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allzelemonz · 7 months

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Events Masterlist

Main Masterlist

These fics are listed here as well as under the characters and fandoms they are relevent for

Kinktober 2021

Armitage Hux X Male Reader X Kylo Ren

(To be reviewed to standard)

Eobard Thawne X Gender Neutral Reader

(To be reviewed to standard)

Eric Coulter X Gender Neutral Reader

(To be reviewed to standard)

Alexsandr Kallus X Male Reader X Mitth'raw'nuruodo

(To be reviewed to standard)

Maul X Gender Neutral Reader X Savage

(To be reviewed to standard)

The Swedes X AFAB Reader

(To be reviewed to standard)

Mitth'raw'nuruodo X Male Reader

(To be reviewed to standard)

Henry King Sr X Gender Neutral Reader

(To be reviewed to standard)

Kinktober 2022

October 1st, Clothed Sex with Douglas Davenport

Pronouns: None mentioned, Marcus calls the Reader ‘Dad’ Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Reader is a step/adoptive-dad to Marcus, sex, mentions of cum, grinding, allusions to Douglas’ evil activities, nothing is proof-read Summary: Just a normal Friday with the smaller Davenport family, you bring Douglas some snacks and find him stuck in thought. You both decide you have ample time to yourselves.

October 3rd, Sex Pollen with Pavel Chekov

Pronouns: None mentioned Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Non-established relationship, but they’re in love, hinted Kirk/Spock and Chapel/Uhura, sex pollen enhances arousal and attraction but no fuck or die, allusions to bad wig Chekov, focus on how cute the Russian is, top reader, bottom Chekov, mentions of Chekov’s love for Russia Summary: The away team gets separated and the Captain orders for exploration in the meantime. Chekov and yourself wander across some strange plants that cause some interesting side effects.

October 5th, Mind Control/Dub/Non-Con with Tom Riddle

Pronouns: None mentioned except in summary Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Dubious consent, non-con vibes, mind control, drugging, Viagra potion, Tom Riddle being Voldemort in the early days, oral sex, anal sex, bottom reader, multiple orgasms, hopeful open ending, not proof read Summary: Tom Riddle met a nice boy at Hogwarts. One he couldn’t let get away. He keeps him away from his work and uses him as he sees fit.

October 7th, Generating Warmth with Leonard McCoy

Pronouns: None mentioned Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Non-established relationship, but they’re in love, stranded together, stuck in a cave, McCoy calls the reader “kid,” but he calls lots of people that, riding, hand-job, standard McCoy snark, long set up Summary: When Spock’s away team get stranded a second team is sent to locate them when the ship’s sensors fail. As a part of the rescue team, yourself and Doctor McCoy happen across a cave that needs investigating. A spontaneous collapse of the entrance leaves you both stuck in a freezing cave with limited sources of heat. You have to find a way to stay warm.

October 9th, Toys with Simon

Pronouns: None mentioned; Reader referred to as ‘boy’ and ‘man’ in dialogue Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Toys, grinding, Simon hates dildos and thinks he’s too good for toys, mentions of Negan loving his wives, anal plug, handcuffs, prostate massage, rough sex, both of them are switches but Simon’s more of a top, Negan needs his Lieutenants to loosen up, asexual author that had to do a lot of fic reading to figure out how toys work Summary: On a run with Negan, the Saviors happen across a sex shop and bring home the lot. Being Negan’s right hand, Simon and his S/O get first pick.

October 11th, Cockwarming with Rumpelstiltskin

Pronouns: None mentioned; Reader referred to as ‘Da’ by Baelfire Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: E/Smut, Tooth Rotting Fluff Warnings: Pre-Dark One Rumple, wholesome father with anxiety, Reader is a Stepdad to Baelfire, mentions/depiction of minor injury, fluff in the beginning, smut is brief and fluffy, top Reader, bottom Rumple, I proof read nothing Summary: A domestic life with Rumplestiltskin before his time as the Dark One. You are the comfort he needs, especially on cold nights.

October 13th, Somnophilia/Waking Up with Edward Nashton

Pronouns: None mentioned; Reader called ‘boyfriend’ Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Edward being needy, mentions of Riddler stuff, light somnophilia with pre-established consent, multiple orgasms for the Reader, oral sex, riding, rough sex, not proof read, very little dialogue, top Reader, bottom Edward Summary: Edward often wakes you up when he’s feeling particularly needy. The trick is figuring exactly how he wants it. So long as he’s dizzy by the end, all is as it should be.

October 15th, Mating Cycles/In Heat with Spock

Pronouns: None mentioned Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Pon Farr, Spock having an animalistic drive, multiple orgasms, () used for custom name and rank, verbal consent is sexy, top Spock, bottom, Reader Summary: Spock has been careful to keep track of his Pon Farr, but it still snuck up on him before you could have your first time as a couple. Now Spock has to ask something very intimate of you.

October 17th, Power Imbalance with Mirror Kirk

Pronouns: He/Him, Reader is referred to as ‘boy’ Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Mirrorverse runs on sex and blood, Mirror Kirk is mean, switch Reader, sub Reader, dom Mirror Kirk, references to Reader giving oral but it doesn’t happen, hand job, sex as a threat, sex a discipline, mentions of execution and torture, use of the pet name “good boy,” mentions of prior sex partner and Reader, mentions of Reader’s time at the academy, inexperienced Reader, dirty talk, handjob, mentions of grinding, sex Summary: As a Commander aboard the ISS Enterprise you get the occasional privilege of sitting in the Captain’s chair. When the Captain comes to relieve the Beta shift he keeps you behind for some fun, but things don’t go quite how he planned.

Tropesgiving 2022

Wrong Door: The Master X Male Reader

Prompt: Tropesgiving Day 1: Enemies to Lovers Pronouns: He/Him Physical Sex: None Mentioned Rating: T/Moderate Themes Warnings: Canon typical violence, double meaning/implied future intimacy, background Yaz/Doctor, Dhawan Master Summary: The Doctor responds to a distress signal and meets an unexpected enemy with the intention of hurting her and the fam. When everyone’s plans are ruined, a certain Timelord has to improvise.

Pelt: Snotlout Jorgenson X Gender Neutral Reader

Prompt: Tropesgiving Day 2: One Bed Pronouns: None Mentioned Physical Sex: None Mentioned Rating: G/Fluff Warnings: Snotlout the flirt, the twins fight, written with a male reader in mind - but it’s never stated Summary: When someone forgets to bring enough blankets for the no-dragon training trip the group ends up having to share the few they do have.

Those Blue Eyes: Leonard McCoy X Male Reader

Prompt: Tropesgiving Day 3: Evil Twins Pronouns: He/Him, use of boyfriend, reader called ‘boy’ and ‘man’ Physical Sex: None Mentioned Rating: T/Moderate Themes Warnings: Canon typical violence, flirty mirror counterparts, mentions of surgery and death Summary: A mirrored version of Doctor McCoy is on the Enterprise and you have him at phaser point, but things are much more complicated than they seem.

The Prince: Armitage Hux X Male Reader

Prompt: Tropesgiving Day 4: Arranged Marriage Pronouns: He/Him, reader called ‘prince’ and ‘man’ Physical Sex: None Mentioned Rating: T/Moderate Themes Warnings: Foundation of a queer platonic relationship, marriage for politics, aroace Hux and Reader, asexual bonding, sex/romance repulsion Summary: The First Order needs a strong alliance to beat the Resistance out of your system. Your government agrees, so long as there is a strong tie between the two governments. Armitage Hux receives an order from Supreme Leader Snoke himself.

Free Comics: Stuart Bloom X Male Reader X Barry Kripke

Prompt: Tropesgiving Day 5: Love Triangle Pronouns: He/Him, reader called ‘boyfriend’ Physical Sex: None Mentioned Rating: T/Moderate Themes Warnings: Barry is an asshole, Stuart stares a lot, Reader enjoys Silver Age DC, mentions/hints towards sex, hint of poly ending, Captain Sweatpants being a good guy Summary: Stuart and Barry are both flirty towards you, but when Barry finds out someone else is flirting with you he feels the need to do something about it. You have no problem laying out their options for them.

Not Your Tie: Oswald Cobblepot X Male Reader

Prompt: Tropesgiving Day 6: Clothing Swap Pronouns: He/Him, reader called ‘boyfriend’ Physical Sex: None Mentioned Rating: M/Mature Themes Warnings: Oswald stays in the closet to get votes, mentions of sex, Ed knows everything and doesn’t hate Oswald, Oswald isn’t in this very much Summary: After a long night of celebration you arrive at the mayor’s office wearing Oswald’s tie. Luckily for you, Edward is a good friend.

12 Days of AU 2022

Dragons Know Things: Viggo Grimborn X Gender Neutral Reader

Prompt: 12 Days of AU, Soulmate Pronouns: None Mentioned Physical Sex: None Mentioned Rating: T/Violence Warnings: Viking typical violence, minor injuries, hunters are hunters, Reader is an older dragon rider Summary: Shot down during a storm by the dragon hunters, you meet their leader.

The Death Knights: Severus Snape X Male Reader

Prompt: 12 Days of AU, Royalty Pronouns: None Mentioned, Reader is called ‘sir’ as in the knightly title and acts as a traditionally masculine knight Physical Sex: None Mentioned Rating: T/Violence Warnings: Mentions of death and war, arranged marriage, Voldemort still looks human, Snape is still a spy Summary: King Dumbledore’s precious school has fallen to the Dark King Voldemort’s forces, now they celebrate that victory.

Gaslight Hatter: Jervis Tetch X Gender Neutral Reader

Prompt: 12 Days of AU, Historic Pronouns: None Mentioned *Reader is a cop and the first female cop in America would have just joined the force around this time so there’s no room for pronoun plot holes, use what you want Physical Sex: None Mentioned Rating: T/Violence Warnings: Mentions of murder/serial murder, based on the comic not the movie, reader is a cop but a cool one I guess, Reader referred to as an Alice by Hatter, I hope you’ve read the book Summary: 1890s Gotham is facing a new threat after the demise of Jack the Ripper. A madman dressed as the beloved Hatter from a popular storybook who has a pension for playing dress up with the young adults of the city. As an officer working under Inspector Gordon, it’s your job to protect the people.

Necromancer: Milton Mamet X Gender Neutral Reader

Prompt: 12 Days of AU, Magic Pronouns: None Mentioned Physical Sex: None Mentioned Rating: T/Zombies Warnings: Mentions of death and zombies, use of ‘biters’ instead of 'walkers’ Summary: When science fails, magic is needed to learn more about the dead.

Navyman: Malcolm Reed X Male Reader

Prompt: 12 Days of AU, Modern Pronouns: he/him, Reader referred to as ‘boyfriend’ Physical Sex: None Mentioned Rating: G Warnings: Malcolm’s family is clueless, aquaphobia, mentions of scary/life threatening conditions at sea Summary: In modern times, Malcolm Reed didn’t have any Starfleet to join and is pressured into the Navy despite his fear. His family is proud, but knows nothing about his phobia so you have to help him through it during a storytelling session.

Traditions: Montgomery Scott X Gender Neutral Reader

Prompt: 12 Days of AU, Holiday Pronouns: None Mentioned Physical Sex: None Mentioned Rating: T/Alcohol Warnings: Multiple holiday celebration, Scotty’s tree has to be perfect, mentions of scotch, holidays/faiths mentioned specifically: Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Yule, and Christmas, author celebrates Yule and did research for other holidays Summary: When the holiday season rolls around the Enterprise has an annual party, limited to one night due to the dangers of space. Scotty and the Operations division are in charge of decorations for all of the holidays and it’s time to set up.

Fictober 2023

Street Urchin: Dutch Van der Linde X Male Reader

Fictober Prompt: Day 1, Age Play Pronouns: he/him, Reader referred to as ‘boy’ and ‘son’ Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Age play, role play, begging, slight pain/rough handling, anal fingering, anal sex, prostate massage, biting, neck kissing, dirty talk, teasing Summary: Dutch suggested you pretend to be one of those young street boys while in Saint Denis so he can teach you a lesson.

Big, Not Dumb: Bill Williamson X Male Reader

Fictober Prompt: Day 2, Compliments Pronouns: None Mentioned, Reader referred to as ‘boy’ Physical Sex: None Mentioned Rating: T/Language Warnings: Referenced bullying, referenced crime, fluff, comfort, kisses, cuddling, bashful Bill, use of Bill’s birth name Summary: You get back to camp to find Bill in a bad mood, that simply will not do.

Annoying: John Marston X Male Reader

Fictober Prompt: Day 3, Hate Sex Pronouns: he/him, Reader referred to as ‘man’ Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Hate sex, anal fingering, anal sex, prostate massage, dirty talk, teasing, mentions of John’s situation with Abigail and Jack, Reader is an asshole, pre-Blackwater, violence, punching Summary: You’ve been sent on a scouting excursion with John to find a good spot closer to Blackwater, John is annoying through the whole ride.

Never Again: Kieran Duffy X Bill Williamson

Fictober Prompt: Day 4, Hurt/Comfort Pairing Type: M/M Rating: T/Language, References to sex Warnings: Referenced/Implied forced prostitution, trauma, mentions of past torture, the tongs, Dutch is an asshole, soft Bill Williamson, mutual pining, hurt/comfort, protective bahavior, hugs, internalized homophobia, Bill is at war with himself Summary: Kieran finds himself forced into something he doesn’t want to do in order to make money for camp, Bill is there to keep that from happening.

Little O’Driscoll Dog: Micah Bell X Kieran Duffy

Fictober Prompt: Day 5, Collaring Pairing Type: M/M Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Smut, fluff, tooth rotting?, repressed Micah Bell, kinky Kieran Duffy, admittance of feelings, established relationship, slow sex, kissing, anal fingering, anal sex, marking, protectiveness, possessiveness, top Micah and bottom Kieran Summary: Micah and Kieran spend their first night in a hotel room, giving them both the opportunity to admit things.

Sit Still: Arthur Morgan X Male Reader

Fictober Prompt: Day 6, Dubcon/Frottage Pronouns: he/him, Reader referred to as ‘boy’ Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Slight dubcon, frottage, sex with clothes on, grinding, kissing, neck kissing, marking, low honor Arthur Morgan, dominate Arthur and submissive Reader, sleeping, slight cuddling Summary: With the whole camp noticing Arthur’s darker turn recently, Dutch sent you out to keep an eye on him.

Helping and Teaching: Colm O’Driscoll X Male Reader

Fictober Prompt: Day 7, Virginity Pronouns: None Mentioned, Reader referred to as ‘boy’ Physical Sex: AMAB, Mention of chest hair Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Colm O’Driscoll has a virginity kink big time, Reader is an O’Driscoll, praise, dirty talk, overstimulation, multiple orgasms, proposition, kissing, grinding, clothed dominant/naked submissive, anal fingering, anal sex, top Colm/bottom Reader, gentle Colm for once Summary: While out on a job with the other O’Driscoll boys, you let slip that you’re a virgin. When this news gets back to Colm, his interest is piqued.

Not a Drop: Micah Bell X Male Reader

Fictober Prompt: Day 8, Breeding Pronouns: None Mentioned Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Passing mention of having a kid (but not really talking about it, just dirty talk), Micah being a needy bottom, Reader is confused but supportive of Micah’s breeding kink, multiple orgasms, playing with hair, cuddling, cockwarming, breeding, anal fingering, anal sex, dirty talk, top Reader and bottom Micah Summary: Micah has a bit of a surprising request, he wants to be filled like he’s being bred.

The Map: Bill Williamson X Male Reader

Fictober Prompt: Day 9, Kisses Pronouns: None Mentioned, Reader referred to as ‘man’ Physical Sex: None Mentioned Rating: T/References to sex Warnings: Kisses, fluff, light bickering, spoiling Brown Jack of course, use of Bill’s birth name, established relationship, implied future sex, slight appreciation of Bill’s thighs Summary: Lost in a new area when trying to find a new town, you have a sweet moment with Bill.

Sweet: Kieran Duffy X Male Reader

Fictober Prompt: Day 10, Praise Kink Pronouns: None Mentioned Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Kisses, fluff, smut, outdoor sex, praise kink, self anal fingering, anal sex, top Reader and bottom Kieran, statements of love, established relationship Summary: A moment away from camp in which you notice Kieran reacts rather pleasantly to being praised.

Lesson: Micah Bell X Male Reader

Fictober Prompt: Day 11, Humiliation Pronouns: None Mentioned, Reader referred to as ‘boy’ and ‘man’ Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Kisses, smut, outdoor sex, long term humiliation, anal fingering, anal sex, top Reader and bottom Micah, established relationship, jealousy, rough sex Summary: When Micah gets too close with Dutch, you feel the need to remind him of something.

Wake The Bear: Bill Williamson X Micah Bell

Fictober Prompt: Day 12, Somnophillia Pairing Type: M/M Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Smut, sleep sex, slightly dubious consent, insomniac Micah, thicc (™) Bill, clingy Bill, established relationship, kissing, marking, possessiveness, top Micah and bottom Bill Summary: Stuck in Bill’s bear-like cuddles, Micah comes across something to entertain himself.

Trustworthy: Arthur Morgan X Albert Mason

Fictober Prompt: Day 13, Cuckolding Pairing Type: M/M Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Smut, established relationship (Arthur/Albert), fluff, kink negotiation, domestic themes, soft sex, gentle sex, masturbation, exhibitionism, cuckolding, kisses, oral sex, blow jobs, anal fingering, anal sex, cuddling, fantasies come to life, top Charles and bottom Albert with viewing Arthur. Summary: Arthur finds himself thinking of a new dirty fantasy and he is lucky enough to have a sweetheart and friend that are willing to help him fulfill it.

