#I only trust Danielle based on first impressions

[ninjigma]

QuinFox Week Part 4/7 - First / Previous / Next

Day 4: Keeping the Other Alive + Fox find's Quin's Lightsaber Track: 'Escape From East Berlin' - Daniel Pemberton (Spotify / YouTube)

"You have to stay with me Vos, come on!"

He really was trying, promise.

"I know, just... focus on keeping up. I'll do the rest, okay?"

Quinlan took a slow breath, focusing on just putting one fast-paced foot in front of the other. His awareness was muted in his attempt to mask his pain, and at this point, all the energy he had was being expended in keeping ahead of whatever droids were left on their tail.

Suddenly he was being hauled up and forward, aware of the ladder only when its rungs were suddenly beneath his hands.

"Up!" Fox barked, shots ringing out after his words. 

Quinlan obeyed the sharp order without hesitation. He was around three floors up when his awareness flared and he wrenched backward, a hand flailing wildly as he lost his hold on the wet durasteel. A new slew of blaster fire came from the end of the alleyway, backup arriving and causing further chaos. Moving purely on instinct he reached for where his saber was clipped to his belt-

And found nothing.

The sound of his saber igniting drew his gaze downward, the green flashing and lighting up across the red of Fox's armor. The clone must have picked it up earlier when Quinlan had nearly collapsed, no time to do much more than grab the saber in one hand and pull Quinlan back to his feet with the other. Now Fox was moving with deadly accuracy, cloak fanning out around him, and Quinlan noted how even without Force sensitivity Fox was plenty skilled with the blade. He was precise and sly in his movements, expertly incorporating the blaster to dispatch another droid with a bullseye to the head, the sight inspiring some rather unique feelings in the base of Quinlan’s stomach.

"I said up Vos!"

Right, he was supposed to be climbing. Without another thought he continued moving, easily trusting Fox to cover him. That simple piece of knowledge that Fox was with him was enough to assure him they had a chance in all of this mess, was enough to motivate him forward.

He made it to the roof without further incident, slipping over the edge and sliding across the wet surface. The way it momentarily muffled the sound of the alleyway and how the rain thrummed against Quinlan's skin brought the Jedi a moment's respite, a second of clarity in the fog where he tried to parse out what they needed to do next.

He wasn't dead, not yet anyhow. But now they were on a rooftop and rather exposed to any air support the Separatists may have in the area. They needed cover, Quinlan needed medical attention, and most of all they had to get back to the ship and out of this damned sector.

All too soon Fox was joining him, Quinlan only having a few moments to breathe before Fox had grabbed his hand and yanked them both across slick metal and tile. Fox was still holding his saber, playing their escape purely on the defensive, and Quinlan was again truly impressed with how well Fox was handling the blade, continuous sweeps that blocked blaster bolts out of the sheer speed of the weapon's arc. 

Though Quinlan knew this wouldn't last long. Already he could see the end of the street coming up with a gap they definitely couldn't jump across. Fox had been guiding them as best he could, but they would be stuck with nowhere to go now, and would end up surrounded and outnumbered in seconds. They wouldn’t last long.

Unless...

Fox had begun to slow, head whipping around in search of some way out of this besides fighting straight back through the droids. Thus he was a bit surprised when Quinlan somehow found an extra burst of speed and began pulling Fox along after him instead.

Fox wasn’t dying like this, for something Quinlan had done, not while he was still drawing air.

"General?!" Quinlan managed a rather unhinged smile at the surprise in Fox's tone, though the commander followed without any other complaint. If anything he sped up, keeping pace directly toward the edge of the building, even when it became clear that was exactly what Quinlan was aiming for.

Trust me.

It may have been a trick of his mind, his single focus on getting them both out of this alive, but Quinlan could swear Fox squeezed his hand before leaping off that roof with him.

Always.

The feeling of free falling wasn’t unknown to Quinlan, but the struggle not to succumb to dizziness as he stretched out a hand and slowed them was an interesting first. He gave all of his attention to the presence of Fox, adding it to his own awareness and willing the Force up to meet them. In a rather graceless move the Force answered, just before they reached the street, and they were suspended perfectly in the air a moment before falling the last foot to safety. 

Quinlan staggered, would’ve fallen if not for Fox immediately tucking into his side and pushing them ever onward. Now the Jedi really was stumbling, his energy burning up faster than he could think.

Then they were stopped, hands were on his shoulders. Black spots dotted his vision, but things were quiet finally and Quinlan could swear he wasn’t standing any longer. All that really mattered was how he could still sense Fox, reaching out and focusing on that steady and clever soul in order to find the motivation to keep moving. 

Well, they must be safe if Fox had stopped them, had begun pressing something against where Quinlan knew his shoulder should hurt but only felt the dull sensation of Fox’s hands.

He always thought Fox had nice hands, strong and sleek with a small scar on his right palm.

Maybe Fox would let him kiss it, just once.

“Don’t- Quinlan!”

[actual-lea]

Believe it or not, this fic is definitely still a thing so read it if you wanna?

AO3 | First chapter | Previous chapter

"You'd better come and see this," is the first thing that Milo, Theresa's nurse, says to Abigail when she walks through the door. He's out of breath from running halfway down the stairs, and the startled look in his eyes is so alarming that Abigail doesn't even pause to step out of her shoes; she just follows him up to Theresa's room without a word.

When she enters, Theresa turns to look at her. To look at her, not through her, and not her five or ten or God knows how many years younger. Abigail approaches the bed cautiously, in case any sudden movement might break the spell.

Theresa smiles. “Good to see you, Abby.”

Abigail laughs at that, because she doesn’t know what else to do. “Supposed to be my line, you know,” she says. Distantly, she notices that Milo has gone, leaving her alone with her sister for however long this lasts.

Theresa’s gaze, still lucid and more focused than it's been in years, drifts around the room, taking in the small space. When she turns back to Abigail, there’s something like realization in her eyes. “What year is it?”

Abigail hesitates. Informing Theresa of the current date has never been a good idea, based on past experiences. But then, she’s never directly asked for it before. “It's 2007."

Instead of panic, those focused eyes light up with something like excitement. “Bring me a pen.”

Abigail has to leave the room to find one, her movements hurried, almost frantic; what if she returns to find Theresa gone again, lost somewhere in the past, if she’s even conscious at all?

But no, Theresa’s right where and when she left her, sitting up in bed with her hands neatly folded over the edge of her blanket. Maybe it’s only Abigail’s imagination, but she looks healthier, less pale than usual, an impression that’s only helped by the way her face lights up again as Abigail hands her the pen. There's a notepad on the table beside the bed, and Theresa leans over to reach it.

"What is it?" Abigail asks as she starts scribbling.

"It's a long story," Theresa says, and her silence spells out the unspoken implication: there isn't enough time to explain. "Is your passport still valid?"

Abigail blinks. It's been years since she thought about her passport at all. She'd gotten it in preparation for a holiday to Australia that never materialized. That was before everything; before their father's cancer diagnosis, before the accident. "I'd have to check, but I think so," she replies. "But, why–"

"I need you to fly to Los Angeles, and give this to Daniel."

Another blink. "Come again?"

"I can tell you exactly where to find him," Theresa says, as if it’s a perfectly reasonable request.

"Are you out of your head?" Abigail says without thinking, and Theresa looks up from the page for the first time. “You want me to make a bloody pilgrimage all the way to the States, just to see Daniel Faraday? Why in God's name would I do that?”

“You want me to get better, don’t you?" Theresa says, unfazed. "This is how I get better. This is how it all starts." She sketches out some sort of diagram while Abigail watches in stunned silence. “On the twentieth of September, this year, you’ll find him at this address.” She flips the paper over and scribbles something down before resuming her drawing on the other side. “He’ll be sitting outside on the north end of the building. He’s carrying a plastic bag and wearing a red plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up.” She pauses and smiles, like she's laughing at a joke only she can hear. “His right shoe is untied.”

Abigail stares at her, bewildered. Theresa's spent years adrift in the past, but she's never predicted the future before.

"I know it sounds strange," Theresa says, as if reading her mind. "But you have to trust me, okay?" She pauses again, looks up, waits for Abigail to nod once, mechanically, before ripping the paper free of the notepad and handing it over.

She blinks at it, more confused than ever. "What...is it?"

"Daniel will know what it means," Theresa says with certainty.

Abigail is quiet for a long moment. This is absurd. Her sister's mind must be lost, again, somewhere different than usual, and yet...

She meets Theresa's steady gaze. There's an almost unsettling clarity there, a firm sense of conviction and purpose that Abigail hasn't seen since...

Well, since before the accident. Before her sister was taken away from her, by the very man that she's being asked to seek out.

"Be nice to him, okay?" Theresa adds, reading her mind again, and Abigail tries not to flinch. "He's going through a lot."

She laughs at that. "Trying to talk me into it?" She looks up at Theresa again. "Honestly, getting to see that bastard miserable isn't the worst incentive I can think of, if–"

But her sister isn’t looking at her anymore. She’s staring down at the blank paper in her hands, thumbnail picking at the side of the pen like she isn’t sure what to do with it anymore.

Abigail’s heart sinks back into the pit it had only just managed to climb out of. “Theresa?” she says gently. “Are you still with me?”

Her sister turns to her, eyes wide and distant. “I had a bad dream,” she says, in a small, childish voice.

------

“So, what does it mean?”

Daniel shakes his head at Abigail’s question without looking up from the page. Gun to his head, he could never have conjured a mental image of her elegantly scribbled handwriting, but seeing it now in front of him, there's no question that the diagram is definitely Theresa’s handiwork.

Nine neat circles, with labels like Event A, Event B, and so on, all connected within an intricate web of lines, four of them named: real time, space-time, imaginary time, and imaginary space. The rest aren’t labeled at all, but instead denoted by equations, complex formulas with vaguely familiar symbols and constants, concepts that he can’t quite wrap his head around anymore, at least not without a cheat sheet to remind him which letters mean what.

"This is…really advanced stuff,” he says, finally, a laughable understatement. “I mean, this is beyond the scale of anything we ever…”

The most inscrutable pieces of the puzzle are the words scrawled across the top of the page: FISSION CHAIN REACTION. The equations all relate to theoretical physics, not nuclear reactions. How would fission factor into any of it? Unless, somehow, that’s what one of the “events” refers to.

But no, that can’t be right. A fission chain reaction describes an ongoing process; he would never call the day-to-day functions of a nuclear reactor an “event” in space-time. It would have to be a specific instance – some kind of sudden, massive release of energy, something on the scale of Chernobyl, or…

He looks up. “Wait, where are you going?”

Abigail turns back to face him with a sour expression. “I’m going home.”

“But, we–" He gets to his feet with a slight wince. “We’ve gotta figure this out, if Theresa–”

“No, you’ve gotta figure it out,” she corrects. “I did what she asked, and I don’t want anything else to bloody do with you.”

He blinks. “But you– You're not even the least bit curious about-”

He shrinks against the wall when she whirls around to stomp toward him. She stops just short of shoving him, though, like reaching the end of an invisible tether. “I've done what she asked,” she repeats through clenched teeth. “So we're finished.”

And then she storms across the grass to a taxi in the parking lot and disappears without looking back.

------

The SUV is still parked by the hospital’s entrance, and so is Abaddon, who watches Daniel approach with a faintly amused look on his face.

“I’ll need full access to everything you have,” Daniel says. “Every single piece of intel Widmore has about the island.”

“Of course.” Abaddon opens the door for him.

“I’m not finished.” Daniel settles into the backseat and pauses to catch his breath while Abaddon gets behind the wheel. “There's some additional information that I… Things I can’t research on my own. Secrets that only someone with Widmore’s influence might be able to get their hands on.” He fiddles with the seat belt. “I mean, really secret stuff. Classified military operations, that sort of thing.”

“That can be arranged.” Abaddon’s eyes bore holes into Daniel’s forehead from the rearview mirror. “In the meantime, Mr. Faraday, I’m here to take you anywhere you’d like to go.”

“I gathered that.” Across the grass, the city bus he’d intended to board pulls up to the crowded stop. He could still make a run for it, theoretically, provided that his lung doesn’t give out halfway.

Instead, he digs his journal out of his pack and gingerly folds Theresa’s diagram to place it inside, along with the photographs he’d taken from his mother’s office in the church - more fragments of the bigger picture that refuses to fall into place.

He finds Abaddon’s eyes, still watching him expectantly. “Do you have a phone I can borrow?”

------

“So, your girlfriend can see the future?” Hurley says.

Daniel scratches his head. “…Yes?” He’s drowned out by a particularly loud truck speeding past on the nearby highway. “Not exactly,” he says instead once the sound fades. How any of the patients milling around the small green space of Santa Rosa can be unfazed by the constant road noise is beyond him.

Hurley waves away a fly from the half-eaten sandwich on his plate and slides his bishop across the chessboard. "Then, how'd she know where you'd be?"

"It's…hard to explain," he says, for what must be the fifth time since the start of their conversation. "Time doesn't move in a straight line for her, it…” His eyes land on the board game boxes stacked on the other end of the picnic table. “It's like a puzzle, with all the pieces switched around. Even though some of the shapes still fit together, the picture doesn't make any sense. But occasionally, a few of the right pieces match up with each other through pure luck, and you get a glimpse of how it's actually supposed to look."

Hurley stares at him blankly. "Uh…"

He shakes his head. "Essentially, a piece of her mind from sometime in the future happened to link up with her mind in the present. That future version of her was coherent enough to realize what was happening, which means that version of her must have gotten better somehow." He taps the sheet of paper on the table. "That's why she gave me this, so that I could set everything in motion to make that future a reality."

Hurley rubs one eye. "I still don't get what any of this has to do with the island."

Daniel stares at an empty square of the board. "I don't…fully understand it, either," he admits before absently making his next move. "But I know that the island can heal her, and that's reason enough to find a way back. I can figure the rest out later."

"Dude, I'm not sure going back is such a good idea," Hurley says with a frown as he captures the last of Daniel’s pawns. "Plus I'm not even sure how you would do it."

"That's…why I'm here, actually." Dan clears his throat. The DHARMA orientation photo from 1977 is still tucked between the pages of his journal, weighing down his pack like a chunk of radioactive metal. There will be no un-opening that can of worms, so he's saving it as a last resort; if all else fails, he can show it to Hurley as proof that the decision has already been made. Instead, he keeps his eyes on the board and picks a piece at random to move. "I think the key to getting back is you, and Jack, and Kate."

Hurley’s frown deepens. "What makes you think that?"

“It's hard to explain.” Daniel shifts awkwardly in his seat. “Uh, it’s your move.”

Hurley moves his queen. “How do you know the island will fix her in the first place?”

“Because… It’s what fixed me.” He clears his throat again in the uncomfortable silence and moves his knight another three spaces to block the queen’s path. "Before the island, I was… I– I had a condition that was…similar, to what Theresa's been living with."

“But, you weren’t in like a coma or whatever before the island, right?” Hurley guesses, to a hesitant nod from Dan. The queen takes the knight. "So, you must've gotten some better without it, right?"

"Yes, but…" He shakes his head and moves his one remaining rook. "It took years, of…specialists, and EM therapy, and–"

"Did you take her to the same specialists?"

He has to stop himself from saying that he could never have taken Theresa anywhere, not without incurring the wrath of her sister. "The process was…prohibitively expensive," he says, grimacing at how pathetic the excuse sounds.

Hurley doesn't seem to notice, or he doesn't care. "I can pay for it."

"I'm not asking you to do that,” Daniel says, shaking his head automatically.

“Why not?” Hurley leans back in his seat. “I don’t know if you keep up with the news, dude, but I’ve kinda got more money than I know what to do with. Even from in here,” he gestures to their surroundings.

Daniel shakes his head harder. “I really can’t ask you to do that. It’s not– This isn’t your responsibility, and besides, if her sister found out it was my idea, she’d never–”

“So don’t tell her,” Hurley says, like it’s the simplest thing in the world. “Look, all I gotta do is talk to my parents, they talk to the finance guy, finance guy talks to the doctor or lawyer or whoever and then boom, everything’s covered.”

“Hurley–”

“So it’s settled!” Hurley says with a grin, like a gotcha, relief in his voice. “I'm gonna pay for it, and she's gonna get better, and then nobody has to go back to the island.” He looks down at the board, grins even wider, and sweeps his own rook across the board triumphantly. “Check and mate, dude.”

[twistedtummies2]

Year of the Bat - Number 30

Welcome to Year of the Bat! In honor of Kevin Conroy, Arleen Sorkin, and Richard Moll, I’m counting down my Top 31 Favorite Episodes of “Batman: The Animated Series” throughout this January. EPISODE QUOTE: “My, my. Can we actually have a brain beneath that pointy cowl of ours?” Number 30 is…If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Rich?

