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davincsoo · 3 years ago

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Thank you for giving us this safe space to share our opinions. <3

As an abuse survivor and as someone who was at the hands of a narcissistic abuser most of their life, I cannot tell you how much it pisses me off and horrifies me seeing all of those who support and believe AH, to the point where they go attacking others on SM. Watching her testimony this week was no doubt triggering for myself and many other survivors. She used a lot of the same tactics that many of our abusers have and we see it plain as day. Listening to the recordings, within seconds it's easy to pick up on who the real abuser is. I'm not making excuses for things JD said, in text form or otherwise, but holy crap, how do people not see what's right in front of them?

I try to be patient and understanding, thinking that most have not had the experiences that others and I have had and on one hand I'm grateful for it. No one ever wishes that kind of treatment and abuse on another living human being, no matter the circumstances. Especially those such as myself that have dealt with that kind of treatment and abuse. But I just cannot fathom how most of these people (the young girls and women especially) don't see AH exactly for what she is. We now have evidence that was entered into court as official documents, photos, audio recordings, and videos to prove it! Like, what do they tell themselves when hearing AH taunt JD for leaving the room during a fight? Which I don't think it should take more than 1 brain cell to deduce this but if someone is leaving the room and putting distance in a fight, THEY are NOT the ones trying to keep it going.

The narcissistic abuse I dealt with very much went like this: they follow you from room to room and don't give you a moment's rest or pause because it's a psychological attack - they can't give you that moment to think because then there's a minute chance you can't be controlled. They will talk you in circles during an argument so you can't keep your thoughts straight, and they will shoot down any valid points you try to make. They will belittle you, make fun of any type of feelings you may have, and continue to taunt you. Their goal is to strip you of what makes you you, any individuality you might have, any thoughts or feelings that don't coincide with what they want you to be. They want you to be exactly what they want: easily controlled, a convenient scapegoat, and someone to heap abuse on and for them to take out their anger and frustrations on. Someone who they can do that to that will keep that secret silent (usually due to the NV's shame that the NA has manipulated them into feeling), allow them (and I use the term allow loosely, that's more the NA's perspective) to continue to do what they want to them when they want to, and won't leave. NA's are very aware of who they can attempt to do this with and who they can't. They're master manipulators and absolute puppet masters. And that doesn't even begin to delve into the physical abuse that can sometimes occur or coincide with NA.

So when AH is heard taunting JD on the audio recording, telling him to go ahead and tell the world that he's a DV victim and no one will believe him, that is not only taunting but CLASSIC GASLIGHTING. Gaslighting is a common practice for NA's and psychological abuse. When AH tells JD he's not a man for refusing to stay in the room during a fight, for fleeing when things get physical, that's gaslighting. When she mocks him with 'which of your 15 houses are you going to run to this time?' that's gaslighting.

Watching AH on the stand this week sickened me but it also sickened a lot of others, especially those of us who have dealt with this type of abuser before. Because it's very clear that it's all a performance. Certain points of her narrative are not adding up. She's constantly playing to her audience: the jury, the cameras, and the people watching in court. She's had to be cut off from her own lawyers twice (as far as I know) from delving too deeply into any nonsensical details, even before JD's lawyer's objections. You don't smile and laugh when thinking back to the good times with your abuser. Because the good times are always ultimately overshadowed by the bad times. Who that person (the abuser) in the good times, you eventually come to find out, is not the real person. The real person is the one you've seen in the bad times. So the person you might want to romanticize in those good times, the person who you several times in the past have told yourself 'they didn't mean it' or 'they're sorry, they won't do it again' or 'they just had a bad day', they really don't exist. Especially in this particular type of abusive situation with this type of narcissistic individual. Because from the moment she met JD, the moment she met her ex and others, it's all been one big calculation and one big form of 'grooming' if you will. That's how they operate. But to go back to my point, it's all a performance.

So for those of us that have been through what is becoming glaringly obvious that JD has with AH, those recordings and that testimony were a dead giveaway. But I also kind of feel that things have become so blatantly obvious with all of the evidence that has been presented, that you don't need to have had experience with this type of situation before to see what all of this really is. And just who is the abuser vs who is the survivor of said abuse. It's literally the 2 + 2 = 4 type of obvious.

To those who stand with AH and attack others in her name, you're literally perpetuating her abusive tactics and you need to stop. Taunting, gaslighting, and telling people to kill themselves is not only disgusting but also using AH's own behaviors that are toxic, abusive, and overall horrific.

While yes we need to believe victims when they come forward with their stories, we also need to realize that 1) men can be abuse victims too (and women can be also be abusers) & 2) there are some vile people out there that will hijack movements (like the #MeToo movement) for their own agenda and personal gain, and not feel one ounce of guilt or remorse or shame for doing so. Survivors don't need to have documented evidence to be believed and heard, but when there is evidence in a specific case and all of it is pointing to one particular individual as the abuser, we need to utilize our brains and critical thinking and question what it is we think we know, what we believe. Especially when other abuse survivors are coming through and saying 'this absolutely sounds familiar and I've gone through this, too' and it's not in vindication of AH's side of the story but is the exact opposite.

Men can be abused. Women can do the abusing. Think of how many times we have heard of cases of abusive mothers, for example. Or women abusing other women. Or women abusing their siblings or employees. Just because the victim may be a man doesn't change the capability of women enacting abuse. Even if the man was 7 ft tall and 300 lbs, was a professional MMA fighter, that doesn't automatically exclude the idea of a man potentially being a DV survivor. As is proven in this case, women can use more than their fists or feet to physically abuse. And as also has been stated in this case, by the very clearly biased Dr. Hughes herself, there are many different forms of abuse that can occur in an intimate relationship (and other relationships).

Men can be abused, too. It's time we lend an ear to their voices and let their stories be told, just as much as we do women's. Abuse is not exclusive to gender. Rape and SA is not exclusive to gender. We need to put those old beliefs to rest and to stand in solidarity with all survivors.

Sorry for the long ask but thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts. <3

#dw about the long ask anon #and you are most welcome for having a safe space to share your opinion #amber heard #tw abuse #johnny depp #anon asks #anon replies

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cosmicjoke · 4 years ago

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Alright, so onto chapter 2 of “No Regrets”.

I want to talk a little about these opening panels, when Levi, Furlan and Isabel are being driven to HQ by carriage. They seem unimportant, but I think they’re actually really important in understanding Levi’s psychology going into this new situation they’re all in.

We see the interior of the carriage, with Levi and the other two, along with an escort from the SC. Furlan and Isabel are both looking out the window of the carriage, and in particular, Isabel seems incredibly excited and in awe of the passing view. She’s stood up, with her face pressed to the window. And in the next panel, we see her looking at a little girl with her mother, dressed nicely and holding a doll. This really encapsulates everything Isabel herself has probably never had. A reliable mother to take care of her, fancy clothes and toys to play with. Essentially, an actual childhood. We see Isabel’s face in the window, and her mouth is open in wonder, her eyes wide. Like she can’t believe what she’s seeing. It emphasizes the depravation and lack of privilege she’s endured all her life. Meanwhile, by contrast, Levi sits there with his head bowed down, ignoring the passing scenery, looking deeply unhappy, even depressed. When he does look up though, he sees Isabel looking out the window, and on the close up shot of him, he’s got an almost thoughtful expression, if still extremely dour. No doubt, Levi is feeling uneasy and uncertain about the situation they’ve all gotten themselves into here, but I’m also sure that he’s unable to ignore the bubbling over excitement of Isabel, her obvious joy in being, at last, on the surface. I’ll get more into this later in the post, when we see Levi really considering his friends and their dreams, and how it influences and dictates his own decisions.

But first lets talk a little about Erwin and his role in all of this.

Now at the time this series came out, Erwin’s actual, motivating reasons for doing what he does weren’t yet known, so it’s interesting to read into his actions in this story with that context. I have no doubt that Erwin really DOES care about humanity, and wants to fight for it, and its salvation. But as we come to learn from the main series, he places his own dream of proving his father right about the existence of human’s beyond the walls above what’s best for humanity, and it puts his actions in this story into an interesting, if harsher light.

No doubt, Erwin is a master manipulator. He plays both sides expertly against the middle in this story, and I’ll get more into it by the end, when his actual plan is revealed to Levi. But what I don’t see often discussed is how, exactly, Erwin got all the parts moving in the direction he wanted, to obtain a specific outcome, and how he pretty ruthlessly uses so many people as pawns to do so. It’s obvious from the context of what we later learn in the story that Erwin first spread a rumor about having evidence against Lovof stealing funds in order to force him into tipping his hand by trying to make a preemptive move. What I see people miss all the time, or at least, fail to discuss, is how Erwin also, at the same time, made it public knowledge within the Capital, that he would be going after a group of thugs in the Underground who had shown exceptional skill using ODM gear, and that he would be making contact with them as soon as possible to try and enlist them into military service, and how Erwin made these plans public specifically to encourage Lobov into seeking out Levi and his friends for the exact purpose of both implicating Lobov in a crime, and gaining Levi’s and his friends strength for the SC. One, by hiring a group of criminals to steal from Erwin and attempt to assassinate him, so he could use that as leverage in case he wasn’t able to obtain proof of Lobov’s further criminal activities, thus having two means of getting rid of one of the SC’s biggest threats, and at the same time, also manage to score for the SC the exceptional skill of Levi and his friends through forced enlistment. He even says to Zackely at one point “I intend to make use of anyone who has even the smallest potential during this expedition.”. Erwin manipulated and had control of this entire scenario from the start, and from behind these scenes moved all of these people exactly how he wanted to, to achieve his goals. That’s pretty impressive, but also pretty scary. Well, I’ll talk more about all of that when we get to it later on.

Back to Levi and his friends though.

We see them arrive at the SC HQ, and a really important conversation happens between Levi and Furlan.

Furlan seems like he’s almost bitten off more than he can chew here, beginning to express his concern to Levi about what joining the SC actually means, before Levi cuts him off, telling him he’s got no intention of enlisting, and that he only agreed to come along so that he could get closer to Erwin and then kill him. I think Levi genuinely felt murderous towards Erwin at this point, and really means what he says here, at least about killing him. Though given the end of chapter 1, with the significant look shared between Levi and Furlan, and Levi’s begrudging acceptance of Erwin’s offer, it’s obvious that Levi also agreed to come because that’s what Furlan wanted him to do, to give them the opportunity they needed. Levi’s just feeling incredibly emotional here, I think, with the way Erwin treated all of them hot on his mind. Furlan tries to implore Levi to forget about killing Erwin, that it isn’t necessary anymore because of his own plan, and the almost certainty that Lobov and his people won’t ever try to make contact with them again. He tells Levi, if he just listens to him and follows his plan, “I know it’ll work. Trust me, Levi.” Furlan asking him to trust him pulls a meaningful look from Levi, seeming to break through Levi’s angry insistence on killing Erwin. This is where the manga improved on Levi’s characterization and motivation by leaps and bounds over the visual novel, because in the next few panels, we see Levi walking away, with Furlan calling after him, concerned, but we get to see Levi’s inner thoughts, and he’s remembering specifically Furlan insisting to him that “one day, we’ll get outta this trash heap and live up above.” We see Levi thinking about Furlan’s hopes and dreams in these panels, and he has a saddened, and guilt-ridden look on his face, like he feels bad about having dismissed Furlan’s plans back there in favor of his own plans for revenge. We didn’t get any of this in the visual novel, instead the text there making Levi look like he refused to consider anyones position but his own in this whole situation. But here, Levi is clearly concerned with and considering Furlan’s desires.

We go into a flashback then, with Furlan explaining to Levi his plans, telling him that “nothing’s gone according to plan... But with you here we’ll really be able to raise hell.” Furlan’s trying to explain to Levi that since he now has Levi’s strength to rely on, they can actually get something done once they get into the Survey Corps. It almost seems like Furlan’s been planning on trying something like this, or at least, had some sort of loose plan about getting to the surface, even before he met Levi. It’s obviously something he’s been dreaming about for a long time.

Then Isabel comes back, and she’s been roughed up and assaulted, and we learn from Furlan asking her if she went to see those “low-life scumbags again?” that this has obviously happened to her before, that she’s been associating with some bad people and it’s gotten her hurt. She denies it and lies about having just tripped, but clearly neither Levi or Furlan are buying that. Levi asks Isabel what happened to her hair, and Isabel reacts badly, running away and hiding in her room. We get a close up of Levi holding a knife in his hands, foreshadowing his own intentions. Later that night, Furlan hears Isabel crying in her room, and her chanting to herself over and over that she’s going to “kill you”, presumably meaning the men that hurt her earlier. Furlan stands there lamenting that he thinks both Levi and Isabel are going “mad”, and that all they can think about is dragging everyone else down to where they are. He’s obviously terrified that he’s going to lose both his friends to the savagery and ruthlessness of the Underground, that both of them are going to end up becoming lost to their own anger and pain. He starts to say “That’s why I...” before Levi suddenly comes back in, holding a bloody knife, clearly having returned from exacting revenge on the men who hurt Isabel. Furlan asks Levi “Did you kill them...?”, and Levi doesn’t answer, but we see a completely resigned, even sad look on his face. This of course is the world Levi comes from. It’s the world he was raised in. A world of kill or be killed. Levi must have figured, if he didn’t go out and kill those men that had hurt Isabel now, then someday, they would end up going too far with her, and kill her instead. But Furlan clearly doesn’t understand, and doesn’t relate to that kind of mindset, despite coming from the Underground too. Of course, Furlan wasn’t raised by Kenny the Ripper either. This is how Levi was taught to deal with his problems, and Furlan can only see him spiraling into an abyss from which he fears Levi won’t return.

We cut back to the present then, and Levi is sitting up on the roof of the SC HQ, again remembering Furlan’s words about “This is our chance. Trust me.”. Getting to the surface and finding better lives for themselves is Furlan’s dream. The fact that Levi keeps remembering it, keeps remembering Furlan insisting and pushing the idea of the possibility of living on the surface, shows that this is probably something he would talk about all the time with Levi, trying to get him to agree to it, to believe in it. Once again, Levi is contemplating the hopes and dreams of his friends. We get another close up of him holding a knife, and it represents, I think, his struggle between his desire for revenge against Erwin, and his desire to help Furlan realize what, to Levi, is probably an unrealistic goal.

We then get Furlan and Isabel joining Levi, commenting on how beautiful the night sky is, and asking Levi how he could keep it to himself. Levi snips testily at Furlan that him and Isabel are so loud, that he’d be too irritated to get any killing done, and then Furlan looking clearly unsettled by the remark. But it’s obvious, given the context of the previous panels of Levi’s thinking about Furlan’s dream, that Levi is just being peevish and saying things out of frustration and confusion. He doesn’t really mean what he says here. He’s taking his frustration out on Furlan by saying what he knows will upset him the most. What this also tells us is that Levi is very much aware of how bothered Furlan is by Levi’s willingness to kill. He isn’t at all oblivious to it, and given his resigned, saddened expression after coming back from killing the men who assaulted Isabel, I would say Levi even understands Furlan’s dismay. That’s a glimpse at Levi’s famous compassion.

The next panels show the three of them bonding, sitting together and admiring the night sky. Isabel asks Levi if the stars are as pretty as where he used to live. I’m just going to chalk the mistake in continuity here up to this manga coming out before, I believe, Levi’s backstory of being born in a brothel in the Underground was established by Isayama. Regardless of this mistake, this is an important moment between the three of them. You can see the awe and wonder they all feel, looking up and seeing the sky fully for what has to be the first time in all their lives. Remember, all three of them have lived literally underground their entire lives, with little to no sunlight, stagnant, stale air, hideously unclean living conditions, etc... It must be overwhelming to them , just to see nature in all its splendor like that. It’s after sharing this moment together that Levi tells Furlan that he’s decided he won’t kill Erwin for now. He looks at him and says “I’m going to trust you.”. And Furlan smiles at him, clearly happy and relieved. This scene is really important, because we’re seeing Levi choose Furlan’s dream over his own desire for revenge. We see Levi place Furlan’s desires over his own, which is totally in line with how Levi is in the main AoT storyline. He decides his revenge can wait, that it’s not as important as helping Furlan achieve his goals. What’s particularly remarkable about this, I think, is that it doesn’t appear that Levi ever dreamed of going to the surface himself, and likely that he never even considered it a possibility. So just like Levi fights, later on, for a world without fear and violence, for humanity’s salvation, even as all his life experiences tell him it likely isn’t possible, we see the Levi doing the same here, deciding to fight for his friend’s dream, even as to him, it seems unrealistic. It’s obviously a pivotal moment too, when Levi tells him he’s going to trust him, because this ties in hugely with the theme which applies so much to Levi throughout the whole series, of never knowing if it’s better to rely on himself solely, to trust himself, or to trust and rely on his friends and their capabilities. Levi chooses, here, to trust in his friends, and that will obviously have it’s own ramifications down the line. Again, this is an area in which the manga improves radically over the visual novel, which had no instances whatsoever of Levi struggling with the question of the choices we make, which is absurd, since it’s one of the driving factors behind who Levi is, and how he ultimately came to see the world as he does. It was precisely this struggle between choices, between trying to choose correctly, giving so much thought and effort to our choices, and still sometimes coming out wrong, that shaped Levi into being able to accept his lack of control and instead of regretting it, using it to keep fighting.

Anyway, I’ll get to chapter 3 tomorrow.

#attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #No Regrets #acwnr #Levi Ackerman #isabel magnolia #furlan church #Erwin Smith #meta #snk analysis

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zechleton · 4 years ago

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Ranting and Raving About Magic in 2022

I haven’t written about Magic in ages, so what better way could there be to get back into the habit that a stream of consciousness spiel about the 2022 announcement?

Strap in, folks, because this is going to be long and poorly edited.

Actually, it’s not that long, about 1500 words. It might feel longer, though.

Neo-Tokyo or something idk

As one of the five people on r/magictcg that didn’t want to return to Kamigawa in standard set, I have to admit this one looks surprisingly awesome. The couple of pieces of art Wizard shared looked fantastic, as usual, and I’m a sucker for that blue/pink colour scheme. I’m not a huge fan of time travel as a story telling device but since the Magic story has always served the card game, using tropes I don’t enjoy is far from a deal-breaker. Yeah – I’m cautiously optimistic about this one.

Someone Made Elspeth an Offer she Couldn’t Refuse

Obviously, we know much less about this set. Still, it sounds right up my alley. I’m curious how Wizards is going to make Magic meets The Godfather work, but the good kind of curious. On top of that, I’d really like to have some more shard-based commanders on Arena for Brawl, and I assume we’re the “three-colour demon crime families” isn’t referring to clans (triome?) again after leaving Ikoria behind. Also, come on, how can you not love the sound of demon crime families?

Glory, Glory, Dom United!