Training The Workhorse: Arthur Morgan X Male Reader

Fictober Prompt: Day 14, Orgasm Denial Pronouns: None Mentioned Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Arthur being needy, orgasm denial, kissing, anal fingering, oral sex, blow jobs, rimming, teasing, top Reader and bottom Arthur Summary: Arthur has been overly needy, so you give him just enough attention to ensure he listens.

Rebound: Dutch Van der Linde X Male Reader

Fictober Prompt: Day 15, Noncon/Rape Pronouns: None Mentioned, Reader referred to as ‘boy’ and ‘man’ and holds a generally masculine mindset given the circumstances Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Rape, grief, drinking, mentions of Annabelle’s death, unhealthy coping mechanisms, hints of victim blaming because Dutch is an ass, threats, semi-public sex, hand jobs, anal fingering, anal sex, marking, neck kissing, slight cum fixation, vomiting, crying, Dutch is such a bad person in this one dude, shifting perspective Summary: After losing someone he loves, Dutch drinks to forget and gets an idea in his drunken mind when he spots a man he likes the look of.

Flipped: Sean MacGuire X Male Reader X Kieran Duffy

Fictober Prompt: Day 16, Gentle threesome, Double penetration Pronouns: None Mentioned, Reader referred to as ‘boy’ and ‘man’ Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: E/Smut Warnings: threesome, rimming, kissing, anal fingering, anal sex, double penetration, fluff, smut, guys being dudes Summary: Sean’s big mouth ends up with you taking both he and Kieran at the same time.

Dare: The Van der Linde Boys X Male Reader

Fictober Prompt: Day 17, Multi Pronouns: he/him, Reader referred to as ‘fella’ and ‘man’, heavy masculine implication Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: E/Smut Warnings: (have you ever been in a men’s locker room and things got a little weird), smut, background relationships, masturbation, hand jobs, kissing, oral sex, blow jobs, dirty talk, facial, cum swallowing, Micah being an asshole, flirting, casual sex, everyone is gay but especially Bill Summary: Drunk Sean wanting to get off prompts a dare to jerk off and last longer than anyone else at the fire. Gay chaos of a sort ensues.

Bruises: Arthur Morgan X Male Reader

Fictober Prompt: Day 18, Spanking Pronouns: None Mentioned, masculine implication Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: M/Mild sexual themes Warnings: Mentions of violence and injuries sustained, marking, spanking, bruising, fantasizing, masturbation, anal fingering, cuddling, kissing, aftercare, sex put off in favor of cuddling Summary: Arthur loves being put over your knee but this is the longest you’ve been apart.

At His Lowest: Dutch Van der Linde X Micah Bell

Fictober Prompt: Day 19, Exhibitionism Pairing Type: M/M Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Exhibitionism, epilogue setting, power dynamics, dom/sub undertones, anal fingering, anal sex, bottom Micah/top Dutch, mentions of past grief, Dutch is not mentally healthy Summary: Now that Dutch has reunited with Micah, he has an opportunity he should have taken years ago.

Needy Firsts: Sean MacGuire X Male Reader

Fictober Prompt: Day 20, Rimming Pronouns: None Mentioned, Reader referred to as ‘man’ Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Kissing, established relationship, begging, Sean is loud, rimming, first time rimming, mentions of prior sex, slight aftercare Summary: After a few days without much alone time you decide to do something with Sean that you haven’t done before.

Sweet Blood: Bill Williamson X Male Reader

Fictober Prompt: Day 21, Blood/Murder Pronouns: None Mentioned Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: E/Smut, violence Warnings: Appreciation of Bill’s size, kissing, gunfight, blood, murder, oral sex, blow job, hint of anal fingering, mentions of bathing together, goofy fluff, Bill is clumsy Summary: After a shootout Bill gets a little show that he enjoys more than he might expect.

Thickness: Bill Williamson X Male Reader

Fictober Prompt: Day 22, Intercrural Sex Pronouns: None Mentioned Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Prior failed sex with injury, mention of blood, a lesson in lubrication, Bill’s thighs getting the attention they deserve, intercrural sex, prepping, aftercare, kissing, hand job, soft sex, fluff Summary: After a painful failed attempt at typical intimacy, Bill has an idea that won’t worsen his injury.

Practice Makes Perfect: Abe X Male Reader

Fictober Prompt: Day 23, First Time Deepthroating Pronouns: None Mentioned Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Fluff, oral sex, blow job, deepthroating, cum swallowing, domestic-ish, established relationship Summary: After a lot of practice, Abe finally manages to get you down into his throat.

Slow: Kieran Duffy X Male Reader

Fictober Prompt: Day 24, Sounding Pronouns: None Mentioned Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Fluff, careful sex, sounding, safe sex for the time period, the fence has a spicy inventory you know he does, communication Summary: A new toy from the fence means testing it out with caution.

End: Micah Bell X Male Reader

Fictober Prompt: Day 25, Crying Pronouns: None Mentioned, Reader referred to as ‘man’ Physical Sex: None Mentioned Rating: T/Violence, language Warnings: Angst, crying, betrayal, Reader doesn’t take Micah’s side, violence, guns, shootout, drinking, Micah doesn’t know how to do emotions, Baylock is a good horse, extreme coping mechanisms Summary: The end of the gang, everything is going Micah’s way. There’s just one little snag that Micah doesn’t know how to handle, something he didn’t know how to account for.

A Dynamic: Dutch Van der Linde X Arthur Morgan

Fictober Prompt: Day 26, Grooming Pairing Type: M/M Rating: M/Grooming, references to sex Warnings: Underage, dead dove, grooming, dark themes, Dutch’s mind is a wasteland, bad father Dutch, groping, head kissing, cuddling, affection Summary: Dutch doesn’t think what he does with Arthur is all that wrong. A/N: Goes without saying this is your extra dead dove warning. This is an interesting dynamic I had read a few fics on and I wanted to explore Dutch’s odd interest in ‘younger women’ that he has in the game. It’s short because it’s gross.

Messed Up: Micah Bell X Male Reader

Fictober Prompt: Day 27, S&M Pronouns: None Mentioned, Reader referred to as ‘sir’ Physical Sex: None Mentioned Rating: E/Smut, blood Warnings: Rough sex, rough masturbation, anal fingering, sex toys, anal plug, knife play, blood, marking, dom/sub, bottom Micah and top Reader, aftercare, cuddling, choking, asphyxiation, blacking out, passing out Summary: After misbehaving before, Micah gets a well loved punishment.

Well Behaved: Colm O’Driscoll X Male Reader

Fictober Prompt: Day 28, Daddy Kink Pronouns: he/him, Reader referred to as ‘boy’ Physical Sex: None Mentioned Rating: M/References to sex Warnings: Colm being sweet, cuddling by a fire, blankets, soft behavior, daddy kink, neck kissing, sensual touching, cozy setting, I wrote this in thirty degree weather because cold Summary: A warm night by the fire with Colm.

Squeeze: Charles Smith X Male Reader

Fictober Prompt: Day 29, Breathplay Pronouns: None Mentioned Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Choking, anal fingering, anal sex, cockwarming, kissing, neck kissing, slight aftercare of sorts, birthday presents, fluff, Charles being extra pretty, established relationship, bottom Charles and top Reader Summary: Charles gets everything he wants for his birthday.

Misadventures: Micah Bell X Male Reader

Fictober Prompt: Day 30, Failed Date Pronouns: None Mentioned, Reader referred to as ‘man’ Physical Sex: None Mentioned Rating: T/Language, mention of injury Warnings: Fluff, romance, date, picnic, kissing, mention of violence and injury, Micah trying his best Summary: Micah plans a date to make up for being a bad sweetheart, only for things to turn on him all at once.

Boys’ Night: The Van der Linde Boys X Male Reader

Fictober Prompt: Day 31, Orgy Pronouns: None Mentioned Physical Sex: AMAB Rating: E/Smut Warnings: Orgy, threesomes, kissing, anal fingering, anal sex, oral sex, blow jobs, rough sex, voyeurism, exhibitionism, Sean’s drunken mind, marking, viagra-esc tonics, almost everyone is passed around to everyone else, Reader takes both top and bottom roles Summary: Sean has an idea that leads most of the boys in the gang to a damn fun time.

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finelinevogue · 3 years

Note

can you write about harry helping reader cope with really bad anxiety ?

this is going to be based off the anxiety that i’m more aware of, but i appreciate that it’s different for everyone and i apologise if it isn’t accurate to you <33

The world felt like it was about to end.

It was as if the sky was pushing in to the ground and decompressing you and your lungs. It was like the ground was about to swallow you whole and your legs were too glued to save yourself. There was this heaviness on your shoulders that weighed as much as a car, sinking you until you drowned. You were afraid that you wouldn’t be able to overcome this feeling.

You stood to the side of the stage with shaky hands, holding your script tight. People moved all around you, rushing to make sure everything was in place backstage for the on stage, completely ignoring you. It was as if you were invisible, so much so that someone actually bumped into you and didn’t even apologise. It made you feel quite insignificant and only boosted your mentality for not being able to do this.

You were at a competition, see. A poetry competition.

Harry had encouraged you, about a month ago now to be brave and enter yourself in for this competition. It was called ‘Prized Poetry’ and it was a huge thing in London, where poetry laureates such as Carol Ann Duffy and Simon Armitage have performed before - and now he was a judge too. You’d had to submit an entry form at first, explaining why you should be given the chance to enter the competition. Harry had spent hours going over it with you, perfecting to the every syllable. You’d gotten through, obviously with your talent, and made it to the first stage. Then the second stage, third, fourth and now fifth. The fifth and final stage.

Your previous poems were a mixture of long sad poems, haiku poems and even a short story just to see how well your talent for writing really was. You’d passed with flying colours every single time and you couldn’t have done it without Harry. He was there for every late night, with a cup of tea or a second opinion, you spent changing and tweaking your work. He was there with flowers after every single performance, after he’d spent the entire show watching you with awe. Every single time he’d cried. Every single time he’d kissed you with pride. Every single time he came. Not today, though.

Unfortunately, for you and for Harry, he was in New York doing some press for a jewellery brand that he was the new face of. He had called you last night, explaining that he didn’t know whether he’d be able to make it or not. He couldn’t face-time you though, because seeing the disappointment on your face would have killed him inside and he was selfish for that.

“Hello!” You excitedly shouted to him down the phone.

“Hi, baby.” Harry replied, his tone of voice sounding quite flat in comparison to yours.

“Uh oh. Someone’s sounding sad.”

“Yeah.” He chuckled, before breathing a deep sigh. You just knew he was stroking a stressed hand through his fluffy hair, with his eyebrows furrowed too and all you wanted to do was kiss them away.

“What’s up, sunshine?” You asked, hoping the little nickname would help him feel a bit more yellow.

“Y/N…” Well that wasn’t a good sign if he was calling you by your proper name, “I.. God I don’t know how to tell you this the right way…”

You knew. You had a feeling and you just knew. It had been a worry you’d had at the back of your mind ever since he got on the plane to leave for New York, but hoped that it wouldn’t ever become real. Unfortunately, that’s what it had come to.

“You can’t come tomorrow night, can you?” You asked quietly, your mood quite grey now. There was a little dark thunderstorm rolling in over your head and it would stay there until you could find some sunshine again - find some yellow.

“N-no. No I can’t.” Harry sighed heavily and it weighed upon your shoulders than probably his.

“O-okay.” You tried your best to not make him feel bad, because he was 4,000 miles away and you weren’t there to hug his cries away.

“I’m so sorry, baby. Truly. So sorry.”

“No it’s okay. It can’t be helped, you know?” You let out the slightest of chuckles to try and lighten the situation, but you felt so heavy and grey.

“But you’re going to be amazing. I just know it. We’ve practiced it so many times and your poem is just stunning, there’s no way they can’t like it.” Harry tried his attempt at cheering you up, knowing all the doubts that were creeping into your mind in that moment. He wished he could hug you, because then at least that would mean he was there with you and ready to take a seat in an audience that he was sure you were going to win the competition of.

“Thank you.” You smiled, only slightly.

“I love you, Y/N.” Harry reminded you, almost terrified that this would somehow make you un-love him and leave him. You could never. Would never.

“And I love you, H.” You meant it.

“Get some rest now, okay? I’ll call you before your performance tomorrow, alright?”

He hadn’t called.

Your eyes started to tear up at the thought of him not being here. You couldn’t do this without him. You didn’t know how to.

Anxiety is something that you’ve suffered with for a very long time, but managed to overcome facing different situation. It always felt like the world was about to end, for you. It was an unstoppable feeling, unless Harry was there. Harry had this aura around him that brought you peace and calm. He made you feel easy and powerful. He was the reason that you’d gotten this far in the competition, because you would always know he was in the crowd watching you - feeding you his power and making you brave.

Your lungs ached at the thought of you being powerless today. There was no being brave today. No Harry, that was the worst factor of all. Not only did you need him here to remind you that you were alright, but you wanted him to be here. This was such a big thing for you to be doing and you’d love for someone to watch and be proud of you. Your parents were never going to be those people and you were lucky that you had Harry instead. Only, now it felt like you didn’t.

“Y/N, you’re on next.” A man with a clipboard and a headset spoke to you and brought you away from your shaking thoughts.

“O-oh okay.” Your eyes were wide with terror and your hands shook a little more. You had taken some pills to calm you down, before, but your anxiety was that bad that you felt at any moment your knees would crumble underneath you and be victorious on showing how powerless you were without Harry - without someone to support you and be proud of you.

“Our next talent is a woman who has inspired us all with her writing. Her scores have been the best in the competition so far, but will she able to actually hold up that trophy by the end of the night?” No, you thought, as the man on stage introduced you to the audience of 500 and the judges.

He walked off and gave you the thumbs up to walk on. Your legs needed a bit of persuading to actually move, but once you were anyone could tell that they were shaking nerves. Your body language gave away that you were completely out of your element and that this wasn’t easy for you. The spotlight on the stage blinded you and you found it hard to actually see anyone in the audience, let alone the judging panel.

There was a podium where you would stand and perform your piece, so you walked over to it, tripping slightly on the step up. Bloody heels. You felt like everyone was laughing at you then, your head swarming with all kinds of whispers they would be chattering;

‘What is she doing up there when she can’t even walk without shaking?’ ‘Is she really worthy of all these high scores?’ ‘She looks nervous.’ ‘Why is she even here if she can’t stop her hands from shaking?’

One of the judges cleared their throat in the microphone before talking. “Miss L/N, you know the rules. No prompts or paper with poetry.”

His tone made you blush and tears creeped into your eyes. You were so stupid to have brought your poem with you. Your hands shook as you didn’t know what to do with it. You felt so exposed up here, as if people in the back row could hear your heart about to beat, beat, beat out of your chest. Your throat felt dry and you just didn’t know what to do.

You wanted Harry.

“S-sorry.” You stuttered out, sounding so unsure of yourself which probably didn’t look good in a speaking competition for your poetry.

“Someone please come take Miss L/Ns paper please?” The same judge asked and then you saw someone run over to your side to collect the paper.

“Be brave.”

You turned as the touch of the persons hand kissed against your skin, electrifying your body like a tree on Christmas day.

He was here. Harry was here.

The tears in your eyes grew, but Harry quickly shook his head as if to tell you ‘not now’. So you breathed a deep breathe and smiled so brightly at him. He was here. He was in front of you, or more accurately to the side of the stage. God knows what stunt he pulled to get to be there, but you didn’t care. You swore you’d never loved someone more than in this moment. He ran off quickly, taking your paper with you and sticking his thumbs up at you as he fled.

You got to admire him for a brief moment. He was in a black non-fitted suit, with a white wife-beater shirt on underneath and then his old-school vans. He was in his travelling outfit. He loved being comfortable, but keeping a decent sense of fashion, when he was travelling cross countries. Your favourite pair of shoes were vans too so he often said that he wore them because they reminded him of you.

“Are we ready now, Miss L/N?” A judge asked, bringing your attention back to the audience when Harry nodded your head determinedly at you. You faced the audience, rolling back your shoulders and clenching then unclenching your fists. You felt lighter. Freer. You could, well… you could do this.

“Yes, I am.” You spoke much more confidently than before. You had to squint a little, but you could tell that the judges were smiling at you. Your heart felt a little more full at that. There was a sense of pride for you, even before you began.

“Okay, when you’re ready. Introduce yourself and your poem, but please wait before reciting the actual piece.” A woman judge explained. You could tell the audience has settled into their seats more, watching you with beady eyes.

Be brave.

“Thank you.” You nodded to the judges, before beginning. “Good evening all! My name is Y/N L/N and the piece of writing I have chosen to share with you tonight is called ‘Anxiety’. I wanted to choose this piece because it means something of significance to me. I have suffered with anxiety for some time and yet it feels new and stronger every time that I experience it. It’s that shadow that follows your everywhere, even when there’s light. The topic that our short written poetry had to be based on, for those of you whom had forgotten or had just woken up from a nap through the other acts,” that earned you a laugh you weren’t expecting and it made you a little less nervous, so you started to be more expressive in yourself, “was called ‘you’. For such a short word, there’s so much to unpack, especially about myself. So I decided to unpack how I feel about my anxiety, because although it may look a very small part of me from the outside it’s such a huge part of me on the inside and I would like to share that with you tonight. I would like for you to see my shadows.”

