#due to being tied with other channels. its an interesting detail. to me. also it being called dandelion doesnt have much significance | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mittensmorgul · 4 years

Note

Hi Mittens! Happy holidays! I love your meta and I had a question: I've seen you make a couple posts about Miracle lately, and while I'm definitely angry at canon replacing Cas with a dog, I was kind of taken aback at some of your comments about Dean and dogs (specifically how much you seem to hate that combination; I've never felt strongly about it one way or the other). Do you have a tag or post about your feelings on Dean and dogs? Or could you explain in a little more detail, please?

Hi hi!

Dean... has never been associated positively with dogs on this show-- up to and including that scene in Scoobynatural where he does the SCOOBYDOOBYDOOOOO! and Cas rolls his eyes and tells him flat out he’s not a talking dog. I mean, even in one of Sam’s heaven memories, he’s effectively replaced Dean with a dog... so while Dean was being implied-harshly-punished by John for “losing” Sam, Sam had been having the time of his life with a dog instead... Sorry, I’ve got a lot of resentment for dog symbolism in the show...

Cas has also been associated with dogs in a lot of... let’s go with derogatory comments, and since this dog in the finale was SPECIFICALLY a replacement for Cas in Dean’s life... I find it particularly insulting, you know?

5.14: We get dog comments about Cas and Dean both in this ep. Famine refers to Cas as Dean’s dog... “You sicced your dog on me, I threw him a steak.” And we see Cas crouched on the ground eating meat. Earlier in this ep, Sam teased Dean about his lack of any “appetite” for anything with the comment, “when a dog doesn't eat-- That's when you know something's really wrong.“

7.21: after being banished, he reappears at a dog track, where the dogs were unhappy. so... Cas was basically just another unhappy dog in this part of the story.

10.22: Rowena compares Cas to a “dog who thinks he’s people” for being an angel who rejected heaven and chose his family with the Winchesters.

10.23-11.03: Cas is literally under a spell referred to as “Attack Dog,” which he fights against but is slowly turning him into a killing machine. He seeks help from Heaven, but they only want to use him, to torture information out of him and then kill him once they get what they want. It’s implied he even kills a dog in 11.01.

11.06: when Cas is in the bunker still suffering from trauma related to the attack dog spell, lying in bed and watching tv, he changes the channel to a news story about a dog riding a skateboard, and the newscaster uses Rowena’s line from 10.22: “Aw, that dog thinks it’s people!”

12.19: Lucifer refers to Cas as the Winchesters’ “purse dog,” and s12 is littered with dog references, especially between Lucifer and Crowley (which started back in s11 when Lucifer was using Cas’s vessel and treating Crowley like a dog... there’s a lot of negative baggage attached to dogs on this show)

13.16: Scooby is obviously the one dog Dean’s okay with, having positive childhood associations with him. But when comparing themselves to the scooby gang, Sam says they don’t have a talking dog, and Dean replies that Cas is sort of like a talking dog... which is interesting because at the end of the episode Cas tells Dean he’s NOT a talking dog. And this, in a scene that was directly foreshadowing Dean becoming Michael’s suit...again, more negative baggage for both of them.

The Dean vs Dogs imagery really kicks in when Dean’s soul is destined for Hell in s3, though.

3.10: In his rant to his dream self, Dream!Dean accuses Dean of being as “mindless and obedient as an attack dog,” just a few lines before he gives the “daddy’s blunt little instrument” line that Cas reminded us of in 15.18. So I do think this is something that the writers couldn’t possibly have been unaware of in invoking that specific line and the specific baggage attached to it.

3.11, one of the MANY deaths Dean suffers is from a seemingly nice dog he tries to pet in a friendly manner. The nice golden retriever mauls him to death, like the hellhounds are due to do to him in just a few short episodes...

3.16: literally torn apart by hellhounds... don’t know how else to make it clear that Dean Is Not A Fan of this.

4.06: suffering from Ghost Sickness, and being magically forced to experience heightened levels of fear, he runs from a lil Yorkie with a bow in its hair, pausing only long enough to warn another person on the street to run before it kills them. We are invited to see how his biggest fear-- of Lilith, of being tortured in Hell, and having been dragged there by hellhounds-- is literally tied to his feelings toward actual dogs, including nonthreatening little lap dogs.

6.01: When Dean falls under the djinn’s spell, he hallucinates an unseen monster, presumably something akin to a hellhound, but when he thinks he’s caught the monster, it’s the neighbor’s Yorkie. Just like in 4.05, Dogs, Hellhounds, and Things Dean Fears In His Soul are all tangled up together.

6.08: aka that one episode I forget exists until it comes back around on the loop (actually I don’t forget it exists anymore, I’ve seen the show too many times at this point, but meh...). But it does plant this fear, that any dog anywhere might not really be a dog. The “sleeper cell” skinwalker packs in cities all over the world? Yeah, not a happy thought for someone who really doesn’t like dogs. Or at the very least has a low-key fear of them.

7.15: I would qualify this one as just “symbolism,” but since this episode is full of anvils, it feels legit to mention that the spell Jeffrey uses to summon his demon back to him involves using Dean’s blood and a dog’s heart. Not really a dean/fear thing, but Dean AS a dog-- and a sacrificed dog at that.

8.01: When Dean gets back from Purgatory, he gets in the Impala and smells dog. Bringing on the famous rule that he’s quite angry about Sam having clearly violated even when he wasn’t on the same plane of existence at the time-- No dogs in the car. He’s still clearly not a fan. Early s8 becomes a long string of “Sam hit a dog” comments, too.

8.15: for all this episode’s grossness, it does remind us over and over again that Dean really does not like dogs. Even flat out having Dean say he likes dogs, and the woman who literally is a dog familiar tells him that no, he doesn’t.

9.05: Dean... is basically a dog. He bonds with the Colonel a bit, even identifies with the dog while he’s under the spell, but all that good will that built up between them effectively shatters again with the ominous last words he gets before the spell wears off and the knowledge that dogs were not created to be man’s best friend, but had some other-- and in this context seemingly sinister-- purpose.

And then we have every other ep that deals with Hellhounds, Dean’s failure to kill one leading to Sam taking on the trials instead of him, tied up in their mutual discussion of what they see as their respective futures-- Sam wants to live, and he wants Dean to live, too, instead of Dean constantly running toward death and self-sacrifice. So like, these themes are all tied up together, and makes all the dog stuff incredibly not fun when it comes to Dean specifically.

So when Dean does lose Cas-- and everyone else on the planet-- the dog being the ONE living being they’ve found, Dean picking her up and putting her in “Cas’s place” in the car, only to have Chuck snap her away like she was a manipulative trick the entire time? Not even really real, just one more thing to give Dean a tiny bit of hope only to maliciously snatch it away again?

And then for the SINGLE thing Dean asked for from Chuck being to bring Cas back?

And then he doesn’t get Cas back, but apparently kidnaps this random dog instead?

It’s just... indescribably weird to me, and so entirely out of character and insulting to Cas on top of it all. Like this was the only happiness Dean was allowed after saving the universe. No found extended family, no life outside of Sam and hunting, no dream of retiring and finding a beach to sink his toes in the sand for a little while. He just gets a dog, which he canonically doesn’t like and has a lot of issues with for entirely understandable reasons. So like.. .how is this cute or happy or nice?

#dean vs dogs #spn 15.20 #i'm sorry the dog thing is just making me irrationally angry on dean's behalf but dammit it's just gross to me #Anonymous

134 notes · View notes

menalez · 5 years

Text

ive been saying that i’ll be posting receipts on the hetfem server, which was also heavily requested by plenty of people on here. this post is going to be pretty long, so i’m putting it under a read more. keep in mind, this isn’t every single wrong thing that has been said on the server, some may disagree with some parts even being wrong to begin with, and this post may have more added to it afterwards in the reblogs. the individuals who have provided me with receipts were all feeling threatened due to knowing how vicious and prone to harassing others the women in this server often are. so ive been sent countless receipts with context, which i have tried to summarise as well. please remember that the point of this post isn’t to call out specific individuals, but rather it is to showcase that the concerns and ‘rumours’ going around about this server were reasonable and true, and to show how lesbophobic and racist this server is (which many have publicly stated before being dogpiled by members of the server).

first is the zionism and racism in that specific regard. “theHettyishere” is black-diaspora, “Autumn” is probablyaterf. both are partaking in the erasure & justification of how israel is treating palestinians, erasing palestinians proven ties to their country, erasing the war crimes israel partook in, and also erasing the racism within israel which prioritises ashkenazim over mizrahim and black jews.

then they got more blatant and started saying that if you’re anti-zionism then you’re .. anti-semitic ?? keep in mind these people aren’t even jewish

then they go onto defending christianity

and falsely claim hitler ‘deeply respected’ islam. interesting considering hitler called muslims ‘half-apes’ and all but oh well!

second set of receipts is the defending of blackface and justification of it. in both these ‘debates’, they literally only present one side and then act like they had a great discussion at the end of it when they’re all just confirming their pre-existing beliefs and using one another to support that. anyways, girlsfrommars had previously come under fire for publicly defending the blackface tradition existing in her country, the netherlands. this is her doing it again after backpedaling on tumblr on this topic, and people in the server standing by her. battleking is bookrebelwordwarrior on tumblr.

the conversation kinda goes on for a bit and girlfrommars does the same thing she did on tumblr not long before this convo, which was give a “oh ok i’ll reconsider!” which may not be her truth anyways.

next is people on the server saying straight women don’t have enough good representation and even talking about being upset over bi women and even lesbians being represented?? again, autumn is probablyaterf. laughing bird will appear in the screenshots a lot, although i’m not sure what her url is.

idk how to tell these het and bi women.... that lesbians have practically no good representation. especially not as much as het women. there’s a lot of parts of this conversation that are highly questionable. tldr its bad if lesbians or bi women headcannon gnc women as bi or lesbians. also its bad if gnc characters aren’t straight.

this next screen is coming from a het woman so keep that in mind. i don’t know how to put into words why i find this iffy so yall can see it and decide for urselves

she justifies it w this when a couple of members make it clear they find her message questionable:

on a different occasion, girlsfrommars, a white woman, decides to randomly ask other white women in the server what they think about reparations. a bunch of racist white women show themselves during this conversation. please keep in mind i was not the one censoring their usernames so i myself have no idea who these women are, but the person censored in white is emanon, who has a tumblr. i dont know what her tumblr is, but she will appear in multiple other receipts after this. keep in mind this entire channel ends up being deleted by probablyaterf to cover up the racism and prevent the collection of receipts, which you’ll see evidence of later on in this post.

then one of the white women dismisses the impact of racism, basically,

then woc start to chime in (white is the white woman, ‘emanon’)

then, after this conversation went on for a while, a mod decides to tone-police and shame the woc for taking issue with what the white woman was saying. this mod is also white.

“my race doesn’t matter, but i’m jewish” sounds convenient. especially since this person admitted to being white and stated thats why she should stay in her lane the previous day:

back to the dispute between LB and the woc:

remember LB’s tone and behaviour in the above screenshots as you’ll see how different it is from how she acted when a white woman was being lesbophobic on the server.

probablyaterf eventually comes in with “both sides were bad :)” basically

girlfrommars makes a non-apology apology about bringing up reparations the way she did

the next set of screenshots is just.. i dont even know what to say about it? yall can see it for yourselves because i think its self-explanatory. battle king = bookrebelwordwarrior, thehettyishere = black-diaspora, autumn = probablyaterf.

then the subtle lesbophobia comes in

this convo was then moved to a channel that was eventually deleted (receipt of that will be shown on this post).

probablyaterf then comes in and says lesbians are All saying the things mentioned above

then radfemkitten talks about how upset she was and probablyaterf goes on about how this conversation should stop or something

PAT then lowkey admits that part of the point of her server is to be able to talk shit about lesbians without being criticised for lesbophobia:

radfemkitten more or less confirms this

PAT basically says “if you think women here are lesbophobic then leave but if you keep criticising what is said then i’ll mute and maybe even kick you!” ok

after this PAT muted that woman for saying that some of the women were being lesbophobic.

someone showed exactly where lesbophobia was present

“straight women should have a space where they can shit talk lesbians without criticism” basically ^. this is the 3rd screenshot where members of the chat, specifically the creator PAT, states that the server exists partially so that non-lesbians can say shit without being criticised for being lesbophobic.

this was then said by emanon (racist reparations lady):

then probablyaterf coddles the women who were upset for being held accountable and kicks out the women who called out lesbophobia

probablyaterf deleted entire channels which involved members being lesbophobic and racist for the bullshit reason she provided here, basically admitting she would remove things to prevent the collection of receipts:

this is why she is so confident on her blog about how people can’t possibly have receipts on her server. because she makes sure to delete the evidence. issue is, she did it too late. she then started twisting the story and lying to save face. she removed the conversations regarding reparations, separatism, the accusations of racism & lesbophobia, them complaining about there not being enough good representation of straight women, etc were all removed. evidence:

then it gets even more blatantly sketchy, where PAT basically tells the members of the group to not repeat the drama or dish the details of it, as any honest and open person not hiding questionable shit would do, apparently.

the details and specifics of this drama were all kept quiet by those involved as well, and those involved agreed to not talk about what has happened in detail.

the bit “one of the members was crying SO MUCH because you called her lesophobic that she almost LEFT HER JOB :(” is funny as y’all can see the situation for yourself up there, she said something and people questioned her on it. this wasn’t a case of a poor defenseless victim being cruelly attacked or whatever.

“a lot of them do tho clearly” keep in mind that there were like what .. 4 lesbians that took issue with the server? and initially there was even less than that.

radfemkitten then goes onto a lesbophobic rant.

then they changed the story within the server and claimed that the accusations of racism were directed at woc... when it was directed at white women exclusively, as shown above. keep in mind the person claiming this and putting racism in quotations is a white woman herself so. hmm.

next incident is some white woman being very blatantly lesbophobic on the server. several people took issue with it, and she received multiple warnings but was not kicked. keep in mind that earlier, someone was kicked simply for questioning a member on the server and saying they were being lesbophobic. yet when someone is blatantly lesbophobic, they receive multiple warnings and then get away with it. “pinkie the feral one” goes by roxxy, i don’t know if she has a tumblr. notice how laughing bird is comparatively very civil and patient with this roxxy person.

bi & het women determining that lesbians talking about thinking of pussy somehow implies ‘homosexuals are sex crazed deviants’, is what’s homophobic, btw.

next are when the hetfem server came under fire after TD spoke against it and drama ensued. i was initially 100% for the hetfem server and said those opposing it were being illogical. however, after a while of that drama, some lesbophobia was starting to come out from the hetfems which is when i said i think both sides are wrong. the hetfems took this very personally and proceeded to make lesbophobic comments about how im just bitter bc i dont have a gf or something (altho i was in a relationship back then so lol) and then they blatantly said they dont think het women have power over lesbians. the convo resulted in them full on arguing that lesbians have it easier than het women.

next coming is the hetfem server arguing that abrahamic religions actually *helped* women and how radfems should be talking about that. keep in mind some of these are the same people that mock people who say islam is a ‘feminist religion’.

next is them arguing on the hetfem server that Nasime Aghdam, the youtube shooter, is male and referencing a meme as a source. they completely ignored the fact that Nasime’s childhood photos make it pretty obvious that that meme was inaccurate anyways. also probablyaterf argued that it’s somehow racist to note that nasime aghdam resembles many other people in the middle east (somewhere im from & where ive lived my entire life). its interesting considering how many things she argued weren’t racist or homophobic, yet noting that someone isn’t a Weird Unusual Looking Alien like she wants to claim is ..racist

the probablyaterf goes on to strawman that i claimed all iranians are clones of each other or smth simply bc i said nasime aghdam’s face is not unusual in countries like iran. also keep in mind the person censored in red is a white woman lol.

henryhetta = foxfur-nadine.

listen.. ive seen women wearing borderline clown makeup in my country. it doesnt make them male. anyways then PAT says ‘maybe im wrong but ill insist im not anyways’, basically.

next is the time black-diaspora posted a pic of my mom taken from my country’s gov facebook page, which provides people with her first & last name. this was brought up on the server. they said i was lying (i was not) and went on about how im crazy and need to get laid. also calling me a ‘nigel’ in one of those screens.

