#and then all I have to do is add an aspect of sheer chaos

[abisalli]

Your doodles never fail to make me smile. Especially the YJ shenanigans. You always come up with such delightful scenarios

Aww TYSM!! It's not always easy coming up with different scenarios, but all of you guys' requests/input help a lot!

[pitinthelanepages]

me gustas tu

summary: juan likes airplanes but he likes you more. based on the song 'me gustas tu' by manu chao.

pairing: juan manuel correa x reader

word count: 3.6k

genre: warning! smut, fluff and a bit of angst

a/n: i have been working on this oneshot for the past 7 to 8 hours. please show this lots of love! asks or comments are really appreciated. love you all!

Me gustan los aviones, me gustas tú (I like airplanes, I like you)

More often than not, people harbour a fear of airplanes, even if they claim they don’t. For some people, the lack of control that they have on the plane and the lack of understanding that they have on the technical aspects of flying plays a big part. For other people, it’s the fear of height or enclosed places that plays the part. As for Juan, it’s quite different. 

As he looks out the window of the plane he is in, he finds himself absolutely captivated at the sight of it soaring through the white fluffy clouds. People often do not see the positives of being on a plane, but he does. There's something breathtaking about being thousands of feet up in the air, watching the world below him pass by him just like that. He feels a sheer sense of freedom wash over him, making him feel freer than ever. 

He turns to look at you, who's dozing in the seat next to him, accompanying him to one of the races after finally being to take time off from your work. He finds his eyes trailing across your features. From the curve of your jawline to the way your lashes touch your cheeks, from the blush that takes over your skin due to the air blasting from the air conditioner above you to the delicate slope of your nose. He feels his breath catch in his throat at the sight, as if he is falling in love with you all over again.  

He thinks of how lucky he is to have you, how you make him feel free and happy in a way that no airplane ever could. And yet, there's a strange similarity between the two of you. Both airplanes and you have the power to take his breath away, make him feel free, give him a different perspective of life, show him the world in a new light and make him appreciate experiences he never did before. 

He reaches out to brush a strand of hair away from your face, and you stir, eyes fluttering open.

"Hey," you say, voice thick with sleep.

"Hey," Juan replies, his soft gaze boring into yours. "I was just thinking about something."

You rest your jaw on your palm, facing his side. “Hmm? What is it that you’re thinking about?”

“I was thinking about how much I like planes.” He answers, completely facing you this time. 

You chuckle but can’t help but let the confusion take over your face as your brows furrow. “Huh? Where is this coming from?”

“I was just thinking about what I like, you know?” He adds, sighing before clasping your smaller hand into his. He begins to draw circles on it, sending shivers down your spine.

You feel like teasing him. “Hmm, I see… so you like planes more than me?” 

Juan shakes his head, a grin spreading across his face. "No, no. I like planes, sure. But I like you more."

A smile takes over your face as you reach out to take his hand with your free hand. “I like planes, too,” you say. "But I like you more, as well."

Juan feels a rush of warmth spread through his body, and he leans in to cushion your soft lips with his. The kiss is soft, sweet, full of tenderness and affection. He knows that there are many more flights in his future, many more journeys to take and new horizons to explore. But as long as he's with you, he knows he'll always feel like he's flying.

Me gusta viajar, me gustas tú (I like to travel, I like you)

Both of your careers took over your life more often than not. You having a demanding job in the field of public relations whereas him having to train during free time when he wasn’t racing didn’t help his case either. However, when you two finally had time to spend with each other without having to stress over work, Juan insisted on travelling. So you did. You didn’t think much before planning a trip to Budapest. 

That is how you found yourself with your boyfriend, hand in hand, walking through the streets of the city that has people in awe. It isn’t any different for the two of you. Both of you are gaping, as you take in the breathtaking architecture and vibrant energy of the city. The streets bustling with ordinary people and countless tourists like you. 

As you walk, you can't help but admire the grand buildings that surround you, each one more beautiful than the other. The intricate details of the historic buildings, with their colourful facades and elegant balconies, leaving you speechless. 

Juan squeezes your hand tightly, as if he can feel your amazement. He chuckles at you before pointing out some of the city's most iconic landmarks, like the majestic Parliament Building and the ornate Fisherman's Bastion.

As you two cross the Danube River on the Chain Bridge, you feel a sense of wonder wash over you. The stunning views of the city from the bridge are unlike anything you have ever seen before. Your clasped hand, though smaller, squeezes his every time you felt a jolt of excitement pass through your veins at the sight you are witnessing before you. 

Juan feels his heart beat faster as he looks at you. He notices the way your eyes light up the entire time with excitement and wonder as you walk through the beautiful streets of Budapest. The warmth of your hand in his fills him with a sense of comfort and happiness that he has never known before.

As he takes in the breathtaking architecture around you, he can't help but feel that it pales in comparison to the beauty of the woman beside him. He begins to think of the time you moved to a new country just to support him in his dreams of becoming an F2 driver, leaving your stable job with much higher pay behind, just for him. He thinks of how you took in loads of work home and worked overtime whenever you could just so you could take time off to travel with him to races he felt more anxious about. He remembers all the late nights and early mornings you spent by his side, cheering him on and helping him train when he felt like giving up.

Juan's chest tightens as his mind drifts more and more into everything you have done, just for him. He knows that he wouldn't be where he is today without your unwavering support and love. He thinks about all the moments you have shared together, the highs and the lows, and how you have been there for him through it all.

As he tugs your hand and pulls you close, he feels a wave of emotion take over him. He looks into your eyes and feels his heart swell with love and gratitude. He knows that he wants to spend the rest of his life with you, exploring new places and experiencing all the beauty the world has to offer, together.

"I like travelling," he whispers, his voice filled with passion and sincerity. "But I like you more than any city in the world. No matter how beautiful it is." With that, he pulls you in for a tender kiss, his hand slowly cascading from the nape of your neck to your back and finally to your waist. From the point of view of a passerby, both of you sharing a passionate kiss in the middle of a city as beautiful as Budapest, is a sight to behold.

Me gusta la mañana, me gustas tú (I like the morning, I like you)

Me gusta el viento, me gustas tú (I like the wind, I like you)

Juan and you are woken up by the sound of wind howling outside. The gusts of air passing through the open window causes your hair to fly about and land on Juan's face. Juan instinctively wraps his arms around you and pulls you closer to him. "Good morning, beautiful." Juan whispers.

"Good morning.” You reply, sleepily. You snuggle into Juan's embrace, savouring the warmth and safety you feel in his arms. Juan's strong arms wrap around you, and you feel secure and loved. 

The wind outside intensifies, causing you to shiver. Juan tightens his grip on you, rubbing your back to warm you up. "Are you cold?" he asks, concern laced in his voice.

"A little," you reply, looking up at him with sleepy eyes.

Juan pulls the blankets up over you, covering you both and trapping in your body heat. "Better?" he asks, grinning.

You nod, smiling back at him. "Much better."

As you lay there, wrapped up in each other's embrace, he leans down, softly pressing a kiss on your forehead. "I love you," he whispers, his husky voice filled with tenderness.

You blush, feeling a surge of warmth spread through your body. You tilt your head up to look at him, meeting his gaze as he leans in to press his lips gently against yours. 

You feel Juan's hand run through your hair, cradling your head to deepen the kiss. You respond to him, your hands moving up to tangle in his hair as you pull him closer. As the gentle kiss turns into a tug of war as he tugs at your bottom lip harshly, you feel one of his hands untangle from your hair and move to your waist, where he grazes his fingers softly yet intense enough to cause you to jerk in his embrace as it tickles. 

Your breath hitches at his action. “What are you doing?” you gasp, pulling away, the lack of air causing your chest to heave up and down faster, trying to catch up on it. 

“What do you think I am doing?” He asks, not answering the question, seeming intent on teasing you as you witness a smirk taking over his face. 

You roll your eyes. “It’s ticklish.”

“Well, that’s the point.” He whispers and before you could respond, he pulls you into his lap. Your front pressing onto his. You could feel his heartbeat against yours. His hands trail on your back, soft and ticklish, sending goosebumps through your body. 

You run a finger from his chest to the hardness of his abs, his breathing getting ragged in the process but before you could continue any further, he traps your wrists in his and begins to pepper kisses from your jaw down to your neck. Your skin flushes and you find yourself closing your eyes at the sensation, soft sighs leaving your lips. 

His lips soon land between the valley of your breasts and licks it before moving to find your nipples, trapping one between his teeth. You groan at the pain that shoots through your system. He flicks his tongue around one of your nipples, the coldness from being wet making it hard, the pain making it sensitive. He does the same to your other nipple before moving down to your stomach and towards your core.

The moment you feel his warm breath against your core, you know what is about to come. He grips your thighs and rests them on his shoulders, his eyes locking onto yours as he sends you a look that, you’re sure, makes you even wetter. He bites his lips, staring at your core with a look of such concentration that makes you anticipate what’s about to happen more than ever and then, he dives in. He licks a stripe before using two of his fingers to find the soft bud and when he does so, successfully, he doesn’t wait. His mouth encloses in around the bud, making you let out a cry. 

As if something in him is switched on, he is no longer the passionate man he was just a moment ago. His mouth shows no mercy as it ruthlessly sucks into the pits of your core. One of his fingers soon enters you and joins in with the rhythm of his mouth. You begin to feel tears streaming down your face as you gasp more and more loudly for air with time, having a hard time breathing at the lack of mercy he was showing you.

You finally let out a loud cry when you feel the bundle of nerves giving up on you, reaching the point of ecstasy. Hearing a breathy chuckle, you look down and send the man who did this to you, a chuckle. “Very funny.” you huff, rolling your eyes. 

He laughs, looking amused at your annoyance as he climbs back up on the bed like he didn’t just commit an act of sin. He wraps an arm around your frame before bringing you closer to him so he could rest his head on your chest.

“What do you think you’re doing?” you ask, your hands raking into his hair, feeling his scalp.

He hums at the feeling, eyes closed, looking peaceful as ever. “Going back to sleep?” he murmurs.

“Are you serious?” you poke at him. “I am not done with you.”

He turns his head to face you, his eyes are crinkled with mirth, a smile playing at the corner of his lips. “You what?” There is a teasing tone in his voice that you could sense.

You furrow your brows in annoyance. “Who do you think you are? What is funny?”

He sits up, giggling that soon turns into a full blown laugh. “Oh my God, baby… I know you are tired. Let’s not lie.”

“So you mean, you are taking a break for me? No way.” You say refusing to back down.

A grin takes over his face. “Yes, absolutely. You got that right.” 

You narrow your eyes at him, a smile too sweet taking over your lips. “You know what? I’m gonna get you.”

“And what are you gonna do?” He challenges, smirking. 

“You underestimate me.” You say, before lunging towards him.

But Juan is quick to dodge your playful attack with a laugh. He jumps out of bed and darts across the room, you being hot on his heels. You chase each other around the room. While you’re struggling with the duvet wrapped around you, he darts out of the room and down the hallway.

You finally catch up to him in the hallway and find yourself collapsing on the floor with him, catching for breath. 

He looks at you, his gaze softening at the sight of you being happy. You raise a brow at him, wondering what’s in his mind.

He shakes his head, smiling. “I like mornings like this, you know? Bright and windy.” 

You hum, agreeing. “It’s beautiful to wake up to such weather.” 

“But, I like you, more.”

Me gusta soñar, me gustas tú (I like to dream, I like you)

Me gusta la mar, me gustas tú (I like the sea, I like you)

Juan stands at the altar, his heart pounding in his chest as he waits for his bride to walk down the aisle. He can feel the sweat beading on his forehead despite the cool air-conditioning in the church. He adjusts his tie nervously, his eyes scanning the crowd of guests, but he can't find you. He begins to feel a sense of panic rise in him, but then he catches a glimpse of you in the distance. You’re breathtakingly beautiful, clad in a white gown that flows down to the floor in a soft, elegant cascade. Your hair is styled in loose waves, framing your face perfectly. As you walk towards him, Juan feels a rush of emotion. It's as if time slows down, and all he can focus on is the woman in front of him.

As you reach him, Juan takes your hand and guides you to the altar. He can feel your fingers trembling slightly in his, and he gives you a reassuring squeeze. The priest begins the ceremony, but he is barely listening. His mind is lost in the moment, in the way the sunlight is streaming through the stained glass windows, casting a rainbow of colours across the church. He's lost in the way your eyes are fixed on him, full of love and trust. 

When the priest asks Juan to say his vows, he feels his throat tighten. He takes a deep breath and begins to speak. He tells you how much he loves you, how much you mean to him. He promises to always be by your side, to be your partner and best friend. He vows to support you in all your dreams. As he speaks, tears prick at the corners of his eyes. He's never felt so vulnerable and exposed.

Finally, the priest pronounces you husband and wife, and Juan feels a wave of relief wash over him. As you kiss, the room erupts into cheers and applause. 

But then suddenly, the scene fades away to the sound of sea waves crashing onto the shore. He blinks blearily, his eyes adjusting to the bright sunlight. He finds himself on your lap on the beach, and the sound of the waves has become part of his dream. 

He sits up, rubbing his eyes and taking in his surroundings. The waves are gently lapping at both of your feet, and the sun is beginning to set, casting a warm glow across the horizon. He looks over at you, and feels a surge of warmth in his chest. He likes dreaming, but he likes being here with you even more.

"Sorry, I must have dozed off," he says with a sheepish grin.

You laugh and playfully push him away, "You were snoring! I thought you were going to keep me up all night."

Juan's heart races as he finds himself staring at your face, still beautiful even in the sunlight. He realises he likes the sea, but he loves you more. 

¿Qué voy a hacer?, je ne sais pas (What am I going to do?, I don't know)

¿Qué voy a hacer?, je ne sais plus (What am I going to do?, I don't know anymore)

¿Qué voy a hacer?, je suis perdu (What am I going to do?, I’m lost)

Juan sits alone in his apartment, staring blankly at the television. He doesn’t even know what is on the screen, his mind running a million miles with thoughts of the upcoming race. He has been training tirelessly for weeks, leaving him with no time for anything else, including you. 

His apartment is surrounded by silence. He used to love this place, relishing the peace and quiet it offered after a long day of training and racing. But now, the silence is suffocating.

Without you here, the place feels empty. The thought of going to bed alone tonight makes him feel a deep sense of dread that he can't shake off. He's never been one to feel lonely, but now it's all he feels. He knows he has to focus on his training and upcoming races (even though that’s all he has been forcing him to focus on for weeks), but he can't shake the feeling that something is missing.

Juan tries to fill the void with constant training and preparation for the upcoming race that fills him with anxiety, but it's not the same as having you around. The joy he once felt in his sport is now replaced with a feeling of unease. The sound of his car engine revving used to bring him excitement and adrenaline, but now, he doesn’t know what to feel anymore.

He sighs deeply, realising that he has been pushing you away. You have tried to be understanding of his busy schedule, but he knows that he has been distant and unavailable. He misses you terribly but doesn’t know how to balance his passion for racing with his love for you. He knows it’s a terrible habit of his but he can’t help it.

If he is being completely honest, he misses your warmth and your laughter, the way you could brighten up his day. He misses your touch, the way you would rest your head on his shoulder and whisper words of encouragement in his ear. He misses your smell, the way you always smelled like lavender and vanilla.

Juan realises now that he needs you more than he ever thought he would. He can't bear the thought of going through his days without you. The loneliness he feels is too much to handle on his own. He knows he needs to make time for you, to make sure you know just how much you mean to him.

As he sits there alone, the realisation hits him like a ton of bricks. He can't keep living like this, with you being just a distant memory. He needs to find a way to make it work, to balance his love for you with his love for racing. He's not sure how, but he's willing to try.

Juan stands up from his seat, determined to make a change. He'll start by calling you, apologising for his absence and promising to make it up to you. He'll find a way to make time for you, even if it means sacrificing some of his training time. He knows now that you’re worth it.

As he steps out onto the balcony, the sounds of the city start to fill the silence. Juan takes a deep breath, feeling a newfound sense of purpose. He may be an f2 driver, but he's also a man in love. And he's willing to do whatever it takes to keep the love of his life by his side.

[angeli-marco-writes]

Harry Holland - Polaroids

A/N & WC - I do not know Harry or the other people mentioned in this fic, nor do I claim to; this is a work of fiction. 3.9k.

Warnings - Swearing, mention of food, smut: depictions of oral (m+f rec), penetrative sex, use of toys, bondage & bdsm, photos being taken in the act, mild exhibitionism and definite voyeurism (not Harry or reader) 18+.

Summary - You and Harry have an exciting intimate life to say the least, and he rather enjoys taking photos of the two of you in compromising positions. However, in his sex-addled mind, one vital fact is let slip when he allows Sam into his room unsupervised.

“BUD, WHERE ARE THOSE PHOTOS you took of my food the other day?” Sam asks.

The sizzling of pancakes overlaps the conversation, and you mussing up Harry’s hair distracts him, his attention drawn to more important matters than his brother. Harry barely swallows his giant mouthful of food before speaking.

“By my bed there’s a huge pile, they’ll be somewhere,” he answers flippantly.

Flippantly.

Usually so cautious and so organised Harry lets one thing slip his mind for five seconds, and his life is going to fall through the cracks. His reputation will be utterly destroyed. Just with his brother, but it still stands. Sam is… more innocent than Harry has ever been. And Sam will also tell the others, and likely their friends…

“Remembered something, baby?” you muse sardonically from beside him, your hand halting its movements as you cup his jaw, turning him to face you.

The second his green eyes meet yours, you watch the world crumble in his eyes. You’ve never seen him scramble up from his seat so quickly. His bare feet slap on the tiled floor violently, thudding sounds echoing through the house as he blunders around, swinging around the banister with the force and elegance of an elephant.

“Sam! FUCK— Wait!”

“Don’t look in that pile of photos,” you add in a feeble shout.

It’s not like what Sam’ll find there is any secret. You’ve been together a long time, you and Harry, and everyone knows full well that you’re shagging, but that doesn’t mean you necessarily want them to know exactly what happens in the bedroom, in your most intimate, secret moments together. That’s sacred, even if it seems like sacrilege to so many.