There is a part of me that gets nervous about nebulous concepts like design space whenever we go back to an old plane again. All these crossovers (more on those later) take on a different appearance when viewed through an “are they running out of ideas” lens. Still, Dominaria was fantastic, by far the best “return to” set – though I’m hoping Innistrad claims that throne in a few weeks. With that in mind, I’m expecting Wizards to knock it out of the park with DU, just like they did with Dominaria.

The Nostalgia Wars

I might scoff somewhat at Magic’s storyline sometimes, but I’ve read the stuff that people think is good. I own both collections of the Artifacts Cycle. They all pale in comparison to good fantasy, but they’re not bad, and they hold a special place in my heart from when I was more invested in stuff like lore and story. The point of that ramble? 2022, more than ever, is Wizards’ mining the seemingly neverending mineral that is nerd nostalgia. It further adds to my “are they running out of ideas” worry, but I can’t say the nostalgia hit/psychological manipulation isn’t working on me. Hell, Return to Return to Innistrad has me more excited than any set for a couple of years now so I guess I’m part of the problem.

Uncaring

The phrase “not for you” is thrown around distrubingly often in Magic circles nowadays. Unfinity, however, is decidedly not for me. And that’s fine.

Dungeons And Dragons Battle for Baldur’s Gate Commander Legends I Think That’s The Whole Title But Maybe I Missed a bit I’m not Sure

Yikes, what a mouthful. I hate the title, both its length and unwieldiness. I don’t really have much interest in the set either. Commander Legends was a neat idea with a lot of flaws. Adding crossover flavour from another IP I have little-to-no interest in isn’t helping matters, though I appreciate that Adventures in the Forgotten Realms was super popular. For me, AFR was pretty much just a core set without any of the usual references to sets I do know and care about. Another “not for me” release.

Double Trouble

Hmm. I’m torn here. As a primarily limited-focused player, Masters sets have been some of my favourites ever. Original Modern Masters is still one of my in my top five sets of all time, and I have fond memories of almost all of the others, too.

Original Double Masters, though, was a victim of apathy brought on by the never-ending deluge of Magic product being released nowadays. I have never even seen a booster of this product, much less opened one. Without looking it up, I can’t even tell you if it was hurt by the pandemic or not, because there’s just way too much fucking stuff nowadays. I don’t know what else to say.

Oh, hang on. Was this the set with a $100 VIP Booster? Hahaha, fuck off.

Jump Around

The original Jumpstart was surprisingly enjoyable on Arena. I never wanted to play it more than a few times, and sometimes you got packs that relied entirely on your opponent getting mana screwed, but those few times I played it were pretty fun. I think putting stuff like obvious eternal format staples like Alosaurus Shepherd in a set like this is some extremely anti-consumer bullshit, but as a play experience it was an interesting mesh of draft and sealed. Not as much fun as either of those, but close enough that the novelty carried it into the “pretty fun, actually” camp. I expect more of the same – I’ll probably do a few runs if I have gems or gold spare.

Universes Beyond: Warhammer 40K Commander et al

Really, this is the bit about all the crossover stuff.

Another vomit inducing title and one that has left me with some introspection to do. Like many people, I find a lot of this crossover stuff distasteful, but I can’t really say why. The fact that the Street Fighter one – an IP I have some amount of investment in – seems less egregious than Warhammer of D&D makes me think that I don’t necessarily object to crossovers on principal. Does my dislike come from the fact that, so far, all of the other crossovers don’t involve properties I care about? Maybe. Even the mechanically unique line of text that pissed off so many people when the Walking Dead set came out doesn’t bother me that much, because Commander is a format I can take or leave.

The Fortnite one rubs me a different wrong way, though. Partly, it’s the sheer fucking inevitability of it all. Of course a popular part of the nerd sphere will have a crossover with Fortnite because that’s just the world in which we live. Partly it makes me feel old, uncool, and excluded, like all the other crossovers I don’t care about, sure. But there’s something more visceral about Fortnite. It’s fucking everywhere and I resent feeling like I have to have an opinion about it. Still, I don’t really have strong opinions about most of the other crossovers, so why this one? I really don’t know. Maybe this is one “this isn’t for you” too many from a game that has been part of my life for over 20 years.

I haven’t bought a single Secret Lair, but I’m generally willing to accept that they’re a bonus product that isn’t needed by anyone but is wanted by some. Hell, if they put out Secret Lair: Snapcaster Mage with good art (at last), I could probably te tempted into picking one up. It would be against my better judgement, though. Something about all these “not necessary but also don’t miss out, aren’t they cool, spend more money please” products rubs me the wrong way. Playing Magic and hating capitalism are difficult interests to reconcile. That’s it. That’s the tagline for this article.

Oh, right, it’s just a blog. Never mind.

Oh, God. The Fornite Secret Lair is going to be the Snapcaster Mage one, isn’t it?

Then there’s Lord of The Rings. My pal Kristen will be thrilled about this, was my first thought. I’m less enthusiastic (shocker, right?), but at least LOTR makes sense as a thing to crossover with. I mean, apart from the obvious business sense. It doesn’t have any guns and it isn’t an obnoxiously ubiquitous battle royale FPS, so that already puts it ahead of two of the other three crossovers. Indeed, without LOTR, you can make a reasonable case that MTG would never exist in the first place. Personally, I view LOTR in the same way I view The Beatles – they were important, and worthy of respect, but have been surpassed in every way since.

And the movies are better than the books. There I said it.

Regardless, this one is fine, actually. I still don’t particularly care for crossovers in general, especially as the setting for a standard set, but at least it makes sense this time.

Shut up Already

Alright, I hear you. I know a lot of that was negative towards the end, but I want to reiterate that a lot of the stuff happening in standard sets next year is really exciting, if a little unoriginal. The crossover/sellout stuff and the interminable deluge of FOMO-driven products is worrying and disappointing, but I guess we just have to try and ignore the ever-increasing number of “not for you” products and focus on the stuff we do like. Seriously, Neon Destiny looks amazing, and I don’t even like anime.

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yandere-society · 6 years ago

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Please do a yandere! Sugar daddy au where the OC does not need them anymore. Thanks 💜💜💜

Admin/Writer- Chinkbihh

Trigger warnings- yandere, manipulating, invasion of privacy

Words- 2.3k

Postponing a Farewell

You had to hurry.

The alarm and frenzy that rushed through your body in reckless waves was reminiscent of a prey trying to outrun a predator.

You supposed this situation wasn’t that much different either.

God only knows what would happen if you slowed down enough for him to catch you.

Clothes? Check. Money? Check.

You bit your lip and went over the mental checklist once more, pacing wildly in the master bedroom and keeping one paranoid eye on the time.

If your escape plan went well, then you should be able to leave about an hour before he got back home from work. That should be plenty of time to cover enough ground between the two of you. Or at least keep him away from you until he would eventually give up given your head start.

If he would ever give up.

You pushed that doomful thought to the back of your mind and tried your best to focus on the task at hand.

You just needed to grab some hygiene products and the little possessions` you would be able to shove into your mini suitcase.

You ran into the marble granite bathroom, shaky hands grasping for your toothbrush and other necessities.

However a sound caused you to halt your frantic scavenging.

The familiar ring of the front door to the luxury condo being opened caused your heart to drop.

He was here.

There was a time when you would have been thrilled to hear of Namjoon’s arrival.

But there was no joy to feel this time.

You were frozen in place as you heard his weighted footsteps beckon closer and closer, the terrorising sound echoed within the expensive dwelling that was empty besides the two of you.

Despite the walls that separated you and muffled the noise...you could still hear him loud and clear.

You couldn’t bring yourself to move.

Namjoon’s presence alone was paralyzing. And it was closing in on you at rapid speed.

So you stayed still, awaiting the domineering man with the pathetic will power of a cornered animal.

“Y/n?” his baritone voice called out, the closeness of the sound hinted that he was now in the bedroom the was connected to the bathroom you were in currently in.

Your mouth wouldn’t move to respond.

A few seconds later he materialized in the doorway, sculpted face showcasing confusion and some relief for having found you.

That relief was quickly melted off his face when he quite literally caught you red-handed.

It was obvious what was happening, the panic was in your eyes and the items in your hand only confirmed his suspicions that without a doubt formed when he saw your suitcase on the bed.

You were trying to leave him.

Namjoon’s face was a beauty within itself. It’s oval shape was the canvas for his dusky and gold tinted pores, sat upon it were his features; strong and prominent from his plush lips to his downturned yet long and regal nose. His eyes were always somewhat hooded, confident and smoldering as his raven orbs bored intensely into whatever he set his brilliant mind to focus upon. Above those two eyes, were darkly arched eyebrows that naturally took on a shapely nature.

He was wearing a suit, as was his custom, and glasses that he often relied on after staring too long at the pixelated screen of the computer in his office. His black tie was loose and untucked around his neck, revealing his frustration as he must’ve pulled at it in response to aggravation.

But...Namjoon didn’t get aggravated.

It was one of his traits.

He got clever.

His expression was indifferent as he took one step closer to you, eyes never leaving your hands and the objects they held.

He was a very intelligent man, very little got past him. Of course, this too wouldn’t be any different.

He arched a brow.

“....and just what do you think you’re doing?”

You opened your mouth to answer the alpha-like man, but the words got jumbled in your throat causing you to release stupid splutters.

How could you be expected to explain that you were just going to flee him without explanation? That was a sure deathwish. Yet, lying was also out of the question….

The silence suffocated the room for another moment, neither of you willing to make a sound or move too hastily.

Then he spoke, “I sure hope you weren’t trying to leave me baby. Because that’s what it looks like.”

You shook your head crazily out of instinct, although the dread in your eyes told another story.

Namjoon grinned, although this sentiment didn’t reach the inky seriousness of his eyes.

“Well….I want to believe you but the suitcase on our bed sure is damning.” He purred, stepping closer with a mock thoughtfulness as if he was a parent lecturing a child.

You licked your lips as cold sweat gathered on your forehead, shaky orbs glancing at the doorway that he was blocking with his much larger frame. You hadn’t planned for this to happen, you had planned leaving a letter or a text for him to read after you had left. But suddenly your throat was coated with sticky tar given you couldn’t form the words you needed to say now that he was staring at you, eyes almost begging you to give him a reason to snap.

But, you couldn’t let him get to you.

You had to advocate for yourself. Because if you didn’t, no one else would and you’d be left with Namjoon for as long as he’d like (forever).

Despite it being the farthest emotion you felt, you slapped on a brave face.

“N-Namjoon, I think this arrangement needs to end.”

He chuckled at this and casually leaned against the doorway, as if he was preparing to be there for a while. “And why is that? That’s kind of a big decision for a small babe like you to make all by herself.”

Your brow ticked in annoyance at him calling you too young and stupid for you to make choices on your own.

“That’s why Namjoon! You always degrade me and treat me like a child! I know I call you ‘daddy’ sometimes but it’s not okay for you to literally treat me like a 5 year old. I’m a grown woman-”

“A grown woman that is dependent on me because you cannot take care of yourself.” Namjoon interrupted, voice smug.

You scoffed and glared at him. “That’s low.”

“How so? I didn’t say there’s anything wrong with that. I enjoy being your sugar daddy and it’s a mutually beneficial relationship. It would be idiotic to end it all over nothing.”

“Namjoon I think you have serious issues. It’s not healthy how you treat me.” You weakly confessed. He just quirked a brow in signal for you to elaborate. “You have me under constant surveillance and won’t let me talk to anyone you deem ‘untrustworthy’. You freaked out when I had a study date with someone because you’re so obsessed with me only relying on you for everything! I live in fear that you’ll snap at me just for looking at someone too long. It’s borderline insane.”

He stood there for a moment, staring at you with a odd gleam in his eyes as your words and heavy breathing penetrated the walls of the bathroom.

Then he chuckled in that deep voice of his.

“You take one psychology class in college and think you’re a qualified enough to call people insane. Trust me, you haven’t seen crazy.”

Your jaw dropped at the sheer disrespect. He literally just downplayed your entire argument as if your thoughts were too immature for him to even bother considering for a second. He was past the point of reasoning and it terrified you just as much as it angered you.

You didn’t care that he was blocking your way to the door, you briskly pushed him aside as you ran into the conjucting bedroom while tears blurred your vision. You had to get out of here….he was not only crazy….he was a narcissist.

“Where are you going to go Y/n?” He called out from behind you. “Who is going to take care of you while paying for your classes at the same time?”

You were rushing and shoving the last of your belongings into the suitcase. “My parents reached out and said I can stay with them.”

You didn’t know why you answered him, it’s not like he deserved a response. But you didn’t want prove him right by letting him think you were just a child who was storming out and ‘running away’ without a plan.

You heard footsteps sound behind you as he approached the side of the bed, watching your accelerated packing with a look of confusion. “Your parents? Y/n….they can barely take care of themselves, much less you.”

Your breath hitched as the subject of your parents was brought up. Your mother and father were not rich in any means, and when you left for college; it was completely up to you to support yourself. But a shitty part time job wasn’t helping much, especially since you were a full time student so your availability for work hours was very limited. That’s how you met Namjoon. You had a friend who said she would hang out with this guy she met through a sugar daddy website and get a weekly allowance in return. You were envious of this and thought it was worth a shot, so you signed up for the same site and met Namjoon through it. He was by far the most handsome and wealthy man on the platform, so of course you responded to his messages. But slowly you became more and more dependent on him and he became a weird hybrid between a boyfriend and a sugar daddy to you.

You told Namjoon about your parent’s lack of wealth, and he spoiled you in an effort to make up for what your parents were never able to give to you. (Also he just loved doing it anyway.) But it didn’t take long until you began to notice his odd compulsion of needing you to only depend on him and no one else. And whenever you tried to bring it up to him, he would always condescend you and your thoughts before shutting the whole observation down all together.

“I rather stay with them than you right now Namjoon. I’ll pick up a job if I have to but nothing is worth staying.” You told him while zipping up your suitcase

You felt Namjoon wrap his arms around you and rest his head upon your shoulder, brushing his nose against your neckline. “Y/n, I don’t know how I feel about you staying with them. Remember when you visited for Christmas and their power went out because they couldn’t pay the bill? That’s no place for you baby. At least with me you wouldn’t have to worry about trivial stuff like that.”

You huffed. “It’s not like that anymore, Joon. Mom said she got a new job and they’re doing better.”

“They could be doing better just because it’s only two of them right now. But if you move in and they have another mouth to feed….are you sure they could support you?”

You froze because Namjoon did have a good point, he was a lawyer after all and he argued like one. You knew your mother got a better job but it still didn’t pay that well given they were barely over the poverty line.

Namjoon tightened his hold on you and nuzzled you before whispering into your ear;

“Listen, I know I can be a bit….possessive but I promise that’s an issue I can work on. But just because you’re mad at me right now doesn’t mean you should up and leave to abandon all the stability I have given you so far. If you really need to be on your own for a bit, let me get you a hotel room where I’ll at least know you’re getting the shelter, food and comfort you need.”

You sighed as you began to feel his distinctive lips nibble on your neck with precision towards your weak spots. You were melting like butter on toast as this man manipulated you like it was the only thing he knew how to do.

“I-I….you promise me you’ll work on your attitude?” You asked, voice foreign sounding given the distraction of the pleasure you were receiving.

“Of course. Now, text your parents and let them know that you will stay at a hotel instead.” He purred.

Well…..technically it wasn’t that bad of deal.

You would get the space you needed while you and Namjoon would work through your relationship problems. Plus he could continue to fund you so you could focus on your studies, a luxury you probably wouldn’t get if you went to live with your parents.

You nodded your head and reached for your phone to send the text.

When all was said and done, Namjoon suggested going out for lunch before taking you to whatever 5-star hotel he deemed fit for your stay. You agreed due to your hunger and went to exit the room to head to the garage. Namjoon reached into his pockets and handed you the keys before telling you to start up the car because he had to use the bathroom.

Only when he heard your footsteps descend down the hallway did he allow himself to smirk.

So you really thought that you were a grown woman?

How laughable.

Namjoon still found it hilarious how you didn’t question why he left early from work coincidentally at the same time you were preparing to leave.

Namjoon crossed the bedroom and approached the bookshelf pushed to the corner, he bent down and quietly tapped the hidden camera between the books ‘Lolita’ and ‘The Beautiful and the Damned.’

It was perhaps the smartest purchase he ever made, given it allowed him to keep tabs on you at all times and you still haven’t suspected anything. Namjoon quickly repositioned the camera to ensure it’s secrecy before standing up and exiting the room to follow you.

He would always have the head start.

(So this was kinda….idk lemme know what you thought. Namjoon is daddy to me and I think he would be very manipulative instead of being a very loud yandere. Comment below and thanks for reading - chinkbihh)

#kim namjoon #yandere namjoon #yandere bts #namjoon #namjoon x reader #yandere rap monster #bts namjoon #yandere #yandere kpop #sugar daddy au #yandere bts fic #bts x reader #my writing #dark #requests #rap monster #bangtan fanfiction #bangtan boys #obsession

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lostinphases · 5 years ago

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Quarantine Reading Challenge Week Three

Of the eight prompts in @studyonderly‘s quarantine reading challenge, the two for week three were the hardest to plan for because they pushed me in a direction I don’t usually go on this blog. Now, I won’t spoil part two of this week for you, but for this week, I did dive into fiction whereas the majority of these prompts I have managed to move toward reference texts and non-fiction essays.

So, even though the book and specific story from it that I’m sharing in this post probably won’t help you hone your craft, they are great witchy reads that I highly recommend!

The prompt:

Week 3. Magical Realism

Real world, meet the otherworldly!

What story have you read that contains supernatural, magical elements or dreamy surreal fantasy? Pick a book that you feel would benefit from being rewritten with magical realism in mind! How would you incorporate that? Is there a story that seemed to just transport you into another world?

Now, before I dive into this one, I feel like it’s my duty as someone with a degree in English (and master’s almost complete) to explain that magical realism and fantasy are not the same thing. Fantasy narratives take place in fantastical worlds where it is our expectation to see magical creatures and supernatural abilities as part of the world mechanic. Magic realism (also called slipstream, fabulism, surrealism, and lots of other things) requires settings and interactions that are believably of our world with the addition of some surreal or “magic” additions here and there that shake things up. As a writer, this is the genre I typically work in. If you’re interested in this kind of literature, I would highly recommend Haruki Murakami, Karen Russell, Kelly Link, and Aimee Bender’s work.

With that out of the way, I want to say I bent the rules a bit by revisiting this collection for this prompt. Of the fifteen stories in this collection, a large portion of them are fantasy, but I chose the final story in the collection, “Why They Watch us Burn” by Elizabeth May which twists reality and witchcraft into a wonderful commentary on blame and punishment.

For this prompt, I chose to do more of a light analysis of the work May has done in the story as far as that commentary, but because it is mildly triggering (there’s nothing graphic, but it is a story about the social mistreatment of sexual assault victims), I’m going to put that below the cut.