The audience clapped, even though they weren’t really supposed to. You briefly looked to the side and saw that Harry was shaking his head in awe of you. Probably because you hadn’t told him that you had changed what poem you were going to perform. The ones you’d worked on with him had been about courage and strength, but you didn’t seem to click with it even after weeks of practice. This, however, you’d written from heart, last night only, whilst having an panic attack when reality hit you that Harry wouldn’t be with you.

“Thank you Miss L/N. Give us a moment please.” They went quiet and you stopped to breathe for a moment, taking in the air of the theatre. It smelt like old wooden staircases and freshly painted walls. It felt snug and comforting. “And when you’re ready, the stage is all yours.”

Be brave.

You gave one glance at Harry and a simple smile was all you needed.

“The world is ending, I can feel it. The crushing weight of the world is burying me deeper, caging me until I can no longer breathe. The walls are closing in, faster and faster. With everyday i’m away from you, they close faster. I’m suffocating, but you still hear me breathing. I’m terrified, but you calm me. I’m alone, but you still hold my hand. Trapped, oh what an isolated feeling but you, i’ll always have you and suddenly the world keeps on spinning.”

It took a moment, but when the roars of the audience applauded you couldn’t help but freeze. You cried. Your heart sung happy songs. You nodded your head too thank them all silently, because you couldn’t quite get the words out anymore. You’d shown your shadows and people stood to remind you that you weren’t alone in having them.

You turned to see Harry and he was clapping just like everyone else, whistling through the use of his fingers - which, you’d be lying if it didn’t turn you on slightly. He mouthed ‘I love you’ and you nodded your head whilst the tears dripped from your eyes, letting him know that you knew and you very much felt the same way.

The other poets came and joined you on stage, seeing as you were the last act. There were only 3 of you and you’d watched the other two perform. They had been wonderful. One of them had performed a piece about love and the other about their children; both so sweet and loving, so passionate and comforting. So different to yours. Yours had been heavy and moving, exposing and sad, but it was you and that’s what you’d been asked to be.

“What a brilliant show, aye?” The presented walked on stage and let the audience clap together momentarily.

You stood the far right of the stage, further away from Harry who was in the left-wing. The other two poets, Henry and Silvia, were standing in line with you - Henry in the middle. He had spoken about his children and Silvia about love. They both congratulated you as they walked onstage and you smiled and thanked both of them. You couldn’t stop thinking about how desperate you were to see Harry again though. That one simple touch had left you burning for more ever since and you’d be dammed if you didn’t have him near you again within the next 10 minutes.

“Let’s hear from what the judges thought. Tracey?”

“Absolutely beautiful, all of you. Your introductions were great and your poems even better. I think for me, Henry, your poem stood our the most to me just because I have children also so I can relate to a lot of the moments and feelings you touched upon. Very well done.” Tracey spoke and you smiled because she was right, Henry’s piece had been so moving and simple. It was spectacular and you’re sure his kids would be proud of him.

“Yvonne?” The presenter turned to the next judge.

“Well the competition has seriously shown us some talent like no other this year. I don’t think we’ve ever had this higher standard before, so pat on the back to all of you. Um, Henry, wonderful poem and really heart-warming. Silvia, your poem was awe-inspiring and i’m so glad you had the chance to share that with us. And Y/N, thank you for what you did tonight.” You smiled and nodded a thanks back to Yvonne, her words meaning a lot more than a few adjectives of praise.

“Finally, Simon?”

“Couldn’t agree with the other two more. I think that you’re all credits to yourselves and you should be proud of yourselves. One person touched my heart a little more than the others this evening and I silently thank them for that. Some seriously stunning performances and yeah, i’m excited to see what the future holds for them.” Simon answered, looking at Silvia as he spoke, so it was clear that it was her work that had touched his heart.

It made you grow very nervous, however.

Each other the judges had said their praise, but had praised the other two poets slightly more so than you. It gave you a unnerving pit-belly feeling that you hadn’t done enough - that maybe you should’ve stuck to your other poem with Harry. Why had you changed it last minute? You gulped back the lump in your throat and looked down at your feet, not feeling brave enough to look up at the audience or judges anymore. You’d done your part and it didn’t feel like it was enough. You just hoped that you hadn’t let Harry down too badly.

“And now I think we should announce our winner.” The presenter announced, making the audience ooh and aah. You started to fiddle with your fingers, picking the skin around your nails to keep you grounded. You closed your eyes and kept your head down, not wanting anyone to see your disappointment when your name comes last in the ranks when you should really be happy for the other two. You’d put your heart on the line tonight, but maybe that wasn’t enough. Maybe you had to be something more - something special.

Someone walked on with the award trophies and envelopes. The third place holder got a gift voucher to Waterstones of £50 and a small bronze trophy. The second place holder got a gift voucher to Waterstones of £100, a stationary items to help continue to write and a silver trophy. The third place holder got a gold trophy, obviously, but the other prize was far more worthy; a definite publication of your own poetry book via Simon Armitage’s publication company - something you’d dreamt of forever.

“In third place…” You closed your eyes a little tighter and whispered internally to yourself ‘be brave’ until you would actually believe yourself. You couldn’t get that far though because, “Silvia Fallon.”

What? You hadn’t come last? What? Your eyes opened and you turned to watch Silvia accept her award and applaud her with the congratulations she deserved. Wow, you couldn’t believe that you weren’t holding a bronze trophy and a waterstones gift card right now. Silver it was then!

“In second place…” You rubbed your hands on your dress, de-clamming them before you’d have to walk over to the presenter to shake his hand and double kiss his cheeks. As you smiled out the audience, “Henry Lucas.”

What.

Your heart had stopped beating. You weren’t walking over to collect silver. No. You were cupping your hand over your mouth, shaking like a leaf in the wind and knees about to crumble beneath you as you realised what this all meant. What you’d achieved.

“So that means our winner of Prized Poetry 2021 is Y/N L/N!” You sank down to the floor, crouching over yourself as you started to cry and cry.

Was this really happening?

Warm hands brought you out of your shell, cupping the side of your head to bring your attention to them. To him.

“You won, baby. You fucking won!” He smiled so brightly at you that you could’ve sworn he was just a visual dream. You were shaking in his hold and still crying, his eyes red too over your deserved success.

“I-I won…” You spoke in shakily disbelief.

“I’m not kissing you until you go collect your prize, petal, so please go and chuffing collect your prize!” He laughed, and helped you onto your feet. You were a little shaky, because all eyes were on you once again, but you deserved this. You hadn’t expected this at all so you were also just a bit taken aback by this whole experience. The journey had been far greater than anything before it.

Harry’s hand left yours and you walked across the stage to shake hands with the presenter and the judges, who had now come up on stage to congratulate you all. You thanked each one of them, twice, and held up your trophy in the air as you walked back across stage.

As soon as you met Harry he didn’t hesitate to bring you in for that promised kiss. You didn’t care about the call last night anymore. You didn’t care about him not being here today. He was here now and that was more than enough to seal your heart with forgiveness. It was moments like this, his lips enveloping yours, when you were brought to the realisation of how yellow your world was. There was no grey with him. He, just like you were to him, was your yellow and that was a privilege to be. Your Harry made you feel so much more than a shadow. He made you feel brave. Protected. Calm.

Loved.

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mayihavethisdanse · 3 years

Text

“What is this, the Dark Ages?”

Or, Arthurian themes and allusions in the Brotherhood of Steel mythos as seen in Fallout 4. (But that’s a lot of words.)

Yep. We're doing this.

First, some obligatory caveats: there is no single Arthurian canon, just 1500 years of assorted fanfic based on the whims of whoever was writing at the time. For this extremely highbrow Tumblr meta, I have ignored most of it and drawn on my favorites. Also Wikipedia.

Also, I am not an expert in Arthurian literature (or Fallout lore, come to that), and I preemptively beg the pardon of anyone who is.

Finally, in no way am I claiming that all these parallels and thematic echoes are deliberate or even significant. In fact, I'd break it down into:

Clearly deliberate allusions, whether in or out of universe;

Probably coincidence, but could be someone deliberately capitalizing on a coincidental similarity;

Almost certainly coincidence, but fun to speculate about; annnnd

Blatant Monty Python references. (Because of course there are.)

I'll start with the big one.

Arthur Maxson, boy king and unifier

(source)

So across all the retellings and variations of King Arthur’s life story, there are a few consistent elements, particularly in his early life and rise to power. Some of these threads are echoed in the Fallout universe, specifically (and unsurprisingly) in the person of Arthur Maxson.

Both the legendary King Arthur and Arthur Maxson were born with a claim to power lying in their ancestry, both were fostered away from their families, and both proved themselves in combat at a young age.

King Arthur united the warring kingdoms of Britain into a single entity, making them stronger against outsiders and receiving general admiration and acclaim. Arthur Maxson united the divided factions of the BoS after the events of Fallout 3 and is held in similarly high regard by his men.

The name Prydwen is a reference to the ship of the original King Arthur. Presumably, Arthur Maxson (or someone in the BoS who anticipated his promotion) christened the airship in a deliberate homage to the Arthurian myth.

King Arthur is associated with his legendary sword. I think it’s notable that Maxson’s legend is associated with a bladed weapon, too. ("He killed a DEATHCLAW with a COMBAT KNIFE!”)

Probably coincidence, but fun: the historical emperor Magnus Maximus, who pops up a lot in early Arthurian legend, was known in Welsh as... Macsen. (⌐■_■)

Round Table, but make it dieselpunk

(Continued under the cut.)

Moving away from obvious allusions and into some looser parallels:

Like the Round Table, the Brotherhood is an exclusive knightly order with its leader being the one able to open it up to his chosen few.

Like the Round Table, the BoS sees itself as defending human civilization against forces of chaos. (I’ll touch on their tech-hoarding tendencies when I get to the Grail stuff.) This idea of civilization in the face of chaos goes back to the BoS’s founding, even though the level of isolationism we see in most of the Fallout franchise is not exactly what founder Roger Maxson had in mind: “Notably, Maxson's ultimate intention was to establish the Brotherhood as an organization that works closely with people outside of the Brotherhood, as guardians of civilizations, not its gatekeepers.” (source) In a lot of ways, Arthur Maxson represents a return to his ancestor’s original ideals.

Renegade knights? Internal politics? Traitors within? We gotchu.

In both the medieval legends and in all chapters of the BoS we’ve seen, there’s a big focus on bloodlines (ew). Ironically, it’s probably Arthur Maxson’s unquestionable ancestry that allows him to be more progressive than either of his East Coast predecessors when it comes to boosting Brotherhood numbers by recruitment (even though you can still see a clear division between “born Brotherhood” and recruited soldiers, but that’s a topic for another day). Maxson sees himself as an Elder who "cares for the people"—however misguided and patronizing that attitude might be—and whatever else you might say about the guy, you can't say he doesn't believe he has a duty. Which brings us to…

Know Your Enemy: Danse as Gawain

Before I start this section, an acknowledgement of authorial bias:

Gawain, as portrayed in the Middle English poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, is my very favorite of King Arthur’s knights. (Other stories aren't always as flattering, but like I said at the outset: I'm sticking to the ones I like.)

That poem is my very favorite piece of medieval Arthurian literature. In this section, I'll refer to the modern English translation by Simon Armitage.

...that’s it, I have no other biases to disclose.

What? 👀

(Art: Clive Hicks-Jenkins)

All right. So in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, you’ve got this himbo loyal knight of Arthur’s who finds himself caught up in... you know what, let me just paste in the Wikipedia summary. (The Toast, RIP, also did a pretty entertaining and more-or-less accurate recap.)

It describes how Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur's Round Table, accepts a challenge from a mysterious "Green Knight" who dares any knight to strike him with his axe if he will take a return blow in a year and a day. Gawain accepts and beheads him with his blow, at which the Green Knight stands up, picks up his head and reminds Gawain of the appointed time. In his struggles to keep his bargain, Gawain demonstrates chivalry and loyalty until his honour is called into question by a test involving the lord and the lady of the castle where he is a guest.

Don’t worry too much about the plot details, though; for this post, I’m more interested in the thematic parallels. The Green Knight story is full of contrasts: order vs. chaos, civilization vs. wilderness, mortal man vs. Other... but let’s start with Gawain himself.

Some stuff to know about Gawain:

He was "as good as the purest gold, devoid of vices but virtuous and loyal". Gawain took his principles more seriously even than the rest of Arthur’s knights, not out of pride but out of humility: "I would rather drop dead than default from duty," he says.

He’s faithful and honorable and never even tempted to betray an oath, even when offered every variety of seduction and riches, except for a single moment of weakness in a desperate desire not to be executed for random shit by powerful forces for reasons he doesn't understand.

Even though he doesn’t really understand why he needs to die, he sticks to his oath. Gawain's one weakness is a moment of desperate, private, human desire for survival. He'll submit to the headsman’s axe if he has to, but he'd still rather live.

Above all, Gawain is the ideal of a human man: he might be the bravest and loyal man there is, but he’s still fundamentally human.

You can probably see where I'm going with this.

A few more fun facts about Gawain that resonate with Paladin Danse’s story:

He’s got a bunch of really shitty brothers. (No comment.)

Gawain (SPOILERS!) doesn't actually end up beheaded, but he does willingly kneel for his execution and gets a cut on the throat as a reminder of his sin. And, uh, Danse can also get his throat cut! It doesn’t end as nicely but it’s, you know, a thing that can happen.

Gawain might be a really good guy, and he tries really hard to be one, but in the end he’s nothing more than that: there’s nothing supernatural about him, he has no special powers beyond his own principles and devotion. He’s just a dude doing his Best.

Wait, why not Danselot?

Oh, that guy? Here’s the thing.

Lancelot personifies the continental ideals of courtly love that became popular in the High Middle Ages. Central to his story is the prioritization of personal relationships and romantic feelings in a way that you don’t really see in Gawain's, at least in the Green Knight tale. (Later stories hook Gawain up with an extremely delightful lady, but even that is a different flavor of romance than Lancelot's and has more to do with Gawain honoring his word and his egalitarian treatment of women (hell yeah). In the poem, Gawain is impressed by Bertilak's wife but resists her temptation; in fact, the biggest risk is not that he'll yield to her advances but that he'll be discourteous to her, i.e., violate his principles and cause dishonor to his king and his host.)

Lancelot is driven by passions over principles in a way that Gawain never really is (at least in the stories I’m talking about; later writers have committed character assassination to various degrees). Yes, you could argue that both Gawain and Lancelot betray their oaths, but Lancelot’s betrayal is never, um, blind. He knows what he’s doing and makes a deliberate choice to prioritize his love for the queen over his love for the king. It doesn’t make him a bad guy—he too is an ideal knight with one fatal flaw—but his character isn’t as comparable to Paladin Danse.

Yeah, Gawain is (in most stories) a prince and a kinsman of Arthur’s, but he’s ultimately a native boy who doesn’t break the mold of a Knight of the Round Table. Likewise, Danse is portrayed as competent and valuable to the BoS, but not exceptional or breaking the mold of what a BoS soldier should be: he simply represents the ideal. Meanwhile, Lancelot is a foreign prince who was marked from childhood as special and fancy, and his storyline goes alllll over the place. (Much like this post.)

For example, Lancelot goes to absolutely absurd extremes to prove his devotion for no other reason than to prove it. (“I’ll do any useless humiliating thing you want. I’ll betray every oath except the one I made to you. That’s what love is!”) Gawain would never. Danse would never.

Ultimately, Gawain's tests are of his character and not of his love. And like Gawain, Danse’s devotion is to service and his principles, not to another person—even Arthur Maxson.

All that said, there are some similarities: both are beloved by Arthur, both are held up as the ideal of what a knight should be. And even if their fatal flaws are different, both make the point that no matter how good and brave and loyal they might be, no human being can be perfect.

(Except Galahad. Who is, as a result, very boring.)

I’ll conclude this section with a quote from someone else’s take on the Greek Knight poem:

I like Gawain. He’s not perfect, but he’s trying his best which is all any of us can do. He’s not like the other knights in the Arthurian legends who occasionally ‘accidentally’ kill women on their little adventures and then feel hard done by when they have to deal with the consequences of that. Gawain holds himself to a high standard – higher, it seems, than Arthur and his knights hold him to considering how hard they laugh when Gawain tells them how bad he feels about the whole thing.

I think Gawain is very relatable in this story. We all want to be better than we actually are.

And that, more than anything else, is Danse.

The Grail myth

What’s that? Lost relics of power? Better send some large armed men after ‘em!

The parallels to the BoS’s tech-hoarding ways are obvious enough that the games themselves lampshade them (albeit by way of Monty Python). But it also ties into the larger themes of “purity” versus “corruption” and the BoS’s self-image as a bastion between civilization and chaos. (See Maxson's line in response to the Sole Survivor’s quip about the Dark Ages: “Judging from the state of the world, it wouldn't be a stretch to say we're living in that era again.”)

But the ultimate futility of the Grail mission is also worthy of note. The BoS might want the power of prewar tech on their side, but they’re no more to be trusted with it than any other group of human beings. No matter how they try, the “corruption” of humanity can’t be overcome as long as they’re striving to harness power for their own ends. You can only achieve power by surrendering control of it.

The death of Arthur

The nature of gameplay being what it is, it's not guaranteed that the Arthur figure will be fatally betrayed, bringing Camelot down with him—but it's not unlikely, either.

Awkward.

Some final spitballing:

Outside the Brotherhood, there are some fun parallels of the Arthur myth with the rest of Fallout 4. Betrayal by one’s own son, for example.

The key difference between the BoS and the legendary Round Table: King Arthur’s knights, for all their flaws and human weaknesses, are usually presented as unambiguous Good Guys. The BoS is... a little more ambiguous...