No matter how quickly you hear Harry legging it upstairs, his lean legs carrying him up the stairs perhaps three at a time, his curly hair even more unruly than before from the exertion, you know he won’t be fast enough, and that Sam is an insolent bastard when he wants to be. You’ve lived with them all long enough and have had more than your fair share of near misses: no chance will you not be found out, this time you’ll be caught. Better than the alternative and the other times, you suppose, as you cram one more syrup-drizzled and strawberry-covered pancake into your gob, reluctantly trudging your way upstairs to the hive of fun.

It’s chaos by the time you get there. Dozens of artfully-taken photos spilled out onto your duvet, Harry’s freckled face paler than you’ve ever seen it, his hands tugging at his pyjama shirt convulsively while Sam stands on the other side of the room, his dark eyes wide, his expression agog, his jaw unhinged, staring blankly and pointing at whatever the most incriminating thing is he sees next. You just hope he doesn’t go ferreting through your drawers, because then you’ll really be in trouble.

“What… the fuck.”

You come up to Harry’s side, and wrap an arm around his slim waist, lending a weak, “Surprise?”

It’s their fault if they haven’t guessed, frankly.

You can’t draw your eyes away from the pictures, so many of them, all displaying different aspects of your sex life at varying degrees of explicitness. You can even recount the minutes and hours of pleasure that led to the photos, each occasion etched into your mind. Sure, you and Harry go at it a lot, but you don’t always go the extra mile, hence why these commemorative photos of your special nights are so treasured. And private. Or, were.

The first one… oh boy, that takes you back to the most far-out, extreme experiment you tried—the most recent, as well: just this past weekend. You’re still covered in rope burn from it, though that could’ve been prevented if you hadn’t writhed or wriggled about so much while in those bonds. The amount of attempts it took, the sheer number of YouTube tutorials you had to watch, but it was definitely worth it. The intricate patterns the ropes formed all across your body, creating braids down your back, suspending you prone with little movement in your arms or legs. It was heaven to have Harry tugging on the ropes, contorting you into new and wonderful positions for his own delightful access to all of you. Perhaps it’s not something you’ll gravitate towards again, but it was fun while it lasted, and it’s another thing to tick off your list of fun, kinky bedroom experiments to try. To be fair, even though the swathes of soft, rose-coloured rope, intricately woven around you were a lot, you certainly wouldn’t be averse to trying something else with rope. Less shibari, perhaps just normal levels of bondage. You can feel the skin on your arms prickling with heat: Harry feels it too, winding his fingers into yours, holding on tight as he struggles to suppress a smirk.

The next set is interesting, and rather common. Harry’s freckled, ring-less hand is unmistakable in the dappled light as it grapples with the handle of a leather whip, or a paddle, even his belt, bringing them down harshly onto your ass cheeks, already reddened with hand prints, purple from bruises. In one of them, your skin is even glistening with his release, and another, your hands are suspended behind your back. Harry’s always been one for spanking, and the rest of them know it. Even before you were sleeping together he’d playfully smacked your bum, and he certainly hasn’t stopped even with the sexual connotations it now conveys between the two of you. As though he can read your mind, he snakes a hand down and pats you on the bum; his wink telling you it’s just for good measure. Cheeky shit.

One in the dead centre brings shivers throughout your body. Not because it wasn’t fun or pleasurable, but because of the way it made you feel afterwards. Yes, you’d talked through it in thorough details—as with everything the two of you do—how it made you feel going in, throughout, and you’d got a safe word sorted, but perhaps you hadn’t discussed all the long term risks of it. The pretty pink collar, the satin blindfold… The whole subservient thing is a big turn on for Harry, and you played into it, you always do and you naturally fall into a position of less power in your relationship because of the way you are, but being degraded in such a way isn’t for you. You can’t help but feel a sting of shame ricochet through your heart. Harry must feel it this considering how reactive he is: he leaps towards the bed and snatches it up, shredding it before your eyes, chucking it into the bin, and curling another protective arm around you.

“Look,” you whisper to Harry, turning his attention elsewhere as you point to the bottom few: your favourite photos of all.

Despite the disarray, they’re all together, and they remind you of an incredible night. Your anniversary, and what a special day it was. Butterflies swarm you at the sight of them again, but it feels strange for someone else to be looking at them. Not that you or Harry are exactly in a fit state to be proactive about preventative measures now Sam’s seen them all. His eyes bulge from his face, his mouth going dry as he swallows viciously, suddenly having to shift his already apparently tight shorts. Again.

“You’re so sexy in those, baby,” purrs Harry.

He’s damn right, you do look incredibly sexy. And though the first one in the chronological series is you mostly covered, you can remember how hard his dick was at the sight alone, salivating, clenching his fists to stop from ripping the lingerie from you piece by piece. You wanted to put on a show for him that day: who was he to deny you?

On top of your bra, panties and stockings was a nightgown, and above that, a dressing gown. Each image shows you in a further state of undress. It was a deep burgundy lace set of negligée with soft satin straps that pushed your boobs together, lifting them up, the lace hooked together with a single eyelet on your spine, whereas the panties, though half covering your cheeks with dustings of lace, hid nothing while they sat high on your hips, revealing your entire upper thigh where a matching satin garter sat with tiny lace bows. The entire thing cost a fortune. You forked out a damn arm and a leg for what you got, even with a discount included with a certain toy you bought.

First went the dressing gown, letting it fall from your shoulders, allowing it to pool around your feet as you showed off the skimpiness of the silk slip in a series of flourishing twirls, much to Harry’s delight. Next went the slip, and you honestly wish you’d taken a picture of his face utterly agog—as you stood there in stockings held up by garters, barely there panties and a push up bra. There’s one shot of his rough fingertips playing with the trim of the stockings delightedly, like a kid in a candy shop. Next went the feeble scrap of fabric that you dared to call a bra, barely covering your nipples, allowing your breasts free, spilling into Harry’s awaiting hand. You remember the next part vividly, because he was just about to peel the panties off when you laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“I’ve got a surprise for you, babe.” you cooed.

His twinkling eyes grew as wide as saucers, and you dared to card your fingers through his curls as you settled yourself over his lap, letting him keep his camera in one hand while leading the other down, down, a little further…

He’s never since made a sound quite like it, so visceral and animalistic, so ready to devour you, to come on sight. He’s never been as hard as he was in that instance.

“You’re gonna be the death of me,” he moaned, a deep groan released from him the second his fingers slipped through your folds to find dripping arousal all ready for him. “Just—wait a minute…”

You followed his every instruction for the next few moments, finding yourself standing up in a good lighting position, Harry strategically beneath you as he snapped a particularly incriminating (yet oh so sexy shot) of your bare pussy in crotchless panties. Harry’s never recovered. He’s already openly admitted that he uses those particular photos more than any others to get himself off whenever you’re away from him. However, the creases and folded corners of one particular photo can’t be blamed on him, since that’s the one you use when you're away, two of his fingers plunged knuckle-deep inside you in those exact panties, from that exact angle, desperately trying to replicate the irreplaceably pleasurable feeling of him within you. He took a good few more than had to be thrown away. Spillages are awfully unfortunate… He fucked you that night with the panties, stockings and garters still on. Twice. Then without the panties, then without the stockings, then nude at last at some ungodly hour of the morning when he took you at last as the sun rose. You didn’t sleep a wink.

There are more of you with lingerie on, nightgowns and matching sets, scraps of silk and strange one pieces that took you hours to get on, but they’re bound to make a sort of book, stowed away neatly (mercifully) beneath his bed.

Sam still hasn’t moved from his state of paralysed shock, and though you should probably clear the photos up from where they’re dumped, you feel a filthy swelling pride within your chest, a glean of risk as you watch Sam rove his eyes over some more, these all involving toys. If only he knew where you hid them. One his eyes focus on is you with a thick purple rubber dildo deep inside you, a rabbit vibrator stuck to your clit. Your body is but a blur, writhing around for Harry, your hands cuffed before you and not released no matter how much you moved. Harry wouldn’t let you stop coming for what felt like hours: it was the first time you squirted for him as a cry tore from your heaving chest, drenching the bed with your fifth orgasm of the night. Harry vowed he’d be the only one to make you squirt after that, no toys involved, and he’s stayed true to his word.

There’s a few more, and Sam seems to be furrowing his thick brows at the sight of the Polaroids. Glass wands, spreader bars, clit suctions (that admittedly look like they’d be used in a spa for a facial). Poor boy is being corrupted...

Good God, you need to get those toys out again.

With his twin's attention diverted, you snake your hand down the front of Baz’s shorts, wrapping your fingers around his already hard member through his boxers: he seems to be enjoying this as much as you are.

You point out one of your favourite pictures, a debauched mess that shouldn’t be viewed by anyone else, frankly. Harry was reluctant about hurting you or pushing you too far, but you begged to be gagged. You meant just by a tie, maybe his bandana—which features in many images in many different manners: as a bind for your hands, tying you to the bed, keeping your ankles together, even wrapped lightly around your neck, but never as a gag—but he went all out. When you got home, he was waiting in his room with a leather-bound ball gag.

“You begged, baby,” he said, and you couldn’t refute. You had begged, but this was above and beyond. You complied with his every wish that night, and though you’d do it again in a heartbeat, Harry wasn’t a fan of not being able to shove his fingers or cock down your throat at any given moment. He liked hearing your whines and moans and hushed curses, prayers of his name. He also liked hearing your bratty, belligerent rebuttals when he took on a dominant role. You enjoyed it more than a little, but only now can you see how much of a mess you were, messy hair and tears spouting from your eyes, drool down your chin...

Given the chance of the slightest spark of stimulation, you’ll be coming on the spot.

There’s a scattered pile of the two of you in just about every position under the sun, every shape in the karma sutra, fucking both inside and out, al fresco sex beneath the big oak in the garden, anyhow, anywhere and everywhere you could fuck safely and privately, you would, and you didn’t even realise Harry had snapped some of these shots after consenting to him taking them at any time. Your eyes squeezed shut as you peaked, Baz’s palm kneading your chest, your skirt hiked up around your stomach while your jaw was agape, your pussy exposed and glistening slick in the mirror, penetrated by Harry’s cock. That was a good day, mirror sex, and definitely something you’ll try again. This time with your own mirror... There are a few snapshots of oral, perfect Polaroids of Harry’s nose nuzzled into your pussy, his tongue deep in your core, his lips on your labia, all of them for your sake whenever he goes away.

“Gonna recreate that one tonight,” Harry husks, pointing towards one image in particular of you sucking him off.

His huge member down your throat, you’d trained yourself to breathe solely through your nose, but the neatly trimmed patch of hair there tickled your nostrils. Harry’s talent for photography reveals your doe eyes were red rimmed, saliva trickling from the corner of your mouth matching the mascara tracks down your cheeks. You’ve never looked so fucked out, and Harry couldn’t believe you remained in that innocent façade, rosy cheeks and a coy expression even with his dick rammed down your throat, making you gag.

However, the one you’d like to recreate is one he picks up on, surreptitiously moving a hand to your chest, his fingers hovering over your peaked nipple.

“Reckon we can go again the second Sam fucks off?”

“Yes,” he eagerly exhales.

You don’t blame him, especially not when both twins are staring at the same image of your tits, pushed together with Harry’s dick between them, fucking your chest despite the fact his come already painted your chest in hot white strips, a beautiful painting you’d always wish to frame. He certainly has an obsession with your boobs so there are a couple like that, his hands all over them, the tip of his member tapping them, but the debauched one is by far your favourite. Similarly, there’s one of you tied to the bed, completely spread eagle, his dick resting on your stomach while your belly is coated in his come once again.

It seems, however, that’s what snagged Sam’s attention and has his face a ghastly shade of grey because it's so pale, is the one photo Harry never wanted anyone to see. You leap and snatch it up in one fell swoop, and Harry draws you into a bear hug within his arms, kissing your temple affectionately in thanks as you stow it away for safekeeping. Though Harry naturally carries the more dominant title in your relationship, you always like to shake things up, hence why this photo (and a series of others he already has hidden) depict Harry as your submissive. You walked around as the picture perfect dominatrix in stilettos, carrying a whip while Harry lay there with his hands bound, a blindfold on in some photos (you took them so they’re not as great, but he still looks damn sexy) with a vibrating cock ring wrapped snugly around his girth. He’s never come so hard or so much after you finally removed it and cuffed his hands to the bedpost and began to ride him. You can still feel the warmth of him climaxing within you if you close your eyes and clench your thighs.

“I promise I’ll touch you later,” boy do you hope he sticks to that promise he whispers while nibbling on your earlobe, “but Sam’s coming out of his daze in 3... 2... 1...”

“OH MY GOD.”

“Okay, I didn’t see that coming,” he remarks breathily, hazel eyes wide as he pivots, met with two incredulous stares. Tom’s cry wakes Sam up right on cue.

“Harry! What the fuck?!” Sam demands, his voice a bellow, horror and disgust and... something unattainable just emanates from him. “Why do you have three porn mags worth of your girlfriend down here? That’s fucked, mate.”

“No it’s not. We just like to have photographic reminders of all our... sexcapades.”

Sam is, unsurprisingly, retching, now finally turning his head away from the pile without even bothering to pick up.

“This was cool until you called them sexcapades,” Tom chimes, smacking Harry upside the head as he swaggers over to the bed, fishing a few photos up before tossing them back down.

Sam's horrified attitude doesn’t seem to be spreading thankfully, but you and Harry are understandably rooted to the spot, stuck to the carpet, just biding your time until this is over. Then again, you can’t really tell, since no one is saying anything. You nor Harry want to be the ones to break the silence, though, and you can tell with the furtive and expressive stares you’re sharing that his anxiety is increasing the more people are seeing this.

Momentarily, you think someone may remark about your silent communication, your fixed glances and speechless conversation, but instead, Harrison comes up to you both, a sly smirk etched onto his pretty model face as he clasps a hand around one shoulder of yours and one of Harry’s.

“Harry Holland, you kinky fucker,” he praises.

You definitely feel a swell of pride at that. And the fact that Tom is trying desperately hard not to look at you while also trying to hide how flustered he is, somehow still abhorred by the sight. Harrison’s intrigue is palpable, gnawing on his lower lip as his lithe fingers trace you on the polaroid's, whereas Sam? He can’t decide whether to cry or scream. Harry huddles in closer and cuddles you, ensuring you feel every part of him, just how much he wants this lot to leave to finally have you at his mercy once more.

“So you two are shagging,” Tom observes.

You and Harry nod between kisses.

“Dangerously.”

You nod again, though this time a little reluctantly.

You expect Harry to nestle down with you again, but instead he detaches himself, unravelling his arms, and shoulders past Tom and Haz. He gives Sam a death glare as he piles up all the Polaroids and shoves them deep in a drawer for him to organise later, away from prying eyes and judgemental comments.

“Really, though?” Sam bursts out, flailing his arms before grasping Harry’s collar. “I thought you’d just handcuff her and give her a smack at most, very vanilla.”

As much as he tries to fight it, Harry’s face flushes bright red, leaving no visible distinction between his forehead and hairline. “I think those photos, erm, tell a different story.”

He rocks on the balls of his feet, tugging himself out of his brother's grasp, only to fall into another, saved by Harrison’s scowl at Tom.

“Can you lot bloody get out? Please? I’d like some alone time with my girlfriend after that sodding invasion.”

“If you’re having alone time, we’re leaving the house for a while,” Tom jokes, “how long?”

You smirk, striding over to meet Harry, eyes fixed on him as you press onto your tiptoes, wrapping your fingers around his shoulder before kissing his earlobe. He wilts into your touch.

“Two hours should be enough time. Scram.”

They do, gladly, and you slam the door shut as their scurrying footsteps down the stairs recede. Harry’s grip increases around your waist, a growl escaping him as he pushes you onto the bed. You gasp when your back hits the mattress, his lips instantly attacking your jaw.

“Which of those polaroid's do you wanna recreate first, baby?”

—

It’s hours later, and you're all around for your weekly dinner at the Holland house. You and Harry, having some ‘business’ to attend to before leaving the house, are the last to arrive, and Paddy, poor unfortunate Paddy, has the delightful job of letting you into the house.

“Sam asked me to give you this,” he says barely before you’ve entered the porch.

Harry’s face pales as he unravels the small piece of paper bundled into his hand by his younger brother, but you could swear all blood drains from him the second the words sink in.

‘You took them, you lost them, you collect them. What would mum and dad say, Harold?’

“Harry, what’s happening?”

“That utter wanker stole the polaroids as revenge for scarring him. He’s hidden them around the house. We have to find them before mum and dad go looking. You in for the ride?”

“Only if Haz can join us tonight,” you tease, and after calling a hello to Harry’s parents, you follow him around the house, detaching all the pinned photos.

Harry's learnt a solid lesson today: hide his damn Polaroids better from now on, away from the prying eyes of his bloody brothers. But, he thinks with a smirk, by no means will the two of you stop taking them.

[dangergrandpa]

The first noteling born to Heaven invokes chaos. Of course Malthael finds himself drawn into it.

-----

The first time a noteling comes into being in Heaven, every angel is on edge. The little one is tiny. So small, barely clinging to life because its mother wasn't prepared for the sheer drain on her energy reserves. She's also deeply protective, a child of Valor through and through, when the First Note enters her nest. Her wings, dimmed but still very impressive, flare up wide in a display of primal aggression. The Valor angel Sings at him, not to him, notes angry and warning of injury if he tries to approach her.

Malthael stops, thinking about what he's seeing, and sits on the ground well away from her. His own wings flop downwards, relaxed, calm and open to his riled kin. The mother angel pauses in her display, tilting her helmeted head as she comes out of the soft nest a little. Noteling silent and out of sight. The Aspect of Wisdom reaches into a hidden pocket, pulls out parchment, ink and quill, and sets the items on the ground in front of himself where they can be seen and inspected.

"I come with questions, sister, not with intent to harm," he soothes, Song calming in its gentle drumbeat. "Are you willing to answer?" It takes several long minutes for the new mother to decide on her answer, but finally she moves to sit in front of him - and Malthael stops her. "If you would prefer to do so from the comfort of your nest, I do not mind," he assures, and the female angel relaxes all at once as she eases back into the mass of pillows, cushions and quilts. Her comfort is paramount.

"I will answer your questions, Malthael," she mutters, clearly tired. "Forgive me if I do not have the energy for all of them."

"Tis no problem, verily," he promises, and takes up his parchment and quill to begin quizzing his sister of Valor.