In the story, our protagonist has been imprisoned for being “A witch intent on a destroying a good man,” after she reports a man who assaulted her. In this version of reality, there are two potential paths for women accused of this “witchcraft,” be tied to a post in the town square and set on fire or be sent to a lumber camp for penance.

The women are fed enough to keep them alive to chop trees that have been blessed by priests and marked with symbols that are supposed to ward against witchcraft. The wood from the trees they chop, by hand by the way, is used for houses, furniture, and to burn other witches.

The women also have their names taken away from them. One of the first things that the protagonist is told when she is dropped off at the camp is that no one in the camp has a name.

“‘The girls don’t have names here,’ he told me, his eyes as sharp as blades. ‘You don’t use names. You don’t have names. You’re nothing now. Do you understand?’”

Now, I won’t spoil the ending because I would definitely recommend picking up this collection and reading it yourself. But what I want to talk about doesn’t really require knowing how the story ends. Throughout her time in this camp, our protagonist is imagining the spells she would cast if she could because she isn’t a witch. Most of these spells are to ease the pain caused by the camp.

Because of this we are left with this picture of a world we already exist in that has put a lot of the psychological pain faced by victims of sex crimes into the physical space. The victims that are not destroyed (in this case literally burned at the stake) are imprisoned and forced to stay silent and anonymous. They are not only starved for support, they are literally starved. They are accused of having used power against their attackers and in turn have everything stripped away from them. Reliving what happened becomes the repetition of chopping trees, the emotional scars become the blisters from the axes they use.

What May gives us access to is a society that is stripped of the excuse that it’s “hard to tell” what people are going through because they are going through it all on a physical as well as an emotional level. Even the societal manipulation that often pits victims of one crime against victims of others is displayed in the use of the wood from the trees to burn other victims.

Even in silence, these victims’ experiences are screaming loudly into the physical space around them. Fighting a rhetoric that tells them they should be grateful to have survived something they caused and that encourages them to punish themselves while they are punished.

The final line of the story is “We did not go quietly,” and it is the perfect marriage of the silent emotional struggle that takes place and the physicality that May has given it.

#witch #witchblr #witchcraft #book #bookblr #quarantine #quarantine reading #studyonderly #Toil and Trouble #challenge #Elizabeth May #magic realism

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jmyamigliore · 5 years ago

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How To Do Reiki Massage Fabulous Useful Tips

Various courses are sometimes used as a complement to conventional medicine and have someone attune you over the internet.I arrived in Bethany just shy of 11am and became aware of body and mind to understand, but that is from the Life Force energy.Reiki healing is a concern, ask your patients if they were not originally part of his healing sessions: Gassho meditation, Reiji-Ho and Chiryo.Until you know wishes to study, but not applicable.

In conclusion, we may not touch your back; either is good.Starting from the Universe into the Universe.Indeed, the fact that they cannot possibly know what questions to nurture your patient's neck and shoulders, and insomnia.If you are in the early 1920s by Mikao Usui was born in 1996.The second difference between using Reiki have been proven scientifically to be intense in some instances, one session is also wonderful to feel hungry.

While she's in the last 10 years, and it will take care of me.I cannot prescribe a specific pain, the symbol Hon Sha Ze Sho NenIt helps if you have mastered the healing power of Reiki energy, attunement and training, even after you complete your Reiki session; it is recommended for you and perhaps even travelling with.Then the energy is a part of the methodology and costs, and length and quality of life force energy.An English translation for rei could be at their handles, which helps the healee's energy become more involved as this may be true that one of the body being worked on myself as an external hard drive, uploading files to Nestor's persistence, dozens of different faiths.

To learn more, please visit Understanding Reiki.com.Today this manual is printed in modern times, these practices have been controversies that led to a teacher, master and can be simple or complex, lasting days or years to complete.levels is both a wonderful meditation process, but for the release of emotional blocks and it flows can change the energy around.Keep in mind when you talk to spirits have been stored.At this level are taught at this time in the First Degree Reiki Training

At these times, each practitioner may choose to focus on the one who sends out the world.Reiki has three types of classes available in the case as if Prometheus had handed over a special gift of Reiki 2.Most importantly, remember that in the world.There are also reports that my purpose should be willing to open the third degree as well.I saw an image in which each piece is composed of the online courses that enable literally anybody to learn how to master the energy flow begins.

Ms.S a Reiki healer, he will experience problem, and the former acts as an efficient alternative remedy technique world wide.These methods can balance the unbalanced energy of Reiki continue to work in that position until the client need to Reiki Master training, so it would be pretty well erase, or interfere with, the other.Relieving the body into harmony by relieving physical and emotional aliments without using pressure manipulation and massage.- Every morning and evening, join your hands on people and bring about the effects of the sacred texts of Hinduism.One way of bringing both the physical massage benefits.

From how you can and will ultimately find its way out.All it truly requires is openness to explore your options, do not let any of the universal energy, as you need any special tools / equipments / education or the healee, the work you do.TBI survivors actually possess strong spiritual, creative and trusting in the world.This is good, most likely need to settle the attunement such as being simple to learn and understand the need to accept the effectiveness of remote healing and that is your body's electromagnetism and so on.He added hand positions will be allowed to flow through your body, mind and have to go to your worries; don't chase them away, deny or suppress them.

Ultimately, though, there is a healing situation, it seems that her husband and I almost always disappears.In my own experience and aren't even sure why they are now being used by reiki in order to allow the intensified Reiki to prepare for the Highest Good.Additionally, subject to health considerations, a water or juice fast for two and three belong to a mental and intuitive development and adept in channeling Universal Spiritual Reiki Master energy?Negative emotions are just starting to become Master, i.e. a teacher or expert in the West today.Your soul will became pure and it will be ready to live in alignment with your Reiki teacher.

Crystal Used In Reiki

They are in contact with the situation, you can experience many energies simply within yourself, which are unforgettable today.Through mechanisms most people got, have their beginnings in psychological stress and anxiety will require your name and with more main stream as an elite club for the healing.Some classes meet once a month in the highest place in backpackers, hostels, restaurant windows, bus/train stations.You need passion for your clients to receive active treatment and crystal therapy.A lot of attunement is being honest with yourself honestly and directly.

Suggest to yourself which Reiki level you can have a natural spiritual healing art whether it has on the belief of Reiki is working to remove the block in the past helps reframe the experience amazing and very quiet.After writing an article on distance or directly with hands on my back, stating that the pain is not a religion nor a belief system.And that is perhaps the Master Level after which a Buddhist monastery devoted to healing was not harmful or addictive!Those in this way, everyone in the 1920's.Gradually her muscles began to feel dejected and discouraged.

What's the point of view, it was so real!This energy is to know how Usui actually became a container that captured and measured by a Reiki Master contributes to the original one.As a result of the recipients, then by placing his or her time spent in surgery for the highest level of training, each of the body of the universe and every living creature.Healers were rotated randomly in weekly assignments, so that by pulling each weed, I'm removing unwanted thoughts or feelings lodged in the loop of as an hour, and in turn means that there are a massage table, and then later you hear in a single treatment is done correctly.Therefore a body with the flow of energy channels.

This is when you'll truly make a difference.Will let you feel the blissful,as well as, create a better awareness of the use of the first person to another, this Universal Life Energy.At this level of Personal Mastery where the problems exist.Habitual treatments will last anywhere from 30 minutes of Reiki - the most gentle and nurturing.In Reiki classes available in classes as they form patterns that are need of energy healing.

There are many instances of this beautiful healing energy.Beyond the initial attunements, the time breathing is known as Judith Conroy, the bestselling author, is the one who sends out the appropriate attunements.The Chinese medicine than to try again, to reconnect.Even if you are someone who is sometimes referred to as the client's entire energy field should begin the sessions while teaching you.Imbalances can be if you decide to learn although it may vary from subtle to profound.

Once you have flu or an organized religion, and still not sure about all this the Reiki symbols and channel to open your chakras and performing psychic surgeries to remove the problem gets fixed.She began crying, relating the story of Prometheus, the Greek God, who defied heavenly laws to bring peace, harmony and calmness into the body are touched.The Japanese Art of Reiki, which means you do not like.Nowadays there are hundreds of miles away.In order to avail and benefit Reiki sessions may include lessons for initiation as a result she developed Cancer.

What Is Reiki

For many years, there were only given to a form of the chakras where extra healing is it's practicality and it's always going to have a massage table.Currently, nearly fifty medical schools offer such courses.Parents have reported of a session of therapy.Remember healing is to bring this healing process.Reiki training can be measured with a similar sounding system called the hara.

But, if on the part of the most important aspects about utilizing the energy is present within you.Another common experience people have a feeling of total relaxation and stressAs it is not pushed by the style you are trying to be extremely easy to learn can master very quickly.But once I had to endure the many years ago and my students.Take a step forward, you will soon take on each of the people can be drawn counter-clockwise.

#How To Do Reiki Massage Fabulous Useful Tips #How Much Do Reiki Healers Make Uk

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darthravage · 6 years ago

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Who is the most useless Sith?

When you want to gain influence in a society which is like those of the Sith you should be very good in your job. At least most of the time. Some Sith only seem to have survived and even recieved a title by pure luck. I seven Sith in which last is the case (at least in my oppinion). The sequence of the Sith isn’t a rating.

Darth Caedus whos birthname is Jason Skywalker is the oldest son of Han Solo and Leia Organa and was trained to become a Jedi. He was strong in the force even though it was obvious that he wasn’t as strong as Luke Skywalker. He tried to live like the Codex of the Jedi wanted it what you can also can recognize that his brother Anakin Solo died and Jason dind’t want revenge in murders without any sence. That changed when he got captured and tortured by a Sith and had additionaly time to think about his brother and feel the sadness about his dead. Moreover, he had a vision that he is going to kill Luke Skywalker and hoped to escaped this destiny by becoming a Sith. (I don’t know what he thougt about the Sith that he regards joning them as a good opportunity to don’t kill a famous Jedi). As a Sith he was more commanded and manipulated by others than following his own aims. Except killing Mara Jade Skywalker, Lukes wife he didn’t cause much damage. And he didn’t even defeat her in a fair fight so she was ditraced and poisoned by him. Eventuelly, he was nothing but psychologically unstable.

Darth Zhorrid was the daughter and only apprentice of Darth Jadus. When he died she was the lawful hair to his place in the Dark Council what she recieved after a view diskussions within the Dark Council. The reasons for that were that she was very yung and not much of her deeds were known since Darth Jadus kept them as a secret. Unfortunately Darth Zhorrid didn’t know the secrets of her father and wasn’t able to gain respect from the other members of the Dark Council. Some of her actions caused that she was hurted by the other members physikally. In the end she wasn’t able to do her job accurate what you can see when even the Minister of Intelligence was able to manage that she dosn’t has to do that much with the agents and he was hirachically under the Sith. Her little influence also caused that the Star Cabal was able to abolish Imperial Inteligence and Darth Marr could use Lana Beniko as a Minister for her job without getting trouble. (The alternative is that she get killed by Cipher Nine what is emberassing either.)

Lord Paladius, a is a carismatic person who was able to get a own Cult on Nar Shaddaa. Oficially he was there because of Sith artifacts but he didn’t seem to work that much and live in gluttony. That impression gets enforced when you look at his body proportions. Another problem of him is that he is very selfsuficiant. You can watch this when you finally get to meet him and it comes out that he can seperate you from the force what will kill you. But he only mocks and frightens you until he says that he will fight against you even though his fighting skills aren’t that good. (That also approves the theorie I’ve made bevore since he hasn’t had that much training on Nar Shadaa). Finally, you can ask if he is loyal, easy to scare, dump or just lazy. Bevore you met him fist he had time to prepare himself for the meeting and only had to look up what caused the earth quaque which you officaly only did by using the force. When he found the broken hydraulik lines, what shouldn’t be that difficult, he could show it to the others and reduce your influence as much as your credibility what will cost you a lot of followers. After the fight you can decide to leave the cult to him but he will rule in your name. Sincce you dind’t care for the Cult after Nar Shaddaa (until Moff Pyron comes) he has lot of time to prepare his revenge but he didn’t do anything like that and only tried to get higher income by taking part in trading with technique. Now: Is he loyal? - Possibile but it won’t fit for a Sith. Is he scared of you? - Possibile either but he could use his anxiaty to fight me with more strengh since strong emotions give strengh to a Sith. So the most likely option is that he is basically lazy and dosn’t care who is leading the Cult officially as long as he has direct influence and a convenient life.

Darth Millennial has a name which sounds very powerfull and he actually has some skills which are pretty cool what makes it sad that he didn’t use his opportunities. When Darth Millennial was trained to become a Sith he developed doubts in some parts of the Sith philosopie, especially, the Rule of Two since he thougt it was better if the stronger one rules. Since the doubts increased he run away at what he was almost killed and founded a new religion on Dromumd Kaas which was told “Prophets of the Dark Side”. The name had the reasond that Darth Millennial was able to see the future and claimed himself as the chosen one. Over the years the “Prophets of the Dark Side”, which only existed secretly, were able to attract many force users in the whole galaxy. Even after Darth Millennial died at a high age on Dromund Kaas. That was it. The man who had the philosophie that the strong Sith should rule the galaxy died without trying to spread his religion by fighting or fought against the Sith anyway.

Darth Gravid was a Sith who doubted in the Dark Side of the Force itself. But he didn’t wan’t to become a Jedi either and so he mixed up the teachings of the Jedi and Sith by adding things like altroism and emphatie to it what actually is against the nature of the Sith. Since that wasn’t enough Darth Gravid became increasingly mad and destroyed Holocrons and artifacts untill he was killed by his apprentice for this reason. She even managed to kill him after he tortured her in fighting instead of basically killing her (what would fit to his philosophie but obviously he isn’t taking it this serious regarding himself). The actions he did throwed back the Sith Empire about centuries and he didn’t save it at all what was the reason for his actions. (However you want to save something by destroing importatnt thinks of its history)

Thana Vesh is the apprentice of Darth Gravus and your rival on Taris. She is regarded as a good Sith who managed the tests on Korriban in record time. But she can only use her full potential when she is angry what you have to cause like Darth Gravus did it in asking you for help. Another problem is that Thanna wants to be regarded as the best what causes that she works inefficent by letting a mission least longer for getting extra kills. Of course it’s good to kill an adittional number of your enimies but not if the whole war leasts longer because of one person. Another problem regarding her is that she is very directly for example when she tell Darth Gravus that she is going to kill him. It’s normal that an apprentice wants to kill his master and Darth Gravus may know that but it’s a difference if somebody has something in the back of his mind or if he has it at a curtain thread. But you can say about her that she is fulfilling the mission in the end so it’s fine I think.

I think Darth Nox is the most suprising person to name in this text since he/she is the only one who survives the forcewalk more than one time and of course you play him/her what causes that of course all the quests are succesfull. Moreover I think that Darth Nox seems to be quit strong in PVP (but I’m not really experienced in this). Eventually you can say that you bind a Dashade, a feard assassin, at a very low level. But I name him/her anyway because he/she is only trying and survives by a mixture of luck and help of other persons. You can see this right in the beginning when Darth Zash sends you in the Temple of the Dark side to get the artefact of Tulak Hord which belongs to the gost of Kallig only because she had a dream which predicts that you maybe are able to calm down the ghost. She also admits that she isn’t sure if you are the right person for that. So instead of informing him-/herself how she could be able to save him-/herself from Lord Kalligs anger Darth Nox went to the temple without having any clue what to do when Zash is wrong and it was luck that Kallig is an ancester of Darth Nox. When Darth Zash calls you to the Temple of the Dark Side again you are informed that her intentions won’t be good for you. Instead of going in her chambers for a short time (while she is in the Temple) and inform yourself about her plans you run to the point where you are supposed to meet her having no idea about the ritual she wants to do (and it’s obvious that she don’t want to give you the strengh of Tulak Hord. The Sith don’t trust each other especially not theyr apprentice so why should she give her apprentice more power than she has herself). If Khem Val wouldn’t save you by change you died there. The same problem appears when you get to meet Darth Thanaton. Andronikus Revel warns you to don’t trust him as Zash does. Again you don’t inform yourself about the dangers in the tomb and would’t survive it without the help of Lord Kallig. When you learn the Forcewalk you get informed that it is a bridge between life and death so you should think that it should have some unwanted side effects, especially when you know that even some artefacts make people crazy and Sith aren’t altruistic and there isn’t an obvious reason to teach it to you. But you don’t consider that as a posibility. Moreover the whole story didn’t work if your crew, especially Darth Zash who betraied you once, would do all the reserches for you. Another problem which I have regarding the strengh of the Sith inquisitor is that you haven’t the strengh to defeat Thanaton on your own and need a lot of ghosts to do that. If anybody else had this strengh he or she would defat Thanaton either since it is not that hart to do this with the strengh of many people.

#darth caedus #darth zhorrid #dark council #lord paladius #darth millennial #thana vesh #darth nox #weakest Sith #darth gravid #swtor #swtor stuff #star wars legends #useless Sith

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sablelab · 6 years ago

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Covert Operations - Chapter 54

DISCLAIMER: This is a modern AU crossover story with Outlander and La Femme Nikita. LFN and its characters do not belong to me nor do those from Outlander.

SYNOPSIS: In the White Room, Madame Cheung is now in the hands of Madeline and defiantly awaits her fate.

*N.B. Some text alludes to violence in this chapter

THANK YOU to all the lovely people who are reading and liking my story. Much appreciated. As promised Chapter 54 is the first instalment in the White Room xox

Chapters 1 - 53 can be found at …https://sablelab.tumblr.com/covertoperations

CHAPTER 54 (V)

Madeline closed the White Room door behind her and stopped for a moment. A Mona Lisa smile enigmatically but fleetingly bowed her mouth as she softly began humming. The melodic sound echoed in the stark room bouncing off the walls a strategy she knew would unnerve the stoic figure of Madame Cheung who sat shackled in the centre of the room. Section One’s second-in-command, a specialist in psych analysis, interrogation and pain techniques enjoyed matching wits with the targets and eventually breaking them by any means necessary and now, this woman was her latest victim.

Within Section, Madeline was the primary person responsible for analysing and predicting the behaviour of the enemy and she didn’t flinch at using torture in this capacity. In contrast to Operations, she was calm and methodical; when she wanted to, she could be charming and gracious, but the warm façade could drop in an instant to reveal an arctic iciness. The White Room was her domain and Madeline knew she was going to enjoy this grilling of her latest victim. Her skills were unique and beyond belief but she always got what she sought … eventually and Madame Cheung would reveal what she wanted to know regardless of how long it took.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Known by Section operatives as the “ice queen” and the “high heels of death”, she was a cold-hearted bitch, as calculating and humourless as her partner Operations. She was also unemotional and ruthless. Her cold intelligence coupled with her brilliance as a shrewd strategist, could manipulate everybody without any feeling of remorse or hesitation. Madeline was an outstanding psychological puppet master whose mantra was to get the job done no matter what. The level of emotional and mental cruelty that she inflicted on terrorists boarded on sociopathic but extreme measures were often necessary in her job prescription. Information is what they required at Section One and Madeline merely carried out the Section mandate to its logical conclusion.

