#if everything goes according to plan my performance will be epic

[sableeira]

girlbossing my way through programming languages I don‘t understand

[sawwyouuinadream]

FIFTH HARMONY EXPOSED

Isn’t this the type of headline that intrigues people? Well, here I will expose some myths that the so-called Exposing accounts go on exposing. Just declaring something here in the beginning: I love all my Fifth Harmony girls, OT5 that is, and read it at your discretion. The thoughts stated below are opinions of mine, gathered over months and years, and I firmly stand by them.

Cutting to the chase, here we go:

1)      Fifth Harmony the Band Image:

This group was manufactured by Simon Cowell on the X-Factor, back in 2012, and it broke up in 2018. On the show, Lauren Jauregui, the green-eyed white Latina was given the majority of solos and they performed songs in Spanish and garnered Hispanic fans banking on the fact that there were three Latinas in the group.

After they signed to Syco/Epic when the show ended, we saw Camila Cabello, the more convincing Latina, who was born in Cuba, get more and more solos. Normani Kordei was promoted as the “dancer” of the group, Ally Brooke as the “unproblematic one”, Lauren as the “broody edgy girl” and Dinah Jane as the “relatable Polynesian”.

Not surprisingly, Camila was the first one to do a solo venture with Shawn Mendes, the song I Know What You Did Last Summer, which, according to me, was a song to test the waters for both Shawn and Camila.

As more time passes, Camila was portrayed like the lead, not by HERSELF, but the trademark that Fifth Harmony was. She stopped talking in interviews, started doing more and more solo stuff, and even signed to a different manager. Voila, we were getting the rift in-band vibes galore.

Now here’s my verdict:

Fifth Harmony was made by Simon to not get the next One Direction, but to get the next Taylor Swift. Little Mix was already there in the U.K, and people know Girl groups don’t do as well as Boy Bands, mostly because of the inherent Misogyny in the society.

They wanted the next relatable girl next door who could influence teenage girls.  Camila being Latina, could now have an even larger fanbase, in Latin America as well as South Asia, because South Asian music is quite similar in a groove to Latin Music.

Why Not Lauren or Ally then?  Well, they were simply not interesting or Latin enough.

Why Not Normani? Do I have to tell? Those bitches are racist as fuck.

Why Not Dinah? Same thing. Less Appeal to a large fanbase.

That’s why Camila was the goofy dorky most relatable person on 5H. That’s why she readily had a high budget tour all set up for her the moment she left the group. That’s why they promoted her. 5H was never the long-lasting plan. Camila was. 5H was just an excuse to get her a strong fanbase and give Epic 4 more mediocre artists. I am really happy that Normani proved her worthiness and released smash hits as well. And mind you, this was done without Camila herself wishing for it. It was just the label’s decision.

 2)      Camila- the beauty or the bitch?

Camila Cabello is a very intriguing person to me. At the first glance, you haven’t seen a more dorky, goofy, and relatable celebrity like her, eating bananas and tripping on air. But then she starts talking about profound and deep experiences, and you go on her Tumblr and find quotes from books and aesthetic pictures. But then you see her leaked text messages and old Tumblr and all those images crumble before your eyes.

Think about this. Among the 5H girls, Dinah, Lauren, Ally, and Normani have friends outside the industry whom they talk to and hang out with. They have family they post about. Camila? She seems to have no friends apart from Sandra and Marielle Guzman, and those are the people we got the leaked texts with. What about her school teachers and school friends? Nothing.  All she hangs out with is Shawn Mendes and Taylor Swift and her mom who follows her like a hawk. She doesn’t seem to have a social life at all except for events she goes for business.

In my opinion, Camila has a pretty big secret that is guarded closely by everybody but her.

Is she racist? Yes. She was. She didn’t have any sensitivity to Black people or their struggles whatsoever. But you have to understand she is Hispanic, and not born in the U.S. And she has sort of always been a big mouth. I am from a country that doesn’t have a single black person in the near 30000 miles. We grow up using racial slurs as if it's nothing. I had to unlearn my indoctrinations and consciously undo the wrongs in my head and implement them in my actions. Bit it doesn’t undo things I said as a child. I bullied one friend of mine in middle school simply because her skin tone was darker than mine. But I was not canceled. Because I am not a celebrity. Have I learned? Yes definitely. I will never dare to act like that again because now I understand the pain of being ostracized and I recognize the struggles of black people. But that happened over time.

I feel like Camila is a changed person now, and tries very hard to educate herself. She is not perfect, but she doesn’t deserve so much hate. She deserves a second chance.  If she was indeed like that, Normani wouldn’t post a photo with her in IT on the eighth anniversary of 5H.

As far as her being a jealous bitch goes. The rest of 5H always had good things to talk about her after 5H dissolved in 2018. Lauren, the activist, even praised her. Dinah still seems pretty close to her.

Did she do solo stuff without 5H knowing?

No. If she did, and the whole not attending meetings thing happened, Dinah wouldn’t go to her Bad Things concert one day before she left the band. Lauren wouldn’t laugh with her in the VMAs like that if they weren’t friends and just work colleagues. The whole 5H vs Camila feud was planned by management because apparently shade helps sales. For both parties. Another manipulative misogynistic example of society.

 3)      Are/ Were Camila and Lauren romantically together?

All the roads lead to Rome honey. Camren has too many coincidences to NOT be real. From song lyrics to shady potato photos to weird comments and body language in interviews, I am pretty sure the Camren blogs will keep you covered.

Why does Lauren hate it so much? Why are we being invasive?

Lauren is supposed to nix it every time because she is contractually bound to do so. She needs to be the one to keep Camila’s straight image intact, although we have more than tons of evidence that Camila is anything but straight.

To everyone who says we shouldn’t force sexuality on people. Heterosexuality is not the default. Don’t force straightness on her. She never said she was straight. We’re just speculating she is with Lauren, and that’s it. Lauren just happens to be a girl. That’s IT.

Why did the nosy shippers out Lauren?

Nobody did. They just speculated on her sexuality based on assumptions. But no fan posted photos of her and Lucy from her aunt’s Facebook, because it was password protected. It was most probably intentional. Note that she shot a coming-out photoshoot with her “ex-girlfriend” Lucy Vives even before the Wedding where she was supposedly outed. Why shoot a photoshoot TO COME OUT and then hide behind the closet? Her coming out was planned as early as 2015, and so was the bearding of Camila simultaneously.

To me, Lauren and Camila are contracts bound to lie, at this moment. But they have a very grown-up and well-communicated relationship that is very sacred and private, and only the two of them know everything about it. Lauren and Camila are still related to the same contract, and this intuition of mine was confirmed yesterday. She was shooting something for Roger gold’s label. I hope the best for both of them, and I would love it if they were together. But them going public would be huge and in my opinion, detrimental to them.

