.

Bruce sighed, a much more resigned sigh than hers had been, and started bundling up. He pulled a knit hat over his dark hair and she had to stop to smile at him for a second.

“What?” he asked, a little self conscious.

“Nothing. You just look so cozy.” She grabbed his hand and tugged him excitedly out of the front door and onto the already snow-covered lawn.

The flakes were falling thick and fast, a gentle shushing noise the only sound to be heard for miles. Even the distant city noises have quieted, a blanket of silence laying over all of Gotham.

Y/n spun in a circle, arms thrown wide, head tilted back to catch flakes on her tongue.

The grounds of Wayne Manor–and the house itself–were spectacular in the snow. She couldn’t wait to wake up in the early afternoon and see the thick white covering everything in the daylight. She inhaled deeply and let the clean scent of the snow fill her lungs. It was so much better than it had been in the city.

She turned to find Bruce staring at her, his expression dumbstruck, like he had been hit in the head.

“What?” she asked with a grin.

He merely shook his head and smiled. He was a splash of shadow in the bright white in his dark clothes. The snow, even in the dark, made his eyes so much bluer. Her breath caught in her chest as she looked at him.

“I love you,” he said, then pulled her close for a kiss that stole what was left of her breath.

She didn’t know it, but it was at that precise moment that Bruce Wayne decided he wanted to propose to her.

They spend a few minutes in the snow. Bruce took her hand and they started walking, no destination in mind, simply enjoying each other’s company.

She stopped to retie her boot. When she straightened, a snowball hit Bruce squarely in the face.

She laughed and skipped away. He caught her about the waist and held her with one strong arm while the other scooped up a handful of snow to press against her bare neck. She shrieked and struggled to get away.

Laughing, they threw snow back and forth, hardly bothering to even form snowballs.

Bruce caught her again and yanked her close. His lips crashed against hers, his nose cold, his body warm against hers.

“What was that for?” she breathed when he finally pulled away.

“I love you,” he said fiercely. There was something in his face she couldn’t quite place. “Thank you.”

“For hitting you in the face with snow?” she asked with a laugh.

“For–making this fun.” He kissed her again. “But can we please go inside now?”

She laughed again. Everything was bright within her. Her heart was so full of joy she could burst. Things were good–she was going to build that restaurant and shelter, Bruce loved her, and Wayne Manor looked beautiful in the snow.

“I haven’t told you yet!” she said excitedly as they headed back inside. “I found the perfect place.”

Bruce let her chatter at him as she led him inside, back to their bedroom, both of them freezing and damp now.

She was radiant like this–her face glowingly happy, hair damp with melting snowflakes, talking about the project she was passionate about.

Bruce wanted to marry her. He wanted her to be his wife, to be his forever.

Maybe Alfred could help him find his mother’s old engagement ring.

taglist:

@pop-rocks-and-skittles @calumspupils @n1ght5h4d3-24 @keepingitlokiii @11mb0 @illicitghosts @cat-purrsonified @blue-aconite @junggoku @ohheyitsrowan @angxlictexrs @glowexe @avengersgirllorianna @brynhildrmimi @takeyour-pants-off @twilightdollie @p-writes @lady-x-red @xingqiusliegee @scxrletwitches @justine-en @philiasoul @srryxmate @thecherrybombcom @minstens @curly-bookworm @call-me-nayo

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sunburnacoustic · 1 year

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Muse headlining Oxegen Festival in Ireland in 2007, a little after their spectacular Wembley headline.

Muse accidentally announced they were playing in an interview, when Matt revealed that they'd been asked to play Live Earth, a global concert to raise awareness about global warming, but that clashed with "a gig in Ireland".

BBC News – Brit winners Muse have revealed they have been asked to play at a major gig to raise awareness of global warming.

"We've been asked. I think it will happen in seven continents around the world, all on 7 July," drummer Dom Howard told BBC 6 Music.

Frontman Matt Bellamy told BBC 6 Music they had a gig in Ireland booked for the same day as the global warming concert.

"There's an issue... we need to work out if we can make it or not, that's basically what it depends on," he told the radio station.

RTÉ's review of the festival praised Muse's "meticulous attention to detail":

To pick a highlight in a festival that boasts an eclectic mix like this is almost impossible. You marvel at the at meticulous attention to detail in Muse's live stage show, are blown away by the energy of The Twang, wear yourself out dancing to colourful performers like Mika and Scissor Sisters and feel like you're being transported to another planet as you gaze at Daft Punk in full flight on day two.

The Wikipedia page of the 2007 event notes that, "Notable performances at the festival included Muse's headlining performance on the Saturday night, complete with the sensational sound and spectacular pyrotechnics that wowed Wembley Stadium earlier this summer".

Muse headlined on the Saturday, 7 July, with Snow Patrol as "co-headliners" with Snow Patrol. Snow Patrol were listed above Muse on the bill, though Muse played after them and so were likely headliners.

Setlist:

Take a Bow Map of the Problematique Hysteria Supermassive Black Hole Butterflies & Hurricanes Feeling Good Invincible Starlight Time Is Running Out New Born Stockholm Syndrome

Encore Plug In Baby Knights of Cydonia

#muse band #muse #bit of history #2007 #Black Holes era #Oxegen Festival #Oxegen 2007 #matt bellamy #chris wolstenholme #dom howard #RTÉ #BBC #Muse Ireland

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esoteric-mantra-stuff · 1 year

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Thanatos (The final Icebound return)

CW: Mentions of martyrdom and Ocular Trauma. Also, someone's leg gets ripped off.

This is the final chapter of the main story of the Icebound series. From here it branches off to two other chapters. Hope you guys are into it.

Paper Moon's name is obviously a reference to It's Only A Paper Moon by Nat King Cole

The poem referenced is called A Late Walk by Robert Frost

Theme for Lobo’s determination as suggested by Sadness over in Ao3 land

EDIT: Edited sone things at the end for clarity

—---------------

When I go up through the mowing field,

The headless aftermath,

Smooth-laid like thatch with the heavy dew,

Half closes the garden path.

—----------------

The climb is bitter and cold, but it’s not particularly steep. The sheer cliffs that block your path can be walked around or climbed from another, much more accessible angle. It makes sense that it would be this way. The giants lived and built their civilization on these cliffs. Even with their size, they wouldn’t climb sheer cliffs daily. There were ancient paths buried beneath corpses and a layer of snow. All you need to do is follow the route hidden beneath your feet. You’ll reach the Flames of Ruin before sundown. Paper moon canters through the snow, his breath puffing into condensation and his hooves causing the snow beneath you to crunch. On the way up, you spot a building in ruins, surrounded by Fire Monks and their mooks. They’ve set up a wall of barricades around the path forward to prevent interlopers (i.e. people like you) from passing through and reaching the Flames. You hide behind the cliffs and review your options.

Plan A: You could fight your way through, carefully drawing the attention of the enemies out of their fortified position and into the open space. That could work, but you’re alone and outnumbered. While you could certainly take on a group of enemies with your spells, it’s unlikely that the bigger guys wouldn’t notice the scuffle right outside their gates. Besides, if your horse gets hurt, you’ll have to walk all the way to the Forge of the Giants. No, it’s better to do something else.

Plan B: You could rush through the camp on your horse and book it to the other side. Running away is always a valid strategy. Besides, you don’t spot any horses on the camp, so they won’t be able to follow you on foot. That sounds a lot better. Except the Fire Monks can shoot fire at you, and the Fire Prelates have that big explosion you’ve seen them use. You could try and weave your way between their projectiles, though not will all those barriers. You couldn’t forgive yourself if your horse got impaled.

That only leaves Plan C on the table. You mount Paper Moon once more and raise your staff above your head. A light colored as the night sky coalesces within the tip, and with a flick of the wrist, you release the effect. Your flesh and robes become nearly invisible against the bright cloudy sky and the snowy fields. The same vanishing magic takes hold of your horse, who doesn’t seem to notice anything is wrong. Unseen Form doesn’t grant invisibility. It just makes one harder to see. A useless spell in the hands of the novice sorcerer, its value is only visible to a true master. At least, that’s what the Queen said. Equipping a charm meant to silence your steps (A gift from an old snakey friend), you hope this is proof of your worthiness as a sorceress. Whatever that will mean once it’s all over.

You hold the reigns in one hand, maintaining the spell with your staff in the other. Your horse makes no noise as you carefully pass through the barriers and the wandering Thorn Sorcerers. If you get too close, they will likely notice you. Most of them seem unconcerned about the threat of invaders. They loaf about, sitting by the fires, only wandering in a mockery of patrol. You wonder if it would be different had they known they had an approaching invader or if security around the biggest threat to the Erdtree is always this lousy. You see the monks wander into the ruined building, in and out, at seemingly random intervals. Fire Monks have always seemed so strange to you. It's like they’re not fully there behind the eyes, and only their bodies march on without the soul. It’s creepy, but it’s also fascinating in its own right. Were you not stealth-ing around, you might have been tempted to see what’s inside the garrison they’re guarding. Next time maybe. Well, actually, no. Remember, there won’t be a next time. You purse your lips and push the thoughts out of your head. Right now, it’s not the time to get sad. You need to get to the Forge first, then you can cry as much as you want.

It’s a surprise to see, but the path ahead is made up of a vast chain. It’s a construction of the giants, no doubt. It’s thick enough to walk or gallop across, but you still don’t dare to look down. Your horse whinnies and you grab his reigns tighter as you steel your resolve to cross. The worst thing that could happen would be for Paper Moon to get spooked as you go over the chasm and knock you off into the depths below. The chain rattles, and some of the snow falls off. You hate this so much. Maybe you shouldn’t have agreed to go alone. After a short but intensely harrowing canter across, you reach a Site of Grace and decide to take a break. Maybe level up whatever stat would let you handle heights better.

—----------------

And when I come to the garden ground,

The whir of sober birds

Up from the tangle of withered weeds

Is sadder than any words.

—----------------

The way to the Forge is straightforward, but the sight of the path is unnerving. As far as the eye can see, the corpses of giants litter the hills. Their faces twisted in pain, their chests impaled through with stakes of living Erdtree wood as if the tree itself had done these giants in. Roots from their stakes stretched to cover them from head to toe, hiding the pale bluish skin beneath. You note, with some trepidation, the resemblance they hold to dear Iji. As the blacksmith explained, Trolls were the descendants of the giants who betrayed their own side, the flame of the fell god they once held within themselves having long since been snuffed out. Staring at the corpses in the field and remembering how the trolls are treated in the Lands Between, you’re not sure which fate is worse. You fight through more Fingercreepers and even some Trolls that still linger amongst the men (giants?) they once betrayed. Brandishing swords decorated with gold that has long since faded away. You decide that the sooner you reach the Forge, the better, as you see one fall to its knees and die after your Night Shard strikes its heart.

Continuing north, eventually, you would find another ravine separating you from a walled area ahead. You see another (luckily shorter) chain leading to an opening in the cliff face. Going through the hole and into the walled hillock, you’re confronted with the scent of smoke and the sight of embers flying in the wind. The trees here are charred black, their branches still and lifeless. To your left, you see the Forge, a large basin carved into the mountain chained to an outcropping on one side. Guarding the way is an imposing red-haired creature. A live giant, probably the last of its kind. It hasn’t noticed you, but if you approach the forge, he’s bound to attack you. You look at his weapon. It seems almost like a shield, except the giant holds it by the rim instead of the back. You hadn’t noticed it with the other giants’ corpses, but it has a nose and eyelids on its chest. Creepy. Its left leg is damaged, covered in a furred guard, but you can still see the scars underneath. You should focus your attacks on that part of its body. Having had enough of a look at the large and in charge fellow, you decide to inform him of your presence.

You cast Carian Phalanx above your head and then take aim with your Night Shards at the damaged leg you noticed earlier. The giant immediately reacts, bringing the disk down like a pail and kicking the snow with a shockwave. Paper Moon rushes through and heeds your order to jump before the wave can hit. Then running between the legs, you cast Carian Slicer to strike the weak point from your horse, activating the phalanx and driving the daggers into the giant’s leg. You dodge out of the way as it clutches its leg in pain, falling onto its knee before getting back up and attempting to swat you away with the back of its hand. It’s too slow for your horse, and it misses by a long shot when you run under it again and strike the leg once more, this time summoning a proper Carian greatsword to quickly slice it again before running away from its reach. It tries to stomp at you and bash you with its disk, but before it can do any damage, the guard on his leg breaks, revealing the exposed scarred flesh.

You’re almost feeling too cocky when the giant surprises you by rolling into you. You only have a couple of moments to lead your horse out of the way. Then it surprises you again by reaching into its abdomen, where a flaming mouth has opened. Gross. It sinks its fingers inside and pulls out the fire in its hand. Before it can get up, you run underneath its legs again and repeat the process of hitting its weak spot once more. It slides its leg away and catches you by dragging the edge of the disk against the ground, knocking you off your horse and sending you to face-first into the snow.

You don’t have time to complain as the giant uses the fire in his hand to cast an orb that flies slowly toward you. You run as fast as you can toward Paper Moon and get on top of him as he recovers from your previous strike. Luckily all of his legs are okay. He runs away from the flaming orb chasing you with a loud whinny. You lead him underneath the legs again, this time managing to dodge the giant’s attempt at batting you away with the disk and letting the flaming orb break against its weak leg. It bursts, setting the ground on fire and knocking the giant to its knees. You charge Loretta’s Greatbow and aim straight for the ankle. It lands between the giant’s fingers. The giant summons pillars of fire all around it, but with your distance, you shoot him once more in relative safety.