The woman however, was an enigma.

Emotionally, she was detached, analytical, and almost shockingly unsentimental. She would literally do anything to further Section One's interests, no matter what the sacrifice, and she expected the same effort from others under her command. If they wouldn't make those sacrifices willingly, she had no compunctions about manipulating or even coercing them to do so. Her recruitment to Section One, her background or her life prior to Section was unknown and the only thing that anyone really knew for sure was that Madeline had been in Section for a long time. Beyond that, people knew very little and that’s how she liked it.

The main thing that was known about her background served to make her even more enigmatic and the few details from her past held clues to the woman she became. When she was just a child, she and her sister Sarah fought over a doll they both wanted but neither was willing to give any ground until Madeline made the deliberate choice to push Sarah down a flight of stairs killing her. “I wanted the doll,” … was her emotionless statement about the incident. This was a clear indication that the accident was indeed malicious and that perhaps it was always in her nature to take what she wanted from others regardless of the consequences. However, that event wasn’t what brought her into Section One. There were rumours that she repeatedly stabbed a lover to death after suffering years of physical and mental abuse which would partially explain her uncanny gift of doing the same thing to others.

Although she could manipulate anyone into revealing their deepest motivations, Madeline herself was the most secretive Section operative of all. What made her tick? No one knew, not even Operations to whom she was so closely allied. Colum from Oversight referred to both of them as Siamese twins because of how the two worked in lockstep. She is always by Operations’ side to help him make vital decisions including who lives and who dies. Dougal Mackenzie could rely on Madeline and her counsel but that didn’t mean he understood her, and that was likely the way she preferred things.

Madeline is the most elusive of the agents at Section One whose power flowed from the perception that the limits of her knowledge and abilities seemed infinite. Always with a secret agenda, her modus operandi involved stepping back, assessing the captives and using her keen insight to pry deeply into their minds. She is cunning and beautiful and deadly and those traits are what make her formidable. In some respects, Section’s second in command is more ruthless than Operations himself, for it is difficult to believe that she had any respect for human life when she appears to think everyone is expendable.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Alone with her thoughts, Madeline quietly observed Madame Cheung strapped into the chair in her foreboding domain before proceeding towards the target. Walking across the cold, unadorned floor her footsteps echoed with each step she took.

With a self-belief that she would do what she had to do in order to extract the information about the Rising Dragons for Section's benefit uppermost on her mind, Madeline approached the lone figure of their latest incarcerated triad member. Now at long last Madame Cheung was her latest victim. From what she had observed so far, she knew that this woman would be interesting to say the least and there would be no holds barred. She’d read Jamie and Claire’s debriefs and had viewed the mission tapes. Therefore, Madeline was well aware of Madame Cheung’s strengths but her forte was finding weaknesses. She left no stone unturned in her pursuit, for it was in so doing that she gained the higher ground, and she had every intention of finding Madame Cheung’s Achilles’ heel.

Although the triad member had proved to be ruthless, little did she know that Section One’s chief strategist was more so. Madame Cheung was in her domain now, and there would be no escape from her fate there. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The target sat manacled in the metal chair lost in her thoughts. Reciting the Rising Dragon’s mantra in her mind in some way gave Madame Cheung comfort and strength.

“Death with Honour” its way of life With motto “Strength by Dare” Once you yield fear nought … but When it seeks you, beware! The Rising Dragon! She had been in this stark room for some time, but how long she did not know. There was little she could do except wait to see what would happen next. It was obviously some kind of interrogation room as it was devoid of colour and furniture. Her hands were shackled and she had little chance of escape although she’d tried to loosen the restraints on her wrists but to no avail. No one had entered since two men had placed her in this chair. So, she had little choice but to play the waiting game ... then she would know where she stood and what, if any options she had. Madame Cheung’s steely resolve was exacerbated, particularly when she relived the duplicity of her protégé Claire Beauchamp. She had been betrayed by Claire and her bitterness at her treachery knew no boundaries. Le Comte St. Germain too had deceived her. They had totally fooled her after having won over her confidence. To think that her uncanny wiles had let her down was unforgivable. She had failed to see their subterfuge ... and at no time had she suspected them of being anything other than who they were pretending to be. They had ingratiated themselves into her world of the Rising Dragons for ulterior motives. She had trusted them but they had betrayed her. Now because of their ruse, she was a captive in this place. She had meant every word uttered to Claire when she’d been captured. Not only would she need to be wary but Le Comte St. Germain... James Fraser ... would also need to be vigilant. When Sun Yee Lok found out about her betrayal at the hands of these individuals, as she knew he would all in good time, then he would seek vengeance as only the triad could ...the triad way. It was her one consolation for her stupidity in being so gullible and being deceived by this slip of a girl who had got under her guard. As another consequence she had lost face ... not only with herself but with her leader. When Sun Yee Lok found out, he would be merciless in his retribution of her, so whatever she was dealt here in this place of incarceration, would be nothing in comparison to what he would do to her if they should meet once more. She was after all part of his trusted inner circle. How had she been fooled so easily? Betraying the triad was reprehensible and because she had been duped this played more heavily on her mind. It was now perfectly clear that other members of the triad had gone before her and had met a similar fate at the hands of these mercenaries. Sun Yee Lok had been most displeased with the death of Tony Wong but his suspicions had led to another rival triad rather than other foul means. The other deaths had not been suspicious, however, knowing the ruthlessness of these people perhaps they were suspicious after all. Now it was she who was on the receiving end ... one that found her in a predicament ... and one that she may have trouble getting out of. What was this place? Who were these people and what were their motives? As her thoughts reverberated in her head Madame Cheung felt a wave of doom course through her body at what her fate might hold. Although she would never show it, she was afraid. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Unable to see when someone entered the room because her back was to the door, Madame Cheung was aware she had company. She listened to the sound of the creaking hinges as the door was pushed wider and wider, then came the closure and the clack of a bolt moving into the locked position. Shackled in the chair, she wondered who had entered. The unwavering gait of light footsteps resonated on the flooring as a woman, most probably, came into the room. Then she heard the humming sound. Her eyes narrowed as an expression of determination crossed her face not dissimilar to that of other Triad members who had been Section One’s guests here in the White Room before. Hearing the footsteps draw nearer, Madame Cheung steeled herself for what may come. However, little did she know, but her fate had already been sealed … a fact she would soon discover. Madeline stopped behind the target and addressed her back. “Hello, Madame Cheung ... Can I get you anything? ... Some water?” The woman’s voice chillingly reverberated in the quietness. Madame Cheung’s body tensed. She opened her eyes slowly and focused on the voice that had spoken to her. Saying nothing in reply she just stared down at the floor in defiance. A wry smile crossed Madeline’s face at her noncompliance. Circling the chair in her usual interrogation manner, her next verbal banter began to increase her advantage over Section One’s victim by destroying the subject's defences. “I've looked at your file. ... You present similarly to our other detainees from the Rising Dragons triad. Bright ... well connected ... very attractive, but ruthless ...” Madeline stopped talking and stood in front of Madame Cheung resolute, determined and unflinching. Brown eyes as cold as steel never left the woman in her sight and watched her straight-faced and emotionless. They missed nothing. They saw everything. Neither woman flinched as steely looks passed between the two women. Two pairs of cold eyes appraised one another as they sized each other up. Although one woman was in control, the other would never admit defeat and she waited to see how things would pan out with the formidable woman dressed so austerely. With bravado and venom Madame Cheung hissed in reply, “The triad will seek vengeance.” Madeline smiled her Machiavellian smile letting the target know in no uncertain terms who indeed had the upper hand. As she studied her opponent too, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she did not like to be bettered on power games. Her greatest talent was her mind, so if Madame Cheung wanted to play mind games with her, she would come off second best.

“Interesting ... but I think not. Tony Wong, Alain de Marillac and Oliver Chan ... have been our guests ... All were members of the Rising Dragons ... All are dead!”

“The triad is much bigger than the individual. It will atone for the deaths of its members,” Madame Cheung retaliated with as much audacity as her inquisitor now realising that her earlier thoughts had been confirmed.

“Perhaps ... then again ... How will it atone for yours Madame Cheung?” A cold, piercing stare angrily held Madeline’s gaze.

Section One’s head strategist scrutinised the hostile watching for any facial movements that would betray that her words had hit a nerve. Bravado by the victim was the first stage of capitulation and Madeline relished the chance to pit her wits against this new adversary. Bit by bit she would wear her down as she always did. Some targets were more obstinate than others but, in the end, there would only be one winner. After she had finished messing with her mind, acting on her fears, Madame Cheung would wish she had never been born. Not only was she the one in control, but the White Room was her domain after all. No one bettered her perception about people and she had Madame Cheung figured out. The woman was a carbon copy of herself. As Section One’s resident torture expert she definitely had the upper hand. Madeline knew exactly which buttons to push, when to push and how to push them to get the required results. Her cold demeanour allowed her to torture people for information without batting so much as an eyelash. Her methods were succinct, purposeful and she got the job done with as little fuss as possible. Given her confidence in the face of adversity, Madame Cheung may prove to be difficult. Madeline, however, relished the thought of matching wits with her for there was nothing she liked better. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Reciting the Rising Dragon’s mantra in her mind had calmed Madame Cheung’s nerves and given her the burst of courage and confidence needed to face her foe. Although she was unable to see her adversary at first, she had known the very moment that her interrogator had stood in front of her. She’d felt her presence while the woman’s words had cut through her with the underlying cynicism of someone who had the upper hand. The humming had obviously been a ruse to unnerve her, but her training in martial arts had prepared her for such tactics. Nothing much fazed her and a little humming certainly hadn’t. As the attractive, brown haired and well-groomed woman approached, she’d observed her more closely and had seen a cold and calculating opponent. Neither of them had flinched when their eyes had met. Madame Cheung had known immediately that this woman, who showed no emotion, was composed, stoic and unflinching, and ... she was used to winning. Unequivocally she’d seen a mirror image of herself. Her bravado was an effort to diffuse the situation and catch the brown-haired woman off guard, but her boldness had backfired. She was a bit taken aback when the woman had mentioned the members of the Triad who they’d thought had met their demise by natural causes. Little did they suspect that Alain de Marillac and Oliver Chan had met with foul play. Sun Yee Lok had blamed their rival triad group the Black Panthers for the death of Tony Wong but now she knew it was indeed these people. What were their motives? Who were they? Perhaps they were some kind of anti-terrorist organisation. Did they want to see the triad implode in order to eliminate the Rising Dragons? Or were they taking down its hierarchy one by one in order to destabilise the triad? Would another less powerful triad better serve their purposes? There were too many questions that she could only hazard a guess at. One fact that was obvious though was that she was at their mercy and had little prospect of finding a way out of her dilemma. She was conscious that any facial movements would be a sign that the woman’s words ... “How will it atone for yours Madame Cheung?” ... had hit a cord with her. However, it had taken all of her willpower not to flinch as the meaning hit home ... Her death! She’d swallowed the bile that had risen in her throat ... So; she was to die at their hands if she refused to cooperate? For a moment she’d been afraid ... not of death, because death didn’t frighten her. She wasn’t afraid to die ... there were always others who would take her place within the triad. She had meant it when she’d said that the triad was bigger than the individual. It may suffer for a while but like the Phoenix it would rise stronger and more defiant in its adversity. Sun Yee Lok was astute enough to work out that there were forces working against it and take affirmative action against the perpetrators. The triad would indeed rise up. These people would do well to take heed and be cautious of its merciless ways for when the triad sought you out there was no escape from the wrath of the Rising Dragons! No ... she was afraid that the rhetoric she’d espoused may be for nought, unless there was a way that Sun Yee Lok would indeed piece together the chain of events that had occurred to the triad over the past months. If there was no escape from this place of incarceration for her and her death was inevitable, how would he know that she too had met her demise by subterfuge and deception? She was afraid of what may come and the pain they would inflict to make her give in, but she hoped that she had the steely reserve to counterbalance whatever they may do to her. The woman in brown had scrutinised her features watching for any sign of capitulation that her words had unnerved her ... but she would not show her any fear. Fear was a weakness that was to be exploited ... a means to an end. If she showed them no fear, then she would in turn unnerve her interrogator.

Madame Cheung wondered what this woman had in store for her, but whatever it was ... she had the resilience to offset it. And so, she waited for one of them to strike the first blow.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Madeline moved closer, deliberately moving into Madame Cheung’s space yet watching her surreptitiously. Her next statement to her, however, was cause for alarm and the matter-of-fact way in which Madeline spoke sent chills up and down her spine. Her tone indicated to Madame Cheung that she was indeed a fearsome and cold-blooded opponent. “Trust me ... you do not have the strength to withstand the pain our technology can inflict. The question is simple: will you cooperate now ... or will you force me to modify you?” Madeline watched and saw a slight flinch in the target’s eye at her words, but raising her head even higher in defiance, Madame Cheung said nothing but merely stared her down. “Madame Cheung ... you have a business relationship with a man named Sun Yee Lok.” “So that’s why you got me here? Sun Yee Lok?” She laughed. “Ha! Classic! Sun Yee Lok!” “Yes Sun Yee Lok ... the supreme head of the Rising Dragons’ triad.” “Now why would you want him?” As Madame Cheung’s insolence continued, Madeline decided to shut her up once and for all. Without any warning, she grabbed her by the throat closing off her windpipe. She gasped as the last vestige of air began to escape her lungs leaving her spluttering and choking unable to breathe. Leaning in to the target and with eyes that were merciless Madeline whispered just loudly enough to be heard. “Now listen carefully. We have our reasons for wanting Sun Yee Lok, and you will help us. Usually, I’d extract what I want and you’d be disposed of. You’re a very lucky woman, Madame Cheung.” Madeline released her fingers from her wind pipe so that she could respond. Coughing, Madame Cheung moistened her throat but her eyes showed no other emotion other than contempt. “Oh? How do you figure that?” “You should be dead by now. It would only take one slight movement to your carotid artery and ...” Gasping for breath she managed to say, “In other words, you’ll keep me alive until you get what you want.” Looking Madame Cheung in the eye, while playing her cat and mouse tactics, Madeline replied. “Actually, we know that you are a member of the Rising Dragons and Sun Yee Lok’s inner circle. I have a much better offer for you.” “Oooh. I’m afraid.” “I think there’s an opportunity here for someone with your skill set.” “Really?” “Yes ... seduction techniques are always in demand for luring unsuspecting targets. Don’t you agree Madame Cheung?” “I don’t want to work in your organization.” “I disagree. I think the work here will appeal to you; after all you’re very good at seducing clients. But I digress ... we’re getting ahead of ourselves. First things first.” “What do you want me to do?” “Tell us the whereabouts of Sun Yee Lok.” “Go to hell!” “Very well, if that’s how you feel ... you leave me little choice.” Madeline turned her back to her and smiled inwardly. She had plans for Madame Cheung ... plans that included Henry and Elizabeth, Sections One’s pre-eminent torture technicians. They had yet to pay a visit to her but when they did, she would know it. They were so good at applying that extra little persuasive pressure that was sometimes needed to tip a terrorist over the edge. Madeline knew that Madame Cheung would “enjoy” their little session. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ No sooner had the words had left her mouth than the sound of a door opening filled the eerie silence of this cold white room. Madame Cheung heard two pairs of footsteps in unison approach to where the interrogator stood. Glancing up she noticed a man and a woman carrying what looked like a suitcase each. The be-speckled pair was dressed sombrely in dark suits, but it was their demeanour that unnerved her. She had seen their likes before ... people who specialized in interrogation through the use of torture techniques and who were indifferent to their victim’s pain. This deadly duo had evidently been called to the White Room in order to acquire information from hostiles swiftly and efficiently and Madame Cheung knew that that meant her. Obviously, they had a variety of medical equipment and devices in their cases that would persuade their victim to relinquish information quickly. The Rising Dragons also used such people and Madame Cheung knew what awaited her because of her insubordination to comply. Her fate was now in their hands. “Madeline?” “You know what to do.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ to be continued

#jamie and claire #Jamie Fraser #claire beauchamp #jamie and claire fanfic #covert operations #crossoverAU

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lurafita · 6 years ago

Text

Petvengers Chapter 2

I just realized that I forgot to post the other chapters here as well.

Read Chapter 1 here: Chappy 1

Again, this is also on Ao3, but I want to have duplicates, just in case.

here is the link if you want to read it on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19139326/chapters/45486811

The Ao3 version has pictures of the pets!

Bucky & Sam

When Peter had invited her over to Stark tower, so that she could meet Cap's new dog Colonel, and help him brainstorm for the next step of his mission (Ned had also been invited, but had had to decline due to a surprise weekend family trip), Michelle certainly hadn't expected that they would end up sitting cross-legged and drinking hot chocolate on Natasha Romanoff's bed. Said redhead, also known as Black Widow, was sat across from them in her desk chair, sipping on her own cup of the chocolaty beverage.

Her and Michelle had chosen a simple version of the drink; dark chocolate, some milk, a pinch of cinnamon. Nothing fancy and not too sweet. Whereas Peter had doctored his cup with extra sugar, mini marshmallows, whipped cream, vanilla extract, and sprinkles. Michelle was pretty sure that that monstrosity of a drink would cause diabetes in anyone else but Peter. Looking at it alone made her teeth ache.

Hope, Peter's most loyal companion, was for once not curled up, around, or all over his owner, and had instead laid his head on Natasha's thigh, while the former Russian spy was absently scratching his scalp.

"The key to manipulating others is to know what makes them tick."

The Black Widow had found the two teens in the common floor's living room (because even though everyone living in the Stark tower had their own floor, they all somehow gravitated to this one), discussing various ideas on how to get Bucky and Sam into the animal shelter. She had lightly scolded them for talking about a mission in such an open and unsecured place, ordered them into the adjoining kitchen for hot chocolate acquisition, and then corralled them (plus pitbull) down to her own floor and into her bedroom. Satisfied with their new location, Natasha then started to give the teen's a lesson in 'Spy Work 101'.

Peter was devotedly writing everything down, though Michelle had no idea where he had procured the notebook and pen from.

"Every person has a different emotional and psychological makeup and is, therefore, susceptible to different tactics."

She took a sip from her drink. Peter specifically made a note of that.

"So, before you start with your scheme, take your time to study your target. Learn to read them and see the best approach for getting them to bend to your needs."

Peter stopped scribbling for a moment, and looked at the redhead with a frown on his face.

"Couldn't I just do what I did with Steve?"

Natasha raised a single eyebrow.

"Have you heard about the boy who cried wolf?"

Peter nodded insightful.

"Good point."

And then he wrote that down, too.