4)      Who’s Shawn Mendes?

A really career-oriented artist. Shawmila is for him and his promotion only. Not his fault though. He is just a conceited boy with good guitar skills who wants to be extremely famous. I will not talk about his sexuality, because unlike Camila, I can’t trace him to anyone in particular.  But I can say this, Camila’s solo career had plans for Shawmila since the very start. I also believe it will end like Jelena and be back and forth for some time for minor promotions.

 Final Verdict:

Nobody is perfect. Don’t make this about Shawmila Vs Camren. Every artist has their struggles. But please break out of the shell of heteronormativity, misogyny, and racism. Love human beings. The 5H girls and Shawn Mendes are teenagers, now adults, who have been oppressed and manipulated by a capitalistic racist homophobic industry, for money and money only. And only the fans have the power to see the truth and choose the right stuff.

[jeremys-blogs]

Belos: What Does He Want?

Disney has a long history of great and memorable baddies, and with the Owl House they've given us one more to add to that list in the form of Emperor Belos, the mysterious despot of the Boiling Isles. The supreme figure of the witches who rules over them and their society with an iron fist. Throughout the first season we're told of him and his "big plans", but it wasn't until the emotionally devastating Agony of a Witch, near the season's end, where we finally saw him. And that, coupled with the actual season finale, definitely set him up as a force to be reckoned with. This is no joke villain like Yzma or Captain Hook, this is a guy that it would be most unwise to take lightly, and since our heroes have already gotten on his bad side it's likely we'll be seeing a lot of him when Owl House returns to us. But I'm not here to discuss the character, but rather his so-called big plans. Because thus far we have no concrete answers as to what Belos' endgame is or what he's trying to achieve. So today, I'm going to try and piece together what we know about his schemes and try to guess what it could be leading to.

To start off, let's just lay out what we know about Belos so far. He's been ruling the Boiling Isles for a long time (about fifty years) and established the coven system to prevent witches from mixing different types of magic. Additionally, he believes only he and those directly working for him have the right to use more than one school of magic, and that anyone who breaks away from this control he has is to be deemed an enemy of the state. He is a revered, if secretive figure in witch society with many speaking of him in a way that suggests less a leader and more a deity-like being. According to him, he is able to communicate with the Titan, the ancient corpse that makes up the Isles themselves, and that everything he has ever done has been by that creature's wishes, adding more than a touch of zealotry to his personality. And on top of everything else, we know that his plans involve getting hold of Eda's portal to the human realm, which he is at least partly successful at by the time the first season is over. Aside from that, and his clear mastery over magic, we know very little about him, though this is likely to change once the second season comes along.

Admittedly, this quick rundown of him tells us very little other than the fact that he's an incredibly powerful control freak. And as such trying to figure out his plan is going to be difficult. The one concrete thing we've been able to find out so far is that he needs the portal to the human world for some reason. And this opens up a rather interesting thing to consider. You see, at the start of the series it was established that every bizarre thing humans have in their culture is a result of something from the Boiling Isles crossing over into their world, such as griffons. And even entire species, like giraffes, can be banished there wholesale. This tells us that, at least at one point, travelling to the human world was something that used to happen a lot more frequently for the denizens of the Isles. But this has clearly changed, and it seems that Eda's portal may be the only door to Earth that's left to the witches. Because it's not unreasonable to assume that, if there were other portals out there, Belos would simply try to find them instead, rather than going for the one owned by someone famous for escaping his clutches for who knows how many years.

When I first heard that Belos was after the portal, my first suspicion, as well as the first suspicion of many in the audience I'm sure, was that his plans involved invading or conquering Earth. After all, this is a tyrant who wants to get to another world. Nine times out of ten that scenario always involved wanting to take over said world. Yet Belos outright stated in the finale that ruling Earth is "not part of the Titan's plans", indicating that he doesn't want ownership of the human realm. Now, this seemed to undermine my initial prediction of his goals, until I remembered that Belos has already shown himself to be a massive liar to others. Remember, he deceived Lilith and got her to capture Eda so he could get that portal, going back on his promise to heal her curse. So it's established rights away that he'll say anything to get what he wants. Because of this, I maintain that he pulled a similar move with Luz. Telling her he's not going to conquer Earth as simply some means of convincing her to part with the portal, only to then go back on that assurance once he actually got it. So as of this posting, I'm harbouring the belief that conquest is still on the table for him, even if he hasn't admitted to it.

However, for the sake of argument, let's just assume that what Belos said to Luz was true. Yes, I know that ascribing honesty to a dark overlord in a fantasy story is a tall order, but let's attempt it all the same. So, if we take his assurance that he's not planning to invade Earth at face value, we have to ask what other interest that world would have for him. And there was one moment in the season finale that gave me an idea of what might be happening. In Luz's brief fight with Lilith, the two stumbled back through the portal and onto Earth, and Luz attempted to use her glyphs against Lilith, only to find that they don't work. But Lilith's magic, by contrast, was successful. So we learn that Luz's brand of magic doesn't work in her own world, and only works in the Boiling Isles. This is the first time this information comes to us, and I can't believe that it's coincidence that we learn this at the same time we learn about Belos' desire for the portal. There is a chance, however small, that his plan to get to Earth is somehow connected to the fact that witch magic is the only kind of magic that works there.

I think it's also important to consider that this is a modern Disney cartoon that we're talking about, and as such it's entirely possible that we're going to get one of their more recent staples, that being the surprise reveal that causes us to question what we thought we knew about a character. And Owl House has already done this a couple of times, with characters like Amity and Lilith. Behaviour and actions that were shown as negative being revealed to have some other motive behind them that, once shown to the audience, caused those actions to be seen in a new light. Amity cut off her friendship to Willow, but it was shown that she did so in order to ensure the girl had a chance of getting into school. Lilith served the Emperor and hunted Eda down, but it was then shown that this was all in order to fix her greatest mistake and heal her sister. As criticized and maligned as the "twist reveal" has been in recent stories, Disney has already primed us for seeing Owl House as a show that gives us more to its antagonists than meets the eye, and there is no doubt in my mind that they might try to pull the same trick with Belos.

As for what that reveal might be, I have my suspicions, mostly from the fact that everything we've seen of Belos thus far has been, for lack of a better word, off. He's unlike any other witch we've seen in the show, both in his mannerism and, more importantly, in how his magic works. Owl House has been very good in establishing very strict rules for how magic goes in this world, and the one consistent rule is that, aside from Luz, witches need circles to perform it. Belos, by contrast, uses no circles, and seems to have a brand of magic all his own. And the way it seems to work just comes off as disturbing and unnatural, even when compared to some of the more unnerving imagery we've seen in the show. Additionally, his staff is unlike any other witches artefact seen so far, having more of a technological bent, rather than the wood and palismans we see in the likes of Eda or Lilith. Belos is someone out-of-step with every other witch of the Isles, and that's interesting because there's one other person in the show for whom the established rules of the Isles don't seem to apply, and that person is none other than central character Luz herself, whose differences in magic have all stemmed from her being a human, rather than a native witch.