He doesn't see or hear the noteling once, but has no doubt it's there. Time passes, and many days and nights later, the mother angel requests his presence. Malthael goes immediately to her, fretting that something has gone wrong.

He's introduced to an active, healthy little noteling - still tiny in his arms - that clings to his robe and armour, climbing adeptly round to his back to press between his wings and ping happily at him. He freezes, glancing at the noteling's amused mother with visible worry displayed by his wings.

"She's fond of you," she explains, arms crossed. "I think she imprinted you as a third parent."

Malthael adds "not going into a new parent angel's bower" to the growing tomes of knowledge about childbearing and notelings. Disturbing the imprinting process could have dire consequences. As it is, he has to take special pains to correct his new niece everytime she calls him Sire instead of Uncle, lest her actual Sire take it as an insult.

[dwollsadventures]

The second part of a request from TheLOAD from... a while back. The initial one was the Nix/Nokk/Knucker piece. This one took me a little longer for a few reasons. Mostly school reasons. And writer's block reasons,  which is why this is taking the place of the monthly preview. And because, for research, I had to re-read the entirety of Drakon by Daniel Ogden for information. For those not used to my pedantry, this is not an "in-canon" family tree of the Greek dragons, such as you might see in those huge Greek mythology family tree pictures that are on the internet (I've got a few in my favorites from waaaaayyyy back as well). Rather, this is a way of showing how the concept of the dragon came about throughout time and how other beings are related through those branching lines. Of course this is presented as a lot more neat than it probably should be. If it were truly accurate it would have interconnected lines all over the place and obscure the little lizards. Before we talk about what's on the tree let's talk about what's not on it. Though Odgen talks about every (and I mean every) slightly Draconic being in Greek and Roman mythology, I've opted to include a trimmed down version. Because some, like Medusa and Lamia, I personally do not consider dragons proper, and others like the goddess Keto are relatively obscure and probably only exist to explain the existence of a related being (like the ketea). Creatures like Chimera and Typhoeus are included because, while not usually serpentine or draconic, they are in effect dragons; horrible, vaguely reptilian monsters slain by a hero. Not every individual dragon is depicted, only the ones I thought pertinent to include. (warning: LONG)

To start with, a drakon is a snake. The Greeks used the word to refer to both huge monsters and mundane snakes. Drakon itself is derived from the word dérkomai and is believed to literally mean, "the one who sees". The hypnotizing power attributed to snakes is present in drakons, traditionally given the job of the sleepless guardian of treasure. Going back even further, we see that the drakon comes from two disparate cultural perceptions of snake, each of which is still present in its classical form.

Snake Goddess - One of the native precursors of the Greeks were the Minoans. They had more in common with their Egyptian and Near Eastern neighbors than the Italians and Balkans. From what little we can gather of their culture, it appears the snake was a symbol of the goddess. Whether or not it was any goddess in particular is unknown. This theme survives into ancient Greece, however. Athena often uses snakes as agents when acting with mortals, Hera uses them as well (the twin serpents who attempted to strangle Heracles and the Hydra), and Medea had a chariot pulled by snakes. Earth goddesses in particular are heavily associated with them. Python was a direct product of Gaia, and the snake was a divine symbol of Demeter, who also had a rad snake chariot. Even in mortal women, their dynamic with snakes and dragons is nurturing. Several heroines sing to snakes as their masculine counterparts steal the treasure they guard, fulfilling a nurturing role in comparison to the destructive masculine one. Here the snake is a guardian, a creature of the earth and everything beneath it, including gold and the dead. These dragons are usually not slain, but pacified by the presence of a woman. In addition, the beard is an originally Greek symbol associated with snakes, particularly those connected to the gods. This was quite possibly a signifier of their supernatural status above mundane serpents. The goddess depicted above isn't any one in particular, though her dress does pull from a statue of Athena holding a curled python.

Drakaina - One way in which the snake goddess has survived is in the drakaina. This word is simply the feminine form of drakon, but also encompasses the numerous beings characterized by having the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a drakon. Numerous beings in Greek mythology fit this theme, but the one I've focused on is the Scythian drakaina, a woman who intercepts Heracles during one of his labors and kidnaps some cows. She offers to return the cattle in exchange for a night of intercourse. And then Herc is off and we're told the three sons of that union go on to become kings of great renown in Scythia. Some authors interpret this as a Greek adaptation of a Scythian myth, with one of the key pieces of evidence being that the drakaina's name is Hora, meaning "Seasons". Regardless of whether or not this is a goddess, it is a story where the snake-woman is neither killed nor stolen from, instead given the prestige of being the founder of a line of kings.

PIE Chaos Serpent - From the Proto-Indo-Europeans up North, we get the dragon we're all more familiar with. Serpents of this breed, such as Apep, Tiamat, and Jormungand, are all enormous, destructive creatures allied with darkness and the unforgiving seas. They represent the primordial chaos from what order sprang out of, and often have a hand in trying to return the world to that way. One of the primary themes associated with them is the dragon slayer: a god or hero who fights a dragon to save something, be it a land or treasure or an Ethiopian princess.

Typhoeus - This guy, though significantly more humanoid and giant-like than any others, is the clearest example of a PIE chaos serpent in Greece. It does not get more typical than a giant snake (like) monster fighting a storm god. Typhoeus probably sprung from traditions where he was more serpentine, but gradually added other aspects. Such as his own storm god qualities. In Greece, gods associated with the winds are always given wings, save for Zeus. The two's battle is reflective of a battle between the terrible whirlwinds and lightning strikes and the calmer, helpful rain showers that enable humanity to survive. 

And then we get to the drakon proper. Taking elements from both sides of the tree, the archetypal Greek drakon is an enormous, often monstrous serpent associated with both the underground and the waters in some way. They are agents of gods, most often goddesses, sent to battle heroes or guard priceless treasures. Sometimes they're killed, sometimes they're merely lulled to sleep by a helpful maiden. Rather than breathing fire (which everything from mechanical bulls to horses to giants do), they possess venoms and rows of sharp teeth. Mention of their terrible gazes is often made. This drakon has both a beard and a casque-like crown, common elements in drakon descriptions from Greece. Its face is much less serpentine, being modeled after a clay illustration of the Colchian dragon. This gives is a suitably monstrous look, as if it were being pealed from layers of mud.

Chimera - Despite its odd appearance, the chimera fits the pattern of a dragon terrorizing a countryside and being slain by a plucky hero. The chimera may in fact be the originator of the classical Saint George imagery, where the saint is depicted as towering over a crawling, pitiful dragon. A 3rd century mosaic from Imperial Rome may have started this trend. What makes her (because despite her mane the Chimera is a female) stand apart from all the rest is the sheer strangeness of her form compared to others. Especially the little goat that comes out of her back, like a rider. Which I had to cut for spacing reasons :(

Hydra - Another classical Greek dragon is the multi-headed hydra, who has given its name to a whole genre of creatures with more heads than they ought to have. In addition to having the attributes of a typical Greek drakon, the Hydra has two traits seen in Mesopotamian monsters as well. The first is the amount of heads. Having many heads is not as common in Greece as it is in the Near East, where the idea of an eleven-headed sea serpent pops up numerous times across several different cultures. The second is that the hydra, in its earliest mentioning by Hesiod, is said to have been raised by Hera specifically to combat Heracles. This same tactic is done by a few Mesopotamian gods. In their realm of influence, monsters are pawns of the gods, who send them out to do their bidding on Earth while they lounge in Heaven. Our Hydra may have been a later influence from Greece's neighbors to the East. Also, had to add in the crab that Hera also sends in to help the hydra. If this were a spec bio piece, I would make it a species of crab that evolved to clean the hydra of parasites.

Cetus - Sea monsters such as these are perhaps the furthest from the traditional Greek drakon, while still remaining core parts of the mythology. In form cetoi range from exaggerations of real whales and sharks to dog-headed serpents with frilly fins and ears. Or even animal-headed fish. Because they live underwater, they almost always function as tools of divine vengeance. Kinda hard to steal treasure underwater. Heavy metal tends to sink. While cetus was originally a word for any sea monster, it would eventually become the root of the scientific term cetacean: whales and dolphins.

But the tree doesn't end there. See, even after the culture we recognize as the Ancient Greeks and Romans faded, their dragons still lived on. Medieval Europe, with its glorification of Greco-Roman texts, derived many of their folk beliefs from their predecessors. Or, the people who they liked to imagine were there predecessors.

Draco - The Romans adopted the Greek drakon whole-clothe, like a lot of stuff. The only noteworthy original dragon to come out of the pre-Fall Roman era was the Dacian Draco. The Dacians used the image of a dragon as a standard during war-time, represented as a serpent with the head of a dog. When conquered, the Romans adopted this, possibly beginning the Western tradition of associating dragons with military power and identity. The dog-headed serpent would also survive to the modern period, showing up in descriptions of Balkan lamya. 

Indian Drakon - Here begins a tradition in Greek and Roman literature that claimed that foreign parts were full of large, dangerous, and more interesting fauna than the mundane peninsula they were all stuck on. This is a common theme of humanity in general, where everyone you're not familiar with is teeming with exciting and ancient life. Just look at cryptozoology. India in particular was a favorite of Greek tall tales, being far away for journeys to be rare, but also rich and full of exotic animals. Philostratus populated India with three types of drakons: the lowly marsh, the silver hill, and the dazzling golden mountain drakons. They were typical in every respect, having enormous sizes, red crowns, beards, and guarding treasure beneath the earth. An interesting addition was that they were the mortal enemies of elephants. Being the largest land-animal (in real life), they made perfect prey for these humongous serpents. Feeding on them was fraught with peril, however, as the struggle between reptile and mammal could result in the death of either party, or both. To symbolize the foreignness of the drakon, I drew it as a sort of hybrid between the drakon and the Hindu naga. 

Pliny's Drakon - This drakon is otherwise the same as the Indian, but is the start of another theme. As time went on, philosophers began taking more grounded looks at fantastical animals. While also perpetuating even more outrageous falsehoods. None was more popular than Pliny the Elder, hence the name. He believed that, while foreign drakons might be real, they were much more similar to the snakes of Greece than the monsters of legend. He scoffed at the crowns and hair they were adorned with. His Natural History was the first of many instances where the fantastical elements of the dragon were toned down to seem more palatable to a scientifically minded audience. It also introduced an interest into the life history of the dragons, treating them as real animals with lives beyond the myths. Our dragon up top evolved to resemble pythons, rather than the other way around to what probably happened in real life, where pythons were exaggerated to become dragons.

Then, we get two foreign influences, which would come to shape the modern definition of the European dragon. Christianity's influence cannot be understated here. As Jonathan Evans states in Medieval Folklore, the dragon came to be confused with several other desert animals. In Jewish and early Christian belief, desert animals were themselves demonic, living in inhospitable regions devoid of human life. Later, texts like Revelations would specifically denote dragons as heralds of evil, and even harbingers of Armageddon itself. This is in contrast to the morally neutral Leviathan. In the medieval era, dragons were beings of evil, without a doubt. Bestiaries were full of on the nose fables about how the natural lives of dragons. Like how they could not stand the breath of a panther (a symbol of Jesus Christ). Or how they could not catch birds that nested in the Peridexion tree (the tree being the church and the birds being Christians, who are safe from the devil so long as they do not stray from the arms of God). This is represented by a typical medieval devil, being brightly colorful and made in mockery of God's creations, aka a weird hybrid with a snake coming out of his butt. Then, the Germanic dragon. This is seen especially in Northern and Western Europe. The Germanic dragon is otherwise similar to the Greek, except that it began as a character of evil. Lindworms and other serpents are almost always antagonists, and there is no heroine who saves them from their fate of death. They also had a stronger connection to treasure. Greek dragons guarded treasure as a job, but the very existence of Germanic dragons is tied with their golden hoards. In addition, in Greek myths, getting transformed into an animal is usually the end of one's story. With the Germanic dragon, it's merely the beginning. Transformed dragons act as antagonists and moral lessons wrapped in one; a lesson to all to not be greedy. Germanic dragons, represented by the lindworm, reinforced their role as antagonists and agents of selfish evil.

Which finally brings us to the medieval dragon. In a way, this creature is a mix of everything above. The dragon is an animal and demon in one, simultaneously a figure of evil who spoils the land around them and a living being with its own life and needs. The medieval era also introduces the origin of dragons, showing them as having nests and young, not simply coming into existence out of the earth or sea like before. They also developed some less reptilian traits, like wings and hair. This was probably because of artistic traditions among the monks who wrote bestiaries rather than popular legend, which continued to conflate them with snakes and lizards and even crocodiles. This particular line of the tree would develop a life of its own, spreading far and wide across Europe and eventually reaching beyond the seas. Our modern conceptions of dragons are a whole 'nother story.

[jencsi]

Let’s Talk- Finn and Russell;

From the very beginning, we get the hint, notion, presence of a deeper connection between Julie Finlay and DB Russell. In Seeing Red, when she hears him, not even having to look and know he’s there during the crime scene reconstruction, just his voice alone makes her roll her eyes, gets her fired up with some sort of passion, anger, emotional reaction. As evidenced from their conversation about the blood spatter case, her resistance to proceed further with him again shows she is not quite over what has happened to them in the past and it makes viewers want to know, what the heck happened? What could this seemingly unbothered hippie like guy have ever done to cross this already sullen yet spirited woman? Despite her futile attempts to deflect him, she cannot help but be drawn to the case, he sought her out after all, he must be desperate. When she retrieves the file he leaves behind and it piques her interest, she gives in, with probably a lot of hemming and hawing off screen, before venturing to CSI for the first time.

That single solitary scene cemented in my brain their dynamic from that day forward. There was no going back for me. Whatever they had in the past, whether that be something romantic, friendly or just work related, my soul ached to know more and even better, my heart yearned to watch them more, to listen, to observe the bantar, the sarcasm, the snark, the sheer and utter pure honesty that comes from their conversations. DB Russell is not trying to trick Finn, he’s not trying to make her figure out some silly puzzle or game, he just wants her expertise and guidance. Once she accepts his offer, her personality begins to shine via her work (Should I wrap it up and take it back to the lab? Took the words right out of my mouth smart ass” “You know me so well” “And you know blood, better than anyone I know”) her bonding with her colleagues, and even better, the little hints at what was between her and Russell back in Seattle.

When we finally do get to see that past revealed, ripped open like a fresh wound, via CSI on Fire, we see the headstrong and overheated Finn on a mission, prove that Tom Cooley is a killer and bring justice to the families of his victims. Of course that journey is not without complications and wild accusations, of course Finn would never kill anyone, that I firmly believe, unless of course it’s to save a friend or colleague (saving Greg from that supposed innocent victim of the Gig Harbor Killer in The Twin Paradox) but Cooley rattles her, gets under her skin in a way different from Russell. In fact it’s Russell warning her to be careful, to go with caution, but her typical rebellious nature of “I’m not listening” pushes her further to the truth and to danger at every turn.

Her tone when speaking to Russell about the discovery of Cooley’s body in his hotel shifts our thinking that maybe she isn’t the same person she was two years ago. If what we are observing right now is the casual cool collected Finn, just how reckless was she in Seattle? She feels the disappointment from Russell in his tone, the way he looks at her, and she hates that, she doesn’t want to disappoint anyone, especially him. His presence in her life since the Seattle days has created this combination of not wanting to let him down or disappoint him mixed with her fierce loyalty to the truth, to the victims and their families, clashing with her exuberant personality.

With CSI on Fire resolved, Finn melts back into a rhythm with her ex-husband, also a component of her former life in Seattle, all seems right between Russell and her, a trademark of their friendship, forgiveness and acceptance.

Looking at their dynamic from the perspective of the actors who portray them, Ted Danson has referred to them as the bickersons, like oil and water, but at the same time, Finn/Elisabeth and her characters intrusiveness helps him do his job better and see things clearly when it comes to cases as well as other aspects of his characters life. Elisabeth meanwhile seemed to enjoy the back and forth dialogue and the testiness of their relationship, she seemed invested in their past in Seattle and wondered where the writers would take that.

In Homecoming, the season 12 finale, we see corruption and problems arise amongst the police force and Russell apologies for seeming to drag Finn into this mess and bringing her there to work but she states that she makes her own decisions and doesn’t seem bothered by the issues until she is thrown into the chaos of it all when she trails Crenshaw and stumbles into the violence they have created around them with the assistance of McKeen and Kimball.

The Finn and Russell dynamic gets tested here when Katie, Russell’s grand daughter is kidnapped and Finn attempts to save her. In the chaos, she sends Katie out into the unknown alone while she does battle with Crenshaw (a violent but epic struggle, major kudos to the stunt work they did here, it felt so real and made me love Finn even more, seeing how far Elisabeth was willing to take this character) Russell is devastated to learn Finn let Katie escape alone but is also distraught knowing both were hurt and in danger. His anger at Finn boils over when she insists she’s fine, how he refers to her as “Finn” on the phone instead of the sweeter Jules we are used to hearing, and when she discusses the case with him in the bedroom where Katie was taken from and he punched the wall, leading to a missed clue. Despite the resentment towards her, they figure out Katie’s whereabouts and stop McKeen from carrying out his plans. We can see and feel Finn’s guilt deep down for her mistakes, even if everything works out, the way she stands holding the phone, the way she looks at Moreno who tries to assure her it will be okay.

At the end of Karma To Burn, Finn and Russell reconcile again, not so much with words but in the way she snaps him out of his fantasy of ever having to use his gun in a real life situation, of how far he was almost pushed to the brink when it comes to saving his work family, not just Katie. His use of the nickname Jules on several occasions, something she claims to hate but also doesn’t, comes back when Barbara inquires if she will stay for dinner. All is well again.