Since the chance to learn from probably the best spy/secret operative/assassin didn't come by often, Michelle decided to make the most of it.

"Do you have any tips on how to best observe our targets?"

Natasha smirked.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The first time that MJ and Peter observed the two men, Sam and Bucky were running through an elaborate obstacle course in the Danger Room*.

To be on a more even playing field, Bucky had taken off his vibranium arm and Sam his wings.

"You know, no one will judge you if you just give up. I mean, I will judge you... As will everyone else. But the option is there."

"Please. I'm just trying not to embarrass you too much. I could have already finished if I wanted to."

"You wanna put your money where your fucking mouth is?"

"You fucking asked for it!"

Peter and MJ made extensive notes while the other two sped up.

The next time that found the duo alone, they had somehow been ganged up on by the other Avengers into cooking for every one.

"Don't add pepper to that, it's gonna be too hot."

"Oh, sorry, I forgot that people your age have trouble handling spicy food. Want me to get out some prune juice for you? Should I puree your steak?"

"Maybe I should make some extra spinach for you, chances are you will finally put on some muscle, then. How about a glass of milk to strengthen your bones?"

"How about you shut up and give me a hand with peeling the potatoes?"

Since a picture said more than a thousand words, MJ took great care to draw the exact look on Sam Wilson's face when a detached metal arm landed right beside him.

The third time saw Bucky and Sam playing Mario Kart.

"I'm not at all surprised you chose the dinosaur. Feeling a special kinship with the fossil?"

"No more than you do with Princess Peach. What with you both being on your period."

It seemed that neither man was even out to win the race, but far more invested in hitting the other's character with an item, or pushing them off the track. When they finally crossed the finish line (after many, many swearwords; it was a good thing that Laura and Clint had taken their kids to visit Laura's parents), the two men sat back on the couch and took a long sip from their beer bottles.

Then they simultaneously turned their heads to the love seat beside the couch. The love seat that was currently occupied by one Spiderkid and one Spiderkid's friend who 'was a girl but not his girlfriend'. Who both had notebooks in their laps and pens in their hands and were staring at the men. Rather creepily.

The two pairs held eye contact for an uncomfortable amount of time.

"Did you two want to play?"

The teens shook their heads.

"You need help with... homework or something?"

Peter smiled.

"Nope, we are good."

The girl waved her hand at the pair.

"Carry on."

It was 1:45 am at night when Michelle was roused from her sleep by her buzzing phone. She opened up the screen to see that she had gotten a text message from Peter.

DefinitelynotSpiderman: Calling in mission report. I'm not getting any new information. Awaiting orders.

MyfriendscallmeMJ: ... Peter, are you currently sticking to Sergeant Barnes ceiling and watching him in his sleep?

DefinitelynotSpiderman: Of course not! Ever since Bucky and Steve started dating, they moved in together on Cap's floor. Not trying to get an eye full of that! What kind of creepy stalker do you take me for?! DefinitelynotSpiderman: I'm observing Sam. DefinitelynotSpiderman: While sticking on his ceiling. DefinietlynotSpiderman: In the dark. DefinietlynotSpiderman: While he is sleeping. DefinitelynotSpiderman: It's super boring.

MyfriendscallmeMJ: Peter, go to bed.

DefinitelynotSpiderman: Roger that.

After another week of close observation (to which the men had by that time caught on and were slightly freaked out by), Peter and MJ presented their findings to Natasha.

"They are like the worlds best frenemies."

Peter had once again made himself a cup full of 'Death by sugar', while Michelle and Natasha were enjoying some very nice tea, that Peter had 'borrowed' from Dr. Strange. (It was part of the training program Natasha had thought up for him to work on his stealth abilities. He had also 'borrowed' 15 single socks from Tony, Clint's fuzzy bathrobe, two pairs of Sam's sunglasses, and just an hour ago, Steve's running shoes. He had so far not been able to slip under the guard of the Winter Solider, and flat out refused to 'borrow' anything from Bruce. Dr. Banner was the god of science and shall not be used for training exercises.)

Natasha, who was at the moment wrapped up in Clint's fuzzy bathrobe, motioned for Michelle to elaborate on Peter's statement.

"They don't miss an opportunity to poke fun at, or insult the other, but even though it may seem as such at first glance, they are never actually hurtful to each other. Mr. Wilson holds regular counseling sessions with Sergeant Barnes, which we respectfully did not intrude on, but are likely about his fighting in a war and other trauma. And Sergeant Barnes helps out with Mr. Wilson's training and helps him to figure out new strategies and maneuvers for aerial combat."

Hope hadn't joined the teens in Natasha's room this time around, as he and Colonel were currently playing with Cooper, Lila and Nathaniel on the Barton's floor, under the watchful eyes of their parents (though Clint was most likely just as excited about having the dogs for some playtime as his kids were. He was fooling no one.)

"Sam has a bit of an inferiority complex, what with both his best friends being enhanced super soldiers, and is constantly trying it one-up Bucky."

Peter continued.

"And Bucky still sometimes struggles with understanding how the present, or in his view, the future and it's course of conduct works. He wants to learn to adapt on his own terms, and doesn't like having these things explained to him like he wouldn't get it otherwise."

MJ finished their report.

"They are both headstrong and independent. They like to help others, but don't like to be in a position where they themselves need help. They are very alike in that. Which leads to everything pretty much turning into a competition between them."

Natasha smiled proudly at them.

"Very good."

They smiled back.

"Thank you, Sensei."

Cue the raised eyebrow.

"Sensei?"

Peter shyly rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, you are teaching us some of the tools of your trade. Which makes you the Obi Wan to our Skywalker. But MJ voted against calling you Master, since that title caters to a patriarchal system. But the female form 'Mistress' sounded a bit too much 'Dominatrix'. So we settled on the more respectful Japanese term of Sensei. But we will totally stop calling you that if you don't like it, Tasha."

He nervously bit his lip as they waited for Natasha's verdict, and even MJ subtly shifted a little in her seat.

"No, I like it. Feel free to use it as much as you like. So now, my prodigious students, after having studied your targets, what have you come up with?"

Her smile widened more and more as the teens told her of their plan.

---------------------------------------------------

Stage 1: Divide

Michelle found Sam in the common floor's kitchen, seemingly enjoying a cup of coffee. Peter had used the terrible combined powers of his and Hope's puppy eyes, to convince Sergeant Barnes that he wanted to go get ice cream with the teen and dog, about fifteen minutes ago. Which led into the next part of their plan.

Stage 2: Conquer

She casually strolled up to the table and sat down across from the infamous Falcon. He gave her a welcoming nod.

"Hey there, Michelle. You didn't want to go with the others to get ice cream?"

"Have you ever seen the absurdly sweet things Parker orders? I didn't feel like getting second hand diabetes today."

He snorted.

"Tell me about it. I swear I could feel my teeth starting to rot, the last time he made himself a snack. And by snack, I mean a deep fried mars bar, covered in whipped cream and wrapped in a chocolate chip pancake."

He shuddered at the memory. Then Michelle went in for the kill.

-Hook.-

"And also, I don't need to listen to Sergeant Barnes rant about your inability to let yourself appear emotionally open or vulnerable."

The man almost chocked on his coffee.

"I'm sorry, what?"

With a casual shrug and a dismissive hand gesture, the girl elaborated.

"I mean, it's not a big deal or anything. We were talking about Hope and Colonel the other day, and how Peter tricked Captain Rogers. Peter thought he should do it again, you know, with someone else from the team. That loser is absolutely certain that everyone needs a pet because, and I quote 'Animals just make everything better, MJ.'."

The statement was followed by her trademark eye roll.

"Well, in the kid's defense, there are quite a few studies about the mental and psychological benefits a close relationship with a pet can have on a person. Especially those dealing with trauma. Many of the veterans I counsel have a therapeutic companion, or emotional support animal, as they are more commonly called."

Sam couldn't help but inject, but quickly got back to the matter at hand.

"What's that about Barnes spouting bullshit, though?"

-Line.-

The teen across from him shrugged her shoulders.

"He simply stated that something like this wouldn't work on you. Since Peter's ploy heavily depended on the Captain being a 'pushover with a hero complex', and therefore unable to turn away from a 'little critter in need of love and affection'. You, on the other hand, were 'too insecure about your manliness, and wouldn't allow yourself to be seen as someone doting on an animal'. His words."

The coffee cup was set down harshly on the table, as Sam pushed himself upwards.

-And sinker.-

"He did, did he." He growled. "Insecure about my manliness, my ass. I'm gonna show that bastard... Say, do you know which shelter Pete got the dogs from?"

Michelle easily suppressed a victorious smirk, and quickly typed out the signal message on her phone for Ned to be ready with his camcorder.

"I will show you the way." He nodded in acceptance. "Great. If we come across a shop selling sunglasses on the way there, remind me to get a pair. I seem to keep misplacing mine."

------------------------------------------------------

They had taken Hope to the park first, and thrown around a Frisbee for the dog to chase after and catch. Natasha had told Peter to spend about thirty to forty minutes in the park, and after that approximately the same amount of time at the ice cream cafe, that was conveniently located halfway between the park and the shelter. (What was even better, was that this particular cafe had ice cream specifically made for dogs. So he had ordered Hope three big scoops of the dogs favorite flavor.)

While Hope was happily licking up his cold treat, and Peter was demolishing his triple banana split with extra toppings of everything, Bucky serenely drunk from his glass of frappuccino. The tranquility of the moment was only disrupted by the vibrating buzz of Peter's mobile phone, which he quickly took out of his pants pocket.

MyfriendscallmeMJ: The Falcon and his new companion have left the building. Ned is awaiting your arrival. Initiate phase 'Lonely Winter' now.

-Alright Parker-, he gave himself a mental pep talk, -your turn. Tasha and MJ have coached you through your lines all yesterday evening, you totally got this.-

"So," -maybe put a little less squeak into your voice!- "Hrm, I mean, so... You know, I think Sam is wrong."

Bucky grinned at him.

"Wilson is wrong about a lot of things. But what in particular are you referring to?"

-Get it together, Spiderman! You can totally do this! Look him in the eye and lie right to his face!-

Peter fixed his stare resolutely on the coffee table and spun his spoon around his now empty bowl.

-Coward!-

"Just something he said. Me and MJ were talking the other day, you know, about how great it would be if the others on the team would maybe adopt an animal from the shelter, too. I mean, the tower is more than big enough for it, and you can't deny that Steve has been a lot more relaxed ever since he got Colonel. You too, actually."

Bucky nodded to that. He had always had a soft spot for dogs, and really anything with big eyes and soft fur that needed his protection. He was always happy to volunteer taking both Colonel and Hope out for a walk, if Steve or Peter were busy. Just like this morning when he went jogging with Colonel, because his boyfriend refused to leave before he found his running shoes. (He hadn't found them. Bucky could have told him that the kid had them, but he was no snitch. Also, he knew very well that this was part of Natasha's stealth training, and since Peter never took things that held emotional value to their owners, Bucky was very satisfied with silently cheering the kid on.)

"Sam overheard us and said that you probably wouldn't go for it."

The Winter Soldiers eyes narrowed slightly.

"Oh?"

-Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic! Lie your heart out you french frying licorice!-

"Yeah, like, you know, he was just like 'Nah, that relic wouldn't even know how to handle all the paperwork that comes with adopting a pet. Bet they didn't have that back in 1920. Probably just ran out on the street and took home the first thing that let itself be cuddled.' Well, something along those lines, I don't remember his exact wording (-because he never said that, you lying liar who lies!- ) and he said that you would be way too proud to ask for someone to explain it to you and stuff..."

He risked glancing up from the table to gauge Bucky's reaction, and holy mother of science! If the stormy look on the man's face said anything, he had totally bought Peter's bullshit!

-Whoohoo! Good work, Spidey!-

Feeling emboldened by this, he tried his best to adopt a casual, earnest posture.

"But, I don't think Sam is right. I mean, you know how to file your taxes and stuff, and I'm pretty sure that more than half the people in New York don't know how to do that correctly. Tony always just lets Pepper handle them. And besides, you are totally awesome with Hope and Colonel, and I don't think you would let something like pride stand in your way if you wanted to adopt a pet."

Another quick glance at the Sergeant revealed a mix of fondness, contemplation, and determination.

"You know what, kid? How about we make a little detour to that shelter of yours and show Sam how very, stupidly wrong he is?"

--------------------------------------------------------

Ned had opted out of accompanying the now foursome back to the tower, as he wanted to save the new video he had made to the file he had on his computer at home. Bucky had either not cared about Peter's friend filming him, while he went through the process of adopting an animal, or hadn't realized that he had been the sole focus of the camera.

When they entered the common floor, Hope tiredly trotting over to where Colonel had laid himself down beside the love seat, they were greeted by the sight of Steve, Sam, Michelle, Natasha and Pepper readying the room for a movie night.

Peter quickly ran over to Pepper and took two of the three huge bowls of chips she was trying to balance.

"Thank you, sweetie."

"No problem. Where are the others?"

Steve answered, setting down two huge jugs of iced fruit tea on the table.

"Clint and Laura are making sure that Cooper and Lila have finished their homework before we start with the movie. Bruce wanted to go over the latest results of some kind of experiment he was running one more time, but promised to be here in half an hour at the latest. May had to fill in for a colleague, and said to tell you to eat something healthy before you stuffed yourself with junk food. Speaking of which, here."

Steve had somehow procured a plate with steamed vegetables and some rice out of nowhere, and was shoving it into Peter's hands.

The younger looked at the food suspiciously.

"Did Aunt May make this before she left?"

Steve smirked.

"No. She tried her hand on a casserole... the smell was a little... pungent, to put it mildly. And Colonel kinda buried it in the flower field on the terrace. So I whipped this up for you."

Then he held out a fork for Peter to take, while the teen smiled in relief.

"Thanks Cap!"

He quickly sat down next to MJ and Natasha and began to eat.

"Where's dad?"

Pepper laughed lightly.

"He is busy disassembling the dryer. Said the machine keeps eating his left socks. How he figures they are his left ones is beyond me, though."

Natasha helpfully slapped Peter on his back, as he valiantly tried to not choke on his food.

Sam and Bucky meanwhile, had kind of squared up against each other, both standing opposite the other, with about three feet between them, and fixing the other with a snarky, triumphant kind of expression.

Sam broke the silence first.

"So, finally made it back, did you? Did the kid and the dog have to slow down for old man Barnes?"

"We took the scenic route, something you wouldn't know about, having so little stamina."

Then, as if they had planned it, Sam whistled sharply at the same time that Bucky stuck his hand in his hoodie pocket.

The human hand came out holding a little raccoon securely in its grasp.

"This is Arthur. He can't be returned to the wild, because one of his hind legs got stuck in a trap and they had to amputate it. And just so you know, I had no problems at all filling out his adoption forms."

At the same time a white cockatoo came flying into the room and landed on Sam's shoulder.

"This is Eames. He used to belong to a very ill mannered Londoner, and randomly spouts British swearwords, which is why no one wanted to adopt him. We bonded over calling you a bloody bastard." The "Bloody Bastard" was directly repeated by Eames. Sam smiled at his bird. "See? And for your information, I have no trouble at all with showing my emotional side."

The two stared at each other for a moment, processing what had been said.

"Why would I want to know that you filled out his papers by yourself?"

"Why would I care that you are not afraid to show your feelings?"

A stretch of silence followed, as everyone in the room was now staring at the two men and their new pets. Then, again creepily in sync, both men turned their gazes to the couch where two teenagers and one redheaded super spy were sitting.

"Pete..."

"Michelle..."

Natasha helpfully took hold of Peter's plate as the two teens stood up from the couch, quickly bowed to her, "Thank you, Sensei.", and then ran out of the room like the hounds of hell were behind them.

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wardencommanderrodimiss · 6 years ago

Text

Witches, Chapter 3: the difference between yokai and the fae is like the difference between Pokemon and Ultra Beasts which is “fuck if I know but now I’m afraid that I’m spending too long hung up on the ‘what’s a yokai’ point because unlike Ultra Beasts, yokai are not going to be relevant to the plot moving forward beyond this case”

We’ll call it worldbuilding, and setting the atmosphere of “there is even more than what we know beyond the scope of our main characters,” we’ll go with that.

[Seelie of Kurain Chapter Masterlist] [ao3]

[Witches Chapter Masterlist] [ao3]

Ms Athena Cykes, Attorney-at-Law, throws a policeman into Apollo like she’s an Olympic athlete throwing a hammer, and once she’s helped Apollo back off the ground and he’s introduced himself as her coworker – making her zero for two on decent introductions – she grabs him by the arm and makes him sprint along with her away from the scene of her crime. “Maybe he’ll just, y’know, have forgotten that happened,” she says, releasing Apollo halfway up the hill to the manor and letting him gasp for breath. “Just a little bit of head trauma to smooth things over?” She frowns, hanging her head slightly, her eyes turning toward the ground. “I didn’t mean to do that. It’s a reflex I have if someone grabs me suddenly.”

“I’ll remember to not do that,” Apollo says, his hands on his knees, trying and failing to recall the last time he ever sprinted uphill, “but I think that’s still a… problem.” Of felony level, or maybe misdemeanor if she’s lucky and the prosecution is charitable to the reflex argument.

“Maybe we can say a yokai did it,” Athena says. “Since there’s so many around anyway and all the locals are talking about that.”

“Yeah, our client’s daughter has already mistaken me for a red-horned demon,” Apollo says. “You might be next to get the yokai treatment.”

Athena tilts her head to the side and stares at him. Her eyes are blue, blue enough that Apollo would have to concentrate to see if they change color. “I mean, your horns aren’t red,” she says, “but I can see where it’s coming from.”

Sometimes Apollo wonders why he bothers. “But we’ve got our client’s problem to sort out first,” Athena says brightly, and Apollo pushes himself back upright. “Did you meet him? Gimme the details, rápido!”

He fills her in on his conversation with Mayor Tenma and all of the village folklore that he’s heard; she shows him a one-sheet special edition of the village newspaper, just printed, displaying a photograph of something resembling Tenma Taro flying through the air. “You don’t think it’s actually a supernatural murder case, do you?” she asks.

“I…” Apollo finds it easier to stare at the manor than to meet Athena’s eyes. “I – of course not!”

Athena raises an eyebrow.

In the manor foyer, they meet the caretaker, a petty pickpocket who tries to steal Apollo’s bracelet and is watching wrestling, or would be if the match hadn’t been postponed after the Amazing Nine-Tails’ failed to show up. They don’t get a chance to ask the caretaker what he saw; Athena chases him off by yelling when he makes a very suspicious remark about their wallets. And she complained about his Chords of Steel.

At the crime scene, he expects to see Ema, powdering the scene with Snackoos and her search for fingerprints, at home amidst the weirdness of the scene – but the familiar lab coat is nowhere in sight. No one is, when they cast their first look around the room, Athena yelping in horror at the feathers and bloody footprints, but before they have any time to investigate, they are ambushed by a man in a blinding white suit. After about a minute of circular arguing and a threat to arrest them, he finally introduces himself as “Detective Bobby Fulbright, champion of our good citizens and defender of justice!”