then they just keep justifying it and insulting me. instead of taking issue with what a member of their server did.

so basically “calling out lesbophobia is bad, but posting information that leads to someone’s mom’s full name and facebook is ok, and somehow posting something from a ‘public news article’”

then they said “homosexuality is legal in bahrain” to somehow justify any of this??? as if Bahrain doesn’t have a history of killing, imprisoning, torturing, and exiling Bahrainis that they see criticising the government (which i frequently do) or anything. not like around 200 people have lost their lives for critiquing Bahrain’s government or anything. moreover, plenty of things are ‘legal’ in Bahrain but still lead to punishment. sex outside of marriage is illegal and gay people can’t legally get married, for one. and people have been imprisoned in Bahrain for kissing members of the same sex. but whatever i guess. anyways then radfemkitten argues that i sent a picture doxxing my own fucking mother to black-diaspora. so i endangered my own mother and then begged these people to delete the information they posted, apparently?

sadly, that is the end of the receipts i have on the topic of BD endangering my mom and the hetfem server justifying it and finding ways to blame me for BD’s actions. so i don’t have the bit that confirms how she explained herself to others and justified it, however she did justify and defend it publicly when i called her out on it. BD was not kicked or muted or anything of the sort for what she has done, and as you can see, everyone justified it and took it as an opportunity to insult me. this wouldn’t have been as much of an issue if i wasn’t from a dictatorship and if my blog wasn’t so political. what BD posted is STILL present on another blog and i could not get staff to delete it, so if the information falls into the wrong hands i don’t know what’ll happen to my mother, or even to me.

next is them justifying allying with the right despite their homophobia, racism, etc. keep in mind some of these women reblogged white supremacist propaganda in agreement with it so this isn’t particularly shocking. christmas begins in november = autumn = probablyaterf.

the issue with this, by the way, is associating with a group that is often misogynistic, homophobic, and racist solely to have a slightly larger platform of people who are more or less heavily for gender, gender roles, and more, sends the message that somehow these are ok things to side with as feminists. yall notice how many ‘radfems’ are literally just conservatives who are against some aspects of misogyny or trans people? these are the people you’re roping in a lot of the time. and this makes the voices of radfems easier to dismiss by the left as well. instead of establishing a space in the left, you end up placing yourself closer to the right and effectively putting the success of your movement to a halt.

these coming screenshots are the hetfems arguing het women have it The Hardest in radfem spaces

separate event is just some lesbophobia, again.

“imagine a straight/bihet woman wondering what the purpose of a lesbian is” go outside. there’s plenty of that. one idiotic woman saying that about bisexuality doesn’t somehow override that.

more blatant lesbophobia in a separate event. note the reactions underneath the text (all in agreement)

how often have gay people talked about how the stupid “you have equal rights now uwu” bullshit is simply bullshit? this is exactly what men use to dismiss feminists, why do it to dismiss talk of homophobia?

a bunch of white & het/het-passing women joking about making a straight pride or kkk march

remember the white woman, emanon, who argues against reparations because “what about poor white people? :(” she comes in with more racism, and some intersexism too! this is her calling caster semenya, an intersex black woman, a man and using ‘he’ pronouns for her. girlfrommars, the white woman keen on defending blackface, comes in to express her agreement.

then they argue that semenya was raised as a male.. because she refused to wear feminine clothing including in school & because some people thought she was, and thus treated her as such until they realised shes not, a man??

this is more recent than a lot of the previous receipts. i reblogged one post by radfemkitten a while back, and she was so flattered she felt the need to complain about it on the hetfem server, to which someone replied by likening me to a male hippo from madagascar.

#whitefem racism #long post #liberal lesbophobia #hetfems #hetfem server #probablyaterf #black-diaspora #girlfrommars #radfemkitten

435 notes · View notes

agentmanatee · 4 years

Text

AOS 30 Day Challenge

Since I'm late to the party, I will be using this post to catch up.

Day 1: Favorite Season: S4 had the tightest story-telling with the pod structure. For a 22 episode season not to have a filler episode is quite a feat. Aida/Ophelia/Madame Hydra is my favorite Marvel - not just AOS - villian. Mallory Hansen's ability to play 4 different characters in one season in one show (sometimes multiple characters in the same scene) should have won her an Emmy hands-down. All of the cast should have won Emmy's for the performance in Self-Control (Everybody was on their A-game). My love for Robbie Reyes knows no bounds, and Gabriel Luna has mad chemistry with everyone (I pretty much ship Robbie with everybody he's not related to).

Day 3: Favorite story-line: Maveth. When I told my niece the story of FitzSimmons, she declared it "too much!" when I got to Maveth, specifically Hive and we stopped there. In a lot of ways it was the writers dipping their toes in adding more focus to Fitz and Simmons, who are portrayed by the show's strongest actors. I know a lot of people don't like the Will Daniels twist, but other than some hand-waveable plot holes, it really wasn't that bad. It was literally a "only two people on a planet" situation, and they thought that they would never see another human being again and that they were effectively dead to anyone on Earth; so their actions were understandable. Jemma didn't show interest in Will until she gave up seeing Fitz again, and Will initially did not act on his attraction because he respected and even appreciated Jemma's feelings for Fitz; he knew - even if Jemma didn't - that if given the opportunity to choose she would ultimately choose to Fitz ("No wonder Jemma loves you" was Hive channeling Will). If he survived and wasn't a villain I would ship him with either Joey or FitzSimmons (Fitz is canonically bi, Jemma deserves all the love, and the way Will talked about Fitz could be interpreted as romantic interest. He couldn't help falling for Fitz with the way Jemma talked about him), but I never submit prompt requests because I know how people feel about the character.

Also the planet of Maveth was a character unto itself, which is so cool. I really want to know what the light under its surface is; I don't but that it was a only heat source. Since sandstorms turned out not to be one of Hive's powers, Maveth or the cloaked figure (the personification of the planet a la Ego?) Jemma saw had to be the source of those. I suspect the civilization they saw evidence of were tied to the Confederation in season 5. Did they try to settle down and it backfired due to their culture? It very likely was how they knew there were Hydra leaders on Earth for them to manipulate. Will they ever confirm this? Doubtful. Finally, the mystery of Hive and what he was worked and exceeded expectations (his power set of terrifying!).

Day 2: Favorite episode: Inescapable. I was so excited for this episode I paid for it because Hulu was taking its time posting the episode. Of course a FitzSimmons episode would be amazing. The mind prison forced FitzSimmons to deal with issues they've avoided and together to boot. Seeing the turning point in their friendship at the academy and Coulson Recruiting them prior to season 1 was a hoot. I love how they revealed the other Fitz's death to him; he needed to see how the team mourned for him, to understand how much they loved him. Of course the whole scene was painful from him opening the bodybag to seeing the wedding ring to learning of Coulson's passing, but it was necessary and reflected how everything happens at once irl. Seeing their trust and loyalty in their bffs was heartening. And there is no doubt how much they are meant for eachother than when their darksides fall for and on eachother. They certainly learned some things there.

Honorable mention to Self-Control. That was the first episode I have ever purchased. It felt like a movie, and the story is insulated enough I think I may suggest it as the episode to watch when trying to get people to watch the show (either this or Orientation). The entire episode was so gripping I held a pillow to my chest the whole time once it was revealed that either Jemma or Fitz was an LMD. It was such a good Daisy and Jemma episode team-up and jump-started a whole arc of them supporting eachother. It was also a phenomenal Daisy episode. She showcased her powers, and Chloe knocked it out of the park. The scenes between May and Coulson's LMD-selves were so very moving. Ming did such a good job of portraying how May's LMD differed from the others. The episode also revealed what Fitz and Coulson would change if given a choice (not that AIDA gave Fitz such courtesy).

I just realized I switched Days 2 and 3, but don't want to bother with copying/pasting on my phone

Day 4: Favorite male character: Leopold James Fitz. Fitz was my favorite early on and hands-down my favorite character after FZZT. I saw myself in his mannerisms and could relate to his hesitancy to throw himself in the field but doing so because it is the right thing to do. His passion and loyalty to his friends is unparalleled. I also wanted to give Ward a chance. And it's interesting that Fitz was the first of the bus kids to understand how "No one is born evil." It took the Framework arc for Daisy to really understand that. He even has a leg up on Mack here since Mack's first instinct with anything alien is to kill it ("I'm the guy that kills Gordon" is not something someone who values all life, whether he views it as human or not.), which is understandable given his experiences. Fitz was the first person to show Daisy acceptance after terrigenesis, even if he was mistaken to hide it. I didn't realize it the time season 2 aired, but I get a similar aphasia during migraines (it's actually the first and last symptom when it happens). Seeing any appearance by the Doctor makes me feel sick to my stomach because I know how frightened and sick Fitz feels to have that as a part of himself. Fitz loves with his whole heart and he is always driven to do what he believes is the right thing, which is unfortunately what made the Doctor such a formidable villian. He also is always willing to give second chances but not third. He was the first person to joke around with Daisy after the Miles fiasco: he forgave Mack and Bobbi for the real Shield thing; he accepted Daisy back into the fold in seasons 2 & 4 despite how much her abandoning the team felt like betrayal; he formed a father-son relationship with Radcliffe after what he did for Hive; he trusted and befriended Enoch, knowing he kidnapped and sent his closest friends to a freakin future hellscape. Fitz is such a good person. Of course, all my love for Fitz doesn't mean I don't love the rest of Shield's men + Robbie Reyes.

Day 5: Favorite female character: Jemma Anne Simmons. Jemma is a close second for all around favorite (I just don't relate to her as much as Fitz). On a superficial note, Elizabeth Henstridge is so beautiful and hilarious, I have a giant girl crush on her (her smile is dang radiant). I love how they flipped gender stereotypes by making Fitz the emotional one who wears his heart on his sleeve and Jemma the practical one, who shoves her feelings in a box rather than express them. Jemma's cockiness is more real than Fitz's cocky front, too. I wish I had her confidence. Jemma also loves with her whole heart, as much as she has to hide it to function sometimes, and does what she believes is the right thing. She even revealed herself in the future dystopia because she could not stand aside when a stranger was hurt and she knew how to help/save him. Jemma jumped out of the Bus to save her team and jumped at a grenade to help them not thinking she would survive either occasion. She blamed Lash's murdering of inhumans on herself as she has the tendency to hold herself accountable for things that aren't her fault (she shares this trait with both Fitz and Daisy). She doesn't get lost exploring the details within the big picture, which is why she's so good at problem solving. She learned to kickass physically and has always done so mentally. She knows how to let her foes know to fear her. She has the self-awareness to know what traits she needs to work on to complete any mission. She does and would do anything for her team. She's also an incredible leader whether in the field, in the lab, or for the entirety of Shield. She is incredible.

Daisy Johnson is a very close second. And I can't rank May, Bobbi, and Elena. I also have girl crushes on all four of these ladies.

Day 6: Favorite relationship: S3 Shield Team (Coulson, May, Daisy, Fitz, Simmons, Mack, Bobbi, Hunter, Yoyo, Joey, Lincoln and Andrew). OK so I cheated here; we didn't even see everyone be in the same episode. So what? Season 3 had some of the best dynamics from the main team to Daisy's Secret Warriors it's no wonder people love season 3 so much. How can I pick just one? You have Coulson interacting with everyone (except for Joey), Lincoln's fear of May, Her mentorship of him, Fitz and Bobbi, Fitz and Hunter, FITZSIMMONS, Jemma and Andrew, Daisy and Mack, Mack and Huntingbird, MACKELENA, Doug, Fitz meeting his dad Holden Radcliffe, Radcliffe and Hive's "children"...Now I'm getting into characters that weren't on a Shield team. The characters and their relationships with eachother is what this show does best and what makes it such a good and beloved show, not the action or plot twists.

21 notes · View notes

downspiral · 5 years

Text

* / BPD ( borderline personality damon )

lil talk about damon’s behaviour, emotional patterns and mental health! i’m categorising this as a headcanon for simplicity’s sake but this is all based on canon material, whether unintentional or not i do genuinely think he has it in canon and will sort of be elaborating on why that’s clear to me. as a disclaimer none of this is meant to excuse any of his behaviour and hopefully it won’t come off that way either, but bpd and its associated stigma is a personal topic to me, so please go in with sympathy and an open mind. under the cut bc this could get lengthy!

so to start off with i’ll just briefly explain borderline personality disorder (BPD) for people unfamiliar with it— it’s a mood disorder that has many associated symptoms with various mental illnesses like depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder, as well as substance issues, eating disorders and other personality disorders eg. antisocial or narcissistic personality disorder. it’s classed by four groups of symptoms:

emotional instability

disturbed patterns of thinking or perception

impulsive behaviour

intense but unstable relationships with others

( obviously this definition is too broad for any specific diagnosis, since everyone is different, and can’t be used alone to diagnose someone without ruling out other disorders and subjective opinion of a professional who knows enough about your behaviours to make an assessment, so from here on out i’m going to be drawing on my own experiences, and hopefully i’ll be able to articulate it in a way that makes sense, but please let me know if it doesn’t. )

***

the first and most glaringly obvious identifiers of this where damon is concerned in my opinion is a), his tendency to spiral very suddenly and abruptly after even minor triggers, such as failure, rejection or even just feeling insulted by someone he cares about, and b) his frequent impulsive behaviour, and what might be termed a lack of self-control in following those impulses - the first examples that come to mind would be his leaving for a road trip with katherine despite hating her, or killing jeremy because he was the first person he saw after feeling rejected by elena - and as he later admitted honestly, not knowing that it wouldn’t be permanent.

so starting with a), his irrational spiralling — i’ll preface this by saying that in my own experience, my initial diagnosis where my therapist suggested BPD as a possibility was immediately after i told her that i felt my emotions were just more severe than most people’s, which is why i always felt i was overreacting to things, both bad and good, alternating with feelings of extreme numbness and dissociation which would follow immediately after as a coping method. bouncing between extremes of emotion is also something we see damon do constantly; not regarding the humanity switch detail and focusing solely on his ‘humanity-on’ behaviour, we still see him go between extremely cold, numb and uncaring (albeit often this is hidden behind deflection and humor) to deeply hurt, loving, and willing to make huge sacrifices for causes or for people.

this is also a little muddled by the in-world lore of vampires having very heightened emotions. if you consider that damon already had BPD while a human, which is highly plausible given what we see of the decisions he made even then, then it follows that as a vampire those already-dysfunctional behaviours would be driven to extremes. this isn’t only obvious to the person watching; other characters comment on it constantly, e.g. almost any time katherine shows up, everyone immediately starts worrying if damon’s going to snap, having learned that the tiniest of things can send him into extreme behaviour, harmful to both himself - picking a fight with julian out in the open, described as having a death wish, and various suicide missions - and other people - e.g. attempting to kill jeremy and bonnie, despite it being abundantly clear that those two murders would make everything worse for him, and logically, make no sense, and serve no benefit to him. they were not thought-out decisions, not premeditated, and not something he would do in a sound state of mind, which is part of why they’re so painful to watch - they’re stupid, unjustified decisions, and seem irrational and disproportionate to whatever triggered him to make them. this also falls into the category of ‘lashing out’, something damon is frequently noted to do - often in the form of destroying or severing relationships, which may be done via simple purposeful negative interaction with someone, or doing more, genuine harm so that those relationships are ended regardless.

this ties in both with the impulsive behaviour aspect, but also a comment elena once made which struck a huge chord with me as an identifier of BPD - she said he felt that everyone hated him, and in an attempt to face those perceptions or correct them as someone of sound mind would do, he instead tries to come to terms with the pain of that by making himself believe that they were right - ‘proving’ both to others and to himself that they were right to hate him, via doing bad things. while this particular incident was partially due to enzo’s influence and damon seeking approval from the only person he felt he could still get it from, he still had the agency to make that decision, and this wasn’t the only time where that behavioural pattern could be observed.

the depth to which those thought processes go can sort of be seen when you consider season 8, where enzo and damon were both under the mind control of a siren, leaving only their subconscious with free will to resist. enzo’s instinct was to try and weave messages into the things that the siren had him do, knowing that bonnie would recognise them and be able to save him from doing more harm. on the other hand, damon’s instinct was to sever those relationships so completely that none of them would ever attempt to save him again, thus keeping them, in his eyes, out of harm’s way.

