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radramblog · 3 years

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AFR Precon Commanders

Look I literally did this last week, but also, I haven’t really thought about Magic since then, so I don’t have any particular ideas about what to write other than just another long list of cards. I had an idea for an Ebondeath dech tech, but I’m going to put that on the backburner for a day where I have a bit more time.

Besides, there’s a reason Set Reviews and the like are so popular among players. They’re fun to make, and they’re fun to read/listen/watch. And for whatever reason, WoTC has opted to give us effectively two full Commander sets this year, with AFC having just as many precons and almost as many new Commanders as the 2016 precon offering. So there’s a lot going on, and a lot to talk about.

With only 12 new cards to talk about this time, and them being actually designed for the format, I’ll try to spend a bit longer on each one. And the first one is….

Catti-brie of Mithral Hall

There’s a lot going on here for two mana. Catti-brie is Selesnya’s second Equipment Commander, with her compatriot Nazahn being a bunch more impact, but also triple the mana cost. This is besides the part where Nazahn is not that good outside of finding his absolutely bonkers hammer.

I think Catti-brie has a lot of potential. With the right build, she can get very large very quickly, and considering she costs two whole mana, that’s fairly impressive. With no ramp and just Grafted Wargear, she’s swinging for 6 commander damage turn 3, and only getting bigger from there- literally a 3-swing clock with the extra counters.

I literally cannot envision you ever using that last ability unless someone snipes her mid-combat. But you probably don’t need it? I like her either way. Bit awkward she releases the same day as fellow two mana Selesnya Commander that gets bigger for (deckbuild mechanic), Trelassara.

Galea, Kindler of Hope

…eh?

Okay, so it Future Sights, but only for Auras/Equips, and it gets the Sigarda’s Aid ability for Equipment, which is kind of gross- you get the card and mana advantage at the same time there. As someone with a Gruul topdeck deck, I know that Green doesn’t really offer much to that pie, but I know Blue absolutely does- not gonna be super hard to manipulate and chuck the swords you want on top of the deck.

But like…eh? This commander doesn’t excite me. They’re obviously powerful, but I just don’t care that much. There’s nothing they do that other things don’t, you know? Bant already has topdeck in Amareth, Auras in the three commanders from the Bant Enchantress deck, and arguably Voltron in Rafiq. I guess this is Bant equipment, but…Rafiq………..

Karazikar, Eye Tyrant

Goad is such a fun mechanic, and I’m so happy to see it every time. Not only does this basically Edric in Rakdos, it also helps you force the issue? Yeah okay, that’s a solid commander. 5 mana is awkward, especially since they can’t really swing in safely themselves that often. With that in mind, the tap ability is deceptively strong, especially combined with, say, Menace.

There are currently 372 Kardur, Doomscourge decks, which is way, WAY more than I expected. I’d imagine a lot of those are switching to Karazikar, considering it’s basically the same but better. Not that I ever really care for “just better” cards, but not everyone sees things the same way I do.

Klauth, Unrivaled Ancient

What if we made Savage Ventmaw a legend? Okay, cool, but also we fixed it so you can’t go infinite. Wait no stop don’t put Ventmaw in the deck anyway noooooo-

Whoever decided this should have Haste deserves a raise, as the card would be nigh-unusable without it. As it is, this is going to basically let you doublespell constantly, especially if that first one has Haste. Ramp, Beaters, and X-Spells are going to abound. It’s hardly the most unique Gruul commander- Radha 2 exists, after all- but it’s still a solid one.

Lorcan, Warlock Collector

I think I’ve played D&D with this guy before.

Lorcan is basically Grave Betrayal in the zone. Upside: Grave Betrayal is a bonkers card, and this doesn’t have the end step clause. Downside: 7 mana in the zone is huge, and the life cost will add up very quickly. Upside: Unironically the exile clause is good, since it means you get to effectively grave-hate with this guy. Downside: some good cards, like Marshland Bloodcaster, are Warlocks, and you don’t want to be exiling your own things.

Lorcan is probably a very fun commander, because Grave Betrayal is fun and cool. It’s probably not actually a very good one. I like it in the 99, though? Might pick one up for Gonti.

Minn, Wily Illusionist

Okay I don’t care if this card is good it’s so fucking cool. Finally, Illusion Tribal! Get out your Krovikan Mists and Lords of the Unreal! Blue has no trouble drawing extra cards, even on your opponent’s turns, so she’s going to be pumping out a bunch of these tokens.

Oh, also that second ability is bonkers. It doesn’t say nonland, you can ramp with this! Very solid for a more permanent-based Blue deck. There are also just a bunch of random Illusions that this greatly benefits- Murmuring Mystic and Mordenkainen and Meloku all make tokens, and Draining Whelk and Fathom Seer have the type. Not a huge number of sacrifice outlets, but Drowned Rusalka is probably the best it has ever been here. Very interesting card.

Nihiloor

Mx steal-yo-girl here is certainly a unique effect, but not the most interesting one. The second effect benefits Theft tribal, but not, like, well? Though I suppose ganking creatures is a strong enough effect already.

And yet, on this one it’s really awkward? Esper isn’t known for bigboy creatures, but that’s something this deck wants, apparently. It has a lot of potential, but also, there’s a huge amount of setup and a huge potential to get blown out, since blowing them up gives all opponents their guys back immediately. I like what they were trying to do here, but it’s a tad naff.

Prosper, Tome-Bound

Ah yes, the one everyone’s hyped about. And for fair reason, this card is cool as fuck. It’s a unique effect in the colour, and it’s both card advantage and ramp in one card, and it’s in Rakdos of all combinations? Also, it’s a Tiefling, so surely people are horny for him. There’s a good reason this is the most popular commander from the set, including the main set cards.

This is not the only cast-from-exile matters commander in existence- Laelia came out this year too, but she’s weaker and also not black. The extra colour adds a bunch more to this- theft effects mostly, but also more Cascade cards like Bituminous Blast, things like Dream Devourer, and fucking Valki babyyyy. Add in the black Artifact synergy and you’ve got a both flexible and powerful general.

Sefris of the Hidden Ways

This is probably the only commander that’s going to see any play with the Venture mechanic, so get it while it’s hot. “From anywhere” is a huge line of text, and I suspect Syr Konrad is going to find his way into a lot of Sefris decks.

I’m sure there’s a combo this can do or something, but at the end of the day: Do you like the dungeon mechanic? If so, you’ll probably like this card. If not, you probably won’t. Also, since they are surely not going to make more Dungeon cards any time soon, and maybe never again, this deck is going to look very the same for a very long time.

Stormvald, Frost Giant Jarl

Sheesh, Bant kinda lost out on this one. Storvald is so incredibly eh.

Ward 3 is, like, juuust on the edge of not really doing that much, where it makes removal cost 4-5, so it’s awkward, but you’re still going to do it if the target is threatening enough. What I’m saying is that it isn’t actually an especially good protective ability on your 7-drop, even if you are in Green.

Making creatures big is decent enough- I’m of the opinion that Gigantomancer is an underrated card, and this gives more colours for things to embiggen. Making things small is slightly less relevant, especially since your 7/7 commander and beater are likely to be crunching through most things anyway. The card is fine, but unexciting.

I like Bant well enough as a colour combination, but like, none of the commanders are my jam. Maybe one day.

Vrondiss, Rage of Ancients

Iiinteresting. Look, let’s not beat around the bush, dice-rolling isn’t really a thing unless you’re silver bordered- yeah you could get a few of the better things in there, but you’re probably better off just playing ping effects. Pyrohemia this fucker up.

Enrage was a funky mechanic that didn’t actually get a commander, aside from just the Dino tribal ones. But now we have a proper one, and they’re a Dragon to boot. Also, this is probably the easiest its ever been to generate a bunch of Dragon tokens, so getting triggers from them is real easy, even if they are one-shot-pops. Keep in mind that doesn’t say Combat Damage, so Scourge of Valkas and Dragon Tempest are kind of a nonbo.