...but damn if they don’t think they're the good guys.

A-ad victoriam, fellas!

#fallout #fallout 4 #brotherhood of steel #arthur maxson #paladin danse #sir gawain and the green knight #sir gawain #gawain #knights of the round table #king arthur #elder maxson #fallout 3 #fallout lore #maxson #roger maxson #look mom I did a meta

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theannecordeliashirley · 4 years

Note

👀 will you write an AIO fic for me?

I want to see Jason and Katrina's friendship so bad. Could you do like them talking about loosing their parents and watching them die?

You write Trina so well.

Here you go my dear! I have finished this fanfic. IDK how good it is, but I shall leave that to the audience to decide... Thank you so very much for asking me to do this, I really had fun writing it, so please! feel free to ask for more!

I’ve posted the whole story below, but here is the AO3 link too:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27624221

On This Day (An AIO FanFic)

By BMG

Words: 1,599

Katrina hesitated outside Triple J’s Antiques. She needed to go in, but she wasn’t sure if she was ready for-

She jumped as Jason pushed the door open with his back. He tripped, but quickly regained his balance.

“Jason! Do you need any help?” Katrina eyed the boxes he had stacked in his arms.

“What? Oh! Katrina, sorry. I didn’t see you there!”

“It’s fine, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have been standing in front of the door.”

Jason chuckled and cocked his head as he set the boxes in the bed of his truck, “Well, maybe.”

Katrina lightly shoved his shoulder. “You are horrible.”

Jason shrugged, “Maybe.” He opened the door, “You coming in?”

“I- um, sure.” Katrina stepped inside the antique store and was instantly greeted by the cozy smell of old books, leather, coffee, and cinnamon. Memories flooded back. This store would always remind her of her father, and while it was one place she felt indescribably safe, today the memories were too painful and tears pricked her eyes.

“Katrina? Are you okay?” Jason rested his broad hand on her tiny, tense shoulder.

“Yeah, it’s just...there are so many memories in this place. I don’t think I can handle them all today.” She swallowed against the rising, painful lump in her throat.

“Did you come in for anything specific?”

“I need to get a watch chain for Eugene’s pocket watch. I decided it would be a good anniversary gift.”

“Okay, well I have some over there in the jewelry display, next to the rings.” He walked over to the counter and began filling out paperwork.

Katrina nodded and walked over to the display case, passing several refurbished rocking chairs on the way. She stopped in front of the large glass case and surveyed the rings and chains therein. She tried not to look at the rings, but she saw something out of the corner of her eye that made her do a double take. She moved in front of an elaborate ring. “Jason?” She called.

“Yeah? What is it?” He stepped out from behind the counter.

“This ring,” she pointed at the one on the third shelf, “Where did you get it?”

Jason unlocked the case, “That is a very good question. I found it a couple of weeks ago in the back room. I’m not sure where it came from.” He picked up the ring and eyed the tag. “I really don’t know.”

“May I?” Katrina held out her hand.

“Of course.” Jason plopped the ring into her outstretched hand.

“It’s costume jewelry, isn’t it?”

“Yes, I believe so. You know, it was kind of funny. I found a ring just like it in the system from years and years ago, but it only had an appraisal.”

“One hundred dollars?”

“Yes, how did you know? I priced it at seventy-five so it would sell faster.”

“This ring was my great-great grandmother’s engagement ring.”

“You mean she had one like it?”

“No, I mean this was her engagement ring. Look, it’s engraved.” She showed Jason the inscription on the inside of the faux golden band.

“‘To P.S. from S.S.’ Okay?”

“P.S. is Porcelain Shanks. S.S. is Simon Shanks.”

“But how did it get here?”

“I don’t know. Unless Daddy left it with Mr. And Mrs. Allen after the engagement party. But for them to have kept it all these years...” her voice trailed off.

“Well, why don’t you give your mom a call?”

Katrina shook her head. “No, that’s a Pandora’s Box I don’t want to open.” she sighed heavily, “It figures this would happen today.”

“What do you mean?”

“Today is not only my wedding anniversary, but also the anniversary of my father’s death. It’s hard not be a little miserable today.”

“Oh, Katrina, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not common knowledge.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“About what? The fact that I got married in a hospital just minutes before my father died in front of me? Not really.”

“Okay.”

Katrina sighed again, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that.”

“It’s okay. I understand. Really.”

“Forgive the sarcastic implications, but how could you possibly understand?”

“My mom’s death wasn’t as dramatic as your father’s, but I had to watch her die in front of me too, on what should have been a milestone in my life.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was going to propose to my girlfriend, Gloria, when I got a phone call from my dad saying that mom was in the hospital and I needed to come to Odyssey as quickly as possible. My girlfriend broke up with me for coming.”

“That’s terrible!”

“It was worse coming home and seeing everything in such a disarray. Things were very different here back then.”

“What do you mean?”

“Haven’t you heard the story of how WhitsEnd became WhitsEnd?”

Katrina shook her blonde head.

“Well, you know before it was the Fillmore Recreation Center, right?”

This time, Katrina nodded.

“Philip Glossman wanted to tear it down and put in a mini mall. Mom fought against it tooth and nail. She poured so much of herself into this community, never once caring for herself.” Jason stopped and stared off into space. After a minute, he blinked out of his reverie. “She got strep throat, which would have been fine, but she didn’t allow herself time to recover and it settled in her kidneys. She collapsed at a town council meeting and died shortly after my sister and I got into town.”

“Oh Jason, I’m so sorry.”

Jason shrugged. “It was a while ago.”

They stood together in silence for a few minutes more. Finally, Katrina spoke, her voice choked with tears, “He was murdered, Jason. I think about it more often than I should. What they must have done to him to implant that – to force a tumor into him.”

“Oh, Katrina.” Jason wrapped his arms around his friend, unsure of how to comfort her.

She sniffled into his flannel shirt. “You hug like Daddy.”

“Oh thanks, just what every bachelor wants to hear. ‘You hug like my dad’.”

Katrina laughed, blowing snot onto Jason’s shirt. “Oh no! I’m so sorry!”

“Now, that’s just gross.”

“I’m sorry.” Katrina began chuckling sheepishly. “It is kind of funny though.”

Jason laughed, shaking his head, “Yeah, a little. Listen, do you want to take the ring with you?”

“Can I?”

“Of course. It belongs to your family.”

“Are you sure there was nothing else with it?”

“Nope. It was in a shoebox in the back. I can get it for you if you’d like.”

“Um,” she hesitated, “Yes. I would like to take a look.”

“Okay.”

Jason disappeared into the back room and reappeared quickly with a cream-colored shoe box in his hands. “Here.” He handed it to Katrina who took the top off and looked inside. She ran her fingers along the sides.

“Wait, there’s an envelope here.”

“Really?”

Katrina nodded and began to read the letter, “Dear Mr. Allen, I know I was not particularly cordial to you at our last meeting, but you seemed to be a good and honest man which is why I have decided to send you the family ring. My wife wants nothing more to do with it now that she knows it is only costume jewelry; and I don’t want to trouble Katrina with it any more. If you could keep it safely for me for the time being, just so it isn’t around to cause any problems, I will be very grateful. Sincerely, Armitage Shanks.”

“Is that it? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Not much of how Daddy conducted himself made sense, but this was certainly the type of thing he would do. Besides, look at the date. It’s two months before he died, just when Andromeda began their experiments and when he got Eugene the job at the college.”

“Hmm, do you think he knew then?”

“I don’t know. I really don’t know.” She stood thinking. “Oh!” she exclaimed. “I still need to get a chain for Eugene.” She rushed back to the display and quickly glanced over them. “That one.” she pointed at a simple, yet elegant chain.

“Are you sure?” Jason asked, puzzled that she had rushed her decision.

“Yes, he was looking online and chose one very much like this one.”

“Okay.” Jason brought the gold chain over to the counter and rung it up quickly. He placed it in a box and swiftly tied a ribbon around it. “Here you go.” He handed it to Katrina and the box seemed to grow upon leaving his large hands and reaching her tiny, feminine ones.

“Thank you.” Katrina turned to leave.

“No problem and Katrina?”

“Yes?”

“It will always be hard, but I promise you, it will get better.”

“Thank you, Jason.”

“Anytime Katrina. Anytime.”

Katrina nodded, unused to being able to share her grief with anyone other than Eugene and more recently, Connie. She left the antique store feeling as though a weight had been partially lifted from her shoulders. Suddenly, a horn honked behind her and she turned to see Eugene drive up beside the sidewalk.

“Would you like a ride home?” Her husband asked.

“Yes, yes I would.” She slid the box into her deep purse and got into the passenger’s seat.

“Where did you go?” Eugene asked as he shifted the car into drive.

“I was speaking with a friend.”

“Did you have a satisfactory conversation?”

“Yes, yes we did. It was a good and much needed conversation. But let’s go home now Eugene. Let’s just go home.”

#aio #adventures in odyssey #fanfic #katrina meltsner #jason whittaker

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that-shamrock-vibe · 4 years

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Movie Review: Scoob! (Spoilers)

Spoiler Warning: Alright so this isn’t the type of movie that really warrants two separate reviews, but because it was only released recently I feel a spoiler warning is warranted as I will be talking about specific points in the movie. So if you haven’t yet seen Scoob! and don’t want anything ruined before you do, go and watch then come back.

General Reaction:

So, I’m having a hard time really getting to grips with my enjoyment level of this movie. Because while I don’t think this was a bad movie by any means, I always wouldn’t rank it as one of my favourites particularly with this new wave of nostalgia-based movies that seems to be a thing in recent years.

Maybe the problem is I am not an avid Scooby-Doo fan, a lot of people may think that is sacrilege and I did grow up watching the original Scooby-Doo shows and movies, but I wasn’t as into it as I was other Cartoon Network shows or even other Hanna-Barbera properties.

On that note, something that fascinated me about Scoob! in its promo campaign outside of it being a stunning CG-Animation movie was the inclusion of other Hanna-Barbera properties. In the trailer it is simply Dynomutt, Blue Falcon and Dick Dastardly, the former two who I believe were spin-off characters of Scooby-Doo originally and Dick Dastardly who of course is Dick Dastardly. Wacky Races and its spin-off Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines were shows I was an avid fan of, but once you see the movie and you realise that Warner Bros. Animation is really pushing for a Hanna-Barbera cinematic universe to stem from this with the amount of references and cameos of other characters and properties it is fascinating to me.

For instance, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 attempted something similar by effectively shouting about the fact that this movie was supposed to not only set up a third Spider-Man movie but also a Sinister Six movie and a Black Cat movie, then it was revealed Venom and Carnage were supposed to come into play, but then the whole thing got canned because the movie tried doing too much too soon.

Here though, they are subtle references that, unless you know the characters, don’t really register. I mean one or two are really obvious like having this universe’s version of Captain Caveman be somewhat of an antagonist here...I will be talking about him further down...but there are also just simply posters and name references that catch your eye if you know the characters. I don’t know every Hanna-Barbera character but the one that did catch my eye was a cardboard cutout of Hong-Kong Phooey.

As for the actual movie from a storytelling perspective, again I never really thought there was anything that grand about Scooby-Doo in terms of how they told a story. It was one of the first “monster of the week” shows in how formulaic it was and there was almost always a predictable formula in how each character would play their part.

In hindsight to that, I do appreciate both this movie and the first live-action Scooby-Doo movie for actually making that a satirical plot point, but in not having that much of a plot to base the movie on...I mean you can tell this is really an origin story of sorts in that if they are planning a cinematic universe this is that first rock, but unlike Iron Man they never had that hook that made you want to see the story continue.

I guess you could compare it in-house to what the DCEU did with Man of Steel. I didn’t really need more from after seeing that movie but I did want to see what this universe’s versions of some of my favourite DC Characters would be like, in a way this is similar.

It does sound stupid but the plot very much feels like a Scooby-Doo movie plot, in that the movie opens with that classic “monster of the week” unmasking, but the main threat of the movie is a real monster with some type of supernatural mystical twist.

But also, in adding the entire universe of Hanna-Barbera characters to that, you also have the most blatant in-movie Warner Bros. promo campaign with so many of the studio’s other properties being name-dropped it was borderline laughable.

In terms of the actual movie experience, this isn’t the first time I’ve watched a movie for the first time not in the cinema but knowing that the movie should have been released in cinemas rather than me simply not seeing it for any reason was rather surreal and, I do feel that this is the type of movie that warrants an audience viewing rather than just me watching it in my bedroom.

I also feel I would have enjoyed it a lot more with an audience, particularly an audience that doesn’t mind slightly dated, cheesy or somewhat really obvious plot points at times. I kind of predicted every major plot twist in this movie, although a couple of them I feel the audience is supposed to know from the get go otherwise why make it so obviously unless your pandering to a really young audience that don’t have two brain cells to rub together and tell that Fred with a really sinister grin full-naming Scooby is really the main villain in disguise particularly when you just saw him do the same thing ten minutes before.

But anyway, rather then going character by character in this spoilery section I’m going to break it down into what I liked and what I didn’t like. There was nothing I loved but also nothing I hated.

What I Liked:

But in terms of the overall message of the movie, Scoob! really hammers home that old-school notion of Man’s Best Friend, and not just with Shaggy and Scooby which is all I will say on that.

Alright so this movie is obviously called Scoob! and focuses on Scooby as effectively the main character as well as his friendship with Shaggy. The two really are one character in that you can’t really imagine one without the other, and the movie really explores that in both good and bad ways...we’ll get to the bad.

As a dog lover and dog owner myself, this movie really spoke to me on that level and the bond that Shaggy and Scooby share I finally understood. In all other media for me it’s more a case of Scooby and Shaggy just being friends but here that bond goes deeper because you see them meet and you see them essentially become family.

I really didn’t like the plot device of making them fall out only to have them make up later, it just is a very lazy trope at this point particularly as I’ve already seen it in a Scooby-Doo property before.

But they do kind of explain why it is necessary and why it happens because while they do have their friends at Mystery Inc. Shaggy and Scooby had no one before having each other, so when one feels like they’re drifting apart something flips and they get very possessive.

Also that ending, I mentioned this movie has a lot of things thrown in but while Hanna-Barbera and Warner Bros. references are kind of in sync with this movie, how about Greek mythology to the point where they effectively summon the Underworld to Earth!

I’m a massive Greek mythology fan, and seeing the main monster of this movie actually being from Greek mythology and animated so beautifully is why this is in the good section, even if the Underworld actually looked like the Cave of Wonders from Aladdin.

The voice cast for this movie is also unexpectedly brilliant. A lot of people may complain that the original cast who are still all alive, I think, weren’t asked back but outside of Frank Welker as Scooby I don’t think you really need them.

Zac Efron is one of those actors at the moment that can do no wrong for me, he can do comedy, he can do musical, he can do drama, he can do serious gritty drama. I really loved him as Fred here.

Will Forte didn’t fool me into thinking it was Matthew Lillard returning to the role because I feel his voice here wasn’t as squeeky or high as Lillard’s, but he still did a great job, Ian Armitage voicing the kid version was great too.

Gina Rodriguez is a choice for Velma not just because like a lot of these characters the classic Velma’s voice is very distinct and almost iconic but to actively race-bend the character and make her Latina I thought added some much needed diversity to this movie and the Hanna-Barbera universe in general.

Jason Isaacs as Dick Dastardly was really a fantastic choice both for the actor and for the character. There were times particularly towards the start when he made Dick sound like Captain Hook and even his design here is very Captain Hook/Gru esk rather than the lanky Dick Dastardly design, and I was missing his classic hat. But for me Jason Isaacs is at his best when he’s playing a villain.

On that note, Dee Dee Sykes and Dynomutt I thought were absolutely wonderful here, I’d actually say these two and Dick Dastardly were my favourite characters. All the D’s apparently.

Not only was it a teachable moment for me because I had to look up someone I was pretty sure was someone I thought they were in terms of me knowing Dee Dee originated in Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels, but here was on Blue Falcon’s crew with Dynomutt and no reference to Captain Caveman whatsoever I was okay with.

Also, I cannot believe I am saying this but, this movie actually made me like a Ken Jeong performance. I cannot stand this man, I do not find him funny, I do not find him entertaining, yet something about him voicing Dynomutt who originally I swear what meant to have the brain capacity I associate with Ken Jeong, but to make me like the character was impressive.

The final thing on my good list to mention is that opening sequence, after the very heartwarming opening scene of Scooby and Shaggy meeting and a Halloween setting of the team first coming together to battle a monster of the week in a It inspired haunted house, they show a shot-for-shot remake of the opening credits for the OG cartoon which is rather clever.

The only other voice actor to mention in the good section for me is Simon Cowell, not only do they have Simon playing himself in such a brilliant way but also his son Eric also voices a character, very brief and not central to the plot, but really a cute moment. Also I don’t know why but Simon in voice over sounds almost like a parody to Simon in live-action.

What I Didn’t Like:

Alright so these are really knitpicks but I think they’re worth noting in terms of moving this universe forward.

Scooby Doo is a dog, a talking dog yes but a dog none the less...so why the heck does he talk so much. I mean granted this is a universe with a robotic dog and a biped martial arts vigilante dog...but they never genuinely explain how Scooby can talk and while it’s understandable in the original cartoons as it’s mostly groans and the odd mispronounced word...here he was having monologues...also as a puppy he should have had a puppy voice, just saying.