i don’t wanna make this so long it’s unreadable so i’ll try and end it with this last point, which is that another symptom of BPD is latching on to one particular person - whoever might feel most significant to them at the time, whether a friend or romantic interest, though often those feelings can combine and become confused when that emotional connection is made (most obvious example being elena, who damon had a relatively good and stable friendship with, that seemingly functioned fine as it was, yet progressed into romance anyway and became destructive). when that said person is found, the intensity of your emotion leads to a usually unhealthy amount of attachment on your part - often leading to possessive, manipulative or even emotionally abusive elements of relationships that more often than not become toxic. this person becomes the sole way that you feel validation/love/approval/happiness, any good emotion at all - in a way, your brain compensates for previous and more significant traumas, e.g. parental abuse/neglect, by channelling all this emotion into the nearest outlet of love and acceptance you can find. as a result even the tiniest fraction of attention or approval from that person can completely brighten your mental state for weeks, while the tiniest perception of disapproval or neglect from them - note perception, this could be something as miniscule as a misunderstanding, a tone being read wrong in a text, a genuine mistake being interpreted as a deliberate attempt to separate - can be enough to drive you to suicidal ideation.

obviously, whether it’s known to them or not, all this puts an unrealistic amount of expectation on the other person - one individual cannot possibly be responsible for the entire mental state of another, and will often - quite rightly - lead to the decision to end the relationship out of self-preservation. this is observed very frequently with damon’s close relationships; at some point, most of the people he’s been closest to have, with some degree of regret, been forced to write him off, because he puts too much strain on their own mental state. without significant effort to change on the part of the disordered person, sadly, this situation doesn’t usually have a resolution, because one’s own mental health is never the sole responsibility of others. it’s worth saying that most of these behaviours are done unintentionally and instinctively, as what seems the first logical conclusion in a brain that has been wired - physically, neurons and pathways in the brain have been grown by trauma that leads to those paths becoming the ‘right’ ones, rather than the healthy alternatives, which is usually what therapy’s end goal is - minimising the disordered pathways while reinforcing the positive ones, via practice of healthy behaviours and identifying bad thought processes so they can be stopped with the hope that those ones will take priority eventually. that being said, decisions that are motivated by and followed by, self-hatred, doesn’t excuse them from the harm they may cause other people. and it’s not fair - none of it is, because immediately what that situation seems to become is, ‘i didn’t ask to be this way, i don’t want to be harmful, but because i have been traumatised this is how i turned out, and now if i want healthy and good relationships, i have to work twice as hard against all my natural instincts just to ensure i come off as a person worth caring about’.

this is getting a little off-topic, but to say - there is a stigma about BPD, often associated with emotional abuse and manipulation, and it’s too complex a topic to sum up in one paragraph, but the gist of it is that sadly in my experience there is truth to it. i feel as though my disorder increases the likelihood of me being harmful, which means i have to work twice as hard to stop it - things that seem like common sense, basic decency, human logic that comes naturally and as first instinct to many, have to be actively strived for by people with this particular disorder. so while failing to do so may happen more for those people, and thus lead to them coming off as a worse person, there is some explanation as to why - and of course that doesn’t mean excusing that behaviour, never! but, there is a grey area between ‘excusing and enabling unhealthy behaviour’ and ‘your disability grants you no leeway whatsoever’. there is a middle ground and it’s hard to find the right place to walk it, and probably differs for everyone, but for me that’s why damon is relatable, and why i think i have more tolerance for things that he’s done.

i’ll just end this by saying that this is all one person’s experience of bpd and what i’ve observed from a few others i’ve known. i don’t speak for everyone with bpd, it’s not my call to make, mental disorder is overwhelmingly complex and hotly debated even in medical circles. but all that being said, i have recognised a lot of my own emotional experiences in damon’s and how the characters around him react to it (without the murder, obviously) and to me it is slightly more complex than ‘this is a shitty person’. thank you for reading all this if you did, it’s kind of hard to talk about, but hopefully for some this adds a little more insight into my portrayal and attachment to the character.

#I WAS. WORKING ON REPLIES I HAVE A FEW HALF DONE BUT thinking abt therapy got me thinking abt this so. i'm dumping this out first #apologies. but *points at him* he's got bpd #you've ruined a perfectly good vampire is what you did look at him hes g #sorry. anyway #HEADCANON.#CHARADEV.#i'm saying headcanon but this is literally his canon portrayal and as a person with bpd i'm diagnosing him so there. periodt #right. adding this tag after i just finished writing this thing. sorry it got long and now i'm emo shun al so i'm gonna go do replies #watch no one read this. it's fine

12 notes · View notes

sparda3g · 6 years

Text

Kimetsu no Yaiba Chapter 144 Review

youtube

This chapter left me feeling sad and then, thrilled. On one hand, it sucks to be Shinobu’s fan. On the other hand, it’s great to be Zenitsu’s fan. I remember not liking him that much back in his first introduction, but his developments and personality have grown on me. After witnessing a heartbreak, now it’s a good time for a rebound. This was another interesting setup with few interesting details that’s worth mentioning and others that are needed to build the next battle into an exciting one.

The building is a pain in the ass to Taijiro and the Pillars. It’s full of traps and tricks. It’s clear that it’s designed to separate each of them as much as it can. Although Shinobu wasn’t exactly the strongest, leaving one against any of the top 3 Upper Moon will be really difficult. Still, the labyrinth is annoying, like dealing with Dark Souls’ lairs, which is pretty much everything. It does make me wonder who will end up splitting up. Enough about that; we have a breaking news to bring tears to the fans.

For those who believe in a possible chance for Shinobu’s survival, it appears the mangaka doesn’t want us to feel hopeful. A crow appears and report to Taijiro and likely everyone else that Shinobu has died. Never trust the damn crow; it’s why they’re an enemy in Resident Evil. But seriously, it’s sad to hear the confirmation. I want to believe in a miracle, but of course, it hardly favors me. Taijiro is awestruck by the news; channeling our feelings. It pains me when he remembers her charm and smile, real or not; now, that’s no longer possible, bringing him to tears. Poor him. Rest in Peace, Shinobu.

It took me a while to realize why a crow is there, let alone having a paper covering its face. It’s revealed that the Ubuyashiki Family is around, fulfilling the roles left behind. They’re the one that coordinate the pinpoints and locations. I thought the twin sisters were the same one from earlier. Then I recall the family did have 5 children according to an omake. In other words, these kids are now in place, and the ones who died in the explosion are legit dead. That’s still pretty dark. Speaking of dark, there’s another round of interesting background of the Ubuyashiki.

Kiriya is the oldest in the family now, let alone oldest son. He’s only 8 years old. That is mighty young to fill in the role of a leader. When his family died, he didn’t mourn at all; not even a shed of tears. Call it cold, but he was raised and prepared to take in charge of the Demon Slayer Corps. His younger sisters, Kuina and Kanata, replaced the previous twins, who were older than them. Basically, the family is fully prepared to replace the lineage. That’s just crazy.

The father was strict and raised his children to adulthood right off the bat. That means they barely if not ever have any childhood memories to cherish. I understand the circumstance due to the father’s short life span and the family’s purpose, but it feels like hell being part of them. The mother was also strict, but there’s kindness in her. It’s probably their way to keep it “balance.” Bottom line, this family is hardcore to keep the “tradition” alive.

As the fans are uncertain on the future of the series, this arc is slowly building up the next generation. Shinobu is gone and Kanao, if she makes it out alive, can fill in her place. Kiriya is the new leader of the corps. This arc is practically a game changer event; we don’t know if there’s more after this arc. There’s a good enough evidence to suggest more materials, but time will tell. It’s confirmed that Muzan remains in the same place, which is good, only now we return to the last chapter’s cliffhanger. It’s a good segue from one family to another so to speak after learning more details on the family, but it’s about to get really personal.

The feud between Zenitsu and Kaigaku has escalated to bloodthirst vengeance quickly. I have never seen Zenitsu so pissed off until now; immediately, I take this scenario very serious. The two have word exchange on their recent status. This isn’t a friendly talk; it’s a talk before one of them takes the life of another. He couldn’t contain his emotion any longer, because this all ties in to his grandpa, who committed suicide because of Kaigaku.

It’s pretty dark to learn grandpa has committed seppuku alone in misery. Kaigaku indirectly caused him because he was so ashamed to have a child, who wield his teachings, becoming a demon. It’s like shattering his honor and heart; lost the will to live. What’s worse is seppuku requires a person to cut the target’s head off in order to spare the pain in a sense; no one was there to do so. That’s disturbingly sad. Already, I’m 100% behind Zenitsu after that tragic story. Clearly, he loved his grandpa wholeheartedly. To go beyond the percentage, Kaigaku is a bona fide asshole; not a damn remorse on grandpa’s soul.

He couldn’t care less; all he knows is he was turned down as his true successor. He became a demon because there’s a value in it; not a single regret. Once grandpa says no on naming him the successor, he doesn’t care anymore. Selfish prick. After the annoyance from that douchebag, believing he’s far above than Zenitsu, this is where the chapter picks up and delivers satisfactions.

I like how Zenitsu stopped venting in frustration, rather insult him hard about being a scum and a trash. The trigger is calling Kaigaku out about knowing everything but first form, essentially calling him a pathetic successor. That is satisfying. What’s even more satisfying is his follow-up. Kaigaku is going all out with one attack Distant Thunder, Fourth Form mind you, yet Zenitsu only takes a normal swing and still cut that scum like nothing. Zenitsu is already making his you know what, and rightfully so. Zenitsu has become a certified badass with great comeback and the sequence really makes him the man. The battle has escalated to an exciting serious personal grudge match.

This was an interesting chapter. It was heartbreaking to learn Shinobu’s death confirmation and the reactions towards it. It was interesting yet eerie in a way to learn more about Ubuyashiki Family. The best part was with Zenitsu and Kaigaku, with the former portraying a real badass, out for vengeance. The visual is solid and it helped a lot for the last segment. I can’t wait for this upcoming battle. It’s going to be so sweet for Zenitsu to get his payback and after the last battle, we need this. A lot.

#demon slayer #kimetsu no yaiba #chapter 144 #review #spoilers

18 notes · View notes

livinginbeauty-net · 6 years

Text

Our campsite tree at Myrtle Beach State Park

“While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my trailer door. Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my trailer door — Only this, and nothing more.”

– adapted from The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe

Deer Lake Park – Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Jim celebrated his sixty-fourth birthday on October 4th. And if that wasn’t spooky enough, we were all alone in the woods.

With the temperature in the high 20’s at night and the high 30’s daytime, we were the solitary campers in a large densely forested park during the last a few days before seasonal closing. Shuswap Lake Provincial Park was kinda creepy in a beautiful way.

Shuswap Lake Provincial Park – Scotch Creek, British Columbia, Canada

But good friends, old and new, warmed our rattling bones with home-cooked delights and even met us at a cheerful pub, right across the road from our campground to toast Jim’s Beatle Birthday.

64th Birthday at The Hub

Birthday at The Hub with Laura and Paul.

Pattie is a great cook!

Pilpil! Got the recipe!

Watching the salmon run was the perfect metaphor for an epic Birthday Month. Old age ain’t for sissies! Whenever the futility of life gets me down I will turn to the salmon for inspiration …

Then, we moved south to a slightly warmer climate in Sasquatch Country!

We must return to Harrison Hot Spring in June for Sasquatch Days!

Hiking in Sasquatch country

Jim performed a Vulcan mind-read on the Sasquatch!

Lost in Sasquatch country

Sasquatch live here.

Our campsite beside a natural outdoor stage with amazing acoustics.

Very Sasquatchy, if you ask me.

In a few days, we will be in Port Townsend for my birthday and I will miss the trains in Canada. Trains soothe my mind and put me in a mood to ruminate.

Warming our feet by the fire tonight in our cozy campground on Cariboo Place, we realize how these past twenty-seven months of travel have connected us to the land, our roots, long lost friends and family … and also to some unexpected encounters with the spirit world.

Interested? Pull up a chair and sit for a spell …

Our campsite tree

The Ghost Lights

We’re not paranormal enthusiasts, but now and then, one or both of us have a feeling that a place is, well, invested with an energy – sometimes good and sometimes not so good. Traveling has sharpened our senses, made us more keen and perceptive.

An example of good energy is the ghost lights of Anza-Borrego which stayed right beside us inside our tent throughout a treacherous night of flash floods, making us feel safe and protected. Only a decade later did we learn they were The Ghost Lights. We thought they were angels.

The Monticello Snake Story

After a restful night at Golden Acres Ranch near Monticello where – we had no idea at the time – one in three houses are recorded (in a somewhat legitimate way) as haunted, I felt compelled to stop the rig on a narrow country road to take pics of an intriguing cottage.

A big yeller dog roused up from the porch and raised his hackles. The home’s human occupant promptly emerged from the house and, he – an exquisite orator in the southern tradition – recited, to my delight, a popular regional snake story.

What a gift! I hung on every word. Floridians, in my book, have full rights to all snake stories and this gentleman is a master of the art. But sometimes a house wants to tell its own story like the one in Opelika, Alabama …

Spring Villa

On our way to Fort Pickens from my sister’s house in Tennessee, we’d hoped to overnight near Opelika. We pulled into Spring Villa Park and Campground on the chance they might have space for the night.

Instantly, our eyes fixed on the gorgeous old antebellum mansion and our immediate response was, “What a shame.” Poor thing needs some serious TLC.

At the check-in, a pale middle-aged ranger with a balding head and bulbous eyebags announced in a slow, gravelly baritone that the old house is haunted. Jim loved it. Thought it was an act. “Okay. That’s really cool” he said.

The ranger, unamused, held his weary “this-is-no-joke” gaze.

“So, um. Is the house being restored?” Jim asked. “No.” replied the caretaker/ranger guy, “We can’t find anyone to do the work. Like I said, it’s haunted.”

While this continued, I took Pico on a walk and observed the other campers who seemed to be excessively goth for small-town Alabama. A lady in a flowing satin-black gown and lipstick smiled and gave me a cheerful, “Hey!” as she decorated her picnic table in black chenille with purple string lights in late-November.

But, too tired to change our minds and more concerned about the basketball-sized anthills than the superstitious southern folk, we opted to stay put.

You see, we’d just come from Costco in Birmingham, and all we wanted to do was properly stash an obscene amount of food, and present our fresh, new rosemary Christmas tree for its first night of the season.

After dinner, we settled down, watched a movie and got ready for bed.

Jim always turns in around 10 pm while I take Pico for his last walk. But on this night, Jim grabbed the leash.

I presumed he was acting in my behalf due to the creepy neighbors. “I want to check this place out,” he said.

I had half a mind to go with him and said so, but then he got in a spooky mood and let loose an Jack Nicolson “Here’s Johnny” imitation. “Sure you don’t want to go?” he said, creeping me out better than I thought he could. I said, “Uh-uh. Not playing this game. But take the phone and may unicorns and rainbows guide you.”

He speed-dialed me and off he went into the sultry Southern night on a Young Goodman Brown escapade/with chihuahua.

Pico de Gallo – a big N. Hawthorne fan.

On digital technology, I listened to their footfall through the deep wet grass as Jim slapped mosquitos off his face.

The squishy walking suddenly stopped!

“What’s going on? I asked. “Gotta ditch the headlamp … Bugs.” Then, squish, squish, squish … on they walked. Presently, Jim said, “I’m at the house.” He said it real important-like – as if he were about to set foot on the moon.

The boards creaked under his weight. Then, Pico sounded urgent warning barks. Several voices popped up in the background, women’s voices!

When Pico calmed down Jim told me the women were ghost hunters using an app to detect paranormal energy. The app told them that a presence was just inside the door. So Jim fastened his headlamp again just as … the door opened! The women screamed and ran.

“Just leave!” I said.

“Hold on,” he said, “It was probably a draft but I’m taking a photo … Sending.” The photo showed the door about three inches ajar from the inside. But what sent chills down my spine and made me scream, “Run!!!” was the shadow-play of Jim’s hand and iPhone which appeared to be a freshly dug grave and tombstone.