Gruul obviously already has Dragon Tribal options, but this is still a good thing to have around.

Wulfgar of Icewind Dale

WoTC apparently decided to throw everyone a curveball on this one. Because from my recollection, everyone on r/custommagic assumed we’d get this effect at some point, now that technology like Panharmonicon exists, but they and I assumed it would be, you know, Boros. The colour combo that probably needs it more. Gruul, really? Come on Gavin, you’re a great dude but what the fuck is this.

Sigh. That’s not especially fair.

This combos with like half a dozen things to make mana and probably triple that to make damage. And there’s surely ways to draw cards, and blow things up, et cetera, et cetera. I’m just salty. This isn’t the note I wanted to go out on!

Fuck it, at least you can still double a Drakuseth trigger. But my Aurelia……..

#ramble #adventures in the forgotten realms #mtg #commander #edh #mtgafr

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lacquerware · 6 years

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Hyper Light Drifter is basically perfect

I've tried several times to write up my feelings on Hyper Light Drifter, and each time I've hit a block, looked back over what I've written, decided I hate most of it, and wallowed in sadness for a bit before repeating the whole cycle. My wife pointed out that writing is not like games, where you can just keep grinding out a challenge, failing and failing until at last you get it; sometimes you need to step away for awhile and let clarity come to you of its own accord.

This was ironic, because actually, I often feel that games are this way as well. A challenge you simply could not overcome yesterday takes only two tries today. Sleeping on it made all the difference. But my wife had just seen me play through Hyper Light Drifter, a game that had such a hold on me that I found myself exhibiting an uncharacteristic stubbornness, soldiering through even the hardest challenges with a trance-like obsession when I almost certainly would have stepped away from another game. Now I'm back writing about it and find myself knowing exactly what to say. Go figure.

I really loved playing Hyper Light Drifter. I kept thinking it was one of the most perfect games I'd ever played, then arguing with myself that that couldn’t be--nobody even talked about this game—then continuing to relish every moment of the game and laud each design decision I noticed. “Yes,” I’d think, “that was the best possible way to implement that concept.” With the exception of two absolutely unforgivable bugs (one causing permanent slowdown, the other causing me to lose a dungeon’s worth of progress), I couldn’t find anything to criticize. The visual storytelling, the combat feel, the pacing, the dichotomy of intense difficulty and forgiving checkpoints all felt tailored to my exact tastes.

Ultimately I think the reason this game appeals to me so much is because part of me never wanted modern games. Part of me wishes games today were just amazing 90s games. When video games went 3D, it’s not like the potential of 2D games had been exhausted--we just abandoned that track as a species, enticed by triangle tits and Z-targeting.

I enjoy the Horizons and the Gods of War, but there’s a lot about those kinds of games that I could do without. All the talking, for example. Also, most of the systems. Not to beat a dead horse, but Horizon has a whole sidequest line devoted to finding ancient coffee mugs. There’s also a bunch of outposts where you can sneak around and kill humans. No. If I want to kill humans occupying outposts, I’ll play the kill-humans-occupying-outposts game. Horizon was supposed to be about blowing up glittery robot dinosaurs. All the time I spent not doing that, I wished I was.

Hyper Light Drifter is lean, but also deliberate in its intentions. Every element feels decadent, like the craftwork of some mad artisan—the nuanced risk-reward of the dash mechanic, the metagame of balancing your renewable ammo supply, the satisfying chunk of obtaining a new item or the zip-snap of your slash-dash lopping off some unfortunate head. Hyper Light Drifter falls into a small category of games that feel like direct evolutions of the 2D games of our childhood. It's a glimpse at the future we might've gotten if not for Tomb Raider and Doom. Scratch that, it's the future we got anyway, albeit in small, precious doses. In fact, I think HLD stands as an example of modern game concepts influencing classic game concepts. What looks on the surface like a neon Zelda, feels oddly Souls-y in your hands. The results are positively post-retro.

We saw similar results in the likes of Fez, which brilliantly used 3D to reinvent 2D; Mark of the Ninja, which borrowed from the traditionally 3D stealth genre and innovated upon the tenets of that genre in a 2D context; and Guacamelee, a Metroidvania which took cues from fighting games to master combat-feel and beat even the giants of the genre, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Super Metroid at their own game, at least in terms of the moment-to-moment action.

The Drifter has an efficient brutality like many a video game ninja, but the combat has a notably staccato feel to it in contrast to the legato momentum of games like Ninja Gaiden or Shinobi 3. Every sword slash has a tiny dead zone in between, and if you mash, even your basic three-slash combo is likely to drop. Unable to queue up subsequent inputs with buffering, you have to be disciplined in your rhythm--get frantic, get yourself killed. When you learn that this game was the brainchild of a man with a congenital heart defect, this design element takes on a profound relevance.

Sometimes the best strategy is to let them come to you, lest you get winded.

Dashes can be chained together infinitely, but the timing is so tight there's a challenge room dedicated to mastering it. In the beginning, I found it hard to consistently chain even two dashes together. After an hour of entranced practice, I hit a hundred. Master this and you'll be untouchable.

Frequent setpieces keep the game's dungeons and exploration elements from feeling rote. You never know what'll be around the next corner, but it's sure to be a treat for the eyes.

Well done, Heart Machine. Please live and make more things.

#hyper light drifter #heart machine #reflections #games #gaming #video games #videogames #gamming #indie #indie games #playstation 4 #ps4 #screenshots #criticism #review #cyberpunk #disasterpeace

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agentelmo · 7 years

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The X-Files MSR Analysis Series: Season 1 Episode 5

“Jersey Devil”

Previous episode analysis - 1x04 Conduit.

Ah yes, Jersey Devil. The episode about two strange human beings driven by ancient, hereditary traits to survive - one a sexually-territorial male who stays hidden from the world, and his mate, who, guided by reproductive needs, leaves the safety of her ‘tribe’ in an attempt to procreate.

Oh and there’s a couple neanderthals running around eating people, too.

What?

I love that the first line of my notes for this episode simply says: “Scully rocking the salmon and navy.”

She’s so beautiful in this episode - I mean, she’s beautiful in every episode - but she gets a few great wardrobe changes here and she looks so lovely. Although the final outfit she dons is a zinger.

My word. The 90′s, eh?

So we start with Scully arriving at the supposed basement office that clearly isn’t in the basement. Seriously, watch how they they walk out of the office and straight into the bullpen.

At first, I genuinely wondered if perhaps I’d not remember that they started in a normal office and get sent to the dungeons basement later (I last watched TXF over a decade ago guys, go easy on me) but a little Google research reveals that nope - this is simply a huge continuity error in this one episode. Weird!

So anyway, Scully arrives, and to her amusement, finds Mulder catching up on some essential reading, perusing the latest issue of a fine gentleman’s literary publication.

You know... he was reading a dirty titty mag for filthy manslags. “Marty” will definitely be calling that super hot line, later.

Scully can barely contain herself.

I like the way Scully is totally chill with Mulder and his porn; she never gives him a hard time about it. It’s an amusing aspect of Mulder’s character that’s mostly played for laughs - but the reality is he’s a man; he has needs and no one to satisfy them, (hands down ladies, no volunteers) despite the fact women do find him attractive.

I know, obvious statement is obvious.

But isn’t it true that one of the most unrealistic aspects of the X-Files is how celibate throughout the entire show he is? I mean, just look at the guy.

....

Uhh... I’m sorry, what were we talking about again?

Oh yeah.

I don’t care who calls him Spooky, if there’s a single guy at my place of work who is witty and intelligent and looks like that, I’m trying my luck. So where are all the single FBI ladies? (I swear to God I didn’t Photoshop that picture, by the way.)

