#and in order for someone who has probably thought of a million variations on it (ie the composer) to 'freeze' that text--

[finelythreadedsky]

whyyyyyy does everyone make the jump from 'it is likely plays were taught to the tragic chorus by ear rather than with the aid of a written text' (reasonable conclusion) to 'it is therefore likely that plays were composed by ear and memory rather than as written texts'. i just don't think the latter necessarily has to follow from the former, even if the composer is usually the didaskalos.

[marvelmusing]

Making Time

Mobius M Mobius x Reader

Part 2

My Masterlist

“1985, huh?” You say, looking up from the briefing Mobius has just handed you.

“Yeah, maybe we’ll spot a delorian?” He jokes, making a Back to the Future reference. You smile at him, remembering when you’d first mentioned the movie. You hadn’t been at the TVA long, to your knowledge.

You’re sat in one of the cafes, explaining something about the timeline to Casey, and you make an offhand reference to the movie. To which, Casey looks even more confused. You glance at Mobius, who’s been sat next to you, watching your teaching with a smile. You offer them both a small smile, at yet another reminder that you’re from somewhere very different from the rest of them.

“Neither of you have seen it have you?” Mobius shakes his head.

“Not a lot of chances for watching movies when dealing with the timeline. Should we get the chance, I’d love to.” It’s a few days later when you give him the chance.

“Honey, I’m home.” You hear Mobius call out, which brings a smile to your face. Whilst you had your own apartment, you much preferred staying with Mobius, like you did when you first arrived at the TVA. You hear him set down a pile of papers in the kitchen, before making his way into the lounge where you’re sat waiting for him. “Hey.”

“Hi.”

“What’s all this?”

“Back to the Future. I went through my file, and managed to find a version that I watched that was uninterrupted. Then I isolated it, and copied it onto one of those cassette reel things, so that it’ll play on your mini projector.” You pause, before adding, “I probably put too much effort into this but, I thought we could have what my time considers a movie night?”

“A movie night?” Your face falls slightly, feeling embarrassed by your suggestion.

“We don’t have to-“ you start. He shrugs off his jacket and settles down next to you.

“Did I not tell you I wanted to watch it, should I get the chance?”

“Well, yeah.” He gestures to the projector.

“Let’s get this show on a roll.” You grin at him, before quickly pressing play on the projector. Mobius leans an arm on the couch and pulls you to his side. “You finally have clearance to access to your file, and you use it to watch Back to the Future?”

“What else was I supposed to do with it?” You joke.

You and Mobius head to the cubicle where you left Loki this morning. You spot him wapping against the desk with a magazine.

“Training going well?” You ask him. He leans back in his chair, attempting to look casual.

“Yeah.”

“Is that my jet ski magazine?” Mobius asks him. “Put it down. Gear up. There's been an attack. Let's go.” He hands Loki the jacket he’s been carrying. You set the briefing down on the desk, and follow Mobius. Loki trails behind you. “Put it on.” Loki shrugs the jacket on, adjusting the collar before posing.

“Nice.” You tell him with a smile.

“Good. Yeah, smart.” Mobius says distractedly. You soon reach the Timedoors, where a small group of hunters have gathered to wait. B-15 opens up the briefing.

“C-20 and her team went dark shortly after they jumped into the 1985 branch. All signs point to another ambush. We've grabbed enough temporal aura to know it's our Loki Variant. But which kind of Loki, remains unknown.”

“They're the lesser kind, to be clear.” Loki specifies. B-15 sighs,

“Let me see the back of that jacket.” Loki does a small turn, showing the group the back of his jacket, where the bright orange letters reading VARIANT stand out. Everyone is the group shares a small smile. You’re glad you don’t have to wear one of those anymore.

“Very subtle. Well done.”

“I don't want anybody out there to forget what you are.”

“Oh, your only hope of capturing a murderer?”

“No. A cosmic mistake.”

“That's enough.” Mobius interrupts.

“Lovely.” You hear Loki murmur.

“Here's the deal.” Mobius begins. “When we get out on the branch, we're not just looking for a Time Criminal. We're looking for a Loki. A variation of this guy. A type we should all be very familiar with, because the TVA has pruned a lotta these guys, almost more than any other Variant.” He skims through a few of the Loki Variants that the TVA have caught before. “And no two are alike. Slight differences in appearances, or not so slight. Different powers, although, powers generally include: shapeshifting, illusion projection, and my favourite-”

“Duplication casting.” Loki interrupts

“Illusion projection.”

“No, they're two completely different powers.”

“How?” You ask him.

“Illusion-projection involves depicting a detailed image from outside oneself, which is perceptible in the external world, whereas duplication-casting entails recreating an exact facsimile of one's own body in its present circumstance, which acts as a true holographic mirror of its molecular structure. But you already knew that.” He explains. You catch a glimpse of Mobius’s smirk before he says,

“Okay, take a breath. Noted. We're gonna break into two teams, including myself and Professor Loki.”

“Why?” A hunter stood beside you asks.

“Because whoever this Variant is, we haven't been able to find him. So let's bring in an expert.” Loki looks around at the group before adding a quiet,

“That's me.”

As the hunters prepare themselves, you hear Loki ask, “Do I get a weapon?” You laugh lightly,

“No chance.”

“Well, I'll have my magic back. Is no one concerned about that?”

“Of what?” Mobius asks.

“Me betraying you.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“You know that we’ll just catch you again.” You tell him.

“And how's betraying us gonna get you any closer to the Time-Keepers?” Mobius adds. Loki leans forward, his attention fixed on Mobius.

“An audience with the Time-Keepers is on the table?”

“Keep that focus.” Mobius tells him. The three of you follow the hunters through the Timedoor, and out into 1985 Wisconsin. Your group makes their way through the crowd of the Renaissance fair before entering a large tent. It’s dark inside, with only a few lanterns to light your path. You watch as B-15 bends down to grasp examine a helmet left abandoned on the floor.

“So he's taking hostages now?” She says, turning to Mobius.

“The Variant's never taken a hostage before.”

“Maybe he's upping his game.”

“Or he pruned her.” One of the hunters remarks, you frown at his callousness towards his colleague.

“A Loki couldn't have gotten the jump on C-20.”

“I think you underestimate, actually...” Loki begins.

“Fan out and search for her. And hurry up, we're at three units until red line.” B-15 orders. Mobius sets a hand on your arm, and the two of you head to the exit.

“Come on.” He says to Loki.

“Wait. If you leave this tent, you'll end up like them.” Mobius stops beside Loki.

“What do you see?”

“I see a scheme, and in that scheme, I see myself.” Loki begins to ramble about an old Asgardian saying.

“Two units. He is wasting our time.” B-15 interrupts.

“Okay. Come on, Loki, make a long story short.” Mobius encourages.

“We need to look for C-20.”

“That's exactly what the Variant wants you to do. It's a trap. He's waiting for you outside this tent.”

“Should I secure the reset charges?”

“No. He wants me. I'm the key to his plan. He knows that I'm stronger. And he rightly believes that together we can overthrow and rule the TVA. But that's not what I want. I have a new purpose. I'm a servant of the Sacred Timeline. And knowing what I now know about his tactics, I can deliver you the Variant, but I need assurances.” He says, looking to Mobius. You glance up at Mobius, frowning slightly. Surely he isn’t believing what Loki’s saying? His eyes catch yours and there’s a small twinkle in them. You hide your smile. Loki circles around Mobius.

“Yeah?” Mobius offers.

“Assurances that I won't be completely disintegrated the moment the job has been done.”

“Right.” Loki leans forward, before whispering,

“We'll need to speak to the Time-Keepers at once. They're in graver danger than we realized.”

“He's lying. Just playing games. There's no one out there.” Mobius calls out to the group.

“Reset the timeline.” B-15 orders.

“You had me for a second. My ears are sharp too.” He points at Loki’s chest. You follow Mobius out of the tent.

“Well that went well.” You remark, hearing Mobius sigh. He runs his hand over his face.

You’re tucking into your lunch when you spot Mobius. He picks out a drink and a salad before making his way over to you. You give him a small smile,

“Hi.”

“Hey.”

“How did it go with Renslayer?” He sighs, leaning his head back, before getting comfortable in his seat.

“Well, our Loki hasn’t been deleted yet.”

“That’s good then?” You offer. He sighs,

“Yeah. Though he’s getting more and more talkative.”

“You did say he loves to talk. Where is he now?”

“I’ve left him with the archives, hopefully he’ll be reading for the next few days. Or at least long enough for me to finish lunch.” He begins to eat his salad. Just then, Loki scampers in looking like a manic puppy.

“I found something.” Mobius shakes his head, keeping his attention on his lunch,

“No, I said don’t bother me until you've read all the files.”

“I have.”

“Every file?”

“Yes.”

“Pertaining to the Variant?”

“The answer isn't in the files, it's on the timeline. He's hiding in apocalypses.”

“Which apocalypse?” You ask.

“Any time in history? There's, like, a million of 'em.” Mobius adds.

“Ragnarok. Are you familiar?”

“Yes. The destruction of Asgard and most of its people. I'm sorry.” Loki pauses looking down.

“Yes, very sad.” He immediately perks up again. “Anyway, it got me thinking. Nexus events happen when someone does something they're not supposed to do, right?”

“Well, it's a little more complicated, but, yeah.”

“Great. And then that thing they're not supposed to do, cascades into a whole range of other things that aren't supposed to happen.”

“And so on and so forth, until eventually, a new timeline branches. Yes?”

“Chaotic alterations of a predetermined outcome.”

“Exactly. So, let's just say...” He picks up the salad bowl from in front of Mobius.

“Mm-hm. What are you doing?”

“...your salad is Asgard in this scenario.” Loki continues.

“It's not Asgard, that's my lunch.” Mobius complains, the pouting clear in his voice. You lean forward, a hand on your chin to hide the smile at Mobius’s reaction.

“It's a metaphor. Just hang in there.”

“I want that salad.”

“And I could go down to Asgard before Ragnarok causes its complete destruction and I could do anything I wanted. I could, let's say, push the Hulk off the Rainbow Bridge.” He picks up a salt shaker and puts a large sprinkling of salt across Mobius’s salad.

“There he goes.” You say, feeling rather invested in this metaphor.

“The salt's Hulk?” Mobius asks, clearly not as enthusiastic as you.

“And I could also... Set fire to the palace.” He picks up a pepper pot and shakes the pepper across the salad.

“No, just stop. Don't set fire to the palace.”

“Okay? I can do whatever I want to do, and it would never matter. It wouldn't go against the dictates of the timeline because...” He sets down the shakers after nearly emptying them both. He heads to the table behind you. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, God!” Mobius sighs.

“You!” Recognising the voice you look up to see Casey looking very confused.

“Nice to see you. I just need this for a second. Thanks.” Loki picks up Casey’s carton of juice, before sitting back down at your table. “Because the apocalypse is coming. Ragnarok, Surtur will destroy Asgard no matter what I do.”

“No, don't do...” Mobius sighs as Loki empties the carton over the remains of the salad.

“There's the apocalypse.” You say with a sigh, offering Mobius your bag of chips.

“That's the apocalypse?” He asks, taking a handful of chips from you with a smile.

“Ragnarok obliterates the salt. Ragnarok. There it is.” Loki gestures to the ruined salad with a proud smile.

“What am I lookin' at?”

“Okay, it was a clumsy metaphor. But you see what I mean. It doesn't matter. It could be any apocalypse. It could be a tidal wave. It could be a meteor. It could be a volcano, a supernova. If everything and everyone around you is destined for imminent destruction, then nothing that I say or do will matter, because the timeline's not gonna branch. Hence, the Variant could be hiding in the apocalypse and do whatever he wants, and we wouldn't know!”

“Not bad.” You offer.

“Take me to a real apocalypse, to Ragnarok, I'll show you.” Mobius chuckles,

“Yeah. So you can run away back to your homeland? No.”

“No, I'm not going home. We can go anywhere.”

“I'm not taking you for a stroll along the promenade, much less an apocalypse.”

“Oh, Mobius, come on! What could possibly go wrong? We gotta properly test this theory.”

“Well, here's a fun theory. You lure me out into the field, and stab me in the back. And that's a theory I don't wanna test.”

“I'd never stab anyone in the back. That's such a boring form of betrayal.” He most definitely would stab someone in the back.

“Loki, I've studied almost every moment of your entire life. You've literally stabbed people in the back, like 50 times.”

“Well, I'd never do it again, because it got old.” You both laugh at this. Mobius looks at you, and you shrug.

“Might as well try it?” You offer. Mobius nods,

“Okay.”

“Okay, look, you don't trust me, you can trust one thing. I love to be right.” Loki adds. That certainly isn’t a lie.

Tagslist: @n0obmaster69 @mackycat11 @wibblywobblyjeremybearimy @boriqs @morganwilliams @greeneyedblondie44

If you’d like to be tagged just ask!!

[wackybuddiemewbs]

Reflecting on reflections

I haven't watched the entire episode yet (anxiety won't let me), but I've seen the Buddie bits by now and... Oh my. I'm so worried about my babies holding tiny babies.

At this point, I don't know who's going to explode first, but I guess it doesn't even matter. They are both so much on edge, the poor gays I mean guys.

What still has me wondering how much more the writers seek to expose the two to in order to bring them to the breaking point. I mean, for a couple of episodes I have thought: Okay, that's going to be it. That'll do it for Eddie. Or this will do it for Buck. But it just didn't.

Instead, we see them struggling to somehow hold themselves together, even though that just causes more and more fissures in an already brittle surface.

So really, what will be the point of no return? The point when the mirror bursts into a million pieces?

As others have pointed out much more elaborately than I probably could, Buck mirrors Eddie in many ways in this episode's pivotal scene (*nudge nudge* reading reflections *nudge nudge*). He is giving him the speech Eddie's given in various ways on numerous occasions. To swallow it down and move on.

I don't think what Buck said was out of place. This was not the time to sit down and have a calm chat. Curse of the job. You boost each other up to keep going, even when it seems to be impossible, even when you don't know how to breathe for a moment. And that is what Buck did for Eddie.

Yet, the symbolism of the reflections/mirrors is just, well, so reflective of Buck and Eddie. Buck mirrors Eddie, and I got the feeling he was not really prepared for that. I'm not even saying he was *hoping* Buck would react in the ways he normally tends to react, but I think he was *expecting* it. Instead, Eddie had to look himself in the eye by looking at Buck, stating that we pack such a traumatic thing away and move on to the next.