A sudden thunderstorm…

… on Lake Ponchartrain drove us off the designated bike lane near Fontainebleau State Park. We took shelter in a gazebo in an old cemetery.

By all appearances, we were alone. Yet, we both felt we were being watched.

Then … Out of nowhere

(Everything happened so suddenly the details are difficult to assemble)

Out of nowhere, a young man appeared in the gazebo with us – a boy really – blue eyes, brown hair, medium build, wearing dungarees and denim shirt. Just as I noticed the number on his shirt, I spied a work truck, way back in a far corner of the cemetery with a guard and several prisoners around it. Ah, a routine maintenance program. Of course.

We exchanged hellos and his dialect suggested he was from the area. He asked if we wanted to see some bones. Bones? No! We’re just passing by, ducking the weather, we explained.

But he wouldn’t have it. Bones we would see. For mercy’s sake and politeness, we followed the young man, and upon his request, we peered between broken crypt walls to behold the bones he spoke of.

But when we looked up to ask the boy if he knew the name of the deceased, he was gone – vanished – nowhere to be seen or heard and no sign of the old truck and crew.

Natchez

And, oh, where to begin with Natchez? The ghosts outnumber the living so they all just have to to go along to get along.

Kings Tavern in Natchez – the most haunted pub in Mississippi

Boothill

But our most haunting moment was near Mount Moriah Cemetery, commonly known as Boothill where this row of tombstone clouds reminded us of the single row of thirteen civil war graves of unknown soldiers on the Natchez Trace.

Fort Pickens

We could go on and on … Fort Pickens and the bomb removal squad.

The set of LOST?

Savannah

The Old Pirate House

The Haunted “Old Pirates House” in Savannah

and Moon River Brewing Company,

The Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures featured this brewing company.

Harper’s Ferry

Harpers Ferry ghost stories…

But that’s enough. Now, it’s time to pass the Talking Stick.

Do you have a ghost story to share – one from personal or second-hand experience?

Or just a good travel yarn, perhaps?

We’re dying to hear it.

Let’s see if we can keep this campfire burning through Halloween night!

Nothing like a few ghost stories before Halloween! “While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my trailer door.

#Airstream #Airstream Blog #Airstreaming #Beaubeaux #Full-time Airstreaming #Full-time RV Living #Full-Time RVing #ghost stories #halloween #haunted places #Living in Beauty #Living the Dream

1 note · View note

waitedforgarridebs · 7 years

Text

Fix-It #2: The Final Problem is "Staying Alive" (1/3)

Why Bond Air and TRF are linked

Going into series 2 now, and we all know where that leads: The Reichenbach Fall.

But why did Sherlock Holmes have to die – without actually dying?

Soon after the pool, Sherlock gets himself into very deep waters – only this time, it will be almost impossible to fix the situation again.

Even for Mycroft.

This is part #3 of the "Game Theory" series (x).

Interlude: The series 2 timeline conundrum

It was Mrs Hudson, in her dress, with the deerstalker.

The timeline of series 2 is a bit... wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey.

Referencing this thread (x), but long story short: Sherlock wasn't all keyed up, put himself through cold turkey and harpooned a dead pig because of Irene, but because of what happened at the pool.

Therefore, Sherlock and John went to Baskerville before they ever got involved with Irene’s photographs

The same newspaper in both scenes indicates that Sherlock's desperate search for the last stack of cigarettes in his flat happened on the same day Irene first decided that "it's time" to go and attract Sherlock's attention.

And looking at the following exchanges, one can't but wonder whether one really should stick to the timeline of John's blog, where "By Royal Appointment" and "The Hounds of Baskerville" are listed with a one year gap (!) in-between:

So, since the real timeline of those two episodes isn't exactly linear, I just want to point out that our favourite torture scene at the end of THoB…

… could have happened at any given point in time – and not necessarily "right after THoB".

Back to the pool

Because this is where we left off in the last post (x) – and Sherlock and John just almost died together.

Which left Sherlock a bit… wired.

This "game" between him and Jim escalated pretty quickly, and he probably only realised when he saw John strapped in Semtex how much he actually had risked by agreeing to rush headlong into this “game”.

Then again, Jim Moriarty is probably the most interesting and diverting opponent Sherlock has been facing in a really long time, if not ever, so going back to dealing with those ordinary clients now must be a real downer.

Therefore it's not surprising to see Sherlock suddenly taking so many cases, not only in an attempt to occupy himself, but also trying to find a truly interesting mystery.

Exactly this increased activity, in combination with John's blog, quite "accidentally" results in them becoming an internet phenomenon and eventually builds up Sherlock's reputation as "boffin" detective.

Not every case seems to be worthy of Sherlock's attention, though. And whenever simply ignoring the boring cases doesn't help, Sherlock goes out and harpoons even-toed ungulates.

Or hacks into John's computer and reads the emails to his girlfriends.

Tl;dr: He's horny bored.

And a bored Sherlock is never a good Sherlock

Because, even if he himself is blissfully unaware of it, he's getting dangerously close to discovering a lead to another project of the real Moriarty.

Again.

Aren't we lucky that Sherlock would rather go and fight an invented super villain, while being dressed up as a ninja (x), than notice the number of people suddenly coming to Baker Street inquiring about the missing bodies of their dead relatives.

Still, this starts to become quite of a problem: Not only could every next client finally make Sherlock notice the pattern he so far blindly has been ignoring, but John is also blogging in great detail about all those strange cases regarding bodies which are not where they are supposed to be, and how BAFFLED, and flummoxed, and bamboozled Sherlock is about all this – on a publicly accessible website which has been gaining a lot of traffic and attention lately.

(x) (x) (x)

Provided that potential clients continued dropping all those clues about the Bond Air project at this rate: Even if Sherlock won't draw the right conclusions from all of this, somebody else out there eventually might.

And then Sherlock's boredom-induced hunt for a missing rabbit gets him involved in yet another top-secret, conspiracy-laden government project...

Granted, this way at least he stops poking at project Moriarty for a couple of days, but breaking into a military base using a master keycard he nicked from his big brother certainly goes on the "con" side of the "Sherlock's utility" list.

Let's put his time and gift to some actual use!

And since Sherlock is not the only "princess" to go around and cause trouble these days in order to alleviate their horniness boredom, maybe he'll even get a knighthood out of it.

Sending the gay detective to extract some compromising photographs from a lesbian dominatrix who's trying to blackmail the Royal Family – what could possibly go wrong?

… damn.

Tfw your distraction turns out to be linked to the secret you wanted to distract from.

Or to be a bit more picturesque: Mycroft's carefully constructed house of cards didn't only collapse just now, but got crushed by the weight of a grounded passenger jet.

(x)

"Bond Air" is Mycroft's "Skyfall"

Thanks to Sherlock's deduction, the whole Bond Air operation is now compromised and therefore cancelled – the plane will never fly.

We know that this was not the only plane Mycroft and his people equipped with dead passengers, and that they collaborated with at least two foreign countries for this whole operation – however: The following statement, together with Mycroft's extreme distress in the final third of the episode, do seem a bit "exaggerated", if they really were talking only about planes…

Years of planning to intercept bomb attacks on planes, that seems to be not only very specific, but also a bit... inefficient.

(Also, corpses don’t usually have that long of a shelf life.)

But if we were talking about deceiving terrorists by redirecting and controlling crimes in general, "months and years of planning", as well as Mycroft's very emotional breakdown in this specific episode suddenly do make a lot of sense…

Because Mycroft's worst nightmare just came true: By making the wrong deduction at the wrong time, Sherlock just ended up doing something very bad.

Sherlock inadvertently busted Project Moriarty

And the "funny" part is: Sherlock is absolutely unaware of what he did.

But that is the thing about Sherlock: Very often, he just deduces things – unable to control it himself.

And he doesn't think about the consequences of what he just happened to deduce before he voices his conclusions. So, depending on the circumstances, this can in fact make his genius more harmful than useful.

SHERLOCK: There’s a margin for error but I’m pretty sure there’s a Seven Forty-Seven leaving Heathrow tomorrow at six thirty in the evening for Baltimore. Apparently it’s going to save the world. Not sure how that can be true but give me a moment; I’ve only been on the case for eight seconds.

(And we've all seen how that one ended…)

There is a certain irony to the fact that Sherlock didn't have to know anything about the true motives behind the Bond Air operation – it being tied to project Moriarty, that is – to make ^this momentous deduction.

Hence all of Mycroft's efforts to distract his brother and to keep the situation under control turned out to be in vain… In the end, all it took was an ill-timed deduction meant to "impress a girl".

Bond Air is exposed, the terrorists know about the bomb – it is only a matter of time now until someone else eventually figures out the truth about project Moriarty.

And if a worldwide "network" of criminals ever were to realise they had been played like this the entire time – by secret services and governments…

… millions of innocent citizens would fall victim to the vengeful wrath of a lot of very dangerous people.

This whole thing has become too woolly, too messy...

The sting operating "Moriarty" needs to be stopped immediately, and the traces leading back to the legitimate authorities behind it all obfuscated as thoroughly as possible.

It is convenient enough that outsiders who've already been in touch with Moriarty think of him as a "consulting criminal", hence "a person", and that he is thought to be the one and only leader of this worldwide network of criminals.

A sudden and moreover unexplained "disappearance" of Jim Moriarty, however, would only cause unwanted suspicion; there needs to be a convincing reason for him to permanently cease his activity as a consulting criminal.

And what could be more permanent than killing this "person" off…

(x)

Not only is this the proper way to deal with such a "loose end", but one also wouldn't have to fear the revenge of any of Moriarty's now disgruntled clients due to cancelled deals and unsettled grievances.

"Moriarty" has to die – because one can't really take revenge on a dead person

But in order to actually nip any burgeoning hard feelings in the bud, the story behind Moriarty's downfall has to spread to even the furthest branches of the network as quickly as possible.

Hence merely an obscure, whispered voice would not suffice; not only would it take too long, but its (obviously non-existent) credibility would need to be established and proven first, etc etc etc ...

An already well-established, widespread, fast-paced and reliable information channel is needed.

"I love newspapers. Fairy tales – and pretty grim(m) ones, too."

And one thing is certain: The more sensational the news, the faster and wider it will spread.

How utterly convenient that "Jim" now happens to commit The Crime Of The Century.

That alone would already be a good enough story by itself, but it doesn't quite fulfill its actual purpose: As of now, James Moriarty only is being accused of attempting to steal the crown jewels (among other things), and therefore he is nothing more than an "ordinary" thief.

But remember: The whole point of this was to make the world believe that James Moriarty is a "consulting criminal" and the leader of a huge underground network.

Jim officially needs to become Moriarty's face

Because then, if Jim was to die, Moriarty (and eventually his network) would die with him.

But it wouldn't have been very convincing for Jim to just go out there and claim to be the most evil mastermind to ever have evil'ed – which is why he actually got his hands dirty and broke into all these places.

The three most secure places in the country.

And then he got acquitted of the charges without having to show any proof for his "innocence" to the jury.

That's quite a feat.

And, on the surface, also a very marketable skill set for a criminal mastermind.

So far, there's nothing really remarkable or fishy about it: Advertising for his criminal business seems to be a good enough explanation for why Jim did what he did – but if it had been the actual reason, the episode would have ended right here:

Having managed to vanish without a single trace after getting all this public attention, James Moriarty would have gone back to his now booming consulting business and happily continued to sit in the centre of his web till the end of days.

There was no need for Richard Brook

If James Moriarty actually broke into all these places in order to advertise, he wouldn't have gone and activated the self-destruct button by "creating" Richard Brook only six weeks later.

But there was a Richard Brook, and eventually the story ended with both Jim and Sherlock committing (fake-)suicide on the rooftop of St Bart's.

As if this had been meant to happen all along...

… and, to quote Moffat, "what a waste of a scene that would be". (x)

;)

Up next:

Part 2 of this post.

Link to part #4 of the series (x).

Follow @the-game-theory or me myself for updates.

Why is the series called “Game Theory”? (x)

My never-ending great big thanks to @mollydobby, as always, for the discussing and betaing. 🍪

Also, and I forgot that in the last two (ugh!), many thanks to @callie-ariane for her transcripts (x); what would the fandom do without her!

And since I did announce a SURPRISE last week: As you already noticed, the series 2 post has got multiple parts – two of which will be published next week on Tuesday AND Thursday! :)

(^because there actually is a little cliffhanger inbetween the next two, and I don't want y'all to suffer... ♥ )

Tagging people – if you’d like to be tagged in future posts as well, feel free to write me!

@elephant-in-the-bloom @may-shepard @wiscolina @devoursjohnlock @sarahthecoat @wibblywobblybowtie @violetvernet @etherealweekes @etoileetiolee @thewarriorprincessinthefield @shylockgnomes

#meta-tuesday #Sherlock #Sherlock meta #meductions #Mykey #The Game Theory #MyH #JM

120 notes · View notes

adventuretree611 · 3 years

Text

Uad Vst Plugins Crack Download

Sep 03, 2017 Download link for UAD-Universal-Audio-Plugin Bundles: Download UAD-Universal-Audio-Plugin Bundles Full Cracked Programs + Keygen & Crack If you find any problem related to our full UAD-Universal-Audio-Plugin Bundles, please contact us and we will struggle to resolve your issue.We wanna make happy all our users. Download free cracked VST plugins, effects, DAWs for Windows and macOS. Additionally, you can download free samples, loops, presets, sound libraries and more.

The truth? A spectrum analyzer is one of these tools. SPAN is my favorite spectrum analyzer. You can control the ballistics and response of its graph, which makes it flexible enough for a wide variety of tasks. You can uad vst download route multiple tracks into SPAN and compare their frequency content.

Finding the best VST plugins is quite a challenge in Picture walking into the world’s biggest mall. With hundreds of stores to choose from, how in the world would you know which ones are best suited to your needs? You’re overwhelmed and flustered, with no way to know where to start. But luckily for you, a friendly stranger gives you a list of the best stores in the mall – narrowing your options down to a manageable number.

We are that stranger, here to act as a saving grace in the overwhelming world of plugins. After spending countless hours with thousands of plugins, we’ve narrowed down a list of just over of the BEST ones we’ve used. And it doesn’t end there Some of these free VST plugins can be compared to premium plugins you would buy from some of the biggest companies.

The best of both worlds in one place! Check out our in-depth review about Serum. Check out our in-depth review about Massive.

Omnisphere brings many different types of synthesis together into one amazing-sounding instrument that will inspire a lifetime of exploration. Until now only very few software synthesizers have been able to stand up to the sound quality standards of hardware synths.

Three virtual analog oscillators and a first-class set of filters produce a wealth of rich and inspiring sounds. However, this basic simplicity combined with its multilayer architecture turns it into an easy-to-use but extremely powerful instrument that can be programmed and tweaked quickly, almost effortlessly leveraging its maximum potential.

MegaVST - Free Download VST. Is a software interface that integrates software audio synthesizer and effect plugins. Available on standalone and VST version. LuSH-101, LuSH-101 plugin, buy LuSH-101, download LuSH-101. LuSH-101 is a synthesizer. The Gate may be used instead of the VCA for instant staccato sounds full. Free d16 group lush-101 VST download. Multimedia tools downloads - D16 Group Devastor VST Plug-In by D16 Group Audio Software and many more programs are available for instant and free download. LUSH-101's multilayer architecture gives you access to virtually limitless sound design possibilities and a wide spectrum of applications. Arpeggiator / Gater A powerful, built-in arpeggiator / gater section unique to the LUSH-101, with independent presets to get your groove on! Lush 101 vst.

With its emphasis on ease-of-use, the FM8 brings a high degree of simplicity to the otherwise intricate process of FM synthesis. Modules can be mixed and matched so you can build hybrids, but what sets Diva apart is the sheer authenticity of the analogue sound. The expressiveness of synthesized sounds next to the richness and complexity of samples that end up delivering top-notch, never-heard of and dancefloor-crushing kick sounds.