Now, I'm sure a lot of you can already see where I'm going with this, and yes, my prediction here is that Belos will eventually be revealed to be a human who, like Luz, came over from Earth. Remember, travel between the two worlds is apparently old enough for numerous myths about creatures of the Isles to take root in the human world, and given how old those myths are, it seems unlikely that no human besides Luz has ever made the jump to the Isles before now. Also, consider that when we're given the true history of the Isles, as told by King at the start of the season finale, it makes no mention of Belos prior to his establishing of the covens and his ascension to Emperor status. As far as the Isles are concerned, the guy just came out of nowhere one day and immediately started having an influence on the place, which sounds an awful lot like Luz's own arrival. What I'm guessing here is that Belos is someone who started out much like Luz, and who went on something of a similar journey, learning about the Isles and its magic, but unlike her went in a wholly different direction, winding up as some sort of dark reflection of her and as a form of cautionary tale of what she herself might be if she stays there too long.

Imagine, for a moment, a young kid, over fifty years ago, perhaps no older than Luz. A boy who obsesses over fantasy and adventure stories, and whose interests have isolated him and made him something of an outcast among his friends and family. Then, one day, he happens upon one of the entrances to the Boiling Isles, and with his over-eager thirst for discovery, goes through. Here, finally, he has his escapism, a whole new world to explore and a fantasy epic he always dreamed of, but a dangerous and often horrific place where magic is unlike anything he'd ever expected. Though bewildered and taken in by such strange new sights, he eventually comes to a conclusion. This place is all wrong, and so is the magic. This isn't what he dreamed of when he imagined other worlds in his childhood. No, this world needs to change, and he, as the "heroic youth" from the ordinary world, is clearly destined to be the one to change it. So, he sets to it, learning all he can about this world and, more importantly, its magic. The work is long and difficult, but in the end his efforts bear fruit, and he emerges onto the scene as a powerful magic-wielder. He finally makes his presence known and, eschewing the identity of his original world, takes on a new name for himself; Belos.

Thus, Belos begins his efforts to reshape the Isles into his perfect vision, his perfect fantasy. It takes years, but finally, he manages it, becoming the undisputed ruler of all witches. Then, both to ensure that he is the only one of Earth to come here, and to ensure he can never go back to his ordinary life, he seeks out and destroys every portal to the human realm, succeeding at eliminating all but one, which will one day wind up in Eda's possession. Content that he has fulfilled his self-appointed destiny, he enjoys his position of lording over everyone else, even going so far as to use his unique human-based magic to prolong his life to experience this reality forever, making him less and less human as a result. But as the months lead into years, and the years lead into decades, his love of this new life begins to fade. And eventually, he realizes that he's made a terrible mistake. He sees the Isles not as an escape, but a prison he's made for himself. And so he devotes himself to a new cause, finding a way home. And this new plot eventually leads him to discover the final portal, Eda's portal, which he pursues relentlessly, until he finally gets his hands on it with his battle with Luz. But once again, he's denied his way out, with the portal engulfed in Luz's flames, causing him to have to try some other means of using it.

So, there's the theory. Belos is a human who travelled to the Boiling Isles and wanted the exact same things Luz did. Adventure, wanting to feel special, all of those things. But while Luz has managed to grow out of that, Belos didn't, and as a result he was twisted into a selfish tyrant who now wants to go to Earth for the exact reason he left it in the first place. Escapism, plain and simple. And he knows that human magic, his magic, won't work back on Earth, so his hope is that, once there, he can undo whatever he did to himself to make him the way that he is. His feeding on palismans? A way not to extend his life, but to alleviate the pain he feels from having already extended it himself. His day of unity? Not an attempt to unify witches, but to unite himself with his old life, and maybe whatever family he left behind. After all, it wouldn't be the first time Disney would have revealed the construction of a mysterious portal to really be an effort to reunite with lost loved ones. Taking the portal instead of asking for it to get home? Merely a result of spending decades of getting what he wants by force. Belos will, I think, be revealed to Luz as someone she herself might become, or could have become, had she not gone down the more selfless path she had walked by the time the first season was over. That's my speculation, but hey, I could just be totally wrong about it all. That'd be fine too 😅

[iamtrebleclefstories]

The Little Bit of Hope I Cling To - Part 2

Izzie goes to Grey Sloan looking for Meredith, Bailey, and Alex. She meets Dr. Karev instead.

*takes place in early s15*

Although Alex knew that the next patient he was about to see was his ex-wife, nothing could have prepared him for when he actually saw her. For years he’d wondered what it would be like to see her again. He wondered how he’d feel, how she would be. Today he was finding out. Izzie Stevens was here. In Seattle. And according to the scans he and Jo had just seen, she had cancer again.

Through the window to her room, Alex could see that Izzie’s hair was longer than it had been from when he last saw her. Her hair was closer to the length it had been when he first met her. She had glasses on, too. They weren’t the same glasses she used to wear back then, but they were glasses nonetheless. She was thinner than he remembered. But that may be because she was sick again.

Jo walked into Izzie’s hospital room first, “Hi Dr. Stevens.”

“Oh, Izzie is fine, Dr. Karev.”

“Then call me Jo,” she smiled warmly. Jo motioned for Alex to enter from where she stood in Izzie’s hospital room.

Alex walked into the room hesitantly, “Hey, Iz.”

“Alex,” Izzie exhaled nervously. “Or should I say Chief Karev?”

Alex chuckled softly, “It’s interim chief.”

“That’s still chief nonetheless,” Izzie grinned. It was good to see him again. He looked older, and a little grayer, but for the most part he was as she remembered him. “So, you’re chief and apparently a pediatric surgeon? And you got married! How the hell did that even happen? When did you grow up?”

“Well, almost going to jail and losing your medical license will do that to you,” Alex shrugged.

“Hold on, what?”

Alex and Jo exchanged a look, “That’s... a long story. Maybe some other time.”

“Izzie, we had a chance to take a look at your scans and labs while we were on our way up here. I’m sorry to say that you’re cancer is back,” Jo informed gently. “You have mets on your liver as well as on your lungs. The ones on your lungs look fairly simple to resect, so I’d like to get those out as soon as possible. The ones on your liver are more complicated. You have six small ones and one large one that seems to be wrapping around the IVC. I can go in and remove as many of those as possible, but I would like to get you started on some radiation treatment.”

