“It really made us laugh that Michael would be obsessed with paperclips. There was a whole run [that didn’t make it into the episode] where Michael was like ‘Look at these things. These are amazing.’ And Eleanor’s like ‘Oh yeah, I used to do this.’ and she linked a couple of paperclips together to make a bracelet, and he was like ‘Wow! Do that again!’ like it was the most amazing thing he’d ever seen. And originally, I think, she was gonna make him a bracelet that he was gonna wear for the rest of the series.” - Josh Siegal
what I really like about all these vintage couple’s portraits is that there is a very certain romatic decorum kept up – certain themes and poses – which, while of course being the mainstream preferred view of couples repeated throughout many studios, are just… so nice to look at.
this staged affection, a mix of theatricality and intimacy, the couple holding still for a couple of moments and now immortalised in a very set sequence of embraces and kisses. there is a charm to it even when I can’t tell whether this was a genuine couple portait or just actors hired by the photographer.
the kiss on the bare shoulder (eyes perfectly averted), the cheek caress, the piano and the violin, the interrupted embrace, the woman tilted back as in a half-stopped dance…
and, at last (thank you for still being here and witnessing my recent fascination with vintage polish photography) my three absolute favourites outside of any particular categories (1910-1930)
Years ago back when I worked in cubicle land, we were hiring junior software developers. They didn’t have to have a ton of experience, just a willingness to learn, and some demonstration of their software skills. Like: show me a program you wrote (any language) or a web site you designed. Anything.
And there was this one guy I talked with who seemed super sharp, but had virtually zero experience writing software. When it came time to do the show-n-tell part of the interview he whips out his laptop, brings up a website, and spins it around to show me what he made.
A website of tiny ceramic frogs.
Not for sale. Just… all these ceramic frogs, organized into categories. Frogs on bicycles, frogs with hats, frogs sitting on lily pads. It was a virtual museum of ceramic frogs in web form.
I scrolled through his online collection of frogs, slightly baffled.
“This is your website?” I asked finally.
“Yep!”
“You coded this yourself?” I popped into view-source mode and poked around some incredibly well-formatted, well-commented html. I nodded slowly. This guy was meticulous.
“Yep!”
“So… where’d all the frogs come from?”
“I made those too,” he says, beaming.
And while I’m processing this he rummages in his bag and pulls out a little ceramic frog working at a computer terminal. He places it on the table before us, next to the laptop.
“And THIS one,” he says, “I made for you! As a thank you for the interview.”
It was adorable. I hired him on the spot. I mean, why not? Worst case he’d wash out in 90 days and we’d hire somebody else. He turned out to be one of the best developers on our team.
And yes, his cubicle was loaded with ceramic frogs.
Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line, then tag some of your favorite authors!
Tagged by the lovely @hellfre - thank you!!!
(I skipped my compilations and just listed full fics in this selection)
An Offering to Krakoa
Today is Charles’ wedding day.
What’s A Little Sex Between Friends
Erik’s been nursing the same glass of wine for the past twenty minutes, absently rolling the crystal stem between his palms and studiously avoiding the elephant in the room.
Stolen Treasure
Their plan had been meticulously mapped out for weeks before the arrival of the Spring Ball, where all of Westchester’s elite would be congregating at the Summers House for an evening with their peers.
A Surprise Visit
It’s been almost a month since his arrival here in Genosha, and Charles doesn’t know if he’ll ever get used to it; the litany of warm sunny days rolling into endless, balmy nights.
Peace Is Finally An Option
The aftermath at least is a familiar thing, as Charles wades through the wreckage that’s left behind, the task falling on his shoulders once again to deal with the humans and get his people home.
The Definition of Insanity
The definition of insanity, Charles thinks, is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
Gilded Cage
The carriage came for Erik mid-morning, clattering through the mud caked streets of Varre, winding its way through the tiny village behind a contingent of the King’s personal guard.
Gods or Mortals
The fire is burning low when the knock finally comes, the moon well along its path across the midnight sky.
A Suitable Replacement
On the morning of his sixteenth birthday, Kurt led him outside after breakfast and presented him with his very own mare; a beautiful, dark chestnut English Thoroughbred, worth more than all the other horses stabled at Graymalkin.
Rock and A Hard Place
In hindsight, moving into an older building might not have been the best or brightest idea Charles ever had, even if the rent is dirt cheap and the location close to his work.
Wicked Vice, Secret Indulgence
Stryker is already waiting in the suite, tie loose and nursing a scotch when Erik arrives for their session.