This episode acts as the first appearance and origin story for Edward Nygma, a.k.a. the Riddler. The story begins with Nygma working as a programmer and video game designer for an electronics company, run by a greedy sod by the name of Daniel Mockridge. Nygma has created a best-selling puzzle-based video game, called “Riddle of the Minotaur,” where players have to traverse through the legendary labyrinth of the Minotaur, evading various traps and solving various puzzles along the way. Mockridge fires Nygma, who – due to a loophole in his contract – loses all rights to the game and any legal grounds to even receive royalties. Furious, Nygma adopts the guise of the villainous Riddler, and goes on a quest of vengeance against his old employer. The Riddler, for those who don’t know, has always been one of my absolute favorite Batman villains – second only to the Joker himself. (I should also add this was LONG before Paul Dano’s version; I liked the Riddler before it was cool, as the kids say.) I think that John Glover’s portrayal, from the animated series, might have been the very first version of the Riddler I ever saw. I remember renting a VHS tape from a Blockbuster as a little boy (yeah, anyone remember those things?) which had two of Riddler’s episodes on the tape. Both of those episodes, perhaps not coincidentally, are on this main countdown. You would think, with all that said, that this first outing for the criminal genius would be much higher in the ranks. Well, it’s hard to say why, because there’s certainly a lot to enjoy about this episode. Glover’s smug and smarmy Nygma is one of the chief versions of the character out there, and set the standard which many later incarnations – both in and out of comics – would look to for inspiration. The team behind the animated series took a character who had been perceived as “a two-bit gimmick villain” and transformed him into one of the Dark Knight’s cleverest and most cunning adversaries. The tricks and traps (and, of course, the riddles) that the Riddler uses in the story are also pretty ingenious. I also have to say that the ending of this episode is just phenomenal; one of my favorites in the entire show. I won’t give away what it is, but trust me, it’s great. I think the big issue is the Riddler’s origin itself. I like the idea of the Riddler being a programmer and game designer, and they use that to great effect in later stories, too. It’s also something that’s continued to be part of the character, with him being gifted with electronics and technology. However, I feel the turning point for the character doesn’t quite match: while it’s clear that Nygma always had a high opinion of his own mind, and loathed humiliation, it’s hard for me, personally, to make the jump from “disgruntled employee” to “highly theatrical supervillain,” at least in the way the episode presents. The animation is also sort of…iffy, to say the least. Most of the episode looks pretty good, but there are some scenes where the animation or the shots feel a bit “messy,” or a bit “stiff,” for lack of a better word. Still, these are minor nitpicks on the whole: for a first outing of my second favorite Batman villain, this certainly made a good impression. I probably wouldn’t like the Riddler as much as I do now if it weren’t for this episode.

Tomorrow we move on to Number 29! Hint: “The final stunt IS the best.”

[happyselves]

Law of Attraction { Lando Norris x reader }

Disclamer : Swearing !!!

It was a busy weekend for the Mclaren team, they were about to get associated with a new partner. It was a huge contract and it was your first big deal. Mclaren just hired you, you were on probation before your contract will be real. You couldn’t mess up, you needed this job, needed to make your proof. You just got your law degree and it was your first job as a lawyer and you got lucky that you found yourself working as a Mclaren F1 Team new attorney.

This contract was important for both parties and it would go to the press as well. You were set to make your client sign during the next grand prix weekend and it was this weekend.

You spend hours and hours in your office reading the partner offer but something was bugging you and you couldn’t put your finger on it . You had to fly this afternoon to join all the team in Austria and you were starting to feel stress because you knew you had to put that deal on your boss table for him to sign, but that it wasn’t a good one and that we would basically get screw over by some clause or something, you knew it in your guts, you just need to find which pieces of puzzle you were missing. If the partner attorney thought he could easily screw you over like this because you were in your first year of work, he was wrong. You might be a newbie but one thing your mentor had taught you was to never show your weakness. That’s why you spend all night writing a new contract, word by word like the original, to find that little detail and you end up finding it. You were ehausted and tomorrow was the signing day, but now you were ready to show that we can’t fuck you over easily and that nobody should ever underestimated you. That was probably why mister Brown had give you the job, hearing things from is old attorney and your mentor was one thing, but proving how worth of the job you were is another and it will be soon be your moment of glory, but you couldn’t celebrate victory to soon, another thing you mentor had teach you.

Today was the day of the signing, you were stressed, you didn’t know how this would turn out. You were scared to have made a mistake and the lack of sleep was starting to rub on you. You had your plan in your mind, letting the other party think they had the upper hand and not tell them you had found the hair in the soup that will make your client profit and not lose all his money. It was important for you to not show your whole game to the adversary, but let him build his ego before you put that last card that will make you win the whole game in hand.

To make it official, Mclaren had to make the deal in their motorhome, Mister Brown wanted his two drivers to be there with him while signing as well because it was an important partnership for the whole team. It will be your first time seeing them since you entered the company, you were based in the factory back in Woking, but never had met any of them. You were quite intimidated, but the job was coming before anything else, no matter how many hours you spend in your free time to search about these two drivers, focusing on one in particular because he was around your age and something was telling you that the two of you were somewhat alike in certain ways of your life. You would lie to yourself if you didn’t find him attractive as well, but your personal preference when it comes to man can’t interfere with your work, it was your first and most important rule in your code of conduct you had set yourself on when you started studying law.

You arrive early in the paddock, hoping to visit around and discover this whole new world that you knew nothing about. You gotta visit the garage of your team, mechanics were happy to explain to you one thing or two, having a silent competition between them for the one that will have the testosterone level at his highness and find a way to make you fall for them. You already know their little trick going to law school with men, nothing could surprise you anymore. You knew you were pretty or had a little something more perhaps, but seeing gentlemans thinking the same was actually really flattering. After this pleasant little escapade, you find yourself walking the stairs of the Mclaren motorhome reading to meet everyone in the meeting room. You were the last one to enter the room, but you could give yourself the right to make an entrance after the thing you discovered during your sleepless night of searching dirt on the company represented by the douchebag sitting on the opposite side of the table. By his face you knew this man was an asshole and that it wasn’t his first rodeo and you were ready to put a stop into his little illegal business.

However when your eyes meet the drivers, especially the youngest one, your heart skips a bit, before you turn yourself and find your boss judging your rather late presence. You quickly apologize with a nod of the head before inviting them all to sit around the table and start the meeting.

Everything was going smoothly, everyone was happy, except you. You already hated what you were about to do,but you had to act fast otherwise it will be too late and the papers would be signed in front of your eyes.

“ Excuse me, I have one more question before we head toward the signature. “ You interrupted the conversation, looking at your boss, waiting for his approval to continue. After all you were only doing your job to assure everything is well covered, he couldn’t argue on that. The opposite camp didn’t have any objection for you to give a go to your wonder, thinking it would be innocent coming from a young lawyer that is still learning about the job. He made a gesture toward you, avoiding getting over this.

“ Well, mister Backfield, without due respect I was wondering why you were so eager to help our company, I did some research, you know. Usually you are investing in smaller businesses, which will lower profit. Why show the Mclaren F1 Team when it's new territory for you ? “

And action, you knew that every word that was about to leave this man’s mouth would only be total lies, but he didn’t know that. You had the upper hand by far and you won’t give him the satisfaction to put down this team and family.

And he tried hard to explain, save his case, defend himself and if you were naive you would have believed the guy but you weren't and could give a shit about his speech.

" Well I'm afraid I can't let this go on further. "

Everyone around the table was stunted, not knowing what to say. Mister Brown was reading to make you go before you heard him a piece of paper and that's when his face changed and he let you continue.

" You see Mister Backfield, you thought you could screw us over and try to go fish at a bigger price. Unfortunately for you I find out who you truly are. A piece of garbage buying company when they must need it, making them believe you will help them develop until somehow by some miracle they are forced to declare bankruptcy a couple years ago and then you buy them twice the price they truly worth before miraculously going back on the high to sell them three times the price. I don't know you but I call that stealing and corruption and I'm not ready to let my company get fucked over by an asshole like you so you can take you goddamn deal, walk away from here and never show your face around us again or I can talk to the press and trust me they are going to love it. One thing for sure is that if it happens I might win big and no negotiation put on the table will make me give you your money back. " You threw him middle fingers as you stood up and showed him the door.

Everyone was so shocked they couldn't speak, not because of the revelation in itself but how you had handled the whole situation like a true boss, with confidence and pride.

Someone in the room was even more impressed and couldn't even close his mouth, clearly admiring you. If you knew better you would say that right there Lando Norris was falling in love with you and if that wasn't boasting your ego then you didn't know what will.

Mr Brown was the first one to come to you as you all watched the security guys escorting Mr Backfield out of the paddock. He was about to say something but the rush of adrenaline was making you bold and you beat him to it.

" I am so sorry mister Brown I know I should have informed you before the meeting, but honestly I wasn't even sure before entering in that room that my information was right and I only received the confirmation a minute before being here, explaining why I was late. Truly I'm sorry if I put your entire team in a difficult position, I will try to find the best replacement for you I promise you. " You were almost out of breath as you finish you log apologize but realize soon enough that it didn't really matter here.

" I am impressed with you, first month on the job and you are already making yourself irreplaceable, you shouldn't have to apologize and I certainly should be thanking you and giving you a raise. Your mentor was right to gush about you. You are someone else." Proud could be seen in his eyes and his smile couldn't leave his face as he hugged you awkwardly saying thank you one more time before leaving and going back to the garage with Daniel who made sure to wink at you and make a big thumbs up at you before heading out.

However, someone hadn't left his seat, Lando. You thought he was just going to stay there and ignore you but as you were opening the door he smashed it back close behind you.

" I observed you all weekend, wondering why such a little fragile person was headlining such a big deal like this but it turns out I was wrong, never judge a book by it's cover. I'm learning it the hard way. "

You turn to face him ready to get back at him but his lips on you made you shut up. He pushes you against that door again, putting his hands on your lower back. At first you were confused as to why he was kissing but eventually you just stopped resisting and let yourself enjoy the moment. You had a thing for him and you were now sure that these weird eye contacts weren't that innocent. He had a thing for you too.

His kiss could make you reach the roof, you never felt something like that before, not that you had much experience, he knew exactly what would make you moan into his lips and lose balance so he could tighten the grip around you. You needed air but you would not allow it to yourself, you wanted more, you wanted him.

The adrenaline in your system was still pumping through your veins and you couldn't really think straight, your hands found the back of his head, playing with his loose locks of hair. You were holding on for dear life on this ride despite the fact you barely knew the guy.

Lando ends up breaking it up and you realise you were hooked around him as he put you down on your feet again.

" Just for the record, what you did before was so fucking hot that I would gladly be a criminal if that means you would be the one to put me in jail. "

He made you laugh, you were gasping for air, messy hair, swallow lips and redness on the cheeks, no speaking of your clothes being runned and unfolding and your shoes not even on your feet anymore. Everyone knows what they say about aan that can make a woman laugh and you wouldn't argue on that, not with him anyway.

Now that you had a taste of Lando, you wanted more, so much more and by the look on his eyes he was willing to explore the " more " area with you too.

" Okay that was unexpected, but the good kind, so here's what we're going to do. You will knock twice on my door at 23pm tonight, room 344, not a minute before and not a minute after, hope you know what punctuality is because you won't get a second chance. " You gathered all your things, trying to clean yourself to make it look like nothing had happened before you caught Lando's chin in your palm.

" Hope you will have a good defense, because tonight is going to be the trial of your life " You blow him a kiss before leaving his sight, a pride face drawing on you.

MASTERLIST

[shirophantomvox]

Random date night with Illumi, Hisoka, and Chrollo

Hello, anon! Ask and you shall receive! This prompt is very interesting and I will try to keep it in character as much as possible. To sum this up, Hisoka would take you to an ice cream shop, a carnival, or apple orchard while Illumi would rather go to an art or historical museum. Chrollo would persuade you to attend a book reading/author signing or go hiking. Depending on who you are and what your ideal date is, I’m sure you’d find them all fun. Going to a carnival or apple orchard is my go-to since I’ve barely been because they’re all in the suburbs. These headcanons are explained much more than the others. That is why Chrollo and Illumi seem to be short, but they’re not. Also, I can’t wait for Halloween because these headcanons are going to be amazing. I am extremely sorry if there are grammar errors! Taking classes on Zoom is frustrating and now my brain has to relearn everything that I lost in 3 months! Before we get started, I have a few announcements.

This post is more laid back than my other headcanons because I tried to keep it as canon as possible.

I want to thank you all for 65 followers! It means a lot! I’m happy to see that a lot of you enjoy my writing and like it enough to follow me! I have a challenge for you! When I reach 100 followers, I will host some type of writing event here...but I need ideas. I’ve seen some pages do specials where you can send an ask and pretend like you're talking to a character and I respond with what they’d say. SEND ME IDEAS! I WILL CREDIT YOU!

I will be stepping back a little more than before. I’ll still be logged in and re-blogging but as far as writing posts like this...it may only be once or twice a week. You see, I’m in college and I’m struggling financially and I have to work on scholarships. If you all send me an ask, be patient.

Voltron posts will only be created based on asks. I will not be writing posts about VLD if no one requests them. I do not receive any feedback from it anymore and no one seems to like them.

Now, let’s get into the post.

Let's start with Illumi first.

Headcanon 1: Illumi has a secret admiration for different types of art but he specifically enjoys pop art and surrealism. He has commented on how surrealism makes his brain twist and his feelings swirl as he tries to figure out the piece and what inspires it.

He prefers not to participate in tours as he likes to digest the art at his own pace.

Headcanon 2: In his spare time, he paints on a canvas. His art style consists of both surrealism and abstract art. For a person with a dark personality, his compositions always contain bright colors and abstract techniques that leave you wondering about his TRUE personality. He is truly a good man with a bright personality but after being abused for so long, those behaviors/personalities have been shoved so far down his throat that they may not come back up.

He has a bad habit of asking you what you thought about every single piece of art you passed. The conversations were great but this is a date after all. The playful conversation slowly turns into a lecture about art. Although you loved your bf’s dictionary-like brain it also drained your energy.

One of his favorite artists is Vincent Van Gough. Although he favors surrealism, Van Gogh’s art style was mind-blowing to him. So amazed that he buys several Van Gogh t-shirts from the gift shop.

His favorite piece created by Van Gough is “Starry Night”.

He notices that you are becoming bored and decides that it is time for MORE excitement, one that you are certain to enjoy.

“Where are we going,” you ask, pretending to be interested.

“Down to the basement. We are going to have a bite to eat.”

Since Illumi rarely smiled, when he did smile it drove you wild. The anticipation of what his next move was going to be is what drove that wildness. Being a bounty hunter was thrilling already but dating a smart, badass assassin was totally out of your league but it worked out.

Headcanon 3: Illumi’s idea of being romantic is dramatically different from yours. He believes just spending time with you on the couch was enough. He is correct; but if you have the time and funds, your time together should be a little spontaneous. You insisted on dates outside of the house because his family will not stay out of your business.

“Illumi, I am too hungry for more trivia.”

He chuckles. “Don’t worry. So am I. That is why I’ve decided to take you to a wine and cheese party.”

Huh? Wine and Cheese at 3PM? That’s ok. When was there a time limit on when you can drink alcohol?

Illumi has indirectly attended parties as such when he was 15 years old. He never drank, but he watched as his mother’s friends (surprisingly) talked about business and their children. This time, you weren’t going to talk about business for once. Instead, you two were going to actually talk about what couples discuss.

Headcanon 4: When introduced to alcohol for the first time, Illumi immediately stated how he hated brown liquor. That includes Hennessy, Jack Daniels, etc. It makes him sick to his stomach. He prefers to drink Smirnoff mixed with fruity drinks like strawberry or pineapple.

He loves it when you make these drinks for him on a summer day.

Hence the title wine and cheese, you both go to a stand-up table, place your brochures down, and actually have a wonderful conversation not involving work or hunting.

Illumi smiled a few times, more than usual. Whenever he appears to be softer even around you, that is because he has mellowed out and doesn't have the overbearing weight of his family on his shoulders. You set him free.

Hisoka

According to a one-shot that another manga artist created, they expressed that Hisoka was found on the side of the road, was taken in by someone that worked at a local circus, and learned Nen in a matter of days. Hisoka’s clown look and having the skills of a magician proves that this has to be canon in some way.

Headcanon 1: Given this potential backstory, going to a carnival is his go-to every summer. He wants to take you to a circus but saves that for you as an engagement gift.

Everyone with a heart knows that whether or not you’re in a relationship or not the carnival is fun as hell! Expensive fried food, elephant ears, funnel cake, ICEE’s, rides, and stuffed animals are to die for!

Being at a carnival relaxes him so his bloodlust isn’t activated unless someone bumps into him and causes a scene.

Headcanon 2: PDA is something that Hisoka does well; he doesn’t overdo it but does it enough where people get the impression that you are a couple and aren’t “best friends”.

While completing a mission depending on how rough it may be, he insists that you tag along to see how he handles the situation. You’ve already seen his ruthlessness from Hunter’s exam but he insists.

His sense of pride gets the best of him sometimes. Sometimes his head is so big that it reminds you of a large birthday balloon.

Headcanon 3: ANYWAY, given his nature, he is very adventurous, dangerous, and courageous. If he wants to go on the Demon Drop, he’ll do it and you DO not have a choice in the matter. He’ll tease or guilt trip you into doing something that you would not like to do.

“Well, you wouldn’t want me to cling on to someone else, would you?”

“No. Of course not,” you reply.

“Let’s go then, scaredy-cat.”

As a hunter, you’ve seen worse. Why are you so afraid to go on a ride?

Headcanon 4: At apple orchards, cornfield mazes are one of his favorites. You cannot for the life of you figure out how to get out but he can. He grabs a scarecrow and scares you from behind. That annoys you but is nothing compared to later on that night.

Oh. My. God. It’s haunted house time!

“Hisoka, I’m not going in!”

“Why not? I’ll protect you.”

“Because they’re monsters and I already have to deal with one.”

It took him a second to catch on that you were talking about him.

“That’s going to bite you in the butt, kitten.”

Headcanon 5: Like Killua, Hisoka has a sweet tooth. Don’t allow his buff appearance to fool you!

He LOVES caramel apples, elephant ears, funnel cake, freshly squeezed lemonade, fudge, and cotton candy. How can this man manage to stay in shape? The world may never know.

Headcanon 6: He isn’t one to play by other people’s rules but he sets his own rules with your relationship that you both must obey. One of those rules says that neither of you can be on your phones while together.

Headcanon 7: Hisoka insists that you both wear either matching pants or matching shirts to avoid unnecessary flirtation.

He isn’t jealous but on “us time”, he doesn’t want to lose a single second.