“Yeah... I figured that would be the case,” Izzie nodded sadly. “You know, I have a son. His name is George Alexander Stevens. I call him Geo. I named him after two of the most influential guys in my life—I considered Denny, but I figured that might be a bit cruel when he started school... I adopted him from the Philippines when he was two years old. He’s six now. He’s always been so afraid that I’d leave him alone or die, and he’d have to go back to the orphanage again. We’d been talking about adopting another kid. He wanted a little brother, so I’d been looking into adopting from somewhere in Central America. But then my mom had the accident and we had to move.”

The stood in silence for a minute before Izzie spoke up again, “I have to fight this. I have to survive this. For my son, for my mom, for me... I’m not done yet. I still have more I want to do. I have research I want to conduct, surgeries I want to perform. I want to see Geo grow up and get married. I want to get married. I want to have an epic love story that doesn’t end tragically. So, I have to live and I hope you can help me do it.”

Alex nodded tearfully and bent down to put a light kiss on Izzie’s head and squeeze her hand, “We’re going to do everything we can to make that happen. For right now, we’re going to get you settled in and we’ll help you make any phone class and arrangements necessary.”

“Where’s your son? If you don’t mind me asking,” Jo inquired.

“Oh, he’s at school right now. My nanny, Stella usually picks him up and takes him home. I guess I’m going to have to tell her that there’s been a change of plans,” Izzie replied.

“Hey, I can always make arrangements if he ever wants to stay here in the hospital with you or if you need to find somewhere for him to stay. Between all of us here, there are plenty of people to help out with your kid. I know it’s been a while, but you’re still family. You’ll always be family,” Alex gave Izzie one of his signature crooked grins before looking up at Jo. “Can you go see if Mer and Bailey are done? They’re going to want to see her.”

“Yeah, of course,” Jo walked out of the room to locate her fellow surgeons.

“You’ve got a good thing going here,” Izzie smiled at Alex. “I like her. Your wife, I mean. She’s a lot more gracious than I’d be if the roles were reversed. Is she a good surgeon?”

“She is,” Alex grinned proudly. It wasn’t often that he got to brag about his wife, so he decided to take the opportunity to do so. “She’s kind and calm under pressure. She’s steady and sure. Meredith trained her. She’s kind of a genius actually. You know she helped bring a dead liver back to life and put it in a patient? She’s a fellow and is doing cancer research right now. Who knows? Maybe she’ll find something that can help you.”

“You love her,” Izzie stared at him for a moment. “I’m not going to lie to you, I was kind of hoping you’d be single when I got here. I didn’t come here to get you back, but I don’t think I ever really got over you, you know with the way things ended. So, a small part of me wished that maybe there still be a small part of you that loved me enough to try again.”

“I do love you, Iz. I think I always will. But I’m not in love with you. I haven’t been in a while,” Alex admitted. He truly did still love Izzie. How couldn’t he? She was his first love and would always have a special place in his heart, but she wasn’t his soulmate. He might not have understood it back then, but he knew that now. “I’m sorry that I can’t fulfill that wish for you, but I’m happy. I love Jo more than life itself. If you knew our story, you’d see that very clearly. She’s it for me, Iz.”

“I know she is,” in the short amount of time that she’d seen them interact, Izzie could tell that there was no one better for Alex than his wife. “I won’t come in between that, I swear.”

“Good,” Alex was glad that they had gotten that conversation out of the way. “So tell me about yourself. I know you have a son, but what else?”

“Well, I’m a neurosurgeon,” Izzie’s eyes shined in excitement. “I was kind of inspired by Derek after he removed my brain tumor. I always like neuro, but that’s what really pushed me over the edge. I did my fellowship in Pennsylvania where was I was living up until last year when my mom had her accident. I had a few friends and dated causally here and there. I still bake, all the time. But it’s nice because now I have someone to bake for. Geo loves my chocolate chip muffins. We spend hours in the kitchen baking on the evenings when I’m off. We have a dog named Piper. She’s a 4 year old black lab.”

“You went into neuro?” Alex raised his eyebrows. “I always assumed you’d go into general or maybe fetal.”

“I thought about fetal for a while. I really loved saving babies, but I didn’t think I could handle losing them. I don’t know how you do it everyday,” Izzie looked at Alex in awe. “I respect the hell out of you for it.”

“It’s always hard. Especially if you get attached to them. I just, try my best to make sure that even if there’s nothing more I can do for them, that they don’t die alone. That they don’t die without being held by someone first,” Alex’s face was solemn.

“I always knew you were never the evil spawn Cristina made you out to be. How is she by the way?” Izzie asked.

“Cristina is doing great. The last time I spoke to her was a couple months ago, right before my wedding. She was supposed to come, but she ended having to go in for an emergency surgery and missed her flight. So instead, she stood up until 4am in Switzerland to watch Mer officiate my wedding over FaceTime,” Alex chuckled softly.

“Meredith officiated your wedding? The same Meredith Grey who go married on a post-it note?” Izzie asked incredulously.

“Yup.”

The laughed for a few more minutes and reminisced of the days when they were residents running around reeking havoc on the hospital grounds. A while later, there was a knock on the door followed by Bailey and Meredith walking into the room.

“Izzie!” Meredith exclaimed. She looked between Alex and her former friend skeptically. “What are you doing here?”

“Isobel Stevens, well I’ll be! It’s so good to see you!” Dr. Bailey smiled and embraced her former student. “What happened? Why are you sitting in a hospital bed?”

Izzie explained the events leading up to her reappearance and exchanged stories and heartfelt words with the group. Feeling a bit out of place, Jo lingered by the door. She felt like she was intruding on a private moment, a family reunion of sorts. Seeing how well Izzie fit back into the group filled Jo with a bit of anxiety. She couldn’t just stand around doing nothing.

Deciding to leave the former crew to enjoy some catching up, Jo turned on her heels and left the room. She had only walked a couple into the hallway when she felt a gentle touch on her arm.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Alex looked at his wife in concern. “Why’d you leave?”

“I’m just tired, I think I’m going to go home a bit early. I need to rest up if I’m going to be ready for Izzie’s surgery tomorrow morning. I’ll see you at home?” Jo forced a smile.

Although he wasn’t convinced, Alex decided not to push the issue, “Yeah, I’ll see you at home. I might be a bit late, though. I just... I don’t want her to be alone, you know? Her kid should be here this evening so I want to make sure everything’s set up for them.”

“Oh, okay.”

***

By the time Alex got home, it was 10pm. It was definitely later than he had expected to arrived to the loft, but he’d been busy running back and forth between his patients and Izzie’s hospital room. He couldn’t wait to shower, lay down in his bed, and hold his wife.