Whether you need subtle mastering compression, an upfront lead vocal, that magic drum glue or deep EDM pumping. Your production toolbox is simply incomplete without these ones. Gain Reduction Deluxe will be your new go-to compressor. While making a lot of different compression styles possible, it’s general nature may be described as clear, smooth, open and distinct. An easy-to-use interface and a rich feature set give you hands-on control over all details of your sound. Its dual channel design lets the also function as two separate mono channels via a single compression setting.

It is highly versatile and can go from soft and gentle to snappy and punchy by the twist of a few knobs. It combines rich, warm analog processing with a straightforward user interface, and comes with a comprehensive library of presets. From the recording studio to the record lathe, the Fairchild was renowned for its advanced compression techniques and incomparable sound.

Uad Plugin Free Download

With FabFilter Pro-Q 2, you get the highest possible sound quality and a gorgeous, innovative interface with unrivalled ease of use. What makes it special: It features top quality samples of real spaces to create reverb, ranging from the Sydney Opera House to the cockpit of a Jumbo Jet. R4 is pure class and for this reason, is destined to become a classic. A great reverb sounds natural and sits in the mix perfectly.

At the same time, it should not confuse you with over-technical controls, but must be easy to set up and a joy to work with. This is exactly what FabFilter Pro-R delivers. Try it out for yourself and see why pros describe it with one word: Combine the power of multi-band, dual-stage distortions and advanced post-filtering for immediate sonic transformation.

Publisher’s Description

From project studios to multi-platinum mix engineers, UAD Powered Plug-Ins have been winning over audio professionals for more than 15 years with their. Universal Audio UAD-1 Powered Plug-Ins driver AD Software Version represents a major step forward for the UAD Powered Plug-Ins.

VIDEO: Uad Vst Download

UAD Powered Plug-In Software Version is now available now as a free download. Features include UAD FATSO Jr./Sr. analog tape. crack-best.com crack-best.com Incredible but true: these folks post.

Also Free Download:Sony Vegas 13 Torrent | Driver Talent Free Activation Key

Vst Crack Free

Send your bass in parallel to the and push the input to add excitement and vibe, while still maintaining the dynamics of the original signal. The high-end is unmatched. Intuitive, and easy to use, but also full of character and interesting tones. Despite having minimal controls, this emulation of the classic hardware compressor is free uad plugins download versatile.

Various plugin give-aways when buying hardware? Not knocking UAD but they’re not the only company that have deals for their users!

https://adventuretree611.tumblr.com/post/655962541203308544/download-auto-tune-evo-vst-for-fl-studio. Has Apple ever given away anything? Chris With all due respect I don’t think you’ll convince me that digi is exactly generous to their customers. I bought a 25k system and then paid for mp3 and OMF support My original point about TDM, was that it is a proprietary format that is tied to outdated hardware and is more likely to become extinct long before AU or VST. To try their plugs or just to know if it’s compatible with my system I have to buy a card.

UAD is not the “angel” company some would like us to believe it is. As (bleep)(bleep)(bleep)(bleep)ty as that is and I do sympathize , being TDM that kind of illustrates my original point. Amp farm anybody? I don’t disagree, but when it comes to marketing and customer relations, I much prefer UAD to digi. Not that they’re perfect, but UAD strives to be as compatible as they can.

Digi on the other hand strives for exclusivity. Mikey MTC , I mean why is Dave working with those guys and not a TDM developer? Maybe because TDM has a date with destiny? According to the UA video this is a pretty intensive model that might be too much for the current TDM cards. These complaints are all about TDM.

Wait a year or so and see if UA is the only company you have these complaints about then. WHERE are you getting your “facts” from????? Why wouldn’t they?? Then how do you explain waves’ netshell stuff being RTAS compatible Why ALL of them would rather have to work through bugs in the fxPansion wrapper and put asterisks on their marketing materials. Digi has never, not once, gone on the record as to why they are refusing these licenses.

The Waves accelerator thing I think goes through the WaveShell which is in effect its own wrapper. I don’t think Digi can block it, and Waves has quite a bit of muscle for historical reasons.

Aha, you are hot on the trail! Denying the RTAS license digi is trying to do what now? Get them on the record. I never was able to.

Uad Vst Plugins Crack Download Windows 7

2. Voxengo SPAN

Uad Plugins Torrent

From project studios to multi-platinum mix engineers, UAD Powered Plug-Ins have been winning over audio professionals for more than 15 years with their. UAD Powered Plug-In Software Version is now available now as a free download. Features include UAD FATSO Jr./Sr. analog tape.

183 rows David Roland Cook (born December 20, 1982 in Houston, Texas, United States) is an American rock singer-songwriter, who rose to fame after winning the seventh season of the reality television show American Idol.Prior to Idol he released an independent album entitled 'Analog Heart' released on May 6, 2006.This was followed by his post-Idol major-label debut 'David Cook' which was released on. Life on the moon david cook mp3 download songs.

VIDEO: Free Uad Plugins Download

If its a joke,how come im testing the cracked UAD-2 suit right now?Thanks apps, to which there are free links provided by the developer/website. . One the plugin not cost that price because UAD make coupon monthly. Universal Audio UAD-1 Powered Plug-Ins driver AD Software Version represents a major step forward for the UAD Powered Plug-Ins.

Uad 2 Plugins Torrent Download

Also Free Download:Bluestacks Windows Phone | Recuva Professional Download

0 notes

aion-rsa · 4 years

Text

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Review

https://ift.tt/3plyw92

Despite releasing 12 Assassin’s Creed installments since 2007, Ubisoft is still finding ways to keep the series fresh, and the latest sequel, Valhalla is one of the best titles yet. Is it a revelation for the series? No—there are very few new ideas presented here. But it’s a polished title with solid gameplay and a story that is exceedingly coherent for an open-world AAA title.

In Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, you play as Eivor, a fearsome Viking in 873 AD who lost her parents in battle, a moment that left her literally scarred and hellbent on getting revenge against the warlord who slaughtered them. It’s important to note that the game gives you the choice to play as a male or female version of Eivor at the start of the game, but you’re also given a third option that allows the Animus to “choose” the gender for you based on the memory being recollected. Theoretically, the game is then supposed to switch between male and female throughout the adventure, but despite letting the Animus choose, I remained female for most of my play time.

After an hours-long intro that sees you exploring and kicking ass across the mountainous terrain of Norway, Eivor and her brother Sigurd set out on a longship to start a new settlement of their own in England, where a majority of the game takes place. The game’s story is as violent and unflinching as you’d expect considering the milieu. Eivor and her crew of Vikings go to war with other clans, and she of course carries out missions on her own in traditional Assassin’s Creed fashion. The game centers on you expanding your clan’s influence across England’s four kingdoms, forging alliances and collecting resources to build up your riverside settlement.

“Collecting” is a kind word for what you’re actually doing—Eivor and her clan are brutal warriors who raid any settlement they come across, pillaging and annihilating their way to land dominance. As you travel the English channels in your longship, with a simple button press you can initiate a raid on any settlement you see, which is great fun. As you invade, you work with your crew to find treasures and resources to send home, and the game does a good job of highlighting the camaraderie aspect of the raids via a fluid stream of dialogue between Eivor and her fellow warriors. Conquest Battles return from Odyssey in the form of Assaults and are larger scale raids on gigantic fortresses that feel pretty epic and are tied to the main narrative.

Raids and Assaults are naturally where you’ll engage in the most combat, which is the backbone of this title more than any other in the series. Eivor can wield any combination of swords, shields, flails, maces, axes, and more in her two hands, and you can unlock a host of abilities to unleash hell upon your foes. There are melee abilities, which allow you to rush enemies and slam them into walls or throw them off cliffs, throw a barrage of axes at their skulls, grapple and fling them into other enemies, and much more. And then there are ranged abilities, like one that lets you slow down time to land perfect shots, take direct control of a fired arrow’s trajectory, mark multiple targets for a quick projectile assault, etc. Abilities are unlocked by finding hidden scrolls across the game world or via the game’s sprawling skill tree, whose myriad nodes afford you stat increases and various buffs as well.

Release Date: Nov. 10, 2020 Platforms: PC (reviewed), XSX, PS5, XBO, PS4, Stadia Developer: Ubisoft Montreal Publisher: Ubisoft Genre: Action-adventure

There are a ton of different ways to enact violence in the game, with each weapon and ability bolstered by sweet-looking character animations. The combat is fun and fluid, but it also lacks a sense of tactility, that crunchy, disgusting feeling of impact you get in games like God of War or even Doom Eternal. There’s floatiness to the melee combat that is hard to pinpoint but definitely made combat a little less satisfying than I would have liked.

There’s also stealth gameplay, of course, which is typical Assassin’s Creed fare. I still enjoy sneaking up behind enemies in the tall grass and offing them quickly before their buddies can glimpse me, but the melee and ranged combat in this game is so effective and paramount to the experience that I found myself using stealth far less often than in other games in the series, which I suppose is appropriate since, well, Eivor is a fearless Viking who smashes skulls for a living.

Exploration is a crucial component of any open world game and in this regard Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is fantastic. I loved galloping across the countryside on horseback and drinking in the painterly locales and then splattering the blood of my enemies all over them like a mass-murdering Jackson Pollock. A sign of a great open-world game for me is how much I find myself just wandering around and engaging in whatever quest or activity happens to come my way as opposed to fast-traveling around like crazy just to plow through the main story and get it over with. In Valhalla, I was an avid wanderer, which is a testament to just how compelling a game world Ubisoft has created.

Maybe the best thing Assassin’s Creed Valhalla has going for it is the game world’s sense of continuity. Because you’re constantly analyzing England’s territories on so many levels, it starts to feel like a place that’s not just enormous, but full of people, events, kingdoms, and machinations that all affect and push and pull each other. On an intimate level, you’re exploring the English countryside and its rivers and tributaries on foot. On a more macro level, you’re examining the kingdoms on the alliance map, slowly expanding your influence. And then there’s your hunt for different members of the Order and the many artifacts scattered around the world. Each of these activities connects you to the game world in a different way and deepens your understanding of it, and it can become deeply immersive.

My favorite activities in the game are the various “mysteries” you encounter, little self-contained stories featuring bizarre characters and situations. I loved searching these out because they are so weird and funny and entertaining that they almost overshadow the main story. One involves a confused warrior who has no idea that he’s got an axe buried in his skull (his name is Axehead, adorably); another sees you aiding a ship captain who thinks he’s raiding villages with his crew when, in reality, he’s delusional and alone in a field with an empty longboat, wolves circling him, threatening to eat him alive.

But as for the main narrative, it’s well executed on several levels. It’s a tale of fate, loyalty, glory, and murky morality, with Eivor having to make tough decisions as to how she grows her settlement and how she navigates her relationship with Sigurd and his followers. The characters are really well written and each have a distinctive personality, like the psychopathic but oddly relatable Ivarr and the desperately loyal Dag, Sigurd’s oafish right hand. The joint performances by the voice actors and animators are terrific as well, and the dialogue sounds natural.

Games

PS5 vs Xbox Series X Sales: Who is Winning So Far?

By Matthew Byrd

Games

Why the Xbox Series X Smoking Videos Are a Poor Attempt to Reignite the Overheating Controversy

By John Saavedra

The story takes a strange turn at one point, with Eivor and Sigurd encountering some truly trippy shit involving their Norse mythological roots. It’s really wild stuff that may come off as corny to some, but I dug the hell out of it. The obligatory Assassin’s Creed present-day interludes tie into Eivor’s story in an interesting way as well, with Layla Hassan, Rebecca Crane, and Shaun Hastings unearthing Eivor’s remains and making a real connection with the past in a surprising way independent of the Animus.

Presentation-wise, the game is a AAA title through and through. From the animations, to the assets, to the character, environment, and sound design, the game is a pristine package, which is even more impressive considering its size. I really dig the game’s autumnal/wintery aesthetic, and the character models are absurdly detailed and expressive for an open-world title. Ubisoft is a huge studio with deep resources, and it’s nice to see that Valhalla’s high-quality production value reflects that.

The settlement-building system, which has been absent from the series since Black Flag, is engaging enough, though I didn’t find myself very motivated to focus on it. Adding different buildings opens up new ways to play, like the Assassin Bureau, which tasks you with hunting down members of the Order by collecting clues, and the Valka Hut, which allows you to travel to Asgard and fight alongside the mighty Thor, Freyja, and Tyr. All of these quests are great, but the actual building of the settlement wasn’t fun for me at all and felt more like a chore. The layout of the settlement feels too spread-out and looks a bit ugly.

But expanding the influence of the settlement is awesome—“pledging” to different territories and fulfilling quests for their leaders to gain their loyalty is a fun, immersive experience, and I like how this idea of large-scale conquest ties the narrative together. This game is a cohesive package, and I think this is due to the excellent alliance system.

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

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is an enormous game with a lengthy campaign and tons of things to do. It’s not going to blow anyone away who’s familiar with the series, but amongst its peers, I think Valhalla is in the upper tier of the Assassin’s Creed hierarchy.

The post Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Review appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3f1aueO

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

0 notes

astroalive · 7 years

Photo

This is a reading I did for another astrologer a while back, and with her permission I’m sharing it to give others an example of what my readings are like and how to work with psychic indicators in the natal chart. If you’d like to read more about readings, here is the mobile friendly link and the desktop alt.

Elements:

Fire: 31.6%

Earth: 11.9%

Air: 22.1%

Water: 34.4%

Fire and Water are the core of psychic abilities, in general. Water represents psychic sensitivity, and Fire feeds psychic power and energy. Earth can balance these things, providing some protection, but it can also douse out the ability, as can Air. The lack of these two, and the overwhelming power of the others, strongly indicate psychic energy is present - perhaps so much so that it can be overwhelming.

In relation to psychic abilities, Fire can be used as a literal fuel. This energy feeds and drives the others in the natal chart, urging the native to pursue and use their abilities as an outlet.

Water is the heart of psychic power, and many astrologers interpret it as the sole creator of psychic ability. Empathic, intuitive, and other psychic abilities are associated with this element as it is connected to the “origin” of existence and what lies “beyond” it - birth and death. Its role in your chart is extremely important. The Water signs, houses, and planets are overwhelmingly powerful in your natal chart.

The lack of Air and Earth can leave you ungrounded, unbalanced. Your psychic abilities may be present and very strong, but without taking steps to ground yourself in other ways. When these energy levels are not balanced and healthy, it may hinder psychic abilities. Sometimes, it can be as if the abilities are not allowed to present themselves because it would be overwhelming without any grounding. There are methods of correcting this, of course, which I’ll get to at the end.

Modality:

Cardinal: 27.1%

Fixed: 38.3%

Mutable: 34.7%

Accepting, flowing, an adaptable, Mutability is in many ways a psychic energy, highly spiritual and open. Those ruled by Mutability are more likely to be able to accept in psychic energy and embrace the energy already within them. This is another “fuel” for the rest of the psychic energy in your natal chart.

The negative side of this is the lack of the other Modes can leave you too open. Without Cardinal and Fixed energy, a person can be easily ungrounded or swept away, consumed, in a sense, by the psychic energy within you. In the conclusion section of this document, I’ll discuss how to deal with this imbalance in more detail.

Sun in the 9th House

The position of your Sun, as far as psychic energy goes, is really interesting when compared to the rest of your chart. The luminaries are always key when predicting psychic abilities; I’ve heard many claim that the Sun and Moon quite literally “shed light” on the unknown, allowing for a stronger “sight” - a stronger 6th sense, and from all of the psychic charts I’ve studied and done myself this rings true. It can also be seen in the charts of famous psychics, such as Edgar Cayce, which I’ll touch on more later.

The 9th House is the gifter of precognition. When it is strong in one’s chart, there is a strong psychic intuition within the native. Not only this, but the Fire signs and houses often “fuel” psychic energy. These positions will strengthen the rest of the energy in the chart, particularly any heavenly body in the 9th as it is so involved in higher knowledge and spirituality. In psychic charts, the 9th is often quite influential. This, again, is true in the chart of Edgar Cayce, who possessed quite a few 9th House placements, including a luminary - in his case, the Moon.

Moon in the 8th House

There is an intense psychic sensitivity related to this position, though this is the house of its fall. The 8th House is a key ruler of psychic ability, and when there is a luminary present within it there is almost sure to be some level of psychic energy within the native; considering the rest of your natal chart, I think it’s safe to say it’s present within you. Returning to Cayce, because I find it very interesting that your chart reminds me of his in so many small ways, his Moon is in the 9th and his Sun in the 8th.