Headcanon 8: Hisoka only jumps in when necessary. Given that you’ve passed the hunter’s exam and work as a bodyguard, he knows you can handle your business. If the person can’t take a hint, then he steps in. They almost back up immediately considering Hisoka is towering over them.

When the moon shines, you both go to the car and off to sleep in your comfy king-sized bed.

Chrollo

We all know that Chrollo loves to read! What does he specifically like to read? What Genre? Does he like to read alone or with other people?

Although Chrollo is a thief and must be hidden in the shadows, the authorities have called off the search for him for at least 3 years. Slowly but surely, he begins to find himself in the outside world again.

Chrollo once discussed a book with the Phantom Troupe when they were being transported to another place for a mission. He read “Tears of a Tiger” by Sharon M. Draper.

The reading sessions are opened with an affirmation and a reason to be thankful to be alive. He says he is thankful for the troupe, glances at you, and smiles. No one catches on to that sly face except for Phinks.

Headcanon 1: Chrollo is very silent and shy to an extent. He only associates with people he knows and trusts. You are the social butterfly at this moment.

Chrollo tags along behind you like a shy child, holding your hand while you stick out your free hand to greet everyone.

Today, the book club was going to read “Divergent”.

Headcanon 2: Although he loves to read, he hates it when others read out loud. Most people are drably read and it annoys him. After a while, he takes over. Chrollo was tense the first 30 minutes of the meeting because two cops were there but neither of them noticed it was him.

Headcanon 3: Chrollo often acts the part of the character that he is reading in the book. His tone, attitude, and emphasis on certain words keep the group engaged. He is complimented on his acting!

“Good Job, honey,” you whisper.

He responds by tightly squeezing your hand.

His tone was so impressive that the host insisted that he read for the entire night. He was ok with that because in between reads he was often distracted by a lovely pair of jeans and shoes you had on. You were into writing, so hearing others read and act out the characters helped.

Headcanon 4: In some settings, Chrollo is very braggadocious. He insisted that the group read one of your stories so you could be provided with feedback.

“We’d be delighted to view your story, y/n!”

“It will be fun!”

The book club wasn’t a stereotypical club that only consisted of soccer moms but instead consisted of men and women who were involved with a business, law enforcement, health, etc. This was an open space for everyone to relax and forget about their demanding jobs.

After the meeting, the group went to dinner at a nearby pizzeria. You all enjoyed large pizzas, beer, salads, and dessert. How could your stomach (or anyone’s stomach) hold that much?

Chrollo laughed so much that it made you question if he was your actual boyfriend or not. He even engaged in conversations with the two off-duty cops! For once, you helped Chrollo experience the greater things in life; true love, friendship, and happiness.

“Thank you,” he whispered and slyly placed a kiss on your hand. “For everything.”

[kokokabana]

𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞

✧ Daniel Anderson and Ryan Byrne ✧ PhD student ✧ interests: technology, adrenaline, romance, reading, fashion, parties, foodie, podcasts, sweets, travel, fitness

You matched with a hot and nerdy doctor, who spend too much time with studying during med school. Now, he’s trying to catch up, starting with you, all while finding a cure to save humanity.

« 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

✧-✧-✧

how to read this guide

The choices are portrayed like this: A | B. The one in bold or with an exclamation mark gets you (the most) affection.

Sometimes both choices work! They get you a different dialogue from your match, but they give you the same amount of emoji reactions, balancing everything out.

Make sure to equip the interest that is about to be unlocked when you fill up that relationship bar! That gives you 15 additional gems. Don’t accept the gems and close the app if you haven’t already.

Message me or comment below if you found something else!

✧-✧-✧

#1 Texting

✧ My BFF | You → The stranger would accept your invitation → 🎉! | XXX

OR

✧ My BFF | You → Because I think you should consider taking me. → 😂 | 🤔!

✧ Finishing my PhD on fast-spreading viral diseases → 🔥! | 😱

✧ Wow, impressive! | Sounds dangerous…

✧ Uuh! Sounds ominous! | Should I call you Super-doctor, then? → That is the worst joke ever 😂 → 😭! | 🫢

✧ 1st CG for 180 💎

✧ LOL. Best compliment ever. → 💋! | 😊

✧-✧-✧

#2 Texting

✧ Cute viruses, but not as cute as me 😉 | Haha, I’m still not sold on the cute viruses

✧ Of course I do! I love science 😍! (gem choice 💎) | Blood makes me dizzy 🫢

✧ Time to start over with a new degree I guess! | Yeah…I’ll leave curing all the world’s diseases to you → RIP, “MC The Slayer” → 😐 | 😂!

✧ Me 🤔? Never 😈 | I’ve been infected by sexy thoughts of you 😉

✧-✧-✧

#3 Texting

✧ I cleared my schedule for tomorrow 😉. Still available for that date? → ❤️! | 🤔

✧ I can’t wait 😊 | I don’t trust you… what’s the plan? → do not tell him that you don’t trust him if you want to be the surprise date to stay as a surprise. I was only mean for research purposes :(

✧-✧-✧

#4 Texting & First Date

✧ You’re going to fix this date!! (gem choice for 150 💎) | You sit through the whole thing… in awkward silence. → it’s really cute, I liked it but no “let’s go to my place”

✧ Yeah. We had a major breakthrough in the data. A major one 🎉 → 🎉! | 😮

✧ Promise you’ll keep the details to yourself → 😱 | 👏!

✧-✧-✧

#5 Texting

✧ What happened? | I forgive you 🙂

✧ You have a wild imagination, don’t you? → 😳 | 🔥!

✧ The worst part is, we can’t isolate the virus nuclei because it adapts SO FAST → 😱! | 🙄

✧ I want to know MORE (gem choice 💎) | I’m kind of freaking out → so much additional dialogue

✧-✧-✧

#6 Texting

✧ They just… doubled our funding. → 🎉! | 😱

✧ My friends would like you, A LOT → 🥹! | 🙂

✧ I can tell 😉 | No way, I don’t believe you

✧ 2nd CG for 300 💎

✧ You ain’t seen nothing yet 😈 | 🌶🧀🍬🥂

✧-✧-✧

#7 Texting

✧ 3rd CG for 300 💎

✧ Nah. I have a pretty full 😎 | My heart beats faster when I think about it.

✧ I also have a surprise for you 😈 → 😘! | 🤔

✧-✧-✧

#8 Texting

✧ I’m excited too!! (gem choice for 120 💎) | I’m a bit stressed actually 🫢

✧ free clothing item 🎁 (black apron)

✧ I like where this is going 😍 → 💋! |😋

✧ If you hadn’t become a doctor, what would you be? | What’s the best dream you’ve ever had?

✧ Brains! 🤔 | Looks 🔥 → 🤔 You DO have looks to spare. → 😘! | 😳

✧-✧-✧

#9 Second Date

✧ We’re making chocolates!! (gem choice for 150 💎) | I enrolled us in a random cooking class.

✧ XXX | Thanks! Gonna use it for nefarious purposes! → gift-related

✧-✧-✧

#10 Texting

✧ Maybe something plant-based 🍑🍆 → 😳 |😉!

✧ I’m not against a little biting 😉 | I could eat too, especially if it’s with you 😘

✧ That’s how much I like talking to you! → 😍! |😊

✧ You might even call them Rat Pack 😎 | You’re such a nerd 😂

✧ Will you hate me if I tell you I don’t know what that is 😬 | THEM I remember 😮 → I’ll make it my mission to find you that slice if I can ever leave this lab 😭 → 😘! | 😂

OR

✧ Will you hate me if I tell you I don’t know what that is 😬 | THEM I remember 😮 → I could never hate you → XXX | 😘!

✧ I could use a diagnosis 😏 (gem scene for 120 💎) | I’ll be ok → I’m giggling so hard it’s pathetic. I mean, doctor role play with an actual doctor hello?! 2 screens of additional dialogue

✧ I’m crushing kinda hard over here 😊 → ❤️! | 😮

✧-✧-✧

Full Relationship Bar

-> fill up the bar twice (or four times?) to get an exclusive chat, video call, and/or CG from your match for free without any consequences meaning you can pick whatever choice you like ✧ 4th GC for free

✧-✧-✧

#11 Texting

✧ 5th CG for 300 💎

✧ I’d have a few ways of showing you gratitude 💋 | Rats are notoriously rude 😋

✧-✧-✧

#12 Texting

✧ To cover my tracks, I told him I was trying to get into the mind of the animals to figure out what’s wrong with them 😬 → 😫! | 😂

✧ I could come help you search of it means seeing you on all fours 💋 | Sounds like you’re working too hard, come, take a break! 😎

✧ Maybe I need to get a lab coat myself 😏 | I’m not good at sharing. → As long that’s all you’re wearing 😉🔥 → 💋! | 😳

✧-✧-✧

#13 Texting

✧ WOW! You’re making me all hot and bothered 🔥💦 → 😏 | 🔥!

✧ Seriously, it’s a problem ❤️ → 😮 | 😘!

✧-✧-✧

#14 Texting and Second Date

✧ I have something planned for us ❤️ -> 😈! | 😳

✧ I hope your thoughts are also getting spicy 🌶 -> ❤️! | 😘

✧ Want me to bring something? | …right after changing into something sexier 😈

✧ Kiss him intensely, and that’s just the beginning! (gem scene for 180 💎) | Stare deeply into his eyes, but keep your distance -> STILL NO SEX SCENE UGH NOT WORTH IT UNFORTUNATELY AAAAHHH let the doctor get laid I beg you! NOT WORTH IT

✧-✧-✧

#15 Texting

✧ And you’re devoting your first free one time to me! 😍 | I was wondering when you’d turn up.

✧ I’d love to show you my tongue tricks 😉 -> 😘! | 😱

✧ Then maybe we revisit the couch? -> 😍! | 🤭

✧ Wish I could come over and take care of you ❤️ | Try and find a nap spot 😉

✧ You’re so sweet, but I’m more worried for the doctor than for myself… -> ❤️! | 🙂

✧ I need more deets ASAP! (gem choice for 150 💎) | I’m getting queasy 🤢

-> literally not worth it, absolutely not, do not buy

✧ Haha you make me sound so much cooler than I am -> 💋! | 😳

✧-✧-✧

#16 Texting

✧ I know how you could help me sleep tho 😉 | I need my beauty rest, you know 😐

✧ I’d love to be of service 🍆 -> 💋! | 😋

✧ So she’s like a super mutant!? 😳 | This is going from bad to worse 😬 -> not a decisive choice but get’s you 1.5 screens of dorky nerd dialogue

✧ That’s a pretty good idea 😍 -> ❤️! | 👍

✧ You’re the only snack I’m thinking of right now 💋 (gem choice for 150 💎) | Hummus is always a crowd pleaser! -> 1 screen of PG-13 flirting, absolutely not worth it

✧ I’m so happy you’re coming 😍 -> 😘! | 🙂

✧-✧-✧

#17 Texting

✧ The virus spread to other patients and staff -> 🫢 | 😱!

✧-✧-✧

#18 Texting

✧ Um, I’m VERY alarmed 😳 | That sounds scary as hell 😱 | So, I guess this means no dates? ☹️

✧ You need to get out of there right now! | But you aren’t infected! You should be fine, right? | Maybe there’s some way you can help?

✧ I’m afraid it might be too late… -> 😬 | 😱!

✧ It might be too late for some of them, but you can still help that girl. (gem choice for 180 💎) | Just get out of there! There’s no time to stop and help anyone! | There’s no time to help, but you have to at least warn them! (gem choice for 120 💎) -> first one gets you 7.5 screens of doctor in action, intel of shady government actions you will not hear of otherwise, even flirting wow!

✧ Stop talking like that! Everything is going to be fine! | We’ll keep exploring this connection once you’re out of there! | We’ll figure this out together. We always do.

✧-✧-✧

#19 Texting

✧ THANK GOD 🙏 | That’s such a relief! I’ve been worried sick | I knew you’d be fine!

✧ I’m going to need you to spell this out for me | Sounds… terrible? | Hold on, I’m searching R0 online…

✧I want to see you so bad right now. You have no idea. -> ❤! | 😫

✧ Please be careful! | If you see a zombie… do NOT engage! | You’re gonna be fine! You always are!

✧ A scalpel | Crutches | A bedpan

✧ Get in the Hazmat suit to try passing the checkpoint. Plus it’ll protect you! (gem choice for 180 💎) | I hate to say it but..pull the fire alarm. | Try talking to them. Use your doctor charm! (gem choice for 150 💎) -> idk if that was worth it, idk how the free dialogue looks like but putting on the hazmat probably wouldn’t have made any difference in the story like always lol

✧-✧-✧

#20 Texting

✧ I have someone worth fighting for now. ❤️ -> 🤔 | 🥺!

✧ 6th CG for 300 💎

✧ I won’t lie, this is hard… | Um, this is EXACTLY what I signed up for! | Yes, I’m not just gonna bail now!

✧-✧-✧

#21 Texting

✧ Oh my God, that’s so scary! 😱 | This zombie excuse is only going to work so many times | I never would’ve expected zombies to come between us 🤔

✧ Complicated is a generous way to phrase it… | I’ll do whatever to help you figure this out! | You have to solve it! If not you, then who?

✧ Fine, you’re right… -> 💋! | 👍

✧ I’ll got to your apartment and get the research (gem choice for 180 💎) | I think you’ll just have to recreate your research… | Maybe I can access your notes remotely (gem choice for 150 💎)

-> only boost but I guess the scene is written different since you’re in his apartment

✧-✧-✧

#22 Texting

✧ Maybe it would actually be safer if you came to the university... -> 😫 | 👏!

✧ l’d definitely feel safer if I was there with you | I’m pretty sure I’m screwed either way | If this virus keeps spreading it will get to me anyway...

✧ clothing item 🎁 (red cargo pants for 170 💎)

✧-✧-✧

#23 Texting & Third Date

✧ I look like I’m about to play the world’s weirdest sport. | I’m not going to make any best dressed lists, that’s for sure | Just try to bite me now, zombies!

✧ That’s why you have to find a cure ASAP | It’s spreading faster than that rumor about me in high school... | No stopping it YET. But we’ll find a way.

✧ Try singing at the top of your lungs! | Drop your pants and flash them! | Just throw some volatile chemicals together!

✧ That should give you some cover and enough time to get inside. -> 🎉! | 🤔

✧ I can’t wait to see you! -> 😐 | ❤️!

✧ Throw yourself into Daniels arms and kiss him. (gem choice for 210 💎) | Tell Daniel how much you missed him. (gem choice for 180 💎) | Wait until you’re in a safer location -> didn’t expect a hot make-out session during the pandemic, too short for that number of gems tho

✧-✧-✧

#24 Texting

✧ Oh my God, I’m so sorry you had to do that… | Shit, that’s like really, really dark | You were just defending yourself! Anyone would do the same

✧ You’re the only one who can stop this! You have to focus! | I’m here for you when you want to talk | I know it’s hard, but you did what you had to do

✧ Honestly, I think you might be the only person on this planet that can make me feel better right now. -> 😮 | 🥹!

✧ I’m here for you. You just have to let me in (gem choice for 210 💎) | I’m not sure what I can say to make this better. | YOU are the ONLY person who can fix this and the world needs you (gem choice for 180 💎)

✧ I think we should meet up again. -> 😍! | 🫢

✧ There’s no one I’d feel safer with | Okay, but how about you come to ME this time | I’ll protect you no matter what

✧-✧-✧

#25 Texting

✧ Hit a few snags, but I’m close. -> 🎉! | 😳

✧ Release all of your sexual tension with Daniel. (gem choice for 210 💎) | Cuddle up with Daniel and relax. (gem choice for 180 💎) | You’ll relax later once you have a game plan. -> so not worth it, I’m so fucking disappointed. you won’t have sex that’s for sure or tell me how you interpret those lines… blue balls man

✧ One way or another, I’m going to fix this. -> 😐 | ❤️!

✧-✧-✧

#26 Texting

✧ They prob want you to be as focused as possible on finding a cure | They can try, but I’ll always find a way to get through to you | Oh great, another reason for you to disappear on me…

✧ I know, I already miss you so much | Just don’t fall for any hotties while working those long hours in the lab | It’s vital that you find a cure before it’s too late...

✧ Yeah, everything but you. 😜 -> 🙄 | ❤️!

✧ Alright, I guess it’s my duty to “motivate” you 😉 (gem choice for 219 💎) | I don't want to distract you | Okay, I’ll call you, but let's keep this professional 😜 (gem choice for 180 💎) -> but no fucking cyber sex like you would assume from the wording! Just fluff and how much he needs you in this situation but it was so rushed it didn’t feel genuine and now I’m fucking mad because I wasted another 210 gems on nothing

✧-✧-✧

#27 Texting

✧ WTF, the military should be protecting you! | If you need me to come be your bodyguard, just say the word | I’m NOT okay with you putting yourself in danger!

✧ Be careful! They may have a good reason for keeping you in the dark. | If curiosity killed the cat, then it can kill the scientist too | You have to find out what they’re hiding!

✧ Of course I’ll help you! Don’t worry about a thing | I’m gonna have to start charging you for my apocalypse delivery service... | Oh God, this never goes smoothly, does it?

✧ Come on, it’s me! We tell each other everything (gem choice for 210 💎) | I understand if you don’t want to talk about it. | Can you at least give me a HINT? (gem choice for 180 💎)

✧ You’re more important to me than the research. -> 😫 | 🥹!

✧-✧-✧

#28 Texting

✧ I’d honestly feel safer in the Purge... | It’s like Black Friday at BuyMart on steroids! | It’s so peaceful, perfect weather, a chance to stop and smell the roses...