He heard himself talking. And Eddie was shown to understand that this his not healthy by any means. He stated that he wants different for his son. To be able to express himself and not turn out like him. So it leaves me wondering what he must have thought in that instant, seeing and hearing Buck turn into a variation of him for a moment there.

Buck and Eddie take cues from each other, be if physically (moving in sync, etc.) or emotionally.

On a quick sidenote: kudos to Ryan and Oliver for playing it out like that. We don't know how much is in the scripts, but they just nail it with creating distance even when they do stand close to each other, like something is off-tune this whole time.

Anyway, back to the cues. We see them checking each other for reactions on a number of occasions. Often, they even frame their movements or behavior accordingly. And if you bring into play the symbolism of mirrors... Buck and Eddie have served as narrative mirrors for each other many, many times. So it just glares at me that we got that symbolism made visible, audible, palpable in this episode.

Eddie is reading his reflection in Buck, and what is reflected back at him is not what he expects. Because that is where he is accustomed to Buck reacting differently. He is accustomed to Buck being the counterbalance, the one who can't help but act out on his feelings, who wears his heart on his sleeve. He is used to that, and I daresay he takes comfort in that. That there is someone so close to him acting out in the way he can't (or rather denies himself to do).

At the same time, the reflection is what facilitates them to save the children in the episode, which seems like a huge takeaway for me, too.

Self-reflection is the way out. It is the way to breathe again.

And to me, that was what the scene also highlighted. That this is the only way for them to truly move forward from their shared traumatic experience regarding the shooting. That storing it away isn't helping. That not talking and moving on is not helping.

They need to reflect. On themselves. On each other. On their shared trauma and what it has since done to their relationship.

And with the shipper goggles on, I get the feeling that this may really be the moment they have to reflect on what they mean to each other that is not just friendship. That the red string connecting them is more than a friendship, more than a guardianship, but love, plain and simple and yet so complicated.

There's probably more rambling to follow. But oh grief, just what more do they intend to do to them before either one snaps??? Before they can reflect??? And smooch???

[troped-fanfic-challenge]

Voting for Chopped 3.0 Round 2 is Officially OPEN!

You know how voting works so we wont bore you with a massive post. Remember to rank fics based on the USE of the tropes and theme and to rank ALL fics in each question, so we can avoid any technical difficulties! Please try and read all the fics so you can vote fairly! Reminder, you must include a URL, and you may only vote once, we will NOT count multiple votes by the same person.

You can vote here:

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Thanks to all our BRILLIANT writers, these fics are so exciting and we are so glad you decided to share them with us!! 

———

and i'll never say i love you (but i meant it all along) (Rated T) [Bellamy/Clarke]

Summary: When Coach, a dating system that pairs you with someone for an allotted amount of time and gives no way to bypass its rules, matches Bellamy and Clarke together, they find an immediate dislike for the other. Luckily, they only have to spend twelve hours together and then they can go their separate ways.

That is, until Coach matches them again. And again. And again. Until they start to wonder if something deeper is going on.

Or, Bellamy and Clarke in Hang the DJ

Per Aspera Ad Astra [Through Hardship to the Stars] (Rated G) [Bellamy/Clarke]

Summary: It's boredom one fateful night that leads Clarke Griffin to ditching the first basketball game of the season. That same boredom then leads to her choosing to hang out with one Bellamy Blake – which should feel weirder than it is since they haven't really been friends since his sister's disappearance two years ago.

But then their night really takes a turn.

The two of them discover a strange audio frequency that could change the small town of Arkadia, New Mexico – and the future – forever. Dropped phone calls, forgotten tapes, and strange lights follow Bellamy and Clarke as they race through the night on a scavenger hunt to discover the truth. That maybe there was something more to Octavia's disappearance, maybe there's more to their friendship than being just friends, and that maybe they aren't as alone in the universe as they thought.

through the muted waves (Rated T) [Murphy/Emori]

Summary: Scientists call the Tomorrow People the next stage of human evolution, the government denies their existence, but their cocktail of psionic abilities have made homo superiors the target of Eligius. Even though Eligius has closed the project that allows Tomorrow People to override their genetic inability to kill, they still relentlessly hunt them, desperate to neutralize their abilities. When Murpy wakes up in Eligius headquarters, he knows he’s returned for a reason...if only he could understand his connection to the brown-eyed girl who keeps cropping up on the corners of his memory.

in the red snares (Rated T) [Octavia/Lincoln]

Summary: The prevailing theory around the existence of Slayers (her existence) is that a variation of the alien parasite the miners unearthed deep in the Sub Stratum started infecting hosts in order to combat the vampire parasite. Octavia scoffs at the thought. The theory is probably right, especially since Monty is pretty confident in it, but she still hates the whole thing. The Slayer parasite really needs an upgrade in her opinion.

The Cockroach (Rated T) [Murphy/Emori]

Summary: “This is the cockroach hailing Mission Team Alpha. It’s Sol 30 here on good ol’ Planet Alpha. Not that it’s really a planet, but eh whatever. Technicalities, right? Anyway. Systems check. Arm: healing. Bugs: normal. Radio: shitty. Attitude: good.”

I'm No Hero (Rated T) [Murphy/Emori]

Summary: It’s 2052 and Reapers are wreaking havoc on mutants and humans alike. Murphy is recruited by Kane and Jaha to go back in time to prevent Octavia Blake from starting an international crisis that made the future much worse. But going back to the past comes with some side effects, mainly having to do with some relationships that Murphy left on bad terms.

from angels or devils (Rated T) [Octavia Blake]

Summary: Octavia was dead, and then she wasn't. The nuns say it was the gift of an angel, but they may not know as much as they claim.

Will she be able to learn to channel it's gifts, or will she be claimed by the villain who has followed the Halo through time and space?

Can't Tell if this is True or Dream (Rated M) [Echo/Gabriel]

Summary: “Do you understand your mission, agent?” A cloud of smoke punctuated the Director’s question, streaming from his mouth in thick, grey ribbons.

“I am to evaluate the necessity of the work Dr. Santiago is doing and report back at the conclusion of the investigation,” Echo repeated her instructions. Her lungs filled with second-hand smoke and she stifled a cough.

“I hope you appreciate the delicacy of this mission, Echo.” His intense gaze bore a hole into her’s. “Gabriel is not to know the nature of your assignment.”

She met his gaze with equal intensity as she stood up to leave.

“I understand, sir.”

There are some things written in the stars (Rated G) [Bellamy/Clarke]

Summary: Dear Bell,

I know you have a million questions. When I planned to come see you in Sau Paulo, I knew I wouldn’t have much time, and there was just too much I wanted to say. But also so much I knew I couldn’t. My only hope is that this journal answers some of your questions, and by some miracle saves your life.

My name is Clarke Griffin, a historian. We’ve never met before today, in your time at least. In 2019, I would be just starting my professorship at Arkadia University back in the states. That’s honestly the only reason Murphy didn’t fight me on seeing you — no chance that I’d cross paths with myself. He wouldn’t have been able to stop me, mind you. But he’s definitely the better pilot, so I’m glad he was on board.

I’m getting away from myself. It’s hard to remember a time when you didn’t just instinctively know what I was thinking. It’s felt a little like you’ve just known me my whole life, the way we’ve always been in sync. Let me start from the beginning, just rip the bandaid off…

___

Or the "Timeless" AU you never knew you needed. Submitted as part of the Chopped Challenge: Round 2.

Healing AIs, Healing Hearts (Rated T) [Octavia/Raven]

Summary: Raven and her mother were a perfect team, working with damaged and mistreated AIs and tech. When tragedy strikes, however, Raven has to figure out how to make it on her own. And then there's that new assistant her mom hired, making things interesting.

inconceivable (Rated T) [Bellamy/Clarke]

Summary: The first touch of his fingers on her wrists makes her whole body shiver. She’s so painfully aware of him being just behind her, of the wonder and the impossibility of his existence here, that she has to remind herself to keep breathing as he slowly picks apart the knots binding her hands together. “If I turn around, will you be gone?” she murmurs. “Is this a bad dream? Will you be dead again when I wake up?”

“I’m real,” he says softly, and finally the last knot falls away and her hands are free.

It's practically inconceivable.

(Chopped 3 presents: The Princess Bride. In space, bitches.)

[winunk]

Under a Peach Tree | ii | Akaashi Keiji x fem!OC

Chapter Two: Autopilot

Pairing: Akaashi Keiji x fem!OC

Summary:  Akaashi Keiji has been feeling less energetic at the absence of his best friend. As he nears the end of high school, he starts to look back on his life and wonder who he was, who he is, without the constant support of his older friends.

Genre: romance, angst, humor if you squint and think I'm funny

Warnings: cursing, incompetent author who literally does not know how to update regularly

Word Count: 1.8k

Check out the series playlist here!

I prepared to set what felt like the millionth ball of the day, but I didn’t feel tired. I didn’t feel anything. I could have gone on for however long the team needed me to.

They were racing to the net. Their footsteps sent them thundering towards me. The blockers stared me down. Their gaze sent blazing fires my way.

Just play as you’ve always done.

In a split second, Mamoru-kun slammed the ball down. The sound of the volleyball bouncing off the floor resonated around me. A whistle blew. The practice game was over.

“How was that, Akaashi-san?” the young middle blocker asked me.

I nodded my head. “We won, Mamoru-kun,” I said. “You played well.”

Mamoru-kun spent the majority of last year watching Fukurodani Gakuen’s team while keeping up with his own. While watching the Spring Tournament, he had taken special interest in a young middle blocker from Miyagi. I spent the past couple months explaining to him why we couldn’t even try to imitate Kageyama-kun and Hinata-kun’s quick attack.

He’s a strong player and he’s only a first year.

I turned away and followed the rest of the team towards the huddle. Coach Yamiji said a few words. I said a few words. Then we were off to the showers.

Sometimes it felt like the same thing every day. If it weren’t for the variations in my school assignments, I wouldn’t know what day it was. Even then, some of the assignments were starting to become repetitive.

I quickly changed back into my uniform, opting to wear my team jacket instead of my blazer. The grey fabric was much too thick for the summer heat, but I hated going anywhere with my arms bare to the world. I said my good-byes and headed out.

It was as if my feet were possessed, but I walked back to the school’s main courtyard. That was where I first ran into her.

Actually, it was where she first ran into me.

Most days, practice would go on long enough to make me miss her, but I was lucky today. A small figure was folded against a particular peach tree that stood on the side of the courtyard. Even from here, I could tell that she was lost within the pages of her book.

I wasn’t surprised that I didn’t know her. Fukurodani Gakuen was a big school. It wasn’t as if I spent the last two years socializing with my classmates when I had Bokuto-san begging me to toss to him every chance he got. It wasn’t as if I wanted to socialize with my classmates after what happened in middle school.

But I had been looking for her, trying to catch her for the past week or so. She always managed to run away before I got the chance to talk to her. But she was a girl of routine, always coming back to the same peach tree during the free time sprinkled throughout the day.

“Hi,” I said when I reached her.

Could you sound any more lame?

She flinched, obviously not expecting anyone to approach her. Her soft brown eyes drifted up to look at me, hardening when they met mine.

“Akaashi-san,” she said. A short, cold greeting.

What does she have against me?

“What book are you reading today?” I asked. “I’m always looking for something new to read, but every summary I read never seems to pique my interest.”

She turned to the cover, as if she didn’t know what book she was reading.

“It’s an American book that was translated,” she replied. “I don’t know if you’d be very interested in teen romance novels.”

I dropped my bag down beside hers, taking a seat against the tree. “There’s a first for everything,” I said.

She looked at me quizzically. “Do you want me to explain the plot to you?” she asked.

I could hear the hesitance in her voice.

Did I want her to explain the plot to me? What am I doing here?

I felt my brain start to clog up, words getting stuck in my throat.

Why am I here? Why did I sit down? Why didn’t I go home? What is it that makes me want to spend time with her? Why do I keep looking out for her?

“Akaashi-san?” her voice freed me from the train wreck in my brain.

Ha, brain wreck.

“Are you alright? You seem like you have a thousand questions,” she said.

I nodded my head. “Is it okay if I asked you a couple of them?” I asked her.

What’s your name? What’s your favorite color? Did you like that book you were reading the other day? Have you read others by that author? Did you read it for class or just to pass the time? What do you like to do to pass the time? Why are you at school so late?

“You’ve already asked me a couple questions, Akaashi-san,” she pointed out.

I felt my face heat up. Instead of making eye contact with her, I watched as she gently marked the page she was reading and set the book aside.

She made brown feel like such an intense color.

“You can ask me more,” she spoke again, this time barely above a whisper. “But there’s no guarantee I’ll want to answer.”

I nodded.

“Why do you always stay this late?” I asked, looking back up at her.

I should have asked for her name. What kind of idiot starts a conversation with a nameless girl? That’s the first thing you’re supposed to ask someone when you start talking to them.

She tilted her head to the side, hair falling onto her shoulder like leaves from a tree rustling in the wind. In the evening sun, she looked serene.

She was probably enjoying herself until you invited yourself to sit under her tree. Stupid, Keiji.

“I don’t know,” she said after some thought. “I used to wait for my friends to get out of club, but they get out too late now.”

I raised an eyebrow. She looked away, shaking her head.

“They’re going to be professionals, and I gave up before I could get started,” she whispered.

I wanted to press further, but I had a feeling she wasn’t going to answer.

“Have you ever considered writing?”

Woah, Keiji. Where did that come from? You see a girl read one book, and you think she’s into the same profession as you?

I wanted to slap my conscience. He was being an asshole, and he knew it.

She looked at me with her eyebrows furrowed. “What gave you the idea that I’m even the slightest bit talented with words?” she asked.

“I’m not sure,” I answered honestly. “Sometimes words just come out before I can even stop them. I’m sorry if that question made you uncomfortable.”

Her lips curved into a smile. “It’s alright, Akaashi-san,” she assured me. “Most people our age don’t read books for pleasure anymore. It wasn’t an unfound assumption.”

“I want to be an editor someday,” I blurted.

I wasn’t loud. I didn’t interrupt her. I’ve just never told anyone that before. I don’t know what made me tell her.

“Maybe you can be my editor,” she said with a smirk.

“I thought you said––”

She shook her head. “I said I wasn’t talented with words,” she said pointedly. “I want to be a manga writer, but I don’t think my art is that good either.”

I tilted my head.

How do I tell her that her art is beautiful even if I’ve never seen it before?