The final blow and perhaps the deepest cut of their relationship occurs with the reopening of the Gig Harbor Killer case. From the get go, we start off with a bang, literally and figuratively. It is Russell who is at the mercy of Winthrop who demands he admit they did not capture the correct killer in order to relinquish Finn from the confines of her bomb invested car. With much reluctance, he admits their mistake and Finn is spared. The hug they share in the parking lot after she is freed breaks me every time and just further adds to the complicated but always present nature of their relationship. The next go around, Maya, Russell’s daughter is targeted, but this time, she is used as bait to try and lure the copycat out to play and be captured. When that fails, Finn unwillingly becomes the next target and once again Russell is thrown for a loop. This time however, there is no mercy, no chance at redemption, Finn is ripped from him violently and with no regard. Worse still, we get to see a tiny bit of his life afterwards, via CSI Cyber, when he observes another coma patient in Hack ER. Avery Ryan takes notice of his demeanor and quietly brings up Finn. Russell’s memories play out in quick flashbacks and we see where his heart belonged the entire time. He speaks of reading to her, hoping she’d wake up, then darkness, never to see her eyes pierce him again, no more bantar, no more snark, no more intrusiveness. The fact that almost a whole year later we get a resolution for Finn and get to see Russell pine for her one last time gives us closure and really showcases how strong this bond was for three and a half years.

I will always wish for a better outcome for Finn, as originally scripted, but somewhere in the chaos of writing and producing, we lost her. I will always be sad we didn’t get to see more of Russell at her bedside waiting for her to wake up. That emotion would have been so raw and real coming from Ted. These characters deserved a proper ending and reunification because it just wasn’t justified to wreck their metaphorical ship that was so strong and sailing along fine before colliding with the iceberg of violence. Nevertheless, this dynamic holds strong in my heart to this day. There are plenty more examples to pull from the show, every time they chatted about cases and made progress just by talking it out, every time they fought about their thought processes and reckless behavior, every soft sweet utterance of “Jules” will forever gut me, weaken me, bring me to my knees, but somehow give me strength. That’s how powerful their relationship was and appeared to me on screen, they were a paradox, love, hate, push, pull, oil and water as Ted stated before, give and take, and boy did they give me so much more than any naysayer could ever attempt to take from me. No matter where anyone stands on the fandom line, so much heart and soul went into Russell and Finn, and when you really sit down and watch and listen with perspective and acceptance, you can see it and feel it. I think that type of power transcends just your typical acting alone, it truly feels real. Give me that dynamic everyday, sign me up. I don’t think I’ll ever be as lucky as I was to witness such greatness on the screen between these two. Good things don’t happen twice, as I have unfortunately learned the hard way over the years, once it’s gone, it’s gone.

But in the heart and soul of Russell and Finn is an incredible ability to keep a stronghold on viewers like me, or maybe not, maybe I’m just crazy, but here were are, years after things have ended and the screen has faded to black.

[secret-keeper18]

I’m Gay - Eugene Lee Yanga

An analysis by a bisexual asian dancer

In honor of pride month, Eugene Lee Yang has gifted us this beautiful work of cinematic and choreographic art. First off, congratulations to Eugene for officially coming out in this video. It was beautiful, it was bold, and most amazingly, it was so incredibly brave. Secondly, if you haven’t seen the video yet, PLEASE DO!!! Thirdly, the video is also in collaboration with the Trevor Project, a free suicide hotline for LGBTQ+ youth, so please please PLEASE if you can go support it.

Scene 1 - Family

Starting with the beginning of the video, the camera pans back showing Eugene and four others. The women are looking one way, the men are looking the other, and Eugene stares dead in the center.

These people are representative of a family, and later go on to represent the impact of gender roles and familial influence on Eugene’s life. In addition, the men are both wearing suits and the women wearing dresses and high heels (though not shown in this picture), fitting the societal gender norms for dressing. Eugene, however, is not only wearing red, which stands out in great contrast to the plain black of the family, but is wearing a flowy dress/robe.

The mother is seen on the right, putting on lipstick and crossing her legs, representing the traditionally feminine actions and role. Eugene, the brother, and the sister, imitate this behavior, as children often do. Then, the father is shown, legs spread, drinking alcohol, yelling, pounding his fist violently. The children also initate his behavior, as children have little concept of feminine vs. masculine roles until taught that way by society.

During this time, when children are impressionable and learn by copying behaviors, the parents separate the children by gender. The mother takes the daughter, and teaches her. They do the movement together, while the father and the brother do different choreography in the background. The women’s movement is lighter, more indirect, while the men’s are far more masculine. The men’s movements are direct and more grounded, crossing their arms and taking strong steps, almost as if they were marching. However, Eugene clearly prefers to follow his mother and sister’s movements, immediately joining in.

When he attempts to put on lipstick as his mother had, the father knocks it out of his hand and slaps him on the head. Most heartbreakingly, the brother watches, observes the consequences that comes with acting like their mother and sister instead of their father, and follows him. This is representative of how something like this is such a common practice, enforcing gender roles in a family by simply pairing actions such as following the traditionally feminine roles with punishment and reprimand. Finally, Eugene follows with their movement, transitioning into the next scene.

Scene 2 - Church

The first thing we see are two lines of people, marching together. Marching in such a way usually denotes military, uniform. It is clear the message here: stay in line, don’t make waves, be just like everyone else. Eugene follows, but begins to add his own spin to the movement until he finally is doing something completely different from what everyone else is doing. Everyone else continues dancing together, even covering their eyes at some point and blindly following each other to the pews while Eugene keeps his eyes and arms open. However, someone comes to him and physically fixes his movements, changing and shaping him until he is doing the same thing as everyone else. His movement up until here is free and strong, whereas when it is fixed to follow everyone else, changes the quality of the movement to be bound and the energy and power that he initially was putting in to become dulled. Their willful closing of the eyes is meant to represent closemindedness, and the setting of the church is a clear message of his experience. Religion was a toxic subject for him, its closemindedness and hatred and bigotry hurt him as he fought to break out of the uniform.

This is when something happens. The people are all wearing neutral colors, until suddenly, the man standing at the podium begins gesturing angrily, clearly yelling and spewing hatred. The man, and the side of the pews that begin getting riled up and yelling back in agreement, all suddenly are wearing white. However, the side where Eugene is sitting is wearing all black, and they are in agreement with the people in white. In fact, Eugene turns his head to look at the others, and their heads are bowed, their eyes lowered.

Scene 3 - Relationships

This is a clear timeskip from the family and church scenes, from childhood and teenager/young adult years. He turns and sees a woman dancing. The music here turns from strong and quick to softer, with a piano melody rather than electronic to convey a romantic tone. Eugene stands up and begins dancing with her. Their movement is smooth and free, their partnering work equal and balanced.

There is a genuine appreciation on Eugene’s end for her, something that does not change even when he turns again to find a man dancing. He is dancing just as beautifully and gracefully, and Eugene steps in to perform similar partnering movements with the same anount of ease. The woman joins in, and does her own movements traveling while Eugene and the man do the same choreography, differing from her own. In fact, this time, Eugene is the one being lifted, rather than the other way around.

When they finish the sequence, Eugene takes a moment to embrace the woman, before turning back to the man, and the woman departs, clearly still on amicable terms. I think what is beautiful here is the truly genuine attraction he had toward her, and it is evident in their flawless partner work and appreciative expressions when they look at each other one final time before Eugene turns back to the man. A truly “Thank You, Next” sort of a feeling. The seamless transition into him twirling the man and the man lowering him down on top of him was beautiful and such a powerful sight for me, seeing the joy in their faces before the scene once again is swept away into the next phase of Eugene’s life.

Scene 4 - Drag

Eugene has done a good few videos on drag and how important it is to him, and he can speak about the subject with far more authority than myself, so I’m going to keep this scene relatively short.

One of the clearest differences in this scene is he sheer amount of color in this. From the purposeful placement rainbows, it is clear that color was an incredibly important aspect to include in this video. The contrast from the black and white from the first two scenes is so evident. This and scene 3 is clearly the beginning of the parts of his life that began to literally bring color into his life.

He begins interacting with people, smiling widely and truly enjoying spending time with these people as he joins the crowd of bright and colorfully-clad individuals. Not one of them looks the same or even dances the same to another, an important distinction to the movement characteristic to the church scene.

Then, the camera focuses on someone approaching the group. Most obvious about him is his attire- white shirt and blue jeans, the same outfit from the hateful group in the church scene. This is the most transparent part of the video, as the man raises his hand in a gun symbol and the people around Eugene begin to fall.

It is a symbol of how hatred takes lives through both murder and suicide.

Eugene reaches out desperately, but hands reach up and literally drag him down. Once again, the people in white pull and beat him down, transitioning into the next scene.

Scene 5 - Finale

What I find most interesting about this is the total change in costuming and color from the previous scene. In this scene, he is stripped of his clothing, accessories, and make up. Anything that did not fit society’s expectation of remotely masculine is gone, leaving only a pair of misfiting jeans. It is after the crowd of those in white leaves, when the family from the first scene reappear. This time, the parents are in white, while the siblings are in black. It hurts, knowing that the parents, the people expected to love you unconditionally, are amongst those who hurt you. The siblings, who are dressed in black, take Eugene’s hand and help him stand again, pulling the parents away from hurting him anymore.

However, after he is beaten down, he once again rises, this time clad in royal blue, sharp make up, and slick backed hair. He strides toward the camera, determinedly persevering despite those pushing and shoving around him, trying to knock him down. The crowd is a mox of people in white and people in black, all trying to either hurt or aid him. The contrast between the gently touchss of the people in black and the angry shoves from the people in white is evident. Eugene makes it past the crowd, remaining steelfaced despite the anger and fighting going on behind him. The music builds and builds, swelling as he stands with his head held high and sway from the crowd. The camera pans in closer to his face as people continue to argur behind him.

The music cuts out, and the only audio accompanying the sight of Eugene’s expression is that of the angry crowd’s arguing and yelling. The scene ends with a close up of Eugene’s face, a mix of emotions as he attempts to steel his expression against the pain, trying to remain stoic despite the clamor in his ears and the hatred undoubtedly being strewn about just behind him. The resignation to his obligation, to remain strong even when there are those trying to pull him down, is clear in his eyes as he tightens his jaw and stares directly into the camera, purposely ignoring the chaos in the background.

Conclusion

This is truly an amazing work of art, from the choreography, to the music, to the costuming, to the story being told. Eugene’s ability to tell this story, his story, in such a manner is simply a work of creative genius. There is just so much emotion portrayed in a single scene, representative through dance and acting that gets his point across in such a clear yet artistic manner. His conveying of his struggles and triumphs was breathtaking.

A few extra notes worth appreciating that I couldn’t quite manage to slip in.

1. The casting of actual asians in a dance role. Honestly brought tears to my eyes.

2. The athleticism it takes to pull off some of this choreo, specifically in the third scene. The partnering work was just gorgeous and the choreography so beautifully told the story with absolutely zero need for words.

3. Eugene has not really kept his sexuality a secret before, but recognizing the importance of “coming out” especially at this time of year and through such a creative medium is truly commendable. No matter how many times you come out, it’s scary, especially at such a large scale.

4. Eugene has always been known as the stoic one of the Try Guys, so for him to be putting himself and his art (as they are essentially one and he same) out there in such a vulnerable manner is amazing, and I don’t think a lot of us are as brave as this.

5. On a devastatingly personal note, this video meant so much to me. Growing up, there was no lgbtq+ representation in media, much less non-white, Asian lgbtq+ representation. The medium in which this is portrayed is so close to my heart, too, as I’d spent four years in a dance program where I would analyze dance shows and videos such as this one. It was terrifyingly easy to relate to, but one I so desperately hope many others find light in as well.

Please share the video and encourage others to donate to the Trevor Project! I wrote this in the few hours after the video came out so there are undoubtedly things I’ve missed, so please feel free to add your own interpretations or things you’ve noticed/what this video meant to you.

Thank you, Eugene, and Happy Pride Month❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

[amandaklwrites]

Movie Review: The Mummy Returns (2001)

Genre: Historical Fantasy/Action, Adventure/Family

Rating: 8.5/10

Movie Review:

Let me start off this review by saying I love this movie. I don’t love it as much as the first movie, but I do love, love it! It’s just another fun addition to the franchise and adds more to the story that I had loved so much about the first one.

However, as I had said moments ago, I didn’t love it as much as the first. And you can see by the rating that I don’t love it as much either. I’ll start with some of the things I didn’t love about this movie, so I can close with the aspects that I did love.

My main problem with this film is how they used Egyptian mythology and twisted it with Hollywood edge with how most movies have been used—that death/underworld is instantly evil (think Disney’s Hercules: though I LOVE this movie, of course they made the god of the underworld evil, when in fact, the shittiest person in mythology is actually the “head god”). I didn’t like how they portrayed Anubis in this movie, like, at all. He looked SO COOL, but why the hell did they make him so evil???? To me, it was like the creators had just used an excuse—oh okay, he’s connected to the dead and the afterlife and he’s a giant jackal-headed god, let’s make him chaos and evil! If they did a little research, they’d see that the actual god of chaos and would have made so much more sense in this movie was Set (or Seth). He’s literally chaos. And… he wouldn’t have an army of undead-like things that would start wars… *head shake* I could rage about this all the time, I could write a whole term paper on it. The bottom line is that Anubis is not evil whatsoever, and he doesn’t have any powers that they associated with him in the movie. He’s the god that would help with the burial practices in Egypt (like mummification and such), and would help lead the dead to the underworld/afterlife and the trials with Osiris. He’s not even in charge of the dead! He’s just a part of the system! Ugh, I have to stop talking about it.

My other thing was how they used Anck-Su-Namun in this story. I liked the idea of reincarnation and that Evie was Nefertiti in another life (though… why did they have Evie say she was half-Egyptian in the first movie? To me, it felt so subtle and just used to explain her connection and love for ancient Egypt?). It was interesting! Though I personally don’t think we always look the same in reincarnation instances, I know they used Rachel Weisz because it would explain the movie/idea easier. However, I didn’t like the whole thing with Anck-Su-Namun/Meela. Why couldn’t they have done the same as they did with Evie? Evie didn’t even remember her past life until certain memories came back! Why did it have to be a woman that looked like Anck-Su-Namun and they had to get her soul from the afterlife and put it in her body? That whole aspect didn’t make sense to me and frankly, added nothing interesting to the story. It fell super flat to me. They should’ve done it like they did with Evie—Anck-Su-Namun had reincarnated as Meela and couldn’t remember her past life, but Imhotep brought the memories back. It would have made more sense. Was it supposed to be because she had done something bad in her past life, so her soul couldn’t reincarnate? I don’t know, but that whole part of the plot was just silly to me. And I felt like that they didn’t even explain much with Meela. How did she found out about all this, why was she okay with giving up her soul to another soul to take her body? UGH, WHY! I just wanted to scream.

Another last add on—the Scorpion King? What???? It was so random and weird, and I get the idea for the plot, but it wasn’t interesting to me. Though, since I didn’t like how they used Anubis, so I guess the whole point of storyline just didn’t work for me. I was so annoyed with most of the story arc itself for all these reasons.

Okay, it sounds like I didn’t like half of this movie. But it was those plot points/aspects. The rest of it, I LOVED. I loved seeing our favorite characters again—Evie, Rick, Jonathan, Ardeth, and even Imhotep!

I think my favorite thing was to see how Evie and Rick had developed as a couple. They had been married for a few years now and they had a son, Alex, who is such a delight. I liked that their relationship hadn’t changed much, other than they seemed more comfortable with one another from their years together and their love had deepened even more. I love the two of them so, so much. That Rick and Evie would still fight to the death for one another. And Alex! What a kid! I liked how they made him a great balance between his parents—his smarts from his mother, and his sheer will to rush into danger like his father.

What I also liked was how well they kept the humor. They even reused old funny moments but changed them slightly (i.e. Alex knocking over the pillars like his mom with the bookshelves, Alex not knowing one word in the spell like his uncle—who was the one to give it to him!). I thought it was cleverly done and they did it in such a way that it didn’t feel like they were beating an old joke and we didn’t laugh. I sure did anyway.

Evie’s death was devastating (give Brendan Fraser an award for that performance, sheesh!), but her revival was even more brilliant. And I liked that when she came back, she seemed to remember her old self even more—her fighting moves were so cool! I think that Evie developed even more in this movie, but not in a bad way. She became more of a badass than she was before in the sense that she could kick so much ass. I don’t think she changed much as a person (still silly, clumsy at times, her charming and smart self), other than she had grown up a bit and she now had that feral love for her little boy. Don’t mess with a woman’s son, please. Same for Rick though. His will to save his son (scooping him up and taking off running was the best) was just as strong as he would do for Evie, and that I loved. A good husband and a good father. Especially with the personality of his. He’s the type of man that is gruff and strong and easily annoyed, but when it comes to his wife and son, he’s a complete softy. I love it!

The whole jungle thing was okay and interesting, but I missed the desert. I’ve come here for ancient Egypt, give me Egypt! But I liked the mythology behind it, and it made for a fun new adventure.

One of my other favorite things was the ending with Imhotep and Anck-Su-Namun. Imhotep and Rick were falling to their deaths, and Imhotep watched as Evie literally dove through danger for her husband and love. But Anck-Su-Namun looked and then took off. You learn about her—that she only thought about herself. It had never been about love, but maybe the love for power. The look on Imhotep’s face was absolutely brilliantly done, as you watched a man crumble. As he realized that all he had done was for nothing. He had promised hell on earth because he raged that his love had been taken from him. And then she ran away from saving him to save her own ass (though she dies in the end, which, too bad, so sad *sarcasm*). It was kind of an interesting way to end his legacy honestly—that he gave up. Which, to me, signifies that he would never come back. Because what’s the point? His reason left him to die without a backward glance. What incredible storytelling!

Overall, I loved this movie, but I didn’t LOOOOOOOOVE it like I did with The Mummy. I liked how much new aspects this movie brought, the return of characters that we had loved (Jonathan and Ardeth were as badass as ever!), and that we got to see places outside of Egypt—London, the jungle. This is a fun second movie, but it isn’t as anywhere near perfect as the first movie. That one is my love and joy, while this one I just watch to enjoy.

It’s a great series, honestly. It is interesting, it takes concepts and turns them into something new (even though I don’t like all of them), and makes for a fun adventure movie (a horror??? Really?? That was what they were trying for?).

I love these movies. I really, really do.

[potteresque-ire]

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - My Rambling Review

This is a book that at times floors me, at times frustrates me.

(Under the cut, because 1) rambling and 2) spoilers)

I’ll lay out my frustrations first — then, I’ll do a 180 degrees turn around and explain why these frustrations also make the book such a haunting, powerful read for me. All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It’s just that, while reading, I also kept thinking:

This book is a several edits away from a masterpiece.