Blissful Illusions
Erik’s been on suppressants for almost fifteen years, unwilling to cede control and be rendered helpless during his heats.
An Office Affair
Erik is already in his office when Charlie arrives at seven thirty a.m., with a black coffee (for him) and a latte (for her) in hand.
The Master of Charlton Park
The first time Charles met Erik Lehnsherr was at a spring ball hosted by the MacTaggerts, where the new Earl of Suffolk had been the guest of honor.
Shaw's Island
Nathaniel Essex tightens the last of the restraints and takes a step back from the bed to admire his handiwork.
Welcome to Genosha
Excitement keeps Charles awake for much of his long, transatlantic flight, his mind cycling through a hundred important details related to his trip.
you can never tell
"You can never tell anyone,” Kurt says, an urgent plea to the boy in his arms.
Mein Kleiner Erik
“I have a gift for you.”
Westward by Sea
Preparations for the journey began in earnest in the spring, when the snow melted and construction could begin on skeið for the crossing.
It's Been A Long Time
When Erik woke up that morning he had no idea what the day would bring; that the colorless routine of his everyday life would be utterly upended by an unexpected visitor from his past.
I'm surprised there aren't more fics beginning with just a line of dialogue, as I actually enjoy writing stories starting in the middle of a conversation. Also, most of these have a 'time' element to them - i.e. it happened in spring, or this is the first time etc. Not particular exciting...I hate coming up with first sentences tbh, even more than I hate titles lol.
My favorite out of the ones listed above would have to be from 'It's Been A Long Time'. I think it sets the tone for the story quite well.
Tagging @widgenstain, @lachatblanche, @kianspo, @traumschwinge, @midrashic, @lavender-lotion, and anyone else who wants to join in!
“There is a sex scene in the movie and doing that with the female director is completely different…Lisa [Joy] said: “I watched every single sex scene that has ever been done in the Hollywood, literally every one in 100 years, and I cant see one where I could actually imagine a woman having an orgasm. Every position, it’s not working. So, that’s my goal». I don’t want to spoil the scene, but here you go.” - Hugh Jackman on shooting a sex scene in “Reminiscence”.
Rebecca Ferguson as Mae and Hugh Jackman as Nick in “Reminiscence” (2021) dir. Lisa Joy
Former jazz club singer/piano player (and omega) Erik Lehnsherr is married to wealthy alpha tycoon Winston Frost, much to the chagrin of Winston’s grown daughter and heir. Emma thinks Erik married her father solely for his money (he did, though Winston clearly knows and doesn’t care, because he likes the company and having a pretty young omega on his arm) and isn’t worthy of the Frost name. For his part, Erik mostly just stays out of Emma’s way, content to enjoy the luxuries available to him now after a lifetime of poverty. And because Winston is both loose with his purse strings and busy running his business empire, Erik has a lot of money and free time to do as he pleases. This includes occasionally (and very discreetly) taking a lover on the side, which Winston turns a blind eye to since Erik’s dalliances are only ever fleeting at best.
That changes when he meets Charles Xavier.
Scion of the Xavier fortune and old friends with Emma, Charles is young (younger than Erik), witty and devastatingly handsome. He’s also an incorrigible flirt and notorious for being a heartbreaker, warming the beds of omegas of all ages, single and married. And even though he knows better than to get swept up by the irrepressible playboy, Erik gives in to Charles’ blatant and persistent seduction, and sleeps with him multiple times - first at parties and social events, and then in clandestine meetings at Xavier’s apartment in the city. Erik finds himself feeling something real for Charles and even imagines leaving Winston to be with him, only to find out that Charles has plans to head to Oxford to pursue a doctorate degree. This leads to an argument that takes an ugly turn, with Erik accusing Charles of misleading/lying to him in order to get him into bed. Charles doesn’t really understand why Erik is so angry, and points to the fact that Charles is just one in a series of lovers he’s taken since he got married, and why did it matter if they were bound to end eventually? Hurt and humiliated by the reply (because he’s clearly misread Charles completely, even as he realizes that he’s gone and fallen in love), Erik storms out and vows never to lay eyes on Charles Xavier again.
Then, two things happen in rapid succession, only weeks after Charles leaves for England.
First - Winston dies unexpectedly of a heart attack, leaving the bulk of his fortune to Emma and a small but generous sum to Erik that allows him to live independently for the rest of his days.
Second - Erik finds out that he’s pregnant, and that Emma knows exactly who the father is, since she’s been having him followed since he married into the family.