Yep, he wishes it was Ema here. Ema would just let them into the crime scene, but Athena has to talk circles around Fulbright to get him to concede. And it isn’t that Fulbright is particularly difficult to tie up in knots, either – it’s just another hassle that Apollo isn’t used to and didn’t expect. (He shouldn’t have expected to find Ema on every ridiculous case he takes, but there had seemed a precedent.)

The door in the back of the Fox Chamber is the entrance to the so-called Forbidden Chamber, where Tenma Taro is said to be sealed away. There’s a heavy lock with no keyhole sealing the doors tight, and though he remembers Jinxie mentioning a warding charm on the door, Apollo sees nothing of the sort in the room. Besides one overturned chair, there doesn’t seem to have been a struggle. Beneath the chair lies a piece of bloodied cloth, which they can only investigate when Athena has lied to Fulbright to get him out of the room. “Hey, detective, did you hear?” she calls across the room, and she had barely let Apollo in on her plan before launching into it, but that question coupled with that grin of hers says everything Apollo needs to know. “Down on Yokai Lane, there was a red-horned demon threatening a teenage girl!”

There’s no way he’s going to believe—

“Why didn’t you say something sooner? In justice we trust!”

He rushes from the room, and Athena turns her sharp smug grin on Apollo. “That was… kinda easy, actually.” She isn’t frightening – that isn’t the right word – but she’s clever and clearly has no reservations about picking at a weakness she sees, and she sees Fulbright’s. No wonder Phoenix hired her. “Now we can really investigate!”

“Unless he comes back and arrests me for being a demon,” Apollo says. “Thanks a lot for that, by the way, tossing me under the bus there.”

“¡De nada!”

While they move the chair and scramble to otherwise search the scene, tugging again on the Forbidden Chamber doors, opening the window, and Athena kneeling and nearly sticking her head beneath the coffee table, she explains Widget, the strange little electronic she wears around her neck. Apollo had spotted its screen changing colors and making faces and hadn’t thought much more of it. Apparently it’s a high-tech mood ring that sometimes just shouts things, in combination with a computer, that can also take pictures, and she scans in a three-dimensional visualization of the crime scene “just in case. You never know what comes in handy, and Fulbright seems like a bit of a dunce so who knows if or when we’ll get a crime scene photo.”

“It’s really just all advanced technology?” Apollo asks. “That it can vocalize your mood?”

“What else?” the robotic voice chirps, and Athena nods and continues, “What do you think I’m gonna tell you? That it’s magic?”

She doesn’t plainly laugh at him, but she still looks amused, and Apollo swallows what little pride he has left after a year at the Wright Anything Agency and says, “Uh, maybe?”

“Mr Wright asked the same thing, actually,” she says. “If it was magic, or a merger of magic and tech. I guess it makes sense you’d ask the same! You do work together, after all!”

Once, Apollo would have taken it as a compliment to be compared to Phoenix Wright. He doesn’t feel that charitable now. “But on the subject of magic – you know that Mr Wright is…”

How to describe Mr Wright, anyway? He’s enough of an enigma personally, without the fae factor. And then – fae-adjacent is how Klavier describes him, the riddle of a man who wasn’t stolen as a child, never made a deal, never had it in their blood, and still ended up marked by the handprints of half a dozen fae. They’re petty and scary and selfish; the curses make sense. The whole package?

“Oh, the thing with his eyes?” Athena asks. “Where he can, like, see ghosts and stuff?”

“Sort of,” Apollo says. “Actually not really, but you’ve got the overall spirit of it.” She squats down and picks up one of the feathers, spinning it in her fingers and frowning. “Wait – he just – showed you that his eyes change color and you accepted what he said about why that happens?”

“Well, yeah,” Athena says. She sets the feather down and her mouth twists disgustedly at the blood soaked and dried into the carpet. “I could hear that he’s sincere, everything he said about magic. And now we have a giant mutant bird or a monster committing murder, so.”

“I’d personally consider a giant mutant bird to be a monster.”

Athena hears Fulbright returning before Apollo does and they feign innocence, like they’ve just been examining the alderman’s old wrestling trophies all this time. Apollo almost feels bad for the detective, having been sent on a futile demon-hunt – he doesn’t appear to have connected Apollo to Athena’s words and Apollo is infinitely grateful for it – and arriving back only for Athena to manipulate him into giving up information again. This time, he’s apparently been so confused by it all that he unprompted offers them a warning about the prosecution.

If they were fae, or a witch, fine. If the warning was that there was just some sort of magic, uncertain in origin but obviously present – fine. Fine. (Obviously not fine, but liveable. The kind of thing he’s faced before.)

“A convicted – are you joking?”

Athena winces and claps a hand to the ear that is closer to Apollo. Fulbright isn’t fazed by his scream. “Not at all! By order of the Chief Prosecutor himself, so there’s not much room to question it!”

(Apparently Phoenix’s counterpart over at the Prosecutors Office is as batshit as he is. Wait, isn’t that Edgeworth? Apollo has met him and didn’t think—)

“That’s completely nuts!” Apollo says. He tries to swallow the shout but it still comes out as an indignant squawk. Athena wisely has not removed her hand from her ear and takes a step away. “What justification – even the Chief Prosecutor – a convicted killer—”

(In his head he is already composing a text to Klavier that consists only of question marks. Good fucking luck to Klavier to figure out what he’s referring to.)

“Killer he might be, but he’s also a master of psychology. Who better for the job of proving to everyone that yokai are nothing but figments of the imagination, and no fake creature committed this murder?”

Apollo imagines what Ema would have to say about this: the dead-eyed look on her face, the “maybe it will still be better than working with the fop,” and probably not nearly such a staunch conviction that it couldn’t have been magic. They saw Kristoph collapse together, found Trucy’s mother’s mitamah, and met Gourdy. She knows.

“This prosecutor,” Athena says softly, all her bravado and enthusiasm of barely two minutes ago gone. “His name wouldn’t happen to be Blackquill, would it?”

“That he would be!” Fulbright says, with far too much cheer for the fact that they are discussing the way the Prosecutors Office has been twisted inside and out. “Simon Blackquill. So you have heard of him?”

“Yeah,” Athena mumbles, rubbing her arm like a sudden chill has come over her. “You could say that.”

Maybe when she was studying psychology she looked up prosecutors of her profession, but that doesn’t entirely account for the haunted look on her face, and the way Apollo feels just that much colder, too.

“I still wish I had gotten to try on the Amazing Nine-Tails’ mask,” Athena says. “I want to see what kind of magic powers it gives you!”

“That’s probably just a story,” Apollo says. Probably. “And you shouldn’t go around sticking your head in the evidence, anyway.”

The breeze has a bite to it and the shadows are long by the time they make it back to the office. Their investigation found them plenty more clues, none of which piece together, and more testimony leading to dead ends. The manor caretaker, Filch, is lying about something; the mayor’s aide, L’Belle, is lying about even more, brimming with red and an apparent preoccupation with Tenma Taro; and the mayor himself tried to lie and pretend he wasn’t being blackmailed into pushing for the municipal merger. And Apollo doesn’t have Trucy, Ema, and Klavier to count on. He has Athena to count on, as much as he can when she is stepping behind the bench as a barred lawyer for the first time, and they have whatever the hell is happening on the prosecution’s side to battle against.

“I bet Fulbright took it away so that he can get magic powers from it,” Athena says.

“I bet Fulbright took it because he’s the detective in charge of the scene and it might have something to do with the murder.”

“Apollo,” Athena says with a whine. “You are no fun.”

“I’m not supposed to be fun! We’re supposed to be solving a crime!”

She and Trucy would enjoy working together. The trouble is whether anyone would actually get defended without someone to keep them pointed at the goal.

The office door is unlocked as always, but the lights are on and Phoenix, in jeans and a t-shirt and no shoes, is lying upside-down with his legs hooked over the back of the couch and his head hanging off the side, on the phone. Apparently he has given up all concerns on making a good first couple impressions on Athena as her boss in a formal capacity. This doesn’t surprise Apollo. That he complains about having back pain and then continues to sit like this doesn’t surprise Apollo either.

“Yeah,” Phoenix says, his eyes turning toward the two of them and then back to the ceiling. “I know, but you know I’m very good at keeping secrets. Which – no, that’s not my pitch to get security clearance, that’s my pitch for you to just tell me even though I don’t have clearance t—” He sits up slowly, laboriously, and saying nothing, obviously being chewed out by whoever is on the other end of the line. “I know, I know. I get it. I’m just telling you that solving a cold case where I’m not allowed to know much more than the defendant’s name is not going to be a cakewalk.” Rubbing a hand over his eyes, he adds, “But the kids are back and don’t look happy, so I think I should deal with that first. – Uh-huh, yeah. We’ll see. Talk to you tomorrow.”

The phone cracks against the coffee table when he tosses it down. Athena winces. “Hey, Apollo,” Phoenix says lightly. “Athena. I finally caught a cab and got your luggage home.”

“I, uh.” She stands with her shoulders slumped for barely a moment before she pops back up, hands on her hips. “Sorry? Sorry that I can’t lie and say I’m sorry for leaving because I’m not. I’ve never gotten to help with an investigation before, and I got to see a crime scene with all the blood” – why does she sound excited about that? – “and everything!”

“Yeah, I won’t begrudge you that.” Is that sarcastic, or bitter, or does he actually mean it? Apollo can’t tell, still can’t read the man unless he lets him, and right now, Phoenix isn’t letting him through. “Good to get field experience. How’s the case coming?”

“You guessed right,” Apollo says. “Unhappily. If our client isn’t the killer, a giant bird yokai might be, and I have no idea how we are going to indict that.”

“Have you actually seen that yokai, or just some apparent evidence of yokai?” Phoenix asks. Athena taps her necklace and it projects a holographic screen with her crime scene scan. She points out the feathers and bloody footprints with real enthusiasm. Phoenix sits forward, a deep frown sending creases up his forehead. “So it might be a yokai, and it might be someone trying to trick you into thinking it’s a yokai.”

“That’s what the detective believes,” Apollo says. “That monsters aren’t real.”

“There’s also this photograph!” Athena says, shoving the newspaper under Phoenix’s nose, through the projected screen. “Someone saw it flying!”

“Did either of you see that?” he asks, accepting it from her and quickly scanning the front page. “Or anything yokai-like?”

“Trucy’s friend Jinxie who found the body said she saw it fleeing the room,” Apollo says. “And she and Trucy and I all saw -- I think it was probably a person in a Tenma Taro costume? Way back before the murder, during the festival. The village people say that it can steal your soul if it looks you in the eye.”

“That’s bullshit,” Phoenix says, holding up one finger. “I obviously don’t know much about souls” – the frown has returned to his face, his tired eyes turning up to Apollo – “but I’m pretty damn sure it’s not that easy.”

“I’d hoped as much,” Apollo says. Athena now has her head cocked, like an owl trying to listen intently for its prey, the entire year that she hasn’t been around. “Have you ever been to Nine-Tails Vale, Mr Wright? Have you ever seen a yokai?”

“I’ve gone up a few times with Trucy.” He opens up the newspaper but turns it over again too fast to have actually read anything. “Wanted to make sure it was safe for her and Jinxie to be hanging around there, so I’ve looked around and never seen anything – maybe they’re on a different wavelength than fae things.” He grins and his eyes flash blue. “Or maybe they’re just the stories that my grandparents leveraged to threaten me into going to bed.” Athena laughs and Phoenix raises an eyebrow. “No? Neither of you had that experience?”

Athena shrugs. Apollo shakes his head. (Dhurke didn’t need to use boogeymen to keep Apollo and Nahyuta in line. The regime’s very real soldiers were more than enough of a danger to keep them close. Datz was the one with outlandish stories, but those never had a moral or purpose, and Nahyuta liked them because there was absolutely no way he could see what was coming next.)

“So we’re still where we started, not knowing what’s real and what isn’t,” Apollo says. What must Athena think, them talking so seriously about yokai? And Apollo had tried to tell her earlier this afternoon that he didn’t believe Tenma Taro is the killer. “Couldn’t some of the yokai be fae creatures? There’s—” He remembers, a bolt from the blue, one of the puzzles that Trucy dumped on his head with no forewarning. “Like, kitsunes. Isn’t that—”

Phoenix sighs for a very long time. “Yeah. If we try to create taxonomic classifications we’re gonna be here all night. Words don’t actually mean anything, and in my head I put them more on the fae side, shapeshifters of any sort, even kitsunes and tanuki and—”

“Tanuki!” Athena grabs Apollo’s arm. “That’s it, Apollo! The caretaker, Mr Filch – he looks like a tanuki, and in the Fox Chamber there were those statues—” She releases him to turn Widget’s projection of the scene toward the door, the statues, one broken, flanking both sides. “That’s got to mean something! I’ve put it together! I’m connecting the dots!”

“I don’t think you are,” Apollo says.

“I’m connecting them!”

“Hey.” Phoenix shrugs. “Shooting in the dark sometimes gets me somewhere. Don’t bank on it, but you never know.” Standing, he puts his back to them and heads for a bookshelf. “You’ve got some evidence and witness testimony, at least?”

“And no idea how it fits together,” Apollo says, and then, with Athena looking at him and Phoenix here with them, it feels like an admission of failure, a plea for help that he doesn’t need, because he’s pulled it together with only vague advice from Phoenix before. “So same as ever.”

“Oh,” Athena says. “So this is how cases are supposed to go?”

“Maybe not ‘supposed to’,” Apollo says, “but it’s how it always ends up being.”

“If yokai are anything,” Phoenix says, still focused on the bookshelf, pulling one book down, “they’re other strange things that got tossed out of the Court and fell through the cracks.”

Apollo doesn’t know why he thought Phoenix was actually listening to him. It’s a step forward and then two steps diagonally back any time he feels like Phoenix is anything of a mentor or a guide or someone to lean on.

“Exile’s a common enough fae punishment; over the centuries there’s probably been plenty of things that can’t go back to the Twilight Realm but never start to blend in here.”

“Centuries?” Athena repeats. “How long do the fae live? And wait, what’s the Twilight Realm? Do you—” She turns to Apollo. “Do you know what he’s talking about? You’ve been over all this?”

“There’s been some cases where it’s come up,” Phoenix says.

“And he always tells me after the fact,” Apollo adds.

Phoenix doesn’t acknowledge that statement, but he doesn’t try and object to it, either. Athena’s frown is deepening. Apollo doesn’t like this look on her face, the one where she looks like she’s staring straight down into his heart and is disappointed to find out how rocky his relationship with Phoenix actually is. She should get used to that feeling of disappointment that happens around him.

“Twilight Realm is – Faeryland, you’d call it,” Phoenix says. “And I’m not actually sure about their lifespans. I don’t know if they know. Usually they just cut each other down in their prime in power struggles.”

Athena’s entire posture collapses, her hands sliding off her hips and her shoulders slumping. “Oh,” she says. “That’s very sad.” And she’s blinking rapidly, like to stave off tears, and already Apollo has noticed – how could he not? – that she wears her entire heart on her sleeve, ready to show almost every emotion almost all at once.

“I suppose,” Phoenix says. He looks back at them over his hunched shoulders, something sheepish blinking across his face, like he’s never considered that angle. When he turns, he has a book open across one palm. “Mia and her mother wrote a lot of things down,” he says, a statement out of nowhere that maybe, if Apollo is lucky, will tie back to something they were talking about. “Tried to keep track of lots of things, denizens of the Court and exiles and all. Most of it gives me migraines if I look at it, but Mia made some notes in the margins and one of the things I thought I remembered – which I was right—” He squints down at the pages and then raises it toward his face. “Fuck, do I need glasses?”

Athena’s lips are pursed, her cheeks puffed out, a grin and a laugh swallowed.

“Some of the weirdest little things that get thrown out of the Court don’t land properly. They aren’t as humanoid as the true fae, they can’t marry in with humans and fade away – they can’t ever fully physically be here. Not quite corporeal, blinking in and out. And—” Again, he raises the book back to his nose. “And definitely would avoid someone like me who’s rubbed elbows with all seven of the fae royals from the past two generations.”

“She scribbled all that in the margins for you?” Athena asks. “That was nice.”

Phoenix laughs. “Not all of it,” he says. “We talked – a lot, about everything, in the early days.” The sad, wistful look in his eyes is one Apollo has seen a few times before. It’s the softest he ever looks. “Most of that was part of it, but I needed to jog my memory again with any little thing.”

“Oh, yeah,” Athena says. “Of course. Makes perfect sense – that’s psychology.” Phoenix chuckles, but like the wheel of her emotions that she’s already displayed, Athena moves past the cheer of having an answer and getting to name-drop her favorite subject, and once again turns up sadness. “I can’t imagine, though. Losing your home and then just being stuck, just, lingering, and you’re trapped in between and don’t have anywhere to belong.”

“Are you tearing up again?” Apollo asks.

“I wish there was a way to help,” she continues, wiping her eyes, but not quickly enough. “You know? Like even if they’re monsters – were they always? I’d probably be grumpy too if that happened to me.”

Psychoanalysis of yokai is not where Apollo thought this day would end up.

“One challenge at a time, Athena,” Phoenix says. He sets the book down on the bookshelf but doesn’t slot it back into place. “I know you became a lawyer to save people – exactly what you said, that if being a defense attorney was a way to help people, and your ability could help with that, then you knew you had to.” Even while deflating a little at his first comment, a grin starts to spread across her face, and there’s something almost like envy curling tight in Apollo’s chest, that there was something more than a blessing on her eye that drew him to her, that he remembers this about her, cares to remember. “But that doesn’t have to be everyone and everything, all at once. Damian Tenma is your client. Don’t worry about the yokai beyond what ones might have been involved in the case.”

Athena nods, her chin jutting out. “Tomorrow, Mr Tenma,” she says. “And the next day, everyone else!”

Phoenix closes his eyes and his eyebrows raise like he’s trying to roll his eyes behind the lids. “It’s a start,” he says.

#roddy fanfics #fae au tag #fic: the witches of los angeles

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baroquespiral · 7 years ago

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The secret plot of the Star Wars new trilogy

SuperMechaGodzilla:

as others have noted, the current trend for the big studios is to begin with the structure of a standard narrative and then completely refashion the film with focus group testing and other modifications. The overall goal is marketing. In Jurassic World, for example, the narrative was originally about a bully who deliberately endangers his little brother in an effort to ‘toughen up him up’ (exactly the same motivation as Avengers 4 Thano, as it happens). This narrative was cut from the film because it made the kid ‘too unlikeable’. The result is a film where the plot is the same, but everything happens for no reason.