It flails its arms and screams in pain. It stands still for a moment, and you wonder what’s gotten into it before its injured leg slides to the side over the snow and folds in on itself. You almost hiss in sympathy. That has to hurt. The giant screams in pain and then reaches for the broken leg. You think for a moment that it might attempt to set it back and stand up again, but instead, it rips it off and then holds it above its head like a weapon with a yell. It holds the now flaming leg up into the sky. It tilts its head back, and the eye in the center of its chest slides open, revealing a swirling set of irises the color of flames. You’re so stunned by the display that you almost forget you’re fighting this thing. It starts to swing down and bring the flaming leg into the ground, so you rush between its legs once more. Keeping up the strategy that has carried you this far. But before you can do any real damage, the ground starts to shake, and you run away before pillars of fire begin spewing in every direction. You don’t wander too far since the giant is immobilized now, and when it starts shooting flames up into the sky, you take shelter underneath its body and cast Carian Greatsword into its back. It rolls away, but you chase it with Loretta’s Greatbow. You get a lucky shot, and it strikes directly into that swirling eye in the middle of its chest. It lets out one final scream before it falls to the side and fades into ash.

Silence falls over the field. Paper Moon nickers, shaking his mane. You pet the side of his head. “Thanks, bud… Now, let’s go wait for Lobo at the forge.” You owe Paper Moon some sugar cubes after that fight. Maybe there’s some left in spectral storage? As you canter over the chain (your fear forgotten after the commotion), you worry once more about what will happen once Lobo returns. This will be the last chance. You need to tell him about your true nature and what will be asked of you soon. Butterflies flutter in your stomach, but you feel anything but giddy.

—-----------------

A tree beside the wall stands bare,

But a leaf that lingered brown,

Disturbed, I doubt not, by my thought,

Comes softly rattling down.

—-----------------

You wonder if perhaps Lobo is doing it on purpose. He said that he wouldn’t take too long to return, but that was hours ago. The sun is about to set, and there’s still neither hair nor tail of him in sight. This isn’t helping to ease your nerves. You’ve been going over how you’re breaking the news to him.

it… it still hurts to think about it. Saying goodbye forever. What a cruel joke. You find your purpose, then it forces you to give up everything for the sake of the Lands Between. You shudder at the thought of death, of fading away forever. You know what dying feels like, but it’s never permanent. You’re always brought back through Grace, every wound mended, every bone is un-broken, only the memory of it remains. Now… now there would be no reason for you to be brought back. This is your final task. After this, there will be nothing else. You stare at the dull embers at the bottom of the forge, always fading but never gone.

You’re scared, not for yourself, but for Lobo. What will become of him once you’re gone? You don’t want him to suffer the pain of losing someone he loves again. This time you wouldn’t be there for him. The thought just… breaks your heart. You said you wanted to face the truth of your past, and having Lobo by your side gave you strength. But now you have to stand on your own two feet, and you’re terrified.

You look away from the flames and into the darkness-covered mountaintops. The stars glimmer far more than anywhere else in the Lands Between. The skies here are free. You can see every constellation and galaxy from here. If anything good comes from burning the Erdtree down, it will be that the golden rays shall no longer obstruct the beautiful view up here. You took Paper Moon back to Sorcerer’s Isle, but maybe you could bring your horse back just to have someone to show this view to. Or better yet, Lobo could finally get here, and you could share this moment with him. He’s taking way too long, and you’re starting to worry. Did something happen to him?

You’re saved from another downward spiral by the sight of Pvt. Dancer carrying a familiar figure towards the chain that links the forge to the land. He dismounts, leaving his horse to wander off into the field while he walks over the chain up to you. Despite the precariousness of the maneuver and the wobbling of his steps, he makes it over to you just fine. Hale, though not whole. You bring your hands up to your mouth in shock at his appearance. “Lobo, what happened to your eye?!” His left eye is completely bandaged up. Not only that but he’s also got some bruises and cuts everywhere you look. He tilts his head, smiling that dumb smile of his, though you don’t miss how he winces in pain at the motion.

“I’m fine… Just… just a lucky shot.” He says calmly. You guess it’s for your sake, but he can’t hide the slightly shaken expression. You instinctively bring your hand to the bandaged area, but he winces away. “Sorry. Is it… bad?” You ask, and he shrugs, looking toward the dull ember of the forge. Lobo looks positively exhausted. “It’s not bad. It’s gone. I had to remove it.” You bring your hands over your mouth once more. It was less than a day, yet that’s all it took for Lobo to lose an eye. You’re starting to regret not going with him to Castle Sol, though you wonder what you could have done to prevent this. “I’m… I’m fine, by the way. It doesn’t hurt anymore, and I treated it before it got infected….” He says before a familiar look in his eyes (... eye) returns. The last time you saw it… was right before killing Lobo’s father. However, you sensed no hatred from him, just resolve. “Some dreams are worth losing an eye for.” He says firmly, a single pupil staring into yours. You would reprimand him for his recklessness, fuss over his wounds, or take him back to Sorcerer’s Isle to rest, but you know he will not listen. If he’s determined enough to bring himself over here with all his still-open wounds, you should at least be brave enough to discuss the matter you’ve been hiding from him.

You look into the stars once more, asking them silently for guidance. Your lips feel dry, and every idea of how to start this conversation you thought of this afternoon leaves you. Lobo must have noticed your apprehension because he puts an arm across your body and pulls you into a side hug. “... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.” He whispers near your ear. This wonderful, terrible, gentle wolf has no idea. You bring a hand up to the right side of his face, turning to look at him. “You’re so mean….” You begin to say, ignoring the tears that trail down your cheeks. “This was hard enough for me to do already….”

Lobo tilts his head, not understanding what you mean. He carries a look of deep worry. “I’m really sorry… I… I should have been more careful… but I needed to do this. There was no other way.” You shake your head, pushing back a sob. He still doesn’t understand. Why does it have to be this way? “I’m… I’m not who you think I am. I’m not a tarnished warrior at all. My fate… lies in that fire over there….” You gesture towards the bottom of the forge. It will soon be your grave. “I’m a Finger Maiden, and the destiny of us all is to burn. I- I’m sorry I didn’t tell you…. I just- I wasn’t ready to say goodbye so soon!” You break down, bringing your palms over your eyes as you start openly sobbing. Instinctually, you turn away to try and hide your tears. You’re scum, absolutely. Here’s Lobo sacrificing life and limb for a future that could never come true, all because you were not brave enough to tell him the truth when you found out. You don’t know what reaction you expect out of him. Anger and confusion, possibly denial. That’s why you jump a little when he wraps his arms around you from behind, and with a calm and reassuring voice, he says. “Yeah, I know.”

You slowly tear your hands away from your face, blinking the tears away as you focus on Lobo’s gentle expression leaning over your shoulder. “You… what?” Before you can say anything else, he leans toward your face and licks your tears away. You’re more than confused. Maybe flabbergasted would be the correct term. If he knew about your true identity, what was that about dreams worth losing an eye for?! You pull him away by his snout, and he licks your fingers with a cheeky grin. You two are not on the same emotional wavelength right now. Tearing yourself away from him, you look him square in the eyes (eye, fuck!) and try to make your voice sound less like a broken mess.

“You knew? Since when?” He points back over his shoulder in the general direction of Liurnia with his thumb. “Since we killed the fingers. I stayed to talk with Ranni, and she told me what you tried to hide.” He crosses his arms, looking down at the jagged rock below. “I was… a little hurt. I didn’t know why you wouldn’t trust me with knowledge about your destiny. Maybe it’s selfish of me, but I couldn’t just stand by and let you die without a fight.” You hold his hand, and he looks up at you with that piercing gaze. “I’m sorry.” You say. “I didn’t know what to do… I kept looking for answers. I told myself I would keep looking for them so long as you were by my side, then once I found them, I ended up cowering in fear. I’m sorry for hiding things from you. I… I know that if my death helps the Lands Between, I should accept it and die in peace.” Lobo looks at you sympathetically, rubbing the back of your hand with his thumb. “I forgive you and… well, I should apologize too. Ranni was the one who insisted on keeping our plan a secret. If I’d known you would be so upset, I would have brought it up sooner.”

… What plan? Lobo and Ranni… came up with a plan together? Last you knew those two couldn’t even hold a conversation, and yet they’re getting along enough to scheme together? Your confusion must be showing because Lobo calmly explains without you saying anything. “Please don’t look so shocked. Ranni… well, while we were up in the Moonlight Altar, she came to speak with me and apologized… for everything.” He looks up at the stars, still holding your hand. “I didn’t want to hear it at first, but then I thought about Father. What his final words were. He asked that I put pride aside and forgive before it’s too late.” Your companion shakes his head, frowning at the memory. “I didn’t get it. I didn’t know what he meant by forgiving and who I was supposed to forgive. It wasn’t until I made peace with Mother’s death that I realized he meant me.” He puts a hand on his chest. “I kept saying I wanted to let go, to leave all of this behind, but I kept dragging it along under the guise of righteous fury. The only way I’d be free would be to drop the grudges I held… for my sake.” You stare into his single remaining eye.

“I forgave her, even if she doesn’t deserve it. That’s… yeah, I think that’s what Father would have wanted.” He scratches the back of his head, suddenly looking a little bashful. “Not that we’re friends or anything like that, but she did help me come up with the plan I mentioned.” You pull Lobo into your arms, and he hugs you tight. “I’m very proud of you, Lobo.” You say against his chest and smile a bit when you feel the movement of his tail wagging behind him.

“Now… what’s this plan you have in mind?” You say as you pull away. Lobo scratches his cheek. “It’s… Do you remember what the Fingers said at the Moonlight Altar?” You nod. How could you forget? He continues, crossing his arms. “From birth, shadow-bound beasts are cursed to obey their master’s wishes regardless of their feelings. Being born like this means their bodies are accustomed to holding curses within themselves. For example, that Gurranq guy we met is holding the cursed Deathroot within his flesh. It isn’t without repercussions, but it can be done.” You remember Iji saying something to that effect, except Lobo doesn’t know that Gurranq is actually Maliketh the Black Blade. “Well… I am no shadow, but I’m also not human. I am an unknown being as far as history is concerned. The Fingers believed they could seal away the flames in my flesh, and Ranni… Well, she agrees… Do you see where I’m getting at?”

You take a deep breath. You feared it might have been something like this. Lobo… he’s planning on taking these flames into himself. Was this any better than the alternative? Won’t that just spell death for him too? “... You’re so mean.” You say, a knot in your throat forming once more. “So, is your plan just to die in my stead? What… What will that fix? We’ll still be separated, only I… I’ll just be back to wandering without purpose.“ You look him in the eye and try to stare him down. “I don’t wish the Elden Throne if it comes at your expense.” Lobo’s expression is soft, and he looks at you with almost pitying eyes. “Oh? No, I don’t plan on dying… Well, at least not on purpose.”

You furrow your brow in confusion. “Then… what? Please stop toying with me.” Your poor heart might not be able to take these games anymore. Lobo raises his hands defensively. “Right, right, sorry. What I meant was that Ranni believes I could hold the flames within myself without dying.” He points to the cinders at the bottom of the forge. “The Flames of Ruin are weak. They need someone to sustain them, grant them power, and feed off of them. Ranni’s hope is that my unknown nature as neither shadow nor human would grant me the ability to tame the flames in a sort of symbiosis.” Symbiosis? Would that even work? You remember how the giant looked near the end of your fight, how it ripped off its leg as a sacrifice of sorts to its fell god. Who’s to say Lobo wouldn’t end up like that too? “There are no guarantees, but as you said: What difference does it make if you die or I die? At least this way, there’s a chance we can both survive to reach the Elden Ring together. That’s something I’m willing to fight for… If you’ll let me.”

There are still so many things you don’t understand. Just a few hours ago, you’d made up your mind to give up your life for Lobo’s sake. Now it was he who was at risk of dying. Is it really okay to trust the Princess’ plan on Lobo’s word alone? You trust him with your life, but you still feel there’s another dimension to this you’re not seeing. Then again, he does have a point. If you die or he dies, the one who lives will face the consequences. Is it better to risk more pain and suffering for just a chance or to let things pass the way they’re supposed to go? You don’t know… How could you know?

Lobo breaks you out of your thoughts by pulling your face closer and kissing your lips. You’re surprised, but you go along with him and kiss him back. The soft fur, the brush of fang, you have to enjoy them while you have them. “I will not force anything on you….” He whispers as you break away. “Whatever you choose, I will abide. I promise.” The ball is in your court. What will you do? To let fate take you away or let Lobo attempt to inherit the Flames of Ruin. Neither choice is guaranteed to work in your favor, and both sides will likely result in losing something precious.

—-----------------

I end not far from my going forth

By picking the faded blue

Of the last remaining Aster flower

To carry again to you.