I just always found it intriguing that a guy with what appears to be a moderately high sex drive, barely ever has sex even though he quite easily could. Remember season 6′s Dreamland I, Skinner’s secretary? Yeah... ‘nuff said.

I guess he just doesn’t have Morris Fletcher’s way with women?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad he doesn’t get laid. It plays nicely into my theory that while Scully is around, Mulder rarely ever looks at another woman seriously - there are the odd few that he is physically attracted to, like Dr. Bambi Berenbaum from season 3′s War of the Coprophages, but it’s only a perfunctory interest - we never see these characters again.

The only women who ever pose a genuine threat to the MSR are Mulder’s old flames - so it’s Mulder briefly revisiting old feelings from a time before Scully. Otherwise, since meeting Scully, he’s never become romantically attached to someone new. Isn’t that interesting?

So why might he prefer to turn to porn? Well, all I’ll say is this - do you remember that in Dreamland I, after falling asleep watching porn the night before, Morris Fletcher’s wife tells Mulder he was mumbling something about “Scully” in his sleep. Yeah. I’ll leave you to fill in the blanks with that one.

Aaaaaaaaaaanyway... that was quite a tangent, wasn’t it. Man, who knew there was so much to analyse in a few seconds of Mulder looking at a copy of Hankypanky? Which, by the way, is the best name for a porn mag, ever.

It is relevant, I swear. Mulder’s sexual needs figure into the plot of this episode in a very indirect way.

No, really.

It’s really surprising to me just how much Scully smiles so far in season 1. She was so carefree back then, eh? Had no idea what she was in for. At this moment in time, she’s just a normal FBI agent working some weird cases with her sexy crackpot partner.

S1!Scully enjoys simple pleasures, like how in this scene she seems to get a kick out of bringing him a weird case that she knows will pique his interest. She enjoys holding court - she’s the one with the information and she likes to tantalise him with it. The UST is simmering nicely.

I love the way her face tracks his, begging for his attention. And he responds with a bit of casual, flirtatious innuendo - she loves this little game they play with each other as much as he does, look a her. I wish she would get lucky, Mulder. HINT HINT.

For some reason she seems especially radiant and lovely in this episode. I already mentioned this, didn’t I. But seriously, let’s all bask in the glow of how stunning she is - she’s like a cross between Princess Diana and a 50′s pin up.

Don’t you think? Is it just me?

Ahem... so moving along, they head on over to Atlantic City to see what this weird man-eating case is all about, and run into an immediate roadblock when the local detective gets all territorial with his jurisdiction over the case.

Put a pin in this scene in your mind - human behaviour is under the microscope in this episode, and this detective guy is demonstrating some classic traits that are discussed in more depth later.

I love that when she means business and wants Mulder to stop what he’s doing and listen to her, she calls him Agent Mulder.

Oh please, don’t give me fanfic ideas, because I can’t write fanfic for the life of me, but someone, somewhere, must have written a fic where they call each other Agent Mulder and Agent Scully in bed, right? Someone PM me that shit.

So they leave and Scully is still in flirty tete-a-tete mode as they venture outside.

Fuck, that man has a beautiful smile. He really needs to smile like that more often. It makes me giddy that Scully can make him smile and laugh so easily, especially considering what they just went through together in Conduit. They’re so good together even at this early stage, it makes my heart hurt that it takes them 7 years to get their shit together.

Also, Scully’s comment about the Jersey Devil is another, more flippant, example of how she low-key reads Mulder’s mind regarding his theories on a case. She’s joking about the murderer being the Jersey Devil, but that’s exactly what he suspects.

I really am enjoying watching all of the regular dynamics of their later relationship play out for the first time in season 1. Its’s so much fun.

Mulder, you realise you’re flirting right now, don’t you? Come on, now...

Look at her smiling back at him as he attempts to seduce her with the fantasy of what sounds suspiciously like a date; where they grab a hotel together *insert raised eyebrow here* and then go take in the sights and sounds of Atlantic City.

He’s messing with her, of course, he just wants to focus on the case, but he enjoys the back and fourth and know she enjoys it too. They have an unspoken understanding, and, in moments like these, they really do exist in a world of their own together.

Of course, he doesn’t at all expect what comes next.

I cannot express enough how much I love how Mulder completely deflates when he says “you got a date?”

I also love that a date is his immediate assumption - he says it so quick it’s out of his mouth before he even thinks. Is this something he’s been worried about coming between them at some point? I’d say so.

He is well aware that she is a beautiful, intelligent woman, so of course she was bound to inevitably do what beautiful, intelligent women do - go on dates - have a personal life. He probably didn’t want to have to acknowledge, that at some point, their little bubble was going to burst. His deflated response is probably a reaction to thinking that time is now.

So would it be fair to say that Mulder is a little bit threatened by the idea that Scully wants a life that would take her away from him and their their work together. Yes, definitely. But I do think he’s willing to admit that to himself? Definitely not.

Even after learning she’s not going on a date, he remains deflated. Their sparky, fun, UST-laden tooing and froing has been snuffed out, and Mulder unceremoniously throws the keys over to her in defeat. He knows it’s not fair of him to punish her for having a life, but he kinda does anyway, since he ditches her to investigate alone.

Poor S1!Scully is just starting to learn here, that Mulder can be an inconsiderate dick sometimes. Or as she’ll put it later - a jerk.

It’s a flaw of his character, which I guess gives him some depth and makes him more real.

But mostly, it just makes him a dick. A beautiful dick, but a dick all the same.

Wait, hang on... that didn’t come out right.

Unfortunately for Scully, leaving her to make a 3 hour drive, alone, after he was the one to make her come all the way out here in the first place, is the least of his future transgressions.

So lets enjoy his suffering a bit more, shall we? Just look at his face when he hears she can’t spend the weekend with him fart-arsing around Atlantic City looking for cannibal cave men.

Dude… seriously, stop pretending - we know you don’t like it when the real world takes Dana Scully away from you.

Now we come to a scene that, only with 9 years of hindsight, becomes equal parts devastating, bittersweet and omg-squee-shippy-tastic!

Let’s break it down.

So first, Scully with children. She’s a natural at it - attentive, loving, affectionate. The little hug she gives the boy at the end; I can’t even--she would have been such a great mother.

Would have been.

That’s the kicker, isn’t it. Poor S1!Scully is completely oblivious to the fate that awaits her. Our foreknowledge of future events makes these scenes painfully bittersweet now. Despite the fact she would have been wonderful at it, her one chance at motherhood slips away after only a single year with William. She never had, and now never will have, the chance to truly be a mother and raise a child of her own.

I’ll let that sit with you for a while.

Edit: Ahem, yeah so... this was written before My Struggle IV, obviously. As insane and unexpected as it seems, Mulder and Scully do have another child together making this point pretty much moot. But I’ll leave it in for, you know, historical record? lol!

Feels like a ton of bricks in the pit of my stomach just writing it. In my work I have counselled women who have had to come to terms with infertility, and what it means for them to be a childless. It’s an incredibly harrowing thing to accept for many of them, feeling incomplete; less of a woman; their bodies betraying them; denying them something they feel is rightfully theirs - and sadly what society tells them is the greatest contribution they could ever offer to the world - a body that can create life. It’s perhaps, with my experience of these women, that I now look at Scully in a way that I didn’t when I was a teenager; watching the X-Files the first time around.

It makes me appreciate her strength, and her selfless, unwavering, devotion to doing what she thinks is right, regardless of the cost to herself, in a whole new way.

But for S1!Scully, all this talk about motherhood amounts to is a distant thought that, one day, she’ll meet Mr. Right and will start a family of her own. Just like most of us assume, and never question, until it doesn’t happen.

Told you this would be devastating.

All hell is breaking loose at this party with only her and her friend to herd the gorilla-masked kiddies (another oblique reference to primitive human behaviour), but she’s enjoying herself despite it all.