As mentioned, I never really got into this franchise when I was younger so outside of Scooby and Shaggy I don’t really know these characters...but was Fred always so weirdly obsessed with the Mystery Machine? I get being happy with your vehicle but I thought Fred and Daphne were supposed to be the ship of this property...not Fred and the van.

I really really really really really really really really did not like the cop out ending they had, I didn’t let them get away with it in Stitch Has a Glitch and I am not letting them get away with it here. This big dramatic heartstring pulling thing happens, yet it’s almost immediately rectified with no solid explanation other then “we need to wrap things up”.

So to see one of these properties not authentically translate I thought was annoying, by which I mean Captain Caveman. Looks wise he is on point and I am fully aware that Mel Blanc is not going to rise up from the grave to voice him again, but the very essence of him being a caveman in his speech was not there for me here.

It would have been better if they allowed some time to go past and let the heroes stew in their sorrow before somehow discovering a way to fix things, but no it is literally as soon as the bad thing happens we are supposed to believe this was thought out?

My final thing is this. The Hanna-Barbera properties I grew up with are Scooby-Doo which I liked, Top Cat which I loved, Wacky Races which I loved, The Jetsons which I wasn’t as acquainted with as I would have liked to be, The Flinstones which I loved, Hong Kong Phooey which I liked and Captain Cavemani which I liked.

I’m sure Tracy Morgan is a likeable comedian, but then play on the comedy of the character and have him be like he originally was.

Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe:

I would love to see The Flinstones, Top Cat and the other Wacky Racers get this movie treatment. In fact if they market it correctly, Warner Bros. Animation could have a different genre movie for each property, be that comedy for Flinstones, action for Hong Kong Phooey, maybe a heist movie for Top Cat, sci-fi for the Jetsons, the list goes on.

As mentioned before, I do not see that groundwork for a cinematic universe here. Rather than it showing signs of being like the MCU I think it does stick more in-house as the DCEU by simply giving me the want to see other Hanna-Barbera characters inhabit this universe.

Do I feel this is the start of something big? No, do I feel there is potential here absolutely.

Overall I rate the movie a solid 7/10, it’s enjoyable, it’s cute, it’s family-friendly and I believe that’s its USP. It’s not a groundbreaking movie but it does have that cinematic universe potential and, as mentioned, I do look forward to see if more Hanna-Barbera properties get the same treatment.

So that’s my review of Scoob! What did you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Movie Reviews and other posts.

#scoob #scoob!#scooby-doo #scooby doo #warner bros.#hanna-barbera #hong kong phooey #dick dastardly #wacky races #blue falcon #dynomutt #zac efron #jason isaacs #gina rodriguez #amanda seyfried #frank welker #muttley #captain caveman

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skeleton-richard · 5 years

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thoughts on translation -- best practices, best examples, worst pitfalls

Sorry I took so long to get to this!! It got buried under a lot of stuff. Anyway, translation.

Translation is tricky because everyone has their own standards on what constitutes a good translation. I personally think you should get as close to the original intent while it still making sense in the target language. I’ve read Simon Armitage’s Gawain and the Green Knight and it’s definitely not how I’d translate it, his approach is almost more of an interpretation. And that can be okay, on its own, but it gets shakier when you start adding things that weren’t in the original text. A major example of this would be Seamus Heaney’s (and most other translations) Beowulf which repeatedly refers to Grendel’s Mom as things like “witch” and “hag” where those words don’t occur in the original text. I wrote a paper on this a few years ago (and sadly lost it), and I found that there were times he translated like. Woman. Into something monstrous. What did she ever do to you. That comes from a tradition of translating the source a particular way, so maybe conventions in things that are translated often should be challenged more.

On the other hand, changing translations can be a bad idea. The anime Attack on Titan/Shingeki No Kyojin was first subbed in English and then later dubbed. The dub is terrible and one of the worst things is that it just completely changed lines that had already been established in the English subs and manga translations. I don’t know Japanese so I don’t know if it was actually a better translation but it was really jarring. Recently a similar thing has happened with Neon Genesis Evangelion, which has just been redubbed and released on Netflix and is now infamous for changing Kaworu’s line from “I love you” to “I like you,” completely changing his relationship to Shinji and changing a major part of the story. This I’d classify as “if it ain’t broke”.

Best practices would be to of course have a good grasp of both the original and the target language. Also to be open to ALL the possible definitions, and not be bound too much by tradition. Try to honor what the author meant originally, they knew why they used particular phrases. That’s my advice.

#translation #elucubrare

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mostlysignssomeportents · 6 years

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Man angry at famous woman's appointment to literary society

Lily Cole is a famous actress, model, and recipient of a double-first class degree in Art History from Cambridge University. How dare they appoint her a partner of the Brontë Society, formed to honor the creative heritage of the Brontë sisters, rants Nick Holland.

If you don’t know Lily Cole, and you’d be in the majority, she is described as ‘a model and social entrepreneur’ (whatever that is). I am unfortunate enough to have encountered Lily before as a few years ago I had a front row seat of a new play about Helen of Troy at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre. Lily had the title role, and the play was so bad that it is the only one I have ever walked out of at the interval. If the acting was bad, and believe me it was, the dialogue was even worse – one line in particular was of such clunking ineptitude that it has remained with me forever: ‘women smell my power, men smell like sex’. It was when Lily delivered this line with all the passion of the announcer at Piccadilly station that I began longing for the train home. This was, quite simply, the worst play I have ever seen, and the writer of it? Simon Armitage, the incumbent creative partner at the Brontë Parsonage Museum

https://boingboing.net/2018/01/05/man-angry-at-famous-womans-a.html

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weekendwarriorblog · 4 years

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The Weekend Warrior Feb. 7, 2020 – BIRDS OF PREY: ETC. ETC.

Thank heavens that there’s only one new wide release this weekend, and just as thankfully, it’s a movie that could help revive an ailing box office that’s been all about Sony’s Bad Boys for Life, Universal’s 1917 and Dolittle for the past few weeks. I never got around to seeing last week’s Gretel and Hansel, and I might still if I have time, but The Rhythm Section wasn’t that bad, and it certainly shouldn’t have bombed as badly as it did, making less than $3 million in 3,000 theaters. Yup, last weekend wasn’t great, and it was only partially due to the Super Bowl.

Clearly, it’s time to move on to this week with the first “superhero” movie of the year, the follow-up to one of DC Entertainment’s biggest outings but also meant to be its own thing, which is BIRDS OF PREY: AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF HARLEY QUINN (Warner Bros.). It stars recent Oscar nominee Margot Robbie reprising her role as Harley Quinn, the Joker’s girlfriend/therapist, who is branching out on her own with her own supergirl group, which includes Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winsted), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), Renée Montoya (Rosie Perez) and Cassandra Cain (at one point, called Batgirl), played by Ella Jay Basco. Robbie first played the role in 2016’s Suicide Squad, which earned over $300 million domestic, which some might point to the popularity of Harley as a comic character, but you could also point to things like the fact it starred bonafide box office star Will Smith (whose most recent movie Bad Boys 2 is currently the biggest movie of the year. Birds of Prey also stars Ewan McGregor and Chris Messina, as two well-known Bat-villains, Black Mask and Victor Zsasz, making their big screen live action debuts.

Unlike Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey is Rated R as DC and Warner Bros. have seen the huge success of the recent Joker movie, as well as the two Deadpool movies as proof that R-rated comic book movies can still do well even without the teen and tween audiences that usually go to see them. Presumably, Birds of Prey will attract more women due to the characters, although I’m sure there will be some men who who are just as interested due to the connections to the DC Universe. I’m just not sure this will be as big a draw to men as some of those other movies. I’ll have my own review on the blog a little later today.

While I don’t think Birds of Prey will open as big as Joker– let’s face it, the characters therein just aren’t nearly as well known, even Harley – I do think it will do quite well, making somewhere in the $60 million range, maybe more if the reviews are as positive as the early raves that were posted last week. (Having seen the movie and with my review on the way, I don’t think it will fare that well among real critics. You can read my own REVIEW here.)

Either way, Birds of Prey will the weekend with relative ease, although we’ll have to see how Sunday’s Oscar celebration affects all the movies’ business towards the end of the weekend.

This week’s Top 10 should look something like this…

1. Birds of Prey, Etc. Etc (Warner Bros.) - $64.5 million N/A (up $1.9 million)*

2. Bad Boys for Life (Sony) - $9.7 million –45%

3. 1917 (Universal) - $6.3 million -35%

4. Dolittle (Universal) - $4.7 million -40%

5. Jumanji: The Next Level (Sony) - $3.7 million -38%

6. The Gentlemen (STXfilms) - $2.9 million -48%

7. Gretel and Hansel (U.A. Releasing) - $2.8 million -55%

8. Little Women (Sony) - $2 million -35%

9. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Lucasfilm/Disney) - $1.7 million -46%

10. The Turning (Universal) - $1.3 million -55%

* UPDATE: I lowered my prediction a bit after seeing the movie but seeing that reviews have mainly been positive, I think it will help the movie bring in more business before Sunday.

LIMITED RELEASES

Two genre films that have been playing on the genre festival for the last year or so will open in select cities, the first being COME TO DADDY (Saban Films), the directorial debut by horror producer Ant Timpson, who was responsible for horror anthologies, The ABCs of Death and The Field Guide to Evil, as well as popular genre flicks Turbo Kid and The Greasy Strangler. In the movie, Elijah Wood plays Norval Grenwood, a young man called to the remote cabin of his estranged father (Stephen McHattie) who he hasn’t seen in 30 years, since his father walked out on his mother when he was just five years old. Once he gets there, he learns that his father is an abusive alcoholic, and yet, nothing is really what it seems. I saw this at the Tribeca Film Festival and mostly enjoyed it, and I really like Timpsons’s sensibilities as a filmmaker but it really starts to go off the rails as it goes along. Some will definitely enjoy that.

Severin Fialla and Veronika Fanz, the Belgian filmmakers behind Goodnight Mommy, return with THE LODGE (NEON), a creepy thriller in which a couple kids (Lia McHugh, Jaeden Martell) go to a remote cabin near a lake for the Christmas holidays with their new stepmother (Riley Keough) after learning a lot more about her dark past before meeting their widowed father (Richard Armitage). There’s so much more to this movie than what you can see in the suitably eerie trailer, and I certainly will not spoiler any of the experience, although personally, I found this to be more of a downer than Hereditary, a movie that I absolutely loved. This one might take another viewing for me to really get behind it, but other than the performances, the overall look and eerie feel and the twists, it’s pretty dark and depressing, so I’m not 100% sure I’d really want to see it again or can recommend it wholeheartedly. Either way, both of these movies are opening at the Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn as well as other select cities.

Ben Cookson’s Waiting for Anya (Vertical), adapted from the novel by the same name from the author of War Horse, stars Noah Schnapp as Jo Lalande, a 13-yearold sheperd boy who joins with a reclusive widow (the amazing Anjelica Huston) to help smuggle Jewish children into Spain during World War II.

From Yash Raj Films comes this week’s Bollywood selection Mohit Suri’s Malang, starring Aditya Roy Kapoor as the introverted Advit, who visits Goa where he meets a free-spirited girl from London named Sara (Disha Patani), who has come to India to live like a vagabond or “Malang.” Something happens that changes as five years later, we meet a vigilante killer cop (Anil Kapoor) and a righteous cop (Kunal Kemmu)… And suddenly, I feel like I need to see this movie. It will probably open in 100 theaters or more.

STREAMING AND CABLE

Let’s start out with the Netflix offerings, beginning with the recent Sundance premiere, HORSE GIRL, the new film from Jeff Baena (The Little Hours, Life after Beth), co-written and starring Alison Brie as a socially awkward woman into horses and supernatural crime whose lucid dreams start infiltrating into her waking life. I haven’t seen it yet but I’m definitely interested in the premise, and I generally like Brie’s work.

I never really got into Joe Hill’s books/comics, but I’ll probably give the series LOCKE AND KEY a look when it debuts its first season on Friday. It involves three kids who move with their Mom to an ancestral estate where a series of keys unlock secrets and powers.

On Wednesday debuts the Netflix docuseries They’ve Gotta Have Us from Simon Frederick and Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY will premiere, looking at some of the important and iconic voices in Black Cinema.

If you haven’t had a chance to see DGA winner Alma Har’el’s Honey Boy, starring Shia LaBeouf, Lucas Hedges and Noah Jupe, based on Shia’s semi-autobiographical screenplay, then it will premiere on Amazon Prime this Friday.

Premiering on Hulu this Friday is Into the Dark: My Valentine, the latest horror feature from Blumhouse as part of this ongoing horror series, this one written and directed by Maggie Levin, who has directed a bunch of shorts. It involves a pop singer whose songs and identity are stolen by her manager ex-boyfriend and pasted on his new girlfriend, which comes to a head when they’re locked up in a small concert venue and things get violence.

REPERTORY

METROGRAPH (NYC):

If you went out to see Makoto Shinkai’s Weathering with You and enjoyed it but haven’t seen his previous movie Your Name (which is just as excellent) then you’re in luck cause the Metrograph is showing it a number of times starting Friday. Thursday might be your last chance to see the new 35mm print of Martin Scorsese’s 1977 film New York, New York unless it’s extended, but the Hal Hartley serieshas been extended through the weekend with reruns of Trust (1990), Simple Men (1992) and Amateur (1994), all good, but Trust is my favorite of those three. This week’s Welcome To Metrograph: Redux is a good one, Lars von Trier’s 1996 film Breaking the Waves, which will screen Saturday and Sunday nights.This week’s Late Nites at Metrograph is Orson Welles’ The Lady from Shanghai (1947), while the Playtime: Family Matinee sselection is Amy Heckerling’s classic Clueless (1995).

ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE BROOKLYN (NYC)

Wednesday might you can maybe get tickets for the “Weird Wednesday,” the Lone Wolf and Cub movie Shogun Assassin (1980) – I’ll be there for the 7pm screening. Thursday night is a screening of the 1932 Dorothy Arzner film Merrily We Go to Hell. On Monday, Video Vortex presents a J-Horror Bloodbath double feature of Demon Within and Biotherapy, both from 1985. ($5 admittance!) Next week’s “Terror Tuesday” is 1980’s Terror Train, starring Jamie Lee Curtis, and then next week’s “Weird Wednesday” is 1990’s White Palace, starring Susan Sarandon and James Spader, picked by Alamo programmer Christina Cacioppo, so you know it’s gotta be very weird! J

THE NEW BEVERLY (L.A.):

The Weds matinee is the musical The King and I (1956), starring Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr. Weds. and Thurs. night are double features of the Safdies’ Uncut Gems with The Object of Beauty (1991), starring John Malkovich and Andie McDowell with the Safdies doing a QnA on Thursday. Friday’s matinee is the 1982 Paul Schrader Cat People remake, while that Friday’s midnight is True Romance, while Saturday’s midnight movie is 1975’s Aloha, Bobby and Rose. This weekend’s Kiddee Matinee is 2002’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, continuing that series, as well as there being a Cartoon Club on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Monday’s matinee is Vincent Gallo’s Buffalo ’66while the Monday night double feature is Fear is the Key (1972) and Villain(1971). Tuesday’s Grindhouse double is Hot Potato (1976) and Golden Needles (1974)..

EGYPTIAN THEATRE (LA):

Mostly taking a break this week to air the Oscar-nominated shorts but Joseph Mankiewicz’s 1950 classic All About Eve will screen in 35mm as part of the “Sunday Print Edition.”

AERO (LA):

Elliot Gould will be on hand Friday to discuss M*A*S*H* airing as part of the “Antiwar Cinema,” then Friday, there will be a double feature of Grand Illusion(1937) and Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983). On Friday, Aero will screen Masaki Kobayashi’s “The Human Condition” trilogy, three movies from 1959 through 1961, airing as a triple feature.

QUAD CINEMA (NYC): This Friday, the Quad begins screening Albert E. Lewin’s 1951 film Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, starring Ava Gardner and James Mason, restored from Martin Scorsese’s own 35mm print. Also starting Friday, the Quad will also be screening a series of Man Ray shorts from 1926 to 1929.

FILM FORUM (NYC):

The “Black Women” series continues this week with The Omega Man and Strange Days on Wednesday, Set It Off, Bright Road and Poetic Justice on Thursday and more over the weekend. It continues through Thursday, February 13. This weekend’s “Film Forum Jr.” is the recent movie-musicalDreamgirls.

MOMA (NYC):

Modern Matinees: Jack Lemmon continues this week on Weds with 1951’s Kotch, Thursday with Robert Altman’s 1993classic Short Cuts, and then on Friday, another screening of the 1960 Oscar winner The Apartment co-starring Shirley MacLaine.

FILM AT LINCOLN CENTER (NYC):

On Friday, FilmLinc starts a new one-week series called “Dreamed Paths: The Films of Angela Shanelec,” and I honestly have no idea who that is. It’s a pretty comprehensive retrospective of the German filmmaker’s work, so I’m shocked that I’ve never seen a single one of her movies. Besides her work, the filmmaker will also be showing a few hand-selected films like Manoel de Oliveira’s I’m Going Home (2001), the Korean film The Day After and Maurice Pialat’s 1972 film We Won’t Grow Old (1972).

ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVES (NYC):

The Anthology’s “The Devil Probably: A Century of Satanic Panic” continues this weekend with Edgar J. Ulmer’s The Black Cat (1934) on Wednesday, Sidney Hayers’ Burn Witch Burn (1962), Terence Fisher’s The Devil Rides Out (1968), Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby (1968) and more screening over the next week.