✧ Hey, you’re the one who told me to make myself at home! | But your furniture is just SO nice | Don’t worry, I’ve already done a perimeter check

✧ I’m honestly SO impressed 🥹 | And now I’m questioning everything that I’ve done with my life ☹️ | You should see MY trophy case 😏

✧ So, your parents were Einstein and Wonder Woman, right? | Well, I’d definitely like to swim in your gene pool 😉 | I’m still sticking with my “created in a lab” theory

✧ You could always go rest on my bed. -> 😏! | 😐

✧ Okay, I’ll slip under your covers for a bit 😉 (gem choice for 210 💎) | There’s no time for distractions! | We can skip the pillow talk, but I’d love to relax for a moment 😴 (gem choice for 180 💎) -> if you love him as much as I do, this and the whole chat is super cute, fluffy, get to know more about his past and dating life plus some cute confession

✧-✧-✧

#29 Texting

✧ I’ve been thinking about you non-stop too | I’m doing pretty well considering the world is collapsing around me | Honestly. I’m kind of hanging on by a thread

✧ I’m beginning to worry about your safety there... | It will take more than an army to stop me from talking with you! | You can tell the military that your orders come from ME, not them

✧ Let’s have a video call. Right now. -> 😬 | 😍!

✧ I say... FUCK THE RULES. Let’s do it! (gem choice for 210 💎) | I think we should play it safe for now. | I’m not sure about breaking anything…but I’m not opposed to bending (gem choice for 180 💎) -> note to myself, never buy gem scenes from Daniel/Ryan anymore. The writers were just fucking lazy. Again, it’s like 12 screens of nothingness. You can’t even striptease because you get interrupted fuck man

✧-✧-✧

#30 Texting

✧ Nice to meet you! | Hmm, I don’t remember swiping right on you… | This is honestly so weird...

✧ Admirable of you to fight for your country | Do you ever think about going back to your scientific roots? | Isn’t that a pretty huge leap from lab coat to camo?

✧ 7th CG for 330 💎

✧ He has good taste in Lovelink matches too 😉 -> 😏! | 🙄

✧-✧-✧

#31 Texting

✧ He actually reminds me of you a bit | You neglected to tell me that he’s unreasonably hot! (gem choice and 7th CG for 330 💎) | I’m not quite sure what to make of him yet.

✧ clothing item 🎁 (pink biker jacket I think)

✧ Try to hold on for just a bit longer | What did you expect? Summer camp? | I know how you can harness that pent up energy when I arrive 😏

✧ I know it sounds impossible right now, but l just really want things to go back to normal. -> ☹️ | 😍!

✧ Okay. let’s plan our lives together (gem choice for 210 💎) | We’ll cross that bridge once we get to it. | I’d rather talk about how we’re going to make it out of this alive! (gem choice for 180 💎)

-> even the fluffy scenes are getting bad. I hate this. You talk about your future lives together like where do you want live and if you’ll get pets or not. I’ll rewrite this scene one day. I’ve had enough. Edit: he will reference this dialogue in #35 for 1.25 screens. some kind of redemption I guess. Pretty cute tbh

✧-✧-✧

#32 Fourth Date

✧ Okay, but fair warning... I have expensive taste. (gem choice for 240 💎) | It would be smart to gather supplies, but we have to stay focused (gem choice for 210 💎) I don’t want to hang around here any longer than we have to…

-> if someone can tell me what happened during the shopping trip, I would love to hear it!

✧-✧-✧

#33 Texting

✧ No, I got away, but I’m trapped in a store -> 🙏! | 😬

✧ ABP: Always Be Prepared | Now’s not really the time for flattery

✧-✧-✧

#34 Texting and Fifth Date

✧ Same for me 😐 | My status? In a relationship with Daniel? | Anxious and about to bust out of here 😬

✧ Out of respect for Daniel | wont push it any further -> 🤔 | 😊!

✧ Guns blazing all the way, baby! | Stealth seems more appropriate

✧ There’s no way I’m leaving you behind! I’m staying by your side! (gem choice for 240 💎) | Hold on! I’ll find a way to help! (gem choice for 210 💎) | Run away and get to safety.

✧-✧-✧

#35 Texting

✧ There’s nowhere else I’d rather be | That’s a LOT of pressure for one person. | I promise I won’t let you down

✧-✧-✧

#37 Texting

✧ I’ve been bitten. -> 😱! | ☹️

✧ It’s worth a shot, even if we don’t know the side effects | So, there’s still hope! | You’re not exactly selling me on this right now..

✧ 8th CG for 330 💎

✧-✧-✧

#38 Texting

✧ I’ll be careful, but nothing is stopping me from getting to you | I’ve had front row tickets to the shit show the whole way here | Being careful isnt really my style 😉

✧ It’s touch and go. My body is trying to stave off the virus, but it’s losing that battle... -> 👎 | 😭!

✧ I don’t care about the risk. I’m coming in. (gem choice for 240 💎) | It’s too risky to come inside, but there might be another way.

-> HOLY SHIT ITS SO WORTH IT OMG ITS DO ROMANTIC AND DRAMATIC I HAVE SI MANY SCREENSHOTS AAAAHHHHHH BUY IT

✧ What the hell happened to you? | Are you okay? I lost you in all the chaos | You fucking left me behind, asshole!

✧-✧-✧

Full Relationship Bar #2

-> if you managed to fill up the bar a maximum of 12 times, you’ll get the 9th CG

✧-✧-✧

[ Daniel and Ryan will be offline for a while. ]

[phantomphangphucker]

Phic Phight - I Tried But Not In Time

For: @ave-aria

Lancer just wanted to help, but sometimes being ‘helpful’ just gets people killed. Especially when there are already dead, or half-dead, people involved.

Lancer considered himself a decent man, a good teacher, and an overall respectable member of society. He did his part, paid his taxes, and helped the next generations thrive. In many ways he did more for society and humanity than most did, even if he hardly got the pay or recognition he likely deserved. But he didn’t really care about those things, the children were what he cared about; their future and their happiness. It saddened him when there were some kids he couldn’t help and gutted him when there were others he merely failed to help.

Daniel wasn’t one he couldn’t help and he refused to let the boy be one he failed. Not this one. Not the boy once so filled with life and a positive bright future; even if it was a bit over-ambitious. Not the brother to the most brilliant child he’s ever meet. Not the son of the people that, while strange, helped defend this town. Not someone who could do well and thrive but wasn’t, not through any fault of their own intellect or the school structure or home life, but simply a lack of effort and drive. A bit of missing commitment.

Lancer gave him a bit of a pass -maybe he shouldn’t have- after that accident of his for the first while that school year; it was perfectly reasonable to be a bit lazy while recovering from any sort of accident, good even. But the boy merely got worse, not better. At first he suspected that his parents were going easier on him due to guilt -it was their invention that hurt him after all- and were thus slacking in the discipline department. So he had tried disciplining the boy, not only had that proven entirely ineffective but somehow also practically impossible to do. No amount of locked doors kept him in detention or his office. No amount of grabbing his arm to drag him to classes would stop him from literally slipping through his fingers. Verbal scolding didn’t even seem to do more than make him embarrassed or nervous; he’d sit and take it but nothing would change.

What really caught Lancer was spotting one of the many many times -he’s sure it’s extremely often- Dashiel had pinned Daniel to a locker by the shirt, holding him above the ground by a solid foot. Lancer was going to intervene, knowing full well Dashiel would deny anything was wrong and would act ‘all buddy buddy’ with Daniel, but he’d noticed Daniel’s hand on Dashiel’s wrist, the other hand curled into a fist. Daniel actively wanted to punch the other teen. But... he didn’t. He restrained himself. Practiced good self-control. Self-discipline perhaps. So maybe discipline wasn’t the issue.

So he took a different route. He tried very literally sitting down and watching Daniel closely, giving him one on one help with his work and... it helped! The teen did fairly well immediately! Lancer thought that this little success would be enough to restart Daniel’s drive and willingness to put in the work, the effort; since that seemed to really be all he actually needed to do.

But it wasn’t to be.

That sort of success only ever repeated itself when Lancer sat Daniel down and helped him one on one. If it wasn’t for the teen lacking all other signs he would have suspected some kind of learning disability, caused by the accident perhaps, but he was otherwise normal if a bit paranoid. And Lancer certainly wasn’t revisiting that attempting to send the teen into therapy event again, that had made things actively worse and Lancer doesn’t exactly... trust therapists these days.

Then the frequent growing tardies and skipping entirely made him think that maybe Daniel really truly didn’t care unless he was very literally forced to.

And now... now there were the C.A.T’s coming up and Lancer was out of time to help the teen. This was entirely in Daniel’s hands and maybe Jasmine’s a little as well, he doesn’t doubt she’ll help him with studying. Maybe she’ll even sit him down and make him study? Sadly though, if she hasn’t done that yet he doubts she ever really will. Unfortunate, truly unfortunate.

But then... the answer sheet went missing and Lancer could think of one, and only one, student who could seemingly slip through solid objects and move as if invisible: Daniel. And Lancer is perfectly well aware that Daniel wasn’t the most... law-abiding individual and was absolutely not above cheating, theft, or trickery. Lancer usually let that slide because Dashiel truly deserved it and he’s pretty sure that one time the teen locked him in a closet was a fluke; he thinks the teen's eyes might have been red actually...

But stealing test answers was absolutely unacceptable.

“But Mr. Lancer, you still have no proof Danny took the test answers“.

Judging by the way she cringed, Lancer’s fairly certain he’s right. Regardless, he technically doesn’t have real physical on-camera proof, “fair enough. He has up until the test to return the answers. But if he cheats, I won't just fail him. I'll destroy his future”. Lancer nods to himself, that was probably overdramatic but he was a drama kid and the cheer squad was for life. Jasmine, as expected, takes him seriously and gulps before nodding curtly while walking off likely to go find her unusual brother.

Lancer is perfectly fine letting Daniel retake the test -a makeup one with different answers of course and far enough away he has time to study, without feeling the need to commit a felony just to pass; which seemed incredibly extreme to Lancer- if Daniel simply gives him back the answer sheet. Frankenstein’s Bride! The boy could give them back halfway through the test and that would be good enough; Lancer would be far less impressed with that though. Will he be proud if Daniel gives over the answers beforehand? Yes, of course. Even Lancer knows how much harder it can be to own up to our mistakes and make things right than it is to make the mistakes in the first place. He’d still be in trouble for stealing them of course, with a punishment of lots and lots of one on one intensive study sessions.

But what Lancer hadn’t expected, upon walking back into his classroom, is for there to be a well-dress but old-fashion-looking man leaning against his desk; seemingly polishing some kind of staff. Lancer quirks an eyebrow as he speaks, “hello?”.

The man doesn’t so much as look up from the staff, turning a nob at the top with some clicking noises, “William Edward Lancer, you are a man of simple paradoxes and ironies”.

Lancer stays exactly where he is, hand on the doorknob, oddly he doesn’t feel safe. In fact, he feels like he is explicitly in danger and being actively judged for his worth. “Pardon?”.

The man still doesn’t look to him, but at least he stops tinkering with the staff, placing the base on the ground and standing straight, “you seek to educate the youth, yet cripple them with stress from excessive testing. You turn a blind eye to encourage strength of self, yet that only makes the weak meeker. You try to inspire, yet are so out of touch you discourage instead. Your goal is to make for a bright thriving future for every child you can, and yet... you’ve become a gear cog in the educational machine that is the catalyst for most of their premature deaths”.

Lancer decidedly does not like where this is going and takes a step back, only for the man to seemingly disappear into thin air and for Lancer to bump up against something or someone behind him. Spinning around and staggering backwards into the classroom at seeing that the man is now behind him and staring at him with apathetic judgmental crimson eyes. This man... was a ghost. But nothing like what Lancer’s seen before, he’s sure. Gulping, Lancer grabs the first thing he can -a stapler- and holds it up like a weapon, “what do you want”. He always impressed himself with how not terrified he can make himself sound when faced with a ghostly threat.

The ghost frowns slightly, “from you? Nothing. From Daniel? Plenty. And as much as you are a cog in the educational system, you are also a cog in Daniel’s existence; and so far, not a very good one”.

Lancer’s not sure what to make of that except... “you, ghost, whatever you want with my student, you leave him alone”, swallowing, “and I help him were I can, where’s the fault in that”; he’s not sure why he feels the need to defend himself but he does.

“Explanations? Very well. The fault is in that you push him towards that which is no longer in the universes cards for him. Adding stress and crisis unnecessarily. When all is said and done, some people would be better helped left alone. Would be better to seemingly fail in the eyes of larger mortal society”.

Lancer has to cut in, “I don’t believe that. Every student and child can be great if given help, guidance, and education”; that was the philosophy of any teacher worth their salt.

The ghost actually almost seems to chuckle and smirks faintly, “make no mistake, Daniel has every possibility to be quite great. Or more so, it is something in the potential of the future; a future that, due to your intended future actions, will not come to pass”. Lancer gets that explicitly ominous ‘I’m in danger’ feeling again and tightens his grip on the stapler while the ghost continues though sounding far more malicious, “so as such, the best option is for the problem, for you, to be eliminated”, and brandishes a very large scythe.

Now Lancer knows he is absolutely in danger; he had never imagined he’d be the specific target of any ghost or ghost attack in general. But the best option currently is to RUN! Which, with his weight, is not an option he’s all to confident in. That, and the ghost’s blocking the doors. Said ghost shakes his head in mild disappointment before swinging with the scythe, Lancer barely manages to move to side and lands on the floor with a thud while the scythe slices a desk clean in half. Lancer scrambles on the floor wide-eyed, this ghost really meant to kill him!

Doing what he always does Lancer tries to think quick and grab for anything that might help him -a stapler was doing nothing against a scythe and that’s a fact- lunging for the ghosts staff thinking that maybe the ghost would value that enough to avoid damaging it. He’s not going to claim to know why the ghost left it to the side. Glancing back, Lancer has just a slight feeling that the ghost is smiling? as he grabs the staff. Lancer realises far too late, as the staff makes a clicking noise and a portal begins to swirl open around the top, that maybe this was the ghosts plan all along.

The portal swallows him whole in an instant. The ghost hums to themselves, thins their lips, and nods slightly; disappearing from sight with the swirl of clock-hands.

---

Lancer lands in the dirt practically face first, scrambling to get up and away from the staff. Craning his head around and wincing before cracking out his back, one too many hours spent bent over a desk; the things he gives for those kids. At least the ghost is nowhere in sight but something’s not right, the wall of the alleyway he’s apparently in looks far more weathered and beaten down than the city would allow; had to keep things looking good to avoid the wrath of the rich citizens. Putting his hand to the wall and bits of it crumble off, Lancer gets the distinct feeling the entire wall would crumble to dust with one solid push. He doesn’t like this, it feels too much like he’s in the middle of a serious ghost battle; the lemon/lime stench of ectoplasm in the air doesn’t help.

He’s unsure what to do at this time, stay put and wait for the first responders to start yelling that it’s safe and to come out? or risk going out himself? Both options left him at risk of a violent ghost, like the one just previously after him.

But what he doesn’t get about that is what in the name of Shakespeare did that ghost mean?!? When Lancer threatened Jasmine with ruining Daniel’s entire future that was not meant literally! So why had that ghost seemingly acted as if it was literal? And better yet, what did that ghost seem to want with Daniel?

Yes Lancer was well aware of the Fenton family business, who wasn’t?, and that his parents very likely had plans for him to take over the business one day, but as far as Lancer knew Daniel had little to no interest in that. Maybe Daniel was more involved with ghosts than he knew? Or maybe the Fenton parents' intentions to have him inherit the business was exactly why a ghost was interested in Daniel. Sabotaging or influencing a future important hunter would be something that ghosts would consider doing, even if said future hunter had zero interest in being a hunter. Shaking his head, all this think is getting him nowhere, he needs to decide his actions now.

Swallowing, well he was a man of risks, both calculated and sudden. And it has been a bit.. Gulping Lancer lifts a foot to move to step out before pausing and glancing back to the staff, it sitting innocently on the ground. What would happen if someone else stumbled upon that? Nothing good he imagines. Nodding to himself before gathering it up gingerly and returning to taking a cautious step out of the alley way; at the very least he can use the staff as a beating implement or a spear even.

But stepping out is like exiting an empty silent movie theatre into a crowded mall, like time itself had been stopped until he made up his mind to step forward. The scene that greets him is like an active war zone, people are running around without paying attention to where they’re going, there’s screaming, something is cackling with a heavy echo in the distance, an entire building starts collapsing; Lancer doesn’t know where to look or what to do so he just... stands there, frozen in spot.

At least until he sees what brought down the building, or more so who, a crumbled body flopping and skidding across the ground surrounded by rubble. At first all he can make out is the red suit, The Red Huntress, that’s enough to get him running; running off towards the downed Huntress. but when he gets close... he sees the dark skin, the shaved military hair cut, and the determined expression even with blood rapidly pooling around her head.

“Valerie!”. Lancer immediately kneels next to her, putting fingers to neck and grimaces over the lack of a pulse.

No ones ever died before. But... Lancer was trained to deal with death, in the case of a parent or Shakespeare forgive a student dying. So maybe he’s a little more calm than he should be but, no, never from a ghost attack. People might get hurt sure, but they don’t die! And this barely makes sense! Valerie looked to be in her late twenties. He scoops her up anyways, he is not just leaving her; gripping the staff tightly as he runs, panting heavily.

He sets her off near a more sturdy-looking building, there really was nothing he could do. Him slumping against the wall and crouching, “Chicken Soup For The Soul, what is going on here”, glancing at Valerie, “is this what the ghost meant by ‘cause of their death’?”, shaking his head and glancing to the staff, staring at the top, at the clock, the thing the ghost had been fiddling with. Was... was this a time-travelling device??? One way to find out... Lancer pokes at the nob on top, finding that won’t budge, then prodding the clock hands which move. Gulping, he pushes the hour hand backwards slowly and watches as the world around him reverses. Valerie seemingly glides along the ground and back through the building, the building puts itself back together, people run backwards; it’s a lot to take in.