Doesn’t it feel strange to see Scully with a close friend that isn’t Mulder? To see that she once had some small semblance of a life outside of him. It makes me really realise how much she gave up for him and for their work together. What motivates a person to do something like that? Just a passion for the work?

It’s also very unfamiliar to see that Scully once contemplated not becoming a mother. That actually, she felt she wasn’t cut out for it. Although perhaps this is merely a cover for how she really feels. We know from season 5′s Christmas Carol, that Scully has a fear of getting close to people, and tells Emily’s adoption officer that she avoided attachments before her cancer because she was scared of the pain of losing those she loved. We know this changes for her though, as Scully will be forced to painfully acknowledge, in that same episode, that she didn’t realise how much she wanted to be a mother until she couldn’t have it anymore.

Which makes sense when you realise that this scene here, in Jersey Devil, was probably one of very few times Scully considers, and actually tests out, whether she wants a life outside of her FBI career, before discovering she cannot conceive.

Scully’s friend, El, hitting the nail on the head. She would be a great mother, but she has to choose it. She has to decide what’s more important to her - career or family. It’s not something she’s seriously thought about until now.

Being told she doesn’t have a life definitely affects Scully too, she plays it off as a joke here, but we know her actions after this conversation betray her true feelings. She starts to wonder if her work with Mulder is overtaking her life, and that she doesn’t have much else outside of her career. It worries her enough into taking action to change things.

Ah and then it comes to this part of their conversation. The part that gets our little shipper hearts pumping.

You know what’s funny about this scene now? The fact they’re basically discussing finding a man to have a child with. Scully easily dismisses the idea of dating and having children with Mulder, but the irony is that this is now foreshadowing... because that’s exactly what happens.

7 years from now.

That’s some epic retroactive foreshadowing, right there.

But sticking with the present moment, what might Scully’s reason be for calling Mulder a jerk? Well what did he do to her earlier that day? The way he flirted with the idea of them spending some off-duty hours together in Atlantic City and then got weird when she said she had plans and ditched her when she couldn’t do what he wanted. That’s definitely a jerk move.

She quickly corrects herself, acknowledging that his behaviour earlier that day maybe doesn’t wholly represent who he is, but still, I enjoyed the fact she basically admits that his ditching her bothered her more than just being slightly inconvenienced. Hmm, I wonder why... eh, Scully?

Now, things start to get a bit more interesting. As I mentioned before, Scully played off the fact she has no life as a joke but she’s clearly conflicted on whether she’s okay with such a skewed work-life balance. She’s now questioning if she needs to spend more time away from work and start to build a life for herself. And then...as if the hands of fate reached in themselves...

A WILD DIVORCEE DAD APPEARS!

DIVORCEE DAD USES “CREEPER SMILE”.

IT’S SUPER EFFECTIVE???!

Seriously, why does she go on a date with this guy, he looks like a total creeper. The way he’s like, hey, check me out being all fatherly with my I’m-single-and-ready-to-mingle smile. Ugh. Dana!

Back to Mulder now, working off a hot tip from a homeless HBO fan, he’s been hanging out like a hobo trying to catch a glimpse of this Jersey Devil.

Uh, I take it all back. Maybe it was for the best Scully didn’t tag along on this one.

Scully: What happened to ‘grabbing a hotel’, Mulder? Mulder: FBI cutbacks, Scully. Wanna share my blanket? Scully: ...

Can you imagine? Them sitting together, in the cold, huddled under a tiny blanket...

Hmm... wait, I’m changing my mind again.

Mulder sees a dark, human-like figure in an alleyway, but is blocked from pursing it because he is stopped and arrested by the police, due to their mistaking him for a drunk.

Mulder redefining the meaning of the phrase “hot mess”.

So I’ve seen enough American TV shows to know that when you get arrested you get one call, right? So Mulder’s one call - the one person he can rely on to help him out is.... *drum roll*

OMG! NO WAI! Much unexpected! Very shock!

So much sass. Mulder getting sassed by Scully is my favourite thing. Like, ever.

Methinks she’s enjoying getting some sweet, sweet, revenge on him for ditching her, too. Just a lil’ bit.

I love how he just smiles at the end, as if to say “alright, Scully. You win.”

Then, while shovelling his face with food, Mulder tries to convince Scully of what he saw in the alleyway.

Their usual back and forth ensues – Mulder puts forward a fantastic (albeit pretty on the nose) theory about what he saw in the alleyway. Scully runs the gamut of reasons why it might not be what he thinks it is, making Mulder work for his theory. Which is good on one hand, since it’s teaching him to be critical rather than willing to believe anything at the drop of a hat.

But on the other hand, he’s actually right. I think this dynamic would work better if he didn’t always guess pretty much exactly right all the freakin’ time. I think Mulder needs to get it wrong a bit more often to 1. humble him a tiny bit and 2. not make it always seem like Scully’s scepticism is just getting in the way.

As it stands, the main purpose Scully’s sceptical, scientific, approach serves is keeping her and Mulder out of danger. Without her pulling him back from the edge a lot of the time, I think he’d have got himself killed ages ago. Which we’ll get a live demonstration of later in this episode.

Mulder then extends the invitation once more, for Scully to join the hunt, and for them to investigate the case together.

Then the conversation turns veeeeeery interesting.

Scully catching Mulder off guard is another one of my favourite things. His surprised head snap gives me Cheshire Cat face.

She’s put her personal life above their work together twice now and, again, he does a piss poor job of hiding that he doesn’t like it.

But notice something here. When he thinks it’s another birthday party, he isn’t threatened. He doesn’t ask her to cancel, he’s seemingly unaffected - disappointed no doubt - but notice how quickly his attitude changes when she clarifies that, this time, it is a date.

First up... wow, Mulder. Can she cancel? That was bold.

He can definitely sense she’s withdrawing, and he’s beginning to feel territorial about it. As selfish as it might be, he wants their work and partnership to take precedence in her life, but she’s resisting.

Although, it only seems to bother him when it’s a date, apparently. HMMMMMM. Sooo... a kid’s birthday party is less threatening than a date.

I WONDER WHY.

Second... Ouch, Scully.

She’s clearly showing, once again, that her friend’s comment about not having a life got under her skin. Why do I think this? Well I’ve never thought of Scully as petty, but that below the belt comment about Mulder’s life was kinda petty. I think in some small part she is resentful towards Mulder for the current state of her social life - she’s allowed herself to get swept up in his hurricane these past few months and is now a tiny bit sensitive to the assumption that she should drop everything to go Jersey Devil hunting with him.

She’s trying to take back control and get out of this all-consuming bubble they’ve been living in.

Now the next scene is fucking gold. Here’s where everything should hopefully fall into place.

Scully takes Mulder to meet her old university professor in Maryland. Mulder is asking the Professor questions about the Jersey Devil and he explains to Mulder that the wild man myth is universal - almost every culture has one. It represents an apparent symbolic fear of man’s dual nature as creators and destroyers of life.

Look at Mulder... Naww.. tell me more, teach!

The Professor starts to talk about how humans have hereditary traits which make us tribal and aggressively territorial, driven by selfish sexual and reproductive drives which makes cooperation beyond our perceived ‘tribe’ extremely challenging.

Now think about that for a second – what has been going on with Mulder and Scully since the beginning of this episode.

First Mulder has been territorial with Scully; he wants her to himself – not to share her with the demands of a personal life. He wants her to be as dedicated to the X-Files as him, but is finding it difficult to accept that she wants to go off and exist outside the bubble of their partnership - outside their “tribe”.

He is also, on some subconscious level, driven sexually – because why the hell else would he petulantly accuse her of having a date the way he did? He’s not threatened by her spending time with friends, but he is threatened by her spending time with other men. Perhaps not consciously, but somewhere deep down, it bothers him that she would go on a date. Both a kids party and a date result in her spending less time with him, so why does a date, specifically, sting more?