—-----------------

At the end of the beaten path, in the border between life and death. You choose:

Embrace the Flames of Ruin (Maiden of the Stars Path)

Let Lobo inherit the Flames of Ruin (Champion of Embers Path)

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safethaw · 1 month

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Brutal Review Of 6 Concrete-Safe Ice Melt Products For The Winter Season

As winter rolls in, it's time to get brutally honest about the ice melts claiming to be buddies with your concrete driveway. We will dive deep into six popular products, give them a no-holds-barred review, and see if they truly live up to the "concrete safe ice melt" tag. Cryomelt Treated Salt: Not So Gentle On Concrete First up, CryoMelt Treated Salt. It has sodium chloride– your regular table salt but on steroids. Sure, it melts ice like a hot knife through butter, but it's a bit like inviting a bull into a china shop when it comes to your concrete. Prolonged use? Expect some cracks and chips in your driveway. It’s effective but at what cost? Iceaway Rock Salt Ice Melter: Old School But Harsh IceAway Rock Salt Ice Melter, another sodium chloride heavy-hitter, is like that old-school rock song – classic but rough around the edges. It’ll scatter the ice, but it’s also scathing on your concrete. If you're not keen on giving your driveway an unplanned makeover with cracks and scaling, you might want to think twice. Safe Step: A Safer Bet But With Caveats Now, Safe Step switches gears with magnesium chloride. It’s a bit like choosing a less potent coffee blend – gentler, but it still has a kick. While it's less aggressive, consistent use can still lead to some wear and tear on your concrete. It's a safer bet but not without its downsides. Pro Slicer Ice Melt: Efficient But Risky Pro Slicer Ice Melt comes back to sodium chloride. Yes, it slices through ice, but it also has a knack for slowly eating away at your concrete. It’s like using a powerful cleaning agent – great results but at the risk of damaging the surface. Ice Patrol Ice Melt: Quick Fix With Long-Term Costs Ice Patrol Ice Melt, staying true to the sodium chloride theme, is like that quick fix that you might regret later. Quick to melt ice but equally quick in contributing to the deterioration of your concrete. It's like enjoying fast food – satisfying now, problematic later. Green Gobbler Pet-Safe Ice Melt: A Kinder Choice With A Catch Finally, there’s the Green Gobbler Pet-Safe Ice Melt. This one’s a mix of calcium chloride and magnesium chloride. It’s kinder to your pets and does a decent job on the ice, but when it comes to concrete, it's like a well-meaning friend who accidentally breaks your vase. It's safer, but the calcium and magnesium chlorides still pose a risk to concrete integrity. The Concrete Truth: Finding A True Ally In Safe Thaw After this brutal rundown, what’s clear is that finding a true concrete safe ice melt is like searching for a needle in a snowy haystack. This is where Safe Thaw enters the scene like a superhero. It’s chloride and toxin-free, meaning it's not only safe for your concrete but also for your industrial property, machinery, and the environment. Its patented formula, with a modified crystalline amide core and special glycol admixture, is the stuff of legends, ensuring maximum effectiveness without collateral damage. Wrapping Up: A Cold, Hard Look At Reality In conclusion, while many products claim to be "ice melt safe for concrete," the truth is a bit more complex. Most popular options come with a hidden cost – the slow but sure deterioration of your beloved concrete driveway. The winter season doesn’t have to be a period of dread for your driveway if you choose concrete safe ice melt wisely. Safe Thaw stands out as a beacon of hope, offering a balance of efficiency, safety, and peace of mind. So, as the snow starts to fall, remember: your driveway deserves the best care, and with Safe Thaw, you’re making a choice that’s as smart as it is effective. Read the full article

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kammartinez · 7 months

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I seem to find a reason to go to CVS several times a week. Sometimes these reasons are medical, but much of the time, I am tracking down some household item or another—especially when I need something faster than it can be delivered, or I don’t want to be party to the low-level violence of same-day delivery, and I don’t feel like subjecting myself to the psychic keelhauling of a Target run. There is a unique air of desperation to most CVS locations. This is probably because CVS, as a health-care company stapled to a convenience store chain, blends the special emotional terroirs of the hospital and the gas station snack aisle. It could also be because the stores are often seriously understaffed, presumably in part due to the corporation’s recent move to slash pharmacy hours at thousands of locations. The decor is what you might call austerity-core. It is both corporate-loud (garish displays of next season’s decorations) and minimalist-clinical (pilled gray carpeting, fluorescent lights). People in pain and in search of relief, people picking up the prescriptions they need to live, and people who really want a soda all stalk the aisles.

The one unalloyed delight of CVS, though, is the soundtrack. One of the first things you notice once you start paying attention to the in-store music is how much whoever is in charge of programming loves Rod Stewart. “If you want my body and you think I’m sexy, come on, sugar, tell me so,” Rod demands as you ponder the locked cases of flu medicine. “Young hearts, be free tonight,” Rod bellows while you compare the prices of soap. Sometimes he hides behind an additional layer of mediation, as in Sheryl Crow’s version of “The First Cut Is the Deepest,” a song also notably covered by Rod. These are not the sexiest Rod songs. In fact, they are the songs where he sings from a place of impotence or regret. His lover threatens to crush him; she is too impossible to talk to; love will tear them apart. Like the shoppers whose attention the in-store loudspeaker announcements periodically try to seize, she is to be guilted, cajoled.

Big feelings reign on the CVS soundtrack. Sometimes they are overheated. Other times they are gushy, like the Sixpence None the Richer cover of “There She Goes,” the heroin anthem by the La’s, jacked up a treacly minor third from the original. (There are lots of covers on the playlist.) The emoting has a tendency to ambush you. Earlier this week I was picking up trash bags when, all of a sudden, I heard the distinctive plunk-plink-plunk-plink-plunk-plink-plunk-plink of the sad-sack opening guitar riff to “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol. The song depicts a couple, secure, or maybe trapped, in a bubble of self-sufficiency: “We don’t need anything or anyone.” While Rod sometimes sounds like he is delivering his come-ons with a campy wink, “Chasing Cars” contains no prophylactic against its own sentimental excess. It is an almost unbearable song to hear in CVS, regardless of the circumstances that bring you into the store. “If I lay here, if I just lay here, would you lay with me and just forget the world?” the chorus goes. Here?

The basic experience of shopping at CVS is one of doing something desperate at worst and banally unpleasant at best while swimming in a warm bath of muted musical intensity. No other retail chain is so committed to the power ballad as a musical form. A Spotify playlist of “CVS BANGERS,” apparently sourced from hard-won knowledge, features a stacked lineup: Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is”; Cutting Crew’s “(I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight”; the Cars’ “Drive”; Toto’s still-inescapable “Africa.” One song on that playlist that I absolutely have heard in my local store is Paula Cole’s “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?”—the nineties adult-alternative equivalent of a power ballad, a spoken/sung tale of a marriage crumbling under the weight of too much gender. Some philosophers claim that the emotions artworks evoke are really “pseudo emotions”; we feel them at one degree of remove. I can think of no better support for this thesis than the experience of listening to Paula Cole in CVS. The hopes of young love, the disappointments of middle age, the curdling resentment that ensues: I feel some inkling of it all. But mostly I’m just tapping my foot as I wait to pick up my prescription.

If you spend enough time shopping at CVS and listening to CVS-inspired playlists, you may begin to wonder if some rogue programmer is introducing subversive material into the mix. One Kinks song in the rotation tells of local cultural institutions being turned into supermarkets, and then parking lots. Domestic frustrations figure prominently. On the subreddit dedicated to the store, where overworked employees compare notes, one of the most discussed and most reviled songs is Mary Chapin Carpenter’s very nineties cover of Lucinda Williams’s “Passionate Kisses.” It’s a song about wanting more than the basic necessities—in other words, more than convenience store stuff. The chorus is a question: “Shouldn’t I have all of this, and passionate kisses from you?” Desperation creeps in as the song lopes along. The last verse finds the singer shouting, “Give me what I deserve, ‘cause it’s my right.” The consensus among CVS veterans seems to be that all this is “vapid and irritating,” if unintentionally funny at times. One employee reports that a coworker with an unrequited crush on her manager stares wistfully at the object of her affection for the duration of the song whenever it comes on. Another shares a vignette: “I vividly remember being violently hungover on a cold winter morning in New England, passionate kisses playing loudly in the background as someone’s grandma slowly searched her purse for coupons, fluorescent lights inescapable as I prayed for a swift end to my existence. Hell is real and I’ve lived it.”

Hell is other people’s music. But whose music is the CVS soundtrack? The store’s music vendor is Mood Media, formerly Muzak. While that company made its name with what we’d today call original content—light instrumentals composed for background listening—it eventually pivoted into the playlist business, curating “channels” of already-existing vocal pop music for their clients. It’s easy to imagine each major chain laying claim to its own channel to create its distinct emotional climate, whether they use Mood or one of its few competitors. Trader Joe’s is peppy and lightly eclectic: Motown, tasteful eighties hits. H&M is corporate hipster: late-period Jens Lekman. Ditto Urban Outfitters, which used to put out a yearly mixtape: “Halloween Head” by Ryan Adams, “Slow Me Down” by Emmy Rossum. Breezy yacht rock diffuses through the faux-Egyptian catacombs of the Cheesecake Factory. Whole Foods is largely silent.

CVS’s musical identity is harder to pin down. It is not subcultural-aspirational like Hot Topic or Starbucks back when it sold CDs. Functionally, it comes closer to the genre-agnostic mishmash of feel-good tunes that play in most supermarkets. And yet the feel-good tunes resonate differently in CVS. The anonymous employee on the subreddit is surely right that the store’s music produces its effects by way of contrast: earnest voices singing about tenderness lost or gained over sparkly guitars, piped into an impersonal, overlit, understocked place where absolutely nobody wants to be. The whole situation is a perverse joke.

CVS is the negative image of the club or the theater. There is no coordinated pulse of the crowd, just individual people shuffling around. The music is inflicted on you against your will rather than offered up as a kind of gift or “experience.” But the existential emptiness of this setting allows the music to sound with a special liveliness. In the wasteland, you can better hear what the pop song wants from you. The pop song demands your investment—positive, negative, ambivalent, it doesn’t care. It refuses to be ignored, and it won’t settle for a minor role as a manipulator of moods. In the harsh fluorescent light, we can hear the pop song say, “Give me what I deserve, cause it’s my right.” Who are we to refuse?

#music

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spoilertv · 8 months

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#SpoilerTV

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kamreadsandrecs · 9 months

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#music

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badgesack7 · 2 years

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Does Laser Light Projector Sometimes Make You Are Feeling Stupid?

Its upgraded version doesn’t require you to change theme patterns to installing slides anymore. Then the doctor will change the mix of the one you select barely and ask if it is best or worse. 96CM LED 'Merry Christmas' Blue White Motif Rope Lights Get this weatherproof outdoor Merry Christmas signal and Santa should cease at your home! When a blue light is shined into the attention, the Fluoracaine causes the cornea, usually clear, to glow. Light Flurries creates the magic of falling snow flurries in any climate! It's weatherproof so you don't have to worry about snow or rain. But at the speeds the R8 is able to reaching it would be tough to carry the automobile by means of a flip for those who needed to additionally worry about holding your rear end in the seat. holiday landscape laser light projector don’t have to worry about losing time hanging up the string lights outdoors with this product.

What are the different types of Christmas laser lights? Quickly unfold to many other types of tools. Advanced weapons and tools are part of what units a SWAT workforce apart from regular patrol officers. Roughly ninety percent of all SWAT name-outs end with out the SWAT group firing a single shot. If it takes one thing the scale of a can of tuna to carry a farad, then 10,080 farads goes to take up so much more room than a single AA battery! Trendmasters Rumble RobotsSee more toy photos. Light Flurries TUNDRA white spot, let’s you add more white and create a blizzard in your display! The lamp creates a beam of white mild. Moreover, its RF distant controller is penetrating and you'll easily set the velocity of shifting mild patterns. This patterned light projector shows the illusion of a gentle snowfall and you'll control the speed and the fury of the flurry! Also the unique combination of colors with varied pace controls makes it probably the most bought light projector.

This superior laser light projection has 5 patterns and is available in pink and inexperienced colours. It has a wide range of projection with different coloured water wave colours. We catch glimpses of its nature when a sunbeam angles via a dust-stuffed room, when a rainbow appears after a storm or when a drinking straw in a glass of water looks disjointed. Whether it is the backyard, lawn, your living room, or lounges, BlissLights is the one to go for. By having the ability to push it straight into your lawn, you don’t have to fiddle about attempting to mount it. I have sampled one other custom product that actually seems like snowflake shapes of mild. Review requests are despatched by e mail to clients who bought the product. All reviews are from people who have purchased this product. Purchasing this product may be the best resolution you can make for Christmas or any occasion.

You may make the lens extraordinarily giant if you want. We do have the “Snowflake Light Flurries” in stock which make dots of gentle appear to falling down the constructing. If you are looking for an unconventional laser light projector, then this stands out as the one for you. Food, gifts, and decoration lights are the issues related to the Christmas season. Moreover, it's completely able to assembly all your decoration demands. Along with that, this amazing projector will certainly meet your decoration needs with out fail. The light will create snowflakes on an area up to 22 ft away. Moreover, the sunshine is fully certificated and has a inbuilt automated heating gadget. Moreover, the light projector can be used for both indoor and out of doors functions with a guarantee of lengthy working life. Finally a white light projector to shower your home in beams like falling snowflakes. These use LED white light so they lose readability and impression the farther the projector is from the surface and the darker the surface is. When searching for the laser light projector outdoor or indoor, it will be significant to consider the place you want to put in it.