NITEHAWK CINEMA (NYC):

Not to be outdown by the Roxy, Brooklyn’s Nitehawk is getting on the Nicolas Cage love-a-thon with the Williamsburg doing an “Uncaged” series starting with Cage’s latest Color Out of Spaceat midnight on Friday, and then Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) on Tuesday. (The latter is sold out.) Williamsburg is also screening Tony Scott’s True Romance (1993) on Saturday afternoon.Prospect Park is showing Barry Jenkins’ Schmoonlight Saturday to kick off its Valentine’s Day series.

IFC CENTER (NYC)

Weekend Classics: Luis Buñuel is taking another weekend off for no obvious reason – it’ll be back next week -- but Waverly Midnights: Hindsight is 2020s will screen the 1973 sci-fi classic Soylent Green and Late Night Favorites: Winter 2020 is going with the 4k restoration of David Lynch’s Blue Velvet.

BAM CINEMATEK (NYC):

Starting Friday at BAM is Horace Jenkins 1982 film Cane River, starring Richard Romain and Tommye Myrick (both doing QnAs over the weekend), and the actors and relatives of Jenkins will be appearing at a number of screenings this weekend.

MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE (NYC):

2001: A Space Odyssey will once again screen as a Saturday matinee in conjunction with MOMI’s exhibit.

ROXY CINEMA (NYC)

The Nicolas Cage love continues with two of his movies from 2003: Charlie Kaufman’s Adaptation (2003) on Wednesday and Disney’s National Treasure on Thursday.

LANDMARK THEATRES NUART (LA):

Not to be outdown by the IFC Center, the Nuart’s Friday midnight movie is Dario Argento’s Suspiriafrom 1977.

Next week is Presidents Day weekend, another four-day holiday weekend, but it’s also Valentine’s Day Friday, so we’ll get kiddie movies like Sonic the Hedgehog (Paramount), romantic movies like The Photograph (Universal) and horror movies like Fantasy Island (Sony).

#TheWeekendWarrior ComeToDaddy BirdsOfPrey TheLodge BirdsOfPrey Movies Reviews

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khunvegas · 7 years

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Malec Fanfic Rec! 2.0

Here I am again with a list too long for those who are Malec Trash.

Since this fandom loves drama (the unnecesary one) this list contains lots of that, with tears, angst, happy endings and everything in between in these Malec writing goodies, that hopefully can appeased those who wants drama and those who really are looking for good fanfiction to bear this hiatus.

And all the love to these amazing writers that can bring everything above and more with just a few words and make you sit still until the end of the chapter and make you want more

My stalking skills are a little rusty and there’s a few authors that I could’t find their blog. So, for whoever read this and knows the author and tag them, that would be very much appreciated.

A Kind of Magic by thegaminebruise

"I'm a warlock."

"Are we roleplaying? Because you know I’m down, but I would really like some time to prepare and, like, flesh out my character, maybe write down some major story points. I don’t know if –”

---

Or, Magnus tells Alec about his magic.

A Lesson in Love by CobaltCorvus

Alec should have known he was doomed from the moment he decided to ask Magnus Bane for help.

A Tail to Tell by CobaltCorvus

Magnus dresses like a work of art, there's always something new to see every time you look, and Alec is a tad disappointed he didn't notice this little detail before.

Animal by lbrt_audrey

Based on the song Animals, by Maroon 5.

Magnus description of Alec, his touch, his body ... everything that made him feel.

As long as there's the two of us, we've got the world and all it's charms. By Taliehere

And when the world is through with us, we've got each other's arms ~

At first Alec doesn't notice, but Clary does.

Better for You by @zrdu

Magnus' and Alec's relationship comes to a sudden halt when Maryse interferes. They both try to cope without each other.

Blame The Tequila by @scarlett-ice

Alec took a sip of his coffee as he tapped on the message inbox and nearly spat it back out again at the sight that greeted him. He had to be dreaming, hallucinating, because that…that wasn’t Mark’s name at the top. Alec blinked a few times, even put down his coffee to pinch himself, but nothing changed. It still wasn’t Mark’s name.

It was Magnus’.

He’d sent the message to Magnus Bane. He’d sent a flirty shirtless picture to his boss.

Caffeinated Wolves by @softmagnusbane

“They’re really good” finally turning to face the barista Magnus feels his mouth go dry. The man behind the counter is gorgeous: pink lips, cheekbones slightly flushed, mesmerizing hazel eyes, surely a model on the side...maybe he could model Magnus’ clothes, or, model his suddenly inspired underwear collection. He’ll have to get right on that.

Coffee Shop Dalliance by @imawriteriwrite

Everyone who worked at and frequented J&L Coffee knew two things for sure. The first was that Simon under no circumstances should be allowed anywhere near the expensive coffee machines unless they wanted to destroy the coffee shop. The second was that the beautiful glittery man that sat in the front corner of the shop every day sketching and the dark-haired boy who sat in the back corner reading (and happened to be Isabelle the barista’s brother) were made for each other.

Also known as: the one where Magnus and Alec have been pining over each other across a crowded coffee shop for eight months and Isabelle is tired of it.

Devotion by @jezthemadficster

Magnus Bane is one of the most well respected and loved professors at Edom Hall University, but although he adores his students and fellow faculty, he likes to keep his private life ...private. The mystery surrounding his life intrigues everyone at the University but the intrigue picks up to another level with the arrival of flowers one day.

Differences by @theonetruenorth

Five times that Alec is taller/bigger than Magnus and one time he isn’t.

Five People That Heard Magnus' Ringtone for Alec and One Time Alec Heard It Himself (and Shared His Own) by darkangel86

The fact that it took as long as it did for Jace to hear Magnus' ringtone for Alec was surprising. After all, the blonde Shadowhunter had been living in the loft for well over a month before it finally happened.

Freud is a Dick by @sanctuaryforalluniverses

He, Alec Lightwood, had just sent his boss, Magnus Bane, a dick pic. Of someone else’s dick.

Fleeing the country would not even begin to be enough of a response to this.

Glitter and Misunderstandings by Torius Armitage (VictoriaSkyeMarsters)

He had tried. When he was nearer Clary’s age, he had not held back in his efforts to be wooed, but whenever the courtship took its turn for the serious and permanent, Magnus would retreat, realizing he felt empty inside in regards to the suitor. And he would not settle for emptiness. He yearned for genuine, overwhelming, inescapable love, like the heroines and heroes of the novels he consumed. Why sentence oneself to a life absent of magic? But Magnus was learning, after years of lackluster options, that the magic he sought, in his world anyway, was nowhere to be found.

In other words, Pride and Prejudice drenched in glitter.

Hard Choices by heartsdesire456

Even before arriving at the house where Clary and Alec had gone to meet the Warlock that was supposed to be bringing back their mother, Jace could tell that something was very wrong.

Note: this fic is HEAVY. The contain of it is not for everyone. First of all, it has male pregnancy, a lot of angst, torture at some point, discussion of abortion, rape not described but it’s there, I think there’s panic attacks at some point. I feel obliged to say it because anyone can see this post and feel triggered for this. I put it in here, anyway, because this fic is worth it, because the author makes it bearable and for me, the author is cautios for some topics in the fic. For those who can’t really digest this kind of fics, don’t even click it, please, just keep scrolling and find a fic that you really like, and for those who knows the author and knows the writings, I really suggest to give it a chance because it was very well written.

Hold On, We're Going Home by @unorthodoxpartofyourworld

At Esther's request, Alec begins his foray into the mundane world so he can be a believable Matthew Daddario.

He sees something he can't really unsee.

(This is a companion piece to Soul Glitch, you should probably go read that first so you generally understand what's going on. Takes place right after Chapter 3)

Honey, i'm home by Shorty

Magnus gives him a once over as he steps out of the elevator, and for a second Alec lets himself believe that it’s flirtatious.

Of course, that’s all dashed seconds later as Magnus disappears through the door to his apartment with a loud, happy, “babe, I’m home!”

...

Or, in which misunderstandings are made.

Hoodie by @alec-dark-wood

It’s soft and fluffy and the first time Magnus sees it,he has to backtrack and take a closer look.He walks towards the grey lump slowly,hardly daring to believe what it could be.

Hopefully it's Enough by onihunter305

Magnus could tell something was wrong with Alec from the moment he touched his elbow outside of the Institute. He could feel the tremors that shook his body. He knew Alec needed someone to take care of him, and even though he was momentarily distracted by Alec’s declaration of love, he was going to make sure he took care of the man he loved.

I can do that by @softmagnusbane

Prompt: soulmate au where the first time you touch you both get a vivid mental image of the other’s biggest kink.

I Love You, Too by parabacrybaby

This takes place the morning after the morning of the battle in the winter finale of season 2A.

I'll make you (beg for mercy) by thesorrowoflizards

Magnus wears body glitter. Alec appreciates this very, very much.

Inspired by combining three one-word prompts: softly, strawberries, and glitter

It's nothing by @steakandvodka

Alec is pretty sure someone, or something, is stalking him. He just isn't sure if it's an innocent kitten, or something a bit more malicious than that. -- In this world, Alec is the one to find their pet cat and bring it home to Magnus.

Kids in the Kitchen by @perpetual-j0urney

“It’s Alec Lightwood,” He finally said, after another moment of hesitation. Then, both sets of puppy eyes were locked on Magnus once again and waiting for his answer. “No”. More than a few customers turned to look at the outburst as both boys pulled away from Magnus and simultaneously cried, “But Papa!”

-------

Magnus Bane liked to believe he was a good father, but there were just some requests that one could not grant their kids. For instance, a good dad wouldn't let their child crawl into a lion's cage to pet the furry kitty. Alternatively, a good dad also wouldn't bring their kids to a cooking class taught by the angriest chef on the Food Network.

Kiss With A Fist by @clockworkswans

When agent Alec Lightwood is given his first kill hit, he doesn’t expect much trouble. Of course, he also doesn’t expect it to be a cheerful assassin who lands him in a whole load of trouble. Enter Magnus Bane: an assassin turned thief who reluctantly teams up with Alec - and The Clave - after he pisses off a very important and powerful crime boss, Valentine Morgenstern. In a world of violence and unjust laws, can the two put aside their differences and work together? Aka: in which Alec is sent to kill Magnus, doesn’t, and then really wishes he had. (but not really). Enemies to friends to lovers.

Never felt that type of fear before by creativitea

The risk of his heart in Magnus's hands is worth it, compared to the risk that would lie in keeping it hidden. He trusts Magnus with it more than himself, and he needs him to know; even if it's a bad idea. The risk of Magnus not knowing is worse than the risk of it being out in the open.

New Neighbor by Chrystie, kate882

Alec Lightwood isn't the most social person in the world, but his new neighbor is ridiculously attractive so he makes an effort. It's too bad Magnus seems to think that Alec is married to his best friend.

Nobody says that anymore by vomitingwords

Magnus is over 300 years old and Alec is okay with that. Sometimes more often than not

Oh darling (put your arms around me) by thesorrowoflizards

Also known as: Six times Magnus doesn't dare initiate physical affection, two times he doesn't even think about it

Pardon the Interruption by Obsessivecompulsivereadr

But one thing they could never seem to fix was how often they got interrupted whenever they did have time to spend together. It seemed as if no one in the entire shadow world could function without dragging Magnus and Alec into their problems.

So that’s what this vacation had been about, three weeks away, just the two of them.

Prettiest person in the world by @katychan666

(A fanfic inspired by the prettiest person in the world post on tumblr)

Alec making Magnus speechless with his smugness for the first time :)

Pretty Thoughts by @rosegoldhell

After being homeschooled all his life, and unintentionally sheltered, Magnus Bane has to navigate his way through American Highschool. He goes in thinking the worse possible scenarios, and quickly learns that not everything you see in movies is true. Sometimes the unexpected happens, and magnus soon realizes he has fallen for one of the most popular guys in school, and it might not be as one sided as he thinks.

Put the heat on if you’re cold by @ohlafraise

Alec pulled back the delicate tissue paper and looked in the box. Oh. Okay.

Or: Alec isn’t attracted to women, but that doesn’t mean he’s not attracted to femininity.

Save it by onihunter305

Magnus knew something wasn’t right the moment he heard the telltale sound of Isabelle Lightwood’s distinctive heels on Raphael’s slate floor. If she had hurt his dear Alexander, she was about to wish she had never returned to this apartment.

Secrets Told at 2am by AdorkaGabe

Alec can't stand it. He has to get out. The roof isn't far enough. He goes to Highland Park in Brooklyn and meets an interesting confidant in a glittery Warlock.

(Or what happens when Alec meets Magnus BEFORE they met at Magnus' Loft.)

Shaky Ground, Stabilized by onihunter305

Alec had once been told that he would blow up the very ground he stood on to make things right. If that was true, why did he feel as though the ground below him was disintegrating at the same rapid pace as the relationships he once held dearly.

So He Told You About That? By @bcnedrah

Magnus' face in 2x08 when talking with Jace about sleeping with Alec was a face of sex gone wrong.

Someone should kill the sun by MsEnny

“You know, Mags. Last night I had a kind of revelation.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I-… I know it’s late, but I realized, stupidly, that I never really told you how much I love you.”

Magnus didn’t talk anymore. He didn’t have to.

Stay Here Forever by @imawriteriwrite

A year before, they didn't even know each other. Then there was this hookup app, and months where they thought they could be "just fuck buddies". Things went downhill. Things went uphill.

Now, it's been months since Magnus Bane (head of Bane Co.) and Alec Lightwood (kind of officially a lawyer) finally figured their shit out and started a healthy relationship. Now it's Valentine's Day and their relationship is put in danger as they compete to out romance each other.

Based on the cheesy line "I've caught feelings. I hear it's contagious. We should both be quarantined in bed all day." Literally nothing but self-indulgent fluff.

Addicted To You Valentines Day!

The Drunk Giraffe, Alec Lightwood by just_a_winchester

Drunk Alec tries to break into Magnus's apartment.

The Kissing Booth by @hornedqueenofhell

Alec will 100% totally and completely blame this on Magnus

The Lightwood-Bane Saga by @achilleanragnor

Alec and Magnus come out by kissing each other on the ice, but the media takes it in a way they never expected. aka 3 +1 times the media got it wrong and the one time they made sure the media understood

The people that matter by @steakandvodka

“God, you two are so in love it’s disgusting,” Jace said, breaking the short silence. He and Izzy grinned as they waited for Alec to blush and stammer his way through a denial, as Alec always did when he was confronted about his feelings for the warlock.

They were stunned into silence when all Alec did was look back at where Magnus left, smile softly, and nod in agreement.

The time Magnus Bane got drunk by @katychan666

It's Alec's birthday and Magnus threw him a party, at which he drank... a lot, even more than he usually has. This ends up with him turning into an emotional and over-dramatic mess.

The Trouble with Words by Obsessivecompulsivereadr

There’s just something about Magnus Bane that makes people feel safe. Cared for. Loved.

And Alec would fight for that till his last dying breath, not just for himself, but for others, too. He just never knows how to tell Magnus that because, while he loves to read, he hates words.

The trouble with words is that they always fail him, and Magnus is too important to him to lose simply because he said something stupid.

The truth, for you by @serendipitiness

He’d meant it – he still means it, and he thinks he’ll mean it forever – but Alec never wants to have to say it like that again.

(or how Alec tells Magnus he loves him the second time, the way he really wants to)

Touch Me by wordsmithraven

When Alec starts to question why Magnus so rarely initiates contact, the powerful warlock and Alec's own siblings are put on the spot. It's a conversation a long time coming but is Magnus ready to have it? And can Alec handle the answer he receives?

Two's company, three's a whole lot of Alec Lightwood eye rolls by all_stories_are_truth_and_lies

This was just all so new, Magnus and he, Alec was nervous but excited to see where it would go. How in the hell was he ever suppose to ever get some alone time with Magnus with Jace-the-constant-mood-killer-Wayland as an unwanted houseguest? The story of how Alec Lightwood tries but doesn't always succeed in moving his and Magnus's relationship to the next step.

‘Alexander…’ Magnus whispered, his breath hot in Alec’s ear. ‘Tell me if you want me to stop.’ Stop? If Alec wasn’t so far gone he might have actually laughed at the thought. Alec gave a quick nod of understanding before pulling Magnus’s mouth back to his, pretty sure he felt the Warlock smiling against his lips.

One-shot set post episode 2.06 Malec trying to get it on with Jace cockblocking all over the shop.

Underneath by @sfjessii

“You already know everything.” Alec whispers but Magnus is alerted instantly, his eyes open, craning his neck to get a glimpse of Alec’s face.

He stays quiet, merely squeezing Alec’s hand to try and soothe him. Alec’s sigh rips right through Magnus and he wishes he could pull him into himself to protect him from any harm.

What's It Gonna Be by @lemonoclefox

Fairchild’s bakery is a second home to not just Magnus, but also to most of his found-family. As a pastry chef, he works long hours and takes great pride in his craft – so much so that he has little time or attention for much else. Least of all romance. After plenty of experience with heartbreak and disappointment, he has come to expect the worst from anything in that department, and the arrival of the wealthy Lightwoods in the neighborhood isn’t about to change that. Especially not when their eldest son might just be the most insufferable prick Magnus has ever met, no matter what anyone else has to say about the guy.

(aka the Pride & Prejudice/bakery AU no one asked for)

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frenchcirce · 7 years

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Tagged by @shesailsships, thanks thanks :) (I don’t know why this stayed in my drafts...)

Rules of the game: Answer the questions and tag 10 blogs you’d like to get to know better.