Lancer pulls his hand away from the staff clock face, backs away from the people, slipping back into the alleyway and breathing out heavily. Glancing to the staff, “it is a time travel device”, he’s not sure whether to be in awe or completely horrified. Because that meant this was the future, he doesn’t want this to be that. Not by a mile. He flinches from the sound of a building collapsing, now knowing exactly what was happening out there.

Sliding down the wall and running a hand over his balding hair, he wants to go back, but what was the point of going back? His job was to prepare people for the future, prepare children for the future; but no one could be prepared for whatever this was. It was like something out of an apocalypse drama! The sound of another building going down sounds like definite emphasis. A sudden voice startles him, “that is indeed what it is”. Lancer snapping his head to the side and jolting upright, knees protesting; it’s the scythe-wielding ghost again... minus the scythe. And he looks like a proper ghost now, blue-skinned, cloaked, and sporting a ghostly tail.

Lancer narrows his eyes, more certain now that this ghost let him take the staff intentionally, “why?”.

The ghost almost seems to chuckle, “why not? A lesson taught in shock value sticks far better than any lesson plan, but I shouldn’t have to tell a human that. Now of course that isn’t the real question, now is it. No, the real one is why you”, the ghost floats a little closer, “why now”, and closer, “why here”, the ghost gets slightly closer and gestures with an arm, small screens appearing from thin air showing destruction taking place all around the globe, “and yet it’s not just here”; Lancer lets the ghost pretty well get up into his face, his back pressed up against the wall and shaking slightly. But where else is he going to go? Into the streets filled with suffering? He’ll take his chances here... and maybe this ghost had a point, not all ghosts were evil after all. Phantom proved that.

But as if on cue, a larger sneering ghost lands on the wall across the alleyway, cackling loudly and looking a lot like an older Phantom. But while Phantom felt safe, childish and goofy even, this ghost feels like death has arrived and is knocking down his front door with a battering ram. This ghost feels like terror and suffering without even looking at him; and looking felt like his god had come and he wanted nothing but his absolute obliteration. When Lancer jerked his head to take that unpleasant look to the side at the Phantom-like ghost, the strange ghost reaches out and taps the staff before yanking it away. Lancer snapping his head back to that ghost just as a purple portal opens up under his feet and he falls down. He’s almost glad purely because it’ll get him away from the Phantom-like ghost, away from death and torture come knocking.

If he stayed in this time, that time, nothing but brutal pain would await him.

-

Lancer staggers but manages to stay on his feet when he lands on the ground this time, putting a hand against what feels like wall to steady himself further; shivering still and glancing around cautiously. It looks as if he’s back in normal Amity but his gut’s doing flip-flops and, in the name of Dracula, he is trusting his gut. Especially after just having had run-ins with two of the only ghosts he’s ever felt truly and genuinely deeply afraid of. The only times he’s felt like something dead, something that was death itself, had set its eyes on him. His paranoia right now is cranked up to eleven.

Even so he still doesn’t expect the sudden explosion seeming to come from the building he’s directly behind that shakes the ground violently and blows out his eardrums, clapping his hands over his ears and wincing. He still walks cautiously to make his way around the building, coughing on the smoke as he goes; only to come face to face with bits and pieces of flesh and clothing.

Including clothing that looked disturbingly familiar to what was in his own closet. The breath he sucks in nearly makes him choke; from smoke and shock alike.

But looking up, there on the road, there’s Daniel kneeling on the ground with an outstretched hand looking stunned and red-eyed. And looking back down, Lancer understands, he gets it.

The bits of red hair.

The chunks of blue and orange spandex.

Half a dark-coloured beret.

The pair of almost jarringly intact faux leather combat boots.

The clothes that look so much like his own.

And the piece of the Nasty Burger sign impeded into the ground.

If Daniel never returned the test... this place, the Nasty Burger, was were he intended to take him and his parents; his sister of course would have came.... his friends too. They were there for him through thick and thin, even if that thick was cheating or expulsion or jail time or just a slap on the wrist. To Kill A Mocking Bird, they’d come faster and more determined than the boy’s own parents would.

There was something deeply wrong with that. Wasn’t there.

The sound of sirens overtaking the ringing in his ears gets him to look back up, back to Daniel who hasn’t so much as moved yet, his face is wet with tears. Lancer can’t do anything but watch the paramedics get to him, shake him and check him, try to ask him questions. He can’t do anything because... because he’s realised that this was what that ghost really meant. This was his own doing.

He brought Daniel and them all here in his vain self-indulgent desire to help the teen with what he thought were normal issues that just needed correction.

He brought them here and they all died because of it.

All of them but one.

And Lancer doesn’t have that staff to turn back the tides of time this time. He wishes he did because he doesn’t want, almost can’t bare, to watch Daniel be checked again and again. Watch the boy push them off when he remembers himself enough and refuses to let them take him away with surprising strength. Watches as Vladimir Masters, one of the richest men in the world, arrived seemingly out of nowhere and places a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

The amount of pure hatred filling Daniel’s eyes makes Lancer unable to doubt for even a second that Vladimir has something to do with this. But the green that flares up in those eyes is what finally makes Lancer move, jerk a step backwards. Yet still watching as Vladimir subtly jabs Daniel with something and the teen goes limp; the man telling the paramedics that he’ll handle this, that he can look after the boy himself, that he’s family. At first they protest but, with red flashing in their eyes, they agree.

And then... everything stops as if it’s a photo rather than real life. Even the puffs of smoke and steam are still.

“For a mortal to be faced with their own death, it is a grounding thing, is it not”.

Lancer doesn’t bother turning around, watching Daniel’s limp frozen form instead, “that’s not it”.

“Ah then perhaps it is Daniel, the one left behind, the forgotten child to fall between the cracks. The one the system, your system, failed”.

Lancer swallows and shakes his head weakly, but he doesn’t deny it because it’s not a lie. Lancer knows in his gut that wherever Vladimir is taking Daniel he won’t come back from.

Daniel was going to die.

And Lancer helped ensure that.

Because he did what he was supposed to do. He tried to help and he did, in some ways. But he missed something, missed a malicious presence, so entirely, so completely, that it didn’t matter; that it did the opposite of help.

Lancer glances to the side as the ghost, now appearing to look like a small buck-toothed child, floats near his shoulder, “there are times that you, as a mortal, must realise when you are at your limit. When something is simply outside of your reach. When someone is. And you must let go. If you do not...”, they tilt the staff just slightly and Lancer is transported with them to a place that looks like a lab. Lancer’s stomach drops.

Daniel is strapped down and thrashing against the restraints on a table.

Vladimir forcing a gas mask onto his face and slowly... that struggling dies.

Clawed gauntlets are wielded and Lancer can only watch as Daniel gets impaled by them and thrashes even though he’s unconscious.

Phantom is torn from him like something out of a nightmare and he lunges at Vladimir full of rage and wrath. Lancer’s never seen anything like this from the ghost, rage and hatred. The desire to hurt. He sees now how Phantom could have grown to become the other version he saw. This was how he was tainted.

Phantom, in his rage, tears a ghost out of Vladimir and devours him piece by ectoplasm splattered piece. The teen ghost has completely lost it.

Daniel has slipped off the table and woken up, has tried crawling off to the corner. It does him no good as Phantom sets his sights on Daniel.

Lancer collapses down to his knees and nearly vomits when Phantom violently tears out Daniel’s stomach, tossing intestines and organs across the room before tearing Daniel’s throat out with his teeth. He’d never imagined even ghosts to be capable of such cruelty. A bout of insanity, surely, that the hero wouldn’t come back from.

This wasn’t just Daniel’s death, but the fall of a hero too. Where they one and the same? Lancer isn’t going to claim to know, not after today.

The strange ghost speaks up again as Lancer stares down at the blood pooling on the ground and slowly creeping towards his knees. “Someday I will teach that boy, and I will teach him well. So, I want to make a deal”, the ghost leans over his shoulder near his face, all Lancer can do is side-eye them as the ghost continues, “he will live, mostly. He will thrive, in a way. But he will amount to absolutely nothing in your mortal society. In fact, he will amount to less than that, another failed statistic. And you, you will let him. He will misbehave, and you will wave it off. He will skip and miss classes, and you will let it go. He will do everything worthy of expulsion, and you will act as if no wrong has been done. You are but a bump in the road of his existence and you will act like it, and you may become his favourite adult because of that fact alone. People often appreciate the simple things in life, do they not. So be a simple thing. Deal?”.

Lancer swallows, “and everyone will be alright”. He doesn’t really have a choice here, does he?

“But of course”. The ghost sounds sickly sweet.

Lancer doesn’t know what he’s agreeing to or what he may be condemning Daniel to, but he nods weakly anyway; anything would be better than this after all.

“Much appreciated. Truly. He’ll make for a very satisfying-”.

Lancer jerks, spinning around, suddenly back in his classroom, an open empty briefcase sitting on his desk. He does hear the end of the ghosts statement though...

“-god”.

Lancer stares forwards for a bit before shaking his head violently and slumping down into his desk chair. Eyeing the briefcase warily, moving his hand and closing the lid with a soft click. Closing the lid on this day. Closing the lid on a teenager's future. Closing the lid on Daniel.

There’s something’s he’s better off not knowing. And some people better off left unhelped. The book of Daniel Fenton’s life is staying firmly unread. ‘God’ that ghost had said...

Glancing to the wall clock, it’s about that time that he talked to Jasmine, before whatever exactly that ghost was that messed with everything. But this time... Lancer’s staying right here. He’s not moving from this chair, he’s not reopening that briefcase, and he’s not talking to anyone.

He’s... not going to ignore Daniel but he is not even going to consider interfering with him and whatever The Great Gatsby was going on with the teen. He’s also going to run away if he ever even glimpses that cloaked staff-wielding ghost again. Very far away.

Daniel looks shocky and shaky the next day, but at least he and everyone else is alive. And Lancer’s going to have to live with his decisions and actions, or lack thereof.  

End.

Prompt: Lancer + Time Travel

[introvertguide]

The Sound of Music (1965); AFI #40

The next film that we reviewed from the AFI Top 100 was the most successful movie adaptation of a Hollywood play of all time, The Sound of Music (1965). The story was based on the 1949 memoir of Maria Von Trapp, who became a nanny for a retired naval officer and his children. They lived together in Austria and had to escape from the invading Nazi party right before the start of WW2. That story was turned into a musical by the dynamic duo of Rogers and Hammerstein and eventually translated to a Best Picture Oscar winner directed by the great Robert Wise. The film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won 5 of them. This truly is a phenomenal story with great music and I can't wait to get into the breakdown. Of course, I do need to mention...

SPOILER ALERT!!! IT IS NOT LIKELY THAT MANY PEOPLE DON'T HAVE AT LEAST AN IDEA OF THE PLOT OF THIS FILM, BUT I REALLY GO OVER THE DETAILS!!! MAKE SURE THAT YOU REALLY KNOW THE STORY AND HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE BEFORE GOING ANY FURTHER!!!

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

The film opens on that iconic spinning shot of Maria (Julie Andrews) from a helicopter and establishes the beautiful hills of Austria. The whole movie is set on and around the city and hills of Salzburg, Austria. It is 1938, dangerously close to the rise of the the Third Reich and Nazi occupation, but Maria is not involved in such things at the time. She is young, enthusiastic, and completely lacking discipline. Turns out she is training to be a nun at the millennia-old Nonnberg Abbey and the Mother Abbess (Peggy Wood) is considering what to do with her. It is decided that Maria will leave the abbey for a time and work as a governess for one Captain von Trapp (Christopher Plummer) and his seven children.

On the day she arrives, Maria learns that the Captain cares for his children with strict military discipline and also that the kids have caused a lot of trouble for their previous governesses. It seems that their mother has died and their father is distant, so they act out to try and get attention. The kids put a frog in Maria's pocket and place a pine cone in her chair at dinner, but she instead thanks them for their warm welcome and they all cry out of guilt. That night, the eldest daughter Liesl (Charmian Carr) goes out and meets with a young suitor named Rolfe (Daniel Truhitte). They sing together in the rain and then she returns to the house via Maria's room. While there, a thunder storm begins and all the other children join out of fear. Maria sings with them about getting over their fears by imagining good things and the children begin to trust her. The next morning, the Captain leaves to go to Vienna giving Maria a chance to bond with the children even more.

While the Captain is away in Vienna, Maria decides she will teach the children to have fun and allow them to play. She tears down drapes and makes play clothes for the children, then takes them around Salzburg and the surrounding mountains. She teaches them how to sing, allows them to climb in trees, and piles them in a boat to go rowing. The Captain unexpectedly returns to the villa with rival love interest Baroness Elsa Schraeder (Eleanor Parker), a rich Viennese socialite and widow looking for a new husband, and mutual friend "Uncle" Max Detweiler (Richard Haydn). The Captain and his guests are greeted by Maria and the children returning from a boat ride on the lake that concludes when the boat overturns. Displeased by his children's clothes and Maria's impassioned appeal that he get closer to his children, the Captain orders Maria to return to the abbey. Just then, he hears singing coming from inside the house and is astonished to see his children singing for the Baroness. Filled with emotion, the Captain joins his children, singing for the first time in years. Afterwards, he apologizes to Maria and asks her to stay.

Impressed by the children's singing, Max proposes he enter them in the upcoming Salzburg Festival but the suggestion is immediately rejected by the Captain as he does not allow his children to sing in public. He does agree, however, to organize a grand party at the villa. The night of the party, while guests in formal attire waltz in the ballroom, Maria and the children look on from the garden terrace. When the Captain notices Maria teaching Kurt the traditional Ländler folk dance, he cuts in and partners Maria in a graceful performance, culminating in a close embrace. The children get together and sing a goodnight song to the party crowd and the impressed Max insists that Maria join the group for dinner. Confused about her feelings, Maria blushes and breaks away to change clothes. The Baroness, who noticed the Captain's attraction to Maria, hides her jealousy while convincing Maria that she must return to the abbey. Instead of joining the party, Maria leaves a note and runs back to the abbey.

Intermission

Back at the abbey, when Mother Abbess learns that Maria has stayed in seclusion to avoid her feelings for the Captain, she encourages Maria to return to the villa to look for her life. We get the very appropriate, but perhaps the most out-of-nowhere and cringy performance in the film, "Climb Every Mountain" sung by the Mother Abbess. It is convincing and Maria returns to the villa, only to learn about the Captain's engagement to the Baroness and agrees to stay until they find a replacement governess. The Captain's feelings for Maria, however, have not changed and he breaks off his engagement with the Baroness and proposes to Maria. The announcement of the first engagement, the return of Maria, the break-up, and the second engagement all happen in a single day in film and about 20 minutes of run time, so make sure to pay attention.

While they are on their honeymoon, Max enters the children in the Salzburg Festival against their father's wishes. When they learn that Austria has been annexed by the Third Reich in the Anschluss, the couple return to their home, where a telegram awaits informing the Captain that he must report to the German Naval base at Bremerhaven to accept a commission in the German Navy. Strongly opposed to the Nazis and the Anschluss, the Captain tells his family they must leave Austria immediately. That night, as the von Trapp family attempt to leave, they are stopped by a group of brown shirts waiting outside the villa. When questioned by Gauleiter Hans Zeller, the Captain maintains they are headed to the Salzburg Festival to perform. Zeller insists on escorting them to the festival, after which his men will accompany the Captain to Bremerhaven.

Later that night at the festival, during their final number, the von Trapp family slip away and seek shelter at the nearby abbey, where Mother Abbess hides them in the cemetery crypt. They are about to get cleanly away when the are discovered by the boy who was courting Liesl. Rolfe is sill a boy but is shouldering the responsibilities of a man. He lets the family get by because he can't bring himself to harm them, but he does call for backup. More brown shirts soon arrive and attempt to pursue, but they discover their cars will not start as two nuns have removed parts of the engines. The next morning, after driving to the Swiss border, the von Trapp family make their way on foot across the frontier into Switzerland to safety.

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

I think the first thing to mention is the undeniably beautiful music. I absolutely love the music of this film and how each song starts off simple and just builds in complexity. The best songs either set the scene or progress the plot and are magnificently placed. From the opening song that sets the scene, to the discussion of how to deal with a woman that doesn't fit in, to the discussion of what to do when you are afraid, to putting your love and affection towards somebody who can't love you. The themes are incredibly deep when you consider the lyrics of the songs as foreshadowing the rest of the movie. The von Trapp family has to escape into the hills and they do it using their musical skills. When the family is trapped and has to keep quiet despite extreme fear for their lives, they are able to make it through because they have been taught to suppress their fear thinking of their favorite things. "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" has the young German boy talking about being a man because he is slightly older then the eldest von Trapp daughter, yet he is charged with finding the family and turning them over to the German military and he can't do it. The music serves a purpose and the movie would be far less palatable for it, despite the story being a truly fascinating real life drama.

The great actress Julie Andrews does such a good job as Maria. This was most definitely a perfect role for her and might be her greatest performance. It is between this role and the part she played in Mary Poppins the year earlier. In fact, Julie Andrews was much better known for her Broadway performances at the time of this film. Mary Poppins was the first feature film role for Julie Andrews and The Sound of Music was technically her third. She jumped on the Hollywood scene and was exceptionally lucky that musicals were popular and she was a beautiful young triple threat (acting, singing, and dancing). She is the perfect example of success being a mixture of preparation, luck, and opportunity.