#laser lights

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themusicenthusiast · 5 years

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Thursday, April 18th, 2019 - Snow Patrol Doesn’t Give In to Technical Difficulties, Overcoming to Satisfy Dallas Fans at the Kickoff Show of the North American Leg of the Wildness Tour

Photos by Jordan Buford Photography The lengthy drought was finally coming to end for the residents of North Texas who were Snow Patrol fans. The headline tour the UK-based indie-rock/alt-rock outfit is currently in the midst of was precipitated by the release of Wildness (out via Polydor Records) nearly a year ago – Snow Patrol’s first new album in nearly seven full years. There was also the tour they did supporting Ed Sheeran’s North American tour last fall, though that provided their fans with but a meager taste of what they craved after Snow Patrol’s years long absence from the Lone Star State. That was all set to change on this Thursday night, the band finally bringing the Wildness Tour to North America – about half of the twenty-one dates already sold-out – with Dallas serving as the launching point for the trek. South Side Ballroom was hosting what was poised to be a spectacular night, the band having already toured extensively around various parts of the world -- most recently South America -- ensuring they were in prime touring shape, while the break they got afforded them what was surely some much needed rest, allowing them to be in peak form for this next round of shows. While not sold-out, fans packed into the venue in droves, those lucky enough to arrive early getting treated to a delightful set from Ryan McMullan, while the trio that was We are Scientists put on an intense show, being thorough in warming up the sizable audience for whatever the band of the hour had prepared. What was interesting about the audience was how relatively diverse the makeup of it was. There were those who had likely been fans since Snow Patrol’s work became so acclaimed, circa the early to mid-2000s, while others in attendance had probably just been born around that time or shortly before. The single constant among the throng was how elated they all were to finally see Snow Patrol (again), their adoration for the group spilling over.

Several false starts excited the spectators that much more, the lights dimming a handful of times as the stage hands got everything in place, resulting in ample cheers and applause before disappointment set in as the lights illuminated everything once more. Then, at 9:38, it was officially on; a snowflake filling the screen at the back of the stage as drummer Jonny Quinn, bassist Paul Wilson, multi-instrumentalist Johnny McDaid and guitarist Nathan Connolly made their way on stage. Gary Lightbody completed things, the most boisterous fanfare having been saved for the frontman and guitarist who portrayed himself as being rather effervescent, kindly smiling and waving at everyone as he greeted them. It would have made sense that Wildness would be put on full display, allowing fans to experience much of that record in the live environment. However, after so many years away, most fans probably could have cared less about that, instead preferring to hear many of the classics they had missed so. Well aware of that, Snow Patrol opted for the more familiar for their first string of songs, beginning with “Take Back the City”. It was a striking opener on many fronts. For starters, taking the lyrics out of context, it felt like an appropriate welcome for them and to everyone. “I love this city tonight. I love this city always…” One got the sense that they had every intention of leaving their mark on the city; and it also highlighted the superb harmonies the band is capable of. On acoustic guitar duty for the moment, McDaid chimed in along with Connolly and Wilson, the three of them not only providing the backing vocals but also bolstering what Lightbody was doing as he paced around the stage, belting out a few of the lines in an incredibly impassioned manner.

Immediately electrifying, it was evident that Snow Patrol meant business. With that opening number one could feel the magic and compelling nature this music has, the past ten plus years since the release of A Hundred Million Suns having done nothing to diminish it; the intimate rapport with the audience being felt right away. Snow Patrol was there to entertain and deliver a memorable experience for all that had turned out, and they certainly got off on the right foot. That said, the first half of their set was plagued by some technical difficulties. It became more noticeable as they moved along; Lightbody spending a few moments fiddling with some of his equipment in hopes that it just required a simple fix, but to no avail. They handled it like the seasoned veterans they are, though, not even calling attention to it for a while, while the frontman never missed a beat, basically just shrugging it off and going about things as normal.

Prominent as the keys were during “Crack the Shutters”, that spellbinding love song boasted a robust rhythm section, Wilson really grooving to it as he strode around stage right, his movements seemingly calculative, as if he were waiting for the most opportune moment to strike. Indeed, he did as the track approached each crescendo. Upon finishing it Lightbody extended an official greeting to everyone, and also offered some insight to his appearance. Those closest to the stage had probably noticed he was lacking some shoes, instead just going barefoot. “…I’ve been wearing the same shoes for a year…” he remarked, adding that he wound up trashing them after they wrapped their South American tour. The lack of footwear seemed extra enjoyable to him. “Empress” was the first of a decent handful of cuts to be performed from Wildness; and given that it came after some older material, it was nice to see how it stacked up against those past works. This newest release is comprised of some of the most solid songs that Snow Patrol has produced, and even if there was a year’s long gap between albums, their signature sound wasn’t affected. “Empress” alone possesses that stellar indie-rock vibe that has proven to be a hallmark of the bands’ work, while also offering up a healthy serving of rock ‘n’ roll through the steady, pummeling percussion and the roaring guitars, both of which feel bolder than ever. That was particularly true when hearing that one live, the majestic scope of it being enthralling, while it simultaneously provided everyone with some serious rock.

If there was one positive to the trouble they were experiencing on stage, it was that it allowed Lightbody to conduct himself in a more natural manner, his affable demeanor leading one to appreciate the musician even more. He was handed a new guitar after that aforementioned song, laughing after having a quick chat with the tech that brought it to him. “So, I asked our guitar tech if this guitar was working, and he said, ‘You’ll find out in a minute’.” Even if he was dissatisfied with what was happening, he never seemed irritated by it, the quintet just going with the flow and taking things as they were. “This is a very appropriate song for this moment,” Lightbody quipped. “Don't give in. Don't you dare quit so easy…” he crooned as “Don't Give In” got underway, that more restrained number definitely taking on new meaning with the then current circumstances.

It didn’t go off without a hitch either, and again Lightbody just laughed it off. “This is the first night of the tour. Can you sense it?!” he asked afterwards, grinning and chuckling. He said it perfectly though when he stated that everybody was in it together, and that was, indeed, the shared mentality. “Open Your Eyes” capitalized on that. That cinematic masterpiece earned the strongest reaction from the spectators up to that point, especially as it hit its striking final minutes. Motioning with his hands, soon raising his arms into the air, Lightbody silently implored everyone to just let the music course through them and give themselves wholly to the song. They did, most of the crowd echoing along to that final refrain. A few minutes later Lightbody provided some backstory to this leg of the tour, noting they had been scheduled to fly into Dallas from Los Angeles the previous day, though bad weather had delayed that. “Bullshit!” one fan bellowed to that remark, referring to the severe weather that had been forecasted though never came to fruition. “There were, like, four hundred and fifty flights cancelled from LA…” the singer responded. “I was trying desperately to get here…” he added, joking that he was even considering one of Leonardo da Vinci's Flying Machines as a mode of transportation to Dallas. That daylong delay had resulted in them missing soundcheck for this show, Lightbody admitting that was the cause of so many of the problems they were having, owning that reason rather than passing things off on it.

Again, it shed light on who he really is and made him all the more likable. Pointing out a guy closer to the front, he declared it his job for the night to make the stone-faced gentleman smile. “You were dragged here?” Lightbody said as he briefly conversed with the man, realizing his job had just become that much more challenging. So, he did the only thing he could do: he dedicated the next song to the man. “I’m a time traveler from the future, and I met you and this song is about you,” he joked, using that as a segue into “Life on Earth”. Another song orchestrated on a grand scale, it allowed the spectators to fully appreciate the intricacies of Snow Patrol’s music. That was noticeable at every turn this night and it allowed the music to be so much more breathtaking, the way that Connolly, Wilson, McDaid and Quinn so artfully alternated between the more serene moments and the absolute precision they required to cutting loose and demonstrating the full extent of their musical prowess and how dynamic they can be.

That marked the end of the first half of their set, and before carrying on Lightbody swapped out some of his equipment, seeming assured that would remedy the issues and promising the next bit was “going to be great.” The difference was noticeable and immediate. The next number sounded so much clearer; every note, beat and word more pronounced, leading to an all-around lusher sound. It was Snow Patrol in all their glory; and while nothing had sounded bad up to then, it was evident that they firing on all cylinders at that point, eager and ready to make up for everything that they thought they had been lacking thus far. Seizing upon that newfound momentum, they even bridged a couple of the songs into the following one, further empowering themselves. Quinn and Wilson unleashed their full might on “Shut Your Eyes”, the rhythm section sounding surprisingly dominant on that one. Subtle as it was, one could even feel those sonorous notes shaking them; while “Heal Me” stood out as the most pleasantly surprising song of the night. It was self-described as being Lightbody’s favorite new song to perform live, he and his bandmates putting an exceptional amount of gusto into it. The recording itself is great, serving as another perfect example of how well Snow Patrol produces cinematic sounding pieces of work, but live it transcended that. That was present, though all the instruments sounded fiercer, a little rawer than what was captured in the studio, transforming “Heal Me” into a roaring beast that left everyone awed.

The best had been saved for last, those mesmerizing chords that begin “Chasing Cars” eliciting some deafening fanfare that was only outdone when the final line came around and was abruptly ceded to the crowd who didn’t miss a beat in collectively singing, “…Would you lie with me and just forget the world?” That song alone reinforced the staying power that music has, “Chasing Cars” being a song that everyone has surely heard before, even if they weren’t entirely sure who was responsible for it. It has aged exceptionally well over the last dozen plus years, still being a definitive piece of indie-rock (and a timeless one at that), the lyrics epitomizing just what an intimate and honest song should be; Lightbody’s emotional investment in his delivery of those words being unquestionable. “Take care of yourselves; we’ll see you again,” the singer stated as they moved along to the closing track of their 79-minute long set, which concluded in an exuberant fashion; the spectators getting to participate one more time as they sang and clapped along.

A few patrons took their leave at that point, no doubt wanting to beat the masses in getting out of the parking lot, which can be hectic to say the least. However, most were steadfast, certain that an encore was coming and eager to get the most out of this experience. While Snow Patrol did adhere to the routine that the encore has become, Lightbody didn’t hesitate to poke fun at it. Upon returning he joked about how typical an encore was of the arts and entertainment industry, laughing that the performers just go backstage and are like, “…Please, please like us!” he said in an exaggerated and desperate tone. Elaborating further, he even seemed keen on the idea on just playing every song in one setting, though acknowledged people would still wonder why there was no encore, so it’s better to just keep up the charade. McDaid was the only other member accompanying him for the first song of the 9-minute encore; the words “What if this is all the love you ever get?” filling the screen behind them.

The most bare-bones song of the night, it enraptured the audience in a way they hadn’t been at any other point. “What If This Is All the Love You Ever Get?” was another brilliant example of one of their songs transcending itself in the live environment, those lyrics that challenge one to reevaluate any relationship they’re in, to not take it for granted and embrace every aspect of it being exceptionally potent. A truly special moment, it was a pleasure to hear what is one of the best offerings from Wildness live; Connolly, Wilson and Quinn rounding things out for one last enchanting love song that felt like the perfect ending to their relatively brief but incredibly memorable time in Dallas. It may not have been the cleanest show of Snow Patrol’s career, but it was an awesome one nonetheless. You can’t fault a band for any technical difficulties that may occur, so all that is just beside the point. What isn’t beside the point is how resilient the five of them remained in the face of the obstacles that were suddenly thrown their way. I know I touched on that earlier, but it was still insightful to see how they handled it and wonderful that they didn’t let it affect them by getting flustered or upset. You just had to love them even more after witnessing that; and nothing ever sounded terrible out in the crowd.

The well curated set -- one comprised of some of the most stellar material they’ve churned out over their career -- they had planned helped in guaranteeing that everyone was transfixed with what they were playing, the overall structure of it having an excellent ebb and flow that took the listener on an emotional journey. It hit most if not all of the highlights and spanned a respectable amount of time, and while Snow Patrol made the wait fans had to endure well worth it, concertgoers leaving happy and content, it still seemed to pass too quickly, everyone already hungry for more. Hopefully they won’t have to wait as long between the next tour of North America. A significant voice in the indie-rock world for the better part of a couple decades now, Snow Patrol has managed to retain the high-profile spot they managed to position themselves in, and this performance just reinforced why they are still all too worthy of it. Some of the new stuff they played came across as being instant classics of theirs, while the smash hits and old favorites they had lined up were as marvelous now as they were upon first hearing them. Maybe even more so. It’s rare to find music that is capable of continuously impressing like that and that just speaks to how skilled this collective of musicians is when it comes to penning genuine, emotive music that connects with everyone. Something that resonates with the listener at their very core, and because of that, Snow Patrol evoked the quintessential concert experience this night, one where every soul in the building was unified by that music, feeling like they were part of something much bigger, even if it was for but a moment. This leg of Snow Patrol’s tour will run through May 21st, when it concludes at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, CA. Other notable stops include a performance at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. on April 26th; New York, NY’s Terminal 5 on April 30th; The Riviera Theatre in Chicago, IL on May 7th; and The Joint at Hard Rock in Las Vegas, NV on May 18th. A complete list of their tour schedule and additional info for each show can be found HERE; and be sure to check out Wildness in iTUNES or GOOGLE PLAY. Set List: 1) “Take Back the City” 2) “Chocolate” 3) “Crack the Shutters” 4) “Empress” 5) “Don't Give In” 6) “Open Your Eyes” 7) “Run” 8) “Life on Earth” 9) “Make This Go On Forever” 10) “Shut Your Eyes” 11) “Called Out in the Dark” 12) “Heal Me” 13) “Chasing Cars” 14) “You're All I Have” Encore 15) “What If This Is All the Love You Ever Get?” 16) “Just Say Yes” Note: ”The Lightning Strike (What If This Storm Ends?)” appeared on the set list though was not performed.

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reallivegeekgirl · 3 years

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StanQuest

Something clicked on in my brain a couple months ago and suddenly Sebastian Stan became the hottest man alive. So I decided to watch everything he’s ever been in. A friend and I called it StanQuest.