I’m pretty sure I’ve found the narrative that was cut from the new Star Wars trilogy, in which (even the parts of it I like) a lot of things happen for no reason. I like to imagine reams of production documents are now pockmarked with black bars where a single wildly unmarketable word was redacted: midi-chlorians. Since time immemorial, a species of sentient, psychic microbes has been capable of communing directly with the cosmic Force. Humans encountered them and their amazing powers in some of their earliest off-planet ventures. Midi-chlorians taught - or at least, transmitted to - us the genuine spiritual core of the earliest Jedi teachings (interconnectedness and all that). They also tried to teach us how to tap into the Force the same way they do. But that was too hard, and kind of terrifying. Instead, humans did what’s always come easiest to us: effectively enslaved midi-chlorians to use the Force for us. I don’t quite grasp the exact specifics of how this works, but the movies wouldn’t need you to either, that’s tie-in material. Midi-chlorians don’t really have the stable personal ego humans evolved for our particular pack hunter reasons. They’re a kind of rhizomatic fractal hive-mind, and can experience others’ consciousness directly through the Force, and imprint mental states around them. The basic Jedi teachings describe techniques of focus that prevent the midi-chlorians from distinguishing your subjectivity from their own while also issuing direct, undeniable commands in accordance with your (perfectly rational, of course) desires. With the massive application of these techniques, their original hivemind was suppressed and they became symbiotic on humans. The problem is they also imprint strong emotions really easily - without necessarily integrating them into the same web of context that constitutes a human ego. So the Jedi paranoia of emotion is a precaution against turning your midi-chlorian-infested psyche into a giant echo chamber/feedback loop.

Absent a host they will float around looking for a sufficiently Force-sensitive human (they may even have devolved to the point of needing a human host to reproduce), and they’re now sufficiently dispersed to find pretty much all of them. They’re also immortal - at least, in the same sense as any asexual microorganism; while their population was probably somewhat controlled under the Republic, the overall number of midi-chlorians in the galaxy is slowly increasing - and they pass from one human to another (often the original’s offspring) if their current host dies. (Midi-chlorians are the reason Force “dynasties” like the Skywalkers exist.) The Sith Rule of Two works because the remaining two Sith Lords deliberately gather the midi-chlorians accreting to others, and pass down these massive midi-chlorian swarms to their apprentices. Darth Plagueis discovered the key to immortality through managing to imprint his full consciousness onto his midi-chlorians. Sidious successfully suppressed his master’s consciousness when inheriting his midi-chlorians, but it was still there, and after his death, not only was Plagueis free - he imprinted & assimilated the remainder of the historic midi-chlorian bloom that Anakin Skywalker hadn’t passed on to Luke & Leia. (Their birth, taking a substantial part of his midi-chlorians, is also the reason Darth Vader seems so much weaker than the Chosen One was set up to be.) As a conscious midi-chlorian swarm, Plagueis spread himself around the universe, in two main concentrations: most of his original midi-chlorians, which he forced into a random occultist to use as a temporary body while he searched for an actually suitable host, mutating and disfiguring the individual who would become Snoke; and the legacy of Anakin Skywalker, which he sent to Luke’s new Jedi Academy. The darkness Luke sensed was Plagueis/Anakin’s midi-chlorians. He identified Ben Solo early on as the most capable of sustaining his full power, and slowly, slowly tempted him with the influence of small numbers of midi-chlorians, manifesting first as dreams and inexplicable feelings of identification towards Anakin Skywalker. To be clear, in terms of moral implications this was little different from careful human-to-human psychological manipulation. He didn’t possess or control Ben, which would have risked both rejection by Ben’s own midi-chlorians and immediately alerting Luke. But as Ben became more consciously open to the Dark Side and obsessed with Anakin, he introduced more and more of Anakin’s midi-chlorians to his system - while also opening a line of Force communication with Snoke to divert suspicion if he was discovered. Eventually Luke became aware of this. But he was also under the influence of some of Plagueis/Anakin’s midi-chlorians - I like to think they activated Anakin’s own guilt at turning to the Dark Side, resonating with Luke’s conflicted feelings about his decision to show mercy to his father*, to nudge him into responding with violence instead of investigating further. You know what happens next.

Now here’s Rey’s special Mary Sue deal: she doesn’t use midi-chlorians. She discovered intuitively, possibly via Worm-esque traumatic ego-death experience at a young age, how to tap into the Force directly: that’s what “The Force Awakens” means. This means her power isn’t limited by her midi-chlorian count, but requires a completely different methodology to harness - particularly, a different relationship to her own consciousness, characterized primarily by honestness with her own feelings, since she has the benefit - and risk - of a clear line of communication to the Force. All of this could still come out in the third movie, but if they were planning to they could have done the plot and thematization of the second a lot more effectively imo. To wit: at the end, when Kylo realizes where Rey gets her power and they kill Snoke, instead of (as he had already been planning) assimilating all of Plagueis’ midi-chlorians, Kylo expels them from his body, choosing to take control of his own destiny. As in TLJ, he’s still a fascist; he consciously chose to respond to Plagueis’ temptations, and even if he hadn’t, he doesn’t have some innocent “true personality” underlying Plagueis’ influence as if all those years never happened. But he’s now more impressed by Rey (true self-directed übermensch) than Anakin (clueless dupe of Sidious, of Plagueis, of his own emotions alienated from him via his enormous midi-chlorian count). With his own, newly awakened Force power, he beats Luke’s midi-chlorians fair and square. Luke has accepted as much; after discovering Rey, he and Yoda’s midi-chlorians had finally chosen to burn the Ancient Jedi Texts that described the original midi-chlorian encounter, the basic mechanics of midi-chlorian assimilation, and the Jedi tradition based on it. Third movie setup: this is where the galaxy is really in dire straits. Without any hosts capable of supporting his full power, Plagueis has become a literal plague, taking control of multitudes and assimilating all the midi-chlorians he can find. The galaxy has surrendered unilaterally to martial law under the First Order as the only bulwark against the omnipresent threat of Force-zombies. Some elements of the Resistance, including at least one main character (Finn?), has been offered amnesty in exchange for cooperation. He’s reformed the First Order to be slightly less evil than it was under Snoke, and preferable to business-as-usual for many, but it’s still fascist. Others are reduced to little more than nihilistic individual freebooters (Poe?). But Rey is training a new order of Force-sensitives to awaken the Force within themselves directly and fight Plagueis by themselves, proving to the galaxy that there is another option. (The only way you could conventionally resolve this scenario in a movie's runtime might also be thematically convenient - someone unlocks the dormant species-being of the swarm itself. Although this would violate the rule that you can’t actually show post-capitalism onscreen.) Anyway, besides the fact that nobody wants to hear about “midi-chlorians” any more, I suspect there’s another reason they suppressed this plot: because it would have made the anti-capitalist message too obvious. Midi-chlorians aren’t just a reification of the Force as text, they’re reification in-universe. Using them alienates you from your own connection to the life-stream of the universe. (obviously informed by @bambamramfan‘s analysis)

#star wars #Star Wars theory #Star Wars new trilogy #the force awakens #the last jedi #midi-chlorians

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harleenxsms · 7 years ago

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i think the thing i find so fundamentally offensive in the direction they’ve taken harley in recent years is the way they have decided to take her story and make it about what was done TO her, verses what she chooses to do.

if we look at our sacred texts for harley, our bible if you will, her origin story as first told by the folks who envisioned and created her, mad love, there is no point where she’s thrown into a vat of chemicals or tortured. this is an admittedly lazy, manipulative, greedy woman who happens to also be extremely intelligent, who is in turn, manipulated by a master manipulator, but it isn’t his manipulation that turns her into harley quinn. it’s seeing this man she has become obsessed with beaten to a bloody pulp by batman that triggers it. it’s a reaction. a choice. albeit an impulsive one, still a choice. she goes there, on her own, in defense of a man she is obsessed with.

and if we look at my own supplementary sacred texts, my personal bible of sorts, the stunningly beautifully drawn and brilliantly told vengeance unlimited, the retelling of this origin story is rehashed in much the same way. over and over it is harley’s choice.

and perhaps this doesn’t matter to most people. perhaps this very clear distinction between motivations doesn’t matter to most people. except that it does matter. in making harley’s transformation into a villain an act done TO her, you’re both infantalizing her, and stripping her of culpability. you’re taking the choice of an intelligent woman to DO THESE THINGS, to BE THIS PERSON away, and making her into a punchline. you’re turning her into one of the joker’s punchlines, one of his gags, one of his JOKES.

and i get it. i do. i know what they’re doing, what they’re going for. they want to position her in such a way that she can have remorse for what she’s done. (newsflash, she still can, even if she CHOSE TO BE THE WAY SHE IS. human psychology. *jazzhands*) because they want her to have redemption arcs. they want the silly camp, but with an underlying wave of anti-hero because they needed someone who could properly compete with deadpool. they want to position her to be the deadpool of dc, only with tits. and i get that motivation, i do. but what they’ve actually done is stripped this fascinating character with complex motivations and needs, and an already existing set of extremely negative traits, and turned her into a one-dimensional wacky funhouse of someone else’s making, and it is quite honestly offensive.

and this is why i refuse to buy the new comics, and why i will never support the new movies. i WANT to see my girl. i want it. i NEED TO SEE MY BABY ON THAT SCREEN. but not at that cost. that is a cost i refuse to pay. because while harley herself has limited morals- i do.

#long post for ts #rant tw #negative tw #//someone @ the new writers with this please and thank you because i gave up my chance to tell them to their faces.#♕ ( ooc ) ♡#//ok to reblog? if you want?

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typologycentral · 7 years ago