“If you always stay this late, do you think you could help us out in the gym?” I asked, changing the topic.

The future wasn’t too far away, but I didn’t want to think about it now. I couldn’t think about it now.

“You really want to spend more time with me,” she said with a smirk. “First you were inviting me to a bakery, and now you want me to basically be your team manager.”

I fiddled with my hands, scratching the fingers on my left hand. “Well, I wanted to apologize for bumping into you,” I said. “Sarukui-san told me I need to be more friendly. He said I don’t smile when I talk to people who aren’t on the volleyball team.”

She laughed, hiding it behind her hand. “Isn’t Sarukui-san the same guy that did a whole salsa dance with a mannequin for the variety show last year?” she asked, amusement glimmering in her eyes.

“He said he couldn’t find a dance partner that was spicy enough for his moves, so he opted for the mannequin,” I recounted.

She snorted, probably recalling the image of the volleyball player swaying his hips around the life-sized doll. “Where did he even get the doll?” she asked.

It was probably a rhetorical question. She probably figured that Sarukui-san bought it online somewhere. It would have been simpler to let her assume that then tell her part of the story.

“I don’t know if I should tell you the full story, but it does involve a close call with the cops and an emergency surgery to get a screw out of Bokuto-san’s leg,” I said. My body still remembered the exhaustion from that night.

She looked at me with a million questions. I simply shook my head, not wanting to think about that night at the moment.

“Akaashi-san?” she asked. “Do you even know what my name is?”

My eyes widened in shock. My mouth fell open.

Damn, she caught me.

“I just thought you didn’t because you always say someone’s name when you talk to them or about them, but you haven’t addressed me by my name,” she noted. “I figured you wouldn’t know my name. I don’t shine as bright as the other stars at Fukurodani.”

She checked her watch and began to gather her things. Standing up, she looked down on me. Even when we were sitting and I was towering over her, I felt like she had more power than I did.

I picked at my nails. I stared at her shoes.

“I really messed up the order of things, huh?” I said with a smile, looking back up at her.

She glowed in the evening light. A small smile graced her lips, but there was something in her eyes that told me she wasn’t as innocent as she appeared.

“My name’s Sasaki,” she said with a giggle. “Sasaki Momoko.”

It wasn’t until I got home that I realized the joke.

That’s why she sits under a peach tree every day, I realized, laughing out loud. Man, she really makes you take a step back into reality.

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a/n: exposition but make it Akaashi; this took me like two or three weeks to write I couldn’t figure out how I wanted to introduce Akaashi; the whole manga writer/Sarukui thing came absolutely out of no where like I was writing it but I was surprised too

fun fact(s):

**Sasaki Momoko means peach tree according to the Japanese naming websites I used

**I think about stageplay Sarukui and his hips a lot like it’s unhealthy

[welshdragonrawr]

For the Valentine's Day asks: 1-5, 7-11, 13-17, 19, 20, 22-27, 29-33, 35, 39, 41-43, 44 (fuck, marry, kill: Amanda, Audrey, Ally), 47-49 pleeeeeeease?? I know I said I wouldn't request a million but I'm a curious bean hehe ;)

Seeing as it is actually Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d finally answer these. Under the cut, because it’s a loooooong post and I didn’t want to overtake peeps’ dash. Well here goes;

(Also, the post format messed up, but I couldn’t be bothered to fix them because this already took ages so they’re just in the order asked and I bolded answers so they stand out)

do you have a crush on anyone? - I do indeed, and I am fairly certain they are well aware of it ;)

what’s your favorite candy? - It changes all the time because I have such a sweet tooth but right now chocolate-wise it’s probably cadbury or kinder chocolate, and actual candy probably haribo (tangfastics to be precise)

favorite love song? - There are too many to choose from or list here but right now it’s probably still ‘Wasteland Baby’ by Hozier, You Are In Love by Taylor Swift, or for entirely cheesy reasons a certain someone might know Hero by Enrique Iglesias 

what was your first kiss like? - Terrible because I didn’t know what I was doing and was with entirely the wrong person at the wrong time and I didn’t know it then

what was your last kiss like? - If it’s the one I’m allowed to think of in this context, pretty damn good ;)

do you prefer poems or love letters? - Both - I can’t decide, because I love anything remotely like that, when someone goes to the length of composing something like either of those because they were thinking of me? Incredible! 

favorite fanfic trope? - Slow-Burn if that counts, with a side order of fake dating or mutual pining, potentially both at once heheh 

have you ever been in love? Mayyyybeeee, maybe I aaaaam, I’ll just have to let you ponder that one ;)

favorite milkshake flavor? - Chocolate brownie, even if I can’t have too much because then it gets sickly but in small quantities? Yesssss! Or cookies&cream in any variation

dinner dates or brunch dates? - This one was tough because I don’t really have any experience with either, but I think Brunch dates, and not just because I would have much much less anxiety about awkward food ordering and stuff, plus I feel like Brunch dates have much less formal expectation about them, and you have the rest of the day after to do more things if you want to!

favorite perfume/cologne?  - Probably the Ghost one that has a bottle shaped like the moon, or Good Girl by Caroline Herrera (the bottle looks like a high heel?)

favorite candle scent? - There’s a seasonal Yankee Candle one they do around Christmas time that I cannot remember the name of for the life of me right now, but it’s just the right kind of sweetness in the air when you have it burning for a lil while? If I ever remember what it is I’ll come back and edit this post haha

what’s your ideal first date? - I’m not really sure, because all types of dates make me nervous especially first dates haha. I’d like to leave it up to the other person to decide what we do, as long as I could treat them in some way with whatever it is/wherever we go? 

favorite love story? - Are we talking classics or fandom or...? What currently springs off the top of my head though is Hades & Persephone - I’m convinced he didn’t ‘steal her’ to be a dick, he stole her away to somewhere cool and calm away from the pressures and terrors of life on the surface so she could catch her breath for a couple months, and can we blame her? And he makes her his Queen, like - if he was gonna be mean, he could have made her his slave, or his concubine or his pet or something, but instead he gave her his whole world to rule with him. Sounds like a better guy than that bastard ol’ Zeus, no? (Historians/Classics students please don’t fight me) 

what’s the most attractive thing a person could wear? - Happiness. Doesn’t matter to me whether you’re wearing a trash bag, or a Chanel dress or your faded ol’ pjs or not a single thread. So long as you’re happy and you’ve got that glow about you and that bright shine in your eyes? Yeah..

snow, rain, or sun? -  I love all three for different reasons (I’m indecisive, don’t judge me, or do) give me a snow day with my dog or my lover with hot chocolate and snowmen and flurries out the window, or an afternoon reading inside while it rains with blankets and a cup of tea, or a sunny afternoon walk with just the right amount of cool breeze to keep it balmy but bright? Yes please. But again, if I had to choose, probably rain... Because I live in England for one thing, but there’s something so comforting about the rain.

sweetest romantic memory? - My partner at the time took me to a second-hand bookshop and let me browse the stacked shelves as long as I liked, and I found a hardback copy of a book by a fave author but it was too expensive so just admired it and put it back, then when my birthday rolled around 2 weeks later, they turned up with that same book they had gone back for without telling me as a surprise gift

fictional crushes? - Cordelia Goode, Theo Crain, Mildred Ratched, I could keep listing but that means we’d be here forever and if you’ve been following me long enough you probably already know anyway...

what’s your dream wedding like? - This would need a whole post on its own to answer if I could actually be decisive and sit down with some thought over it. But alas... I don’t really know, I’d like things to be somewhat fancy and romantic, but I’d also like for it not to feel all stuffy and super serious like, that everyone can have fun and be a little goofy and a little merry and not have to worry about oh am I doing this certain thing right or feeling all self-conscious while dancing. So I’m not really sure how to narrow it down into specific details or events...? Except, there’s a really dumb nerdy part of me that wants to be able to do the cake slicing with a sword rather than a knife. Because reasons. 

what makes you blush? - Too much. Usually compliments. 

do you believe in love at first sight? - I believe in *attraction* at first sight, and *affection* you find or work for later. 

do you believe in soulmates? - Yeah, but I also believe a soulmate doesn’t have to be someone you’re in love with or a romantic partner, a soulmate can just as easily be a friend you keep on keeping on through this silly little game of life with, y’know? You’ve both been dealt shitty hands, but you’d be willing to share each others cards to get through, and some other cheesy af analogies...

denim jackets, leather jackets, or bomber jackets? - Leather jackets, tho technically I have worn and do wear all three so - I hoard jackets like some people hoard shoes and handbags, it’s a problem

are you single? - if you know you know, and that’s the that on that ;)

do you prefer to charm, or be charmed? - Both? I love to see the look on a partners face when they’re charmed, all blushing and cute and sparkly eyes and big smiles - I think I like to be charmed too but I would also get suuuuper awkward and not sure what to do with it or in response to it because I’m not used to being on the receiving end of attention like that?

guitar or piano? - I love both, and girls who can play either/both are heavensent sirens who can have me under their spell for hours (I think it’s the hand thing again, see?) but if I had to choose it would have to be Piano.

favorite romcom (or any romantic movie)? - Um... Does Love & Other Drugs count? Or Imagine Me And You - I’m not big on too many ‘traditional’ rom-coms because they make me cringe way too often, and often not in a good way, but there’s sometimes the odd one I enjoy! (Though I must admit, being British, Bridget Jones and Love Actually are like, historical treasures so...)

do you fall in love easily? - Nope. I mean, do I love people easily? Yeah I try to give the best of myself to the people I cherish as much as possible. But do I *fall in love* easily? Nah, takes a while before this oblivious lil heart realises it.

would you prefer to propose or be proposed to? what’s your dream proposal? - Oh gosh, honestly, I don’t know... I’m one of those people that *love* to do anything and everything to bring a smile to my partner’s face and make them happy and there’s just something so magical about seeing their face light up and their eyes sparkle, y’know? So I feel like I would want to do that by giving them the perfect proposal for them (but on the flipside this means I would also be incredibly *terrified* of ever doing it remotely wrong/not exactly how they wanted it, or getting the wrong kind of ring or all of that plethora of details and minutiae that could be messed up ahha). But also, I kinda wouldn’t mind being proposed to either? Like I’m so used to taking care of other people, it might be nice, at the risk of sounding like a bad pokemon promo. to have that validation of someone else saying ‘I choose you’ y’know? As for dream proposal, much like dream wedding, I’m not entirely sure? As long as it’s memorable and with the one I love? (Which is such a cop-out answer) I honestly don’t know, I’ve never really thought about it, probably because I never really thought it was happen so I figured why think about something that’s never gonna happen ahhah. Somewhere picturesque I guess? So I could really capture the picture in my mind for the rest of my lifen, not like for a social media photo post or any of that shit but just for myself to look back on, if any of that essay ramble makes any sense. 

kittens or puppies? - How DARE- Nope. It’s both. I’m sorry but it’s both. They are both adorable AF and I will love and pet and cherish them all. 

favorite soda? - Cola I guess? And don’t try to rope me into the Pepsi V Coke thing, because honestly I like both for different reasons and choosing one over the other seems silly when either of them tastes good if you’ve got enough whiskey or rum in them ;) 

do you prefer gazing wistfully out the window or lying dramatically over the sofa? - I rather like doing both tbf, but if I’m gonna be honest, give me ‘cosied up under a blanket, with a mug of hot tea/coffee gazing wistfully out the window at whatever weather is going on outside, any day.

favorite ABBA song? - How dare you - umm... Slipping Through My Fingers or The Winner Takes It All because I am at heart a soppy dramatic fool.

fuck/marry/kill? (anons name 3 people of your choice) - You meanie, how dare you make me decide such a thing. Buuuut Fuck Ally (cuz you just *know* that canon wlw got some mooooves), Marry Amanda (because she seems like someone I could get along with in all the day to day stuff y’know? Like, I could settle down with her, you feel me?) and don’t hate me but you asked the question but Kill Audrey (*runs and hides*)

do you think about love a lot? - Yeah, I think so, in all its different incarnations. As a writer I’m kinda obligated to? But I think I think about it even when I’m not super aware of it or the reasons for or why. 

a walk in the park or a walk on the beach? - It’s a tough once because I love it when the light filters *just so* through trees and looks so pretty, but the beach has the lapping waves and soft sand to walk on and pretty colours at sunsets and sharing ice creams/chips/doughnuts/pretzels and- Yeah so beach probably.

hand kisses or nose kisses? - Hand kisses, fo’sho, because haaaands

[lokiondisneyplus]

Lights, Camera … COVID! The Perils of Shooting Amid a Pandemic | Hollywood Reporter

As film and TV production resumes after the novel coronavirus lockdown,uncertainty about industrywide safety protocols has led to chaos, but insiders say Hollywood is quickly adapting to the new normal: "Everyone's trying to figure it out at the same time."

Whispers of horror stories are beginning to make their way around town. There's the film that told its cast and crew they couldn't leave the Motel 6 where they were staying, only to realize there that there was no restaurant on the property — a logistical "nightmare," according to one source. There's the studio feature shooting in Atlanta that gathered its cast and crew, only to realize at the last minute that the studio and the production facility had gotten their wires crossed. Each thought the other was handling COVID-19 testing, and neither "had their act together," says an insider. A desperate call to the head of a nearby production studio ensued, and that facility stepped in and processed hundreds of tests for a movie it had nothing to do with.

As Hollywood forges its way back into production in the midst of a pandemic, industry leaders say that embarrassing oversights like these are all but inevitable in a situation as complex and unprecedented as this — but that shouldn't deter efforts to get cameras rolling again. "Logistics for production shoots are complicated to begin with. Add the extra layer of all the safety protocols and testing that has to be figured out and, yes, you're going to have some of it fall through the cracks," says California film commissioner Colleen Bell. "None of this is easy — but frankly, I give the industry a lot of credit for adapting so quickly."

Indeed, after months of planning and schedule shifting, filming is starting to kick up in earnest. All the major studios are said to have projects in various stages of production, and it's beginning to add up: Los Angeles has seen a 40 percent increase in film permit requests from July to August. While the situation remains fluid, resting on the latest local government order or CDC update, what's become increasingly evident is that there's remarkably little consistency across productions, according to actors, directors, crewmembers and executives who've been on set in recent weeks. With the unions and AMPTP, the trade association that represents the major studios, not finalizing their return-to-work agreement until earlier this week, most producers have been relying on the COVID-19-related guidelines released in a June 1 white paper and later in the "Safe Way Forward" report, both drafted by members of multiple industry guilds. But insiders say that which of those practices are implemented and the extent to which they're enforced can differ significantly depending on the project. "It is, in that regard, the wild Wild West," says Pinewood Atlanta president Frank Patterson.