Here are my spoiler-free reviews for anyone considering something similar (in inverse chronological order starting with latest works and going back in time. The stars are an overall rating of the work, not of Sebastian’s performance.

This only lists things I could find streaming for free or a price I was willing to pay. It does not count after credits scenes, music videos, or works in which he was uncredited.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) - TV show - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - This started it all. I very much enjoyed it. Good balance of humor and action, heart and heroics. I’ve watched it four times already, and will watch it again. Bucky Barnes is my favorite character of his and this is my favorite story of Bucky's so far. I can’t wait to see what he does next. (And I have a lot to say about how they treat his trauma in this show. I’ve definitely written about it before and may again.)

Monday (2020) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐ - This is the one where he gets naked. If that’s all you’re looking for, enjoy. It was a very realistic portrayal of a relationship between two deeply flawed people. It can get depressing. But hey, penis.

The Devil All the Time (2020) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - If you think Monday is depressing, this movie says “hold my beer”. But something about it is just captivating. It’s really disturbing, and if you’ve ever been screwed over by American Evangelical Christianity it might be more disturbing. Still, I’ve watched it twice. And as much of a bastard as Lee Bodecker is, he also looks really cuddly. He’s just barely in it.

The Last Full Measure (2019) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - You will cry. A lot. It’s based on a true story. Sebastian plays a man who cares more about his career than this weird quest dumped on his desk by his boss, but changes his mind and his heart as he investigates why a war hero was denied a medal of honor 34 years before. Definitely recommend.

Endings, Beginnings (2019) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - One of two love interests in the complicated life of Shailene Woodley’s Daphne, Sebastian is an adorable mess. The editing is interesting and fresh feeling. Watch it and you’ll see what I mean. Fair amount of sex in this movie, and you see his butt. It’s a very nice butt. I’ve watched this one a few times so far.

Avengers: Endgame (2019) - Movie - ⭐⭐ - There is no reason to watch this movie if you’re not familiar with at least most of the rest of the MCU. It plays merry hob with the rules of time travel, and only makes sense if you don’t really think about it. In my opinion, the ending is really freaking stupid comsidering his character’s history, but at least it sets up TFatWS, which was amazing.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle (2018) - Movie - ⭐ - If you’re into movies that are creepy but also almost nothing happens for most of the movie, this is the one for you. Sebastian is handsome as hell, but also a complete asshole. As fine as he is, I’m not gonna watch this again. I fucking hated it.

Destroyer (2018) - Movie - ⭐⭐- I had a hard time paying attention to the plot because it seemed like they made this movie just to get Nicole Kidman an Oscar nomination for wearing ugly makeup and playing a complete mess of a person. It’s a fine movie, and all of the performances are good. Sebastian looks surprisingly good with the short hair and goatee. Ultimately, the plot is depressing and the whole movie seems kind of pointless.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018) - Movie - ⭐⭐- Again, no reason to watch this if you aren’t already familiar with all the movies leading up to it. It’s long and the villain looks like Grimace and a California Raisin had an evil baby. The ending made me scream with frustration that I had to wait until the next one came out. Now I just watch them back-to-back if I watch them at all. It’s not a good movie, but it is part of a long-form story that I enjoy in general.

I’m Not Here (2017) - Movie - ⭐⭐- Another depressing one. Told over the course of one man’s terrible life, it’s a sad account of how much your parents can fuck you up. Sebastian portrays the middle part of the man’s life. J.K. Simmons plays the current day part and unreliable narrator.. Do not watch unless you are fully prepared to be sad for a really long time after.

I, Tonya (2017) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐- This movie is hilarious. I mean, the true story is insane and really stupid. The spousal abuse is hard to watch, and Sebastian’s mustache in this is a war crime. But the acting is great and it’s a very engaging movie. The parts that aren’t horrifying are pretty funny.

Logan Lucky (2017) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Watch. This. Movie. Sebastian Stan is only in it a little, but it’s a really fun, clever caper/heist movie and everyone in it is fantastic. I don’t want to say anything else about it if you’re going in fresh. I’ll be rewatching this one a lot

Captain America: Civil War (2016) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - If you ignore how kind of silly the conflict over the Sokovia Accords is, this is a good Marvel movie. Sebastian gets a lot of screen time because Bucky is the more pressing concern/urgent point of contention than the Accords. Bucky is my favorite character of his partly because of this movie.

The Martian (2015) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I’m watching it(again) as I’m typing this. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched it. Sebastian Stan isn’t in it very much, but he’s very cute and so is his little story arc. Mostly I watch it because Ridley Scott made a fantastic movie. If you can get your hands on the Blu-Ray, it comes with a ton of extras. They made a very complete story that isn’t all seen in the movie. A lot of it is stuff about Mars, but there are also extra “crew” interviews, so there’s another chance to see more of Sebastian’s character.

Ricki and the Flash (2015) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - He’s not in this very much, but he’s very cute when he does appear. It’s all about the relationship between Ricki and her daughter. Definitely rewatchable. Meryl Streep is fantastic, because she’s Meryl Streep.

The Bronze (2015) - Movie - ⭐ - This is not a good movie. It’s about Olympic gymnastics, so it might be slightly more interesting right now while the Olympics are happening. Sebastian isn’t in it a lot, but his performance is certainly… memorable. Weirdest sex scene I’ve ever seen. Worth watching just for that.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - This is the one I can watch over and over. I bought a Winter Soldier face mask for when I need to feel like a badass. Bucky’s story is really sad, but he’s also extremely sexy with the metal arm and determined walk.

Once Upon a Time (2012-2013) - TV Show - ⭐⭐⭐ - This show is so stupid, but it’s also fun. If you haven’t seen it, the premise is that fairy tale characters are real and live in another land. Snow White’s Evil Queen casts a spell to transport a bunch of them to a town she creates in Maine called Storybrooke, and gives them all fake memories so she can be mayor and watch them all not remember who they are. Sebastian plays Jefferson, a.k.a. The Mad Hatter. He’s in a few episodes in season 1 and 2, and doesn’t get a ton of screen time, but he’s really cute and tragic as Jefferson. It probably helps to watch the whole first season just to understand his episodes, but that’s up to your tolerance for weird shit. Note: IMDB says he’s in an episode uncredited, but I’ve watched it and didn’t see him anywhere in that one.

Labyrinth (2012) - TV Mini-Series - ⭐⭐⭐ - Two episodes that tell a complete story. Sebastian isn’t in this one a whole lot, but he is adorable. It’s a strange story about religious stuff and a sort of Holy Grail that’s three books. It’s hard to describe. It’s on Amazon Prime right now, but they’re taking it down August 8, 2021, so watch it while you can.

The Apparition (2012) - Movie - ⭐ - If you like horror movies, you might like this. I did not. From what I understand, it’s not a very good horror movie. Watch with caution and expect it to suck.

Political Animals (2012) - TV Mini-Series - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I had to buy this through Apple and watch it on a Mac, but it was worth it. Sebastian plays TJ Hammond, the out gay son of a former American president who is clearly based on Bill Clinton. Sigorney Weaver plays the former first lady and current secretary of state. TJ struggles with addiction and relationship problems. His performance is heart-wrenching. The whole show is pretty great. I wish there was more of it.

Gone (2012) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐ - More of a psychological thriller than a horror movie. Sebastian has a small amount of screen time as the worried boyfriend. Amanda Seyfried is good. She carries the film well on her own.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - If you haven’t seen this yet, I’d like to know what it’s like under your rock. This is a movie I can rewatch a lot, and have. I 100% cried in the theater. Sebastian looks fantastic in uniform as Bucky Barnes. This is his introduction and the start of his ultimately tragic story (before he’s saved by his best friend, again).

Black Swan (2010) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Sebastian is barely in this. He’s basically just in one scene in a dance club. But I watched it to try to complete StanQuest, and I had seen it before. It’s a good movie, but might induce some nightmares, depending on what scares you. If Natalie Portman didn’t at least get a nomination for an award she was robbed.

Gossip Girl (2007-2010) - TV Show - ⭐⭐ - Carter Baizen is a little shit. The episodes with Sebastian in them might have made more sense if I watched the show from the beginning, but I didn’t want to. His character is an asshole, but a very cute one.

Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐- The people who made this movie are bad at math, and their rules of time travel are sketchy at best, but it is funny and entertaining. Sebastian plays a ski patrol bro who’s paranoid about the Russians, which is hilarious irony to me. Worth watching if you want to laugh at something dumb.

Kings (2009) - TV Show - ⭐⭐⭐- Sebastian plays Jack Benjamin, the closeted gay son of the king of a fictional place. It’s loosely based on the David and Goliath story from the Bible. Sebastian is so sad and so gay. His family makes his life a living hell. Ian McShane is a force of nature in this. It’s only one season. I’ve watched it twice. I will watch it again.

Spread (2009) - Movie - no stars - This movie was practically unwatchable. It stars Ashton Kutcher and Anne Heche as a romantic couple, I guess? I ended up just skipping to Sebastian’s scenes and only watching those. Still painful.

The Covenant (2006) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐ - This movie is so fuckig stupid, and I will watch it a ridiculous number of times. It’s about magic and teenagers, like The Craft for boys. Nothing about it makes sense. It’s terrible, almost irredeemable, but an evil Sebastian with magic powers is a siren song that will make me steer my boat right into the rocks.

And there you have it. There are a bunch of earlier things on IMDB that I just can’t find or don’t want to pay to rent. Maybe some day I’ll watch them and add them to this list.

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snarkesthour · 3 years

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Happy St George's Day!

· In the midst of a pandemic when schools are all closed, the government votes to not allow free school meals to schoolchildren during school holidays, despite this being the only meal many of them have each day

· Marcus Rashford, a footballer, led the drive to feed the nation’s children, 49% of which live in poverty, and forced the government to provide food for them during the school holidays

· Instead of previous years when vouchers were given to parents that can only be spent on nutritious food, members of government give contracts to friends to provide a week’s work of food costing £5 to schoolchildren for a price of £30. Food is unhealthy and would not last a week

· Parcels also expect parents to cook two tablespoons of rice at a time in the oven and bake their own bread every day, ignoring poverty-stricken families possible lack of access to such equipment

· Wife of conservative MP attacks poor families for eating unhealthy food when healthy food is cheaper, ignoring the fact that not all families have access to equipment needed to store and cook it

· Nigel Farage, head of the Brexit party came out strongly against the government for their stance on starving schoolchildren. Not a good look.

· Another MP came out and said that poor families should not receive government assistance because the money would be going direct to brothels and crackhouses and the parents would spend it on drink and drugs instead of feeding their kids, a dangerous and persistent stereotype of working class people

· For the first time in its history, UNICEF is feeding kids in the UK – the 5th richest country in the world – and the head of the House of Commons accused them of “playing politics” and said they should “be ashamed of themselves”

· J.K. Rowling came out hard as a TERF (Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist), writing a book about a serial killer that dresses up as a Muslim woman, which isn’t subtle when you look at her history of transphobia and other “-isms”

She also publicly supported an author who wrote a book about the destruction of Europe by waves of Muslim immigration

· Speaking of J.K. Rowling, the government’s response to the Gender Recognition Act.

· It is now impossible for under 16s to receive reversible puberty blockers

· Wait times at NHS Gender Clinics, of which there are only 7 in the country, have doubled, with wait times now up to 60+ months (5+ years)

· Keir Starmer, head of the Labour (left wing) party says he doesn’t want to get involved in trans issues

· With the loss of Labour, no major party supports trans rights

· Self ID is no longer allowed, meaning every step of transition is medicalised and involves the trans person having to prove that they are “trans enough” at every stage to panels of cis people

· Government wants to invalidate non-enrolled deed polls, essentially making available a public list of every trans person in the UK

· Hate crimes have quadrupled

· Anti-trans campaigners are now setting their sights on trans adults’ access to hormones

· A petition was formed to counter this and was reviewed by the government, who determined that nothing was wrong with the GRA except that it might have been a bit lax.