One thing I forget about musicals from this time period is how quickly plot points (like falling in love and building relationships) happen. I don't mean in terms of run time, I mean in terms of time passing by in the story. Maria is sent to be with the von Trapp family and the children go from hating her to needing and trusting her in a single day. She goes from being a beloved nanny to running away to rejoin the nunnery in one evening. The captain goes from proposing to the Baroness to Maria returning to breaking off his engagement to asking Maria to marry him in a 48 hour period. The Captain and Maria return to Austria after their honeymoon and enter a singing competition to escape to Switzerland all on the same day. In terms of run time, that first day actually takes up the first hour of the film. That last night takes up the last half an hour. I doubled checked this just to make sure, but it is true: only 4 critical days are shown in the film. Maria leaves the convent and arrives at the von Trapp house. Time passes, The Captain returns to fire Maria but changes his mind and instead throws a party where Maria runs away. Time passes. Maria is convinced to return and arrives to find the Captain is engaged before he changes his mind to leave the Baroness and immediately proposes to Maria. We see them on their wedding day. Time passes. The Captain and Maria return and he is ordered to join the Navy, but he instead using the children's performance that night as cover to escape with his family. End of movie.

Despite the story being about a young family escaping the Nazis, this film has the lightest rating (G) of any best picture winner. Some films were not rated at the time that would now be considered a G rating and Oliver! in 1968 had a rating of GP (general public) that no longer exists. It seems like a movie that doesn't have at least a bit of a serious tone can't win a Best Picture and that comes with a heavier rating. It was funny that the Amazon Prime virtual copy that I saw most recently starts out with a screen that says rated G for violence, language, and adult situations.

There are some funny behind the scenes stories since there were many young children in the film. This means that many of them are still alive and can relive their memories with young fans. We are also lucky enough to have Dame Julie Andrews still working and sharing her experiences like a champ. She really is a treasure. The young girl who played the adorable Gretl von Trapp (Kym Karath) is only in her early 60s since she was only six in the film. it was actually her 4th picture, giving her more experience in film than Julie Andrews at the time. There were plenty of specials commemorating the 50th anniversary of the film back in 2015, so there are actually some really good interviews with the surviving cast that are relatively recent. I would highly suggest the 20/20 review of the film that can be found on YouTube:

NBC|ABC|20/20: The Untold Story of 'The Sound of Music - YouTube

There was some concern from the cast and the producers that a film version of a musical would not be financially viable. Other Rogers and Hammerstein musicals had been adapted to film and had not lived up to the success that was found on Broadway. Luckily, director Robert Wise used the natural lighting and countryside of Austria and Germany to slightly excuse the sudden singing of a musical that seems out of place in film. Also, he had recently directed West Side Story and knew how to best accomplish this. Then again, who wouldn't want to dance around and sing in those mountains? Wise did some things like lowering the tone of the song "Climb Every Mountain" and moving Maria through the countryside while she was singing "Confidence in Me." This helped reduce the cringe factor.

So does this film belong on the AFI top 100? Oh God yes. It is a great story adapted by the greatest American songwriting duo and directed by one of the great American directors who specialized in musicals. The list would be lacking if this film was not on it. Would I recommend it? Oh man, yes. Go watch it right now. Oh, you just saw it? Watch it again. It's that good.

[insidethegiftbasket]

Nationals (12-15) at Yankees (16-15)

Note From Evan: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, jabronis and jabronettes, and Yankee fans of all ilk, Sam and I are here to let you know that we now have a third contributor here at Inside the Gift Basket, and this is his first post. Everyone say hi to Julio and from now on you’ll have to bring on more cupcake to class to share with everyone. And with that, onto the good stuff.

Game 1: Friday at 7:05pm EDT on YES and MLBN – Jameson Taillon (1-2, 5.24 ERA) vs. Patrick Corbin (1-3, 8.10 ERA)

Game 2: Saturday at 1:05pm EDT on YES and MLBN – Corey Kluber (2-2, 3.03 ERA) vs. Max Scherzer (2-2, 2.54 ERA)

Game 3: Sunday at 1:05pm EDT on YES and MLBN – Domingo German (2-2, 4.32 ERA) vs. Joe Ross (2-2, 4.39 ERA)

Nationals Injury Report

SP Stephen Strasburg: 10-day IL (shoulder inflammation) – will miss series

RP Wander Suero: 10-day IL (oblique strain) – both he and Strasburg will throw in a simulated game Friday

RP Seth Romero: day-to-day (ribs) – will begin throwing next week

LF Juan Soto: day-to-day (shoulder strain) – should get some at-bats this series, may start at DH

Nationals Pitching

Strong starting pitching was a hallmark of the Nationals during their run of eight straight winning seasons from 2012 to 2019, culminating in a World Series victory the final year of the streak. While their core ace trio of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Patrick Corbin remains intact, only Scherzer of the three has continued to see success in 2020 and 2021, and the starting rotation as a whole has struggled, posting a 4.67 ERA (23rd in MLB). Strasburg has barely pitched as he has been plagued by injuries over the last year and a half.

Clay, NY native and childhood Yankees fan Patrick Corbin will pitch the opener opposite Taillon. In 2018 and 2019 Corbin was one of the better pitchers in baseball, finishing 5th and 11th respectively in the NL Cy Young Award race those years while frustrating batters with his trademark tailing-away slider. To say he suffered a World Series hangover may be an understatement:

What has gone wrong for Corbin? Even he and Nationals manager Davey Martinez aren’t sure as it doesn’t appear to be a physical or mechanical issue, and his velocity is close to the same as in his 2018-2019 peak.

There are a few possible explanations. One is that he’s lost some spin on his slider (from 2398 rpm in 2019 to 2218 rpm in 2021), and it has gone from one of the best single pitches in the game to basically league average, with opposing batters just not chasing it like they used to:

This means that Corbin has fallen behind on counts more than in the past, forcing him to go over the heart of the plate with his sinker to get strikes, and that pitch has been absolutely destroyed this year. It wasn’t a particularly great pitch for him in the past, either, but this year hitters are just teeing off on it (1.091 SLG).

Corbin is not striking guys out like he used to and is giving up hard-hit fly balls at an alarming rate. The average launch angle against his pitches has risen to a career-high 14.7° in 2021, and subsequently he has already allowed 7 home runs in just 23.1 IP. For the sake of comparison, he allowed 15 HR in all of 2018 (200 IP).

There are some encouraging signs as he has looked better lately after a cataclysmic start. He allowed 16 ER in 6.1 IP to the Dodgers and Diamondbacks in his first two starts of the season but has pitched to a 3.18 ERA in three starts (17 IP) since. He hasn’t exactly faced red-hot offenses in that span (Mets, Cardinals, Marlins), and the underlying numbers are still not all that great, but it’s progress.

Max Scherzer will pitch the second game in what could be a very good duel with the surging Corey Kluber. Now in his age 36 season, Scherzer is continuing to put up excellent numbers, and like in recent years, the key to beating him is the long ball. He has allowed a measly 27 hits all year in 39 innings pitched, but 7 of the hits have been homers. He doesn’t walk guys, so the Yankees’ best bet against him is to try to barrel up his occasional mistakes and knock them out of the park.

The finale pits RHP Joe Ross against Domingo German, with both pitchers posting remarkably similar numbers so far this season:

Rather like Corbin, however, Ross’ numbers are inflated by one very bad performance (10 ER allowed to the Cardinals on April 19), and he has pitched well outside of that game. Ross has been a mediocre pitcher most of his career, though, so it’s not like these numbers aren’t indicative of what to expect from him. His slider is his definitive put-away pitch (responsible for 15 of his 21 strikeouts), but his other offerings have been hit hard. He also has a strong platoon split (vs RHH: .241/.287/.394, vs. LHH: .297/.376/.474), so expect the Yankees to give most of their available lefty hitters a start in the series finale.

While the rotation has been disappointing, the Nationals’ pen has been a strength for the team in the early going. Washington relievers own a league-best .185 batting average against, admittedly aided by one of the better defenses in the league (league-leading 24 DRS), and offseason acquisition Brad Hand has been a stabilizing force at the back of games, having yet to allow an earned run this year.

Daniel Hudson, Austin Voth, Sam Clay, and Wander Suero (who is likely going to miss this series) have all posted solid numbers behind him, and their most-used reliever, Kyle Finnegan, threw an immaculate inning in their just-completed series with the Braves. Ex-Astro Will Harris was recently activated off the IL and has very good career numbers, though the Yankees have hit him well historically.

The one major blip is Tanner Rainey, who was one of their most important relievers the last two years but has struggled mightily so far this season. He is likely to be limited to low-leverage action until he gets his act together.

Nationals Lineup

A consistently strong offensive team during their 2010’s run, peaking in 2017 when they led the NL in team OPS, the Nationals have had to weather the departure of important contributors like Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon in recent years. While they still have a few dependably great hitters in the lineup, their offensive output in 2021 has been, at best, mediocre:

As a team they get a lot of hits (for 2021 standards, anyway), as their .247 batting average somehow actually leads the National League. However, they rarely draw walks and have not hit for power so far this year (outside of Trea Turner), resulting in a poor .696 team OPS and a marked difficulty putting up runs – they have yet to score more than 7 runs in any game this season and have been shut out five times. They are coming off a three-game sweep at home at the hands of the Braves in which they only scored six runs.

With Juan Soto battling a shoulder injury, Trea Turner has been their most important and all-around best position player:

While his numbers are a bit down from an outstanding 2020 (163 OPS+) that saw him finish 7th in the NL MVP race, he hits the ball hard to all fields, runs like the wind, and is a plus defender at shortstop. He has been a top 20 player in baseball this year in both bWAR and fWAR.

Antoher bright spot has been Josh Harrison, who signed with the Nationals as a reclamation project after seemingly forgetting how to hit sometime between 2018 and 2019; he has just about revived his career and been one of the team’s best hitters. The same cannot be said for his longtime Pirates teammate Josh Bell, who has been a nonfactor at the plate. While the Nats have been giving him (and the also-struggling Kyle Schwarber) plenty of opportunities to snap out of it, expect them to give more playing time to the hot-hitting Ryan Zimmerman at first base moving forward.

Lastly, keep an eye out for young phenom Juan Soto – he just came off the IL from a shoulder injury and pinch-hit a few times in the Braves series. According to the Nationals, he is ready to start hitting every day, but they are reluctant to let him play the field as his shoulder is not yet fully recovered and he should not be making throws. Luckily for them they are playing in an AL park this weekend, so he may get some starts at DH against the Yankees (which is, of course, bad news for us).

Yankees focus on: Wandy Peralta

LHP “Magic” Wandy Peralta came over from San Francisco (along with a PTBNL) in exchange for beloved backup OF Mike Tauchman, much to the chagrin of certain Yankees fans. Now in his 6th season, the 29 year-old Peralta has, on the surface, been largely unremarkable as a major leaguer to date, with a career 4.66 ERA and 1.477 WHIP. While he is coming off a solid 2020 in which he posted a career-best 3.29 ERA, he struggled to start this season in San Francisco and fell out of Gabe Kapler’s Circle of Trust��.

The raw numbers don’t jump out at you, but clearly the Yankees viewed Peralta as an interesting piece if they were willing to go so far as to part with Tauchman for him. After a bit of digging, it’s not hard to see why they found him appealing:

The underlying metrics have been impressive. In fact, his stuff has looked much better so far this year than it did in 2020, despite posting better standard stats last year.

It may be a microscopic sample size, but Peralta has looked promising in his first few appearances with the Yankees. The coaching staff has encouraged him to spam his wipeout changeup, to great effect:

While he has lost command of the changeup at times earlier in his career, it’s an incredible pitch when he’s throwing it well. So far this season: xBA of .109, xSLG of .133, and a -3 launch angle.

Last year his slider was a very good pitch, but this year it hasn’t been as effective, thus the Yankees have responded by ramping up his changeup usage and cutting back on the slider. In an ideal world, Peralta can learn to use them both effectively to pair with his plus heater. The raw stuff is there, and it always has been; the hope is that the Yankees’ coaching staff can get Peralta to harness his talent and potential.

With Tauchman playing well in San Francisco to this point and providing much-needed support for their banged-up outfield, this could be a trade that proves to be a win-win for both teams involved.

[magstorrn]

rating the artilleryman actors from jeff wayne’s musical version of the war of the worlds*

*from the perspective of someone who’s never seen the show live but, in my defence, has sought out just about every illegally filmed snippet on youtube and I've seen both official recordings many times. some of these are based on a single recording tho so take my words w/ a grain of salt. im also not going to get everyone because for a number of the actors there’s not enough evidence to go off

david essex

summary: the man the myth the legend. there are only a couple photos of him during recording sessions but he was clearly having the time of his life, and his hoarse voice and cockney accent bring an edge to the character that’s often absent (also means his own background is closest to that of the character). obviously they didn’t kick start the stage show until about 30 years after he recorded for the role but sometimes i daydream about an actual theatre production of twotw in the 70s bc holy shit, he was already doing evita when he recorded for twotw and had starred in godspell by this time and he wouldve been absolutely magnificent. 

he’s also like the only actor im aware of that properly belts the ‘it’s going to have to start’ line and it just. sounds so good. he’s also the only artilleryman actor that imo sounds good in act 1 and like someone who’s genuinely witnessed a traumatic event and is still reeling in shock. he brings this kind of manic earnest with him in brave new world and it enhances the song 100% bc he’s so completely convinced things will work out

iconic moment: the way he yells ‘just’ after the whispered section in the middle of brave new world. chef’s kiss

rating: 10/10 im biased as all hell

alexis james

summary: the true mystery of this man is that he looks so old and so young at the same time (put it down to the incredibly fake weird sideburns and the receding hairline) and that he didn’t seem to do any more work in this vein post-2006. deserves credit for being the first stage show actor in the role, running around for 12 minutes straight pretending to use a massive pencil compass and digging at the stage, and for pulling things off pretty damn well. the almost surgical slit at the knee of his pants irritates me and im glad they didnt do it again

iconic moment: singing the entirety of brave new world with a pseudo american accent for no reason at all. im 99% sure he’s english

rating: 7/10

jason donovan

summary: the day that jason moved from the artilleryman role to the parson role was the finest day of his life as well as mine. he’s absolutely outstanding as nathaniel but tbh i think in the artilleryman role he’s just... bad (and doesnt have NEARLY enough fake blood everywhere). a lot of the lines sound like theyre cut short or like he can’t quite hit the note he’s aiming for, and there’s times when he just sounds completely off, or barks his lines for no reason. like alexis james he was part of the pre-new gen era so he has like two props and he has to pretend to use these for over ten minutes and i salute him for that. speaking of salutes i love how he randomly embellishes some of his lines with a salute

iconic moment: *high pitched australian accent* iT’S You. the MAn from mayBury HILL

rating: 4/10

ricky wilson

summary: ricky wilson was the first artilleryman for the new gen era which was iconic enough in itself, but then he also gave us the black eye, goggles, waxed moustache, the glass of water trick, rolled up sleeves, and so much more. also the tragic victim of the bottle of whiskey line, but he salvages it by just swigging from the bottle right then and there. act 1 RW kinda has the vibe of a man who’s just unexpectedly watched his football team of preference lose badly rather than witnessed a massacre, but by act 2 he sounds like he just came up with a plan to save civilisation at 3am while blind drunk and he’s going to tell you about it whether you like it or not. also pioneered the trend of stripping his coat at the start of the song. he definitely sounds better in the visual recording than on the album as he barely sounds like himself on the latter (why is he like the only actor from the stage show that’s also on the album?? ill always wonder). even then though he seems very jittery and nervous and like he’s trying to overcompensate by being super energetic and the way he basically screams all his lines gets annoying after long enough

that said his swagger and confidence are completely unbeatable and while i wouldnt trust him as far as i can throw him, he deserves a spot in the artilleryman hall of fame, although im still unsure to this day whether he’s using the spade correctly

iconic moment: *hip thrust* WALLOP

rating: 9/10

shayne ward

summary: again this is based on like a single recording but he can SING and i wish he showed off more than he does. he also sounds properly panicky/shaky in the first act which i always appreciate since he’s been Through It and a lot of performances don’t get that across. he’s giving it his all/aiming to give the best performance he can and it shows! he also has a ton of bruises/so much fake blood everywhere and his shirt’s in tatters and it’s great. the high notes sound fantastic also

iconic moment: stripping off the coat about ten minutes before any other artilleryman actor im aware of, and yeeting it off the stage

rating: 8/10

adam garcia

summary: i would say that bc he’s australian i have no choice but to stan but ive already been rly mean to jason donovan so that doesnt stand up anymore. anyway i basically regard adam garcia as the spiritual successor to david essex - similar sound, similar vibes, similar musical theatre background, similar genuine earnest with that edge of manic desperation and oncoming insanity. his facial expressions and gestures and pure enthusiasm throughout BNW are my favourite thing, and he maintains more of a long-sleeved pirate vibe as opposed to the ricky wilson rolled up sleeve vibe. unlike ricky wilson i also think he might’ve actually used a spade before

he also does so so much running around, and has more props than ever - the chair, the blackboard, the goggles, the gun, the spade, but at least he’s kept busy for the long instrumental sections, although i think it’s awful he gets cut off at the end of his song by life begins again while he just like, keeps digging? his singing is rly consistent and really quality, although i think he unfortunately sounds pretty bad in act 1. the whole losing his mind thing in act 2 salvages it tho

iconic moment: *obvious david essex impression* holidees 

rating: 9/10

honourable mentions to daniel bedingfield (can’t find a recording anywhere), michael falzon (i can’t find a full recording of him), and taron egerton (doesnt get to sing in the audio drama but his character is clearly gay)

[benoitblanc]

OTP PROFILE GAME!

rules: answer the questions about your favorite ship (all time or current) then tag 10 people to do it too!

tagged by @chloexmorningstar (ily Sho!!!) and listen... obviously newtina is my #1 ship ever. i am doing peggysous, even though it’s a lowly #4, because reasons. and apologies to everyone for how goddamn long this got. i have a lot of feelings about these two.