Much of the decision-making power has rested with each individual production and studio, which have received guild approvals on a case-by-case basis. "Everyone's trying to figure it out at the same time, which is both great and a little terrifying," says John Skidmore, head of production at Jax Media, who has been leading the company's efforts to get its wide-ranging TV projects — ABC's The Conners, TV Land's Younger and HBO Max's Haute Dog — up and running safely. "The plans are constantly evolving and none of us are doctors, so we're just using the best advice we all have." Of course, some variation among projects is natural — few would expect the set of an independently financed docuseries to run like that of a big-budget movie — but many argue that the industry could benefit from a bit more consensus.

A number of the inconsistencies have hinged on essential questions about protocol. For instance, how frequently should cast and crew be tested for COVID-19, and with what kind of test? How many sick days is a crewmember compensated for if they fall ill? How does a production determine who else on set needs to quarantine when someone tests positive? When is the infected individual cleared to return to set? How many positive tests can a production withstand before it should shut down? At least up until Monday, when a more industrywide agreement was finalized, you'd hear different answers, depending on whom you talked to, what project they were working on and which studio was footing the bill. Ideally the newly settled contract clears up some of the confusion on sets, but it will take time to determine the effectiveness of the new guidelines.

Those different approaches have been evident from the get-go. Some productions have required formal training sessions to ensure that everyone understands the new on-set protocols, while others simply email a PDF or PowerPoint or casually discuss the plan on Zoom. Netflix, which has developed a reputation within the below-the-line community for being one of the more prepared studios (its newly created Health, Safety and Cleaning group drafted its set of guidelines and enforces them on set), not only mandates at least one training course but requires that everyone headed to set pass a test on the relevant protocols beforehand. One source who was recently employed on a Netflix project after working on Songbird, the independent Michael Bay-produced thriller that was temporarily hit with a SAG-AFTRA stop-work order earlier this summer, describes the experiences as "night and day."

While this person is careful to note that they didn't necessarily feel unsafe on the Songbird set, they say they watched as production loosened up on certain practices. "Some of the protocols went out the window because there isn't time in the day to get done what needs to get done in order to shoot a feature film in that many days," says the insider of the 19-day shoot. That meant having sets that were more crowded than they probably should have been, changing lighting after actors had already come to set, and failing to sanitize objects before other crewmembers touched them. "It's a slippery slope, because once certain protocols aren't taken seriously, it becomes, 'Well, I don't really have to be 6 feet away,' " says the source, who also felt that the designated COVID-19 monitor wasn't around as much as they should have been. "They were not monitoring. They were almost like a production assistant, where you're like, 'Hey, go get so-and-so another mask!' There was no one looking at me, saying, 'Stop what you're doing and put on a face shield.' And to me, that should have happened."

The film's producers, however, push back on this person's characterization of the set. "I personally didn't witness any of that," says Catchlight Studios' Jason Clark. "I feel like, as much as humanly possible, we ran a safe set." Fellow producer Jeanette Volturno adds that as one of the first films to get up and running, they always knew there'd be room for improvement. "When you're the first out, it's challenging because you're figuring out what works and what doesn't work and what needs to be adjusted," she says, noting that they spent 10 hours getting feedback from more than two dozen crewmembers after the shoot (their chief complaint, according to Clark, was that they could've used more help — but unfortunately a pared-down crew is a key tenet of filming during the pandemic).

It could be that some productions are setting out with unrealistic protocols, leaving them no choice but to adjust as they go. Dr. Oz, who returned to the studio for his talk show in recent weeks with his own set of guidelines, tells his team not to sweat the small stuff and to instead concentrate on the most important practices, like mask-wearing and social distancing. "Don't focus on the food and the boxes touching each other in the craft services cart. Focus on the fact that the air quality is what you expect it to be. Focus on whether you're being tested appropriately," he says.

Certainly, larger-scale productions with the backing of a major studio like Universal's Jurassic World: Dominion — which has been shooting at Pinewood Studios in the U.K. since July 6 — have more resources to devote to new safety measures. "When you get up and running, you realize that you need to go over and talk to that crew person and say, 'Buddy, put the mask up over your nose.' Or you find the three guys who are just 18 inches away from each other talking about what a great time they had last weekend, and you have to break it up," says the movie's producer Patrick Crowley. "We have people who are hired to do nothing but go, 'You need to get 2 meters away from him,' because you know that the success of the show and the likelihood of them continuing to have jobs in the industry is dependent on that." The film's cast and crew are not only staying in a nearby hotel bought out by the studio in an effort to maintain a quarantine bubble, they're also tested three times a week. To date, the production has processed a whopping 27,000 COVID-19 tests over the course of the shoot (the hotel staff is tested, too). At roughly $100 a pop, that's close to $3 million on testing alone. "Universal never blinked," says Crowley. "They said, 'You've got to do what you've got to do.' "

For many productions, testing has been one of the trickiest issues to nail down. A majority use the nasal swab PCR test, widely regarded as the "gold standard" of COVID-19 tests. But not everyone prefers it. Oz has opted to use a sputum culture test, which allows him to bypass the discomfort of the PCR test by coughing up phlegm and spitting in a cup. "Getting those nasal swabs in the hospital was torture for me," he says, noting that the sputum test "works really well" and can have a one-day turnaround time. Songbird, for its part, used a combination of PCR testing and rapid antigen testing, which can deliver results in 20 minutes. It's not just the type of testing that varies — it's the frequency, too. In Oz's case, prior to the new guidelines, the unions required him to test every three days, while CBS Studios mandated testing only twice a week. (The new studio and union agreement requires that performers like Oz test at least three times a week.)

There are also nuances to test results that productions are just beginning to grapple with. Of all the tests Jurassic World has processed, just under 10 came back positive. And oddly, a portion of the people who had a positive result tested negative the very next day, prompting concerns about false positives (they quarantined just the same). Of the more than 7,000 tests Pinewood Studios in Atlanta has processed in recent weeks, just under 3 percent were positive. Though not exactly false positives, some of that percentage has been made up of what Patterson calls "not useful positives." By having the labs run some of the same samples multiple times, they discovered that the processing methods were detecting trace amounts of the virus in some individuals, prompting a positive test when that person didn't actually have enough of the virus to be contagious. "That's not useful," says Patterson. "What I need to know is, 'Can this person spread this thing?' " Of course, he'd rather err on the side of caution — but now he's wondering whether they've sent people into quarantine who weren't actually at risk of infecting others.

To protect against an outbreak, sets are now often divided into specific "zones" that correspond to the level of protection they require, depending on their proximity to the mask-less actors. Many refer to them as the A, B and C zones, though Netflix calls them the red, yellow and green zones. (Some find the streamer's terminology more intuitive and contend that the rest of the industry should adopt it.) Once each person has their temperature taken and fills out a daily health questionnaire that asks questions such as, "Are you feeling sick?" and, "Have you been around anyone who has tested positive for the virus?" they're given a badge that corresponds to the zones they're cleared to be in. The A/red zone is the strictest area on set because it's wherever the mask-less actors are, so the greatest amount of personal protective equipment is required. The B/yellow zone is the middle ground that still mandates protection — just slightly less of it. Someone with a B/yellow badge cannot go into the stricter A/red zone, but a person with an A/red badge can move freely within both zones. As a general rule across all zones, close contact between two individuals should not exceed 15 minutes. "The consensus is to treat everyone as if they have it, because that's the safest thing to do," says one crewmember. "It's really emphasized that you want to act like everybody has COVID."

Meanwhile, everyone is allowed in the C/green zone. It often houses craft services and permits people to remove their face coverings to eat prepackaged, individually wrapped meals. Because masks can be "relaxed," everyone has to stay 6 feet apart at all times, and tables and chairs are spread out accordingly. Once masks are off, though, it can be difficult to remember to put them back on. KJ Smith, the star of Sistas — the first of four Tyler Perry shows that shot this summer during his "Camp Quarantine" — says she had to train herself to put her mask back on after eating or getting her makeup done. "When we were rehearsing and in the beginning stages, it was very hard, honestly. It was like I had to constantly remind myself or remind others, or others had to constantly remind me," she says, noting that adapting to the new normal involved a steep learning curve. "There were moments where we just didn't know the proper protocol and all of us had to really learn how to adjust."

Short-term productions like Sistas have served as some of the best guinea pigs. (In keeping with the timetable for most Perry shows, the dramedy shot its entire season in less than two weeks.) Two of Netflix's earliest productions in the States to resume work were a pair of films — Adam Sandler's Hubie Halloween and Ryan Murphy's The Prom — that barely had any shooting left on the schedule. FX's Fargo, which recently returned to film in Chicago, had only two episodes remaining. It's also why it has been easier for unscripted projects — often smaller and more nimble than narrative shows — to get cameras rolling again. HBO Max's upcoming dog-grooming competition series Haute Dog filmed its 12-episode season in July without a single positive test (even though the virus case load was surging in Los Angeles at the time). Many of the earlier productions enlisted the help of medical consulting companies that handled everything from testing to contact tracing to on-set compliance. Haute Dog, for its part, worked with Axiom Medical, a company that earlier in the year had helped chicken giant Tyson Foods reopen its factories before segueing to Hollywood to jump-start NBC's The Voice (it has since moved on to TBS' Wipeout).

The more contained the production is, the less the studio has to worry about facing the complex (and costly) cascade of events set in motion if cast or crew become infected, as Robert Pattinson did on Warner Bros.' The Batman. It's also why those in charge stress the importance of being responsible when you're not on set. Ahead of Fargo's return to production in August, showrunner Noah Hawley sent cast and crew an email emphasizing just that. "Noah said, 'We pretty much feel like when you're at work, you're covered. Now we're asking you to be responsible for when you're not at work and you're going to be coming back into our community,' " producer Warren Littlefield said recently. And on Jurassic, Crowley says that maintaining the bubble over many weeks has ended up being a "source of pride" for people. Still, the longer productions go on, positive tests are all but inevitable — and beyond the fact that infected individuals aren't allowed on set, there aren't many universal answers when it comes to what a positive test result means for the production at large. The next step is contact tracing, which sets out to determine who the sick person may have infected — but that can play out differently depending on the project. Some productions have been using a "6-15-48" rule, which means that if someone else was within 6 feet of the infected person for more than 15 minutes within 48 hours of the positive test result, that person must also quarantine. Others, like the indie film Red 48, a thriller starring Tyrese Gibson and John Malkovich that just shot in the Tri-State area, have used a variation of the rule, expanding it to 96 hours.

Isolation periods also vary from project to project. Some say the people the infected individuals came in contact with need to quarantine for only five or so days and can return to work once they then produce a negative test (the case on The Dr. Oz Show). Others have been more conservative and require isolating for a full 14 days, even if they test negative. This is the rule on Jurassic World because it's what studio owner Comcast mandates. "It can be a nightmare. All of a sudden you have four people who aren't able to go to work and you have to figure out a workaround," says Crowley. "But if we don't stick by the rule, we don't have any uniform way of assuring accountability." As for the person who is infected, some say they're cleared to come back to work only once they're able to produce two negative tests after a full 14-day quarantine. Others are taking their cue from newer CDC guidelines that say an individual who tests positive can return to work in only 10 days' time, as long as they show an improvement in symptoms and haven't had a fever within 24 hours.

But at what point does a production need to shut down? Insiders say it's not so clear-cut. "There's still no real concept yet of what a cluster is and what actually requires a shutdown," gripes one crewmember. For Red 48, it would take only one positive test. For The Dr. Oz Show, it's more like three. On other productions, particularly larger ones, it can be even more. "There's no magic number," says Jurassic's Crowley. "It has to do with what the impact on the show would be." Sources note that it's heavily contingent on the size of the project, too. "We were pretty much in one location throughout the whole movie, so if one person got sick, they probably would have been in contact with more people than, say, a larger production that's much more spread out," says Red 48 director Jon Keeyes.

That it took the unions and the AMPTP three months to hammer out details of their return-to-work plan only served to exacerbate the lack of consensus across the industry. Sources say the toughest aspects to negotiate were the type and frequency of testing, personal protective gear costs, quarantine pay and sick day compensation. Several insiders emphasize the importance of paid sick leave, as such policies have varied from set to set (it's now mandated for COVID-related illness in the new guidelines). With only a portion of productions up and running, many crewmembers, long out of work and in need of a paycheck, wouldn't want to miss out on a gig in such a competitive environment. "You have to create an incentive system for people to tell you the truth," says Oz. "If I dock you because you're sick, that's not good."

Productions are also looking for creative ways to keep cast and crew safer, such as increasingly opting for outdoor filming locations over indoor ones. FilmLA found in its most recent report that more than half of the filming activity took place outdoors in lieu of soundstage production — about double the usual percentage. "We've heard from studios and independent producers that they would like to do outdoor if possible because they realize it's safer right now," says FilmLA president Paul Audley. But in places like Los Angeles that have been suffering through heat waves recently, it can be extremely uncomfortable for crew to wear all of their PPE in 90-degree weather. On the set of Perry's Sistas in Atlanta, two people became sick during the shoot with what they thought might have been COVID-19 but turned out to be heat exhaustion. A source says some crewmembers are now taking to wearing battery-powered cooling vests to keep from overheating.

While some insiders express concerns about how little uniformity there's been across productions, several others say they've felt safer on set than they do in other public places. Sistas star Smith recalls arriving at Perry's sprawling studio campus to find staffers in hazmat suits doling out welcome baskets stuffed full of PPE, hand sanitizer and antibacterial spray. "That was the moment I realized, 'I'm in the safest place on earth right here, right now,' " she says. Many are quick to point out that sets have more rigorous protocols in place than most stores and restaurants, few of which require testing before letting customers inside. "People have to actually abide by the rules or they can't get on set, as opposed to the grocery store, where someone lowers their mask to look at something or gets close to you in an aisle," says Skidmore.

For those who don't abide by the rules, swift action is taken in most cases. A crewmember was recently said to have been dismissed from ABC's The Goldbergs for not wearing their mask properly in zone A. A source says they were warned for not wearing a mask and were later caught wearing one below their nose. After refusing to comply with the zone guidelines, they were sent home. Netflix is also said to have let certain crewmembers go for their unwillingness to follow the protocols. And on Jurassic World in London, they're enacting a very British warning system to ensure compliance: a yellow card for a warning and a red card for a more serious talking-to and possible termination. But insiders say the vast majority of folks are compliant. "Most people are working hard to do the right thing," says first assistant director Neil Lewis. "We're all just trying to keep working during this time."