I do feel like I need to reiterate here, that I don’t think Mulder is in love with Scully at this point. But he’s very attached to her, and seemingly, he doesn’t like to share.

Then we have Scully – who has spent a great deal of time this episode discussing her thoughts on becoming a mother, and deciding if she wants to prioritise finding a man and having a family over her career. She then accepts a date with a man based on these discussions – so here, Scully is being driven by her reproductive needs.

She is also driven sexually too though, I mean, we know she thinks of Mulder as being “cute”. So she has definitely acknowledged a sexual attraction to him - and well, who wouldn’t.

But also the shy smile she flashes the creeper divorcee dad suggests she finds him attractive too - she’s not wanting to start dating for the singular purpose of getting preggo, of course not. Like Marty and his Hankypanky mags, she has needs too.

Now, pop your head into Mulder’s kitchen for a sec guys, c’mon just a sec.

FORESHADOWING!

Well, maybe... that damn alien invasion is gonna happen some day. Right, Chris Carter?! RIGHT?!

The scene then transitions into referring to the Jersey Devil directly rather than a meta commentary on Mulder and Scully themselves, and I love that it was Scully’s intention for her old professor to talk some sense into Mulder, but instead Mulder gets the guy to admit that what he’s suggesting, about the Jersey Devil being a pre-historic human, is feasible in the realm of extreme possibility.

Scully, ever the scientist, can’t argue with that one.

As much as she wishes she could.

Later that evening, Mulder sits in the basement-not-basement office looking subdued, staring at evidence photos, twiddling his thumbs... bored. He really is useless without Scully.

Beautiful, beautiful Scully, on the other hand, is on her date looking OH SO NINETIES. But still, lovely.

And OH MY GOD. Divorcee dad is boring as fuck.

No one wants to hear how you fantasise about running people over with your car on a first date, Rob.

Now we could get meta-meta, and suggest that I myself, writing this analysis, am getting quite territorial over the MSR relationship and am threatened by this dude, and that’s why I mock him to pieces. But honestly, there’s just something about him that feels super disingenuous and needy... he screams “please replace my wife and be my son’s surrogate mother” to me.

I mean, they’re not even 30 minutes into their first date and the guy is asking Scully to go on family days out with his kid to the beach. Fuck off, mate... how about you woo me a bit first, yeah? Let me decide if I like you before saddling me with mothering your kid. Geez.

Then he drops a real clanger... which, well - to be fair - isn’t that big a deal to S1!Scully. But, knowing what’s to come, this comment is just unforgivable.

What a douche.

So let’s check in on Mulder again, what’s he up to during this torture.

Look at this lost puppy, slumped in his chair, staring at the clock. I bet he’s checked that clock every five minutes since 7:30.

Mulder... it’s only been 25 minutes. Get it together, man.

You can’t tell me he isn’t feeling shitty, thinking about her being out on a date. Why else would he be moping in his office, and staring at the clock on the wall? GETTING EXACTLY ZERO WORK DONE. I’m getting Chinga vibes, here.

I don’t think he even really understands why, but he hates this. He wants her there - he’s used to her presence now and he’s bizarrely at a loss without her there to focus him.

He then gets a call from the Park Ranger who tells him a body, that is possibly the pre-historic human they’ve been looking for, has turned up in the woods, and that it has been sent to the coroner’s office.

This gives Mulder the excuse he didn’t know he was waiting for to call Scully and try, once again, to pull her back into the bubble.

Look at how bored shitless she is. She’s waiting for you to rescue her. GO MULDER GO!

#SorryNotSorry

The next day Mulder and Scully go back to Atlantic City to inspect the body, but it’s not there to inspect. Mulder theorises that the male neanderthal might have had a female mate, and they go back to the location where Mulder spotted her previously to see if they can find her again.

As they search, Mulder muses about what this neanderthal woman might be like. He questions whether she’s that different from Scully and himself.

Which is exactly the point of this episode - the fact that the two of them are also driven by ancient hereditary instincts. The same way the neanderthal woman and her mate were. Mulder and Scully’s personal life subplot reflect how the modern world has changed how we act on these instincts; but that ultimately we all want the same things. Mulder wonders out-loud whether she feels emotion, or does she just live on instinct - spending her days looking for food. To which, Scully replies...

I don’t know why, but I love that Scully knows how to make Mulder laugh.

Then just when we were starting to enjoy their being together, working as one again, Mulder goes and rushes off without Scully.

She calls to him several times, and he ignores her and then parkours his way to freedom.

Mulder and Scully: SYNCHRONISED PARKOUR MASTERS! Although Scully does it in heels, so she wins.

Mulder is cornered by the neanderthal woman, which he should have seen coming, really, these guys do hunt and eat people, right?

She knocks him down and looms over him. He basically looks like a 16 year-old boy who has never touched a girl before. It’s kind of adorable seeing him pinned to the floor by a naked woman with a look of terror on his face.

Be gentle with me, please.

Never mind.

Scully arrives, just in time, to save Mulder. Get used to that, Scully.

They then head out into the forest, to find neanderthal lady before Detective ThisTownAin’tBigEnoughForBothOfUs hunts her down with his SWAT team and kills her.

Sadly, that’s exactly what happens. They gun her down before Mulder and Scully are able to intervene.

Mulder is devastated. In no small part due to the fact that she’s a woman, alone, vulnerable - hunted. She ticks all the boxes to mess with Mulder’s head and trigger his need to rescue.

Mulder seems quite emotional as he asks the detective why he killed her. The answer he gets doesn’t give him any relief, in fact, I think it only leads him to despair more. Searching the detectives eyes, not quite believing what he’s hearing.

Scully can see Mulder is on the edge; becoming too emotionally involved. So she does what only she can.

She steps in and speaks to him in their private language - where with just a look and a touch, she can bring him back to himself.

I love this aspect of their bond. It’s so subtle, but loaded with a quiet intimacy that’s always just below the surface. These two work best when they are in this bubble together - just the two of them. Every now and then, with just a small gesture, they forget everyone else and withdraw into their own private world.

A week later, back in the FBI not-really-basement, Scully, is telling Mulder about the autopsy results of the neanderthal woman, and gets frustrated as Mulder excitedly prepares to meet a colleague at the Smithsonian - throwing himself further into his work.

Clearly still feeling conflicted about how to balance her work life against her personal life, she tries to convince Mulder that, he too, needs to do some work in that area. But what she’s not understanding is that this is what Mulder does for himself - his work. When he said before that he has a life, this is what he meant. To him, this is living - it’s the life he chose and he’s not ashamed or embarrassed about it.

Mulder is a career non-conformist. He doesn’t work by the rules and he doesn’t live his life by the rules either.

It’s at this point Scully gets a call from creeper divorcee dad, offering her a night out at a Cirque du Soleil show.

Her complete and utter lack of interest in taking him up on his offer finally makes it click for her why Mulder would reject her offer of a day off, or to go get a beer.

Mulder has absolutely no interest in doing those things. They hold no value for him, and no enjoyment, in exactly the same way that she realises she has absolutely no interest in dating this guy, or going to see Cirque du Soleil with him and his freakin’ kid. Geez, man... stop it with the family days out. Someone buy this man a copy of Dating for Dummies.

This epiphany affects Scully deeply, as I think she realises in that moment that working with Mulder and being an FBI agent is the life that brings her the most fulfilment and excitement too. She never did want to date in the first place, it was a comment from her friend that made her question whether or not the way she lived her life was “okay”.

Now it seems she’s decided it is. She doesn’t care about conforming to what is expected of her anymore.

Reminds me of something Gibson Praise says about Scully in season 5′s The End.