SHIP AND FANDOM: peggysous/agent carter

MOMENTS:

what were their first impressions of each other?

sadly we don’t get the peggysous meet-cute- in fact, i’m just realizing now that most of my favorite ships meet offscreen, which is kind of weird. we do know that they’re each other’s only friend in the workplace, and even more than that they’re on first-name basis, so i like to think that when they met, they both kind of went wow, this one sucks a lot less than every other person that works here!, and then the rest was history.

a moment you think that both/one of them will remember forever about each other:

i mean obviously the rebar incident, but also when peggy had to choose between the literal universe and daniel and chose daniel. everything worked out and the universe was fine, but the fact that peggy “dispassionate, chief, your words” carter even took that chance speaks volumes about how much she loves him, and i think it’s something they’ll both remember for a long time.

a moment you think that both/one of them wishes hadn’t happened:

when i saw this i instantly went, “well obviously peggy’s interrogation was not a high point for them,” and then remembered that peggy asked daniel for a rain check when he asked her out and he took that to mean “i don’t want to see you again ever” and literally moved across the country, so i’d say there were a couple of rough patches lol. conversely, i think that peggy in retrospect is extremely glad she got impaled by that rebar because otherwise they would have just stayed in pining hell forever.

what is their moment for you?

if i'm not allowed to choose “literally all of season 2,” i’m going to say when peggy kidnaps rufus hunt and daniel gets angry not because she committed a felony, but because she committed a felony without him. daniel is a lot more by-the-book than almost every other character on the show, so the fact that that’s the thing he’s mad about really shows how much he’s come to trust and care for peggy. as they both say, they’re a team now.

LIFE QUESTIONS:

marriage? if yes, who proposes?

yep! they get married. avengers endgame never happened. aos will never happen. i’m not sure if i like the idea of peggy or daniel actually proposing better, but daniel definitely buys the ring and agonizes over how to make the perfect proposal, and then of course they actually get engaged on a whim during some messy, high-stakes action sequence.

children? if yes, if one had to stay home with them, who would do it?

we know that peggy and whoever she canonically marries do have two kids, so assuming it’s daniel (which it is), there are definitely kids! neither of them stay home- they’re good parents but obviously very busy at work, especially peggy- but they spend as much time with them as they can, and the jarvises are more than happy to look after the kids when they can’t.

housing? where do they live together?

i have absolutely no idea where the original base of shield was, and i don’t think the ac one-shot is actually canon, so let’s say for argument’s sake, and for the sake of “most of the characters i headcanon as being involved with shield’s creation were located in california in the late 40s anyway,” and for the sake of “as of 1995 there was still a prominent shield base located in l.a.,” that it was near los angeles. in which case i guess peggy could just move in wherever daniel’s living. it looked like a nice enough place. 

pets? do they get a pet together?

i don’t see them as pet people, honestly. i think bernard has put them off that idea.

PERSON A&B…

who would kill/remove the spider and who would leave it under a cup and leave the room?

peggy is definitely terrified of spiders just because i think the “peggy carter, the same woman who fought in the war and took down dottie underwood and punched me in the nose, is afraid of spiders?” “shut up, jack!” conversation would be hilarious. this leaves daniel as the de facto getter-ridder of spiders.

who sings all day long and who gets so used to it they don’t even hear it anymore?

this is not something i'd ever pictured either of them doing; however, i’m absolutely loving the idea of serious, professional daniel singing under his breath while working on case files. peggy thinks this is the cutest thing in the world but figured out very early on that if she comments on it, he stops, so now she just lets it happen without a word.

who can cook a gourmet meal for two and who can maybe use the toaster?

peggy obviously can’t cook to save her life. i think the entire fandom has accepted this as fact. daniel i can see as a decent cook, but i think if for whatever reason they actually need to provide food for anyone other than themselves, peggy calls jarvis in a panic and makes him do it.

who wakes up before the sun rises and who would sleep in until 2pm if they didn’t have an alarm?

neither of them really strike me as early risers (or late risers- they seem to have a reasonable sleep schedule when they aren’t up to spy shenanigans), but peggy definitely gets up before daniel.

who is more affectionate/touchy?

in public i think they’re both usually very professional or at least not blatantly affectionate, but in private or with friends they cannot keep their hands off each other. peggy is usually the worse offender but it’s oftentimes a toss-up. they drive jack crazy. 

who wears the other’s hoodies/shirts?

look i don’t think this is something they’d do, but i’m definitely giggling at the thought of peggy walking around in a fucking hawaiian shirt that’s about two sizes too big for her.

who said “I love you” first?

i like to think that a very exhausted peggy, after daniel did something like bring her coffee when she was working on case files at one in the morning, groaned “daniel sousa, i bloody love you” without really thinking about it and then promptly became so re-engrossed with the files that she nearly missed daniel’s quiet “...love you too, peg.” 

tagging @erumpets @florenepugh @wespers @mollyweasly @nataliarvmanova @romanocff @saralahnce @captleia  @billhaders @wintersoeldiers and anyone else who wants to do it :) 

[hadestownmodern]

The Fight (3/?)

My favorite moments are when Annika texts me and says “hey did you ever post that one fic?” and the answer is usually either no or oh, I forgot I even wrote that.

-that’s the content you’ll get after the fight. For now, enjoy. I promise a soft resolution is in your future.

-Danielle

-----------

Persephone is quiet.

              Uncharacteristically so; she carries the weight of Orpheus’s departure the night before heavily on her chest. She hadn’t said much to Hades upon their return home, needing time to process what had happened much in the way Orpheus had.

              Eurydice had been different.

              She’d thought it from the beginning, that first day of the year when she’d stumbled into her classroom just a minute late and looking frazzled-slightly unkempt. She’d sat in the front row and immediately began following right along, keeping pace without the age-old excuses and what have I missed. She’d hopped in on their first debate; a warm-up, an introduction to the material they’d be discussing throughout the year. Persephone knew the short girl with the cropped haircut was different when she volleyed back not only opinions, but fact-based ideas. She’d impressed her from the beginning.

              And then she’d become a sort of friend.

              She’d sit with Persephone after class when she could, talking little details of her life. She had three jobs. She had no family. She lived alone, but she was contented with things for what they were worth. The more they talked, the more Persephone admired her character; quick-witted, intelligent, and more mature than the other kids in her classes. This girl with no family had become a constant in her life, a presence she’d looked forward to seeing.

              She’s not sure she wants to see Eurydice again.

              She carries the memories of those times-just she and Eurydice talking, laughing. Eurydice had talked so sweetly about Orpheus, too-in the beginning she’d let off a smile almost shy in nature, something Persephone never thought she’d see on the girl with the tough exterior. With Orpheus she was soft-hearted, gentle. He spoke countless monologues to Persephone of how much she meant to him-he still does.

              Persephone settles herself into class with the same sort of dissatisfaction she’d had the day before; Eurydice is in this lecture too, making the avoidance that much more difficult. A piece of her heart had twisted when she’d been so cold yesterday, but the separation between Eurydice as a friend and Eurydice as the girl who’d made her son cry had kept itself clear in her mind. As much as she loves Eurydice, the boundary of trust had been broken.

              She thinks of Calliope-young, like Eurydice. Headstrong like Eurydice. The unmentionable thought crosses her mind and she wishes she hadn’t thought about it at all-what if she decides to be just like Calliope? Persephone knows that they’d would be able to handle it-this time even better than before with the experience under their belts. Orpheus, however…there’s love at stake in this scenario, and his heart had shattered at the thought of one night away from Eurydice. She’s not sure he would be able to make it through much else without breaking completely.

              The clock ticks away and Persephone avoids starting the discussion; Eurydice’s usual seat-front row, right next to the door-is empty. Five minutes pass from the start of class, then ten, and she still hasn’t shown. Persephone struggles through writing her notes on the board, on answering questions that feel pointless within the scope of the situation at hand. Eurydice, firm in her determination to make a life for herself, had never missed a class before. Even while sick or exhausted from long shifts at work she’d come in, spend her breaks taking short naps on the small couch in Persephone’s office. Absence had never been an option.

              Her mind wanders to the conversation she’d had with Orpheus the night before; Orpheus, who had been so brokenhearted, still defending her without a second thought. While it killed her to see him so upset, his unwavering optimism brought her conflict she could not seem to shake. Eurydice had brought him lower than she’d ever seen him. She’d made him a mess and then hadn’t come home. She’d worried him sick, and yet he still said not one bad word about her.

              Eurydice stuck in her mind, too.

              Eurydice, who’s more to her than just an extension of Orpheus. She’d been her friend first-her favorite student-someone she’d felt the unshakable drive to nurture, to protect. Eurydice had first been the girl who’d spend time with her after class, the girl from the broken home, the girl who thanked her for seeing her as more than just someone to pity. She valued Eurydice. She still does.

              Persephone ends class with half an hour to spare, barely remembering the lecture she’d set out to teach. The students seem relieved as they go, scribbling down last minute details from the board before packing up and thanking her for the extra time. The sound of their appreciation is just muttering to her ears. Preoccupied, she packs up and quickly returns home-there’s only an hour until Junie is done at school, only an hour of privacy. On a typical day, she’d swing by and grab her early. Today, she needs the extra moment of clear headspace.

              Returning home she can hear Hades shuffling around in the office, an unusual occurrence for a weekday afternoon. She’d left him in there this morning with a fresh cup of black coffee and a kiss on his cheek, expecting a late night. He chose typically to work at his own high-rise office, where the distractions of being home aren’t a temptation. She tosses her keys in the bowl by the door, hangs her coat and calls his name. He answers with a muttered ‘in here’ and she can’t help but laugh to herself as she makes her way to the door.

              He’s slightly hunched over a stack of documents, written on with his frighteningly neat lettering in sharp black pen. There’s a discarded stack in the corner, marked up with red ink and notes she’s sure he’d made with his same sort of concentrated grumbling. Thankful for the distraction, Persephone wraps her arms gently around him from behind, resting her hands on his chest and her head on his shoulder.

              “What are you working on?” Hades sighs at the contact, leans back against her and pinches the bridge of his nose tiredly. With half of a grunt, he brings a stapled stack of papers to her hands. Reading the title she moves away from him, breezing through the pages with a wide-eyed look of horror.

              “What happened?” She paces briskly, unable to settle her body as she scans line after line of legal jargon written up neatly. “What the hell happened in the four hour block of time I was working? Is this why she wasn’t in class today?”

              Persephone holds the papers up with thin-lined lips and an angry brow, reading and re-reading. The word custody sticks out like a knife to the heart.

              “She’s really going to try and take this baby away from him? I don’t believe it. I don’t believe it. I don’t believe that she would try to…to…to swindle him like that. She’s not that kind of person. She wouldn’t do this to him. Who in their right minds has the fucking nerve to even try to,”

              “-Seph,” He has to repeat her name several times before she can hear him through her ranting, face growing red as the stapled papers rustle with the violent wave of her hands. “Seph, sit down.”

              “I’m not sitting down!”

              “Then just listen.” He sighs, running a hand through his hair. She stands next to the window, looking down at the street below. Her body slows with her breath as she concentrates, attempting to pull herself back from the dizzying anger. He leans back in his chair, folds his hands over his lap. “This is just a precaution.”

              “Why?”

              “She chose to run away, Persephone. She chose to run instead of talking it out. One bad thing and she was gone. She’s not us, love. She’s young, she lacks life experience…She’s headstrong and she refuses help. I don’t trust it. And when she does decide to run there’s a child involved. I’m not letting her take that child away from our son.”

He turns his attention back to the computer, back to the task at hand. Persephone lowers herself onto his lap, watching. He’s scrolling through files-her files. The more he reads the slower he scrolls, lips moving silently, Persephone pressing herself against him again. He can feel the hitch of her breath in her throat, her arms tightening around him. It’s a difficult read, even for a seasoned veteran in court. He’d become so used to representing wealthy businesses that he’d forgotten what it was like on this side, the side where Eurydice had spent most of her childhood testifying against foster parents who had failed her, against the father who willingly gave her up. She’d testified for herself, for the right to leave the system that had made her life a living hell of bouncing from one terrible home to another.

              There’d been hope in the first one, a hope that must’ve stung as the family moved away without her, chose a warmer climate over the child they’d sworn to give their love. He wonders briefly what they must have told her, only eight years old and living with them for a full year. He wonders briefly, and then Persephone ducks her head against his chest.

              “I can’t read it anymore,” He switches tasks while she moves herself to his lap, venturing into records which hold her address. Even Hades, hardened by the protection of his son, startles with the new information.

              “She didn’t come to class?” Persephone shakes her head against him. “Has Orpheus heard from Eurydice today?”

              Sensing the sudden urgency in her husband’s tone of voice, she casts a glance at the screen. She immediately knows the street name, the neighborhood clear in her mind. While she hadn’t grown up in the city as Hades had, college had taught her many things. One of those things was that the neighborhood address next to Eurydice’s name often spelled bad news; violence, an underground drug system, and a heavy rotation of cop cars and ambulances. Panic seeps through her, beginning in a light tingling of her fingers and toes, the mask of her face.

              Her mind begins recreating the scenarios she’d read about while in school.

              In each one of the scenarios, Eurydice is dead.

              She’s unaware of the phone being pulled from her hand until Hades brings her back to his lap, words of comfort attempting to quell each of the horrific scenes from her head. Persephone vividly recalls the way she’d acted in class the day before, how she’d shut her down so vehemently, so angrily. She’d been in pain-whether from the baby growing against her tiny frame or Persephone’s cold shoulder-and the responsibility of it all comes in crushing force.

              “I abandoned her.” She chokes out the words in a breathless realization. “I’m no better than her father-than those people…I’m no better than Calliope.”

              “Don’t say that.”              

              “What if she’s dead, Hades? You know that neighborhood.”

              “She’s not dead. She’s not dead, and she chose to leave. You chose to protect our son, that does not make you like Calliope. That makes you a mother. His mother, not hers.”

              “I have to call him.” She takes the phone back, but not before Hades can switch it over to speaker. They only have to wait one ring. Orpheus lets out a melancholy greeting over the sound of running water and clinking dishware. For a moment, Persephone isn’t sure what to say-how to broach the subject without coming off too strong. Then, the horrific images flash through her mind again; Eurydice, with her apartment broken into. Eurydice fighting. Eurydice, pregnant and defending herself alone-Eurydice losing.

              “Have you heard from her today?”

              “Not yet.”

              “Okay.” She repeats the word a few times, mulling over reality in her head. Things are fuzzy in a world where she longs to do nothing more than protect Orpheus, where Eurydice had been her friend first and the concept of custody moves in and out with armed robberies and gun fights. She leans forward again, re-reading the address on the screen. “I need you to go to her apartment then.”

              “She needs time, I want to give her what she needs. I miss her but…do you really think it’s a good idea?”

              “Orpheus, she didn’t come to class today.”

              “She didn’t have work-she didn’t have anything, I don’t think. But she wouldn’t just skip, that’s not her. You know her.”

              “Orpheus, go.”

              “I don’t-I don’t know where she lives.”

              “Okay.” Persephone sighs, Hades taking the phone from her hands. In all of the madness, it doesn’t shock Persephone that Orpheus had gone this long without knowing. Eurydice is receptive-intuitive. She’s sure she predicted the response that is currently happening, Orpheus’s hurried running around the apartment a surefire sign of panic.

              “She’s dead, isn’t she.”

              “She’s not dead, why are you both just assuming that she died? It’s okay, Orpheus. Just follow our directions and keep breathing.” He does so dutifully, narrating his hop from stop to stop on the subway just enough for Persephone to gather a clear mental picture of where he is.

              Orpheus speaks to soothe himself in the way he has since he was a boy; repeating small mantras over and over, talking through the situation at hand. Young Orpheus had repeated well wishes on spelling tests, had mumbled to himself during little league tee ball. Now, he repeats one phrase over out loud, hitting Persephone’s heart with his anxious, cracking voice each time.

              She’s alright. We’re alright. Eurydice’s okay.

[aion-rsa]

High-Rise Invasion Review: Bloody Anime is a Satisfying Character Study

https://ift.tt/2ZTPpfk

This review contains no spoilers and is based on all 12 episodes of High-Rise Invasion season 1.

“I refuse to die. I won’t lose to a world like this.”

There’s nothing quite like a good, heightened mystery, especially if it’s working in tandem with something like the horror genre. Audiences have become increasingly savvy towards and desensitized by even the most extreme examples of each genre, which pushes entertainment to go even further. 

This isn’t always the right approach, but it can sometimes be just the right kind of crazy and High-Rise Invasion succeeds in finding that balance. The new Netflix anime initially feels like Rob Zombie’s animated take on The Most Dangerous Game or Battle Royale, but it soon becomes far more than a parade of blood, guts, and lunatics. High-Rise Invasion has a complex message that it wants to convey and the anime cuts much deeper than the simple flesh wounds that cover the cast of characters. 

Yuri Honjo is a typical teenager who wakes up in an abstract prison reality that consists purely of the tops of skyscrapers and pits regular humans against deadly individuals in intimidating masks. It’s a lot like if John Wick’s assassins consisted purely from the serial killers in The Strangers. It’s a chilling scenario and Yuri is running for her life too quickly to be able to properly question what’s going on. Yuri learns that her brother, Rika, is also in this strange scenario and her goal becomes to reunite with her sibling and find an escape together.

Read more

TV

Upcoming Anime 2021: New and Returning Series to Watch

By Daniel Kurland

TV

Anime For Beginners: Best Genres and Series to Watch

By Daniel Kurland

Aesthetics are a major factor in anime and High-Rise Invasion tries its best to present visuals that are as engaging as central mystery and story. High-Rise Invasion comes from the more recent anime studio, Zero-G, but it’s definitely one of their most polished works. There’s a strong art direction here and the animation style even feels reminiscent of a grungy anime OVA from the ’80s. The anime’s soundtrack beautifully taps into this energy and it’s full of electric guitar rock riffs that honestly feel like they could be Queen tracks. They intensify and become more wild during the anime’s more chaotic moments. 