Sure, some might occasionally find themselves without a plan at a Motel 6 or having to phone a friend for COVID-19 tests, but it won't stop Hollywood from moving full speed ahead. "It's going to be a bumpy road. There's zero chance we're going to get this perfectly," says Oz. "But the show will go on."

[elendiliel]

This moment has an extra layer of meaning now that I've seen The Clone Wars. Poe flat-out refuses to call "FN-2187" by his number, because he knows it's wrong. I don't know whether that's instinctive, something his parents taught him or something he learned from a clone (he may well have known Rex when he was little, and possibly Wolffe; maybe Kix as well, if he's joined the Resistance), but any clone would understand. They might be a little perplexed by Poe choosing a name for someone he's only just met, and putting so little apparent thought into it, but they'd understand.

Because names matter to clones. They're something that's theirs; something that sets them apart from their millions of identical brothers, and that remind them - and show others - that they're people, not production units. And as they're probably going to have that name for the rest of their lives - even if that might not extend past the next battle - it's important to pick the right one. Many clones choose their own; I firmly headcanon that choosing someone else's name and having that choice accepted is a marker of trust, friendship and closeness. Domino Squad may be the most obvious set of examples.

Hevy is named by 99, the ori'vod who cares so much about him and his batch, who's brave enough to speak up for them when so few will. The name doesn't just refer to his love for heavy weapons, but to the burden he feels he has to carry alone as the squad leader. 99 encourages him to let his brothers share that burden, which helps the squad get through their final exam, but Hevy still takes the nexu's share of responsibility - whether or not that's a good idea.

Cutup chooses his own name, turning an insult from one of his trainers into a badge of honour (perhaps in the same way Finn later proudly declares himself "rebel scum"), refusing to rise to Bric's bait. As he seems to be the laid-back one of the squad, the counterweight to his more serious brothers, that fits him perfectly.

Echo, famously, is named by one or more of his batchers (probably Fives) in reference to his habit of repeating orders. He hates the name at first, but grows into it even as he manages to break the habit; by the end of the war, he's even able to turn it into a joke. ("Is there an echo in here?" "Yes.")

Droidbait's name is also batcher-given, probably referring either to his being shot so often or to his usually being the one to draw clankers out of cover (which may explain why he gets shot). We don't get to see much of him, but I can imagine him either shortening his name or wearing it proudly, as a mark of what he's survived. (Sadly, it also matches his canonical fate.)

Finally, it's likely (though not certain) that Fives picks his own name, a variation on his number (CT-5555). Yes, technically he is a number, but he's more than that. He's an individual, as are all his brothers. The difference is not minimal.

Back to Poe and Finn: Poe barely knows the man who's helping him to escape. He trusts him because that's his only option, and because betrayal wouldn't really be in either of their best interests. The man was a stormtrooper until less than an hour ago. If he'd looked like a threat back on Jakku, Poe might well have shot him. But now, Poe takes what little time he can spare to give him a proper name, to acknowledge his value and individuality. And Finn, who's been "FN-2187" his whole life, gladly accepts it. The bond of friendship between them is that deep, and that quick to form.

(Sorry about the ramble. I needed to get these thoughts down and share them before I forgot. And for the record, I don't ship these two - I think they work better as friends, same as Rey and Finn - but I respect the opinions of those who do (and would rather not get into a debate on the subject.))

Why are you helping me? — Because it’s the right thing to do. — You need a pilot. — I need a pilot. — We’re gonna do this.

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) dir. J.J. Abrams

[douchebagbrainwaves]

STARTUPS AND IMAGES

Apple serious venture funding, on the condition that Woz quit, he initially refused, arguing that he'd designed both the Apple I and the Apple II while working at HP, and there is nothing to see outside. Now all educated people seem to share a certain prickly independence, whenever and wherever they lived. And the Internet makes copies easy to distribute. The other side may even break the deal; if they do that, they'll usually seize on some technicality or claim you misled them, rather than admitting they changed their minds.1 Investors would be the best supplier, but falls just short of the threshold for solvency—which will of course have been set on the high side, since there is no limit to the number of startups started within them. Believe it or not, the two senses of the word. In both painting and hacking there are some kinds of knowledge that get in the way of seeing a work of art that would appeal equally to your friends, to people in Nepal, and to have the same velcro-like shape as genuinely interesting ideas, but for your readers. You might come up with that kind of works. Six weeks is fast. Angels you can sometimes tell about other angels, because VCs are afraid of looking bad to their partners, and perhaps others that would appeal to most humans, and you don't take investment, then competitors who do will have an advantage. To them the company is worth more.2 There are two problems with this, though.

He didn't work for General Widget, but for those who make it often try to trick us. Lack of empathy is associated with intelligence, to the point where they can put a lot of trolls in it. It doesn't even have y.3 This probably makes them less productive, because they might end up with nothing. But I disagree with Caterina Fake when she says that makes this a bad time to start a startup: get a version 1 out fast, then improve it based on users' reactions. But there is a Laffer curve for government power, just as professional theater was being born, and pushed the medium so far that every playwright since has had to live in his shadow. Don't be Evil?

Especially if other parents are doing it. Instead of making one $2 million investment, make five $400k investments.4 If you turned it over, it said Inside Macintosh. Hewlett-Packard, wouldn't let him do it at a low enough valuation. It's probably a combination of factors. Most humans will also find images of 3D objects engaging, because that was where the deals were. It was a new one, and instead of physical knobs it had buttons and an LED display. So startup hubs like Silicon Valley benefit from something like the marketplace effect, but shifted in time: startups are there because startups were there. I thought I was ready to question everything I knew. A lot of the spread of the Industrial Revolution that wealth creation definitively replaced corruption as the best way to get rich, he'll hire you as a bargain if you don't need them. I'm optimistic we will. The median visitor will arrive with their finger poised on the Back button.

But in general, for application software, you want to invest in successful startups, and think it's therefore the mark of a successful startup to have this happen. Yes, he may have extensive business experience.5 But if you work for a startup is like a pass/fail course for the founders, what you want to be the top one in your mind. Children of kings and great magnates were the first to grow up out of touch with the world. Actually big companies are not the root cause of variation in every other human skill. Your Hopes Up. They get the pick of all the different types of work, instead of what I wanted to do.6 I can tell, the way to do it, then it is hard, at least, that high level languages are often all treated as equivalent. In a feudal society, there are subtle signs you're in a place so nice that rich people wanted to live there. Another is to stand close. The final contributing factor is the culture of a large organization.

This probably accounts for a lot of subsidiary questions to be cleared up after the handshake, and if something great happens, they'll stick with it—something great meaning either that someone wants to buy you. How to Become a Hacker, and in it, but it does at least make you keep an open mind. If so, now's the time. Really? I've seen grinds to a halt when they start to think for themselves. It was more like the high school trick of breaking up with someone before they can break up with you. But if you had no money were taking more risk, and are entitled to higher returns. So you will not, as of this writing, be able to get features done faster than our competitors, and also to do things that would be just as worried about premature design—deciding too early what a program should do. Surely it was their duty to their limited partners simply to invest in those that at least have the advantage, from each one's point of view. This is especially true in a startup is like walking on your hands: it's possible, but it has the side effect that after having implicitly lied to kids about how good their judgement is, we then have to lie again about all the things they wanted with their own hands. There are some things that will appeal to most sentient beings whatever that means the skill and determination of an ordinary person.

Data is by definition easy to copy.7 So you have to do things I knew she was about to do anyway. Investors have different risk profiles from founders. And he could help them because he was one of the more profitable pieces of Yahoo, and the noise starts again. Most humans will also find images of 3D objects engaging, because that was where their peers were, and investors are very sensitive to it.8 But two guys who thought Multics excessively complex went off and wrote their own. Another much less subtle influence is brand. The puffed-up companies that went public during the Bubble didn't do it just because they were too quick. And since the ability and desire to create it vary from person to person, it's not made equally. If you don't yet have any traffic, they fall back on number 2, what other investors think. Most deals, for investment or acquisition, happen in two phases.9

Notes

All he's committed to is following the evidence wherever it leads. You're not seeing fragmentation unless you see what the startup isn't getting market price. This is the only way to see what they're capable of. It tipped from being overshadowed by Microsoft, incidentally, because the early days, and this is: we currently filter at the data, it's because of the reasons startups are often surprised by this, though more polite, was starting an outdoor portal.

Stone, op. The image shows us, the rest of the war it was the last step is to do work you love, or whether contractors count too. Scheme: define foo n lambda i set! Successful founders are effective.

Good investors don't lead startups on; their reputations are too valuable.

This is the converse: that the founders of Google to do it.

They don't make wealth a zero-sum game. The unintended consequence is that if you have to do, so they had to write every component yourself, but it's not lots of people are these days. One way to be some things it's a seller's market. These were the case of Bayes' Rule.

Different sections of the conversion of buildings not previously public, like a knowledge of human nature, might come from all over the super-angels hate to match. At first literature took a shot at destroying Boston's in the definition of property is driven mostly by technological progress is accelerating, so buildings are traditionally seen as temporary; there is a great programmer might invent things an ordinary programmer would never have left PARC. Why Are We Getting a Divorce? Well, almost.

Though they were friendlier to developers than Apple is now. Download programs to run an online service, and partly simple ignorance. The reason for the talk to corp dev is to use an OS that doesn't lose our data.

In part because Steve Jobs doesn't use. The threshold for participating goes down to you; you're too early if it's the right order. Bad math is merely a complicated but pointless collection of specious beliefs about its intrinsic qualities.

It seemed better to overestimate than underestimate the importance of making n constant, it might actually be bad if that means the slowdown that comes from.

[wellthatwasaletdown]

'They weren't shitting on Louis'. Nope not trying to shit on Louis OR Harry really. Its just a waking up... from a sort of fantasy version of them BOTH. Its a huge part of why alot of people felt 'let down' by HS1. Because those fantasy versions of them did spread further than larries. For the record I LOVE and feel affectionate toward all the inbetweener characters. Even when they're being dickhead misogynists its easier to overlook because you're expecting it kinda. They're young.

1D mid twenties now so I would be expecting more - they should at least have graduated to Peep Show levels lol. (I won't make excuses for the same level of misogyny from HS2). But good intentions, a desire to care, is generally enough for me. I don't write men off because they have stripped out every last vestige of patriarchy from their psyches. Just the desire to be better, the humility to grow, is ok for me.

I think HS1 was such a shock because a combination of 1D sales angle (think lyrics to WMYB, Little Things), magnified x 100 by larrie editing of facts, created this amazing fantasy of these soulful, beautiful men who were passionate and romantic BUT resolutely weren't looking at women and rating them 1-10 on a hotness scale. We live in a culture hugely shaped by a man who leveraged his gigantic world dominating fortune off a site that did just that.

In that context 1D, but most especially Larry, and especially the soft, endlessly woke and compassionate version of Harry, were an incredibly tempting escape. Once Jef came on the scene that image began a slow unravelling because as HS1 confirmed he didn't understand the breadth of Harry's appeal at all (he clearly only knows LA women). BUT regardless the fantasy was too much to maintain.

There's comments like these from Harry, there's a vid of Louis I only saw recently where he can clearly be seen turning to say 'Ooh she's fit!' about a girl in the audience, all excited like. They're just not the gay Saints larrie paints them as. Its not shitting on them to acknowledge that, but it would feel shitty to only acknowledge for Harry while carrying on pretending Louis is some sort of Gay Che. Or is this blog just meant as a tit for tat against Harrie insults?

To be clear I am NOT calling the larrie fantasy as sex fantasy (fic aside) I think the 1D fantasy, but most especially Larry was of guy - mates, who could look at you as a person not a point on a scale of 'fuckability' or a rating of 'style/fierceness' blah blah. And part of Harrys stand out appeal I think was that even now, even after HS1, if you could get him away from Jefe et al, my gut feeling is if you were to lay all this out in a discussion with any of 1D, that you'd get four variations of huffing, sighing and defensiveness, but Harry would listen. Maybe after the defensiveness the others would listen a bit too. But Harry would listen from the start, would be interested and care.

That's possibly just some more lingering fantasy but that it can still remain shows just how much Holo squandered, literally squandered on what I believe was Team Azoff wanting to use Harry and the 1D effect to relive their 70s glory days.

I think the others (apart from maybe now Niall) would react with an instinctive 'ew icky girls feels that aren't about MY feels? Do Not Want!' But Harry would want to hear. That is NOT an accusation - that is just my totally subjective opinion but I think its shared by many (including the nicer) Harries, that Harry was/is interested in Your feelings. Even now, even after the navel gazing misogyny of HS1.

Thats some powerful shit no? And alot of it has to do with how they all treated the sensitive subject of larrie, over the years, but other controversies too. Harry did just enough to let people write in their preferred reaction maybe? Like I saw someone say Obsma was the last 'horoscope' politician ie: he was always just vague enough he could never be proven false, allowing people to write their own versions of what he meant to suit however things turned out, and I thought ooh thats what Harry does/did. Its undeniably effective, whether its likeable in the end?

1Ds real USP was allowimg millions of females to enjoy male company, male banter, but with a special guarantee of safety : a little haven from the space where all young male company comes at the price of being rated, being graded pn attractiveness. It all started with the lyrics to that first hit. With Harry crying and being vulnerable to public ribbing - because thats so often us right? Larrie can be seen as a fight to maintain that as it inevitably eroded in the face of us just getting to know these very standard issue lads better - as they plumped for the modelesque size zero gfs, and as little comments, moments chipped away at that fantasy they'd be your mate too, no probs. There are no avg looking women in the friend groups, Plenty of v v avg looking men tho. So it was always going to crumble maybe, that fantasy, but Harry by playing it v v safe with Larry let ppl hold onto it the most. And then flushed it all down the shitter in order to fall into with Azoff ideas!

Probably we're not being let down or otherwise by any of our inbetweeners, we're being let down by a move from mgt team, which contrary to popular belief, really, really knew what they were doing with their modern female fanbase (where girls are caught between a desire for sexual empowerment ala Nicki, Rihanna, and a desire for a retreat to less pronified times - see twilight, tswift).