Not only this, but the Moon, as ruler of instincts and intuition, already grants some level of sight beyond the physical constructs and limitations we have placed upon ourselves, often blocking out innate psychic ability. The Moon unleashes our hidden energies, and rules the parts of ourselves we may not be aware of, overcoming those blocks.

Empathic abilities are often granted by the Moon, and such a position will likely enable those abilities within you, but considering the 8th I believe there may be even more intense abilities present. An ability to see the unseen, the flow of energy, auras, and perhaps more is indicated by such a placement.

Mercury in Pisces and the 8th House

This is yet another placement which reminds me of Cayce’s chart, as he, too, possessed Mercury in Pisces. The study of natal chart indicators has shown that Water signs and houses are overwhelmingly strong in the charts of psychic individuals, marking this as doubly powerful. Natives with this position in their chart are typically empaths or telepaths, but they are not likely to comprehend their own potential, perhaps due to the logical nature of Mercury.

The psychic sensitivity of this placement is one I cannot stress enough. With Pisces, there are both positives and negatives as far as psychic potential goes, and this placement seems to represent all of them. There is a weakness to Piscean psychic power in that one is often too open - and I believe this will be extremely present in the case of Mercury in Pisces.

There must be a healthy state, one balanced between being open and closed. Currently, due to the state of humanity today, there is an overwhelming imbalance - one that has led to society being predominantly closed at all times. While this is not healthy, in ways it is much safer than the alternative: being always and forever open. With Piscean energy, there is almost always an openness that is perceived in the Piscean personality, it is not so much a forthrightness as an open heart, one that allows for sacrifice. This interpretation is applicable here, too. The empath and telepath’s burden is that of experiencing for others, and sacrificing a part of themselves for that experience.

Jupiter in the 8th

This is a position which further indicates some form of sense between yourself and others, such as telepathy or empathic abilities.

Uranus in Aquarius and the 6th House

Considering the tie between Uranus and psychic ability, Uranus being at home in Aquarius should assist in your abilities greatly. The power behind this position can’t be taken lightly, it packs a big punch. Often, energy manipulation and intuition are granted by this placement.

Many “Indigo children” possess this placement. These are psychically and empathically gifted people who are old souls, if you will. There is a creativity and drive associated with this position that will take you far. Overall, the intuitive abilities granted by this position are remarkable, and they fuel the other abilities that are indicated by your natal chart.

The presence of the 6th House also indicates healing abilities. Homeopathy, spiritual healing, and other forms of psychic or energy healing are enabled by such a placement. It may take its toll on you, however, and requires a lot of psychic protection; I’ll get to that later.

Pluto in the 4th House

As you may remember, this is a position which is associated with the Earth - as if the idea of “home” manifests as the home Earth provides. Reiki and crystal work is something I associate with such a position, as is Earth-based witchcraft or energy work. Energy work in general is something that this position enables, which is quite a powerful thing. On top of this, the fact that Pluto is in a Fire sign and a Water house indicates a great deal of energy is present within you, and you can draw upon it.

Chiron in Scorpio and the 5th House

Another indicator of psychic healing abilities. When Chiron is in Scorpio, the energy is highly powerful, and it bolsters the rest of the energy in the natal chart. Your ability to heal is tied to both empathic power and, likely, death in some way. It could be mediumship or simply providing solace to those in mourning.

This position can be an extremely difficult one, however, as it can mark a sense of fear or past hurts caused by psychic power, or death. These fears must be overcome in order to be able to use these powers properly.

The presence of the 5th House empowers this position even further, fueling it with fire.

Lilith in Scorpio and the 4th House

Lilith is another home of psychic and intuitive power, and she plays a big role in your chart. In relation to psychic energy, Lilith works somewhat like the Moon and Pluto, but she is much fiercer, raw and chaotic in what she grants. In the 4th, she will draw out the psychic energy of the Moon, as well; and in Scorpio, she draws out Pluto’s. This is a very, very powerful position, one made all the more powerful by Lilith’s trine with Mercury, but I’ll get to that later.

This Lilith is a piece of darkness within us, something that we cannot reveal or may not be revealed to ourselves. Overall, this is a very difficult position, but psychically it can grant many gifts. Wherever there is Scorpio or the 8th House, there is a connection to the “beyond” - an ability to blur the lines between life and death in some way. Mediumship, the ability to channel or speak to those who have passed on, is marked by such a placement.

With all of the Water energy of this placement, intuition or precognition is highly likely. Dreams are a primary source of psychic insight for people with such a position, and with the 4th’s presence this is all the more influential.

Moon sextile Neptune

Empathic abilities are sure to be granted by this position. There is an attunement with the energies around you, one that is not present in others. Sensing other’s emotions and experiences, feeling with them, and being swayed by other’s drives are all a part of such a gift.

With empathic abilities comes a great deal of turmoil, and Neptune will not make this any easier. Due to Neptune’s messy nature, often it grants unconscious abilities, meaning that an individual may be psychic and never realize it. There are many dangers that come with psychic abilities in general, but being unaware only compounds these issues.

This “unawareness” does not simply apply to recognizing that you have the abilities at all, but to how they function. For example, you may be reaching out to others empathically without realizing; it is not a conscious act, but rather subconscious. It is an ingrained part of your nature, which is powerful in its own right, and yet it is quite dangerous.

The negative energy of those around you can affect you greatly. Neptune, again, does not help because its energy is so open. It can be very hard to manage such an aspect.

Moon trine Chiron

Psychic healing is associated with this position, and I’m inclined to believe it’s almost assured to be present considering the energy of the rest of your chart. The issue with this position, however, is that there is a need to first heal yourself psychically. This may be representative of the struggles the rest of your chart indicates with empathic ability, or with family.

Moon trine Pluto

This is another indicator of empathic abilities, one that only confirms the others and strengthens the rest of the energy present in your chart. This will only draw others to you, your empathic abilities in subtle ways clear to others. It can make you a sort of shoulder to cry on or lean on, as people sense it.

Mercury trine Lilith

This aspect is made highly psychic by the positions of both heavenly bodies, and the position itself is quite powerful all on its own. Witchcraft is a word I typically hesitate to use when discussing psychic aspects because the word is one that gives many the wrong idea, as it holds many assumptions, but I feel I must mention it here, especially with Lilith involved. Witchcraft, when I use the term, refers to the manipulation of energy. It is not meant to represent anything evil or dark or even religious, simply the ability to use energy as one sees fit. Lilith, like the other asteroids represented by “dark” goddesses, grants the ability to manipulate energy, which is quite a powerful thing. The voice and communication is extremely important in witchcraft, this ability to use energy, adding to the power.

When Lilith and Mercury meet in this way, it opens the mind to psychic energies. Again, this is an indicators of extra-sensory perception, particularly empathic perceptions.

Venus trine Uranus

This is a small indicator, one that I see as a sort of “fuel” for the rest of the psychic energy in a natal chart.

Jupiter trine Pluto

Psychic strength is indicated by this aspect. Manifestation, the ability to make things happen simply through the will of the mind, is an ability granted by this aspect. This relates back to the ability to use energy through witchcraft and other means.

This also relates back to precognition, which Jupiter so often grants. One’s intuition is extremely powerful thanks to this aspect.

Neptune sextile Chiron

Another position of psychic attunement, this aspect is extremely interesting and unusual as it allows for the native to heal themselves, something unusual to see in relation to Chiron. This is very important for you, considering the nature of the rest of your chart and the difficulties surrounding your empathic abilities. It also indicates an ability to heal others psychically, drawing out Jupiter’s 6th House energy in your chart.

I believe this position also indicates an ability to astral project, and strengthens abilities of mediumship. Contacting entities outside of this realm of existence is all in Neptune’s power.

Your chart is marked by more psychic indicators than any I’ve seen before. Most people have about two or three psychic placements; I have never encountered a chart with eight, some of which are somewhat “doubled” by being in both signs and houses that grant psychic abilities. To put it simply, your chart is one of the most powerful I have seen.

Powerful intuition, empathic abilities, telepathy, precognition, psychic healing abilities, and mediumship are all possible, as shown by your natal chart. Usually, there will be a few abilities that are indicated by a natal chart, but the actual likelihood of them manifesting is another matter. It takes work, faith, and energy most people lack. For example, a great deal of Water energy could be present, indicating a strong intuition but a lack of direction or true drive. Your chart is full of energy, and while this can lead to a great deal of possibilities psychically, it can also cause blockages if it is not maintained.

Grounding will be necessary to help with this. Due to the lack of Earth, Air, and Cardinal signs, your psychic abilities may actually make you feel exhausted or tense, almost as if you’re holding onto a thread that could snap at any moment. Meditation and protection are going to be especially necessary for you, as well. Grounding will help with all of that excess energy you may possess. You can ground during meditation, visualizing the energy of the Earth flowing into you, and your own energy flowing into the Earth in return. This expels the energy you have not used, which might build up and cause stress or tension.

Due to the many indicators of empathic ability, cleansing the aura and the body will be necessary. Empaths often pick up energy that is not their own throughout the day, and while it can be quite positive it can also be negative. Removing these little bits that cling is necessary. Some will meditate, visualizing their aura being refreshed, and others may practice this visualization while bathing, visualizing the excess being washed away. Protection works much the same way, the most popular method I’ve seen being visualization of white light surrounding you during meditation, or whenever you are feeling psychically frayed or stressed.

There are indicators of fear, doubt, or unconscious forces influencing your psychic abilities, which almost always leads to the suppression of the abilities present. Working through personal blocks, practicing self care, and building up confidence in your abilities will likely be necessary. To begin working with intuition, people will often begin practicing meditation, and attempting to listen to their “gut” instincts more often, letting their instincts guide them. Next, little games can come next - seeing if you can find hidden objects or guess cards, that sort of thing.

If you’d like a $15 psychic reading, you can find more information here: Mobile Friendly Post :: Desktop Friendly Page

#psychic abilities #astrology #natal chart #natal chart reading #astrology reading

138 notes · View notes

nonochuday · 7 years

Text

|And Stupidly, Us| 1

Yoongi x reader Part One

PROLOGUE || 1 ||

Genre: Gang!au, action, smut, angst Word Count: 4.2k

Warnings: Language, sexy coverall Jeon

A/N: Honestly this is wAy overdue and I’m terribly sorry for taking so long but I appreciate all of you that waited for my lazy ass <333 also this has barely been edited so if you find any mistakes or something that doesn’t add up, don’t be afraid to let me know!

Thank you to @boymeetsfiction for always hyping me up, I love you Tam x

"I didn't know it was him, Tae," you could not prevent the scoff from escaping your lips as you watch the man pace back and forth in front of you, "I wasn't given his file, I just got told what to do and was thrown in there."

You wish you were exaggerating, the information given was immaculately brief for someone of your stature. It was expected you'd receive a file, details on the target, what the plan was and who you were working with to ensure it wouldn't fail. At least that's what you should have expected but instead, you were up the creek without a paddle.

Taehyung did not seem too happy about the newfound information either. Since getting back to base, the carob haired man had paced from one side of the room to the other. He mainly talked to himself during his seesaw journey in the room, sometimes pausing to ask you a question which may as well have been rhetorical. How the hell were you supposed to know why you weren't told anything?

"It doesn't make sense," he rubs at his temples as if to massage the answer out of him, "Why would he throw us in the dark like that?"

"I don't know." you repeat through gritted teeth.

Just when you were about to go on another tangent on how little you knew on the subject, the door creaks open behind you as two familiar faces poke through.

“You two are in so much shit,” Jimin pipes as he closes the door behind them, clearly amused by the situation, “I’ll be surprised if he lets you keep all your fingers.”

Jungkook looks up from cleaning the chunk of metal in his hands and shoots you and Taehyung a comforting smile, “You know he's just kidding,” he wipes at a particularly oily spot with the now dirtied rag, “But he did sound pretty upset.”

Yourself and Taehyung glance at each other, brows furrowed and lips pressed firmly against the other in skepticism. Surely, he'd explain why there was no file.

“What has he got to be so upset about? I didn't even know the face of the guy I was stealing from,” a soft scoff drags from your lips.

“Yeah,” Jimin muses, “But you didn't hear him. He didn't sound too happy.”

Jimin had known Yoongi for the longest around here and you would most definitely trust his word when it came to reading the cold and candid Min Yoongi. If Jimin said he was upset, he undoubtedly was. They had this strange friendship you didn't know much about, not that you were particularly interested. You had learned that sticking your nose in business could get you into serious trouble.

Supposing that it would be a terrible idea to be petty about the situation and go against a rising mafia boss, you shut your mouth. It was probably safer that way.

“So then,” your partner intervenes, “He wants to see us, I assume?”

Taehyung had been in this circle of people for a handful of years now, just a few more than yourself. Being his crazed, childish self, he has had his fair share of encounters with Yoongi. Most of them never really being positive reinforcement. He would know what to expect. But you on the other hand, what happens to someone who’s been caught mid-mission?

“Right now, actually,” Jimin answers grimly.

“Now?”

“We're so dead.” Taehyung deadpans, completely giving up on worrying for his life.

“He's not so bad,” Jungkook replied with a slight snicker, “You just need to say the right things.”

“Yeah, but he actually likes you!” Taehyung attempts to argue back.

You observe as Jimin itches to tell your partner to grow up and take his job more seriously, flicking his blond hair away from his eyes as his tongue traces the pillow of his bottom lip in a sarcastic smirk. It was always this way.

Pushing past Jungkook and Jimin with a small sigh, you mentally prepare yourself for your boss’ drilling words. Taehyung and the others followed without a word as you all journeyed to Yoongi’s study in which you would be required

Reaching the end of the hallway, you step into the grand foyer where your boot-clad feet kiss the white tiles. The marble staircase curves its way upwards to the next level of the manor, its wrought iron balustrade curled in an elegant design. Looking at the stairs from below made you realise how quiet the house was. The foyer was the biggest room in the manor and you could usually hear almost every conversation due to the incessant echoes that bounce between the walls. Silence.

A gentle hand found a spot on your right shoulder, “Stay here, I’ll go first,” Jimin forces a smile, “Check on him, you know?”

A meek nod was all you could respond with before you watched the blond ascend the stairs.

Time seemed to move a lot slower while waiting for Jimin to return. You couldn’t help but replay the events in Jung Hoseok’s mansion and how different this talk with your boss would be had the mission been a success. Both you and Taehyung might have gotten a praising, or maybe he would have cut you some slack for a little while. Your thought was interrupted when a blur of black crosses your vision.

“Taehyung, what are you doing?” you whisper-yell as your brows channel together.

“I’m going to see how bad the situation is,” he points with his thumb to the door at the top of the stairs.

“It’s things like this that get you into trouble.”

The carob haired man either didn’t hear you or didn’t like his life enough to care. Instead, he continues up the stairwell.

“Tae, no—” you hiss.

Trekking up the stairs after him in a hurry while trying to make as little noise as possible was harder than it looked. Taehyung may have been on the taller side, but he was definitely vigilant. Much like a fox; sly and quick on his feet. Your partner’s longer legs naturally made it easier for him to take three steps at a time with little to no effort, while you struggled to take a step without its sound resonating through the room. Damn this house and its amplifying everything!

He stops you when you reach the top, a single finger pressing to his lips wordlessly. The door to Yoongi’s study was a mere ten feet away, making listening a little more feasible.

“They’re downstairs right now.” you hear Jimin say.

“Both of them?”

“Yessir.”

The door opens shortly after and out steps Jimin with a blank face. His eyebrows shoot up in surprise at the sight of you and Taehyung, not quite expecting you two to be right outside the door. Surprisingly, he doesn't question as to why you were there.

“He’s asked me to bring you both in,” Jimin scratches at the corner of his lip gently, “He has calmed down a fair bit too. It's kinda scary.”

A pregnant pause hangs over your head before you step in front of the door and timidly grasped the handle. You wait a few seconds before looking back at Taehyung, who looks equally nervous to go in.