I’ll begin with this. I can’t say how much I adore Suzanne Collins’ dedication in driving home the themes of the Hunger Games in TBOSAS. The nature of war and how it serves a tool for those who want to retain power, the opposing view of whether human nature is inherently good or violent or self-destructive. 

Control, chaos, contract.

But this is also why, I think, the book stumbles in places. The themes are given such a strong, at times heavy-handed treatment that they threaten to swallow up other elements of storytelling. The plot, the characterisations etc have all at times given way to serve the themes, and the story’s believability is compromised. The Hunger Games, as a series, requires more believability to work than a novel about our world because of the sheer brutality of the games, both inside and outside the arena. This requires a sure hand in the writing. Suzanne Collins accomplished that in the original trilogy — I never doubted the existence of these games, and the horror that is the Capitol that has created and enjoyed them. But I did have moments of doubt while reading TBOSAS.

I think, if I have to sum up the shortcomings of TBOSAS, it is this: everything in this book is about war and totalitarianism. Every plot point speaks to these themes. Every major character is a walking symbol of a set of ideals related to these themes. Everything they think and do, every backdrop of their thoughts and actions including the imageries, the songs, the objects (compact, compass, snakes etc), all serve the themes in some way. This undermines plausibility of the story because actual human beings aren’t like that. Actual events don’t happen like that. Our lives are pulled in multiple directions by numerous purposes, most of them trivial. The trivialities may not serve any larger themes but they round us, complete us as humans. They provide the context, the texture of who we are.

Because only the aspects of them connected to the themes are told/emphasised, The characters in TBOSAS are prone to reading flat, textureless. Dr Gaul (DG) is the most extreme of examples. She feels no more than a voice (not a human) for the singular purposes of bringing up questions about the themes. Other major characters are relatively spared, but the issue is still evident in places. The thoughts of Coriolanus Snow (CS) are too focused on several issues (poverty; the three Cs; how the Plinths offend him, for example). Lucy Grey (LG) is somewhat saved by her songs and her mystery is her draw, but the same mystery also prevents us from engaging emotionally with her. Sejanus Plinth (SP) repeatedly tries to defy the Capitol, which is noble, but does little else that we’re aware of. His presence seems to serve as a contrast to CS rather than being a person on his own. The secondary characters suffer even more under the weight of the themes:  the mentors, for example, are so similarly unlikeable that they border on cartoonish for me. It makes sense in the trilogy that Katniss doesn’t know much about those in the arena with her and their mentors; it makes sense that her descriptions of them veer towards two-dimensional and therein lies the tragedy of the Games — Katniss and Peeta are fully aware that every tribute is a human being but they’re robbed of any chance to treat them as such. In contrast, the mentors in TBOSAS are CS’s childhood friends. CS may be self-centred and calculating, but he’s too observant to see his friends as all alike. Symbolically, I can understand why the mentors share certain traits ��� they will be the audience for the next 65 Hunger Games, after all — but the implausibility of these mentors undermines the plausibility of the 10th Hunger Games itself, as CS sits among them.

The shortcomings in characterisations are reflected in the plot. The romantic scenes between CS and LG tend to get into the discussions of the nature of the Games, of Panem and the Capitol’s rule very quickly (for example, the one by the Lake, the one during their final trip out of District 12). It allows a direct compare-and-contrast between his views and hers, but at the plot level, it makes their romance, healthy or not, difficult to believe, which makes some of CS’ decisions hard to believe. Sometimes, I almost sense a disinterest in the writing, a hastening in the pace at what are significant plot points that don’t directly serve the themes (for example, the confrontation in the shed). And there are many of such beautiful plot points in this book, fantastic moments when things don’t go as expected or the writing nails the scene and brings the emotions to the max (The last hanging. * Sigh*). But this book, like CS, isn’t interested in lingering in those moments. This book, like CS, doesn’t allow itself to veer out of emotional control.

Related to the plot too is that I feel the treatment of the tributes before 10th Hunger Games is a bit too heavy handed, and as a result, fail to achieve the chilling effects of the games in the original trilogy. How the tributes are dumped in a zoo and treated with veterinarians, how they’re treated in the funerals etc … the cold-heartedness of these acts, the villainous nature of the Capitol is so overt that it’s difficult to imagine the Capitol’s citizens going along with them (watching the tributes at the zoo, for example; the fans outside the arena during the games). The luxury offered to the tributes before the Games in the original trilogy adds on a whole layer of brutality, because it’s there to appease the conscience of the Capitol citizens, because it’s equivalent to fattening the pig before slaughtering it. The 10th Hunger Games misses that. Like everything else, I understand this choice of presentation at the symbolic level (more on that later), but it also makes some of these sequences read almost caricature, if the Games were a human. It’s Evil spelled out for all to see; it’s evil for evil’s sake.

Okay, so this seems to be a long list of complaints. If you get here, you must be wondering, how come I said I enjoyed the book? What is there left to be enjoyed, if the characterisations, the plot and the pacing all have somethings left to be desired?

And my answer is: this book is a very different book if I adjust my perspective, think of everything in terms of its themes and symbols. After this adjustment, TBOSAS becomes a very different read.

It’s also brilliant.

My thoughts are rough — I’m not familiar with the Hobbesian theories, but I’ll try to explain my alternate view of TBOSAS via my understanding of the 4 major characters, Coriolanus Snow (CS), Lucy Grey (LG), Sejanus Plinth (SP), and Dr Gaul (DG). I think of them as the major characters because I feel they each represent a set of perspectives regarding totalitarianism and the wars and chaos associated with it. In the books, these perspectives are engaged in a Hunger Games of their own, a battle raged because the governing set of perspectives, the one of Dr Gaul, is failing. The victor of this Game doesn’t get the Plinth Prize, but decides the fate of the Districts and Panem. I’d summarise the 4 perspectives as follows:

DG (Dr Gaul) is the closest to the classic villain. She views the line between the Capitol and the Districts as not the line between good and evil, but between winners and losers, who are violent animals without the line. The line is rigid and unmovable and must be maintained via constant war. She wants to make a totalitarian regime.

SP (Sejanus Plinth) is the closest to the classic hero. He also sees the line between the Capitol and the Districts, and as clearly and insistently as Dr Gaul (he insists he’s from District 2 throughout the book). The difference is, he sees it as the line between the oppressors and the oppressed, the evil and the good. He wants to break the totalitarian regime, make the line obsolete by making one side disappear. The road to achieve his ideals also involves war.

LG (Lucy Grey) refuses to acknowledge the line between the Capitol and the Districts. She has no trouble becoming friends / lovers with those who are from the Capitol as long as they do not commit the same brutality, while her sympathies also lie with the rebels who’re brutally treated. She has no interest in wars, in the making or breaking of any regime. She is her own judge of who’s good and who’s evil, who’s the oppressor and the oppressed and contrary to DG (and eventually, CS), she believes humans are inherently good.

CS (Coriolanus Snow), on the surface, also sees the line between the Capitol and the Districts. Unlike DG and SP, however, he sees it as something fluid, which can be erased and redrawn to suit a purpose. The line CS sees doesn’t demarcate good vs evil, or winners vs losers. It separates CS and what CS wants. Like LG, CS has no true loyalty to the Capitol or the Districts, has no inherent interest in wars or making or breaking a regime. Unlike LG, however, he is open to participating in them as long as there are rewards to be reaped. As such, CS has no qualms cheating in the Games, which does far more damage to the Capitol’s image of strength and control than anything else (by making LG a victor despite her unthinkable odds but more importantly, making her a person instead of an animal), or later on, taking over SP’s place in the Plinth’s family.

DG, despite being the game maker, is the first loser of this Hunger Games between the ideologies. Her control is cracking. Her Games are a bore, and discontent and hunger have lent chaos to the Districts, like the fight in the dark in District 12. Chaos is also in the Capitol when CS, discontent and hungry in his own way, begins to erase the line between the Capitol and the Districts by showing up in the train station with a rose. Despite her powerful façade, DG is also weak against LG and SP. LG defeats DG’s snake mutts easily in the arena. DG has to give SP chance after chance, given his father’s ammunition empire.

DG’s strength is that she’s aware of her weaknesses, and willing to adjust her tactics in exchange for the control she craves. I don’t think she’s grooming CS as much as she sees something in him that she doesn’t have. The something that is symbolised by the compact — the remaining humanity in CS after the war that allows him to gain the trust of LG and SP. DG fails to even pretend to have that. Like the 10th Hunger Games she’d staged, like her dumping the tributes in the zoo and abusing them, her intent is too obvious, her distaste too overt and … tasteless. Even the Capitol audience aren’t keen on her designs; they go to the zoo to watch the tributes but skip the Games. She needs a CS who knows how to re-package the Games as something that appears fun and harmless and beautiful, like LG. LG who can make tributes in a cage look dignified, who can entertain and sing DG’s snake mutts into oblivion.

SP’s strength is, of course, his moral fibre, which is also his weaknesses. He’s too idealistic; his inability to accept compromises, especially when he’s still too young to bring about actual changes to the Capitol, render him useless towards his goal — even if he doesn’t meet his end, what good can he do for the Districts, for Panem, once he heads North (with the likes of Billy Taupe)? I find myself agreeing with CS when he talks SP out of the arena — morality is of limited use if it can’t be translated into meaningful actions. I also (somewhat shamefully) find myself agreeing with CS’s frustration / bitterness about SP’s constant, vocal insistence that he’s District, if only because I find it disrespectful to the actual suffering the District 2 folks must be going through. As the Plinth heir, SP is in a very powerful position to bring about reforms to Panem if he can be a little more patient, a little more scheming, … a little more CS. Instead, he constantly engages himself in largely performative acts that compromises his own potential. Acting out in front of Dr Gaul. The bread crumbs for Marcus, even. It’s touching, yes, but does it change anything? No. The bread ritual isn’t the same as Katniss’s funeral for Rue; Katniss and Rue are both tributes. SP gets out of the arena because of the privilege he has in spades but fails to see in himself. He should also know, because he’s seen it before, what happens to whichever tribute who would’ve killed him if CS doesn’t show up.

That said, it doesn’t mean SP doesn’t do any good; it’s just that the good he’s done isn’t what he’s intended, which, perhaps, makes SP’s end even more tragic than it is. I think SP and his idealism have inspired CS to be a better person. I believe CS, despite himself, like SP more than he admits and SP delays his final turn for at least a while. SP may not have helped anyone in the Districts as he’s wished, but he’s close to changing the mind of someone who’ll one day decide the fate of everyone in the Districts.

LG. Her strength is her independent thinking. She isn’t naive about the Capitol-Districts line she refuses to acknowledge — she knows where the snakes are. She knows that better than anyone else. On the surface, she appears to be the weakest among the four, the girl in a rainbow dress whose only survival skill is her ability to manipulate snakes. But someone can sense evil and manipulate it to their advantage is a threat; someone who doesn’t buy into the Capitol’s propaganda is a threat, especially those who remember that the cruel laws and “traditions” (the Games) the Capitol attempts to pass as “lessons” are artefacts and therefore, transient. Transient things are weak; subservience to them is then an option, not a must. LG and her kind can be even more threatening to the Capitol than the rebels, because while the latter can be rid of with sentences of treason, the LGs of Panem cannot be removed the same way because they haven’t acted against the regime. They cannot be sentenced for singing songs about the good and bad in humans, about human emotions, about the day to day sightings of their human neighbours, dead and alive, about the humans that arch between reality and imagination and prophecy. They cannot be hanged for knowing songs that predate Panem and the Capitol, for being the mockingjays that still have the jabberjays in them but nonetheless find a way to sing whatever they choose.

DG, I believe, fails to fully grasp the danger of LG, but CS does. His biggest fear of LG is that she can locate snakes, that she can see through him. They bond at first as they both sees themselves above the Capitol-Districts line, but once the Games are over, the cracks between them almost immediately begin to show. She thinks of her knowledge of snakes as self defence. He sees it as something she’ll coil around him one day. Like a hope — LG is CS’s chance of getting back the humanity he lost in the war — and also like a rope.

The weakness of LG is, of course, that she’s after all, just a girl in a rainbow dress. Even if she wants/needs to, she doesn’t have the power to make any changes to the Capitol. She can only run once perceived as a threat, but she can’t fight back.

She can’t fight CS, the ultimate winner.

All through the book, I keep shifting my own mind lens to see how I would perceive CS if I cannot read his thoughts, if I’m like everyone else around him. And I realise how he … smells like roses through a significant portion of the book, given how unifying awful his classmates are except SP. He’s the first mentor to treat a tribute like a human. He helps his classmates (Arachne and Clemensia; the mutts attack on the latter isn’t his intention). He’s the only Academy student who’s kind to SP and while he’s forced to save the latter, he does so with tact and an understanding of SP’s thought processes that can only come from friendship. Do we judge a person with his actions or his thoughts? I’d say, his actions, and from an outsider’s perspective, CS does seem to be the one who can change Panem for the better. He does seem to be the one who can fix the Capitol from within, who can get it to rethink its treatment of the Districts while preserving its own dignity as the ruling class. And herein lies the greatest strength of CS—he’s a diplomat; he’s all about soft power. He knows how to work within a system (eg. his cheating), how to wage a war without firing a shot. He can be everyone’s ally and at the same time: while he’s making a major contribution to the Hunger Games by his betting proposal, he’s also destroying the Games at its foundation by equalising his Capitol self and his District tribute (picnicking with LG at the zoo in front of the camera, for example). When DG says she destroyed the records of the Games because the mentors’ death makes the Capitol look weak, I wonder if it’s a lie. Aside from my suspicion that DG staged the arena attack — her intention being to remind the Capitol of the Districts’ “evilness” and draw the Capitol to watch the Games as revenge — I believe DG is aware that CS and LG are chiefly responsible for making the Capitol look weak during the Games. The invention she’s proud / confident enough of to go on an interview right before its introduction into the arena turns out to be pets in their collective hands.

My understanding is, DG sees CS as both her potential successor and potential threat. Her campaign is to find out where he stands and to get him on her side: her extra homework for him, the breadcrumbs she lays down for him (the peacekeeper-ship, the officership) are all to corner him to out of his diplomatic exterior and to force him take a stand, to bait him to take her stand.

The ones doing the tug of war with DG are SP and LG — if this is a war for CS’s soul, then SP represents his conscience, and LG, his humanity.

SP loses first. Between conscience and safety, CS picks the latter. This is a decision I can understand on some level; many in our world, too, have opted for safety (from being ratted out, punished by association) instead of speaking out against injustice, especially when the injustice is committed by those in power, especially when the association is also protected by power (CS is not entirely wrong in thinking that SP may be able to buy his way out of the jabberjay incident, given his privilege). LG goes second and last. The choice between humanity and power isn’t as much a more difficult decision to make as it is reserved for relatively few, for those already with power within their reach.

CS is aware of that.

It takes a 500+ page journey for CS to make a conscious choice of giving up his humanity. He misses it, and I believe his pain is real. He misses the humanity he lost during the war, symbolised by the loss of his mother who left him with the rose powder in the compact. The rose powder he smells for comfort. I think Suzanne Collins deserve major kudos for using CS as the sole narrator of TBOSAS. It’s a risky move and doesn’t always pay off, but it offers a unique, in-depth perspective in how real world villains come about. CS starts out as talented but also mundane in that on the scale of morality, he starts out as neither exceptionally evil nor exceptionally good. He’s neither the classic villain nor the misunderstood villain. His views of the world is still being shaped, and the book doesn’t shy away from the messiness of the process, the back and forth between CS’s better and worse thoughts, the discrepancies between his thoughts — including what he perceives as his motivation — and his actions.

CS so desperately wants to be believe he’s in love with LG and the renewed, post-war humanity she represents. He’s so convinced that he’s already in love. But he never truly is (he dislikes LG’s songs), because the rewards LG can offer him turns out to be far from enough. The rewards humanity can offer him turns out to be far from enough, not in a world where war, where the Capitol and the likes of DG have already so de-valued humanity. A life with LG will be about digging worms from the soil. Free, but poor in every other way. It may satisfy his conscience, but SP has already been killed at the Hanging Tree.

CS fails to kill his humanity as he did with his conscience. CS cannot fully divorce himself from humanity, being human himself. And so LG disappears into the woods.

With all this in my mind, the climax of the book, in which CS hunts for LG by the Lake, is both emotionally and intellectually intense. As his actions become more and more threatening, as he starts with a seemingly concerned search for LG and ends with firing shots at the echos of “The Hanging Tree”, his taking the stand of DG is complete. As a reader, his decision has been evident for a while, but this is when he faces and owns his decision himself, and the chapter is haunting as it is powerful. At that moment, CS turns into DG’s most powerful mutt, a human mutt but with its humanity left only as a veneer, like the compact he’ll get back from Casca Highbottom with his mother’s rose powder long disposed in the trash, with his only hope of a new rose powder — his renewed humanity in the form of LG — long banished into the unknown by his peacekeeper’s rifle. CS becomes an actualisation of DG’s and his own belief that he’s but an animal that requires constant control, which in turn requires with constant war. It’s an apt end for TBOSAS because by then, the fate of the Districts, of Panem for the next six decades is sealed. Because by then, the return of humanity into the Capitol, in the form of Katniss Everdeen, is also sealed.

No matter how much jabberjays there is in them, mockingjays will find a way to sing whatever they choose. 

[matpisound]

matpi’s 2020 top ten

With this crazy year finally being thrown to the wolves, I thought I’d share some of my favorite songs. Usually I rank songs based on my mood, but I thought long and hard about this list to make it as accurate to my tastes as possible. In addition to the musical elements, I’ve also considered my personal experience with each song. With that said, get ready for a list that defines the phrase, “all over the place.”

10. ”約束” - Roselia

Translating to “Promise,” this Roselia song rounds out the list with its dynamic highs and lows and metric complexities. Combine that with Roselia’s signature sound and you have yourself a straight up banger. There are a lot of feel changes, with sections of 3 against 4 polymeter, steady rock groves, and a double time chorus, and this keeps the song interesting and super fun to listen to. Not to mention the powerful lead vocals, courtesy of Yukina Minato, played by the insanely talented Aina Aiba, as well as the occasional trading of vocal lines with bassist Lisa Imai, voiced by Yuki Nakashima, allow the song to really shine.

Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQS0LZfXRCs&list=OLAK5uy_l6KyKKWX1j8vHY-PjK6yJHkIZpOV0WMrE

9. “Avant-garde HISTORY” - Roselia

Going up the list now we have another Roselia song. This song is marked by its progressive rock influence in the intro, with a lack of adherence to a single key or time signature, all while remaining an epic intro to the majestic 6/8 rock ballad that follows. Combining rock with orchestral elements is a recipe for greatness, and Roselia really pulled through here. The lead vocals are supported by a chorus of the other members in a really significant way in this song, contributing even more to the sheer glory that it exudes. Add in some huge drum fills and epic buildups between sections, and it creates this absolute work of art.

Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nakW_Ziciik&list=OLAK5uy_lImYujueVzq7DDMrRc2TX8qnp1ZzMlHKM&index=6

8. “Ride” - Samuel R. Hazo

No, this is not the twenty one pilots song, nor is it a cover. It’s a wind ensemble piece chock full of the good stuff. Spicy harmonies, giant fanfares, fast runs, solos, time signature changes, heavy yet tasteful use of percussion, what’s not to love? I really wanna play this in band one day, because aside from being fun to listen to, it’s a real challenge to play, especially with a large ensemble. Wind ensemble pieces in general are really cool because they are light-years ahead of most modern music in terms of dynamic contrast, and "Ride” has a ton of it.

Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au4geHy_S_0

7. “Amaryllis” -  Shinedown

I honestly don’t know how to describe why I like this song so much; I just do. It’s a really nice song. The amaryllis as a flower is extremely beautiful, sporting vivid reds and pinks in its petals, and that imagery really shone through with its lyrics and 6/8 ballad feel. I’d like to mention the key signature as well. The key of D♭ just feels like a beautiful key signature, and here that beauty was thoroughly reflected.

Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixltBz9IENw

6. “FIRE BIRD” - Roselia

Back again with another Roselia song. First of all, this song is great because of the story of the Phoenix. I always thought an immortal bird of fire rising from the ashes was such a glorious thing, and this song captures the essence of this tale perfectly. A quiet start with just piano and vocals gives way to a ginormous sounding intro as all the band members sing as a choir, which then leads into a crazy double-time groove which persists throughout the song. Combine that with Roselia’s sound and you get a triumphant anthem that’s sure to energize anyone and anything.

Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_F7l7n_oP8&list=OLAK5uy_lImYujueVzq7DDMrRc2TX8qnp1ZzMlHKM&index=4

and here’s a live version because the visuals are IMMACULATE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AwP7S9f3A8

5. “Guilty All The Same” - Linkin Park

Off of one of the greatest rock albums in my opinion, “Guilty All The Same” is nothing short of a masterpiece. A nearly 6-minute song, and it’s never boring for a second. The unique drum grooves and use of 3 against 4 polymeter are what make this song so damn interesting to listen to, and lead singer, Chester Bennington’s, vocals are nothing short of spectacular. Rakim’s verse in the bridge combined with the sick guitar riff and the drums backing them up makes it one of the best combinations of rock and rap that I’ve heard.

Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEaEdLQbAFM

4. “LOUDER” - Roselia

This being one of the first Roselia songs I’ve listened to, it has a really special place in my heart. But musically, it’s super awesome too. At a blistering 195 BPM, it’s one of the fastest songs on here, meaning it’s also super fun to play on the drums. It also changes keys between the verses and choruses from D minor to D major and back. And of course, who could forget lead vocalist Yukina Minato guiding the song through her soaring melodic lines. All in all, it’s a great song that managed to top my Spotify Wrapped.

Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYSXZQ2b1-c

Now before we get into our top 3, let’s look at some honorable mentions:

“A DECLARATION OF ×××” - RAISE A SUILEN: A song inciting revolution, this combination of rock and EDM is a straight up vibe. We also get some djent as a bonus! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=713nCe8LLa0

“DIVE!” - Setsuna Yuki: Rock music in the world of anime idols is a foreign concept, and to me it’s a welcome one. It seems, however, that others disagree... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXXxW8hEF3o

“Neo-Aspect” - Roselia: I swear this is the last Roselia song, but it was way too good not to include here. A powerful song filled to the brim with expression. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snp_DT9EqiQ

“カレンデュラ“ - RONDO: “Calendula” for those who can’t read Japanese, this heavy song carries a lot of weight in it’s lyrics as well. Overall a really epic song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRnaYwx2fH4

“Daybreaker” - Waterflame: Made fairly recently by a producer who made music that was a huge part of my childhood, this song just vibes so fucking hard. Fun fact: it was released on my birthday! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLomCDE7E50

3. “Transcendent Journey” - Rossano Galante

Now we’re talking about the true bangers of my music taste. I love Galante’s music because it’s always so dynamic always with super melodious lead parts. This piece is no different in that sense. It really feels like a journey. Fast woodwind runs supporting soaring brass lines, quiet woodwind melodies, blazing fanfares, and varied tempo make this piece of music really feel like a spiritual journey. There’s so much about this piece that I just can’t put into words so you just have to listen for yourself.

Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuMi2z2F3io

2. “Nostalgia” - Rossano Galante

Another wind ensemble piece making the top 3? Well, aside from being a beautiful piece musically, it brings a lot of good memories for me personally as well. We played this for my band’s spring concert when I was in 8th grade. As 8th graders, our ensemble included the high school band students as well, and that was the year one of my favorite seniors was graduating. He was such a big role model for me, and the entire concert was extremely emotional. This was my favorite piece we had programmed that night, and it’s made its way into my favorite songs of all time.

Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qaq_WKsatg

1. “The Catalyst” - Linkin Park

This was one of those songs. You know those songs that you fall in love with as soon as you hear it for the first time? Yeah, this was that. With every listen, I only liked it more and more, and it crawled its way to the top. It starts off soft, but it just keeps building. Everything builds and builds and becomes increasingly chaotic until it all collapses in the second half of the song. From there, the repeated lyrics “Lift me up, let me go” carry this song to its epic finale, in which we feel the culmination of all that chaos from earlier. Not only does the song work so well as a standalone track, its use as the penultimate track on “A Thousand Suns” (my favorite album of all time) serves as the final climax before resolving the intricate story weaved by the album. This is a perfect song if I have ever heard one.

Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sBjZBn3DQU

Well, folks, there you have it. A playlist of the best songs that got me through this forsaken year and will hopefully empower the next. I wish you all a better and happy 2021, and I’ll catch you at the double barline!

[wolfpawn]

I Hate You, I Love You, Chapter 122

Chapter Summary - Danielle is under considerable pressure with work and a small incident with the dogs causes her to react badly, much to Tom's concern.

Previous Chapter

Rating - Mature (some chapters contain smut)

Triggers - references to Tom Hiddleston’s work with the #MeToo Movement. That chapter will be tagged accordingly.

authors Note - I have been working on this for the last 3 years, it is currently 180+ chapters long.  This will be updated daily, so long as I can get time to do so, obviously.

All image rights belong to their owners

tags: @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog​ @jessibelle-nerdy-mum​ @nonsensicalobsessions​ @damalseer​ @hiddlesbitch1​ @winterisakiller @fairlightswiftly​ @salempoe​ @wolfsmom1

Danielle exhaled anxiously as she stared at the notes she had woken to that morning. It was clear that an insurance company as trying to weasel its way out of paying for something that had happened on one of the US sets and a “Blame Game” had commenced between the client and the insurance company, and both thought they could pin their issues on Safeguard and sue them for the damages, meaning their legal team were gearing up to fight back, but once again, the slack fell on Danielle to sort.

She groaned in frustration as she tried to make heads or tails of what Lucas had sent her. She was used to her own way of doing things, which, as she had learned from many of those that made up her team, was identical to how they did things, and even though his method differed from her own, she was used to how Lucas laid out his work, but what was in front of her made no rhyme or reason as far as she could see. She could see how errors could be made if this is how they organised things, not that she would ever acknowledge that publically.

After three hours of head-wrecking attempts to decode and decipher someone she did not even know to see’s shorthand, she rose from the kitchen table and went to make herself a cup of tea. As soon as she did that, Bobby and Mac began to watch her. ‘Bathroom for you boys, I left you too long as it is.’ She insisted as she ushered the two dogs to the back door. Both dogs walked into the back garden and had begun to consider where to alleviate their bladders when Danielle turned to turn on the kettle, only for her phone to begin to ring. Looking at the number, she swore and cursed the caller before answering. ‘Hello, Lucas.’

‘I see you are just as cheerful as myself regarding the whole situation.’

Danielle scowled at the phone. ‘It is one thing having to clean up mine and my crew’s mistakes, though to date, my worst mistakes have been not dressing as though there is a chance of a northerly wind, not dating paperwork as you want, month, then the day and forgetting my own fax number. This is tidying up the mess of someone I don’t know and who seems to write in a code that would take Alan Turing three years to decipher the work of and I am curious as to why something regarding the US office is once again finding its way to mine.’

‘We have double the workload over here, Danielle, you know that.’ Lucas stated defensively.

‘You also have almost double the staff.’ Danielle countered. ‘I have four guys, all of whom are on jobs at the moment, leaving me to deal with the office paperwork, the managerial work I have to do anyway, my own personal workload and this, Lucas. I cannot delay the paperwork or the Legendary project and I have the next part of the Branagh project due soon and in case it has slipped your mind, having a scene where they effectively bomb a city and shooting the chaos that ensues from such bombings, is not an easy thing to sign off on.’

‘Look, Danielle, I know you are incredibly busy, I do, and I cannot thank you enough for the immense volume of work you have put in over there, really. We never thought we would have a British office up and running this quickly, much less so considering having it as efficiently as you have it. There is a reason why you were able to name your price, you are able to see things that no one else can, you were able to tear apart my work so easily because you are brilliant at what you do. Unfortunately, that also makes you the best person for this job. Your abilities are both your greatest attribute and most cursable one.’

‘Except I don’t even know Matthew’s shorthand, so this is taking far longer than it should.’

‘Because of the legal aspect of things, this office was asked to keep away from it all, especially Matthew, he cannot be seen to be involved in this in any way and we, as his close teammates are deemed to be bias. We have proof via receipts, according to the legal team, that the company paid for low-quality equipment.’

‘It is all Safeguard though, why don’t they want an independent contractor to look through it.’

‘Yes, it is all Safeguard, but we have nothing to hide, so we are going to show them that and the legal team knew you were the best for the job. We also need to be ready to countersue for defamation for trying to ruin our name. That is part and parcel of this, and unfortunately, when the shit hits the fan over there, it will be us cleaning up your mess, myself or Zamir in their office, it is all fair exchange at the end of it all.’

Danielle wanted to snap that thus far, there was little work coming from her side and to not hold their breath on the British office giving them any major work anytime soon, but she knew if she started, she may not stop, and her work relationship with Lucas was tethering between cold and barely courteous at that best of times, so instead, she swallowed back her anger. ‘Have those receipts faxed to me, and I will look at them too.’ she ordered. Looking to the window, her eyes widened as she realised what she was seeing. ‘Shit, Lucas, I have to go.’ she did not wait for a response before hanging up the phone throwing it on the counter and rushing outside. ‘What are you two doing?’ she snapped. Immediately both dogs looked at her, Mac had his ears down, knowing that they were in some form of trouble, Bobby acted as though she was simply coming out to join them, and rushed over to her. Danielle was so busy looking at the destruction site her dogs had created in front of her, she did not realise that Bobby had forgotten his manners in the excitement of having her out with them and that he jumped up on her leg. When she looked down and saw what he was doing, her eyes widened more. ‘No.’ she snapped earning a confused look from Bobby. ‘Bold.’ Having never been chastised in such a manner by her before, Bobby whined, not understanding fully what was going on. ‘Bold dog.’ he lowered his head. When she turned and looked at Mac, he was looking at her guilty. ‘You actually know better.’ He too lowered his head. ‘Bad, bad dog.’

‘Elle?’ She turned to see a very concerned looking Tom behind her in the doorway. ‘What’s happened?’

‘What do you think just happened, these fucking dogs just wrecked the place and to add to that, I am trying to deal with complete and utter fuckwits that are trying to weasel out of acknowledging their own faults and are trying to sue the fucking company, I am taking the slack yet again because of Lucas’s fucking office and what does he say about it, that they’ll have to cover my ass someday like I am on some sort of borrowed fucking time before I fuck up, and while I am trying to deal with all of that shit, these two decided to re-enact the Great fucking Escape,’ She ranted.

Tom looked at her, paying attention to how she was speaking, the sheer number of times she swore and her general mannerisms. ‘Darling, have you eaten or drank anything today?’

Danielle gave a sarcastic laugh. ‘Tom, when the fuck in the whole of that do you think I have five minutes to eat? I left the bedroom and I heard the machine whirring to inform me of the sheer level of fuck ups I have to deal with today, I have not had five minutes.’

Tom went over to her and put his arms around her. ‘You need to take a small break, just an hour or so and get something to eat and a little headspace,’ he insisted, his voice low and his tone soft.

‘I have too much to do, Tom.’ She dismissed.

‘No, Elle, you are getting some food and you are taking a break, you’re incredibly stressed, you need to take a step back.’ He kissed her head.

‘Tom, I don’t have time for this bullshit.’ She growled.

‘Elle, you know I love you, I do, but you are being incredibly horrid and bitchy right now and we both know it is because you are terribly stressed and quite hungry.’

‘I am not….’

‘Elle, you just called Bobby and Mac “these fucking dogs” and you are ignoring the rules you set down for their training and shouting at them, you have Bobby looking as though he is scared of you. You are scaring them.’

Danielle turned and looked at Mac, who was looking at her as though he was expecting her to start giving out again and then she looked at Bobby, who had the appearance of an animal that had just been kicked. She said nothing and her throat began to feel tight and she felt the guilt begin to seep in. She inhaled and looked down at Bobby, who had been clearly happy by Tom’s return but was unsure as to whether he should move or not for fear that he would receive another telling off. Danielle knelt down and scooped the puppy into her arms, kissing his head, then she looked at Mac and called the dog over to her, he obeyed immediately and she hugged him against her too. Mac nudged her chin and wagged his tail slightly, smearing the mud that had been on his snout from his digging efforts onto her, while Bobby ensured no part of her clothes were left clean and he began to wriggle around as he licked her face. ‘You two need to be cleaned up.’

‘I’ll get changed and I will do that.’ Tom turned and went to walk into the house.

‘No, I’m destroyed as it is, I’ll do it. I need to step away from work, anyway.’

‘You need to eat.’

‘I will, in a minute.’ She insisted. ‘Keep Mac out while I do this guy, I will do them one at a time.’ She carried Bobby through the house to prevent him from wrecking the place.

She washed him quickly enough, talking to him as she did, apologising for how she acted, keeping her tone soft and rewarding his good behaviour with affection and attention. As she dried the excess water off him, she cuddled him to her. When that was done, she placed him on the dog bed and went and got Mac. Though he was significantly heavier than the other dog, she carried him through too to prevent too much cleaning, repeating the process with him, though taking longer due to his two layers of fur. When he was dried and she brought him back to the dog bed too and the pleased dog curled up with his smaller partner in crime as Danielle placed the dirty dog towels at the washing machine before stripping off her wet and muddy clothes and choosing to grab some clothes she had planned on washing but were not too bad and walked back into the kitchen, where Tom watched her pick up the paperwork again.

‘You still haven’t eaten.’

‘I’m not hungry.’ She dismissed.

‘Do you have a headache?’ Tom asked, already knowing the answer. She nodded. ‘Take a painkiller, get a wash and I will have some tea, soup and a nice sandwich waiting, no arguing.’ he insisted.

‘Work…’

‘Can wait. Elle, I know you’re busy, you made that very clear earlier, but you were the one that told me you never wanted me going too far for a role, especially if it was going to harm my health. When I am at my busiest, you always make sure that I am fed and watered and here you are, dealing with more than that and you need me to tell you, stop and take a step back, and that is what I am doing, like it or not.’ Tom walked over and kissed her head. ‘I am worried about you. I have never seen you act like that before.’

‘I…’

‘Talk to me, Elle.’ He pleased. ‘Take a few minutes in the shower, and when you come out, we will talk. I want to help, but you need to tell me how.’

‘Sure.’ She nodded, going over to the press and taking out a painkiller and taking it before she walked off.

When Danielle returned to the kitchen, Tom, she realised, had not simply cooked her own soup for her, but had run to the shop for her favourite wrap and a nice strong coffee. ‘Sit and eat.’ He ordered.

‘Yes, Sir.’ She joked.

Tom watched as she sat down and looked at the food. ‘Elle?’

Danielle looked at the counter she had thrown her phone onto unceremoniously and got to her feet and retrieved it before going to the call log and finding what she needed. As soon as she pressed the call button, Tom frowned in disapproval. ‘Hi Lucas, Danielle here, I’m sorry about earlier, the dogs decided we needed a make a pond feature in the garden. Have Matthew send on a key of his shorthand, that is not “assisting” in any way, but it will mean that I may actually decode that damn thing. Thank you, goodbye.’ she hung up the phone and placed it down before smiling at him. ‘Thank you.’ She smiled before taking some soup. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘What’s going on, Elle?’

‘I am so stressed with all of this, and then our dogs act like dogs and I...Jesus, I was so horrible to them, but with the Branagh job, all the office work and everything with….’ Tom walked over and put his arms around her. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘You need to step back.’

‘Tom, I can’t, you know that.’ She argued. ‘I cannot just pull out of this contract and I cannot just back off because it is shit for a few weeks, I worked my ass off to get here.’

‘I know, but you’re not you and you need to relax a bit. Elle, you have to look after you.’

‘I know.’ She leant in against him.

[kimmimaru]

Yet more remake randoms.