As he opened the door, he peered into the loft in surprise. The lights were all off and Jo was already laying down, asleep in their bed. Alex’s eyes scrunched in confusion. Jo never went to bed this early. She was a night owl and horrible insomniac that couldn’t fall asleep before eleven o’clock no matter how hard she tried.

He took off his shoes to walk quietly passed her sleeping form and into the bathroom. Once he exited the shower, Alex put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. He shuffled back towards the bed and pulled back the covers, slipping in under the sheets. He reached out and wrapped an arm around Jo’s waist, pulling her close to him. His body instantly relaxing at the feel of her in his arms.

“Hey.”

Alex looked down at his wife who was staring back at him, “Oh, hey. I thought you were asleep.”

“You know I can’t sleep this early.”

“Yeah I know.”

After a few beats of silence, Jo spoke again, “Alex.”

“Yeah?”

“I think we should stop.”

“Stop what?” Alex asked, confused.

“I think we should stop trying—for a baby. There’s just... a lot going on right now and I—um, I wouldn’t want to pull your attention away from Izzie because she’s going to need you. I don’t want to be a distraction,” Jo took a deep breath and averted her eyes. “I know you still love her and you care so much. It’s one of the things I love about you the most. I’m just saying, maybe for now we should take a step back. In case things change within the next few months. It can keep things from getting messy.”

“Jo,” Alex breathed out sadly. “You are not a distraction. You’re anything but a distraction. Everything else in my life is a distraction. You’re my priority. You’re my wife, so stop talking like I’m going to leave you at any second. Yes, I still love Izzie. But I love you more. I’m so in love with you it’s insane. And I don’t want to stop, at least not because you’re trying to avoid being pregnant in the event of a break up.”

“Wait, so you don’t want to stop? You want to keep trying with me?” Jo sniffed.

“Of course I do,” Alex grinned at her. “Jo, the entire time Iz was talking about her son today, all I could think of was how I couldn’t wait to have kids with you. I want a little girl who’s got your eyes and your smile. I want a little boy with your nose and your hair. I’ve wanted it for a long time, and that’s not going to change because my ex-wife showed up to the hospital we work at with cancer.”

“You promise?”

“I swear to God, Jo. All of its with you,” Alex squeezed her tighter and dropped a light kiss on her forehead.

“Okay,” Jo exhaled. “So we keep going? Just like everything is normal?”

“Yup,” Alex nodded. “And we have a hell of a lot of fun doing it.”

[mittensmorgul]

12.22:

Mary: It's not okay. Since I've been back, I know... I've been distant. Cold, even. Leaving you, working with them.. I was trying to make things right. Just from a distance, because.. being here with you was too hard. Seeing what I'd done to you and to Sam, I... Dean: Mom, what you did, the deal... everything that's happened since has made us who we are. And who we are? We kick ass. We save the world.

14.13:

SAM: Did you see them at dinner, the way they looked at each other? They just seemed happy, you know? It doesn’t feel fair to get all this and have to throw it away, and I know we have to. But it just feels like, you know… Once we send Dad back… it’s none of this ever happened. He – he just goes back to – to… to being Dad. DEAN: You saying you wish things would be different? SAM: Don’t you? Can you imagine – dad in the past, knowing then what he knows now? I… I think it would be nice. DEAN: Yeah. I used to think that, too. But, uh… I mean, look, we’ve been through some tough times. There’s no denying that. SAM: Yeah. DEAN: And for the longest time, I blamed Dad. I mean, hell, I blamed Mom, too, you know? I was angry. But say we could send Dad back knowing everything. Why stop there? Why not send him even further back and let some other poor sons of bitches save the world? But here’s the problem. Who does that make us? Would we be better off? Well, maybe. But I gotta be honest – I don’t know who that Dean Winchester is. And I’m good with who I am. I’m good with who you are. ‘Cause our lives – they’re ours. And maybe I’m just too damn old to want to change that.

but also:

12.23:

KELLY: God, please. I need help. SVEN [on phone]: I'm trying to help you, ma'am. KELLY: Are you, Sven? Because if you ask me if I have the quarter-inch Allen wrench one – one more time, I am going to come down there and burn your giant Viking junkyard of a store to the ground! Do you understand?! SVEN: Are you sure it wasn't in the box? KELLY: God! [she tosses the phone away in exasperation] CASTIEL: Kelly. I told you I'd put this together. I'm very good at following instructions. And you need to rest. KELLY: No, I don't. CASTIEL: Kelly – [Cas helps Kelly to her feet] KELLY: No, Cas, I don't. I can't. I don't know how long until... I don't know how long I have left. And I...I'm never gonna be able to teach him how to ride a bike or watch him get married or even look him in the eyes. But I can build him a stupid Swedish crib! I can do that. CASTIEL: Kelly, I know how hard this is. [Kelly gives Cas an incredulous look] That's a lie. I have no idea how hard this is for you. But I promise you... I will do everything. I will give my life for your son. And I will raise him. And I will make him someone you will be proud of.

(note that all their work on the nursery, all their preparations for Jack’s birth, building the crib and assuming they’d have a long road of raising a Smol Babby proved... to be a lie... everything they did was... pointless... in the end)

and 14.20:

JACK: You lied to me. CASTIEL: Jack. JACK: (yelling) You lied!

and

SAM: Well, it's like you said. (Chuckles) It's Celine Dion. Uh... I mean Celine Dion. It's Celi-- (Sam stammers) Dean, every time I try and say "Elvis," it comes out -- DEAN: The sad, horrible truth. Yeah. You know why? Because we can't lie.

and

MRS. KLINE: You lied to us. You said you worked with Kelly, but after you left, my husband and I, we made some calls, and no one knows who you are. JACK: I... I didn't.  MRS. KLINE: Yes, you did. Kelly's not away on some "secret mission." She... (Crying) They think she's dead. What did you do to my daughter?! (yelling) What did you do?!

and

DEAN: (looking at his phone) When people can't lie, the Internet gets real quiet.

and

WORKER #7 (in a singsong voice) I hate everyone! I hate everyone!  WORKER #5 (crying) I just want to be loved. WORKER #7: I hate everyone! I hate everyone!  OFF SCREEN: I just want a sweet life.  WORKERS #7: I hate everyone!  (Chuck and Castiel are watching the chaos) CHUCK: see, this is why people need to lie.  -I hate everyone! CHUCK: It's good. Keeps the peace, you know?

and

CASTIEL: Seems like an odd stance for...you.  CHUCK: Is it? I'm a writer. Lying's kind of what we do.

and

(Woman speaking Chinese dialect)- The state is a lie.