The familiar light creek of the office door hinges distracts you long enough to enter the room without having a complete panic attack. You weren’t too sure what to expect. A yelling and raging Min Yoongi was hard to predict on its own, but a calm and monotonous Yoongi was even harder. Jimin said it himself, he had calmed down. From what the blond described in the common room, Yoongi was a furious mess. Who knows what he’d do to you?

Taehyung closes the door behind him with a soft click and joins your side where you wait for Yoongi to speak. Yoongi was where he always is, at his desk, and he had yet to look up from the pages he was scribbling on. His raven hair lightly curtains his eyes and you could tell he was lost in his work. Did he even hear you come in?

“Taehyung. Y/N,” Yoongi places his pen on the wooden desktop and lazily meets your gaze, “What a pleasant surprise.”

Now, you weren’t certain, but something was telling you this wasn’t going to be pleasant at all.

Jimin was right, he was calm. Unusually so. You wanted to explain what happened, explain how your task was a failure and why you were caught, but your tongue was tied, stuck in your throat in fear of speaking out of turn and being scolded. If you said the wrong thing you could be dead.

“I’m well aware of what has happened tonight.”

“Sir,” Taehyung tries but was cut off when pale fingers raise themselves in a halt.

Yoongi stands up from his place behind the desk and maneuvers around his chair before taking slow steps in your direction. He refastens the singular button in the middle of his blazer and you notice his eyes training in on your partner. Taehyung must have noticed too because he looked as if he had a metal rod shoved up his backside.

“I can’t say that I’m too happy to hear it either. What happened?”

Your throat tightens at his question, “Well...Everything was going fine at first, we breached and disabled his security border within a matter of minutes, then we got in, and it was like nobody was there,” you steal a glance at the boy next to you, “Taehyung and I decided we’d split and check different wings of the property. We found nothing.”

Yoongi’s face appeared indifferent, almost like he didn’t believe what you were telling him. What you wouldn’t give to know what he was thinking. “You were caught.” he put bluntly.

There it is. You knew what had happened, what your mistake was, but hearing it out loud made the chagrin you felt multiply to the thousands. The bitter taste of failure lingered on your tongue as he waited for you to further elucidate the situation from only hours ago.

While Taehyung was busy touching up on his side of the story, your thoughts occupied you. As much as you felt of a disappointment, the fact that you had been kept in the dark regarding knowing about your target had your teeth grinding into nothing. Not only did not briefing the file complicate things, it made it much harder for when you got caught. The question was: is it wise to speak up about it?

“You had the simple task of retrieving something of mine. I can’t fathom how that could be so difficult for you both.” Yoongi rasps, his voice laced with irk.

It could have been easier.

“Sir, in all honesty, it’s not all that bad,” Taehyung said, “Yes, we made the mistake of getting caught, but we got in just fine and we were able to escape safely. Besides, we have the money back in our possession.”

Yoongi didn’t seem happy at all with your partner’s reasoning and frankly, neither were you. You could understand where he was coming from, but you didn’t think it was the best approach for this type of conversation; one that may or may not hold your lives. He could get himself into a huge amount of trouble, and you’d sooner walk through the fiery pits of hell before you backtalk Min Yoongi, or let Taehyung drag you down with him.

“It was careless.”

“A careless mistake, yes.”

“You’re honestly trying to tell me that this whole thing isn’t a problem?” Yoongi scoffs and lets out what seemed like a chuckle, but it couldn’t have been because Min Yoongi does not chuckle.

Taehyung only nods with a blank look on his face, as if that would be enough to get his argument across. “And what of Jung Hoseok, how was he handled?”

“He’s been taken care of. We did everything you asked.” your carob haired partner ensured.

Except Yoongi wasn’t happy to hear that. Far from it. His eyebrows shoot up to his hairline and his mouth opens a fraction, uncharacteristically. “The one thing I asked was to have you not kill him!” he hisses through his teeth.

Taehyung waves his hands in front of him dismissively, “N-no, he’s not dead. I didn’t mean it like that. We left him tied to the leg of his pool table.”

“So he’s alive, then. You’re fucking idiots. Both of you.” his eyes flicker between you and Taehyung. Before either of you get a chance to open your mouths and ask why he was interrupting, “It’s been a few hours since you’ve both returned. Let’s say he’s summoned a little help, he has this place surrounded, and we’re not the least bit prepared for it. You’ve killed us all here.”

That definitely shut you both up.

“So forgive me Kim Taehyung, for not seeing this through your eyes, or understanding as to why this is not at all a problem. Now get the fuck out of my office.”

You didn’t dare blink or open your mouth as you listen to the newly chastised boy retreat out the door behind you. He knew better than to speak up anymore. Releasing a breath you didn’t know you were holding, your eyes drift over to the intimidating figure of Yoongi, who was already looking at you with an unreadable expression. Was he mad at you? He had to be. There was no way he would be civil with you after lashing out at Taehyung like that.

Yoongi’s rigid figure paces back to his desk where he pages for Jimin, “Jimin, I’ve sent Taehyung down, keep him with you until I get back to you with further instructions.” The blonds anodic voice was heard seconds later with a firm yessir.

Yoongi heaves a fatigued sigh and leans his hip against the desk's frame, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose and rubbing his eyes tiredly. When he finally looks up, he just resembled an average exhausted man, not some power-hungry, gun-wielding gangster. However, his next words wipe that image right out of your head:

“He’s lucky I don’t kill him.”

And he was right.

But you'll be damned if you don't find out why you were sent out there with minimal knowledge on Mr. Jung Hoseok. It was bold, and frankly, foolish, of you to even think of asking let alone actually speak out. But you had to know. Yoongi owes you that much, at least.

“There is some truth to what Taehyung said.”

Yoongi’s face doesn't flinch when the words reach his ears. Instead, remains silent with a passive expression while waiting for you to continue.

“About the mission, I mean,” your eyes flick up to meet his cold ones, “I believe we did well enough, given the unfortunate circumstances.”

“Circumstances?” he cocks his head ever so slightly with a hint of a smirk painted over his lips, his eyes never leaving yours, “Pray tell.”

You would definitely feel more confident if he wasn't staring at you like he was going to impulsively draw out his gun and spray you all over his office walls like they do in the movies. His unmoving eyes send a chilling tingle up your spine and rattle your bones to the core.

He was totally unpredictable and that's what scares you the most.

“I want to know why I was kept in the dark,” you swallow the lump in your throat, “We both know how much easier it could have gone if we followed standard procedures.”

Yoongi remains unresponsive.

“Why wasn't I given a file? A briefing?” you finally ask. Now all you had to do was dodge whatever he was likely to throw at you.

The ebony haired man pushes himself off from where he was resting on the desk’s edge, hands burying into the navy pockets of his slacks. Yoongi uncurls his arms at his chest and makes his way over to you slowly.

It was a fair assumption that you wouldn't like whatever was about come out from his mouth. Maybe he just did it for the hell of it, maybe a test? It was also possible he was trying to get rid of you. That answer you definitely didn't want. You could not for the life of you think of why he would do such a thing. What had you done wrong?

Yoongi didn't stop until his polished shoes almost touched yours. Damn, he was even more intimidating up close. He's not that much taller than you, only enough that you need to slant your head a little. Yoongi's russet brown eyes bore holes into your own irises and you have to swallow back your nerves before you shit yourself in front of your boss. He's quiet for a few seconds in a way in which only Yoongi could make unbearable.

“You shouldn't need a file.” he murmurs, his voice laced with a cold undertone.

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

The look on your face must have conveyed the unspoken question because he was speaking again, “You’ve been with me for a handful of years now, yes? Four?”

“Almost six.” you correct him.

“Right. So, in that time, you’ve done fairly well for yourself. You’ve had your fair share of tasks to fulfill at quite a high expectation and come through nicely. I don’t need to worry about you so much, I know you can take care of yourself.”

This was just about as convincing as someone who’s trying to tell you strawberries are blue. Yoongi’s words almost always had valid points to them but this just made it sounds like it wasn’t a big deal to him. It must be his way of trying to get rid of you, to sugarcoat it before dropping the bomb. It’s the only thing that makes sense in your head.

Yoongi continues to rattle nonsense about how impressed he was with your work performance and how he trusts you, then switches to another tactic on how to let you down gently.

“So don't you think you're capable of doing it on your own? Without my aid?” he asked.

Honestly, the words couldn't form in your mouth. What were you supposed to say to that? That you were okay with the sudden change and that he told you no word about it?

You stare down at the space between your feet, “I had in my head that you were trying to get rid of me,” you mutter loud enough for him to hear, “That I’d done something not up to par with your expectations and this was the easiest way to have me disappear if I failed.”

As inconspicuously as possible, you peek at Yoongi from under your lashes. His face was about as readable as a book written upside down in coded Chinese with invisible ink. Yoongi notices your concern and withdraws the hardened fashion painted across his face. He relaxes his shoulders and takes a step back from where he was almost pressed against you. Slowly, as if moving too quickly would alter his mood, you lift your eyes to meet his.

“I wasn’t trying to rid myself of you,” he doesn’t even blink, and that’s how you know he’s telling the truth, “think of it more like a test; I wanted to see how you would go without my help. And you failed. I wanted you to be confident, sure of yourself even when you didn’t know who Jung Hoseok was, but all I got was a lost kid in a grocery store.

“And that’s just it, you’re not a kid anymore. You should be able to, I expect you to handle yourself in such situations. It was quite disappointing I must say,” he presses his lips into a firm line, “But I’ve figured a way around this, then after we'll go back to the original contrivance of scrapping the briefing. You'll still be told who your target is, I'll just expect you to problem solve as you go.” Yoongi assures you.

The first thing you grasped from his little monologue was that he wasn't going to kill you, or trying to either. He’s also disappointed you handled the situation wrong by leaving Jung Hoseok unmonitored, but it was a guinea pig test of some sort to see how you would act with the pre-briefing abandoned. Your head was spinning with all this newly acquired information. You got your answers but it still feels like there was no explanation.

“So...You’ve figured out, what exactly?” you ask.

“You’re going to touch up on some things,” Yoongi answers, “For the next couple of weeks or so. ‘On probation’, for the lack of a better term.” he shrugs nonchalantly.

“You’re sending me on another mission to guinea pig?”

“No. Attending mandatory specialised classes was more of what I had in mind.” he pivots and takes a seat back at his desk. You tried your best to keep up with everything he was dishing out at you, but apparently, you picked today of all days to struggle comprehending basic conversion. The next few moments flew by and soon Yoongi was kicking you out and sending you downstairs.

Taking a seat on the bottom step, the entire night's events came crashing down around you and it wasn't until then you realised how late it was. The muscles in your neck strained and your eyelids felt heavy. You were exhausted all over. Tonight in the office took at least ten years off your lifespan.

The quiet time to yourself was abruptly cut short when Jungkook steps into the threshold. He gives you a tight smile, almost like he knows how dog-tired you are. He doesn't say a word, giving you a moment to breathe before jerking his head back in the direction he came from. Reluctantly, you stretch out the kinks in your neck and follow him with a sigh.

Jungkook took you into the manor’s garage where he spent most of his time fixing vehicles and tinkering. It was practically his home, after all, you never really see him ever leave it. Jungkook’s usual coverall attire is almost always covered in grimy oil from the machine parts he plays with all day.

He was no different even at half past three in the morning. You wonder if this boy ever sleeps.

“Wow, she's alive.” Jimin mocks with a crooked, sympathetic smile and all you could do was laugh back bitterly. Jimin and Jungkook watch as you splay out on the old leather couch that has seen better days, your eyes automatically closing at the comfort.

“What happened up there?” Jungkook inquires after a pause.

You contemplated ignoring him and pretending you were asleep, only because you were exhausted at the thought of being on probation and how different the next couple of weeks would be, but Jungkook was kind to you, and both Jimin and himself would have been waiting apprehensively while you and Taehyung possibly get the life chewed out of you. Hopefully, this wouldn’t take too long and you could go to bed.

“Where’s Tae?” you know he was sent down for Jimin to collect but you couldn’t see him.

“Over in the corner sobbing,” Jungkook points with his chin to the workshop bench along the wall. Taehyung was crouched on the concrete floor, his eyes glisten with a dew and they look distant, like he was in another world. You have a pretty good idea what this was about. “He had a lecture and has to remain by Jimin for a little while to ‘learn how to behave’.” he air quotes.

Ah, that makes sense.

“Right, well...it didn't go at all as I expected,” you sit up on the couch, “He wasn't mad like I thought he would be, at least not for the reasons I prepared for. We talked about what happened tonight and how it how it happened, what went wrong etcetera,” you tell them, “But what he was most upset about was that I couldn’t be trusted to handle the situation on my own. He was more disappointed.”

Jimin and Jungkook listen intently without interrupting you with further questions. You didn’t notice while you were lost telling the story but on a few occasions, they exchange subtle glances at one another, wordlessly trying to figure out Yoongi and his possible motives while they listen to your encounter with their boss.

“He wasn’t happy with the way Taehyung and I handled the Jung case. Apparently, it was a rookie mistake the way we left him, although he wouldn’t have us kill him, which is odd. Yoongi also told me he was going to abandon the whole pre rundown before we go out, that’s what he was taking a shot at, at least.” you mutter, “So now I’ve screwed that up for him because I'm too amateur for him and he expects better.”

You couldn't have sounded more bitter if you tried.

“This is all just so unnecessary to me. He should have just told me and I would have learned.”

Jungkook clicks his tongue, “So what's the verdict?”

“I have to do mandatory classes, something about learning skills again.” you roll your eyes and huff out a humourless laugh.

“With who?” he furrows his eyebrows.

“With you.”

#yoongi #min yoongi #yoongi angst #yoongi smut #bts #bts angst #bts smut #smut #gang au #bts fanfic

76 notes · View notes

simplyoriginalcharacters · 7 years

Text

Grace Adams

Questions:

1. Is the character of Grace believable as an entity?

2. Is the backstory convoluted/too complicated? If so, or even if not, do you have any feedback on the background?

3. Do the other characters in the story come across as ‘props’? I’m doing my best to really flesh them out as well, but I don’t want them to simply be there for the usage of the main character to develop. Also, thoughts on the archetypes used as supporting characters? Are they too stereotypical/cliche given the context?

If you have any questions about the content of this post, or if I left out anything major, please let me know, and I will see if I can sort it out! Thank you!

Name: Grace Adams

Age: 23

Appearance:

Ethnicity: African American

Hair: Black, worn long and often tied back

Eyes: Black

Height: 5'6"

Weight: 150 lbs.

Fashion sense: understated and deliberately not ostentatious; generally composed of beanies, sweatshirts, long sleeve shirts, and leggings or jeans.

Cori here! Read the rest of this profile and review under the cut.

History: Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Grace Adams was raised to believe in the merits of hard work, faith, and family by her welder father Joseph and homemaker mother Angela. Grace excelled in school and fostered a curious and often confrontational nature which was fostered by her mother but clashed against her teachers, religious leaders, and even her somewhat conservative father. When Grace was beginning her senior year of high school, Angela was diagnosed with lymphoma and was forced to spend months at a time hospitalized. This embittered Grace from her faith in God and further strained her already-tenuous relationship with her father. Burying herself in her studies, Grace graduated in the top 5% of students in her class and was accepted into the honors program of Louisiana State University. Despite her father’s request to take a semester off to help him take care the house and her mother, Angela encouraged Grace to pursue her dream of becoming an evolutionary biologist. Joseph angrily cut ties with his daughter, and Grace gained her bachelor’s degree in biology a semester earlier than expected, feeling as though she would be letting her mother down and proving her father right if she returned home before her degree was completed.

In the winter of 2018, the semester before Grace was to begin her Masters of Evolutionary Biology program at LSU, she received an email from a former professor informing her about an internship opportunity with Cambridge University that would give her more practical experience in her field and better prepare her for the program. Grace jumped at the opportunity to create distance between herself, her father, and her mother’s worsening condition and contacted Cambridge to make the proper arrangements. That May, Grace made her way to the UK and to the home/laboratory of the professor with whom she would be interning: Dr. Roger Renfield, PhD. Though initially not too concerned with the professor’s standoffish demeanor and nocturnal habits, Grace eventually deduces that the strange and grotesque experiments that Renfield performs are evidence of something sinister, and she discovers that Renfield is in fact a vampire who has been attempting for almost 150 years to discover a scientific remedy for his condition. After learning the truth, Grace surprises Renfield by showing not horror but genuine interest in his condition and his attempts to cure himself.