· The Guardian newspaper ran child labour and child starvation supporting stories

· Internal border now along the border of Kent and lorry drivers must produce travel papers (Brexit Passport) to cross it, placing the county of Kent in a state of “no man’s land”

· Government fails to lockdown on time, every time

· Government refuses to ban conversion therapy in the UK

· Scotland adopts Human Rights of Children, which requires the government to better support children and families, especially those who are poor, disabled, minorities or young carers. England does not

· The government declared that sleeping rough is now grounds for deportation

· Schools reopened several times despite being warned not safe to do so

· The government banned NHS workers from speaking out about COVID

· Do Not Resuscitate orders proposed for those in care homes, with learning disabilities and who are autistic

· The government cut pensions as the COVID death toll rose

· The government learnt about new South-East COVID strain in September and didn’t come forwards until December

· New COVID strain targets kids, teens, and young adults, and yet none of those groups are allowed vaccination unless a serious pre-existing condition is had, even if they are key workers

· Downing Street says UK should be model of racial equality because government report says no institutional racism in the UK

· Report also says young people are young and foolish for thinking it exists and that minorities are superstitious and irrational and are sabotaging themselves out of success

· It came out that the government was given the independent report and rewrote it to the version that was released to the public – the version that says racism doesn’t exist in the UK

· The rewritten report also refers to the slave trade as the “Caribbean experience”, like those enslaved were on holiday

· Woman in London abducted, murdered and dismembered by off-duty cop and when socially distanced vigil goes ahead, police wait until dark before trapping women, arresting them, using excessive force on them, and also destroying memorial

· Bill passed in government that allows undercover officers to commit serious crimes such as murder, torture and rape

· Plainclothes police to now patrol nightclubs and bars due to aforementioned murder by police officer

· Bill passed that bans any protest at all, no matter how quiet, unobstructive or small it is, including single-person protests. Bill also includes a 10 year sentence for damaging a statue, which is a longer sentence than for rape

· TV programmes critical of the government have been cancelled

· Universities have been told what to platform and schools have been told what to teach, including banning material speaking about BLM and calling for “overthrow” of capitalism

· Voting has been supressed, mainly those who are working class or POC

· During protests in Bristol, press was assaulted and pepper sprayed by police and two legal observers were arrested

· Being Roma/Traveller and living the traditional Roma/Traveller lifestyle is now illegal under that same bill that bans protests. They also have to register as such and receive a licence or risk losing their vehicles

· Hours before Eid, lockdown across the UK with no warning whatsoever, meaning people woke up the next morning after visiting relatives to find themselves “criminals”. The country was opened up specifically for Christmas though

· Conservative (right wing) party blamed BAME (Black And Minority Ethnic) communities for dying of COVID more than white people

· Landlords have been protected extensively and renters blamed for living in close quarters or having to take public transport to work

· Conservatives have launched investigation into possible corruption in Liverpool Council. Liverpool is a Labour stronghold and if corruption is found then the Conservatives can seize control of the council. No evidence of corruption is present as of yet

· Military threatened to stage a coup if Corbyn (then head of the labour party) became Prime Minister

· Government orders all government buildings in England, Wales and Scotland to fly the Union Flag every day to boost patriotism

· MPs call for the curriculum to require teaching the history of the Union Flag rather than Britain’s many atrocities

· The first fortnight of April saw a mini heatwave with temperatures up to 20°C immediately followed by snow, and this is ignored in favour of debating “vaccine passports” in order to visit the pub

· UK allows for international summer holidays despite being warned it will cause a third wave, such as the situation in Germany

· Government placed asylum seekers arriving in the UK in army barracks where they were to sleep 24 to a room with no open windows or air circulation, and when COVID inevitably ran rampant, the Home Secretary accused the asylum seekers of not following COVID protocol, such as social distancing

· Several accounts of self-harm and suicide attempts were reported from the asylum barracks and were dismissed

· UK to deport unaccompanied minor asylum seekers

· UK refuses entry into the UK for radicalised teen failed by system who joined ISIS. Case is difficult and controversial because teen wishes to return to the UK temporarily to fight for her citizenship after the UK broke international law by stripping it from her, despite her not having dual citizenship. Argument given was that her parents were from Bangladesh and so she could apply for citizenship there. Bangladesh refused. Teen is now stateless and living in a refugee camp after losing several children, unable to fight for her citizenship to be reinstated.

· Rioting in Northern Ireland, which included the first use of water cannons in 6 years, a bus being hijacked and burnt, a press photographer attacked, and people throwing bricks, fireworks and petrol bombs at police, not to mention some of the clashes happening over a peace wall in west Belfast, completely ignored in British media and then later drowned out by non-stop news of Prince Phillip’s death, obscuring any important news from being heard. Riots were over Northern Ireland’s being a part of the UK

· MPs take vote on whether China’s treatment of Uighurs constitutes genocide. They decide it does, but that it isn’t their job to do anything further

· Home Office released their spending for the 2020 fiscal year. It’s a mess, including over £77,000 at an eyebrow salon in March alone, and £6,000+ in Pollyanna Restaurant which doesn't appear to exist.

· When people started questioning the spending, the Home Office sent a tweet fact checking themselves

· Country reopened over the summer for Eat Out To Help Out, a scheme to boost the economy. COVID cases rose sharply and the government then blamed people, but mostly working class people, for not following restrictions such as only leaving the house when absolutely necessary, after telling them it was safe

· Foreign NHS workers denied COVID vaccinations

· GCSEs and A-Levels were cancelled due to COVID-19 and expected exam grades were to be used instead. Private school students received grades much higher than they were expecting, and state school students received grades much lower, some grades falling as far as an A to an E. This was because the government couldn’t imagine state school students being smart enough to receive the high grades they were predicted to get; after much uproar the grades were scrapped, and a new method was introduced

· BBC offered staff grief counselling following Prince Philip’s death, but not after having to report on the ever-rising COVID death toll

· The COVID-19 Infection Survey closed in mourning for Prince Philip, with workers to contact participants to reschedule visits for “as soon as possible” when they return to work

· Census workers told to pack up and go home and were placed on immediate unpaid leave due to the death of Prince Philip, but told they must make up the hours later

· Conservative MPs lobbied for a new royal yacht after voting to keep schoolchildren hungry (see first points)

· The BBC’s complaint page crashed over the amount of complaints they got of their coverage of Prince Philip’s death. It was covered non-stop for over 24 hours and the page came in at over 100,000 complaints before going down

· BBC also fast becoming politically biased despite their requirement to be apolitical, after cutting out the audience laughing at Boris Johnson on Question Time, displaying Corbyn as a communist figure in front of a prominent piece of Russian architecture, and providing a platform for a Conservative MP to tell a stage 4 bowl cancer patient that her life wasn’t valuable on live television

· On the COVID-19 pandemic, the BMJ, (British Medical Journal) said about the government that “science was being suppressed for political and financial gain” by “some of history’s worst autocrats and dictators”

· Not only did Boris Johnson launch Eat Out To Help Out when he was warned it was dangerous, lifted lockdowns too early when he was warned it was too dangerous, reopened schools when he was warned it was too dangerous, but when scientists said the second COVID jab should be delivered within 3 weeks he decided that was too tall an order and it should be within 12 weeks – after a period of radio silence, suddenly the science fit his plan. No scientists came forwards to defend it

· The Home Secretary, Priti Patel, blamed protestors for protests that became violent from police attacking protestors, bullied staff members under her, bought members of staff in her department, said it was “disgraceful” to topple the statue of Edward Colson, a slave trader, in Brighton because it undermined anti-racism protests, held treasonous meetings with Israel with the plan to divert aid money, and threatened to starve Ireland in order to get them to agree to Brexit

· She also wants to set up Australian-style asylum processing centres on British islands, but the islands she wants are in the Atlantic ocean and over 4000 miles away from the UK. This is because she wants to help asylum seekers enter the UK legally, completed ignoring or oblivious to all the reasons that asylum seekers might not be able to do that, and for the fact that to seek asylum you must essentially walk up the border and ask for it

· The bungling of the Track and Trace system – the government spent £10bn on a system to track and trace the spread of COVID-19. All data was stored on an Excel spreadsheet which developed a technical glitch and many results were lost before the system was scrapped

· As Autism Acceptance month began, the BBC ran a story saying the autism causes fascism, and that an autistic person who had chosen to embrace the ideology was incapable of seeing that a neo-Nazi group he joined was morally bad because he was autistic

#st george's day #uk politics

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mrslittletall · 3 years

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Time for my Ghost of Tsushima Review: Graphics To make it short, the game looks absolutely GORGEOUS. It goes with a realistic style. I didn’t had trouble with the character models, they looked good and unique and the facial expressions were well done. What got me, though, is the scenery. Tsushima is lush with nature and there were trees, flowers, pampas grass. You clearly could see what was a japanese settlement and what was a mongol camp, though I have to argue that they resuded a lot of assets for the buildings, like if you you knew one of them, you knew all of them, but that is nitpicking. The water looked great, the fire effects looked great, the foxes were cute, the flowers were gorgeous. It was a joy to look at and I made some scenery screenshots which I all forgot to upload, oh well... The last area was a bit duller though, because it was full of snow, but I like snow and we got footprints in the snow, so I was fine with it ^^ Sound/Music Sadly this game suffers from western Triple A problems... the music is generic and doesn’t stand out. I think I remember one song of the entire OST and that was in Yarikawa, when you unlock the Ghost Stance. The music is generally played with japanese instruments which was a very nice touch though. It wasn’t there all the time also, leaving you room to listen to the atmosphere, which was nicely done. It never really was quiet in Tsushima, but it made me feel at ease. I am also amazed at the voice acting. The voice acting was really really good, though both me and my husband had one gripe with it... Ok, so I put them on english, but they are still talking japanese with each other, it’s just dubbed for our listening comfort, so why... why did so many VA’s speak with a fake japanese accent?! That didn’t make any sense at all! It got even more hilarious when I read the names of the credits and Jin, one of the few who doesn’t sport a fake japanese accent was spoken by a japanese man! That was the only gripe I had with the voice acting though. Gameplay The game feels like a classic Open World game. I heard a lot of people got tired by it, but they probably have played like a hundred Open World titles already. I only played Breath of the Wild and Death Stranding (and Death Stranding is not a typical Open World title), so it felt all fresh and new enough for me. I am a person who really likes to see progress in games, so it always felt great for me when I found one of the locations in Tsushima that would give me some extra and make my Jin stronger. I loved the exploration part of the game. The quests of the games? They were a bit generic, at least the optional quests. Lots of the same to do. The story quests were more interesting, for they sometimes forced a certain playstyle on you or gave you certain weapons to use. Like, sinking the ships with the hwacha was really cool and having to sneak out of the shogun’s castle was nerve wracking. I wasn’t bored with them though, for I liked the little stories behind the quests. The combat was really fluid and played well, though the standoffs at Act 3 got ridiculously hard. I thought it was my problem, but I wasn’t the only one failing the standoffs in Act 3, the game really just made them super hard, apparently to encourage stealth? Yeah, but I don’t want to stealth the mongol patrols... The boss battles in the game... they kinda felt like a dance. You had to find out what your opponent does and react accordingly and if you did it right, it felt like a beautiful rythm of a sword battle. I was pretty impressed by how fluid it felt when I didn’t mess up. The stealth mechanics were good. I hate stealth in games where you normally don’t do stealth, but here the stealth was a big part of the game. You had a lot of options for stealth, you could hide in grass or behind walls, you could assassinate the foes one by one, you could hide on a roof and shoot them with your bow, you get access to poison later in the game (shooting a brute with hallucination dart was always fun) and and and. It really hammers home that your character took up the practices of a shinobi to save his home. The early game hell was pretty bad though... you start with not much of course, and that made me almost give up on the game because I did nothing but die... only when I found out that I can run up to archers and hit them with my sword instead of having an archer battle, I had fun again. Like, the game starts you out with low health and resolve and then gets you into missions with five archers shooting at you at once? You are dead before you could even aim! Overall, I had fun with the gameplay. Story/Characters Ok, that will be complicated, because I like the story and I dislike the story at the same time... But let’s talk about the characters first. I loved most of them, especially Jin, Yuna, Kenji and Norio. Every main character got their own questline which you could follow and it showed a lot about them, also that none of them a honourable hero or anything, but they all had their flaws and troubles... Especially Lady Masako’s quest made me thinking... for it was extreme that her family got slaughtered like that, but after hearing that she left her sister in an abusive marriage I couldn’t hate Lady Hana for it... she must have tremendously suffered and sadly all her negative energy got channeled at innocent people... Their stories went through the whole game and were a good thing to deepen them, because in the main story they felt a bit side lined in favour of Yuna’s and Jin’s friendship as well as the storyline about Ryuzo and the relationship between Jin and Shimura. Ok, let’s talk about the story now. The story is set on the 13th century of the island of Tsushima with the mongol invasion. Because the mongols fight not fair, the honourable Samurai lose the battle... almost all of them. Jito Shimura gets captured and Jin gets dragged away by thief Yuna who nurses him back to health. Of course he makes the decision to save Shimura, who is his uncle, but now he hasn’t an army in his back, he’s only one man. So Yuna teaches him the tactics of stealth and dirty fighting. More and more over the span of the game, Jin takes up the practices of a shinobi, with a lot of Ghost Weapons that get unlocked and a stealth based game play. Jin, who has been raised as honourable samurai, has trouble with this and can’t accept his new role at first. He tells himself he stops doing it once the mongols are driven out, but... A legend is getting spun. The Legend of the Ghost. I really like how this happens, for Jin does nothing supernatural to get the mongols down, he simply changes his tactics. But the people hear about it and they rumour and soon after they call him “The Ghost” and everything gets exxegerated a LOT. That is pretty much how legends must have started, so I loved this aspect. And I loved how we see Jin’s inner struggle and how he thinks about the land first and his honour second and that there is a friendship with Yuna which never turns into romance, which is a plus as well. Act 2 was really epic and I loved the whole Yarikawa moment, when like everything screamed “For the Ghost”, that was POWERFUL. What I dislike is the story since the end of Act 2 and in the start of Act 3. See, there’s Ryuzo. Ryuzo is Jin’s boyfriend childhood friend and he is a ronin. Jin asked him to join his forces, but Ryuzo betrays him and joins the mongols for his men hunger and the Khan did promise him food. And during the second act, Ryuzo and his strawhat ronin act like secondary villains... and I was very much hoping for a redemption arc for Ryuzo, but instead the story lets Ryuzo pathetically cry for his life and Jin has to kill him. Um, what was that?! You missed a GREAT opportunity for a redemption arc here and it feels like you didn’t use the potential of Ryuzo at all... And then Act 3 happened... see in Act 2 there is a mission where Jin gets poison and it is a powerful weapon, most players will probably use it. But there is a scene where Jin uses it without player control and his uncle is like “WTF Jin?” The issue comes when we enter act 3 and now the mongols use the poison that Jin used on them... And the story turns into a “Oh Jin used poison, how horrible that is! Now the mongols have poison! Why did you use poison, Jin? You are clearly the villain now.” Which I am like... “No? What the fuck? This guy saved thousands of people because he decided that life was more imporant than honour and the narration wants to tell us that poison is bad? What?” In the end, I liked that Lord Shimura came to help though and the ending tale... had some very powerful lines “You have no honour.” “And you are a slave to it.” Beautifully delivered those lines. My decision in the end was to let Lord Shimura leave, but not for the reason Jin had, for he said he wouldn’t kill family. My reason was the following: “Live! See the pain and suffering of your people and help them. Live with your shame and survive, because that is what Jin does. You don’t get an easy way out, old man.” Yeah, my reason was lot more spite... Anyway, I wish the story in the later acts would have been better... it started so strong... Overall This isn’t a perfect game of course. But I had my fun with it and I wanted to explore the map and see the end of Jin’s story. Characters were adorable and fun, gameplay is smooth once early game hell is over. I would totally rec this game if you aren’t fatigued of open world titles.