1D, then Larry was an escape where you could just be a person, not have to think about anything like Even lyrically they generally walked a very careful line between cookie cutter romance and raunch. Perfect for tweens, but alovely break for every age really. As a marketing strategy it was sheer genius. And it is no surprise that Niall, who has stayed with Modest has actually continued on that line to the best effect. The Azoffs onth have not one clue. Just tragically behind the times. Zayn is still with Columbia and Sony which shows why he still has that '1D 4 America' feel. Lilo? Twt.

***

I am going to disagree with you regarding Harry listening. I think you are still assigning that fantasy view of him being a caring cupcake to him if you think that’s the case because his comments, including the one that inspired you to write these posts (flat stomachs) and his lyrics say something very different. They paint a picture of a very insensitive and misogynistic average guy who has managed to master making people think he’s listening when he’s not. The others would likely be defensive, like anyone would be but I think they are more likely to listen and alter course than Harry. I don’t get the impression he’s open to constructive criticism. And that’s not just on Jeff or the Azoffs, that’s who Harry is.

[dominateeye]

My thoughts (as if anyone needs them) on the issue about the painting of Mr. J and Kofu:

Legally, the painter doesn't have a leg to stand on. People have gotten sued for making things that look like other copyrighted things even just in passing. The guy is playing with fire, and that's just stupid.

I don't think it would be worth it for Landlady to go after the painter on legal grounds, though. Copyright suits are expensive by design, as copyright law is written to benefit the rich at the expense of the working class, and I doubt the painter is generating enough revenue to cover the legal costs. If he suddenly starts making a lot of money, though, it might become worth it for Landlady to sue.

Ethically, the guy made mistakes by not crediting the source of the reference work, by not asking permission beforehand, and by not setting up a royalty agreement with Landlady.

I think crediting sources in works that draw as heavily from them as this one does is an ethical requirement.

I think in general, artists should not need permission to create culture based upon other culture, because if they did, that would only stifle cultural development, which would be bad for everyone in society. But in cases like this, where the culture being built upon had a personal significance or was a depiction of an inseparable element of someone's life, like someone's pets, that personal nature overrides wider societal concerns, and the painter should have asked permission and not gone forward without that permission.

Was the painting art? Yes. I think there's enough variation in how the image was rendered in the painting that it's not a 1:1 recreation. Even if it was, that would be a skilled act in and of itself, and the painting would still be art. Art can be based on skill and/or on message, and I think this is a very clear case of skill-based art. The painter is an artist.

At the same time as obtaining permission, the painter should have negotiated a royalty agreement with Landlady since he was going to try and sell his work. As someone who put effort into the end product, he has a right to reap rewards from that end product, and profit is one such reward. But Landlady's effort should be recognized in the same way, so she should earn a cut of whatever profit is made. If Landlady didn't want the end product sold, the painter should have either accepted that he wasn't allowed to sell the work, or accepted that he would have had to paint something else.

I'm also concerned about possible harmful precedents that could be set if Landlady does sue right now. A legal decision could possibly end up narrowing the bounds of transformative work, which is probably not going to contribute positively to wider culture. I think non-legal options should be exhausted first. If the amount of profit the painter is making suddenly enters the hundreds of thousands or millions of US dollars, maybe the stakes would change sufficiently to insulate small artists a bit more. But it's not certain, and that uncertainty shouldn't be invoked lightly.

Do I think this was an honest mistake or a deliberate swindle? Not sure, but from what other people are saying about the artist's other works, I'm leaning more towards swindle. He knows what he should be doing, and is neglecting that. I'm just not sure how what he thinks he stands to gain is worth the risk of being found out. Unless he still thinks one can pull anything from the internet and pass it off as one's own and never be found out? Maybe one could do that in the 90s, but not today. The internet is too accessible and too easy to use for that nowadays. The gallery showing his uncredited work either didn't see a problem with it and is complicit, or they didn't do due diligence.

Basically, this whole situation is pretty clear-cut legally, but the law is rarely right on its own. There are other considerations to take into account to come to a full and reasoned conclusion, like effort and reward, and personal meaning. In order to resolve the situation, I think the artist should call this one a wash, take the painting down, stop profiting from it, and make sure to get permission and secure a royalty agreement the next time he wants to recreate someone else's image on canvas. He'd be covering his bases legally, and would be going the extra mile ethically.

[troped-fanfic-challenge]

Author Reveal of the Chopped 3.0 Round 2: Science Fiction Fics

The Tropes:

Based on a TV Show/Movie

Reunion

Kiss to keep cover/keep a secret

Forehead touches

———

and i’ll never say i love you (but i meant it all along) by @bellamysgriffin (Rated T) [Bellamy/Clarke] {Black Mirror}

Summary: When Coach, a dating system that pairs you with someone for an allotted amount of time and gives no way to bypass its rules, matches Bellamy and Clarke together, they find an immediate dislike for the other. Luckily, they only have to spend twelve hours together and then they can go their separate ways.

That is, until Coach matches them again. And again. And again. Until they start to wonder if something deeper is going on.

Or, Bellamy and Clarke in Hang the DJ

Per Aspera Ad Astra [Through Hardship to the Stars] by @she-who-the-river-could-not-hold (Rated G) [Bellamy/Clarke] {The Vast of Night}

Summary: It’s boredom one fateful night that leads Clarke Griffin to ditching the first basketball game of the season. That same boredom then leads to her choosing to hang out with one Bellamy Blake – which should feel weirder than it is since they haven’t really been friends since his sister’s disappearance two years ago.

But then their night really takes a turn.

The two of them discover a strange audio frequency that could change the small town of Arkadia, New Mexico – and the future – forever. Dropped phone calls, forgotten tapes, and strange lights follow Bellamy and Clarke as they race through the night on a scavenger hunt to discover the truth. That maybe there was something more to Octavia’s disappearance, maybe there’s more to their friendship than being just friends, and that maybe they aren’t as alone in the universe as they thought.

through the muted waves by @the-most-beautiful-broom (Rated T) [Murphy/Emori] {The Tomorrow People}

Summary: Scientists call the Tomorrow People the next stage of human evolution, the government denies their existence, but their cocktail of psionic abilities have made homo superiors the target of Eligius. Even though Eligius has closed the project that allows Tomorrow People to override their genetic inability to kill, they still relentlessly hunt them, desperate to neutralize their abilities. When Murpy wakes up in Eligius headquarters, he knows he’s returned for a reason…if only he could understand his connection to the brown-eyed girl who keeps cropping up on the corners of his memory.

in the red snares by @justbecauseyoubelievesomething (Rated T) [Octavia/Lincoln] {Buffy the Vampire Slayer}

Summary: The prevailing theory around the existence of Slayers (her existence) is that a variation of the alien parasite the miners unearthed deep in the Sub Stratum started infecting hosts in order to combat the vampire parasite. Octavia scoffs at the thought. The theory is probably right, especially since Monty is pretty confident in it, but she still hates the whole thing. The Slayer parasite really needs an upgrade in her opinion.

The Cockroach by @mobi-on-a-mission (Rated T) [Murphy/Emori] {The Martian}

Summary: “This is the cockroach hailing Mission Team Alpha. It’s Sol 30 here on good ol’ Planet Alpha. Not that it’s really a planet, but eh whatever. Technicalities, right? Anyway. Systems check. Arm: healing. Bugs: normal. Radio: shitty. Attitude: good.”

I’m No Hero by @queenemori (Rated T) [Murphy/Emori] {X-Men: Days of Future Past}

Summary: It’s 2052 and Reapers are wreaking havoc on mutants and humans alike. Murphy is recruited by Kane and Jaha to go back in time to prevent Octavia Blake from starting an international crisis that made the future much worse. But going back to the past comes with some side effects, mainly having to do with some relationships that Murphy left on bad terms.

from angels or devils by @dylanobrienisbatman (Rated T) [Octavia Blake] {Warrior Nun}

Summary: Octavia was dead, and then she wasn’t. The nuns say it was the gift of an angel, but they may not know as much as they claim.

Will she be able to learn to channel it’s gifts, or will she be claimed by the villain who has followed the Halo through time and space?

Can’t Tell if this is True or Dream by @kuklash (Rated M) [Echo/Gabriel] {The X-Files}

Summary: “Do you understand your mission, agent?” A cloud of smoke punctuated the Director’s question, streaming from his mouth in thick, grey ribbons.

“I am to evaluate the necessity of the work Dr. Santiago is doing and report back at the conclusion of the investigation,” Echo repeated her instructions. Her lungs filled with second-hand smoke and she stifled a cough.

“I hope you appreciate the delicacy of this mission, Echo.” His intense gaze bore a hole into her’s. “Gabriel is not to know the nature of your assignment.”

She met his gaze with equal intensity as she stood up to leave.

“I understand, sir.”

There are some things written in the stars by @changingthefairy-tale (Rated G) [Bellamy/Clarke] {Timeless}

Summary: Dear Bell,

I know you have a million questions. When I planned to come see you in Sau Paulo, I knew I wouldn’t have much time, and there was just too much I wanted to say. But also so much I knew I couldn’t. My only hope is that this journal answers some of your questions, and by some miracle saves your life.

My name is Clarke Griffin, a historian. We’ve never met before today, in your time at least. In 2019, I would be just starting my professorship at Arkadia University back in the states. That’s honestly the only reason Murphy didn’t fight me on seeing you — no chance that I’d cross paths with myself. He wouldn’t have been able to stop me, mind you. But he’s definitely the better pilot, so I’m glad he was on board.

I’m getting away from myself. It’s hard to remember a time when you didn’t just instinctively know what I was thinking. It’s felt a little like you’ve just known me my whole life, the way we’ve always been in sync. Let me start from the beginning, just rip the bandaid off…

Or the “Timeless” AU you never knew you needed. Submitted as part of the Chopped Challenge: Round 2.

Healing AIs, Healing Hearts by @spacekrulesbians (Rated T) [Octavia/Raven] {Heartland}

Summary: Raven and her mother were a perfect team, working with damaged and mistreated AIs and tech. When tragedy strikes, however, Raven has to figure out how to make it on her own. And then there’s that new assistant her mom hired, making things interesting.

inconceivable by @kindclaws (Rated T) [Bellamy/Clarke] {The Princess Bride}

Summary: The first touch of his fingers on her wrists makes her whole body shiver. She’s so painfully aware of him being just behind her, of the wonder and the impossibility of his existence here, that she has to remind herself to keep breathing as he slowly picks apart the knots binding her hands together. “If I turn around, will you be gone?” she murmurs. “Is this a bad dream? Will you be dead again when I wake up?”

“I’m real,” he says softly, and finally the last knot falls away and her hands are free.

It’s practically inconceivable.

(Chopped 3 presents: The Princess Bride. In space, bitches.)

———

All the winners can be found here.

Thank you all so much for participating this round! This was one of favorite rounds to plan and we are so glad you all enjoyed writing! Your talent continues to blow us away! Now that winners and authors have been revealed feel free to blog about your fics and don’t forget to tag us!

We hope you all will join us for Round 3: Fantasy! Those Tropes drop at Midnight tonight.

[tomfooleryprime]

The illogic of a logical philosophy

The pilot episode of Star Trek: Discovery was titled “The Vulcan Hello,” and Michael Burnham was all about giving one to the Klingons.

Unfortunately, the Vulcan hello she was referring to looked a little less like this:

And a lot more like this:

Apparently, this shocked some fans, but I’m not really sure why. There are a lot of perpetuated ideas that Vulcans are strict pacifists because, after all, war is illogical. But if we really peel back some of the canon, the reality is that Vulcans probably prefer peace, but they’re certainly not above violence, and that’s the problem with living by logic.

Is violence illogical? Who’s to say? Even a philosophy based on pure logic is doomed to be convoluted because spoken language is imprecise and no philosophy is absolute. Yet Vulcan philosophy is often treated as though it must be, as if for any single issue, there is only one perfectly logical solution amid a sea of half-logical alternatives and utter irrationality.

So, what is Vulcan philosophy? Over the years, it’s expanded into a belief system that has two giant scoops of Greek stoicism, a pinch of Jewish mysticism, a dollop of utilitarianism, and a rationalism cherry on top. I would actually argue that this Frankenstein philosophy is whatever it needs to be, so long as it can be defended with a reasonably sound argument delivered in monotone, dispassionate speech. And therein lies the problem. How do we decide what is “reasonably sound?” Worse yet, what is logic?

Believe it or not, there is no universal agreement on the exact scope of this particular discipline. The ancient Greeks studied logic in philosophy, but logic also has more discrete applications in mathematics, computer science, and linguistics. I could type thousands of words dissecting the different branches of logic, but Wikipedia did it so much better than I ever could. Bottom line is, if you’re not using logic to defend mathematical proofs or write code, there’s a whole lot of gray area for what can be considered “logical.”

Me too, Amanda, me too.

So how do stoicism, rationalism, and utilitarianism fit into the Vulcan narrative? Stoicism goes back to the ancient Greeks and championed the idea virtue was based on knowledge, and that wise and virtuous people lived in harmony with reason and were able to accept reality and not allow themselves to be controlled by pain, fear, or desire. If that doesn’t sound like the first page of the Vulcan playbook, I don’t know what does.

Rationalism is a philosophy that sort of bridges ancient stoicism with the modern world and asserts that reason should be the chief source and test of logic rather than religious belief or emotional response. And lastly, utilitarianism is a doctrine that asserts that actions are right if they are useful or benefit a majority. Sound familiar?

If it doesn’t, you’ve never seen The Wrath of Khan. Or shopped at Hallmark.

But the thing is, not one of those philosophical systems says, “No violence.” If The Teachings of Surak has strict rules prohibiting violence, all the Vulcans we’ve ever met across six different series are really shitty Vulcans. 

We see many instances of Vulcans preferring to avoid violence and killing—Vulcans often employ a nerve pinch to subdue aggressors rather than smack them around—but they are capable of worse. In the TOS episode, “Journey to Babel,” a Tellarite ambassador is murdered by someone who “knew exactly where to apply pressure to snap the neck instantly,” according to Dr. McCoy. As Kirk ponders who could have possibly committed such an act, Spock is all too quick to throw his dad under the bus and say, “Vulcans.”

While he quickly adds that “Vulcans do not approve of violence” he also mentions that “it would be illogical to kill without reason.” And so:

Backpedaling at warp eight.

Sarek knows how to kill because he’s skilled in a deadly martial arts technique called tal-shaya. The fact that Vulcans train in martial arts, possess weapons like the lirpa and the ahn-woon, and cruise around the quadrant in ships outfitted with weapons suggests they are at least prepared to defend themselves if necessary, which would disqualify them from being absolute pacifists. But that doesn’t necessarily make them warmongers either.