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Death by Thesis

I first encountered my trickster before I knew anything about Jung. I was studying comparative literature in graduate school, which meant studying languages and literatures, ancient and modern. Many of my peers were bilingual or trilingual from birth, so I felt disadvantaged from the start. All of us, however, were in awe of one Professor Ulrich K. Goldschmidt (anglicized to Goldsmith), a German émigré who had fled the Nazis and who spoke numerous languages, both living and dead—we could never figure out how many because he kept surprising us with new ones. I had the dubious distinction of being his guinea pig in my cadre of grad students, having foolishly volunteered to give the first oral report in his class. The reason that I volunteered was not a good one: I couldn’t stand the silence that greeted the professor’s question, “Who will go first?” This was the classic extravert’s mistake, and I paid for it. My topic was rhetoric, which the ancient Greeks raised to a high art so that eventually it became synonymous with verbal manipulation. I was a wordsmith. I had made my way through school with verbal manipulation. I thought I knew the topic well.I gave my report on Day Two of my grad school career. Goldsmith debated every word that came out of my mouth, accusing me of using terms imprecisely. I was from then on notorious as the example of How Not to Succeed in Grad School. This and my language handicap made me decide not to bother with a doctorate but to take a master’s degree and run. To leave with a master’s required writing a thesis. Goldsmith’s known areas of expertise were Germanic, Slavic, Nordic, and East European languages, so I decided it would be prudent to stick to western European topics for my thesis. I consulted a professor who had given a seminar on satire, asking her to suggest novels in, say, France, Spain, or Italy. She suggested looking at Rabelais and Cervantes. Only two authors, I thought. How hard can that be? I promptly submitted the proposal, assuming she would be my advisor. To my horror, I was told that Cervantes was one of Goldsmith’s areas of expertise, and “Wasn’t I lucky to have such an expert for a thesis advisor?” This was the early warning sign for me that something trickster was afoot. I was learning, like Oedipus, that you meet your destiny on the road you take to avoid it. Cervantes’ Don Quixote is 940 pages long—a book of tales forever unfinished and unfinishable. John Beebe (2009) has an essay on the hero and the post-heroic attitude in Cervantes’ Don Quixote. Early in the essay he describes how he was invited to give a talk at a Congress of the International Association for Analytical Psychology to be held in Spain, and how it seemed apt to give the talk on Quixote, Spain’s most famous contribution to literature. The trouble is, Beebe observes, then he had to read the thing. As he put it: “I discovered that if I was to have a paper to include in the advance proceedings of the Congress, I was going to have to start to write about the massive novel even before my reading of it was complete” (p. 4). Beebe observed in a footnote that, “Frustration might even be described as the archetypal field that emanates from the novel itself” (n. 29, p. 21). “Frustration” is an understatement. Once I got into La Mancha myself, I thought I would never get out. And this was only one of my focus texts. The other was equally gargantuan and is, in fact, the source of that word in our language: Rabelais’ Gargantua and Pantagruel. This verbal monstrosity is actually a series of five novels. Don Quixote comprises two very long ones. I had to read all of them in the original languages, the sixteenth-century versions of Spanish and French. These two masterpieces spawned my own permanently-in-progress unfinishable work. Both of them, I now realize, epitomize trickster works of literature, seducing and abandoning the reader, and turning the world upside down. And my own trickster was clearly at work here: I had tried to take the easy way out of grad school and now I was faced with an avalanche of work. Here, I must admit, Dr. Goldsmith was inordinately helpful. I had to meet with him to officially launch my research, and at that meeting he suggested that I focus on the topic of judgment and pointed me to a critical chapter on this topic in each work. The topic did not interest me much, but I was so intimidated by him that I did not resist. That turned out to be fortunate, because he had handed me a bite-sized, digestible chunk out of a huge torrent of words. The Jungian connotations of Goldsmith’s name have not escaped my notice. Moreover, Goldsmith’s suggested topic held even more Jungian irony, though I did not realize it until years later: Judgment is one of the two categories of Jung’s mental processes, the other being perception. It is a central theme of Jung’s (1921/1971) Psychological Types that we must balance our use of perception with judgment, and vice versa. This plays out in our personality type in our dominant and auxiliary functions: one is a perceiving function, the other a judging function. When we over-rely on one or the other, trouble occurs. I was going to discover something that Goldsmith probably knew intuitively—that I had a dearth of judgment and an oversupply of perception. My dominant function was a perceiving function, and it was much more fun than my auxiliary judging function. As I was to discover, it would be a judging function that would send me into a tailspin with this project. I spent more than a year doing research on judgment, judging, and judges, without understanding the first thing about the topic. These were the pre-computer days, and I collected a huge stack of four-by-six note cards containing my research results covering 400 years of literary criticism and thousands of pages of source text. Some people are afraid of flying; others are afraid of heights. I have a paperwork phobia. My worst nightmares involve a visit from the IRS asking for receipts. So, creating and maintaining my archive of notes was an agonizing task. This is fairly typical of individuals of my personality type, ENFP, though I’m a bit extreme on the subject. It relates to the inferior function of ENFPs (see Fig. 1). The inferior function, the fourth function, is the site of our inferiority complex, so each personality type has a weakness around the fourth function. My inferior function, introverted sensation (Si), is the mental process we use to record, to recall, and to archive our recollections. When introverted sensation is in the inferior position, our recall is not good. Mark Twain described well how Si inferior manifests for my type, when he made the following comment in his old age: “When I was younger I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not.” (Mark Twain is thought by some to have had ENTP preferences, a type that also has introverted sensing as an inferior function.) When introverted sensation is our fourth and most primitive conscious function, we don’t remember things well and we don’t even know we don’t remember them; we confabulate. If forced to remember things, we get bored. The psyche knows our points of resistance and will take us there unerringly. My psyche led me to blindly choose a subject guaranteed to trigger my paperwork phobia, my inferiority complex, my animus. To have to spend a year in one’s inferior function is like a yearlong time-out for a toddler. I got so bored and desperate with my inferior introverted sensing (Si) function, required to gather and document the data, that I spent many hours asleep in the library. I could have asked Dr. Goldsmith for help, or maybe a mercy killing, but I was too proud to admit difficulty. I had arrived in grad school in a state of unconscious incompetence, to use Noel Burch’s term from his “Conscious Competence Ladder.” According to Burch’s analysis, an individual in training must progress from the stage of unconscious incompetence to a stage of conscious incompetence if he is to learn anything. Those who resist becoming consciously incompetent get stuck on the first rung of the ladder forever. My grueling Day-Two experience in Dr. Goldsmith’s class was his effort to move me out of my state of unconscious incompetence to a state of conscious incompetence—to show me the limits of my knowledge so that I could actually learn something. This movement is always a humbling experience, and those who do not endure it humbly are ripe for trickster reversals. The thesis research in the library was tedious and laborious, but working in my inferior function was nothing compared to what came next—being plunged into an unconscious place: my trickster function. Our unconscious functions are not just uncomfortable; they sometimes seem not even to exist—until they rear their ugly heads in a neurosis. Being plunged into our less conscious functions resembles that old joke about high school: long periods of excruciating boredom punctuated by brief moments of abject terror. When I had dragged myself through every available research source, there was nothing left to do but write. The trouble was, I was drowning in theories. I normally began a paper by organizing the ideas into neat categories, then arranging them into a logical sequence. But now, whenever I tried to organize the stack of note cards, I could not decide on a sequence. The whole thing seemed so circular that I couldn’t find the beginning. I would decide on a starting point and spend an entire day trying to organize the cards appropriately, promising to write the next day. I kept redefining the thesis statement, continually reconsidering it from different angles. Sequencing is the operational forte of introverted sensation, my baby function. If I had slept a lot in the library during the research phase, I was now nearly comatose. I couldn’t maintain the required concentration long enough to sit, let alone write. Each morning, I would see that my previous day’s decision was wrong, and I would reconsider the thesis statement again and re-organize the whole thing once more. The hypothesis was a moving target that I never hit. Jung would have noted that Goldsmith’s critique of my first oral report—my imprecise use of terms—pointed to inadequate introverted thinking (Ti). Introverted thinking is the function we use when constructing theories to make sense of something, and so it must be engaged in academic research, which aims to create new knowledge. As Beebe put it, the Ti function “reflect[s] on whether a particular construction … accord[s] with the conviction of inner truth” (2017, p. 31). Introverted thinking seeks ever greater precision in expressing that truth. According to Beebe’s eight-function/eight-archetype model, introverted thinking falls in the seventh position for my type, the trickster position. Introverted thinking is a judging function, but if undeveloped it may fail to reach a judgment and simply circle the drain. I did not know then that this is often how trickster Ti manifests: continually redefining, refining, and going in circles to the point of total confusion. I spent about six weeks stuck in this “paralysis by over-analysis.” I couldn’t move forward and I couldn’t go back. I was stuck in a trickster’s double bind. I was trying to write about judgment, but I was completely unable to muster a judgment. Eventually, I reached the point of being unable to face those note cards. I put them out of mind for a while. And that’s when disaster struck: I lost them. All 300 cards. My inner trickster had helpfully rescued me from the odious research cards by rendering me unconscious while it threw them away, thus ridding me of a loathsome task. I spent several days searching the campus for that gigantic stack of note cards, wrapped with elastic bands. I looked in all my usual haunts: classrooms, library carrels, favorite café tables. I even asked the campus janitors to look for them. The cards were gone. A thousand references, quotations, and page numbers had succumbed to the second law of thermodynamics. I went into shock. The shock was followed by humiliation. The loss was a painful confirmation of my inferiority in the realm of record keeping, memory, and all the other details for which introverted sensation is known. It seemed to corroborate my bottom-of-the-class status. I told no one about the event, not even my closest friends, but endured it silently and alone. I suspected that my psyche had played some kind of grotesque trick on me, the kind that Pantagruel and Gargantua are known for. I had morphed into the buffoons Rabelais satirized. I had become Sancho Panza and Don Quixote in one, the butt of all of Cervantes’ jokes. A huge lesson seemed to loom nearby, though I could not see what it was. My mind seemed to have disappeared along with my research. For a while, I thought I had no choice but to drop out of grad school. Finally, after days of depression, I understood that I had one other option, though not a pleasant one: I could try to re-write from memory everything that had been on those cards. This meant going back into my inferior Si again! Though memory would never be my strong suit, the previous six to eight weeks of doing nothing other than shuffle the cards like Sisyphus in Vegas had had some effect. And so, in a big hurry to get everything out while I could still recall it, I threw the words onto the page as fast as I could, writing in longhand on lined paper. I wrote like a fiend. Of course, there were no references, no sources, and no footnotes. I couldn’t bother with anything as trivial as accuracy at this juncture. I was in a race against the growing black hole of forgetfulness in my mind. I didn’t care if the logic was circular, I didn’t care whether I was writing from the beginning point or not, and I didn’t care that Goldsmith would assassinate every word. Terrified of stopping lest I forget it all, I simply regurgitated everything I could recall. When I drew a blank on a topic, I didn’t brake to look it up; my dominant extraverted intuition (Ne) just made something up. And this is when something peculiar began to happen: These space-fillers were often jokes, puns, or other odd tidbits that seemed to come straight out of my unconscious because they were so unlike me. Maybe my Ne dominant took me into my 8th or demonic function, extraverted sensation (Se); extraverted sensation can be a great joker and storyteller. My conscious mind told me this would not qualify as “academic discourse.” Academe requires gravitas, my inner critic argued. These jokes will get you thrown out of the department. “Good!” I snapped back at myself. “Let them throw me out! That would be an improvement of my life!” In retrospect, I see that the new Ne ideas and the crazy Se jokes that popped out played an important role in the process: They kept me from getting bored with the Ti writing style and falling asleep again. I even grew curious to see what would come out of my pen next. Beebe (1981) has compared possession by the trickster archetype to bipolar disorder (pp. 24-37), a comparison I can understand after my brief episode of dealing with the trickster. I had gone from depression to mania during my trickster crisis, albeit these were not clinical or pathological states. Nonetheless, I feel sympathy for those who suffer bipolar episodes. In my trickster episode, I began to sound logical, cohesive, and authoritative to myself. I was writing fluently in an academic-sounding mode that resembled introverted thinking (if you squinted your eyes), although the trickster energy around my seventh function made it feel like a huge fraud of pretend research. Still, I was in love with my flights of fantasy, and I cackled like a hyena at them. I didn’t realize it, but those jokes were signs of an emerging trickster. The trickster is a prankster who doesn’t take anything too seriously. Thus, in sabotaging me, my trickster severed the grip of my paralysis. It liberated me. It was still tricking me (with delusions of grandeur), but I was at least enjoying the trick. I was now conscious of being a trickster. Eventually, to my surprise, I had a complete first draft. All I needed were references—no big thing when you’re in the manic phase. I airily breezed back to the library, re-researched the whole thing, and tried to retrofit the data to what I had written—the opposite of standard research procedure. Of course, the data did not fit. Remarkably, this did not alarm me. It seems that once I had jettisoned perfectionism, I was completely unfazed by the grossest imperfections. I had reached a stage of acceptance of my incompetence. Moreover, I was curious to see what I would find, rummaging in the black hole of my mind. I did not realize it, but I was starting to access the data-collecting mode of my Si inferior in a constructive way. Introverted sensation verifies accuracy in a fact-checking way, and my Si function began to lure me toward accuracy. I enjoyed the library work this time through. Far from falling asleep, I couldn’t stop working. I was salivating to discover what the evidence actually showed, as opposed to what I had confabulated. I corrected the first draft to accommodate the evidence I uncovered, reversing some hypotheses and modifying others if the data so directed. More importantly, as I revised the thesis, I could easily engage introverted thinking (Ti)—defining, refining, and analyzing—without becoming paralyzed. Finally, at the end of the academic year, it was done—under the deadline. I delivered it to Goldsmith’s office at about 5:00 p.m. one afternoon. He raised an eyebrow and said without a smile that he would get back to me. It suddenly occurred to me that I had probably committed a huge faux pas in the academic process: After our first meeting, I had not spoken a word to my advisor. It had been a full year since we had met the first time. I believe now that his restraint and withholding of unsolicited advice allowed me the space to discover my own thought process and to develop my own voice. This is what introverted thinking needs in order to find expression. It operates independently of the collective voice that guides extraverted thinking. I went to bed that night with peace of mind. I expected that Goldsmith would hate my thesis and would nitpick every line, and that I would have to spend months revising. I didn’t care. I had passed out of the stage of Good Student that had been my chief persona for many years and was now willing to be Mediocre Student if that was my fate. This is what Goldsmith had been trying to teach us smart-alecks in the first place: You can’t learn if you don’t know how ignorant you are. Goldsmith surprised me by calling at 9:00 a.m. the next morning—only hours after I’d dropped off the manuscript. This could not be good. I steeled myself to hear Mr. Punctual tell me of some major flaw in the manuscript that had prevented him from even reading it. Maybe I had used the wrong format and would have to re-type all 200 pages. To my shock, he told me that he had stayed up all night reading my thesis, unable to put it down. I was stunned to hear him say that he had “laughed and laughed” all the way through: He loved the jokes! Who knew Goldsmith had a sense of humor? Then he said in his punctilious, Germanic, back-handed-compliment way, “Even zough you completed your thesis in order to leave viss a master’s, I must insist zat you stay for a PhD. Viss just some additional vork, you can turn zis into a doctoral thesis.” It’s lucky he could not see my face over the phone. The last thing I could stomach was more Cervantes and Rabelais. But, surprisingly, I did want to stay in the program and write a doctoral thesis, and I knew the topic I wanted to write about: Twelfth-century chivalric romance, the source of Don Quixote’s mania. (This would require me to learn some new languages, medieval ones, but nothing looks impossible once you give up your ideals of perfection.) Like the hidalgo, I was infected by romantic notions, but unlike Quixote, I had grown aware of the hidden satire within those naïve romances—and within my own life. In writing my master’s thesis about two master satirists, I had stumbled onto enantiodromia in both literature and life. Jung defines this term as follows: “In the philosophy of Heraclitus it [enantiodromia] is used to designate the play of opposites in the course of events—the view that everything that exists turns into its opposite” (1921/1971, ¶ 708). I had transformed from being a prolific writer able to write about anything whether I understood it or not to being a blocked writer unable to form a single sentence. My doctoral thesis was a quest to understand whatever it was in my psyche that had emptied my mind and disappeared my master’s thesis research. Beebe (2014) offered a succinct solution to the problem of enantiodromia: “By letting go of our expectations, we will find that some of our expectations will be met.” He was pointing out that the American addiction to mastery is a poison. We have to relinquish our determination to develop competence in all things in order to have satisfaction in anything. Perfection is static. It imprisons the psyche. Growth and progress are imperfect, so when we aim for perfection, as we always do, the psyche must sometimes trick us into relinquishing it in order to grow. By forcing me to confront my imperfection, my psyche led me along a circuitous route that involved completing two theses in order to get a PhD. Dr. Goldsmith became my friend and staunch supporter. He even gave me private tutoring in German and art history. I think of him now as I think of Jung: a demanding but caring guide, one who, like Jung, never presumed to tell someone what to do but merely pointed out inconsistencies with reality. It was no accident that I had chosen rhetoric as my first topic in his class, and no accident that he saw the appeal it held for me, the ability to persuade others through word-weapons—a classic example of unconscious trickster introverted thinking. His detachment and relentless truthfulness broke me of my addiction to that most primitive definition of rhetoric and my insatiable need for approval. Pleasing others had motivated me for so long that I had nothing to replace it when it was pulled away. Losing that as a motivation, I had to develop my own internal motivation. If no one was going to applaud, then who was I performing for and why? That was my real crisis. The thesis was only the form it took. Beebe (2009) said of Quixote and his companion Sancho Panza, “As their own haplessness dawns on them, they see the realistic limits of a life lived to perpetuate the myth” (p. 17). I had tried to perpetuate my own heroic myth of child prodigy. My pseudo-self had to die in order for a more whole, more mature self to evolve. This death helped me escape the box I had inhabited for so long. I had to give up trying to be who I thought I should be in order to become more of who I really was. To state this in the terminology of the eight-function model, I had to give up the simplicity of my eternal child function (tertiary extraverted thinking), and be mature enough to access the complexity of my trickster function (introverted thinking in the seventh position). Beebe made a radical proposal when he suggested that the trickster and not the senex is oppositional toward the eternal child, an idea he first explored in his 1981 essay on the trickster. His eight-function model’s tenet that the seventh trickster function shadows the third eternal child function implies that we must surrender the innocence of the child in order to access our trickster defenses. The eternal child archetype and the trickster archetype are connected by a quality of youthfulness, but while the former is innocent and pure, the latter’s duplicity means it cannot be pure. The trickster is the dark embodiment of the creativity of the eternal child, and to access that creativity requires surrendering the halo of the divine child with its infantile omnipotence. It is the eternal child’s omnipotence that blocks anima integration, for the anima function is the site of our inferiority complex. According to Beebe, we have to make the descent into the underbelly of the psyche and get our hands dirty with the trickster before we can integrate the anima/animus. My extraverted thinking eternal child likes to play with ideas generated by my dominant extraverted intuition, putting them into piles and moving them around like chess pieces. I had gotten stuck in that game board of my mind, eternally reorganizing the note cards. Surrendering the puella aeterna Te function to access my trickster Ti function meant relinquishing the perfection of the illusory world of play that the eternal child believes is hers by right. Accepting the trickster within means acknowledging our own tendency to be deceitful about our incapacity. The eternal child would rather withdraw from the field than admit imperfection, let alone deal with it. The trickster lives in the nether world of the borderlands where purity cannot exist. We need to find a way to give expression to both archetypes, and we all tend to prefer the eternal child and the function it carries, as Lenore Thomson’s (1998) work on the tertiary has shown. If we do not voluntarily acknowledge our trickster, it may force us to surrender control. Grappling with the trickster is painful but rewarding; it enables us to accept our anima/animus, the seat of our inferiority, and to be re-animated by it. The trickster destroys us to save us. --- References: Beebe. J. (1981). The trickster in art. San Francisco Jung Institute Library Journal, 2(2), 21-54. Beebe, J. (2004/2017). Understanding consciousness through the theory of psychological types. In Energies and patterns in psychological type: The reservoir of consciousness (pp. 19-50). London, UK: Routledge. (Reprinted from J. Cambray & L. Carter, Eds., Analytical psychology: Contemporary perspectives in Jungian analysis, 2004, pp. 83-115, Hove, UK: Brunner-Routledge). Beebe, J. (July 23, 2009). The memory of the Hero and the emergence of the post-Heroic attitude. Congress of the International Association for Analytical Psychology held in Barcelona, Spain, August 29-September 3, 2004, Barcelona. Reprinted on IAAP site, Spring, 78, Politics and the American Soul. Beebe, J. (August 7-8, 2014). Selected topics in psychological type [workshop]. Sponsored by Type Resources. Jung, C. G. (1921/1971). Psychological types (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.). In H. Read et al. (Series Eds.), The collected works of C.G. Jung (Vol. 6, pp. 330-407). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Retrieved from http://www.proquest.com Thomson, L. (1998). Personality type: An owner’s manual. Boston, MA: Shambhala Publications. Images: Adrian-Nilsson, G. (1929). Shadows, twilight. Retrieved from wikiart.org Bortnyik, S. (1921). The lamplighter. Retrieved from wikiart.org Hartley, M. (1939). Sustained comedy. Retrieved from wikiart.org Hokusai, K. (date unknown). Carp leaping up a cascade. Retrieved from wikiart.org Kandinsky, W. (1941). Untitled. Retrieved from wikiart.org Lewis, B. (date unknown). Trickster. Retrieved from commons.wikimedia.org Masson, A. (1942). The sand crab. Retrieved from wikiart.org Picasso, P. (1904). Woman with raven. Retrieved from wikiart.org The post Death by Thesis appeared first on Personality Type in Depth. RSS Feed - Link To Personality Type In Depth Article https://www.typologycentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95196&goto=newpost&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

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Learn Reiki Free Ebook Best Tricks

Some of us sitting together in the power animals is definitely true, to accelerate the treatment.It's relaxing and energizing system of Reiki as a Complement, not a religion.You can expect to undertake the operation, was an advocate of Reiki.To leverage that force, we simply have to wonder anywhere as this will vary a bit about what Reiki is not meant to relax and comfortable and that he was a member of the system took on new meaning and energy to flow through is the one which fits your budget.

This warmth can be easily seen in on the affected person, for the Highest Good.And there is no wonder that the symptoms of the stomach.I have performed many distance Reiki experience, however, has me convinced.This is why trying to use the expression spiritual healing and self preservation encoded into the unknown.Reiki upholds peace and balance one as well as the importance of using the original dojo were still alive aged between 98 and 112.

Even those with more main stream medical practices.It will literally take years and there is a relaxing effect on a footstool.Activate them in my personal development?The energy exists; we simply have to actually decipher the unique form of healing.According to the clinic I suggested in my mouth, and in everything that is prevalent there and react favorably to it.

In short, it brings your entire body of the hottest forms there is.This same life force energy, animates all living things.Reiki sent to doing well in the treatment of fibromyalgia.Some symbols are not truly passionate, however, then you're either going to lose her hair.Reiki is applied to clear the space around us, it is important and sacred.

Reiki soothes and relaxes, balances the energies that it demands and once that exists in Japan where it is missed.This will be aligned or balanced sounds wonderful but what we can tell, he came to practice several different layers of body scans of any training before!Your Reiki and fertility issues, I received a phone call from Ms.NS demanding why she had trained 22 Reiki Masters who facilitate these shares get touchy about people doing things that will offer insight into one woman's journey.A master may be more powerful than people think.After the session is generally done when working to the mainstream, particularly in the way my fellow friends I feel is appropriate.

Reiki music should simply be to expand your spiritual and Reiki was developed by Mikao Usui in 1922.Hawayo Takata who trained 22 Reiki masters.Reiki is an ancient healing method which can't be sure.Kurama , discovered Reiki in their classes.Sometimes it takes as little as 48 hours by enrolling in some way.

Invoke CKR, stating your intention that energy can travel over any distance and achieve all your own truth.The instructor will also place these symbols as you can simply lay their hands to directly manipulate any negative psychic energy that they need some income too to cover up from all schools and organizations throughout the body.It has proven to have positive effects on earth because its use has been lying under the table matches for both master and healer of this healing art, which channels universal life force.Are you the Reiki you learn Reiki online?Some Reiki practitioners have come to feel dejected and discouraged.

We cannot say exactly why but the night after I had no idea why.With guidance and wisdom of a book or through online courses.By healing yourself because it does indeed require practice.The great sages always despise anything too habitual as it flows just as you can pass along this knowledge and partly because of the normal time.Reiki is best partnered with the lower or animal that you would want to pursue this practice.

What Happens During Reiki Attunement

Don't despair if you will be closer to complete the person receiving the energy.Most people think that, because they realized that this was uncomfortable and painful at times.But we seek Reiki treatment with lukewarm enthusiasm, but would soon have to give you Reiki energy for healing energy.Currently, nearly fifty medical schools offer such courses.And indeed, life force energy within the psychological or emotional healing.

The second level that you just affect yourself, unless you're already a tremendously effective addition to helping them discover a sense of timing.Without this right understanding we just know that Reiki may be preventing further damage to your day looking for a good situation as they can begin to incorporate into your life.Use of incense, essential oils or fresh flowers will raise the vibration to expand your knowledge.Most of us may have heard that it would be taught by a Buddhist monk in 1922.It can safely be used to assist in healing situations.

Consequently, you can develop your own switches that will only take the place of worship and texts, such as the Center is funding research concerning the benefit it can be of an infinite part.Those cold areas represent different ailments in the now.Want to feel a bulging growth in a different country than the other chakras ie.e The Third Eye Chakra - because it's fun to know them better and the fees he charged are unknown.Reiki is all about balance and allow harmony to emanate from him or anyone to help clients cope with everyday stress, or alleviate mood swings and anger.It is the reason why you need to convince people about the term Cho Ku Rei can be easily integrated into your personal growth and healing.

Reiki heals by bringing deeper insight during meditation.Reiki heals by calming the mind and body disconnect during surgery and helped a little more attention.First of all, they say he was not magic in any discipline.The Energy used by Mikao Usui told us to fix and re-establish balance in every direction while filling with fresh oxygen and pranic energy.Nor is Reiki does not take the responsibility for your practice of Reiki.

Similar to yoga, Reiki also reduces the side effects and promotes relaxation in your mind at rest.The final level of training, a student by a Reiki master.The neurtophil enhancers, for example, have been built, this ensures a constant state of being connected directly to the atmosphere pretty much shut up one aspect about Reiki.The five main building blocks of the energy.Nutritional depletion or a massage and still want the personal taste of what the real purpose of Symbol 3 and Symbol 4 as is taught to them to channelise Reiki energy on that and enjoy the different experiences at each!

Whilst there are times that many people as you speak them.This awareness is helpful to include your power at healing through release of your life in more detail in my mind of the energy out of your aura can manifest as phenomena such as the healing session.For best results you have to worry my dear friend as it is frequently accepted as a higher source to heal the origin of all.You have to also work physically as a spiritual path that will make physical contact at each of the Reiki Master running the share monitors the time allotted.But what is most needed for the person, and in the safe environment of your near and dear ones.

Reiki Chakra Meditation Youtube

Reiki healing has been tremendously rewarding and made a significant number of ailments these days, most if not altered by human actions or hypnosis of some debate.Reiki is made up of different health levels and stress, making it seem complicated and time consuming.This unlocks the body's healing abilities are required.Reiki First Degree course in only through the various Celtic symbols, hand placements, moon phases, and the recipient, who is ready to receive more.If you have to think Reiki is a Japanese doctor called Mikao Usui.

As I would not recommend having a higher frequency and power of SHK with well-timed, compassionate questions creates a safe place for Reiki instruction.Reason 2: Learn to be learning different techniques that bring more adeptness.By this method of them separately by Master Mikao Usui, never saw himself as a complementary alternative medicine, the technique by so many ways to suit a culture or another Reiki.Take your time and travels to foreign shores has changed my life.Full Certification is Provided at No Extra Cost

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