One thing I really did enjoy about the remake was that at least two (or maybe it was the same guy, can’t be sure) infantry/security soldiers recognised Cloud. That’s one thing in the OG I got confused over, HOW did no one recognise Cloud when he would’ve been known to at least a few people. He obviously went through training, he would’ve worked with some of them, surely? I’m glad we got those moments. Also Kunsel got mentioned! I assumed they were trashing most of Crisis Core, obviously not. Judging by the posters for Banora we can assume that it exists/existed. Hojo’s mention of project G suggests the existence of Genesis at least...I’m not sure how I feel about that since I was never a massive fan of Genesis. His part in Sephiroth’s descent into madness annoyed me, he’s a big boy and can go mad perfectly well on his own lol. Hints of a possible deepground is also interesting, I mean if they have a secret base under sector 7 then maybe deepground does exist too? There’s no solid evidence of it but logically it makes sense. Although DoC has it’s issues, obviously I didn’t mind the reveal of secret bases, ShinRa is a dodgy company I don’t see why they wouldn’t have underground places full of nasty monsters. Also, the main reason I cling to DoC is because of the Vincent content tbh, Vincent is one of the main three characters I used in the OG (Cid being the other) and he’s amazing.  I get people’s issues with the remake, I really do. It DOES lack the grittyness the OG had. It feels...more fantastical which is kind of annoying. If the characters didn’t swear so much I’d have thought it was a game aimed at younger audiences. As an adult playing it that grates on me. I love the characters, Cloud especially is better than I had hoped, I was worried they’d make him all soft and woobyish, I’m glad they kept his hard edges. And the fact that Cloud knows how security stuff works, like the emergency locks and how to access the computers etc is yet more hints that he’s not all he thinks he is. Pretty sure SOLDIER’s wouldn’t know half the stuff he does, they wouldn’t have any reason to. I was...disappointed to see that Sephiroth didn’t cause anywhere near as much chaos as he did in the OG. I don’t understand why they didn’t do that. That moment in the OG when you realise the doors to your cell have been opened and then you have to follow a trail of blood and you see scars on the wall from Masamune. It was...so powerful. And eerie. The dead bodies along the way and then the president lying across his desk was like; :O It was scary and intense. That scene in the remake was lame. No blood. No corpses. Just a trail of purple bubbly stuff. Yeah no I didn’t like that. Sephiroth shouldn’t give a fuck WHO he kills in his quest for power. He should have stormed through ShinRa with his sword swinging but all he did was stab the president only after Cloud got there. That scene should have been handled much better. I love the fight with Rufus though. That was actually fun, although i’m not one for dodging or blocking so I took a beating lol. And that trick with the coins just...suits him? Wasting money like it’s nothing to him. His possessiveness and all the quips he makes while fighting. Just perfect Rufus. Honestly, out of everyone (for me), they got Rufus, Reno and Cloud perfect. I do like Tseng too and Rude...i thought Rude would be somewhat more callous but it’s cute that he feeds birds from his hand. I love Reno’s anger. Don’t know why he’s so angry but it’s fun and his foul language. The fact that Rude actively saves Tifa was a bit of a surprise for me, I know in the OG Rude likes Tifa (she could break his neck if she wanted, as I’ve always thought Rude is into that, the kinky bastard) but was very shocked to see him actively interfere and save her. I need to replay it but I always thought in the OG when you fight Rude and have Tifa on your team he never actually attacks her...or maybe that was just my game? I don’t know if that was deliberate. So it is faithful to the OG if I didn’t just imagine that. Also, on the subject of Rude, did I imagine it or did he hit the button to drop the plate because Reno couldn’t do it? I know Cloud attacks Reno before he can do it but his hand hesitates. Again, may have imagined it but it looked like he hesitated so Rude did it for him. (that rockstar slide under Cloud’s sword WAS cool. Not something I would have expected of Rude but I LOVED that). Also not sure why they didn’t have Tseng slap Aerith. He does it in the OG. Maybe they were worried about the reception of a move like that? Violence against women etc. I personally didn’t mind it, it was a shocking moment and the Turks ARE supposed to be bad guys. I did notice he does raise his hand to her, looking like he’s about to back hand her but the security guard seems to pull her away before he can. In the OG I believe that Tseng’s supposed to be putting on a front? Like, it’s hinted that he didn’t do it for any other reason than the fact that he thinks Aerith SHOULD be afraid of the Turks and maybe to stop himself from getting too close to her? Either way, they could’ve and probably should’ve left that bit in. It also doesn’t give me hope for later  on when they do the temple of the ancients bit and Cloud loses his mind and beats the crap out of Aerith. Somehow I don’t think they’ll put that in anymore, which is a damn shame.  Honestly, I like all the tiny gestures and body language they put in. It really goes a long way to make the characters much more human. All the little smiles, the hand gestures and everything. Like having Reno restless, unable to keep still. Short, sharp, angry gestures. Constant cursing. Rude’s calmer motions, the little moments of fear they both have when one of them is injured or possibly dead (when Rude’s helicopter crashes and Reno picks up his glasses). It shows how close they are and yeah they are bad guys but I have always been against making a bad guy ‘pure evil’ and inhuman (only exception is Sephiroth in this case because he IS part alien monster). Even the Turks are human, they should feel fear, they should care about something and have motivations beyond the simple; we are bad so we will try to defeat the good guys. I don’t want pure good guys either, I want them to have flaws and failings which is why I loved the OG so much. They were all just...human. And obviously we didn’t get QUITE as much Turk actions as I would have preferred but now that we are getting it I’m pretty happy with what we have. Edit to add; my issue with the remake’s version of the plate drop is it lacked that sense of helplessness. And a lot more people seemed to have survived. Maybe if they’d added a mission to go through and help look for more survivors, have people trapped, people you can’t save etc. I wanted to feel that despair when I played it, the same feeling I got when I played Zack’s final battle in CC. You know he doesn’t survive, you fight over and over again and that feeling of knowing that no matter what you do he’s going to die anyway. I loved that. It’s so real. It shows that even a hero can’t save everyone and it’s a hard fact of life. It definitely lacked the sheer horror and evil of the act. I mean I did cry when I played it...but the end ruined it for me. Having it turn out that people are alive who should have died, kind of destroys the whole emotional aspect. There’s no real consequences to anything in the remake. And, judging by all the hints at changing fate and stuff, there won’t be in the coming parts either. Makes me really quite angry. Everyone lives and nobody dies, totally unrealistic and pointless for a game like final fantasy 7. I am silently begging square to reconsider their direction if what they’re hinting at is true and they’re going to keep Aerith alive. Please, please don’t do that. It will totally ruin the game and it’ll lose all meaning. I love Aerith but her death is a poignant, emotional tragedy and Cloud’s (or the players) helplessness is a key factor in that. If this ends with ‘and everything was fine and everyone was happy’ I’m going to puke.  Anyways, will stop here. This got LONG.

[ryseresidence17-blog]

Redecorating & Selling Your House

If you are planning to sell your house and are dreading getting it looking forward to the market - relax! That couldn't be easier as compared to it is now! More than ever before, typically the vogue in interior decorating will be favoring simplicity.

Every area can be painted white or perhaps cream or beige together with silver gray or darker beige detailing. The use of this kind of color scheme will allow your prospective buyer know that your home has been decorated very just lately. Ryse Residences

This type of decor is perfect for a loft apartment, as it automatically adds spaciousness to a fairly compact spot. In order to prolong the ample feel, do not change the colour of the paintwork from the eating out area to the living place or hallway. Paint just about all open areas in the very same tone, unless you have a filter wall that you wish to make use of as an accent.

Only change area, if you want to, when you reach a space that is totally separate, at the. g., the bathroom or bed rooms. If you do change it, you should continue to opt for the neutral white, ointment or gray natural tones as color is totally passe at the moment.

Experts advise that any pictures you put around the walls should be in casings that actually match the exterior paint, which is a new concept. So as not to break up the unremitting, unrelenting flow of the paint color, experts recommend that drapes or shades are also in the same shade.

The type of drapes that loan themselves best to this new seem are the gossamer sheer voiles; with blinds at the same windows you can keep the sheers wide open and be assured of full privacy. Ryse Residences showflat

A paint career is not very expensive, but it can produce a very large difference to the physical appearance of your condo. What of your respective floors? Are they carpet as well as they wooden or to pick from flooring? Is the color of these people one of the shades that will sculpt with the gray or beige detailing?

If you have a vivid floor and you feel that to alter the floor is too extravagant in addition to labor intensive, think of buying a huge rug. Think of this before you choose the color scheme because it is typically easier to buy a rug inside cream than in gray. A huge off white area rug will go a considerable ways toward the simple look you are aiming for.

However , if your flooring will tone with the design, resist the urge to chuck a small area rug under the java table. An uninterrupted area of floor space will increase the impression of roominess.

One of the identified problems of condo existing is the lack of storage space. First-time condo buyers who want to proceed a three bedroomed house inside of your one bedroomed condo will probably be checking to see if your place appears to be spacious. You do not want to point out the perceived lack of safe-keeping by having a load of your own chaos lying about.

If you have not previously rented one, then I carefully recommend that you rent some sort of storage unit now. It will help you to move. Use it sensibly and pack all your very best ornaments and china in boxes and cart these individuals off to storage. (The more ornaments you package away the better - consider 'clear spaces'! ) Clean up all your out-of-season clothes as well as shoes and all your athletics gear that is unseasonal and also cart that load down to the storage.

Already your own personal condo is looking very commodious! How about all the photos, child's first pair of shoes and the children's grade 3 painting involving Grandma? What else is it possible to do without until you unpack it in your new residence?

If you have a balcony and also you keep a few things kept on it - think of shifting them into storage. Still if you have summer rattan furnishings packed away then obtain it out now and set up it on your balcony. Make an effort to keep the furniture to each aspect, so that you can still look out often the screen doors and see the lovely view.

Buy some tall arms if you have non-e, and put one particular each side of the patio entrances on the balcony. It appearance very effective if you stand the identical size plants inside your deck doors as well, in the exact same position.

If you have a small wall, and can afford a new wall to wall hand mirror, it really does enlarge your personal room! It also reflects added sunlight, so choose a wall membrane that catches the sun, if you possibly can. If you do decide to go with that idea, do not place a huge piece of furniture right in front of that.

Sometimes a narrow divider encloses the front entrance, in that case a small console is enough space to drop your tips and bag. It is useful to keep the front entrance since roomy as possible as you may usually be welcoming four folks at one time, especially when selling.

Should you be moving into a different condo, below are great tips for you to consider: buy two-seater love seats as nobody ever sits in the middle of a 3 seater anyway; buy a classic sea chest to convert in to a coffee table (loads connected with storage inside! ); get a car locker to attach for the wall of your parking area for lots of extra safe hard drive.

Ryse Residences by Allgreen. Hotline 61009963. Get Discounts, Direct Developer Price, Floor Plan, Price List, Brochure ; More. New Launch Pasir Ris Condo in Singapore.

[echobearclasspectingblog]

Hey, would a 12-kid session be too much to analyze? If not, then maybe you could predict a one with these 12 could play out? Witch of Time, Heir Of Space, Maid Of Void, Sylph of Life, Knight Of Doom, Page Of Mind, Bard Of Breath, Prince Of Blood, Mage of Light, Seer Of Rage, Rouge of Hope, and Thief Of Heart. Thanks in advance! -Anon

Sweet, my first 12/all central classes and aspects session request! Hey Anon (which is a valid ‘kid’ name for homestuck btw), a 12 kid session is the kind of challenge I’ve been looking forward to. I won’t know if it’ll be too much until I do it so let’s get into this! I’ll try to do this with the same style as the others, but it’ll be quite a long response just from the sheer number of players.

((I wrote some of this intro stuff before getting into it, and it is quite a large thing to respond to. Part way through I realized I couldn’t respond to double digit sburb sessions the same way as smaller sessions if I wanted to respond at a good pace for all my ask box, so in the interest of that I’ll be summarizing the synergies into the most important good/bads instead of listing all of them. I’ll also add that to my blog’s description for future reference.))

Witch of Time - One who makes changes to Time or changes things through Time

Heir of Space - One who causes Space to change or causes things to change through Space

Maid of Void - One who encourages creation of Void or encourages creation using Void

Sylph of Life - One who creates Life  or creates things using Life

Knight of Doom - One who serves Doom or serves using Doom

Page of Mind - One who gathers service for Mind or gathers service using Mind

Bard of Breath - One who allows Breath to be destroyed or allows destruction through Breath

Prince of Blood - One who destroys Blood or destroys using Blood

Mage of Light - One who Knows Light or knows through Light through experience

Seer of Rage - One who knows Rage or knows through Rage through research

Rogue of Hope - One who takes Hope or takes using Hope for others

Thief of Heart - One who takes Heart or takes with Heart for themselves

You have a space player, required to breed the genesis frog. You have a time player, required to scratch the session. You’ve got all the canon aspects here, and most of the classes (no lords, muses, and the questionable demi-canon waste) so it’s basically a big session. Space and Time are change classes which could lead to some interesting shenanigans, the Bard of Breath also jumps out at me for some reason. This mix of 12 don’t seem too overpowered or disastrous from first glance.

That’s quite a long list, and now we get to the meat of the session analysis! I’ll first dedicate some thoughts to each player’s strengths and weaknesses individually in a sburb session. Then I’ll look at how the classpects interact with each other, doing my best to summarize the best and worst synergies for each player based on their classpect.

A witch of time changes events, history, and the future. This witch is a great player for changing the past to undo doomed timelines, preventing them before they happen, or even just fixing minor mistakes. If they become strong enough they could even change the alpha timeline’s future. Being able to redo the past so often could lead to existential issues of lacking agency, and if overdone could even lead to not learning from your mistakes and just running into them again waiting for the witch to fix things.

An heir of space causes change to creation, distance, and physical space. They’d be able to create different outcomes for alchemization, giving more options. Being able to cause changes to the planets would also be good for helping other people with their planet quests. Their aspect lines up with their duties and through the genesis frog they could end up making drastic changes to paradox space. On the other hand, they could end up making DRASTIC changes to paradox space through the main goal of a sburb session which if gone wrong is exactly how you end up with ultimate big bads.

A maid of void encourages creation of secrecy, emptiness, and mystery. They’ll encourage using secret plans to make it harder for the dersites to stop you. Consorts will build secret bases hidden from your enemies. Too many secret plans can cause players to end up not knowing what everyone else is doing and getting in each other’s way from lack of communication.

A sylph of life creates wealth, health, and living situations. Giving life to lifeless things means building up an army of living stuff like toys, action figures and statues. Making plenty of healing items. You could have some confusing or awkward times if they end up making too many living versions of each player at a time.

A knight of doom serves hardship, fate, and death. Misfortune is a sword they can wield against their enemies. They can serve their fellow players with the very doom that would otherwise only be a problem without this knight. Serving doom itself is a side of the knight that’ll lead to more dead players and more doomed timelines.

A page of mind gathers service of logic, decisions, and law. Every court in paradox space will be in your pocket with the page by your side. They’ll find some smart people to help you out as well. But it’s entirely possible that the page will be personally very indecisive and need people’s help making choices.

A bard of breath allows destruction of flow, flexibility, and wind. They’ll help make sure the enemy loses freedom over time. Causing tornadoes is a great late game attack too. As well as halting people’s breathing. If your party loses too much flexibility from the bard’s influence you may end up railroaded on a non-optimal version of the alpha timeline.

A prince of blood destroys connections, bonds, and important liquids that keep us alive. This prince will sever important ties between your enemies. No alliance is safe from them. Probably has some sort of sweet blood weapon too. Naturally adverse to friendship and connecting with others, and prince is already a class that needs support from others to keep from going completely off the rails.

A mage of light knows fortune, attention, and brightness. They’ll be the first one to know what’s important in the session and why it’s important. Also hunting down sweet loot and is probably a living treasure map to some degree. Mages tend to experience their aspect directly so maybe try to keep them from flying into the sun or something.

A seer of rage knows anger, chaos, and harsh truths. Will know when and how rage is best used. Is able to see through the confusion of volatile emotions. Needs tons of mental health support due to constantly learning enraging things and dealing with the angry side of society.

A rogue of hope takes imagination, belief, and angels for others. Your enemy’s hopes of winning a fight are now your hopes for winning that fight. Gives you something to believe in, though it’s a stolen belief. Stealing angels and gods may end up backfiring.

A thief of heart takes romance, souls, and motivation. Removes even the peskiest of souls from a body. Uses people’s feelings to steal from them. Beware, they’re probably the type to hit on your significant other. Also possibly has a collection of actual hearts in jars? That’d be messed up but cool.

The heir of space and witch of time combo is just asking for the fabric of reality to shift in grand unknowable ways. The sylph of life would give the witch plenty to change the flow of time with, both in new lives and in healing, I’d call this a good synergy. A bad combination pops up with the bard who’d limit the witch’s change of time, or worse only allow the destructive outcomes of the changes. The prince of blood helps the witch detach from their connection to other people, allowing them to make decisions on how to reshape time more on what’s logically best and not get caught up in feelings. The thief of heart’s drain of emotions could be a bit dangerous to the witch considering the prince’s interaction, pushing the witch to be a very coldhearted time magician with no ties to anyone. The redundancy of the thief and prince makes otherwise positive interactions become dangerous, so only one of the two should spend too long with the witch at a time.

To help the space player, the knight of doom will probably be the main one offering to help. Making sure the frogs have a fated doom/death in the future so that paradox cloning goes perfectly, a good knight for the heir who might have troubles with their duties due to the passive changing of space. Having the mage of light as a third helper would be even more of a boost, using their experience with luck to find the right frogs. Keep the maid of void and bard of breath away though as they both would do more harm than good, same with the prince of blood depending on how close the aspect of blood relates to ecto-biology. Your rogue might end up really useful once they learn how to steal imaginary frogs right out of people’s heads.

The maid’s best creation buddy would probably be the knight of doom, inspiring them to create things that fall into the decent overlap of the doom and void aspects. The bard of breath would be all too happy to allow nothingness to be created in the place of oxygen… which could be devastating come to think of it. Just by the nature of their classpects, the maid will be a very bad mix for the seer and the mage, not just because of their classes but because the aspects also directly conflict with void, light being opposite in many ways to void and rage for typically trying to see through lies and secrets which void has a hand in the second one enough for the seer to just lose their mind.

While they might not get along the knight of doom will keep the sylph’s life creation in check so that there isn’t ever too much life, keeping a balance. Meanwhile the prince of blood will keep the sylph from getting too attached to her creations. The maid of void’s influence could cause the sylph to start creating secret double lives for them self and others, which could have some benefit but easily lead to trouble and conflict between the players. The thief might also take the abundance of the sylph’s creations for granted and siphon off souls and such from their armies.