At first it appears as if the objective in High-Rise Invasion is rather cut and dry, but Yuri learns something radically different each time that she digs deeper into her surroundings or the murderous individuals who wear masks. The anime does a good job with how it illustrates that the masked antagonists are victims in their own ways and that there’s an even higher power that’s using everyone as tools to fulfill a twisted game. The complications and layers behind the new “realm” that Yuri is stuck in are what give the anime such life and make it more than some edgy hack-and-slash action series. 

The ideas that High-Rise Invasion poses turn the anime into a larger meditation on what humans will do to survive and how far they will sell their values in order to secure their safety. This isn’t exactly an original idea, especially with how some mysterious and shady benefactor is behind the whole operation, but the execution is at least very unique.

It becomes a creative character study that does manage to say something new on these themes. Some of the most entertaining material that’s tackled through this is Yuri’s struggle to find a way to survive, but to not become worse than the monsters that hunt her. It’s a struggle that’s present from the very first episode and High-Rise Invasion explores it in a pseudo-realistic manner that doesn’t feel overly rushed for Yuri’s development.

A major source of tension in the series stems from how Yuri is trusting and wants to see the bests in others, but this makes her a major liability in the process. This is a game where no one should be trusted and allies are collateral damage in the making, but Yuri finds a real sense of purpose and security when she meets another lost soul in this world, Mayuko Nise. Mayuko’s aggressive personality is quite the contrast to Yuri, but there’s immediately a palpable chemistry between them.

Mayuko gets introduced as an ally for Yuri, but Sniper Mask gets brought in just as quickly as a formidable opponent. He’s treated as a parallel figure to Yuri who also wants to figure out the basics of this world, but he comes at it from a different angle than Yuri and Mayuko’s necessity for survival. Sniper Mask ultimately becomes the most fascinating of High-Rise Invasion’s characters since he exists in this fractured state where he has some level of awareness that allows him to question the rules that govern this realm. 

High-Rise Invasion unpacks this larger mystery with three separate series of events between Yuri’s party, Rika’s group, and Sniper Mask’s team. These three narratives all cover different aspects of this universe and it’s an effective strategy that builds real excitement once these disparate objectives get to align and come together. It all helps contribute another layer to how the true goal of this situation may not be to escape and that there’s actually something more appealing to those within the universe.

People will likely come into High-Rise Invasion for the murder and trippy concept, but they’ll leave talking about the friendship between Yuri Honjo and Mayuko Nise. Yuri explodes with joy whenever Mayuko shows her appreciation and they form a sisterly bond that’s truly wonderful, as is Mayuko’s embarrassment every time she opens herself up to Yuri a little more. These two have somehow brought out the best in each other in this twisted world and the growing bond between them is one of the highlights of the series. They’re the new reigning Murder Wives.

No one in the cast feels like a waste, but Yuri and Mayuko grow into especially entertaining protagonists who have a surreal sense of humor and empathy that add a lot to each of them. Mayuko’s romantic love towards sharp blades is a good example of High-Rise Invasion’s wild mix of sensibilities. The dynamic between Yuri and Mayuko is a consistent delight, but High-Rise Invasion develops strong character dynamics across the board and there are multiple pairings of unlikely figures that blossom into endearing friendships by the end of the season. Sniper Mask is often played in juxtaposition to Yuri and his bond with Kuon Shinzaki is also genuinely sweet. 

The vocal performances in the English version are also exceptional across the board and add a lot to the characters. Suzi Yeung as Yuri and Jonas Scott as Sniper Mask are the best of the lot, but everyone makes a strong impression. The Mask characters are by nature caricatures and all have generalized names that speak to their weapon of choice like Sniper Mask, Axe Mask, or even Masked Rider Mask. Baseball Mask and Chef Mask are some of the most creative of the lot and are also highly terrifying. High-Rise Invasion at least seems to be aware of how absurd and exaggerated all of this is and is in on the “joke.”

It’s common for series with an overarching mystery as dense as High-Rise Invasion to drag things out or for there to not be enough content to sustain the entire season. High-Rise Invasion very carefully parses out details where different characters collect disparate nuggets of what’s going on in this “realm,” while the audience is allowed to piece all of this together and try to get a little ahead of the game. The anime is also a case where it only improves as the season goes on and it doesn’t run out of ammunition after the first few installments. If anything, it uses this time to work out its more awkward impulses and really find its groove with the characters and structure.

Once everything does come together there’s a considerably different story being told than what it initially seemed. The answers that High-Rise Invasion provides are satisfying and still leave plenty to be discovered in subsequent seasons. These episodes do feel like the end of a first chapter and that the anime and its world are about to get considerably bigger in its second season, yet there’s still enough of a full story being told that the ending doesn’t feel incomplete. 

High-Rise Invasion is a very satisfying journey that’s thankfully more than the sum of its parts. It’d be easy for this series to coast on some creepy imagery and boatloads of violence, but there’s a more intricate story that’s in play here. It does give in to some of its baser instincts at times, but this first season delicately builds a gripping mythology and solid foundation to fall back on. 

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

This is an anime with dozens of murders across its 12 episodes, heightened brainwashed assassins, and those that want to ascend to a level of deity, but it’s really about finding independence in an oppressive world and how the right friend can change someone’s universe. High-Rise Invasion manages to make its gonzo murder party somehow feel relatable and spill just as much empathy as it does viscera.  

All 12 episodes of season one of High-Rise Invasion are now available to stream on Netflix

The post High-Rise Invasion Review: Bloody Anime is a Satisfying Character Study appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3bJaONM

[anotheruserwithnoname]

A few thoughts on Sean Connery

This has definitely been a sad year for film and TV lovers, with Sir Sean Connery’s passing at the age of 90 a particularly sad milestone, at least for me.

I actually have a (very peripheral) family connection to Connery - not by way of any relation, I must stress, but when my father’s family lived in a rather lower-class part of Edinburgh in the 1940s, a young boy named Tommy Connery used to deliver groceries, years before he started using his middle name and went into bodybuilding (his vocation before getting into acting - Arnold wasn’t the first bodybuilder to make it big in the movies). For a long time I wondered if this was just a family legend until years ago I was reading an article on a British singer named Betty Boo (remember her?); she is of Scots ancestry and she made mention of how Sean Connery delivered groceries to her relatives’ (I think it was her father's) home in Edinburgh. Betty is about my age now so the chronology works - her relatives and mine must have been neighbours.

In terms of Connery’s film work, while Bond will always dominate his legacy, of course he made many other notable (and not-so-notable) films. Before Bond, he played a bad guy in Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure, appeared in a WWII-era comedy called On the Fiddle, and even had the co-starring role in a Disney musical (Darby O’Gill and the Little People). After Bond, he starred in the rather prescient The Anderson Tapes, and for fans to this day feel he should have received the Oscar for his role in The Man Who Would Be King. There was also Zardoz, which certainly made an impression, if nothing else. He was also a highlight of Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits and managed to (spoiler alert on a 30-year-old movie) steal Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves with only a 10-second cameo.

Of course, he came back as Bond twice (once for Never Say Never Again, and, fittingly, one of his final acting roles was reprising 007 for a mid-2000s video game adaptation of From Russia with Love). But I found some of his later films to be among the coolest of his career. He played a Scottish-accented Russian submarine commander in The Hunt for Red October, a thief who had a May-December relationship with Catherine Zeta Jones in Entrapment, he was a terrific Alan Quartermain in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, he was perfectly cast as Harrison Ford’s father in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and of course he finally got the Oscar for The Untouchables. And while the film itself was pretty awful, I was tickled to see him finally get to play a Bond-like villain in the Avengers movie of 1998 (based on the TV show, of course).

It is a shame that he declined to come out of retirement to appear in Daniel Craig’s Bond film, Skyfall. That would have been really something. (The late Albert Finney was given the part in what would end up being his final film role.)

One other bit of trivia about Connery that has always impressed me. When he was coaxed back for one more (regular) Bond film, Diamonds Are Forever, he demanded - and got - one of the highest paycheques of any actor up to that point. He didn’t use the money to buy a house or a car. He used the money to establish the Scottish International Education Trust, which is still going strong today. That is Sir Sean Connery.

I’ll end with a Youtube clip that - not a word of a lie - I was watching yesterday. This was before the news of Connery’s passing, and it’s weird when you just randomly watch something or wonder “whatever happened to”, and right after that, they’re gone. This is Pierce Brosnan giving a touching tribute to Connery at the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award induction. Brosnan has long credited Connery with inspiring him to become an actor and, in this clip, he tells a cute story of the day Connery visited the set of The World is Not Enough.

[scotianostra]

On February 25th 1888 a conference advocated the adoption of leaving certificates in Scottish schools.

Scotland has long enjoyed an international reputation as historically one of the best-educated societies in the world. The foundation for this reputation was laid in the 17th century and was the result of Calvinist emphasis on reading the Bible. Putting men and women in touch with the word of God was seen by the Scottish authorities and clergy as of paramount importance. To achieve this goal schools paid for by the Church of Scotland and local landowners were established in all rural parishes and burghs by an Act of Parliament in 1696. These educational establishments were run by the Church and were open to all boys and girls regardless of social status. 

The democratic nature of the Scottish system so impressed the 18th century writer Daniel Defoe that he remarked that while England was a land 'full of ignorance', in Scotland the 'poorest people have their children taught and instructed'. The openness of the Scottish system ran all the way from the schoolroom to the university. A talented working class boy the 'lad o'pairts' through intelligence and hard work and by utilising a generous system of bursaries was able to gain a university education, something largely unthinkable in England in the 18th century.

That's not to say it was perfect on further inspection I found out that even in 1892 when all elementary and most secondary education became free, and scholarships were more widely available, few working-class children were able to take advantage of the opportunity. Only just under 5% of pupils attended a secondary school in Scotland in 1897. The real priority for children from working-class backgrounds was to find work and begin earning a wage.

For a small nation Scotland was particularly well-endowed with universities, boasting five in the 19th century - a figure which included Aberdeen's Marischal and King's Colleges. The universities were considered to be national, public institutions and, therefore, less elitist than Oxford or Cambridge in England. Because of this they were said to be more open to working people and, indeed, over 18% of the student population of Glasgow university in 1860 was from working-class backgrounds, quite a high number considering the low percentages of working class children who were educated. 

The existence of a substantial number of workingclass students has given rise to the view that universities in Scotland were more democratic and based more on merit than the class-ridden universities of England. The wider implication was that Scotland was a less class obsessed society than England.

Again all was not as it seemed, and while we had a working class getting into University, the system was somewhat broken in a way. At Glasgow University in 1889-90, out of 225 students taking the junior Latin class 200 failed. The quality of university education in Scotland was generally poor and inferior to that offered in England. The low quality was mainly due to the fact that there was no university entrance examination and, therefore, children could enter the system as early as fourteen or fifteen, the 1888 act would possibly put this to rights.

As a result, philosophy, which had previously formed the core of the arts degree, was made optional. Students were also forced to compete for bursaries and this acted as an unofficial entrance examination. The setting up in 1901 of the Carnegie Trust Fund, set up by the great philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, provided a further source of assistance and by 1930 70% of university students in Scotland were receiving awards from the fund. 

The numbers of students in higher education institutions increased from 4,400 in 1830 to 6,000 in 1900, to 10,000 in 1938. At Glasgow University, working-class students increased as a percentage of the total, from 18.6% in 1860 to 24% in 1910.

The period from 1900 to the outbreak of War in 1939 did not witness the same degree of change in the educational system as had occurred in the 19th century. However, there were important developments in the sphere of primary and secondary education. These changes did little to alter the class bias of education, but collectively they made important contributions to the 

creation of an all encompassing modern educational system in Scotland. Education in Scotland has been the subject of much myth-making as regards the openness of the system and the quality of provision. In the 19th and the first half of the 20th century, the educational system catered mainly for an elite section of Scottish society. Although the door to higher education was more open than in England, workers and their families, women and Catholics in general were excluded. For these groups, education was sparse and the quality poor. 

Legislation gradually improved the access of all groups to better education, but it was only after the introduction of comprehensive education in 1965 that attempts were made to provide adequate standards for all children in Scotland.

[uhhhdanika]

is that SEO SOOJIN? no, that’s just DANIKA KANG. SHE is TWENTY-THREE years old and is a STUDENT NURSE. rumor has it they’ve been in town for TWO MONTHS. on a good day, they’re INTUITIVE & PROTECTIVE. but watch out! they can also be COLD & BLUNT. MORE BY HALSEY plays in my head whenever i think of them. can’t wait to see them around springhill! 

HELLO !! I’m so excited to be here... this is Danika, the infamous twin sister to Daniel Kang !! Get it ?? Dani and Danny !! Anyways, below the cut will be her intro that I just kind of whipped together, forgive me !! I will also include some wanted connections below as well, mostly based on songs because that’s where I get the most muse !! Like this to plot or hit me up with your muse’s name on discord @ shut up you spunky lesbian#0666  @shstarters​

tw: emotional abuse, miscarriage(s)/stillbirth, abortion mention, depression

Danika, like Daniel, was raised in a loving home. With the house being so full, you would think she would often have to fight for her turn with affection and attention. However, the Kangs were a very equal home. Naturally, being the absolute youngest (Daniel being only a few moments older than her), Danika grew to have a peculiar complex where she thinks that no one actually cares? It’s weird. She has this odd need to prove herself to her family at all times, which no one in the family knows where it comes from. Maybe she just wants to be the best... who knows. 

Growing up, she wasn’t the most fashionable, growing up with her elder sister’s hand-me-downs but making the best of them. Considering their family never had much, the need to prove herself grew from just impressing her family to impressing her peers. In school, she was an honour roll student with a GPA of 4.0 throughout her academic career. 

However, straight after high school, she didn’t take her intelligence into post-secondary. Instead, she left the entire idea of school behind to go live with a new boyfriend. The two moved away from her native Seattle to Inglewood, California. They lived in a small, crowded two-bedroom apartment with two other roommates. Of course, she missed her family, but she was independent !! So she thought. What Danika doesn’t realize is that at eighteen years old, you actually don’t know everything about the world. 

During this time, her boyfriend became emotionally abusive, gaslighting her and controlling her every move. Soon, she stopped calling her family as often as she did, only checking in with them, so they know she was still alive. Danika was so enamoured by him, she didn’t clue into his behaviour and how harmful it actually was. The man had convinced her that her entire family hated her for moving (which was far from the truth). 

At the same time, Danika became pregnant. She was ecstatic, he was not. Although her boyfriend was a grade-A asshole, he didn’t make her get rid of the baby. The one thing in the world that Danika wanted most, but never expressed to anyone but her twin, was to be a mother. Things seemed to be looking up, she started to buy small items such as baby clothes or toys and keeping them in a small storage bin in their shared room. 

One night she awoke with intense pain, and her worst fear came true. She was in the middle of losing her baby, the baby she just found was a little girl. The girl she was dreaming of having her eyes and her boyfriend’s nose. It was too late to try and save the baby, with the couple not being able to do anything but let it happen. It seemed out of grief, the boyfriend began to cheat on her. Most of her friends in her life called bullshit, but Danika being in love with him, decided to give him a couple more chances. After walking in on them in their apartment, that was Danika’s final straw. She packed up her things and moved back to Seattle. 

Showing up on her family’s doorstep, hoping that they would forgive her after the last year and a half of ghosting them. Spoiler alert: they did.  Danika ended up telling them everything, minus her pregnancy. The wound was still too fresh for her to talk about, even months later. The previous relationship changed her, she became colder and blunter. Trust issues began to grow, leading to failed relationship after failed relationship. 

Eventually at 21 years old, after two years of living back with her parents, Danika had a new boyfriend. He seemed much more loving, caring, and overall a 180 compared to her last boyfriend. A couple months into their relationship, they decided they wanted to start a family. Danika moved in with him and they ended up trying for a baby with no luck until just when they were going to give up. 

Danika got pregnant again and almost carried to full-term before losing the baby. It was two months before she was due, the couple having the nursery complete and the baby shower happening the month before. This crushed her, leaving her to develop post-partum depression. This one hurt more than the first. She had a name, she had a nursery. This time she had two loving parents who wanted her. She and her boyfriend ended up splitting up from the grief and once again, Danika moved back with her parents. Danika grew jealous of the older siblings with children, her heart yearning for that same joy. 

Eventually, in order to heal from her pain, Danika decided to go to school far away from Seattle. She and her twin moved to Springhill for different reasons, but they lived together. Figuring that if she couldn’t protect her own child, she might as well protect her brother as well as she could. Danika decided that she wanted to go to nursing school, eventually specializing in labour and delivery.

Fast Facts

She is bisexual but has never had a serious relationship with a woman.

Her favourite colour is burgundy. 

She is an ISFJ personality type.

Some defining features for her would be her nose ring in her left nostril, a small tattoo on her hip of her baby’s initials. 

Connections They Could Have

Hurricane (based on Panic! at the Disco’s 2011 song):

Messy, unhealthy friends with benefits/hook up relationships. They can be either male or female or NB. They are absolutely terrible for each other, using sex to cope with their life issues. Outside of this intimacy, the two could hate each other or be frenemies.

said no more war, no more clothes. give me peace! oh, kiss me!

Picturing Love (based on July Talk’s 2016 song):

Two friends just destroying the patriarchy! Just kidding. However, just two friends that bitch about relationships in this day in age and how they don’t expect their love lives to get any better.

One Last Night (based on Vaults’ 2015 song): 

An on and off again relationship, could just be beginning or could be someone from Seattle. Male or female!

UDK (based on Olivia O’Brien’s 2019 song)

Frenemies or a dislike for each other. Spreading rumours about each other around town, not understanding how one could dislike someone this much before actually getting to know them.

Best friends?? 

She just needs more friends other than her twin lol.