I think she reaffirmed for herself, this attitude of not caring what people think, in this very episode. To be who she is, do what she wants and not give a flying monkey what anyone says.

So rolling it back a bit - when Scully gets the call from her divorcee date, Mulder answers the phone, and I’d say he is definitely aware of who it is by the way he walks out of the office without waiting for Scully.

He assumes she will not be coming with him because, well, she has a life now, right? She has more going on than just work and he has every reason to believe she would rather be doing other things with her time, especially after that speech she just gave begging him to take some time off. He thinks he’s got the message loud and clear - that she doesn’t feel the same way about their work as he does, and that this is how things are gonna be from now on.

It’s also a bit petulant of him, isn’t it? The way he storms off after giving her the phone perfectly illustrates that. Not to mention his dejected walk over to the requisition desk after he leaves the office. The way he sounds so defeated as he asks for a car.

So despite trying to be “okay” with it, Mulder is still feeling threatened by this guy encroaching on their partnership – I’m sure of it. The reason I feel so sure is that when Scully approaches him at the requisition desk, he straight away asks who it was on the phone.

Why is he interested? If he isn’t bothered then why ask? Mulder hasn’t shown any interest in her private life before. For the most part, these two never discuss their personal lives. At least, not at this stage.

Is the tension in this conversation not entirely palpable? He really doesn’t like it, does he. I still don’t think he has even realised why he doesn’t like it. The guy is an Oxford educated psychologist and profiler – if he looked at himself for 5 seconds he’d know why – which is probably why he doesn’t.

We don’t see this side to Mulder often, as the series progresses we tend to see this kind of thing more from Scully. To be fair, it’s usually because women fawning over Mulder just seem to keep popping up all over the place.

But I love seeing this. More jealous!Mulder, please. I’m dying to see season 11 for the Mulder vs. Skinner fight that is apparently over Scully. Not to mention it supposedly involving Skinner’s long harboured feelings for her. Fuck yes, please. Can we get some jealous!Mulder up in that, Mr. Carter?

“You gonna have dinner with him again?”

WHY DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MULDER? HUH?

You notice how he perks up slightly after hearing she’s not going to see the guy again? You really need to hear the audio to notice it - but his voice changes.

Ohhh burn. Guess he didn’t like being told he doesn’t have a life, either, eh?

Every now and then Mulder lets slip the odd bitter comment, it’s something he’s doing right up until My Struggle I – revealing his true feelings through backhanded, sarcastic comments rather than outright saying what he feels.

You tell him, Scully.

Phew and that’s Jersey Devil done. Another freakin’ long one! I’m almost certain the next episode will be far shorter... much less MSR to work with. This episode was chock full of it. Next up... 1x06 - Shadows.

#the x files #xfiles #txf #txf gifs #favorite msr moments #msr #msr analysis #x files msr analysis series #mulder and scully #fox mulder #dana scully #david duchovny #gillian anderson #chris carter #jersey devil #txf 1x05

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fierce-of-mind · 7 years

Text

SoulMarks!AU Gramander

This is just a short one-shot. I will post it on Archive and fanfic under the same name eventually. Hope ya’ll enjoy! To Clarify: -Soul Mates have matching SoulMarks and are called each other’s Destined -When one of the pair dies the Mark disappears -Marks have a unique shape and color -Whether someone can be born w/o a SoulMark or whether they can get one after their Soul Mate is born is not relevant for this story ——————————————————————- I Know (By the Timing and the Color of His Eyes)