On the flip side of things, the sylph can bring more life into the knight’s life where they might be lacking because of the knight’s service to and using doom. The page may be able to bring out smarter thinking and logic out of the knight. The rogue of hope seems like a natural clashing classpect to the knight of doom, one giving out unrealistic hopes while the other helps people with hard reality and consequences. Better hope the rogue and knight roleplay into some classpects that get along better than their true ones.

Mage of light is a good classpect to pair up with the page of mind, as mages generally dive into their aspects and the light and mind overlap of knowledge means they’ll get to share plenty. The page’s development will benefit from this connection and probably be a very well off in learning to use their classpect to the fullest. While rage also has some knowledge based overlap, the seer of rage would be a bad person to try and help since the aspect is still disruptive to mind aspect and clashes in the order-chaos side of things, the page will have enough problems as it is. The maid of void and thief of heart are both the other main negative influences on the page, obscuring things and taking away their individuality.

The bard of breath could easily use the page of mind to enforce stricter laws and logic to break down freedom in the session. The thief of heart’s stealing of individuality would also be another tangent close to freedom eroding the bard could easily amplify. The biggest conflict I see happening with the bard would be the prince of blood, as one fights excessive freedom and the other fights excessive connections. This could make for some really ugly fights.

Your session’s thief could steal the individuality from the prince of blood, making them more reliant on the group rather than themselves to balance out their typically anti-social behavior. The maid of void on the other hand would empower the prince to use secrets to toxically tear apart friendships in the session.

The sylph of life’s creation of fortune would give the mage of light plenty of their aspect to experience, maybe even using some of the extra to gamble and experience the luck side of light. The maid’s void will make the mage’s job and use of classpect much harder, probably a good idea to keep them apart.

The knight of doom can serve the seer of rage well, as giving them the ability to see into doomed timelines allows for a lot of rage to come into vision. The prince’s destruction of friendships also would give the seer insight into things, as well as something to warn people against if the prince goes overboard.

Getting inspired to create void by the maid would help the rogue keep themselves hidden while they do sneaky stealy stuff. Besides the conflict with the Knight of doom like I listed earlier, I could see the bard of breath making the rogue’s job harder by letting options be destroyed, leaving less places to find hope.

All of the doomed alternate selves the knight of doom would/might pull into the alpha timeline gives the thief a buffet of ghosts to steal away for their own purposes. Plus like before, the sylph’s creations add even more for the thief to stash up, between these two you’ll have a very powerful thief of heart. Prince of blood looks like the worst pair up, possibly severing ties between the thief and the souls they’ve collected.

Your players seem like a viable match as far as I can tell. Besides the heir/witch possibly bending all of space time, nothing stands out to me as too excessively strong of a combination, and there doesn’t seem to be any session killing bad clashing between players. The balance of players seems like it’d be about average odds of winning for a group this size.

I believe the genesis frog breeding should be very successful and the sburb session in general has a good chance of being completed. The bard of breath seems like the biggest threat just due to their classpect being an anti-shenanigan type of thing. If that’s under control and you aren’t railroaded down a singular path your session should be capable of finding victory.

I’m not entirely sure how much of the trouble I had going over this session was from it being so large that it’s not practical to completely over analyze the combos like I do with smaller sessions or how much of it is that there’s just not super strong synergies here. Probably a mixture of both. Guess time will tell how viable it���ll be for me to do large session stuff like this but I’m still interested in trying it out.

[selie1412-blog]

 Lets see how many Waluigi fans I can trigger with this post. Super Smash Bros Ultimate will be my first video game review. I believe everyone of there internet is familiar with this game series by now. If not, then what rock have you been living under for the past 20ish years.

The review will be split into two parts. First the review for the storyline, and then the review for the multiplayer section. It will become obvious as you continue reading. I sure hope you do so...

Spoilers of the story mode will be shown below. Proceed with caution. 

Super Smash Bros Ultimate: 

With an arsenal of 76 fighters to choose from and various assist trophies, cough Waluigi cough, from many different games and pokemon to also join in the battle the possibility for this game seems endless. Although, then Mr. Sakurai of course had to go above and beyond literally everyone’s expectations to add the spirits section which includes characters from countless other games, adding approximately 1200 new characters to the game. (I know that there is more than this, but the last hundreds is just spirits of all the fighters so I was not counting them.)

Summary: 

The World of Light story mode for Smash Ultimate takes place when a new villain, Galeem, eliminates all the fighters and brainwashes them into serving its needs - basically turning them into his puppets. This all goes along to its plans except for the precious start child, Kirby, Mr. Sakurai’s beloved creation (well other then the entire Smash series). Kirby is then faced to *read in Morgan Freeman's voice* save the entire world! Then after beating Galeem for the first time a new villian emerges from the darkness, Dharkon, who seems to hold an impressive grudge again Galeem. The two seem to be in a constant battle with the recovered fighters only watching from the sidelines as their battle takes place. 

For the multiplayer section of the game the format of it has changed drastically from Smash 3 and Smash 4 respectively Smash 3Ds and Smash Wii U. The rule section is now a mandatory passage into the game and the stage selection now comes before the character selection. The rules also can not be changed once you select them unless you back out all the from the match to change them. Multiple other features have also been implemented such as smashdown and a tournament mode. Spirits can also be used in multiplayer battle as well between friends.

Review:

I have to give some kudos (Shinichi AUGGGG!!! Sorry little fangirl episode. I apologize for the interruption.) to the story line overall. The plot was something unique and unexpected, and oddly entertaining considering the sheer lack of cutscenes and lore to go along with it. Being able to come up with a interesting storyline like it has after the Subspace Emissary is quite impressive. When watching through the Smash Directs waiting for the game to release I absolutely knew that there was going to be a new story mode to go along with this game, but I was unsure on what exactly it was going to be because the Subspace Emissary seems almost perfect. The World of Light appears to be a battle of good and evil where one can not appear without the other, yet can not survive without each other. I believe MatPat's description of the lore can be one possible interpretation of the story mode, but I also believe that there are others as well. In creating my review of this integration I did use The Game Theory’s theory for some inspiration and guidance, so I will be drawing off of that as a source. 

Galeem and Dharkon physically seem to represent light and darkness respectively, so it would be obvious that they would be enamines. Then why do they both encapture all of the fighters who are supposed to be on the good side. Why would they both do so. Well the short and simple answer of that is that, as the cut senses show that is not the point. In the aspect of Galeem and Dharakon the fighters are meaningless, they have no value. Going back to the origin of it all, the fighters are supposed to simply represent a child playing with them and bringing them to life. In a matter of light and darkness the person playing or controlling the figure decides on how that they will behave. By the fighters being abducted by Galeem and Dharkon itis a simple change of hands. I mean even Master hand, general of Galeem, and then Crazy Hand, general of Dharkon, can easily represent order and discord. Each are traits of it varios counterparts. We, the player, are simply spectators watching a match between rivals of sorts. Each side has a general, 3 captains, various amounts of sargents (being the abducted characters), and then plentiful amounts of pawns (being the Spirits themselves). This battle we witness between the two is an war between light and darkness. 

The ending of story more is only obtained through defeating both Galeem and Dharkon at the same time. This is the true ending which will set all the spirits free. If only defecting a single one then the other will destroy the world. Each which is called the bad ending. This true ending then meaning that light can not exist without darkness and then darkness can not exist without light. If simply darkness exists then the world will be thrown into chaos and discord while is only light exists then nothing would get done and everything will cease to exist. A balance is needed for harmony to happen. Throughout the final map of the game as spirits were defeated Galeem and Dharkon constantly fought for power to overtake the other. The player, not shown, represent this balancing act. The act of calming and defeating both of the large giants restored order to the world, adn allowed life to continue. Quoting Kingdom Heart, (Its a good game series lay off!) “ The closer you get to the Light, The Greater Your Shadow Becomes.” In order to maintain a balance as light grows the darkness should also grow. As the balancer in the game you are returning balance to the world that was taken out of balance when Galeem first tried to overtake Dharkon by taking all of the fighters into its own ‘hand’, and then when it was taken out by the balancer the shift in powers went over to Dharkon who’s power rose. Think of it as a see-saw, as one side rises the other sinks, but if you then release the side the rose it will then sink and the other side will rise.

(Wow! That was a lot of writing just on the lore, lol. I congratulate all who actually read through that.)

The playthrough of the story mode itself I was sadly a bit disappointed int. With The Subspace Emissary you could play multiplayer and there was even some playforming that characters could travers. I was sad when both of those features were taken out of the game. The graphics of the story mode itself was impressive though. I could see the real dedication to each aspect of the map, and how they tried to fit each portal area to a certain theme to a game. Like there was a Monster Hunter area, Bowser's Castle, Legend of Zelda, and a Castlevania. The avatar of every single character was impressive as well. I mean creating all of the sprites especially fro this one small thing was no small feat, so that trait I appreciated. I know the big theme for Smash Ultimate is, “Got to go fast” as quoted from the Sonic the Hedgehog series, but sometimes its a little nice to stop and smell the roses. Like in the story mode! I would honestly sacrifice about half of the spirit battles in spirit mode to have some fun platform levels of some sort. Even if it was just put in as minigames I would be happy. Like Hit the Target or Find the Exit from melee, or maybe even just reskining some of the platform levels from Subspace with a HD addition to it and throwing it into World of Light. Any of that would be amazing! I believe that added a lot of fun to the overall story mode itself, and it was one of the main reasons that made me actually want to replay and beat the story mode multiple times because it was something a bit different from the rest of the game. It made the story mode very unique, and it made it stand out.

As for the multiple player section there was a number of new additions and fighting formats that actually improved the overall experience and gameplay of it, but there was also some aspect that made me frustrated at. My favorite aspects by far was the implications of the smash down and tournament sections. The have finally added a tournament section, and that makes me soooooo happy! I no longer have to make homemade tournament charts!!! T^T The shashdown is also very helpful to play with people who are really only good with one person, and that one person can pretty much wipe you out no matter what you do. It adds a lot of fairness to the game which succeeds in making it a lot more fun for the people out there who are good at a lot of characters, but not really good at just one (I actually sit in between these people. I have 3 mains who I like to fight as a lot, but I am decent at pretty much everyone else in the game. Well except for Mr. Game and Watch and Olimar. My mains by the way are: Mewtwo, Ganondorf, and Lucas.)

My main drawback with the multiplayer section of the game is actually how the rule selection is set up. For tradition Smash mode you have to go through the process of first choosing your rules for the match, picking you stage, and then choosing you fighter. This is path you always have to go down when entering in the smash mode after exiting the game. if you finish a match it just takes you back to the stage selection section. The problem exists when you finish a match, but you realize you made a mistake in the rule creation. In order to fix it you first have to back all the way out of the match, then open up the select rules tab that you specifically created for this match set, then edit what you want, finally save it, and then back out after selecting it and proceeding onto the rest of the match. Now this would not be as much as a problem if you were able to set a rule tab as default, so you could enterally skip that one step and continue onto the match. Also, if you were allowed to edit the rules while inside the match selecting process such as when you are choosing you stage because you forgot to turn off the stage morph or stage hazards or you start selecting you character and realize that the match is still on time and not on stock. If these features were implemented then the rule section would only need to be opened when it was needed to create a new set of rules. I am not saying that I dislike the aspect of creating a custom set of rules to use for match because I think that is a very nice user friendly option for the players, but I do think that it need a little more work to be better. This is a new feature that just needs a few bugs worked out, and the it would be perfect.

For the fighters and the battles themselves, I have stated previously that the theme of Smash Ultimate is, “Gotta Go Fast,” so that is what everything is. The speed of all the characters have improved - making all the heavy characters now usable competitively - as well as the final smashes. This speed change has really made the game itself into the fastest, most adgil, and adaptive are the best. So it is no surprise that Sonic, Mewtwo, and Inkling has all made it into the top tiers for being if not the fastest, most adgil, and adaptive characters in the game respectively. The final smashes on most of the characters have changed in one way or another, some for the better and some for the worse.  There is now a feature also to do diagonal air doges as well which helps out considerable for air movement and combat. Also the idea of perfect shielding has been improved, so it grants the player a chance attack the opponent when their defences are down a bit. There is not really much else to say in this area.

I am not going to touch on the classic mode much or the all-star mode much because they are pretty much the same as the previous game. Classic mode you fight about 6 battles with the last being either Master Hand or both Master Hand and Crazy hand at varying levels of difficulty. All-star mode is continuous matches with short breaks in between which goes on until you fight and defect every single smash fighter. I will only say this, which I have already stated before, I missed the small platforming levels inside Classic mode. It added something different to the overall flow which was a nice change of pace and mixed up the game some. 

Overall Smash Ultimate is an amazing game that has blown not only mine but everyone elses socks off. From the vast amount of characters included to the thoughtful and in depth storyline, and all of the new features that it includes. I sincerely believe that Mr. Sakurai has outdone himself, and is in need of a well needed vacation. He has done an amazing job at trying his best at making every fan and every series present in this game feel loved. With all of that though I will be honored to give Super Smash Bros Ultimate an astounding score of a 9/10. Splitting each part up into its various categories the World of Light Story mode receives a not too shabby 8.5/10. This is because of the lack of platforming areas (tear) and for the lack of official lore or true story line which has left a lot of fans trying to actually deceivers what it means, me included (given my own interruption above). Then with the multiplayer section receiving an impressive 9.5/10. Only docking off points for the wonky rules section which could possibly be fixed in a later update. 

Once again thank you very much for reading my update. If you actually succeeded in reading all of it. I apologize it was a bit long this time around, but there was a lot of content I had to cover.  If you have any further comments or additions I may have missed please put them in the comments below or simply PM me. Again, I will state this every time, if anyone has any requests for anything they wish for me to review in the future please once again post them in the comments below or PM,

Finally, if anyone is interested you are welcome to join my discord server where we will talking about various anime, manga, video games, and other sources of media. I have posted the link below! :)

 https://discord.gg/tvBR8Jn

[mortalgabby]

Pixel Artist Reviews

1. Eboy

I think Eboy’s work is very interesting to look at, and looks especially three dimensional due to the shadows/highlights and the isometric style it is drawn in - which I think gives it a very iconic cartoon style. The incredible amount of detail in his work adds to the visual appeal, along with the wide variety of colours he utilises in his piece. Some of his work however I think may be a little crowded, although this is a unique part of his style. I also like it due to the wide range of objects/sprites/buildings that he includes in his pieces, as it makes it look like a fantasy world and gives it a lot more life. His work I feel embodies the oxymoron ‘organised chaos’ - the isometric aspect makes everything look neat and tidy but the sheer amount of detail makes it look almost disorganised. Overall, I really like his work.

2. Pixel Art TV 

This pixel artist is well known for recreating iconic scenes from popular TV shows in pixel art with a large amount of detail. They mostly use banding shading to add depth and shadow, but also occasionally use dithering for areas when the the transition between colours should be more subtle. I think that using both techniques helps it look especially natural and realistic, therefore I really like it. Another aspect that I like a lot is the use of atmospheric perspective, which is present in the backgrounds of their work, particularly in the mountains. This means that they get more ‘faint’ to create the impression that they’re further away - increasing the depth and realism of the whole illustration- so it no longer feels flat. This can also be seen with the characters who are standing behind each other in rows, which looks very effective. I also really like the use of contrast: the colour palette for the scene is mostly blue, suggesting cold weather yet the fire is drawn in a much warmer palette which makes it stand out very well. Furthermore, the way the fire is drawn makes it look almost alive like it’s moving- another detail that I really admire. Finally, all the subjects in the foreground and background (particularly the dragon and rocks) look very organic and smooth which is especially hard to achieve in pixel art. 

3. Waneela

Waneela is a pixel artist who mainly creates landscapes, occasionally with simple animation, which I think gives her work a very peaceful atmosphere, as well as making it look alive and ethereal. Like Eboy, her work has black outlines which make it look very stylised and almost semi-cartoon. She works on a large scale (so even the smallest aspects of her work are composed of lots of pixels) to maximise the amount of detail; this is one of my favourite aspects of her work. I also like how, unlike Eboy, her work is not isometric so doesn’t look as neat and organised - instead looking random and haphazard, which I like as it resembles real life quite well. Another particularly nice feature about her work is her colour usage, which is also fairly realistic, as it is quite desaturated (but by no means boring) which makes it a lot easier to look at for a long period of time. It also adds to the calm atmosphere her work creates. I think her work is beautiful and would like to create similar work myself someday. 

4. Paul Robertson

Paul Robertson is a pixel artist/animator who has worked on many projects including the popular TV Show Gravity Falls. His style is very bright and cartoony - all of the items or characters have a dark stroke colour surrounding them which helps them stand out and creates a very clean and simple finish. His main shading style is banding which also adds to the ‘cartoon’ style of his work, although he sometimes uses dithering as well. Like many of the other artists, his work also features a large amount of detail and he works on a very large scale to make sure his characters, objects and settings look as recognisable and true to life as possible, which I think works well! However I think some of his work is a bit too crowded- there is too much detail in some areas that would look fine without any. But other than that I think his work is very intricate and satisfying to look at. 

5. Ivan Dixon

Ivan Dixon is a pixel artist/animator who creates simple characters moving in various ways (often bouncing for example). Unlike the previous artists, he works on an extremely small scale - his sprites are only around 25 pixels average width and height. This means that there is unfortunately not a lot of room for detail- but he definitely makes it work. To do this, he uses iconic characters such as Doctor Strange who is easily recognisable due to his outfit and colour scheme. His shading is very minimalist and simple as there is not a lot of space to add it, and his work is quite small so it looks good without! The animations of the characters do not contain a lot of frames but still look organic and enjoyable to watch, especially with the endless loop created. Overall I prefer works that have a large amount of pixels because I like more detail, but at the same time the simplicity of his work is calming to look at. 

6. Sword and Sworcery

Sword and Sworcery is a pixel art based game. The pixel art itself is lovely, despite not being very detailed (in comparison to some of the other artists) and really conveys a sombre feeling and tranquil atmosphere due to the colour scheme. In a sense, the lack of detail means that none of the artwork is overcrowded, therefore works quite well in my opinion. Like Ivan Dixon, this work is created on a small scale which explains the simplicity of both the landscapes and characters. One of my favourite things about the game’s artwork is the colour palettes that are chosen, as they are quite dull and soft which makes it very aesthetically appealing to me, because I prefer unsaturated colours. I think the brighter details such as the yellow/pink light sources are a very nice addition and compliment the background colours well.