Nickname: Circe on the internet, no nickname irl (my name isn’t especially easy to shorten) Star Sign: Aquarius Height: 1m70 (approx 5′7 according to the online converter) Time right now: 09:28 pm Last thing I googled: meters/feet conversion lol. And before that “British passports colors” because I had to check a stupid detail for my exchange fic... Fave artists: The Beatles, Muse, Green Day, Simon and Garfunkel (ouch my age is showing lol), Chopin, Bach, several French singers you wouldn’t know/ Richard Armitage (his voice, his eyes, omg, I got hooked on N&S just because of him), Colin Firth of course, Meryl Streep/ Monet and most of the impressionists, painters from the Scandinavian realistic movement/Proust, Agatha Christie, Zweig, Tolstoï, Hemingway and lots of other writers Song stuck in my head: a children’s lullaby my kid learnt at school “trois poules vont aux champs”. Catchy and impossible to get rid of... Last movie I watched: Last tv show I watched: Sherlock, season 4 What I’m wearing now: pregnancy jeans, green pregnancy blouse and an ugly but comfy cardigan because I’m cold :) When I created this blog: January, 2016 (I think?) Kind of stuff I post: Ghost Hunt, other fandoms from time to time (P&P, slayers), writing tips, personal posts (mostly me complaining about writing ;)) or anything relevant to my interests. Why I chose my URL: I’ve always liked the character named Circe in the Odysseus (she’s a bit vengeful, but kinda cool), and I’m French... here you go! Gender: Female Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw. I’m a scientist at heart :) Pokemon team: I’m afraid to say I don’t play Pokemon Fave colors: Green, forest green to be specific Average hours of sleep: I need my daily 8 hours of sleep. When pregnant, add one or two more lol Lucky number: I was born on the 13th of February, so 13 and 2 Favorite Characters: So many! Mangas, literature, animes, movies... My all time favs are Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes, I love detectives! I love all the main characters, male or female from the Jane Austen novels and/or the movies adaptations (except Fanny, she’s so wishy washy), Howl and Sophie, the whole SPR crew in GH (and my shipping heart craves for some Mairu), Lina and Gourry (Slayers), Teru and Kurosaki (Dengeki Daisy, very good manga), tons of people from the series I watched during my childhood/teenage: the Pretender (miss Parker especially, she’s super great), JAG, Dark Angel,and so on...I may have forgotten lots of them, but it’s late! Dream Job: Author, closely followed on a more realistic side by teacher (still working on it, but due to my bad sense of timing, that would be for next year) Number of blankets I sleep with: one duvet. Following: 58

It’s late and I’m tired, so people, whoever wants to do this can consider themselves tagged!

#asking thinks #personal

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juliemellorpoet · 4 years

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Although we’ve only been back a week and a half, the holiday seems a long time ago now. It was a great time for browsing and buying books as we started off by camping in Hay-on-Wye, ‘the world’s greatest book town’. Here I managed to pick up two haiku pamphlets/ magazines from 1980 and 2003, containing poems by writers I’m starting to become more familiar with. In this sense, both pamphlets felt like a real ‘find’, Lit from Within contains haiku by Cor van den Heuvel:

watching the rain from a small town hotel in the detective novel

Isn’t that wonderful? And HIGH/COO contains this by Chuck Brickley (whose haiku were recommended to me by Matthew Paul):

my father somewhere in America this Autumn night

I love the backstory implied in this poem, the way it conveys mood through the seasonal reference, the way it feels contemporary in its subject matter of (possible) estrangement and the questions about masculinity that arise from that.

I’d recently bought Chuck Brickley’s Earthshine from Snapshot Press, and it’s worth mentioning here that they have an August offer on their books for mailing list members. I reckon there’s still time to sign up to the mailing list and get an order in before the end of the month. Like all small presses, they need people to buy books in order to keep publishing.

As I love walking, another holiday read was Simon Armitage’s Walking Away. I’d had it a while and had been meaning to read it but just never found the time. Hay-on-Wye is on the Offa’s Dyke path and there are a fair amount of walkers passing through. So, when I’d finished the book, I did my bit for the book town by donating it to the book swap under the bridge, in the hope that some weary traveller might pick it up and get as much pleasure out of it as I did.

Whilst in Hay, I also bought Albert Camus’ The Plague. I’d heard a dramatised version on Radio 4, recorded during lockdown, so I knew the main story, but reading it was so much more enriching. It’s a terrifying but redemptive story about an outbreak of plague in an Algerian coastal town, and life during the subsequent quarantine. The book reflected so much of what we have already been through, and are likely to continue to experience, putting human behaviour, both good and bad, right at the centre of the story (although mainly through male characters, I have to say, but that’s a minor quibble and no doubt reflects the time it was written). It might sound like a morbid read, but in the current situation, I found it oddly reassuring. It had the feeling of being important, of being necessary. That’s not always the case when you read a book. It made me question my own novel, and how ‘necessary’ it is. It remains as a second draft, which is to say there’s a fair amount of editing still required!

After Hay-on-Wye we had a short drive up to Bishop’s Castle, a small Shropshire market town where we spent the second week of our trip in the blazing heat, admiring the amazing bursts of lightning flickering away over the hills at night (fortunately we managed to avoid most of the heavy downpours which seemed to hit just over the border in Wales). Bishop’s Castle has two excellent bookshops, Yarborough House, famous for its classical music CD stock as well as its books, and the more recent Poetry Pharmacy, which is the most beautifully curated bookshop any poet could wish for.

No doubt I won’t get around to reading all the books I bought this side of Christmas, and I’m keen to get an order into Snapshot Press before the end of the month too. I don’t like to have too many books on the book pile, but neither do I like it to be empty. I love the sense of anticipation that an unopened book offers. So, whatever book you’ve got on the go at the moment, happy reading!

I love books … Although we've only been back a week and a half, the holiday seems a long time ago now.

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heyho-simonrussellbeale · 4 years

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Sir John Falstaff is one of Shakespeare’s most popular characters and has been so for centuries. His outsize personality dominates three whole plays, but, oddly, his death happens offstage in a fourth play, Henry V.

His friend Mistress Quickly rushes on to describe his last moments with a speech that is simultaneously moving and absurd. Among other things she tells us that as he lay dying he “babbled of green fields” — a phrase that has become quite famous. It conjures up a picture of Falstaff as tender-hearted, wistful and, most significantly, representative of all that is most English about England. Yes, we know he drinks too much, steals more than he should and lies compulsively, but at least he loves his country.

It’s ironic, then, that the phrase is not really Shakespeare’s. The authoritative text is a mess at this point, and the word “babbled” was chosen by an 18th-century editor, making the best of a bad job. Furthermore, it strikes me that Falstaff hates being in the country. He doesn’t enjoy spending time there and can’t wait to get back to London. He loves the big city and, above all, he loves his pub.

As do I. It really hurts not going to the pub at the moment. And it’s not the direct social interaction I miss either. Whenever I go to the pub, I tend to go alone, order my pint and then sit by myself at a table in the corner and read a book. I suppose I just need the stimulus of background noise. And pubs are also where, over the years, I’ve learnt most of my parts — especially the long, complicated ones, like Hamlet and Iago.

A pub is mentioned only indirectly in this poem by Simon Armitage. I love it because its tone is so elusive. Here is pub culture, gossip, male posturing and, finally, individual tragedy.

Snow Joke by Simon Armitage Heard the one about the guy from Heaton Mersey? Wife at home, lover in Hyde, mistress in Newton-le-Willows and two pretty girls in the top grade at Werneth prep. Well,

he was late and he had a good car so he snubbed the police warning-light and tried to finesse the last six miles of moorland blizzard, and the story goes he was stuck within minutes.

So he sat there thinking about life and things; what the dog does when it catches its tail and about the snake that ate itself to death. And he watched the windscreen filling up

with snow, and it felt good, and the whisky from his hip-flask was warm and smooth. And of course, there isn’t a punchline but the ending goes something like this:

they found him slumped against the steering wheel with VOLVO printed backwards in his frozen brow. And they fought in the pub over hot toddies as to who was to take the most credit.

Him who took the aerial to be a hawthorn twig? Him who figured out the contour of his car? Or him who said he heard the horn, moaning softly like an alarm clock under an eiderdown?

#Simon Russell Beale #lockdown journal #national poetry day #Simon Armitage #times #2020

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weddingceremoniesibiza · 4 years

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7 Awesome Wedding Ceremony Readings For Your 2020 Wedding

I am a sucker for a good wedding ceremony reading, but, let’s be honest, there are plenty which have gone way past their due date or have been recycled to death.

Over this year I compiled a huge list of quotes, excerpts and poems that I have ADORED. Some of them I heard as actual ceremony readings, some I found on wedding blogs, others were lyrics from songs I listened to, and there were TONS from highlighted sections of books I’ve read throughout the year.

I’ve narrowed down my extensive list of romantic, funny, modern and realistic reading ideas (‘cause that’s my whole vibe, if you didn’t already know), to 7 wonderful, inspiring choices.

Everything I Know About Love, by Dolly Alderton

“I know that love can be loud and jubilant…I also know that love is a pretty quiet thing.

It’s lying on the sofa together drinking coffee, talking about where you’re going to go that morning to drink more coffee. It’s folding down pages of books you think they’d find interesting.

It’s saying ‘You’re safer here than in a car’ as they hyperventilate on an EasyJet flight to Dublin.

It’s the texts: ‘Hope your day goes well’, ‘How did today go?’, ‘Thinking of you today’ and ‘Picked up loo roll’.

Love is a quiet, reassuring, relaxing, pottering, pedantic, harmonious hum of a thing; something you can easily reach forget is there, even though its palms are outstretched beneath you in case you fall.”

Wedding speech from Fleabag, by Phoebe Waller-Bridge

“Love is awful. It’s awful. It’s painful. It’s frightening. It makes you doubt yourself, judge yourself, distance yourself from the other people in your life. It makes you selfish. It makes you creepy, makes you obsessed with your hair, makes you cruel, makes you say and do things you never thought you would do.

It’s all any of us want, and it’s hell when we get there. So no wonder it’s something we don’t want to do on our own. I was taught if we’re born with love then life is about choosing the right place to put it. People talk about that a lot, feeling right, when it feels right it’s easy. But I’m not sure that’s true. It takes strength to know what’s right. And love isn’t something that weak people do. Being a romantic takes a hell of a lot of hope. I think what they mean is, when you find somebody that you love, it feels like hope.”

Mac MacGuff quote from Juno, by Diablo Cody

“The best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are.

Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what have you, the right person is still going to think the sun shines out your ass.

That’s the kind of person that’s worth sticking with.”

Quote from Meet Joe Black, by Bo Goldman, Kevin Wade, Ron Osborn and Jeff Reno

“Love is passion, obsession, someone you can’t live without. I say, fall head over heels.

Find someone you can love like crazy and who will love you the same way back.

How do you find him?

Well, you forget your head, and you listen to your heart…Cause the truth is, honey, there’s no sense living your life without this.

To make the journey and not fall deeply in love, well, you haven’t lived a life at all.

But you have to try, cause if you haven’t tried, you haven’t lived.”

Carrie’s Poem from Sex and The City

His hello was the end of her endings Her laugh was their first step down the aisle His hand would be hers to hold forever His forever was as simple as her smile

He said she was what was missing She said instantly she knew She was a question to be answered And his answer was ‘I do’.

Wedding thoughts - All I know about love, by Neil Giaman

This is everything I have to tell you about love: nothing.

This is everything I've learned about marriage: nothing.

Only that the world out there is complicated,

and there are beasts in the night, and delight and pain,

and the only thing that makes it okay, sometimes,

is to reach out a hand in the darkness and find another hand to squeeze,

and not to be alone.

It's not the kisses, or never just the kisses: it's what they mean.

Somebody's got your back.

Somebody knows your worst self and somehow doesn't want to rescue you

or send for the army to rescue them.

It's not two broken halves becoming one.

It's the light from a distant lighthouse bringing you both safely home

because home is wherever you are both together.

So this is everything I have to tell you about love and marriage: nothing,

like a book without pages or a forest without trees.

Because there are things you cannot know before you experience them.

Because no study can prepare you for the joys or the trials.

Because nobody else's love, nobody else's marriage, is like yours,

and it's a road you can only learn by walking it,

a dance you cannot be taught,

a song that did not exist before you began, together, to sing.

And because in the darkness you will reach out a hand,

not knowing for certain if someone else is even there.

And your hands will meet, and then neither of you will ever need to be alone again. And that's all I know about love.

Let me put it this way, by Simon Armitage

Let me put it this way:

if you came to lay

your sleeping head

against my arm or sleeve,

and if my arm went dead,

or if I had to take my leave

at midnight, I should rather

cleave it from the joint or seam

than make a scene

or bring you round.

There,

how does that sound?

Are you as obsessed with any of these as I am?! Will you choose one for your ceremony? Or do you have any recommendations for me to check out? I’d love to hear them! Comment below. xx

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limejuicer1862 · 5 years

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Wombwell Rainbow Interviews

I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me. I gave the writers two options: an emailed list of questions or a more fluid interview via messenger.

The usual ground is covered about motivation, daily routines and work ethic, but some surprises too. Some of these poets you may know, others may be new to you. I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I do.

Clare Pollard

has published five collections of poetry with Bloodaxe, most recently Incarnation. Her play, The Weather (Faber) premiered at the Royal Court Theatre. Her translations include Ovid’s Heroines, which she toured as a one-woman show, and a co-translation of Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf’s The Sea-Migrations with Mohamed Xasan ‘Alto’ & Said Jama Hussein, which was The Sunday Times Poetry Book of the Year in 2017. She edits Modern Poetry in Translation. Her latest books are a non-fiction title, Fierce Bad Rabbits: The Tales Behind Children’s Picture Books (Fig Tree) and a pamphlet with Bad Betty Press, The Lives of the Female Poets. www.clarepollard.com

The Interview

1. What inspired you to write poetry?

I’ve always written, but it would have probably been novels without Sylvia Plath’s Ariel, and the lyrics of Tori Amos and PJ Harvey.

2. Who introduced you to poetry?

I did Plath at A-Level, at the same time I was very into indie music and trying to write my own song lyrics, and the lyrics started turning into poems. Plath just exploded my mind really. My first book, The Heavy-Petting Zoo, is basically a reimagining of Sylvia Plath as a 17-year old in Bolton.

3. How aware were you of the dominating presence of older poets?

Oh, not really at all. I didn’t know anything. I subscribed to Poetry Review once I got interested, and that was about it. Poetry Review published me early on, but I had no idea how lucky that was. And then Neil Astley from Bloodaxe just wrote to me asking if I had a manuscript. I mean, that almost never happens, but I didn’t know my luck. I knew about Carol Ann Duffy and Simon Armitage because we went on a school trip to see them, and I came across some Selima Hill and liked her, but I was blithely unaware of older poets really.

4. What is your daily writing routine?

I don’t have a routine. I write in fierce bursts. Collections often come over an intense six months; I did first drafts of my play The Weather and my translation Ovid’s Heroines in about a month each. I’ve been busy the last couple of years as an RLF fellow and editor of Modern Poetry in Translation, along with having two small children, and then I was distracted by my non-fiction book Fierce Bad Rabbits: The Tales Behind Children’s Picture Books, which required a lot of research. I didn’t write any poems at all for two years. But a couple of months ago a long poem just appeared entire over about two days, The Lives of the Female Poets, which is coming out with Bad Betty Press this month.

Too be honest, the last thing people need is me having a daily routine, I’m over-productive enough anyway! There are already an awful lot of Clare Pollard books out there. When I do write though, it’s usually at my kitchen table with a laptop and a large pot of coffee and I like a couple of clear hours to get in the zone.

5. What motivates you to write?

I can’t help myself. It’s how I process the world. When my dad died, I found myself composing a poem in my head on the drive home, just hours later. ‘Cordelia at the Service Stop’. It almost sounds cold but it’s how I cope – it’s the only way I know how to get some kind of control over bad things. To make something beautiful out of something ugly and difficult.

I’m political too, and I know I have a platform, so I feel a sort of responsibility to use it. To articulate things that matter.

6. What is your work ethic?

I work very, very hard at literature. But it’s not all my own. I might be reading or translating or judging or editing or blurbing or reviewing or chairing a panel or teaching or mentoring or tweeting, but most hours of my life I’m thinking very hard about books and poems, and hopefully giving a platform to good writers and helping get more poems to more people. It’s hard to make a living when all your payments are piecemeal, a hundred pounds here, two hundred there, so I’ve never been very good at saying no. I work ridiculously hard for MPT, just the admin side is insanely demanding, but I’m at least quite efficient. I have epic to-do lists. Juggling literature and motherhood means I spend a lot of time furiously emailing on playpark benches, and can knock up 500 words in a naptime.

Housework, on the other hand, I do the absolute minimum.

7. How do the writers you read when you were young influence you today?

My book Fierce Bad Rabbits is actually about how picture books influenced the course of my life! I think the earliest stories you read shape your character in profound ways.

But in poetry terms, though I still love my teen idols – Sexton, Plath, Donne, Angelou – it’s new books that influence me most. I love reading something thrilling by a peer. It brings out my competitive spirit. I’ve always been interested in the zeitgeist, when I read a book that catches the moment we’re in I start trying to work out how I can do it myself. This year: Jay Bernard’s Surge; Ilya Kaminsky’s Deaf Republic.

8. Who of today’s writers do you admire the most and why?

Anne Carson’s cool isn’t she? I’d like to be Anne Carson when I grow up.

9. Why do you write, as opposed to doing anything else?

It’s my superpower.