They found him locked in a trunk in his own apartment. Inside the innocent looking trunk was a huge dungeon-like cell. There were various torture devices around the space that the MACUSA Aurors could barely look at without feeling crippling waves of rage and guilt. Percival Graves was hanging limply in the center of the room covered in blood and dirt and other questionable substances. Many who were part of the retrieval squad wanted to turn away stomachs queasy from the sight and smell, but they stood firm. It was the least they could do for their Director who they all knew they had failed horribly. He was stripped bare, and Tina noticed she could count each of his ribs as she cautiously approached him. He had not even twitched at their arrival and she was afraid they had made it too late. “Mr. Graves,” she quietly called trying not to startle him. Finally he moved- his head slowly lifting and the Aurors felt relief rush through them. “Mr. Graves! It’s me, Tina-” She cut off with a gasp echoed around the room by her comrades. Because there on the junction between the neck and left shoulder where there should have been a unique SoulMark that in all the world would only have one match (where they all knew there should have been a mark thanks to workplace gossip) was a horrible scar. The skin looked red and inflamed like a fresh burn. It was only the darkest magic that could interfere or damage a SoulMark. Had Grindelwald really sunk so low? Looking into Mr. Graves eyes and seeing the broken despair there Tina knew they would not be able to magically fix this. ——————————————————————- Mr. Graves was back to work six months after his rescue. Even President Picquery couldn’t convince him to take more time off. He acted much the same, but there were a few key differences to before. Whispers followed him down the halls of MACUSA usually followed by pitying or distrustful looks. Words like “SoulMark” and “Grindelwald” not said quietly enough. Those of the Auror department were always quick to glare the gossipers into silence when they were near. Mr. Graves was more strict than before. Every report needed to be perfect. Every case from his time in captivity was reviewed, twice. He stayed late at the department and was always the first to arrive. He no longer stopped to chat with his senior Aurors and didn’t join them for drinks on Friday nights like he used to. The shadows under his eyes never disappeared, but none of them could voice their concern. There was an emptiness in his gaze that made all their hearts ache. They were very careful to never show pity and everyone worked twice as hard. They could never forgive themselves for not noticing that their boss was being impersonated; that he had been locked away for months in his own home due to their inadequacy. —————————-(flashback)—————————- Grindelwald slowly approached the man hanging in the center of the room. He steps echoed off the walls and he enjoyed the slight shivers that shook his prisoner’s frame whether from the fear or the cold he didn’t really care. He reached out and grasped the greasy black and grey locks and yanked pulling until he could see the eyes of his victim- even after all this time still burning with defiance. “Percival, Percival, Percival,” he slowly tsked, “Have I not told you before how rude it is not to greet your host?” The Director of Magical Security simply glared having learned early on that it was better not to respond. Grindelwald had killed one of his Aurors as retaliation last time. The Dark Lord merely laughed, “Oh, do not be like that Percival. Our time together is almost over.” Mr. Graves practically snarled- the first sound he’d uttered since other’s entrance. “Shhhh,Shhh,” Grindelwald said a gentle smile ghosting on his lips and unnerving his captive, “I will keep my word, and once I have what I want you will be released.” The Dark Lord’s smile turned truly malicious, “However, what kind of host would I be if I did not leave you with a parting gift?” His other hand came up and slowly caressed the Mark on Graves’s skin. The man in question flinched back and for the first time since his capture pleaded with the mad man in front of him. “N-no,” he croaked, voice hoarse from previous screams. Grindelwald’s grin widened showing all his teeth with a maniac gleam. “Oh, but, Percival, I have been researching the perfect curse for my goodbye present. I had to dig through hundreds of ancient tomes. What I wanted was quite obscure. You would not want to have wasted all my efforts? Would you,” he said grip bruising. “Please,” Mr. Graves begged desperation clouding his voice. Grindelwald laughed, “I knew I would one day have you begging before me, and you do not even know the full extent of it. Shall I explain?” Mr. Graves shook his head as much as he could with the German man’s grip on his hair, “Don’t-” The Dark Lord continued on gleefully, as if presenting a lecture, “In common terms it is called Soul Erasure or the Rasura curse. It was developed by the Egyptians for use against the invading Roman soldiers to strike at the moral of the army, and is rumored to be how Cleopatra managed to seduce Mark Antony. Rather simply it will erase your Mark from you and your Destined.” Graves let out a tormented denial for which Grindelwald harshly backhanded him and then resumed his explanation the sadistic smile never faltering. “But this curse will do so much more than that. It will not just erase the Mark from your skin, but from your mind as well. You will not be able to recall its shape or color. You could look at a picture of it and know it as yours, but as soon as you look away you will forget.” Graves was shaking in horror. If it weren’t for the suppressing bands tight around his wrists he would have killed the man before him- as it was his magic was whirling chaotically inside him urgently trying to break free to stop this. “And the best part,” Grindelwald said reveling in the effects of his words, “your soulmate will assume you have died. They will mourn and eventually move on. You will never know them. They will be lost to you. It could be anyone you pass in the street and you would not know. They could die at any time and you would not know. Until the day you die you will never know!” The Dark Lord watched as the man before him panicked. Perhaps this would be the thing to finally break the Director. He watched Graves’s struggles a bit more before slowly raising his wand so that the captured man could see it, “Well now, this is going to hurt, just a little.” ————————-(end flashback)————————– Tina was worried. It had been almost two years since the Grindelwald fiasco, and there was still something in Mr. Graves that was broken- no- lost. She blamed herself more harshly than the others. She had been Mr. Graves’s trainee. He was her mentor and she should have been able to recognize an impostor had taken his place, but she didn’t. It took a stranger to notice! (Even if Newt was now a close friend- it should have been her.) Mr. Graves seemed recovered. His case success rate was at an all time high, his work efficiency was never better, but he was empty. He bantered with the senior Aurors again, but sometimes it fell flat. Once when Queenie had visited her with some of Jacob’s pastries (thank heavens they were Destined and not even MACUSA law would interfere with that) Mr. Graves had passed by and her sister had gasped and given the man such a mournful look. She had refused to elaborate, and Mr. Graves now avoided Queenie. Tina herself had seen the Director staring intently at his pocket-watch as if memorizing something only for him look away and suddenly his expression would fall into despair and grief so profound she could no longer look at him. It couldn’t go on she knew, watching her boss prowl down the aisle between the auror’s desks and into his office, something had to give. That was the day Newt Scamander returned to New York carrying a familiar case and a copy of his new book. ——————————————————————- As soon as Director Graves saw the figure standing next to Tina’s desk wearing a blue coat with a case in one hand and a book in the other he recognized him. Newt Scamander, he surmised having read all the reports on Grindelwald’s capture in which Mr. Scamander was featured. This was the man who recognized that he was not himself. The man he hadn’t had a chance to meet or thank. Steeling himself, Graves walked over to do just that. Tina noticed him first and stood at attention just as he reached a polite distance away. Mr. Scamander, noticing his friend’s distraction hunched in on himself and slowly turned around eyes never quite settling. An awkward silence stretched before them as the Magizoologist resolutely kept his gaze anywhere but on the Director. His hand was tight around his case and somehow his shoulders managed to scrunch down even further. Finally, Graves could take the silence no more and extended his hand, “You must be Mr. Scamander. Percival Graves, Director of Magical Security. Pleasure to finally meet you.” Mr. Scamander jumped at the sound of his voice and a blush spread from his ears down his neck. “Ah- yes- right,” the man before him shifted and for a moment Graves thought he was going to actually run away when he simply tucked the book he was holding under his blue clad arm and grasped Graves’s hand in a surprisingly firm handshake. “Please, just call me Newt, Director Graves,” he spoke in a polite British accent, “Mr. Scamander makes people think of my brother. And it is nice to finally meet the real you- uh- I mean…” “Right, uh, Newt,” Graves responded after the other had trailed off. He was feeling oddly flustered, “Then I insist you call me Percival, and must offer you my sincerest thanks for your actions a couple of years ago.” He still hadn’t released Newt’s hand and found himself unwilling to do so. Tina stood in the background watching their interaction with veiled shock. “Percival- um- I think I was just in the right place at the right time,” Newt responded. He still hadn’t looked at the Director. Graves suddenly wanted to see his eyes even if he knew them from the picture attached to the Grindelwald report. He couldn’t explain it- he needed to look into those eyes and map their color to see if a photo could do them any justice. He shook the strange feeling away and finally released Newt’s hand who snatched it back as if it burned. Graves cleared his throat to try and ease the tension, “Well, it was nice to meet you but I must be going.” He gave a quick nod to Tina before turning around to make a swift escape. He got all the way to the door of his office before he gave into the urge to glance behind him. Newt was still standing near Tina’s desk looking a little lost in thought. Without even thinking he called out, “Newt,” gaining the man’s attention (as well as that of all the Aurors in the department). For a lightning quick moment those green eyes met his before settling on a spot over his shoulder. Graves felt like he had been struck by lightning and his magic was going wild. It gave him the strength to spit out his next words. “How about dinner tonight? To celebrate your return to New York,” when he saw that Newt was about to protest he plowed on, “And as a personal thank you. I’ll collect you at seven o'clock sharp.” He turned around and entered his office, shutting the door without waiting for a response. For a moment he just stood there shocked. What had gotten into him? In his mind he could remember that instant where Newt’s gaze met his and that familiar green he swore he’s never seen before. Maybe, he thought moving to sit behind his desk, this could be the start of a friendship. ——————————————————————- It was the start of a crush. Newt was smart and kind and passionate about his creatures. Grave couldn’t help but smile when he saw the Magizoologist. He found himself doing things just to get a smile from the man- to have Newt looking at him. He gave the man a permit for all his creatures. When the Niffler stole his pocket-watch he let the creature keep it. He convinced Picquery to offer Newt a job as MACUSA’s consultant for magical beasts- citing that he would provide valuable insight. Newt accepted, and most importantly he stayed. Graves found himself smiling more easily. Nightmares that had plagued him were replaced with Newt’s smile or laugh. HIs favorite had been the one with the other man just staring at him. His green eyes never looking away from Graves’s. It was his favorite color now. It all came crashing down when he saw Newt rubbing at the place his SoulMark would be. How could he have forgotten. Newt was probably waiting for his Destined, and Graves was just a friend. He was too broken to be anything else. He almost gave a bitter laugh. His Destined had probably moved on already, or, he thought with an ache, they were already dead. Graves didn’t know. Graves would never know. He shook his head, and with an iron will pushed those echoes of Grindelwald away. Either way, he remembered now that Newt wasn’t his. He couldn’t keep Newt from finding his Destined. Of anyone Graves knew the Magizoologist deserved to find his soulmate most, and so he took a step back. He denied all of Newt’s offers for lunch or dinner or to help out. He stopped the chats, and only interacted with the man for a case. He ignored the hurt looks because this was for the best. He had to keep his distance. Graves put a wall around his feelings and soldiered on, for Newt. Then some hot-shot, poaching ring decided to kidnap MACUSA’s resident Magizoologist. ——————————————————————- Graves mobilized every available auror. They tracked down the poachers to their hideout in record time. The Director of Magical Security tore down the wards and apparated into the warehouse with three squadrons of MACUSA’s best and brightest just in time to see Newt tied to a post, shirtless, with one of the low-lives standing behind him a whip in his hand, raised and ready to strike. Graves didn’t even think. His magic lashed out and wandlessly knocked the man away, into a wall. His Aurors took care of the rest while he rushed to Newt’s side and quickly released him- catching the man when he fell unable to hold himself up. He cradled Newt protectively equal parts relieved and furious. Surprisingly, the Magizoologist didn’t push away, and Graves allowed himself to indulge for the moment confident that his men and women could handle the riffraff. Suddenly, he heard a mumble of, “my case” before Newt was sitting up straight and frantically looking around the warehouse (yet for some reason he still didn’t leave the other’s embrace- not that the man was complaining). But Graves couldn’t concentrate on Newt’s words for his gaze was captured on that place between neck and shoulder. It was clear. Newt finally spotted his case being handled by a protective Tina and turned his attention back to the man who had suddenly gone rigid around him. He realized what Graves was staring at and quickly covered the spot, but he knew it was too late. The Director would know that they were not a match. Maybe, a small part of Newt thought, maybe he already knew and that was why he has been putting distance between them. “My-” Newt spoke to break the heavy silence between them, “my Mark… It disappeared shortly before I came to New York… the first time. They- whoever… Whoever they were- died before I could meet them.” Graves’s mind had gone blank. Newt’s SoulMark was gone- had disappeared around the same time that Grindelwald had cursed his. And suddenly he knew. Knew that his Destined was alive. Knew that he was holding him at this moment. And so he did the first thing that came to his mind. He kissed him. One hand going tight around Newt’s waist, the other tangling gently into coppery hair. Newt froze for a moment before eagerly returning his affections, and when they finally broke apart Graves rested his forehead on the other’s while they both caught their breath. Finally, Newt pulled back looking flustered and confused, but there in his green eyes was a spark of hope. “I… I don’t-” Graves cut him off with a gentle smile, “I know.”