She’s not particularly angry about Erik’s infidelity (and she might even understand how/why it happened, given how well she knows Charles) but she is NOT going to let him claim the baby as Winston’s since she has no interest in sharing her inheritance. She threatens him with a blood test to prove that Winston isn’t the father, and to take away the money her father left to Erik if he doesn’t comply with her wishes - which is to leave quietly and then claim another alpha as the baby’s father (with the lie that the baby was conceived after Winston’s death, to preserve the Frosts’ reputation). She even offers to contact Charles and let him know about Erik’s pregnancy, but Erik is too angry and too proud (and too afraid of being rejected) to agree. He ends up going to an ex-lover for help, and is relieved when the alpha consents to being named the baby’s father, as long as Erik agrees to be with him again (and maybe eventually marry him).
—-
Five years later, Charles returns to New York with his degree, older, wiser and with a better understanding of his true feelings for Erik. Of course things have changed a lot since he’s been away, and Charles is shocked to discover that Erik is now parent to a four year old son named David, and that he’s the live-in lover of crime lord Sebastian Shaw…
“I’m almost 50, and here is the best thing I have learned so far: every strange thing you’ve ever been into, every failed hobby or forgotten instrument, everything you have ever learned will come back to you, will serve you when you need it. No love, however brief, is wasted.” @louisethebaker on Twitter
Fun fact, The Questing Beast of Arthurian Legend is the result of people attempting to describe what a giraffe was, then being explained and drawn by people who have never actually seen it.
The Questing Beast was said to have a head and neck of a snake (long neck), body of leopard (coat pattern), hind legs of a lion (tufted tail) and feet of a deer (”hooves:).
The Mandalorian is taking the “lone wolf, I work alone, I don’t make friends” irony trope and knocking it up to 200.
Oh, you want to stoically do your bounty hunting job by yourself?? Too bad. Here’s 125 new bests friends and a son. We’re building community whether you like it or not. See you at the PTA meeting later, bitch.
literally every episode of “the mandalorian” is him trying to find yet another person/organization that isn’t Evil to unload this child onto and every single episode he gets suckered into some rando’s side quest because he just cannot say no to them (the reason is generally a 50/50 tossup between din just being a softie and Blackmail/Threats)
and at the end of EVERY episode he says “okay, i’ve helped you; now will you please tell me where to find [insert quest of the season here]”
and every time the rando who he will now die for says “well actually……i don’t know where it is……but i know a guy who does!”
and every. fucking. episode. din just sighs, looks at the ground, looks at the sky, looks at the kid, then turns around and walks back to his ship, his clown shoes honking sadly the whole way, because this motherfucker knows it’s going to happen again and he also knows he has no choice but to help every sad little stiff he comes across and every single one is playing him for a fool and adopting him against his will into this giant found family that is slowly spreading from planet to planet and consuming the entire galaxy like an amoeba of friendship.
I started this fantasy au for @lachatblanche ‘s prompt for Rare Pairs Fest 2020 but didn’t finish it on time, and sadly it’s been languishing in my WIPs since.
The basic premise is that Charles rescues and takes 8 year old Jean in after her village tries to burn her at the stake, and as she grows older (and she becomes increasingly more powerful with her Gift) her feelings for him also become more and more possessive. She’s jealous of Charles’ love for his sister Raven (who Jean doesn’t feel is worthy of his devotion, given the way she throws his kindness in his face) and for his lover Erik (who disagrees with Charles constantly and undermines his authority with their tribe). After a particularly vicious argument (where Raven sides with Erik against him), Charles is despondent, and breaks down a bit in front of Jean over his greatest fear - that Erik will leave and take Raven with him. Jean takes this information in and mulls it over, and decides she’s going to read Erik and Raven’s minds to see if there’s any truth to his fears. As it turns out, Raven is thinking of leaving, and she has her own issues with jealousy as she wants to be with Erik and think they’re a better fit together than him and Charles. And Jean finds that while Erik is devoted to Charles, he also questions Charles’ leadership of their tribe, and thinks there might be a time when he’ll be forced to go against him for the good of their people. That basically is more than enough for Jean to decide that she needs to get rid of these untrustworthy people from Charles side, but in such a way that he’ll turn from them forever. So she plants a suggestion into Raven’s mind to seduce Erik, making her believe it’s her own idea, and then gently nudges Erik into accepting Raven without question. This happens a few times until Raven is pregnant, and then of course the cat is out of the bag. Charles is too hurt to think rationally and only too willing to believe the worst, and Erik and Raven are too proud and too guilty to beg for forgiveness, and all the while Jean is subtly manipulating their emotions with her powers until Charles banishes Erik and Raven for good...