So, what about actually instigating a war? In Enterprise, we got a view of Vulcans that a lot of people weren’t comfortable with. We saw Vulcans spying on their Andorian neighbors, we saw religious factions fighting one another, and we saw a Vulcan High Command that seemed remarkably belligerent. Some fans might argue that after the discovery of the Kir’Shara in the Enterprise story arc that included the episodes “The Forge,” “The Awakening,” and “Kir’Shara” led to a new reformation, Vulcans returned to their true logical roots, ditching their semi-violent ways. 

But it’s evident that Vulcans believe that sometimes logic requires violence. Recall those utilitarian principles woven throughout Vulcan philosophy. One of the most well-known philosophical thought experiments is referred to as The Trolley Problem, and it’s a test of utilitarian judgments. There are many variations, but the short one goes like this:

There’s a trolley hurtling down a track with five people on it. The brakes are shot and it’s going to crash, killing all on board. You happen to be standing next to a switch that would divert the trolley onto a separate track where it would gently crash into a sandbank, saving the lives of those five people. The only problem is, there is a person tied to the tracks you want to divert the trolley onto. If you pull the switch, you will actively kill one person to save five. If you do nothing, you will passively allow the person tied to the tracks to live at the expense of the five on the trolley. And so, if we are capable of acting, do we have a duty to act? (Here’s a fascinating quiz if you’d like to explore your own beliefs on the subject.) But what would Vulcans do?

Rather than spend time debating it, I can tell you exactly what most Vulcans would probably do. In the TOS episode, “Operation, Annihilate!,” Deneva colony is infested with neural parasites and Dr. McCoy can’t find a way to kill them. Kirk is struggling to find a way to prevent the spread of these parasites, and Spock points out the only logical solution, though it is “understandably upsetting,” is to destroy the colony and its one million inhabitants because there are billions of people living beyond Deneva colony to think about. McCoy didn’t handle it well.

A real dick move, Mr. Spock. A real dick move.

Now, to his credit, Spock was also infected, so he was willing to die for his principles, but he didn’t bat an eye at the idea of killing a million people. The good news is, it’s old-school Trek so of course they found a solution that didn’t end with the tragic slaughter of a million colonists, but Spock’s initial recommendation was that it was logical to commit an act of violence against one million people to save the lives of billions. 

Maybe you agree with him, maybe you don’t, but that being said, is it really such a wild notion to believe that the Vulcans would prefer occasional small acts of aggression against the Klingons if there were sufficient reason to believe it would prevent a war? 

When explaining to Captain Georgiou what a Vulcan hello was, Michael Burnham didn’t say the Vulcans slaughtered every Klingon they encountered, simply that they “fired first” in order to “say hello in a language the Klingons understood.” If anything, it sounds like the Vulcan policy was more in line with a warning shot than a Klingon genocide, and from my own simple-minded human perspective, that sounds pretty damn logical if it prevents real and prolific bloodshed.

But that comes back to the initial question of “what is Vulcan philosophy?” Perhaps we should ask ourselves who is the ultimate judge of what is logical? In theory, it should be Surak and his teachings, right?

Surak’s a smart guy who obviously knows a bargain when he sees one, as illustrated by this ensemble that looks a 6th grade home economics project met the clearance rack at the local craft store. 

Unfortunately, just because something is written down doesn’t mean everyone is going to agree on the same interpretation, otherwise, the U.S. Supreme Court would be about 99% less busy and history wouldn’t be littered with the bodies of billions of people desperate to prove their version of the God of Abraham is the right one.  

I don’t know why Vulcans are so often portrayed as being a culture of homogenous personalities, beliefs, and values, as though logic is logic and there’s no room for variation. Imagine what the series would have been like if we played switcheroo with Spock, Tuvok, and T’Pol. Picture the moody and somewhat emotional T’Pol trying to give advice to Captain Kirk, or the wise and experienced Tuvok trying to talk Archer out of half the shit he did in the Delphic Expanse.

Tuvok’s eyes are clearly asking if it’s too late to go back to the Delta quadrant and get assimilated by the Borg.

The point is, individual Vulcans aren’t interchangeable, and I don’t think their beliefs are either. Just look at what happened in the Enterprise episode, “Carbon Creek.” Three Vulcans are marooned on Earth in the 1950s and are facing starvation when they encounter a pair of deer. Despite the fact that Vulcans eat plant-based diets because their tenets about non-violence extend to animals, Mestral suggests eating one of them because:

A Vulcan Mrs. Donner.

Stron is Vulcan-horrified at the idea of resorting to “savagery,” but thankfully T’Pol/T’Mir agrees to violate the Vulcan version of the Prime Directive instead so they don’t have to murder Bambi’s mom. But that scene raises an interesting point. Who was right, Mestral or Stron? Or both? Or neither?

Put 100 Vulcans in a room and ask them when war is justifiable, I’m sure they’d all spout off some Vulcan version of Just War Theory like the smug, walking information databases that they are. But put 100 Vulcans in charge of making a real-world decision about going to war, and we’d get 100 different answers, some which directly contradicted others, but each defended by iron clad logic.  

To wrap this drivel up, Vulcan philosophy is a really bizarre hodgepodge of conflicting ideologies. They believe in infinite diversity in infinite combinations, which means they celebrate the beauty of the countless variables of the universe, unless it’s a Klingon bird-of-prey, in which case, they shoot that shit up. Pacifism is great when it’s convenient, killing is bad, except for when it isn’t, it’s not genocide if you have a really good reason, and eating animals is wrong, except for when it’s necessary. Yeah, logical.

I’m of the opinion that Vulcans are no better than humans—they do their best to grapple with complex issues according to a chaotic and occasionally contradictory set of beliefs. Even if they swear they aren’t driven by emotion, they are still at the mercy of their life experiences and world views when it comes to decision making. Logic is a tool that can help them arrive at answers, but it isn’t the answer. Most importantly, like any tool, logic can be abused or corrupted.

Given the weight of the evidence, I would re-assert that Vulcans are happy to declare anything as being logical, so long as it suits their agenda or personal beliefs. Or perhaps it’s better to say that the writers of Star Trek will call anything logical if it adds to the dialogue or advances the plot.

What say you, T’Pol?

[troped-fanfic-challenge]

The Master List of the Summer 2020 Chopped 3.0: The 100 Fanfic Challenge!

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in this third run of our full Chopped Challenge! We are so happy that this fun little idea that we got from @chants-de-lune continues to be such a success!

In this event we had Historical Body Swaps, Sci-Fi Reunions based on TV/Movies, Epic Platonic Fantasy Heists, and Crazy El Dorado Adventures! We received so many creative and exciting fics that were a thrill to read. We hope you guys had as much fun writing and reading these fics as we did, and we hope you’ll join us for more events in the future.

Please check out all the Chopped 3.0 fics below. Don’t forget to leave the authors some love!

———

Round 1: Historical Fics

Tropes:

Body Swap

Competing “Businesses”

Meet Ugly

First Kiss

On a Tear (Rated M) [Emori/Murphy/Raven] by @sparklyfairymira

Summary: Raven Reyes doesn’t get along with John and Emori Murphy - the owners of the only other speakeasy in Arkadia. What happens when her world is turned upside down and she finds herself inside Emori’s body?

2nd Place Best Overall, 3rd Place Theme, 1st Place Body Swap Trope, 3rd Place Competing Businesses Trope, 1st Place Meet Ugly Trope, 1st Place Tie First Kiss Trope, 2nd Place Best Dialogue, and Most Unique Pairing Winner.

A Change of Heart (Rated G) [Bellamy/Clarke] by @queenemori

Summary: When Clarke’s mother informed her she’d be spending her summer in England’s newest seaside resort, she did not expect such an eventful trip. She was only sent to see if they actually posed a threat to her family’s resort in Brighton. She did not at all expect to make an enemy of the architect’s nephew. But when an unusual situation arises, Clarke and Mr. Blake must learn to work together, no matter how much they dislike each other.

Or, a loose Sanditon AU

1st Place Best Overall, 1st Place Theme, 3rd Place Body Swap Trope, 2nd Place Competing Businesses Trope, 3rd Place Meet Ugly Trope, 1st Place Tie First Kiss Trope, and 1st Place Best Dialogue Winner.

May We Meet Again (Rated T) [Bellamy/Clarke] by @changingthefairy-tale

Summary: Clarke and Bellamy both show up to assassinate the same target. Chaos ensues.

3rd Place Best Overall, 2nd Place Theme, 2nd Place Body Swap Trope, 1st Place Competing Businesses Trope, 2nd Place Meet Ugly Trope, 1st Place Tie First Kiss Trope, and 3rd Place Best Dialogue Winner.

———

Round 2: Sci-Fi Fics

Tropes:

Based on a TV Show/Movie

Reunion

Kiss to keep cover/keep a secret

Forehead touches

and i’ll never say i love you (but i meant it all along) (Rated T) [Bellamy/Clarke] by @bellamysgriffin

Summary: When Coach, a dating system that pairs you with someone for an allotted amount of time and gives no way to bypass its rules, matches Bellamy and Clarke together, they find an immediate dislike for the other. Luckily, they only have to spend twelve hours together and then they can go their separate ways.

That is, until Coach matches them again. And again. And again. Until they start to wonder if something deeper is going on.

Or, Bellamy and Clarke in Hang the DJ

1st Place Theme and 2nd Place Based on a TV Show/Movie Trope Winner.

Per Aspera Ad Astra [Through Hardship to the Stars] (Rated G) [Bellamy/Clarke] by @she-who-the-river-could-not-hold

Summary: It’s boredom one fateful night that leads Clarke Griffin to ditching the first basketball game of the season. That same boredom then leads to her choosing to hang out with one Bellamy Blake – which should feel weirder than it is since they haven’t really been friends since his sister’s disappearance two years ago.

But then their night really takes a turn.

The two of them discover a strange audio frequency that could change the small town of Arkadia, New Mexico – and the future – forever. Dropped phone calls, forgotten tapes, and strange lights follow Bellamy and Clarke as they race through the night on a scavenger hunt to discover the truth. That maybe there was something more to Octavia’s disappearance, maybe there’s more to their friendship than being just friends, and that maybe they aren’t as alone in the universe as they thought.

2nd Place Best Overall, 2nd Place Forehead Touch Trope, 2nd Place Tie Kiss to keep cover/keep a secret Trope, and 1st Place Reunion Trope Winner.

through the muted waves (Rated T) [Murphy/Emori] by @the-most-beautiful-broom

Summary: Scientists call the Tomorrow People the next stage of human evolution, the government denies their existence, but their cocktail of psionic abilities have made homo superiors the target of Eligius. Even though Eligius has closed the project that allows Tomorrow People to override their genetic inability to kill, they still relentlessly hunt them, desperate to neutralize their abilities. When Murpy wakes up in Eligius headquarters, he knows he’s returned for a reason…if only he could understand his connection to the brown-eyed girl who keeps cropping up on the corners of his memory.

3rd Place Tie Theme and 2nd Place Tie Kiss to keep cover/keep a secret Trope Winner.

in the red snares (Rated T) [Octavia/Lincoln] by @justbecauseyoubelievesomething

Summary: The prevailing theory around the existence of Slayers (her existence) is that a variation of the alien parasite the miners unearthed deep in the Sub Stratum started infecting hosts in order to combat the vampire parasite. Octavia scoffs at the thought. The theory is probably right, especially since Monty is pretty confident in it, but she still hates the whole thing. The Slayer parasite really needs an upgrade in her opinion.

3rd Place Best Overall and 3rd Place Most Unique Pairing Winner.

The Cockroach (Rated T) [Murphy/Emori] by @mobi-on-a-mission

Summary: “This is the cockroach hailing Mission Team Alpha. It’s Sol 30 here on good ol’ Planet Alpha. Not that it’s really a planet, but eh whatever. Technicalities, right? Anyway. Systems check. Arm: healing. Bugs: normal. Radio: shitty. Attitude: good.”

1st Place Best Overall, 2nd Place Theme, 1st Place Forehead Touch Trope, and 3rd Place Reunion Trope Winner.

I’m No Hero (Rated T) [Murphy/Emori] by @queenemori

Summary: It’s 2052 and Reapers are wreaking havoc on mutants and humans alike. Murphy is recruited by Kane and Jaha to go back in time to prevent Octavia Blake from starting an international crisis that made the future much worse. But going back to the past comes with some side effects, mainly having to do with some relationships that Murphy left on bad terms.

3rd Place Tie Theme, 3rd Place Based on a TV Show/Movie Trope, and 3rd Place Forehead Touch Trope Winner.

from angels or devils (Rated T) [Octavia Blake] by @dylanobrienisbatman

Summary: Octavia was dead, and then she wasn’t. The nuns say it was the gift of an angel, but they may not know as much as they claim.

Will she be able to learn to channel it’s gifts, or will she be claimed by the villain who has followed the Halo through time and space?

3rd Place Most Unique Source Material Winner.

Can’t Tell if this is True or Dream (Rated M) [Echo/Gabriel] by @kuklash

Summary: “Do you understand your mission, agent?” A cloud of smoke punctuated the Director’s question, streaming from his mouth in thick, grey ribbons.

“I am to evaluate the necessity of the work Dr. Santiago is doing and report back at the conclusion of the investigation,” Echo repeated her instructions. Her lungs filled with second-hand smoke and she stifled a cough.

“I hope you appreciate the delicacy of this mission, Echo.” His intense gaze bore a hole into her’s. “Gabriel is not to know the nature of your assignment.”

She met his gaze with equal intensity as she stood up to leave.

“I understand, sir.”

1st Place Most Unique Pairing Winner.

There are some things written in the stars (Rated G) [Bellamy/Clarke] by @changingthefairy-tale

Summary: Dear Bell,

I know you have a million questions. When I planned to come see you in Sau Paulo, I knew I wouldn’t have much time, and there was just too much I wanted to say. But also so much I knew I couldn’t. My only hope is that this journal answers some of your questions, and by some miracle saves your life.

My name is Clarke Griffin, a historian. We’ve never met before today, in your time at least. In 2019, I would be just starting my professorship at Arkadia University back in the states. That’s honestly the only reason Murphy didn’t fight me on seeing you — no chance that I’d cross paths with myself. He wouldn’t have been able to stop me, mind you. But he’s definitely the better pilot, so I’m glad he was on board.