#ghost of tsushima #ghost of tsushima spoilers #ghost of tsushima review

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bananaofswifts · 4 years

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Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’: Album Review

It’s hard to remember any contemporary pop superstar that has indulged in a more serious, or successful, act of sonic palette cleansing than Swift has with her eighth album, a highly subdued but rich affair written and recorded in quarantine conditions.

While most of us spent the last four months putting on some variation of “the quarantine 15,” Taylor Swift has been secretly working on the “Folklore” 16. Sprung Thursday night with less than a day’s notice, her eighth album is a fully rounded collection of songs that sounds like it was years in the interactive making, not the product of a quarter-year’s worth of file-sharing from splendid isolation. Mind you, the words “pandemic hero” should probably be reserved for actual frontline workers and not topline artistes. But there’s a bit of Rosie the Riveter spirit in how Swift has become the first major pop artist to deliver a first-rank album that went from germination to being completely locked down in the midst of a national lockdown.

The themes and tone of “Folklore,” though, are a little less “We can do it!” and a little more “Can we do it?” Because this new collection is Swift’s most overtly contemplative — as opposed to covertly reflective — album since the fan favorite “Red.” Actually, that’s an understatement. “Red” seems like a Chainsmokers album compared to the wholly banger-free “Folklore,” which lives up to the first half of its title by divesting itself of any lingering traces of Max Martin-ized dance-pop and presenting Swift, afresh, as your favorite new indie-electro-folk/chamber-pop balladeer. For fans that relished these undertones of Swift’s in the past, it will come as a side of her they know and love all too well. For anyone who still has last year’s “You Need to Calm Down” primarily in mind, it will come as a jolting act of manual downshifting into actually calming down. At least this one won’t require an album-length Ryan Adams remake to convince anyone that there’s songwriting there. The best comparison might be to take “Clean,” the unrepresentative denouement of “1989,” and… imagine a whole album of that. Really, it’s hard to remember any pop star in our lifetimes that has indulged in a more serious act of sonic palette cleansing.

The tone of this release won’t come as a midnight shock to anyone who took spoilers from the announcement earlier in the day that a majority of the tracks were co-written with and produced by the National’s Aaron Dessner, or that the man replacing Panic! at the Disco’s Brendon Urie as this album’s lone duet partner is Bon Iver. No matter how much credit you may have given Swift in the past for thinking and working outside of her box, a startled laugh may have been in order for just how unexpected these names felt on the bingo card of musical dignitaries you expected to find the woman who just put out “Me!” working with next. But her creative intuition hasn’t led her into an oil-and-water collaboration yet. Dessner turns out to be an ideal partner, with as much virtuosic, multi-instrumental know-how (particularly useful in a pandemic) as the most favored writer-producer on last year’s “Lover” album, Jack Antonoff.

He, too, is present and accounted for on “Folklore,” to a slightly lesser extent, and together Antonoff and Dessner make for a surprisingly well-matched support-staff tag team. Swift’s collabs with the National’s MVP clearly set the tone for the project, with a lot of fingerpicking, real strings, mellow drum programming and Mellotrons. You can sense Antonoff, in the songs he did with Swift, working to meet the mood and style of what Dessner had done or would be doing with her, and bringing out his own lesser-known acoustic and lightly orchestrated side. As good of a mesh as the album is, though, it’s usually not too hard to figure out who worked on which song — Dessner’s contributions often feel like nearly neo-classical piano or guitar riffs that Swift toplined over, while Antonoff works a little more toward buttressing slightly more familiar sounding pop melodies of Swift’s, dressed up or down to meet the more somber-sounding occasion.

For some fans, it might take a couple of spins around the block with this very different model to become re-accustomed to how there’s still the same power under the hood here. And that’s really all Swift, whose genius for conversational melodies and knack for giving every chorus a telling new twist every time around remain unmistakable trademarks. Thematically, it’s a bit more of a hodgepodge than more clearly autobiographical albums like “Lover” and “Reputation” before it have been. Swift has always described her albums as being like diaries of a certain period of time, and a few songs here obviously fit that bill, as continuations of the newfound contentment she explored in the last album and a half. But there’s also a higher degree of fictionalization than perhaps she’s gone for in the past, including what she’s described as a trilogy of songs revolving around a high school love triangle. The fact that she refers to herself, by name, as “James” in the song “Betty” is a good indicator that not everything here is ripped from today’s headlines or diary entries.

But, hell, some of it sure is. Anyone looking for lyrical Easter eggs to confirm that Swift still draws from her own life will be particularly pleased by the song “Invisible String,” a sort of “bless the broken roads that led me to you” type song that finds fulfillment in a current partner who once wore a teal shirt while working as a young man in a yogurt shop, even as Swift was dreaming of the perfect romance hanging out in Nashville’s Centennial Park. (A quick Google search reveals that, yes, Joe Alwyn was once an essential worker in London’s fro-yo industry.) There’s also a sly bit of self-referencing as Swift follows this golden thread that fatefully linked them: “Bad was the blood of the song in the cab on your first trip to L.A.,” she sings. The “dive bar” that was first established as the scene of a meet-cute two albums ago makes a reappearance in this song, too.

As for actual bad blood? It barely features into “Folklore,” in any substantial, true-life-details way, counter to her reputation for writing lyrics that are better than revenge. But when it does, woe unto he who has crossed the T’s and dotted the I’s on a contract that Swift feels was a double-cross. At least, we can strongly suspect what or who the actual subject is of “Mad Woman,” this album’s one real moment of vituperation. “What did you think I’d say to that?” Swift sings in the opening lines. “Does a scorpion sting when fighting back? / They strike to kill / And you know I will.” Soon, she’s adding gas to the fire: “Now I breathe flames each time I talk / My cannons all firing at your yacht / They say ‘move on’ / But you know I won’t / … women like hunting witches, too.” A coup de gras is delivered: “It’s obvious that wanting me dead has really brought you two together.” It’s a message song, and the message is: Swift still really wants her masters back, in 2020. And is really still going to want them back in 2021, 2022 and 2023, too. Whether or not the neighbors of the exec or execs she is imagining really mouth the words “f— you” when these nemeses pull up in their respective driveways may be a matter of projection, but if Swift has a good time imagining it, many of her fans will too.

(A second such reference may be found in the bonus track, “The Lakes,” which will only be found on deluxe CD and vinyl editions not set to arrive for several weeks. There, she sings, “What should be over burrowed under my skin / In heart-stopping waves of hurt / I’ve come too far to watch some namedropping sleaze / Tell me what are my words worth.” The rest of “The Lakes” is a fantasy of a halcyon semi-retirement in the mountains — in which “I want to watch wisteria grow right over my bare feet / Because I haven’t moved in years” — “and not without my muse.” She even imagines red roses growing out of a tundra, “with no one around to tweet it”; fantasies of a social media-free utopia are really pandemic-rampant.)

The other most overtly “confessional” song here is also the most third-person one, up to a telling point. In “The Last Great American Dynasty,” Swift explores the rich history of her seaside manse in Rhode Island, once famous for being home to the heir to the Standard Oil fortune and, after he died, his eccentric widow. Swift has a grand old time identifying with the women who decades before her made fellow coast-dwellers go “there goes the neighborhood”: “There goes the maddest woman this town has ever seen / She had a marvelous time ruining everything,” she sings of the long-gone widow, Rebekah. “Fifty years is a long time / Holiday House sat quietly on that beach / Free of women with madness, their men and bad habits / Then it was bought by me… the loudest woman this town has ever seen.” (A fine madness among proud women is another recurring theme.)

But, these examples aside, the album is ultimately less obviously self-referential than most of Swift’s. The single “Cardigan,” which has a bit of a Lana Del Rey feel (even though it’s produced by Dessner, not Del Rey’s partner Antonoff) is part of Swift’s fictional high school trilogy, along with “August” and “Betty.” That sweater shows up again in the latter song, in which Swift takes on the role of a 17-year boy publicly apologizing for doing a girl wrong — and which kicks into a triumphant key change at the end that’s right out of “Love Story,” in case anyone imagines Swift has completely moved on from the spirit of early triumphs.

“Exile,” the duet with Bon Iver, recalls another early Swift song, “The Last Time,” which had her trading verses with Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol. Then, as now, she gives the guy the first word, and verse, if not the last; it has her agreeing with her partner on some aspects of their dissolution (“I couldn’t turn things around”/”You never turned things around”) and not completely on others (“Cause you never gave a warning sign,” he sings; “I gave so many signs,” she protests).

Picking two standouts — one from the contented pile, one from the tormented — leads to two choices: “Illicit Affairs” is the best cheating song since, well, “Reputation’s” hard-to-top “Getaway Car.” There’s less catharsis in this one, but just as much pungent wisdom, as Swift describes the more mundane details of maintaining an affair (“Tell your friends you’re out for a run / You’ll be flushed when you return”) with the soul-destroying ones of how “what started in beautiful rooms ends with meetings in parking lots,” as “a drug that only worked the first few hundred times” wears off in clandestine bitterness.

But does Swift have a corker of a love song to tip the scales of the album back toward sweetness. It’s not “Invisible String,” though that’s a contender. The champion romance song here is “Peace,” the title of which is slightly deceptive, as Swift promises her beau, or life partner, that that quality of tranquility is the only thing she can’t promise him. If you like your love ballads realistic, it’s a bit of candor that renders all the compensatory vows of fidelity and courage all the more credible and deeply lovely. “All these people think love’s for show / But I would die for you in secret.”

That promise of privacy to her intended is a reminder that Swift is actually quite good at keeping things close to the vest, when she’s not spilling all — qualities that she seems to value and uphold in about ironically equal measure. Perhaps it’s in deference to the sanctity of whatever she’s holding dear right now that there are more outside narratives than before in this album — including a song referring to her grandfather storming the beaches in World War II — even as she goes outside for fresh collaborators and sounds, too. But what keeps you locked in, as always, is the notion of Swift as truth-teller, barred or unbarred, in a world of pop spin. She’s celebrating the masked era by taking hers off again.

Taylor Swift “Folklore” Republic Records

#taylor swift #folklore #review

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safethaw · 1 month

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Brutal Review Of 6 Concrete-Safe Ice Melt Products For The Winter Season

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starbornvalkyrie · 4 years

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acotar one sentence summary

T-minus four months until the A Court of Silver Flame release! In preparation for this long-awaited book, I will be posting one-sentence-per-chapter summaries of ACOTAR, ACOMAF, ACOWAR, and ACOFAS on the 16th of each month.

Also, if you haven’t seen SJM’s sneak peek, you can find it on insta or on this meme by @illyrianwitchling. it’s a mood. and i am deceased.

**Spoiler Warning** This is NOT a blurb or a review. I literally summarized each chapter in one sentence. Yes, they are some of the longest run-on sentences I have ever written and would definitely be flagged by every English teacher ever. And yes, I definitely over-used the semicolon, conjunctions, lists, and pretty much most syntax in the English language. But no, I did not care if the sentences were better split into two or more. It was more fun this way, and easier to keep track of.

Absolutely everything about this belongs to the queen, Sarah J. Maas.

Without further ado, if you lack the time to read everything again, have no fear! Just keep reading below the cut, and enjoy! [The numbers at the beginning of the paragraphs indicate the chapter numbers if you want to skip to certain parts!]

Final Word Count: 2863

[ 1 ] It’s winter and snowing; Feyre is hunting for food when a wolf--that may or may not be a faerie--kills a deer, but she kills the wolf with an ash arrow, skins it, and takes the pelt and the deer home. When Feyre gets home, her father and older sisters--Nesta and Elain--eat the deer, then Feyre and Nesta argue over pretty much everything, especially Nesta’s imminent engagement to Tomas Mandray. The next day, Feyre sold the wolf pelt and deer hide to a mercenary who warned her about faeries crossing the wall while Nesta and Elain were harassed by the Children of the Blessed--people who worship faeries like gods; their dinner that night was interrupted by a roar.

[ 4 ] A faerie in beast-form demands retribution for his wolf friend who was murdered--a life for a life--so Feyre opts to go with the faerie to live out the rest of her days in Prythian, the faerie realm. Feyre and the beast-faerie travel north on horseback, but Feyre doesn’t remember most of it because the male used magic to render her unconscious until they reached Prythian.