#gramander #percival graves #newt scamander #soulmates #soulmate identifying marks #i know

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kennethmullins · 7 years

Text

Oh What A Lovely Pony

On Tue, Jun 20, 2017 at 8:17 PM, Catherine Park wrote: Hello There,

I am a business content writer and I chanced upon popehat.com. I must appreciate that the content of your website is par excellence and exceptionally useful.

I’ve been a blogger for about 10 years, with special interests in small, medium enterprise/business and outsourcing topics. Today I am a recognized expert in the subject, and over the years, have consistently contributed articles and blogs to top business related sites.

I am looking forward to attaching myself as a guest blogger to your site by contributing an article to popehat.com. I assure that the article will be highly informative and educative to your audience. While I am not looking at any monetary benefits, instead we could consider the possibility mentioning my site/resource just once within the article.

Do let me know if this sounds good and works for you – please review some of my recent work samples so you can analyse my writing skills, and once you confirm I can initiate writing an article for you right away. h tp://www.marketingsolved.com/4-hard-truths-about-becoming-an-entrepreneur/ h tp://www.outsourcingportal.eu/en/blog/catherine-park/outsourcing-and-streamlining-projects-to-gain-a-better-efficiency h tp://www.neyox.com/how-a-virtual-assistant-can-help-you-with-digital-marketing/ h tps://www.urcadservices.com/single-post/2017/03/21/4-Outsourcing-Tips-to-Help-You-Hire-a-Good-CAD-Drafting-Service h tps://unemploymentdata.com/small-business/outsourcing-small-business/most-outsourced-jobs/ h tps://www.vardot.com/blog/how-avoid-security-flaws-similar-panama-papers-836

Please review them and let me know your thoughts.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Regards, Catherine Park, Content Writer & Editor.

On Thu, Jul 27, 2017 at 11:20 AM, Catherine Park wrote: Hello There,

I was wondering if you had a chance to read my previous email.

It’s about the request to consider me as guest blogger for popehat.com. The prospective article that would add immense value to your site and benefit the visitors on your website. I am sure you are aware that guest posting is a common practice for professional writers.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Regards, Catherine Park, Content Writer & Editor.

On Tue, Aug 1, 2017 at 11:28 PM, Catherine Park wrote: Hello There,

Hope you are doing well!

Guess my emails aren't reaching you. This is a gentle follow-up to check if you’d be interested in a relevant and prospective article for popehat.com that would add immense value and benefit your website visitors.

This is a guest post request, a common practice for professional writers. As I am well recognized and accepted guest blogger in business related topics, I can ensure that both you and your visitors will benefit from it.

Looking forward to hear back from you!

Regards, Catherine Park, Content Writer & Editor.

On Aug 2, 2017 – 8:30PM, Ken At Popehat wrote:

Dear Catherine,

Thank you for your inquiry, and for not giving up on us. In a perfect world we could respond to every kind offer immediately, and your guest post would already be in the home stretch towards publication. Regrettably we have many issues that consume our time — but now we are champing at the bit to hear what you can offer.

It appears that you write about business issues such as outsourcing. Do you think you could write about how to outsource a small business' response to a very specific but very formidable problem?

Very truly yours,

Ken popehat.com

Catherine Park via linux-mum-outbound.webhostbox.net 12:23 AM (7 hours ago)

to me Hi Ken,

Thanks for your reply.

Yes sure I can write about the topic you suggested. I will try to submit it as soon as possible.

Regards, Catherine

Ken At Popehat 7:26 AM (1 minute ago)

to Catherine Catherine:

We have a miscommunication! I haven't provided the exact subject yet! I wouldn't want you to write some sort of generic post. That's the sort of thing bogus SEO spammers do. And you're no spammer. You're the renowned author of "4 Hard Truths of Becoming An Entrepreneur!"

As I said, the topic we require is small business outsourcing of a specific problem. That problem . . . is ponies.

I apologize for raising such an earthy and unpleasant topic so early in our acquaintance, Catherine. It seems uncouth. And yet this is not a normal time. War strips away languorous decorum and thrusts people together quickly and violently and in an not entirely sanitary fashion. My grandparents met and were engaged within mere weeks and then my grandfather was off to fight in the Pacific before my grandmother could even fully grasp his intense hatred of pajamas or incomprehensible Boston accent. Civilizational struggles bid us cut straight to the heart of the matter.

And we are at war, Catherine. We do struggle for our very existence and the future ungrateful and perpetually whiny existence of our children. We are on a precipice between rosy prosperity and the sort of post-apocalyptic scenario that would make that zombie show look like a Disneyland parade only with worse plotting. The question is this ancient one: how is it moral to fight that war? Must every American small-business owner pick up a nail-studded board or a recoilless rifle or an unusually sharp fidget spinner themselves, or may they outsource — to be blunt, hire mercenaries?

By posing the question, Catherine, I do not mean to cast doubt on the patriotism or ethics of those mercenaries. Being a solider for hire is an honorable trade, whether in Dungeons & Dragons (except 4th edition) or in the modern geopolitical environment. Many of us thrive upon the smoke and heat of battle, the heedless shrieks of the wounded and dying, the stench of exposed bowel, nice uniforms, discipline, men of higher rank inspecting our trousers approvingly, and free access to explosives. The various liberal arts departments of modern universities are churning out graduates perfectly suited to be stomped to death in exchange for health benefits and a basket of free Keurig cups in the kitchen.

No, Catherine, the ethics in question are those of the business-owners. Do they have a moral obligation to fight their own wars against the ponies? Should they be able to vote, to participate in representative democracy, to deny parking spaces to part-time employees without personally serving in the Pony War? When we see the severed head of a pony on a spike outside our local sundries store — its eyes reflecting foreknowledge of its doom at the hands of a superior species, yet still somehow shining with defiance, colored with the peril we have not fully grasped — should we shop there comfortable that this small business owner has done her part? Or should we ask, "who took down this beast? Was it you, or someone of your hire? Did you fight, or did you pay? Where are your scars? Do you still carry that chocolate-covered bacon? What kind of sundries store threatens a restraining order? Why should I lower my voice?"

This concept — that full civil participation requires personal combat service — is not just for Heinlein books or anime subreddits any more. Every entrepreneur must face the existential quandary. Who am I? What is my essence? Do I provide goods and services, or do I hold the door against the dark, against the hooves and manes and they eyes, the dark dead pitiless eyes? Or do I try both? Can I have it all? Is there an app for dividing time between customer service and resisting ponies? Would it allow any "me" time? Can I even contemplate "me" time if I don't stand against the ponies, or would my "me" time be reduced to sitting alone with my shame, keening and dreaming of redeeming myself in some dire stable?

That, Catherine, is your brief. It is not an easy task. But these are not easy times. Fight the ponies with your pen, Catherine. When you lift it, you lift up all of us.

Very truly yours,

Ken www.popehat.com

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