10. What would you say to someone who asked you “How do you become a writer?”

Well, aside from the obvious answers of reading and writing, you’ve just got to put yourself out there. You have to attend readings, buy books, submit, go to open mics, ask magazines if they need reviewers, set up your own webzines or presses or evenings, enter competitions, workshop your peers, get involved. It’s a DIY scene and there’s barely any money involved, everyone does it for love. You can’t expect people to want to read your poems if you don’t read theirs. If you throw yourself into it and are generous, poetry will pay you back.

11. Tell me about the writing projects you have on at the moment.

Well Fierce Bad Rabbits has only just come out, and I have a pamphlet with Bad Betty Press out this month called The Lives of the Female Poets, so I’m not in a hurry to write anything else for a while, but I am working on a translation of my Hungarian friend Anna Szabo’s Selected Poems, for Arc in 2020.

Wombwell Rainbow Interviews: Clare Pollard Wombwell Rainbow Interviews I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me.

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redsoapbox · 6 years

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IN CONVERSATION WITH SANDRA’S WEDDING

Jonny, Joe, Luke and Tom

At the beginning of February, I embarked on an ambitious new music guide for this blog entitled 28 Bands in 28 Days. The idea was to scour the world (well, as best as you can from the couch potato position!) for new and exciting music. With two days of the project to run, all was going well - I had reviewed and recommended bands / singers from Canada, America, France, Sweden as well as the U.K. Having set aside the last two days of the month for New Zealand’s Marlon Williams and Finland’s Those Forgotten Tapes, I was feeling quite pleased with myself when my best laid plans were thrown into turmoil - I had chanced upon the stellar music of Sandra’s Wedding! I knew had to include them in the project, yet I wasn’t prepared to elbow out Marlon or TFT at the last minute. The solution that I came up with was simply to pretend that 2018 was a leap year (believe me, I’ve kidded myself about a lot worse that that down the years) and that there was, therefore, a 29th day and a 29th band. Sandra’s Wedding were in!

If you still haven’t heard the band’s remarkable debut album Northern Powerhouse and the brand new E.P. Good Morning, Bad Blood, then you’re in for one hell of a treat. Described, accurately, as a meeting of The Smiths and The Beautiful South (I know, I know, it can’t possibly be true, but it is, folks, it is!) and here is the evidence -

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“Death by Hanging” - Sandra’s Wedding

It was a tremendous thrill, then, to interview the band. My thanks for their cooperation.

Northern Powerhouse, your stand-out debut album, arrived like a bolt out of the blue in February of 2017. How long, though, has the band been together?

Luke: Since sometime in the early months of 2016. Joe and myself had done a couple of little gigs together previously, as had he and Jonny, but the band became official around then.

Joe: I’d stopped playing guitar for a while before then whilst I was living in Leeds. I’d gotten really into poetry and wanted to be the next Simon Armitage or Thom Gunn for a while. I wrote a lot and posted little bits and pieces online but was always frustrated with how ‘slow’ the poetry process is in the sense that you’d get people saying, “I enjoyed your poem” but you hadn’t been able to see their reaction as they read it, or you felt like they could just be fobbing you off a bit. That period was good because I really got into crafting lyrics and working on atmosphere through language – more so than if I’d just been writing songs as a whole. I did stand-up as well and went to Edinburgh Fringe… I had enough and left early, decided music was what I was probably best at and bought a new acoustic. That’s when I started putting the songs that would become the album together. I started writing like crazy and felt like a light had been switched on after having spent so long in a different headspace. If I weren’t shit at poetry or stand-up there wouldn’t be a band is the crux of this answer.

There is a real sense of time and place running through each of the songs that make up Northern Powerhouse. Where did you all grow up and which local musicians would you count amongst your earliest and most important influences?

Luke: We all grew up within a thirty-mile radius of each other in and around Goole, except Jonny who is from Castleford.

Joe: A lot of people have influenced me, but not necessarily ‘music’ people. I’m not someone who idolises artists, I feel like it’s more a grudging respect in a way. I listen to albums, songs, certain lyrics and get a bit mad wishing I’d written that. That’s not to say I don’t find inspiration from others, I do just like anyone else. Growing up, my parents always had Magic-FM or Neil Diamond cassettes on in the car so I suppose I was exposed to a lot of easy listening. I wish I had a cool answer; that my parents were into 20s Jazz records and Finnish folk music but my mum loves Elvis and my dad doesn’t own a single CD.

I once asked Peter Hook what he thought his music would have sounded like if he'd grown up in Skegness or Shrewsbury, rather than Salford, to which he succinctly replied 'shit'! Are northern bands any different to southern bands?

Luke: Of course, but only in the same way that American bands are different from German bands for example. You can’t help but be shaped by your upbringings, and that comes out in the music that we (as in northerners) make.

Joe: I’m always wary of tribalism. I don’t ever want to swing my dick around and make out I’m better than someone else just because they were born in a different postcode. It’s going to colour your outlook and how you express yourself, obviously, but that’s just human nature. I’m proud of being from a small place hardly anyone has heard of, I sometimes look at it as being a non-league club trying to gain a few promotions and have a taste of some success; a good cup run.

Northern Powerhouse is a snapshot of life in post-Brexit Britain. To what extent, if any, does the social commentary, expressed through songs such as "Death by Hanging" and "The Spark", reflect your own views, or is the record a character study of the great British public?

Joe: Everyone’s terrified. People are terrified of change, people are terrified of everything staying the same. I think most of the fuel for the songs comes from how everything gets served up to us. The press in this country are honestly pathetic. Not in a Trumpian “Fake-News” sense, but in a “Let’s tap into people’s anxiety about this topic” sense. The whole Brexit Referendum debate was embarrassing. Grown adults standing on national television arguing about the colour of passports and what Winston Churchill would say if he were still around. Remember when the Panama Papers came out and everyone just did an Alan Partridge shrug and carried on arguing about how we can dig our own vegetables after Brexit? You couldn’t make it up. Billions of pounds being withheld from public services and we’re all arguing about the most inane stuff. The songs are vignettes where all these feelings are present, I can understand why people feel the way they do for the most part. I suppose when I look back on that album I’ll remember that year where everyone went fucking apeshit.

Even though you're tackling some heavy themes on the album, from unemployment to spousal abuse to capital punishment, there is a humorous touch in evidence right throughout the record. You're following in the footsteps of Ray Davies, Chris Difford, Paul Heaton and just about every other leading British songwriter in that respect. What is it that makes you all take such a tragicomic approach to your craft?

Luke: If you didn’t laugh you’d cry! I think there’s a long tradition of finding humour in tragedy in this country, and it brings us all together in trying times. Jonny: Absolutely. I think finding beauty in the dark moments of life is a real art form - I like to think of Joe’s lyrics being in the same vein as Edward Hopper’s paintings – just capturing those little moments of sadness in life and creating a little vignette around it. Imagine the painting Nighthawks but set in a Working Men’s Club in a small mining town and you’re on the right lines.

Joe: Nobody cares about happiness. Imagine having a happy friend. Hell.

How do you approach the discipline of lyric writing? Do you spend a lot of time in cafes and pubs observing people, notebook at the ready?

Joe: I have done that in the past. I like to remember little scenes and turns of phrase. I think Alan Bennett is a bit of an influence in that respect. Bennett can take the most mundane exchange and turn it into something beautiful. I take a lot of artistic license, create little worlds and characters. The Day Before You Came by Abba is a song I think about a lot – it’s so dull it’s genius.

There's a definite air of nostalgia that hangs over the album, with Old Spice aftershave, The Yorkshire Ripper, Bernard Manning, Northern Soul and the Chelsea v Leeds 70's football rivalry all namechecked. It permeates the new EP, too, with "Saturday Night Television" guaranteed to remind us of a bygone era. Lou Reed said that "I don't like nostalgia, unless it's mine", but I get the sense that you're more interested in a form of communal nostalgia? Luke: I think the fact that we’re all just about the same age means we find it remarkably easy to fire off each other’s nostalgia glands. One mention of a shiny Charizard or finding a Tazo in your crisps sends all of us into a nice, warm, fuzzy place, and the fact that a lot of our fans and listeners are in the same sort of age bracket means that they all wear the same rose tinted, 90s flavoured goggles. I think Joe writes from an age older than his years though from time-to-time, and has a natural ability to relate to people of just about any generation.

Joe: That comes from being taken to the pub a lot as a kid. My dad played pub football and the pub was where people held events so pub-coke was something I spent a lot of time nursing. I often wonder about what pubs will look like in 20/30 years - young people don’t seem to go out anymore. I digress slightly but read “Church Going” by Philip Larkin and imagine it being about pubs instead. Depressing.

Which songwriters have had the biggest impact on your own work?

Joe: As I said earlier, I don’t have any HUGE idols. But in terms of wishing I could have produced anything as good as they have; Adam & The Ants, Beautiful South, Chumbawamba, Deacon Blue, Eels, Five, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Housemartins, Iris Dement, John Prine, Kool & The Gang, Lisa Stansfield, Mike & The Mechanics, Nick Lowe, Orbison (Roy), Paul Young, Queen, Richard Hawley, Super Furry Animals, Talking Heads, Uzbekistan National Choir, Val Doonican, Wham, X?, Yann Tiersen, Zombies.

Joe's lyrics rightly attract a lot of attention - they'd be on the National curriculum if it was up to me - but your tunes are incredibly infectious too. Do you all have a hand in writing the music?

Luke: It’s a very communal process.

Jonny: Yeah, Joe generally brings the song in as a chord structure and we work on and around it. I’m a strong believer in the idea that the song is all that matters, so if it needs a wall of guitars layering up to make it work then so be it, but I’m equally as happy playing something sparse or even nothing at all if the song needs space to breathe. We’re not averse to picking up other instruments like a mandolin or a keyboard if it fits the feel of what we’re looking for. Who inspired you to take up your particular instruments? Was it another musician, a parent, or a teacher, for instance? Luke: My dad plays drums, and so they’ve just been a part of my life since birth. I’ll never forget playing my first ‘1-2-3-4’ in a back room in the now sadly closed Electro Music in Doncaster, getting the bug and never turning back.

Jonny: I initially found it hard to connect to the guitar – or at least what I thought the guitar was - because I thought it had to be shredding and metal which was what everyone I knew was into playing – and that’s fine, but just not my cup of tea. For me to discover the playing of Johnny Marr, Peter Buck, Tom Verlaine, John Frusciante and Roger McGuinn was a game changer because suddenly I found people using a vocabulary on the instrument that I’d never heard before – a little like hearing French for the first time if you’d grown up only thinking the entire world spoke English I guess!

Tom: When I was fifteen all my friends where picking up an instrument and forming bands and naturally I wanted to be part of that. My parents bought me my own bass and after spending a somewhat wasted year at Goole Sixth form in which I mostly skipped lessons to jam in my parents garage, but I eventually started studying music at a college in Hull.

Who is Sandra? Does she exist, or is she a composite character?

Luke: Sandra is a wife, a mother, a daughter, a lover, a timid wallflower, a destroyer of worlds, a maneater, a vegan, a shoulder to cry on, a dinnerlady, a career-woman, a homemaker, a manager, a band-leader, a figurehead, a feather, a sledgehammer, a Friday night out, a Saturday night in, she’s whatever you want her to be, and she’s the best at it.

Joe: She gets on my wick.

It was Jericho Keys, of BBC Introducing North Yorks, who first piqued my interest in the band with his tantalising description of the group as 'a cross between The Smiths and The Beautiful South'. However, I've subsequently seen that quote amended to The Coral and The Housemartins. Which is the correct quote and which bands would you happily compare yourselves to?

Jonny: I think The Coral comparison was one he said when he played our first single, and then the other comparison was after we subsequently did a BBC Introducing session on his show. He’s a great guy and we’ve had fun on the show when we did a session with him. Luke: The Smiths and The Housemartins are the two that we tend to hear most often. Comparisons to The Housemartins aren’t too much of a surprise, being from the same (sort of) area their influence is bound to rub off, and I think it’s clear the influence Paul Heaton has had on Joe in particular. The Smiths isn’t a bad shout either, our Jonny is influenced in a big way by their Johnny and his mesmerising arpeggiated playing.

I have to put my cards on the table and say that Northern Powerhouse is one of the best debut albums of the past decade. As you look back on the studio experience, are there things that you would have done differently, other songs that you might have included for example? Tom: It was an unusual experience when it came to recording as at that time the four of us had never been in the same room before and had only ever rehearsed as a three piece band with Jonny writing the lead guitar parts to homemade demos and then dubbing them over in the studio. I don’t think any of us are really happy with the overall sound of Powerhouse but I think that’s because we’re by far our own worst critics. The positive response it has had since though has been beyond our expectations and helped us to be less self critical of it. Luke: I guess the first album is always a learning curve, so it’s hard to say if there’s anything we’d have done differently. I think the track list is solid, and although there are demos of other songs kicking around from the time I think the strongest ended up on there.

It's an album choc full of brilliant pop songs, but the bittersweet ballad "Hollywood" has taken on the form of an all-time classic. Do you know straight away when a song sounds like the real deal?

Luke: Personally, no. I can’t speak for the others but, although I always enjoy it when a song comes together, there’s no way of knowing if it’s going to be ‘the real deal’ without putting it out there and seeing what other people think of it. Hollywood is a case in point. We all, obviously, love the song as any parent loves their own child, but the reaction it got since we released it has been phenomenal and has surprised all of us. You know you’ve done something right when strangers stop you in town to tell you they ‘love that one about Goole!’

Jonny: When Joe sent me the acoustic demo for that track I was a little blown away by it. I sat with a twelve string guitar trying to encapsulate exactly what the lyrics made me feel, which is why I tried to find some weird chords that are heartbreakingly sad and also weirdly optimistic. It does seem to have connected with people from the area – someone made a fan made video to it with a bunch of nostalgic images of Goole in it, and it ended up with something like 30,000 views in a week on social media which was weird.

Does it give you pause for thought that even though a song of the stature of "Hollywood" or the album opener "This Heart" can mean an immense amount to a fan of the band, that around 99% of the British population are unlikely to ever hear the song? Is that discouraging for you as artists?

Luke: Not at all. Like any band, the main reason you do it is for the sheer love of it. I’d rather put out a song that means the world to one person than pump out generic pop that means nothing, but just makes for pleasant background noise in offices, hairdressers and building sites.

Tom: I’d agree with Luke, especially considering how people listen to and discover music now. There is an almost overwhelming amount of music that would be physically impossible to listen to in a human lifetime. We have a small but ever growing fan base that seem to love what we’re doing and as long as someone still enjoys it, well keep doing it. That said a few more monthly listeners on Spotify wouldn’t go a miss.

In a different era, punk, post-punk, and Britpop, perhaps, you would have been able to reach a far larger audience. Do you feel like a band out of step with the times?

Jonny: I don’t think many bands out there sound like us at this moment in time – for better or worse! I love lots of new music and there are great bands doing great things at the moment – but my initial influences were all older bands and I guess I gravitate to playing my instrument a certain way. We’re not trying to create a sound that is fashionable or trendy – you’ve only to look at our band photos to realise we are neither of those things – but we make music that is a genuine reflection of us and what we’re about. We’re fully aware that we’re not reinventing the wheel or coming up with a pioneering new sound, but hopefully people enjoy what we do. Luke: Although the music sometimes feels a bit of a throwback, I don’t think we feel out of step. It’s true that audiences are more disparate now, but that just means that people who seek you out are doing it because they REALLY want to listen to you. In times gone by we may have signed a little deal and got into some shops around the country, but now we’re available on the top of Mt. Everest via a device that everyone carries with them every day. The fact that we can be heard all over the world as a result of uploading some files from my front room is fascinating to me.

You have an excellent new EP, "Good Morning, Bad Blood", out now. There's some interesting additional instrumentation on tracks like "Titanic" and "Run, Rabbit Run", does that signpost something of a new direction for the band?

Luke: We’ve always wanted strings and brass, and if we could’ve afforded it I’m sure they’d have been there on Powerhouse too. It’s just nice to be in a place where we can bring in other excellent musicians to help us flesh out our sound.

Jonny: Yeah, we’re really lucky to know some talented people – David and Anthony who played are great. Anthony’s CV is amazing, he played for the Pope and on the last Gorillaz album, so it was a thrill that he agreed to play for us. But we’re all big fans of The Beatles and the whole “using the studio as an instrument” thing they did. So that could be a trumpet or cello part, but sometimes it’s just those little subtle additions on records that you really connect with and we try to do that. There is a really small dulcimer part I stuck on ‘Good Morning, Bad Blood’ to add that sort of 90s version of the 60s psychedelia that seemed prevalent back then, and hopefully it just adds something to the track even though we’ll never do it live. We see the recordings as being a separate entity to gigging.

What are your plans for the remainder of 2018? Is there any chance of an impromptu gig in my hometown of Pontypridd. After all, Mercury Prize winners Wolf Alice rocked up here for a gig in the local Municipal Hall last year!

Luke: I’m a quarter Welsh and embarrassingly I’ve never been! We have spoken before about a tour of the nations, four gigs in four days, one in each country. I’d be well up for nipping to Pontypridd if I can convince the rest.

Following on from the release of the excellent "Spite Christmas" last year, can we expect another tilt at the highly prestigious Christmas No. 1 spot this year?

Luke: Watch this space…

youtube

“Hollywood” - simply one of the best pop songs ever written!

https://www.facebook.com/sandraswedding/photos/p.1930575567000031/1930575567000031/?type=1&theater

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