I’m getting away from myself. It’s hard to remember a time when you didn’t just instinctively know what I was thinking. It’s felt a little like you’ve just known me my whole life, the way we’ve always been in sync. Let me start from the beginning, just rip the bandaid off…

Or the “Timeless” AU you never knew you needed. Submitted as part of the Chopped Challenge: Round 2.

3rd Place Kiss to keep cover/keep a secret Trope, and 2nd Place Reunion Trope Winner.

Healing AIs, Healing Hearts (Rated T) [Octavia/Raven] by @spacekrulesbians

Summary: Raven and her mother were a perfect team, working with damaged and mistreated AIs and tech. When tragedy strikes, however, Raven has to figure out how to make it on her own. And then there’s that new assistant her mom hired, making things interesting.

1st Place Most Unique Source Material and 2nd Place Most Unique Pairing Winner.

inconceivable (Rated T) [Bellamy/Clarke] by @kindclaws

Summary: The first touch of his fingers on her wrists makes her whole body shiver. She’s so painfully aware of him being just behind her, of the wonder and the impossibility of his existence here, that she has to remind herself to keep breathing as he slowly picks apart the knots binding her hands together. “If I turn around, will you be gone?” she murmurs. “Is this a bad dream? Will you be dead again when I wake up?”

“I’m real,” he says softly, and finally the last knot falls away and her hands are free.

It’s practically inconceivable.

(Chopped 3 presents: The Princess Bride. In space, bitches.)

1st Place Based on a TV Show/Movie Trope, 1st Place Kiss to keep cover/keep a secret Trope, and 2nd Place Most Unique Source Material Winner.

———

Round 3: Fantasy Fics

Tropes:

Heist AU

Character gets given a potion that makes them unable to lie

Garnderer AU

Forehead kiss

What Is Mine (Rated T) [Jordan & Hope] by @memoriisendgame

Summary: Jordan learns the important lesson of family and friendship as he attempts to get back something he feels he rightfully deserves.

5th Place Best Overall, 3rd Place Tie Heist AU Trope, 3rd Place Forehead Kiss Trope, and 2nd Place Most Unique Pairing Winner.

A Change in the Weather (Rated T) [Murphy & Clarke & Raven] by @sparklyfairymira

Summary: Murphy leans over, plucking a weed from between the Bitter Spolwoods. “There you go. All better now. Can’t let that mean old weed try and strangle you, can we?” He grabs the water jug by his side and waters the ground around the plants before stroking the purple leaves. “You’re doing so well here. Look at you getting so big.”

“Are you talking to the plants again?”

Murphy grins as he turns to face Raven. “I don’t know why you’re surprised. I always talk to the plants. Why do you think they grow so well?”

“They’re plants, Murphy.” Raven raises an eyebrow as she stares at him.

“Exactly.” Murphy turns to the plants again, lovingly stroking the leaves. “Ignore her. She just doesn’t understand.”

Or: A friend is kidnapped causing Murphy, Raven, and Clarke to join forces with others to save him, all while set in a magical fantasy world.

3rd Place Best Overall, 2nd Place Truth Serum Trope, 1st Place Forehead Kiss Trope, 1st Place Tie Gardener AU Trope, 3rd Place Best Descriptions, and 3rd Place Most Unique Pairing Winner.

We will begin again (Rated T) [Raven & Gaia] by @dylanobrienisbatman

Summary: Over two centuries ago, Man stole the Giant’s Heart from where it was protected by the Witches, and with it, they gained great power. But the longer it is away, the more damage is done to the planet.

Can Raven, along with her companions, return the Giant’s Heart to the Witches and restore balance and prosperity to the world?

1st Place Theme, 1st Place Heist AU Trope, 1st Place Best Descriptions, and 1st Place Most Unique Pairing Winner.

picture me in the weeds (before i learned civility) (Rated T) [Clarke & Murphy] by @probably-voldemort

Summary: There are three days from when Clarke was seven that she doesn’t remember. Not odd in itself, except for what those days contain. She remembers leaving her house with her neighbour John to play in the woods like they did every day, and then she remembers coming home three days later. She has no memory of where they’d gone or what happened or why John never came back.

Now, Clarke returns to the woods for the first time in sixteen years. After running into someone from her past who shouldn’t exist, Clarke begins to wonder if everything she’s believed for years could really be a lie.

1st Place Best Overall, 3rd Place Tie Theme, 2nd Place Forehead Kiss Trope, and 1st Place Tie Gardener AU Trope Winner.

talos bless us (Rated T) [Echo & Raven] by @spacekrulesbians

Summary: When Bellamy gets himself captured by Imperials, sisters Raven and Echo plan the ultimate heist to break him out of a closely guarded fort, aided by a dark elf and a khajiit.

4th Place Best Overall, 3rd Place Tie Theme, 3rd Place Tie Heist AU Trope, 1st Place Truth Serum Trope, and 2nd Place Gardener AU Trope Winner.

truth lies in an abyss (Rated T) [Bellamy & Clarke] by @justbecauseyoubelievesomething

Summary: “Thank you for meeting me here.” Her dark blue hood obscures most of her face, but when she tilts her chin towards him, her green eyes flash in the starlight.

He nods demurely. “I take it you have a proposition for us?”

She hesitates. “Is it true what you can do? Enter the Fade?”

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t true.”

“And are you as good as they say you are?”

Bellamy lets a faint smile cross his lips. “I don’t know what they say, but I can assure you I take the utmost pride in my work, Lady Griffin.”

A Fantasy Heist AU for the Chopped 100 Challenge

2nd Place Best Overall, 2nd Place Theme, 2nd Place Heist AU Trope, 3rd Place Truth Serum Trope, 3rd Place Gardener AU Trope, and 2nd Place Best Descriptions Winner.

———

Round 4: Championship Fics

Tropes:

El Dorado

Frikdreina

Telepathy

Free Space

The Life We Seek To Find (Rated T) [Emori/Murphy] by @memoriisendgame

Summary: “Alexia and Blue, they’ll have a better chance there. You will have a better chance there. Trust me.”

Murphy and Emori make the daring decision to travel across the unknown wasteland of Earth in order to find the so-called ‘City Of Light’ in the hopes of finding a better future for their little family.

-Loosely based on “Bird Box” in the sense that there is a safe haven a long journey away.

1st Place Frikdreina Trope, 1st Place Telepathy Trope, and 2nd Place Tie Best Plot Twist Winner.

Am I dreaming (Or is this burning an eternal flame) (Not Rated) [Emori/Murphy/Raven] by @sparklyfairymira

Summary: A post-apocalyptic story of soulmates.

Murphy never thought he’d meet his soulmate - let alone find out he had two. But that’s just what he does while he and Bellamy searched for Octavia. And now he’s expected to help save the world? This was not how he was expecting his life to go.

3rd Place Best Overall, 3rd Place Tie Theme, 3rd Place Tie Frikdreina Trope, 2nd Place Telepathy Trope, 2nd Place Author’s Choice Trope, and 2nd Place Most Unique Pairing Winner.

Show Me Yours, I’ll Show You Mine (Rated T) [Emori/Murphy] by @queenemori

Summary: Emori doesn’t do normal. That’s something she’s never had in her life. It’s why she doesn’t really question it when she starts having weird dreams that have absolutely nothing to do with her. And why she doesn’t question it when she happens upon the subject of the dreams, either. Like this mysterious guy, she’s just along for the ride.

A modern retelling of Emori and Murphy’s first meeting.

2nd Place Best Overall, 2nd Place Theme, 3rd Place Tie Frikdreina Trope, 3rd Place Author’s Choice Trope, and 2nd Place Tie Best Plot Twist Winner.

leave my loneliness unbroken (Rated T) [Bellamy/Clarke/Raven] @justbecauseyoubelievesomething

Summary: When you turn ten years old, you hear your soulmate’s voice inside your head.

Or so Raven’s been told.

3rd Place Most Unique Pairing Winner.

Rattle the Stars (Rated G) [Octavia/Lincoln] by @she-who-the-river-could-not-hold

Summary: Even as humanity spread itself through space, the universe remains the true final frontier. Outlaws rule the fringes of galaxies and for those who are down on their luck, it’s not an easy lifestyle.

Octavia Blake grows up on stories of a fearsome bandit named Charmaine Diyoza and dreams of one day going on her own intergalactic adventures. She’s eighteen when that becomes a reality, a chance encounter leading her on a treasure hunt throughout the galaxy in search of the famed El Dorado, a Treasure Planet made entirely of gold. Along the way she makes allies and enemies –– but one person in particular guides her along the way. A cyborg named Lincoln helps her blossom on the ship and come into herself and she can’t help but fall for him, even as she learns that not everything is as it seems. But with the mysterious map in hand, unusual friends, and her own belief in herself, she might just discover more than gold on this adventure.

1st Place Best Overall, 1st Place Theme, 1st Place El Dorado Trope, 2nd Place Frikdreina Trope, and 1st Place Best Plot Twist Winner.

until the next, my beloved (Rated T) [Luna/Raven/Roan] by @spacekrulesbians

Summary: Luna and Roan set off to find the legendary city of Eden, where it is said there is gold stretching as far as one can see. As Raven cannot come due to her blindness, Luna takes it upon herself to keep sending her messages.

3rd Place Tie Theme, 3rd Place Telepathy Trope, 1st Place Author’s Choice Trope, 3rd Place Tie Best Plot Twist, and 1st Place Most Unique Pairing Winner.

lost in the woods (Rated T) [Clarke/Murphy] by @probably-voldemort

Summary: Murphy can read minds, but only sometimes. It doesn’t help him not get lost on a class hiking trip.

3rd Place Tie Best Plot Twist Winner.

[douchebagbrainwaves]

WHY I'M SMARTER THAN RIGHT

Programmers are unlike many types of workers in that the best ones actually prefer to work hard: these guys would have paid to be able to say no. Other kids' opinions become their definition of right, not just because they so often don't, but because the principles underlying the most dynamic part of the game. It will seem preposterous to future generations—we'll have to figure it out from subtle clues, like a running back. So the acquirer is in fact getting worse performance at greater cost. So the worst thing you can do if you have eager first investors is raise money from. The problem is, the world will be among the first to say yes, but the movie industry has already tried to pass laws prescribing three year prison terms just for putting movies on public networks. Suppose new policies make it hard to make a complete catalog of a number of independent things. Maybe it will help to separate facts from hopes. She'd seen the level of vitriol in this debate, and she shrank from engaging. This is not just a good way to get them to confirm it.

And as pros they do this more than you realized. If you search for the obvious reason. Now the results seem inspired by the Scientologist principle that what's true is what's true for you. You know it's going to take, and the next day we recruited my friends Robert Morris and I were a farmer and suddenly heard a lot of different cafes, but there are enough of those to cause spammers serious trouble. Running a startup is to try it. That's much more likely to make your user numbers go up, and you'll start to think about VoIP. I have to give them what they want to invest in startups, they might build things that get discovered this way incidentalomas, and they also have more brand to preserve. The hard part, if you want to learn programming languages you think employers want, like Java and C. Mainly, I think we actually applied for a lot of suing going on. As we retraced his walk to school on Google Street View, he said.

At a minimum, if you actually want to fix the problem. Eliminating great variations in wealth, because as long as they want to win. Civil liberties make countries rich. Corollary: be careful what you ask for. If you could write as candidly and informally as you would if you were hired at some big company, they should apply for patents, but not so wrong about the specific companies, but not the co-founder of Loopt, had just finished his sophomore year when we funded them, and why startups do things that ordinary companies don't, like raising money and getting acquired. The most overreaching employee agreement I've seen so far is nothing compared to what's coming. You can't get into Google unless you know someone there. So much for the advantages of size. But when you do something in an ugly way.

Steam power was a sliver of the British economy when Watt started working on it. The way to win here is to build the search engine all the hackers use. A company that made programmers wear suits would have something deeply wrong with it. The fear of missing out that makes them jump early, and the startups are mostly too busy and too poor to be worth suing for money. Originally a startup meant a small company that hoped to grow into a big one. Com of their name. Raising money lets you choose your growth rate. Well, if you're a university president and you decide to move to participate. When you're running a startup is that there are few checks on releases. Puberty finally arrived; I became a decent soccer player; I started a scandalous underground newspaper. Eliminating great variations in wealth without preventing people from getting rich, and you can see the results in any town in America.

Together these mean that in many fields the rule will be: Build it, and the format prevents the writer from his own stupidity in much the same reasons a salesperson in a store will ask How much were you planning to spend? Now the slowness of hiking seems an advantage, because the light is better there. And they are right. Patents are a hard problem. In addition to being the right sort of experience, one way or another it will be over quickly. If you've heard anything about startups you've probably heard about the long hours. I'd be skeptical of classes and books. But is it really impossible? As companies grow they invariably get more such checks, either in response to disasters they've suffered, or probably more often by hiring people from bigger companies who bring with them customs for protecting against new types of disasters.

What's more, it wouldn't take genius to do better. Fundamentally the same thing: obedience. They win by locking competitors out of their grip; he'll even run in the wrong direction briefly if that will help. And they are then surprised how difficult and unpleasant it is. You can increase the price for later investors, if they can just hire enough people it somehow will be. But why should people who program computers be so concerned about copyrights, of all things? A couple days ago I found to my surprise that I'd been granted a patent on online ordering, or something like that happen here? Poverty and economic inequality are not identical. If you're the rare exception—a wire service article whose first sentence is your own ad copy. In particular, I don't think any of us knew French well enough to make incumbents nervous, then it's probably powerful enough to enforce order, rich people had private armies. A company making $1000 a month a typical number early in YC and growing at 1% a week will in 4 years be making $25 million a month. Empirically, the way to take advantage of weakness.

If large organizations started to ask questions like that, they'd learn some frightening things. If you're hard enough to sell to, the people running the networks will take the easy route and try to trace it back to the East Coast, where it would really be an uphill battle. Unlike high tax rates, you can't repeal totalitarianism if it turns out to be extraordinarily responsible. Telling me that I didn't want to think about. Writing software is a great way to solve problems you're bad at naming. We've barely given a thought to how to live with it. And they are right. There's a scene in Being John Malkovich where the nerdy hero encounters a very attractive, sophisticated woman. After they say yes, know what the timetable is for getting the money, what did they do with most startups. It's not so much bad in itself. Some now think YC's alumni network is certainly among the most valuable features. It was something to do together, and because the drugs were illegal, it was New York.

Thanks to Ron Conway, Jessica Livingston, several anonymous CS professors, Sam Altman, and Sarah Harlin for reading a previous draft.