and

CAS: Can you fix it? CHUCK: (Sighs) Fine. (Snaps fingers) Fixed. SAM: Really? CHUCK: I'm God, Sam. Yeah, really. Go ahead. Try it out. DEAN:: Celine Dion rocks. Yeah. Yeah, we can lie again. CAS: And the rioting? CHUCK: Like it never happened.

and

CHUCK: Listen, you guys know me. I'm hands-off. I built the sandbox -- you play in it. You want to fight Leviathans? Cool. You got that. You want to go up against -- what was it? -- the "British Men of Letters"? Okay. Little weak, but okay. But when things get really bad, like the Apocalypse or the Other Apocalypse, that's when I have to step in. SAM: So you're saying Jack is Apocalyptic? CHUCK: The kid said, "Stop lying," and I don't know if you noticed, but the world kinda went insane.

and

SAM: So, Michael said that you create these worlds and you just toss them away like failed versions of some book.  CHUCK: And you believe him? SAM: Was he lying? Is that what you're doing to us? CHUCK: No. Sam... you and your brother, of all the Sams and Deans in all the multiverse, you're my favorite. You're just so interesting. I mean, like that thing that happened at the office earlier today -- that was crazy, right?

and

JACK: And I thought I could make the world a better place if people couldn't lie. CAS: Well, it didn't. JACK: It really didn't.

and

SAM: Wait. I thought Chuck said that the gun was the only thing that could... (indicating Jack, who is dead on the ground, eyes burned out) CAS: He's a writer. Writers lie.

and

BUT ALSO!

12.23:

SAM: Crowley...why did you do it? Save Lucifer– What did you want? CROWLEY: I wanted to win. I perverted mother's spell, put Lucifer in a vessel of my own making because I wanted to win. You have any idea how many people have made a play for my throne over the years? Lucifer, Abaddon, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Too damn many. I thought if I could put the Devil on a leash... my own personal nuke, no one would ever dare challenge me again. DEAN: Yeah. That worked out great. CROWLEY: All ended with me narrowly escaping death by hiding in a rat. MARY: Wait. In an...actual rat? CROWLEY: Wasn't too bad, really. Gave me time to think. You know, I've been focused for so long on keeping my job. Never realized I hate it. All those whining demons, the endless moan of damned souls, the paperwork! I mean, who wants that?

and

LUCIFER: Well... this is a fun surprise. I gotta hand it to you guys. You never give up, even when you should. Even when it would be so stupid not to. SAM: Look, whatever you're planning on doing, Chuck...God will stop you, just like he did last time. LUCIFER: You're right. What should I do? Oh, God! Don't strike me dead! Come on, Sam. You sound like a virgin in Jesus camp. "We can't. God is watching." No. Chuck "walked." He's gone. DEAN: So you're just gonna smash his toys? LUCIFER: Exactly. 'Cause every time I look at this sad trash fire of a world, you know what I keep thinking? I could do so much better. DEAN: So Apocalypse, take two. That's your plan? LUCIFER: When in doubt, go with the classics. That's what I always say. Well, boys, enough with the foreplay. Let's do this.

14.20

SAM: Do you watch us? When you're not here, are -- are you... watching us? CHUCK: Yeah. (Exhales deeply) I mean, you're my favorite show. SAM: Then why don't you do something? If I had your power -- CHUCK: Sam. We talked about this. Not the way it works. SAM: (Sighs) Wait a second. Why, when the chips are down, when the world is -- is failing, why does it always have to be on us?!  CHUCK: Because you're my guys. But right now, we need to focus on Jack. Ah, that kid. (Breathes deeply) Whew! SAM: Wait a second. You're scared of him.  CHUCK: Aren't you?

and

JACK: And you were right all along. I am a monster. SAM: (to Chuck) Do something. (he realizes with shock) You're enjoying this.  CHUCK: Shh.  (Dramatic music plays) (Dean cocks the gun. He looks Jack in the eye for several seconds and then slowly lowers the gun. At this point, Castiel also comes running towards the area) (Dean uncocks the gun and tosses it to the side) CHUCK: No. Pick it up! Pick it up.  DEAN: The hell, Chuck? CHUCK: This isn't how the story is supposed to end.  CAS: The story?  CHUCK: (frustrated) Lookit, the -- the -- the gathering storm, the gun, the -- the father killing his own son. This is Abraham and Isaac. This is epic! DEAN: Wait. What are you saying? SAM: He's saying he's been playing us. This whole time. CHUCK: Come on. SAM: Our entire lives. Mom, Dad -- everything. This is all you because you wrote it all, right? Because -- Because what? Because we're your favorite show? Because we're part of your story?

(because in the end Crowley’s spell did nothing, Cas’s self-sacrifice meant nothing, Lucifer’s destruction meant nothing because Michael wrought the same destruction as they were both trapped inside the same story and couldn’t even recognize themselves as Chuck’s characters who were just as “programmed” by Chuck as any of the angels who’d ever been subjected to Naomi’s reprogramming ever were... I mean they may have been partly right about Chuck, but they were still blind to the fact that even in their supposed “rebellion” they were always only ever Chuck’s pawns, enacting his favorite narrative for all time and unable to break free of it)

And the universe takes everything away from Sam and Dean again, and the beginning of another go-around of the narrative. Only this is the last go-around where Cas can be treated as someone that can be taken away from them and still continue to perform according to Chuck’s expectations within his story. This loss broke Dean. And Cas might not understand that yet, but it proved to the audience that Cas is integral to the Winchester Family. Chuck’s story can’t only revolve around Sam and Dean against the world. And by the end of 14.20, at least he’s learned that.

[frankiefellinlove]

I almost cried because I couldn’t attend this event 😔

Report of Archives shown in Asbury Park today

By Stan Goldstein

What a shame this wasn't recorded or filmed or even photos exist yet. The Asbury Park Music and Film Festival photographer was allowed to take pictures of the talk and hopefully they will appear soon.

This was one for the ages. It was spectacular!! Bruce was there. He did a Q&A at the end. Ten videos shown.

Then they had the talk. Thom Zimny and Chris Phillips came out, there was a third chair. Before they started Thom waved to the side of the stage and said "Come out now" and Bruce walked out to a standing ovation.. What followed was an incredible Q & A. It's a shame this wasn't recorded, but I took a lot of notes.

Some breaking news from it.

Bruce said that a DVD/video will be coming out of the full New Orleans Jazzfest show from 2006.

Bruce said that show was "One of his Top-5 live performing experiences."

Bruce also said he would love to see a full Tunnel of Love show come out.

Bruce said a lot of this footage he had never seen before. He said he never saw the clip with Clarence from Buffalo in 2009 before.

Bruce says he's amazed what he can find on Youtube and suggest fans should go there to find some things.

He was very relaxed. Wore a black sweat shirt (sweater? ladies need your help here) with a "5" on it.