[ 6 ] When they reach the beast’s estate, he shifts back into his Fae form, Feyre meets Lucien--an emissary--and she notices that everyone is wearing a mask; Alis--a servant--takes Feyre to a lavish room where she bathed, groomed, clothed, and warned her to talk less, smile more, and listen. She finally dines with Lucien and the beast-fae--whose name is Tamlin--and decides both of them are assholes; the next day she wanders the estate and admires beautiful paintings until Tamlin finds her and tells are about the blight that has plagued Prythian, which also explains why everyone is stuck in a mask. When Feyre was wandering through the gardens, she heard giggling and felt someone watching her but only noticed a silver shimmer; at dinner it seemed like Lucien and Tamlin were trying to get to know her better, and she told them her mother died of Typhus when she was eight.

[ 9 ] In an attempt to get Lucien to talk to Tamlin about freeing her, Feyre went with him on his patrol of the border, but her attempts were futile, and, instead, he let slip that there was a her related to the magic that forced them to keep their masks on; they kept up their banter until Lucien warned her to do nothing but look straight ahead when Feyre felt it. A cold presence overtook them as the Bogge appeared, and after it left, Lucien explained that once one acknowledges the Bogge, it can kill you; Lucien told Tamlin about it when they got back which urged Tamlin went to go hunt for it, and when Feyre was looking out the window waiting for him to return, she saw her father in the garden.

[ 11 ] Before she could get far, Tamlin finds her and makes her realize that it wasn’t her father, but a puca, and warned her that the wards between territories have weakened and everything has changed; Tamlin hunts the Bogge day and night without help after he tells Feyre that her family is fed and comfortable, while Feyre has nightmares about killing Andras.

[ 12 ] Though she is illiterate, Feyre walked the halls of the estate trying to make a map until Tamlin returned, injured, from killing the Bogge, so she went to the infirmary to help his wound; Feyre overheard a conversation about Tamlin “running out of time” and Lucien forced Tamlin to spend time with Feyre, leading Feyre to admit she does not like hunting, so Tamlin brought her to the study.

[ 13 ] In the study, Feyre tried to teach herself to read so that she may send a letter to her family, but on a break, she discovered a mural depicting the story of Prythian--along with the seven courts; after fighting with Tamlin about denying his help in writing the letter, Feyre went to Lucien to ask how to catch a Suriel. In her success with trapping the Suriel, Feyre discovers that Tamlin is the High Lord of the Spring Court, learns about the King of Hybern, is warned to Stay with the High Lord, and is about to learn about one of a disobedient commander from Hybern called The Deceiver, when four naga--terrifying faeries made of shadow and rot--found them in the clearing. Feyre freed the Suriel, killed one naga, ran away, killed a second naga with her knife when it grabbed her, was saved by Tamlin who killed the last two, and was healed by him as well--they shared a moment.

[ 16 ] After Feyre cleaned up from the attack, she met Lucien and Tamlin for dinner where they told her that faeries can indeed lie and are unharmed by iron and that Feyre’s family know she’s okay and know to run at the first sign of something amiss due to a threat in Prythian; Feyre is so grateful, she opens up to Tamlin a little more and asks for paint which he responds to by offering to show her the gallery--sparks are beginning to fly.

[ 17 ] Feyre woke from a nightmare only to hear shouting from Tamlin as he carried a faerie with his wings cut off, and when Tamlin realized there was no way to save him, Feyre held the faerie’s hand until he died and a little while after that; when Tamlin walked Feyre back upstairs, she expressed her regret and sorrow for killing his friend.

[ 18 ] The next day, Tamlin and Lucien took Feyre to a beautiful landscape where Tamlin showed Feyre a pool of starlight and revealed a bit of Lucien’s background--he is the youngest son of the High Lord of the Autumn Court--and as the swam in starlight, Feyre told Tamlin about her father’s demise and her years in the woods; on the ride back to the manor, Lucien told Feyre he was sorry that he hesitated when he heard her scream from the naga attack and gifted her his jeweled hunting knife.

[ 19 ] When Feyre’s painting supplies arrived, Tamlin showed her the gallery, and she began to paint and paint for weeks and weeks until one day, they shared a moment in the gardens; Tamlin told Feyre about his parents, how he became High Lord when his entire family was killed, and was in the middle of explaining Calanmai--Fire Night--when the Attor, invisible to Feyre, came to confront Tamlin about how much time he has left and to not break his terms with her.

[ 20 ] The day of Calanmai arrived, and Tamlin ordered Feyre to lock herself in her room until morning, so she did--until she didn’t; Feyre followed the drums to find some sort of firelit party filled with High Fae, and when three of them tried to lure her away, the “most beautiful man she’d ever seen” saved her from them. Feyre thanked the stranger then walked away and found Lucien who angrily brought her back to the manor as he explained that magic is going to take over Tamlin and force him to mate with a random female for the good of the land; when the Great Rite is over, Tamlin finds Feyre and expresses how badly he wanted it to be her instead--shows it by biting her neck.

[ 21 ] Feyre and Tamlin tease each other about the night before and apologize for their behaviors at lunch the next day, and for dinner, Feyre asks Alis to dress her up in a gown rather than the tunic she usually wears; Feyre brought Tamlin to the room she’s been painting in, showing him a painting she did of the pool of starlight, as well as various images of her life in the mortal lands, and Tamlin chooses to keep the painting of the woods she used to hunt in. The next day, Feyre and Tamlin were in the enchanted forest where he granted her fae senses that allow her to truly experience Prythian--they have another moment.

[ 23 ] When Feyre wakes up, she finds Alis in her natural form and is able to see all of the fae who were hidden from her initially; she went to go paint in the garden but is startled by a head spiked to the top of the fountain, and Tamlin and Lucien claimed it was the High Lord of the Night Court’s idea of a cruel joke.

[ 24 ] The Summer Solstice came, and although the blight seems to be getting more intense, the denizens of the Spring Court partied; they danced, drank wine, Tamlin played the fiddle, then he took her to a meadow and kissed her and watched the sunrise. Despite the great night they had, Lucien informed them the next day that the blight took out two dozen Winter Court younglings, then a silence came over them, and Tamlin ordered Lucien to glamour Feyre to hide her from the High Lord of the Night Court, Rhysand; Feyre listened as he taunted Tamlin and Lucien, learning about a woman named Amarantha until Rhysand discovers she’s there and seizes control of her mind until she told him her name is Clare Beddor.

[ 26 ] The encounter with Rhysand scared Tamlin so badly, he told Feyre that he was sending her back to the mortal realm; as a send-off, they made love until the morning, and before she drifted to sleep, Tamlin expressed that he loved her, thorns and all. Alis dressed Feyre in wealthy human clothing, Lucien pleaded with Tamlin to let her stay, but Tamlin sent her off with an “I love you” and a promise that he will see her again; when she arrives at her family’s new estate, Elain tells her how they got their fortune back excitedly, while Nesta was a more wary of her return.

[ 28 ] Elain shows Feyre her garden, prattling on about the social season and how Nesta tried to visit Feyre only to have her carriage break down and have to return; Feyre’s father finished counting the gold and jewels that Tamlin sent with Feyre, so she went to the cottage her family used to live in and found the path she took into the forest, longing for Tamlin to call her back to Prythian. Feyre handed out gold and silver coins to villagers, sneered at Tomas Mandray who was talking about a house that burned down with the whole family in it, and wished the best to Isaac and his new wife; back at the estate, Nesta told Feyre that Tamlin’s glamour didn’t work on her and how she tried to cross the wall but couldn’t find a way through, so Feyre told her the story of her time in Prythian, then Nesta asked her to teach her how to paint.

[ 30 ] After the ball Feyre’s father threw in her honor, she finds out that Clare Beddor’s family’s home was burned down and no one survived, so she tells Nesta and Elain to prepare for anything amiss coming from Prythian--she had to go back; it took her days, but Feyre finally found her way through the wall and to the Spring Court, only to find the manor wrecked, Tamlin nowhere to be found. Feyre finds Alis packing to flee the Spring Court, and she tells her the story of Amarantha, Jurian, and Clythia, and about the curse she put on Tamlin and his court for forty-nine years; Feyre finds out all she needed to do was tell Tamlin that she loves him, but it’s too late for that, so she asks Alis how to get Under the Mountain.

[ 32 ] Alis took Feyre all the way to a cave entrance that will take her Under the Mountain, and as Feyre snuck through the cave and tried to figure out where to go, the Attor found her. The Attor took Feyre to Amarantha’s throne room where she saw Tamlin seated next to her and found out they tortured Clare Beddor until she died; Amarantha made a deal with Feyre where she is to complete three trials on the full moon or solve a riddle to break Tamlin’s curse--or die--and then the Attor beat her.

[ 34 ] Feyre woke in a dungeon with a broken nose and various injuries and waited until Lucien came and healed her a bit while also confirming that Amarantha keeps a hold of Jurian’s’ eye and finger bone; at some point, she is brought before Amarantha again, and the High Queen used Rhysand to trap Lucien’s mind until Feyre gave up her name, then Amarantha gave her the riddle that would free everyone immediately if she answers correctly.

[ 35 ] The first full moon and Feyre’s first trial came: she had to hunt the Middengard Wyrm in a labyrinth of mud, so Feyre set a trap made of bones in its lair and covered herself with the mud to make herself invisible to the blind worm; her plan worked, though she impaled her arm on bone, and when she was faced with Amarantha, she threw a bone in her direction before Amarantha told her only one person bet she would win--it was Rhysand.

[ 36 ] Feyre waited in pain for days until her fever spiked and Rhysand came to her cell to heal her, but at a cost; in return for healing her, Feyre is to spend one week a month in the Night Court with Rhysand after they were freed from Under the Mountain, and since it is apparently custom in his court for bargains to be permanently marked upon flesh, Feyre received a tattoo of dark blue designs on her left hand to her elbow.

[ 37 ] Between trials, the guards instructed Feyre to clean the floor of the hallway or else they will turn her over a fire, but they gave her dirty water that only made the floor dirtier, so she was about to give up when Lucien’s mother came and made the water clean in exchange for Feyre saving Lucien’s life; their next chore was to dig lentils from the ashes in Rhysand’s room, but he used magic again to help her, then used his powers to convince the guards to keep their hands off her and to stop giving her household chores.

[ 38 ] Every night until her next task, Feyre was bathed, painted, and dressed to become Rhysand’s plaything for evening festivities, but he always forced her to drink the wine so that she would not remember--though the paint on her body revealed that Rhysand never touched her anywhere but modest places; Amarantha caught a summer lordling trying to escape, so she used Rhysand to discover why, and, for whatever reason, he lied and said he was alone and gave the faerie a swift death, rather than shattering his mind like Amarantha asked.

[ 39 ] Feyre’s second task came: she had to solve a riddle to pull a lever or else she and Lucien would be crushed by a heated platform of spikes--but Feyre can’t read, so when she went for the wrong lever, pain from Rhysand flared in her hand until she hovered over the correct one; Rhysand--in her mind--instructed her back to her cell with dignity, where she wept until he came to visit her and licked her tears away--effectively keeping her from shattering completely.

[ 40 ] Again, Feyre spent every night after that as Rhysand’s plaything, until there was one night that they overheard the Attor and some other creature talking about the King of Hybern’s disappointment in Amarantha; Feyre almost broke after that until beautiful music entered her cell and took her away, if even for a moment.

[ 41 ] During the last party before her final trial, Feyre and Tamlin finally got a moment to sneak off together, but Rhysand found them and kissed Feyre until Amarantha saw to disguise the paint Tamlin ruined; later, Rhys went to Feyre’s cell and confided in her how unhappy and tired of Amarantha’s games he is, and she finds out he is targeted because it was Rhysand’s father who killed Tamlin’s family.

[ 42 ] Feyre’s final task is to stab three innocent faeries in the heart with an ash dagger, and though the first two kills were easy, something broke inside of her, and then shattered when she beheld Tamlin as the third faerie; Alis had told Feyre to listen, and from that, Feyre remembered that Tamlin’s heart is made of stone, therefore she could not kill him, so she said “I love you” and then stabbed him.

[ 43 ] Amarantha did not free everyone right away, but began to beat Feyre--and also Rhysand when he made moves to help her--trying to force her to say she doesn’t really love Tamlin, but Feyre figured out the answer to her riddle--love--and then Amarantha snapped her neck. Feyre watched from Rhysand’s mind as Lucien and the Spring Court removed their masks before Tamlin’s beast killed Amarantha; each of the Seven High Lords of Prythian came forward to sprinkle a kernel of their powers onto Feyre’s body in exchange for what she did for them--for freeing them.

[ 45 ] The High Lords made Feyre into a High Fae to bring her back to life, and then held meetings to discuss how to move on; before they left, Feyre was pulled to Rhysand so that he could say good-bye, but something startled him into leaving abruptly, so Feyre went back to Tamlin, and Amarantha’s Court was destroyed.

They went home.

To the Spring Court.

---

I wasn’t sure if I should add my tag list to this... but i did anyways. let me know if you don’t want to be tagged in these summaries lol. or send me an ask if you do lol

@maddymelv || @lucy617 || @tillyrubes10 || @faerie-queen-fireheart || @tottenhamboys20 || @the-third-me || @superspiritfestival || @rolltide7 || @courtofjurdan || @sleeping-and-books || @aelinchocolatelover || @julemmaes || @sorrehnotsorryy || @courtofjurdan || @acourtofaelinbryceandfeyre || @darlinminds || @lucieisabooknerd || @queen-of-glass || @jlinez || @abookishfreak || @stardelia || @ladywitchling || @rockgirl321 || @sjmships || @thewayshedreamed || @mamakramer || @meowsekai || @illyrianwitchling || @sanakapoor || @ireallyshouldsleeprn

#a court of thorns and roses #acotar #summary #sarah j maas

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