The story itself revolves around the attempts by Renfield and Grace to cure vampirism in a purely biomedical fashion as well as to catalogue the various other species of monstrous beings that exist in their world in a genetic compendium titled the “Manners of Beast”. This process often involves Grace going on location to take photographs, collect biological samples, and hear the stories of various monstrous characters in order to fully understand the ‘dark side’ of the world outside human detection while also coming to terms with the idea that reason and spirituality can and often must go hand in hand while interpreting the world, all the while crossing paths with nefarious bodies looking to capitalize on the division between human and monster.

Personality: Grace is, by her own expression, a skeptic: a person who takes nothing at face-value and does not believe much of anything outside of what can be perceived through observation or research. Grace’s main motivation is initially the pursuit of knowledge, really for its own sake, and she takes her role as ‘field researcher’ in stride for this end, even though this could potentially put her in danger. Grace is also confrontational and headstrong in her skepticism with a very ‘f*** your feelings’ attitude towards others that she sees as less educated or as being ideologically motivated by something like religion. This cold, analytical exterior begins to crack over time as she is forced into situations with others facing their own tragedies, such as a newly-turned vampire who she is forced to talk out of suicide by sun exposure and the struggles of a destitute family of monsters forced to turn to hunting humans for food. Grace has a tendency to bury her head in her field when 'the going gets rough’ and feelings become too involved, but when her field becomes very much one of feelings during her travels, she becomes more compassionate and even begins to sympathize with the creatures she and every other human had been taught to fear hiding in their closets.

Hobbies: Chess, debating, photography, reading, jogging. Most of her time is dedicated to her work, so she doesn’t have much time for hobbies.

Abilities: Unlike the various mortal and immortal beings surrounding her, Grace possesses mostly the same physical and mental abilities of a young human woman of her general age bracket. She is however an excellent debater, researcher, and detective due to her headstrong curiosity and general lack of fear in most situations. Later in the story, Grace learns how to channel basic levels of magical energy under the tutelage of a demonic companion, but she is unable to tap into any large amount of magic, limiting her to what a normal human would be able to do after extensive practice, such as minor protective charms.

Relationships (first established): Joseph Adams (father): Grace’s relationship with her father is initially very strained, as both of them have a tendency to retreat inward when confronted with hardship they do not know how to handle. Though they are very alike in personality, Grace resents her father for seeming to be weak in the face of Angela’s illness. However, Grace learns to forgive her father and empathize with him after her travels.

Angela Adams (mother): Grace tends to idealize her mother as this Amazonian standard of a woman before her illness, and she aspires to be the same ideal person someday herself. Grace deeply loves her mother and this feeling is reciprocated.

Dr. Roger Renfield: Grace initially regards the haughty and aloof Renfield with respect but also disdain. This feeling however begins to change into a more friendly mentor-mentee scenario once Grace learns of his condition. Renfield is metaphorically symbolic of the logical parts of Grace’s personality, blinded to that which cannot be quantified and defiant in the face of what it cannot explain on its own. This puts her at odds with Bethany.

Sister Bethany: The matron of the home for girls in which Grace initially stays during her time in England. A devout Catholic, Bethany tends to irritate Grace with her rituals and spiritualism, but Grace also respects the unending kindness that comes from the woman and her seeming peace with her place in the world. Bethany is symbolic of the emotional parts of Grace’s personality that she buries, seeking good in others and meaning in the world, and often disregarding that which she disagrees with as incorrect or unimportant.

Jude: A former drug addict and newly-transformed vampire that is 'captured’ as a specimen for experimentation on a cure for vampirism. Grace at first attempts to ignore the 'subject’s’ distress and sadness at his predicament and justifies it with the hope that their work will be for the betterment of mankind. However, Grace begins to grow close to Jude through her evaluations of him and learns of his inability to be near his ex-wife or young daughter for fear of harming them. Jude eventually becomes the main impetus for Grace trying to find the cure, and his eventual death at the hands of the antagonist Mina is what prompts her to continue her research with Renfield even after her internship has ended.

Before I get into the main part of my review, I just want to say that I REALLY liked reading about this character. I would read this book in a heartbeat if you published it. Now let’s get into it! My first point of criticism for you is that I’d really like to see more details in Grace’s ‘appearance’ section. When I inserted the Read More link, I was surprised to see that I’d actually isolated the entire appearance section. With all of the great details in Grace’s history and personality, I’m disappointed that I don’t have a better idea of what she looks like. The phrase ‘African American’ covers a wide variety of skin tones and facial features. What is Grace’s skin tone? What kind of hair does she have, and how is it styled? What shape are her eyes, nose, and face? What’s her body type? I’m going to jump to the personality section here–we’ll cover Grace’s history section in a little bit. I prefer to read about a character’s personality before I read about their history, because it makes the most sense in the context of getting to know someone. That said, I think Grace’s personality is well-rounded and her attitude seems to match well with her family history–she’s spent a lot of time distancing herself from her own emotions and expects other people to be the same way. I’d be interested in seeing a few more details here–for example, how do her confrontations with people who are ‘less educated’ or ideologically motivated go? How patient is she in attempting to make others agree with her viewpoints? How does that affect the way her other colleagues and friends see her? And speaking of friends–how willing is Grace to spare the feelings of someone she likes, but believes is ‘wrong’? I want to see how Grace handles her confrontational attitude and what kind of things she can let slide before it goes too far and makes her upset. Moving on! I don’t actually have a lot to say about Grace’s history, because you seem to have covered all of the important things. I don’t think it’s convoluted at all; it feels like a very realistic situation (especially for me, someone who’s butted heads with her dad all her life). I feel like I have a really clear picture of how Grace’s life has gone up to this point, so well done! I am curious about the relationship between her parents–if Angela was so keen on letting Grace follow her dreams even though Joseph wanted her to stay, how did that affect their relationship with each other? Was Grace hoping to keep things between herself and her father civil until he cut her off?

To answer your question concerning Grace’s relationships, I feel like they all present ways for Grace to learn about herself and grow as a person. If you’re concerned about them being too one-noted, my suggestion would be to give them a bit of nuance. I’m getting a little bit of that from Sister Bethany’s description–to Grace, Bethany seems to be completely at peace and her faith seems to come easily. But standing firm in your belief can be difficult at times, and Bethany’s probably had more than one moment where she’s questioned her life and her beliefs. I got a lot of that nuance from Jude, as well, so it seems like you’ve got a lot of good things planned for all your characters. For the sake of Grace’s profile, however, I don’t need a complete breakdown of each supporting character. The information you’ve already given me is enough.

All in all, this profile was very fun to read and I’m already imagining a ton of fun things that you could be doing with Grace’s story. If her appearance section had the same amount of attention and care as the rest of her profile, I would have very little to criticize. Good work! ~Cori

#SOC Critique #OC Critique #Backstory Help #Development Help #submission

4 notes · View notes

seotipsandtricks-me · 5 years

Photo

Last Friday several members of the Found SEO team headed down to Brighton for the UK’s largest search marketing conference BrightonSEO. We split up throughout the day to attend different sessions and reconvened on the seafront at the end of the day to share our favourite talks and takeaways from the day over some well-earned doughnuts. Raymond Olaibi – Junior Technical SEO Executive The talk by Dominic Woodman about matching consumer intent to pages and templates was the best talk I attended during the day. Even if this talk was more targeted towards on-site optimisation and perhaps not for what I do on a day to day basis (Tech SEO) – I believe the practicality of the session was what made it my stand out talk of the day. Being my first time at BrightonSEO I felt like there was perhaps a lack of practical sessions, I was looking for something that not only gave me some good insights but also gave me a series of steps that I could have taken away, reviewed, and implement into my work or add into my arsenal of tools in case the need to use it ever arose. Dominic did exactly that, and he perfectly highlighted how SEO is not only about links; but is important for webmaster to have a well-defined information architecture to fully understand customers, know what the competitors are doing and have a clear view of what people search for and what is currently being provided. Once a clear information architecture is created, webmaster will be able to effectively target consumers to the right pages; by fully understanding what their intent is and providing a page which matches that intent. I won’t go into the nitty gritty of the steps he shared but I strongly recommended for those people looking to improve their on-site optimisation and increase their organic traffic to go through Dominic’s BrightonSEO slide deck. Ellie Hubble – Copywriter Other than being viciously mauled by a seagull (but the less said about that the better), BrightonSEO did not disappoint. The talk which I got the most from this year was definitely Rebecca Brown’s session called “Why you Should Scrap your ‘Content’ Budget Line”. One of the hardest things about working in content is actually justifying its worth and proving its efficacy. Rebecca’s first two big points were that there’s “too much theory around measurement” and “not enough tangible advice on how exactly to forecast content spend”. It’s impossible to pitch content to a client if the ROI is hazy at best. Rebecca’s solution to this industry dilemma? To use content to service a channel. “Budget should only be allocated for content when your forecasting and strategy proves there is a need within one of these channels”. The content can then be tied directly to the performance metrics of the channel it sits in. I’m not a religious person but I’ve never wanted to yell “preach!” so much in a crowd of strangers. Content itself isn’t the problem. Copywriters, content strategists, editors, designers – we still all have our place. Content is crucially important. This talked hammered home though that it’s not the things that we do so much as the way that we harness them. To quote Rebecca, “content isn’t a strategy, it’s a tactic. We need to start creating content for the right reasons, within the right channels and only if there is a proven need for it as a tactic.” Rebecca’s talk has given me a lot to think about that I’ll apply to my own content and strategy approach. Davin Gall – Content Strategist This was my second time at BrightonSEO and I’m always interested to hear people’s views and approaches to content marketing. The talk that I enjoyed the most was by Allyson Griffiths called ‘Why micro-influencers aren’t the solution to a case of marketing FOMO’ I think that this talk really hit the nail on the head in terms of influencer marketing and the fear of missing out (FOMO), I feel that most brands are jumping on the bandwagon of influencer marketing because their competitors are active in the space but do they have any idea how to do ‘influencer marketing’ properly? The term influencer is pretty broad but it’s basically anyone that has a large active audience that engages with them, this can be across any number of platforms and includes bloggers, vloggers, instagrammers the list goes on. Brands want to tap into these audiences due to their huge following, unfortunately influencers are now well aware of this and are charging HUGE prices to promote brands – £75k for a Facebook post anyone? Bring on the micro-influencer with a smaller but just as engaged audience that costs brands a fraction of the price, however there’s always been difficulty trying to attribute the actual value of this form of marketing. An interesting statistic was that despite $570m being spent on influencer marketing on Instagram during 2016, 57% of brands say they did not have a way to calculate influencer marketing ROI. Allyson suggests using an approach of mission, matching, measurement and maximise to target influencers correctly and help attribute ROI effectively. I won’t cover mission and matching as I feel the really important areas are measurement and maximise. Currently brands look at metrics such as engagement, traffic and reach but it’s hard to attribute these back to business’s bottom line. Another method is to measure tracked campaign links, brand sentiment or sales uplift but always remember to look at what your original campaign objective are. Lastly, maximise your campaign by using influencer marketing to help drive direct response channels and implementing things like bespoke landing pages, these are likely to improve conversion rates and data capture can also be included. The presentation goes into a lot more detail but after the talk I felt as if I had gain a little nugget of content marketing knowledge, I now look forward to being able to put this into practice. If you’d like to check out the slides the link is below: Philip Gamble – Technical SEO Manager My favourite session came at the start of the day with APIs to Search which focused on the creation and use of dashboards and the Google Search Console API. In his session Yiğit Konur from ZEO spoke about Connecting APIs without Coding Skills to Create Your Own Dashboards. Custom dashboards enable performance to be segmented and monitored across different areas of a site. Yiğit introduced the KNIME data analysis platform which can be configured to connect to multiple data sources importing, filtering and processing data using a drag and drop interface Use of Google Tag Manager triggers to manipulate the HTML DOM to enable changes to be made directly on websites without development resource was also covered. This could be particularly useful if faced with long development queues or when wanting to introduce changes at short notice or only to certain areas of a website. Kostas Voudouris from Maxus focused on the insights which can be derived from the Google Search Console API. This offers strong potential to both save time and inform ongoing and future SEO activity. The free Search Analytics for Sheets Chrome extension enables Google Search Console requests to be scheduled to store data in a Google Docs spreadsheet, perfect for if you want to extend a record of historic Search Analytics data beyond the current 90 day limit. The Search Analytics report within Search Console is a tremendously valuable source of search demand and intent data. The keyword, impression, ranking and click-through data available provides opportunities to identify instances of keyword cannibalisation, locate content gaps or find opportunities for quick wins. The post Founders Favourite BrightonSEO Presentations September 2017 appeared first on FOUND.

0 notes

toldnews-blog · 5 years

Photo

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/world/how-fake-news-from-sudans-regime-backfired/

How fake news from Sudan’s regime backfired

Image copyright Facebook / NISS

Image caption The National Intelligence Security Services shared images of the “rebel cell” they had apprehended and weapons on their Facebook page

The BBC has uncovered evidence that Sudan’s security services tried to undermine popular protests by rounding up students, torturing them until they admitted to violent intent, and spreading false confession videos on Facebook and state TV. But the plot backfired, and now the students can tell their story.

“You are dirty! You are slaves!”

Racist insults rained down on John and his friends as, he claims, the security services beat them with fists and sticks and stunned them with electric shocks.

BBC Arabic’s investigations team has spoken to multiple sources who can attest to the torture that John and his fellow students from Darfur underwent, for hours at a time.

John believes they were being tested: which of them would confess to being part of a Darfuri rebel group and inciting violence in Sudan?

How the protests grew

Since mid-December, anti-government protests have rocked Sudan nearly every day. During the demonstrations, the government cracked down hard. Human rights groups say that well over 60 people have been killed. Many more have been injured and hundreds arrested.

The crackdown did not deter the protesters however. On 11 April President Omar al-Bashir was ousted in a military coup after 30 years in power.

Image copyright AFP/Getty Images

Image caption Demonstrators in Khartoum hold up their phones to film Alla Sallah, a woman who has become a symbol of the protests

John, whose name has been changed for this article because of concerns for his safety, hadn’t taken part in the protests when they began in December. But that didn’t stop him being swept up in a raid on a student house in Sennar, a town on the Blue Nile south-east of Khartoum.

Read the latest BBC News about Sudan

BBC Africa Eye- What happens inside Sudan’s secret detention centres?

Forced confessions

When the protests started escalating, the National Intelligence Security Service (NISS) created propaganda to pin the unrest on rebels from Darfur.

Darfur is a region in the west of Sudan which has been ravaged by conflict since 2003.

On 29 December of last year a press conference was held in Khartoum. A government information minister claimed to have exposed a “rebel cell” that was stoking the protests and planning violence. Sudanese state TV channels broadcast claims that the security services had apprehended members of this “cell”, and the videos were also posted to government-run pages on Facebook.

LISTEN: A podcast version of this story is available from BBC Trending on the BBC World Service

The videos showed young black men, looking meek and resigned, confessing that they were part of the Sudan Liberation Movement, a militant Darfuri group led by rebel leader Abdel Wahid el-Nour.

The students in the videos declared that they had attempted to incite violence and that they had carried weapons to protests.

But according to John, who knows three of the men who confessed in the videos, and several other sources BBC Arabic’s investigations team spoke to, the confessions were completely made up – beaten out of the students with torture.

Image copyright AFP

Image caption At the press conference, Sudan’s former minister of state for information announced the capture of a “rebel cell”

What really happened

Nearly a week before the press conference, John was staying at a house rented by a group of Darfuri students in Sennar. Sennar University had been closed down due to the protests, and while some students went home, others sought a bed in the house after being sent away from the university.

John described what happened to him on the morning of 23 December. “There were 30 of us having our breakfast when three Toyota pickup trucks without number plates showed up. They arrested us and… took us to the NISS premises in Sennar state.”

They were tortured, and later sent to an intelligence office near Khartoum’s Shendi bus station.