Some quotes from Bruce:

"I have lived many lives, many I haven't seen myself," after seeing this footage.

Bruce said they were "superstitious about being filmed in the early days. That's why we never did any TV. We felt that a magician should not look too close at his magic trick."

Bruce then gave a shout out to Barry Rebo who was in the audience. Barry is the one who shot much of the early footage.

Bruce said he was surprised to find out what they have (in the vaults). "I feel glad that Thom was able to dig up this stuff."

Bruce said when they did the filming for "Live in New York City" in 2000 that he felt "he was finally getting over the wall" of not liking to be filmed.

This was after Chris asked him about the Blood Brothers documentary from 1995 being one of the first things being filmed officially.

Bruce had a funny line about being recorded/filmed: "You always think you are more handsome than you actually are and you always think you sound better than you actually do."

Bruce said the 1975 Bottom Line shows "Really changed the life of the band. We were officially contenders. We no longer had to be good, we had to be GREAT! every night." to which many in the ground yelled out "You are!"

Chris asked about doing 10 Bottom Line shows in five days in 1975 (early and late show) and Bruce said they were only an hour-and-a-half each, so it wasn't too bad.

Chris Phillips tried to ask him about the new album but Bruce said he didn't really want to talk about it.

The 10 songs:

1. When You Walk In The Room - Bottom Line, August 16?,1975

One-camera color. Not great quality but who's going to complain seeing Bruce from this era

2. Apollo Medley - Apollo Theater, NYC, March 9, 2012

Chris Phillips asked Bruce about this. It's the clip where Bruce goes up in the balcony and sings from the front, really dangerous.

Bruce: "I don't know what I was thinking when I did that. It wasn't planned, no one was following me. I just said fuck it and I then fucked up the whole arrangement with the band. I was just glad to find some pipes to hold on to. We do perform some death-defying acts."

Bruce also said it was incredible to play there with all the history of the place and it was a great way to break the band in to start the Wrecking Ball tour. Said it was Jake's first show and "there was no pressure."

Bruce also said to Thom that they should put this out someday too. It was all professionally filmed with multiple cameras. This footage was awesome. The look on Patti's face when Bruce was in the balcony was priceless.

3. New York City Serenade, Dec. 15, 1973, Nassau Community College, black and white, two cameras: Rough footagae but incredible.

Chris Phillips asked about David Sancious playing on this. This was the original E Street Band: Bruce, Garry, David, Danny and Vini Lopez. This clip was shown at the Monmouth U. archives event in 2014. A magical clip. David on the piano is spectacular.

"David is one of the most musically talented people I have met and on the planet. His ability to cover everything, he's a master. I loved to have him in the band."

Chris then said "Well there's the elephant in the room. We have some new music and David plays on it and Bruce said "Yea, he plays on some of it. But we don't have to talk about that."

4. My City Of Ruins - Seeger Sessions, Jazzfest, 2006

Pro-shot, multiple camera footage. Great shots of the crowd singing along "Rise Up!" According to Bruce, this whole show will be out at some point.

Bruce: "The Sessions Band was a great band. I want to do that again. It was a great day. The day before we went driving down to the Ninth Ward. Rock and Roll is best when the stakes are on the table and go go against trouble and hard times. It was good to perform there and serve."

Bruce said to come back to Asbury Park now is so great to see how it is doing. He said he feels like the "Ghost of Christmas past" when he walks around

5. Quarter to Three, Bottom Line, August 16, 1975

Bruce asked Thom Zimny who shot this? And Thom told him Barry Rebo.

Great, color, one-camera footage. Bruce is all over the place. Dancing on the center table in front of the stage. Jumping on Danny's organ then going over to Roy's piano. At one point he drops his guitar pick and a fan hands it back to him. Young, classic Bruce at his best.

Bruce said the band was physically and literally half the size they are now back in those days compared to the Apollo footage now. .

6. Promised Land - Freehold, Nov. 8, 1996

A one-camera close up shot of Bruce in color. Not the greatest video but I'm not going to complain.

Bruce said "going back to St. Rose of Lima was tough enough. I did debut 'Freehold' that night.

7. Who Do You Love/She's the One - Tunnel of Love tour, Rotterdam, June 28,1988.

May have been the highlight clip of the afternoon. Hard rocking E Street Band with the spotlight on Clarence. He's at his peak physically and is all over. "The sight of the The Big Man and the maracas" Bruce said with a smile.

Some epic footage of Bruce and Clarence practically making love on stage. You have to see it to understand. The women in the audience particularly liked this clip.

This is when Bruce said "We should put out a Tunnel of Love show."

8. Patti Scialfa doing "Tell Him" from the Stone Pony 10th anniversary show, 1984 with Cats on a Smooth Surface. Nice color, one-camera shot.

"I almost had her here today," Bruce said. "That's the night I met my wife, 30 years ago at the Stone Pony. As I said in the Broadway show, it was the first time I heard her sing. She was playing with Bobby Bandiera, an Asbury Park hero."

Bruce asked where that footage came from and Thom Zimny said Kevin Buell knew someone who had it.

9. Sandy - Dec. 15, 1973, acoustic with Danny Federici, black and white. Nice version but a bit slow. But hey it's classic Danny and Bruce.

Bruce kidded that "I thought I was going to fall asleep at any moment. I went to the bathroom and came back I was still playing!"

Chris asked Bruce a little bit more about "Sandy" and the writing of it and Bruce said "Sandy was when things were just starting to happen for the band. It was a goodbye to Asbury Park. The last night Danny Federici played with us (Indianapolis, March 20, 2008) I asked him what he wanted to play and he said 'Sandy.' The song was appropriate because I wrote it It as the ending of something wonderful and the beginning of something new. We were leaving Asbury Park just as things were changing,"

10. Growing Up - Buffalo, Nov. 22, 2009. With the story of meeting Clarence.

Bruce said he had never seen this clip before. "The story is completely true, all those things. It actually happened. Looking at that, I really miss the Big Man" Bruce said as he and the crowd got a bit emotional.

Toward the end Bruce thanked Thom Zimny, saying "He has allowed us to use this great footage. He's like another member of the band."

Bruce said how he saw a Jean Claude van Damme movie and called Thom up and said "we should look like that for the Darkness taping right on this stage." Which was done in December of 2009, the filming of the band playing the entire album for the box set.

Bruce also commended Thom for his work on "Springsteen on Broadway" and said "Broadway was going well, let's not fuck this thing up!" Bruce kidded that the "magic begins with: 'Do I look great?'"

There was a little bit of talk about the "Night with the Jersey Devil" film and the short movie made from "Hunter of Invisible Game."

Chris Phillips also asked Bruce about the Upstage movie that is being shown tomorrow and what Bruce thought about the original version which he saw in 2017.

"Why am I not in this?" Bruce said. He then did do an interview for it which will be in the new version. He continued: "That last time I walked into the Upstage it looked exactly how it looked in 1968."

Some notes: Cameron Crowe was in the audience as were the Farrelly Brothers.

When I got to my seat, I was told I was being moved. I bought a single ticket the moment they were on sale and ended up in the first row. They told me my seat was going to be used by Bruce and his family. I got bumped up to a folding chair in the pit right in front of the stage. A little tough to watch the videos but right in front of Bruce for the Q&A so no complaints here. As it turned out, Bruce never sat in the seats anyway. He did watch from the side up against the wall of the lower right (facing the stage) orchestra for a bit

The locking up the cellphones thing worked well. In a way it was kind of nice not having a zillion phones up when Bruce was onstage but what a shame that it wasn't record for "the archives", then again, maybe it was. I don't know.

Great job by Chris Phillips. What I liked is he asked "fan-type"" questions, not like how a New York Times or Rolling Stone writer would try to talk about it.

And if you stayed this long, thank you for reading

[makistar2018]

Taylor Swift’s ‘Reputation’ Film Shows Why She’s One of the All-Time Greats The Netflix concert film immortalizes her best tour yet

By ROB SHEFFIELD December 31, 2018

Taylor Swift’s triumphant Reputation tour gets immortalized the way it deserves in her new Netflixconcert film, which premieres on the streaming service on New Year’s Eve. (Just in time for “New Year’s Day”: that’s our Taylor, always thinking conceptually.) It shows off the biggest and best tour yet from one of pop’s all-time great live performers — Swift goes for stadium-rocking spectacle, without toning down any of her songs’ one-on-one emotional intimacy. Nobody else is in this girl’s zone. The Reputation doc was shot on the final night of the U.S. run, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with 60,000 fans singing along with every word, right down to every last “isn’t it?” in “Delicate.”

Swift is an artist who knows she doesn’t need special effects — she can get up there with just her acoustic guitar and slay, any night she chooses. All she needs is her songs, and she’s sitting on a songbook full of classics. But if she’s going to do a mega-pop show, she’s going to go all the way, because that’s what she does. So Reputation is a tribute to her epic ambition, with a dazzling battalion of dancers, pyro explosions, video screens and giant inflatable snakes, including a 63-foot cobra named Karyn. As her secret soul sister Courtney Love would say, Taylor wants to be the girl with the most snake.

It’s a New Year’s Eve victory toast to top off her historic 2018. Reputation was the year’s best-selling album, according to Billboard, even topping Drake’s Scorpion. She also had the biggest-selling U.S. tour in history, according to Pollstar. Has any female solo artist done an all-stadium tour before? With two female opening acts, Charli XCX and Camila Cabello? Swift took her tour to seven countries on four continents, selling nearly three million tickets. (The only artist who outgrossed her globally? Her old protegee Ed Sheeran, with whom she co-wrote “Everything Has Changed” while they were both bouncing on a trampoline.)

I saw the tour’s first night — in Arizona, back in May — and it blew the wheels off my getaway car. But as the film proves, this tour got more legendary as it rolled on. She makes “Delicate” so theatrically splendid (she glides above the crowd in a golden basket) and yet so personal and vulnerable. “Delicate” was my favorite song of 2017, before it was a hit, but I love it twice as much after hearing it constantly on the radio all year — I recently passed my millionth “isn’t it?” and I plan to keep over-isn’t-it-ing my way through 2019.

Swift turns “Shake It Off” into a serpentine throwdown with Camila and Charli. “Getaway Car,” the Rep gem that really should have been a hit, begins with a dramatic poetry recital: “And in the death of her reputation, she felt truly alive.” She sits at the piano for a medley combining two of her best deep cuts, “Long Live” (from 2010’s Speak Now) and “New Year’s Day,” showing how far she’s traveled as a songwriter. “New Year’s Day” is the surprise ending to Reputation — a quiet piano ballad after so many synth jams. She sings about cleaning up the morning after the party, sweeping glitter off the floor with somebody who makes her look forward to the year ahead. Only Taylor could focus on the least glamorous, most boring holiday in the calendar and find some romance in it. (Maybe next year she’ll do Arbor Day?)

Swift made every show different by picking a surprise for the B-stage wild-card slot — an oldie from her songbook, played on acoustic guitar. Part of the fun was waiting to see what she’d bust out every night. Seattle got “Holy Ground,” Dublin got “Mean,” Atlanta got “The Lucky One.” Chicago got “Our Song.” Nashville got “Tim McGraw,” joined by McGraw and Faith Hill. New Jersey got “Enchanted,” timed perfectly so the rain storm hit the crowd right at the “please don’t be in love with someone else,” proof she’s in cahoots with the weather. It’s a tribute to her vast catalog — but also to her fans, who stand ready to sing all 129 of her songs at a moment’s notice. For this show, she ends the U.S. tour with the B-stage surprise she picked the first night: “All Too Well,” the mightiest song she’s ever written. She hadn’t sung it live since 2014 — but she delivers this majestic scarf-core ballad with a voice full of adult regret.

Reputation was a risky move — after the Number One hit “Look What You Made Me Do,” the world was primed for her to sing about celebrity score-settling, but instead, it turned out to be an album full of deeply personal love songs. It didn’t fit the “narrative” of what people thought she was about. People predicted that she was killing her career, alienating fans, etc., but people have been saying that ever since she had the gall to change the plot of Romeo and Juliet. It turned out to be a lot more than just another great Swift album — it was a statement about how far she’s willing to go as an artist, starting over from scratch every time. Even when she started as a kid, she had her own scholarly sense of pop history and a brash notion of her place in it. But with this tour and the whole 2018 she’s had, she shows why she’s making history. She’s never willing to rest on her reputation — but in the death of her reputation, she feels truly alive. Long live.

Rolling Stone

[feelingsdusk-writes]

Runes and all kinds of things

Chapter 16

Stiles risks a glance over the brim of his book at Peter and then returns quickly to the page he was reading when their eyes meet and he gets an arched eyebrow from the man. He barely contains the need to facepalm and wince at his own lack of cool and tries to cover it by shrugging as if nonchalant. The answering huffed snort makes him humph and turn his nose up in the air.

As much as he can with it still buried in his book to cover the flush he can feel rising in his face and the top of his ears.

(Smooth, Stilinski. Real smooth.)

But he can't help it, he can't read Peter at all right now. It's weird and confusing to some degree after having been so open, so raw, just a moment ago, but at the same time not. It feels as if they took a step forward and then backed that same step again right afterwards. Maybe even two, because Peter has never been this blank-faced in his presence. Or, actually, if Stiles recalls well, in anyone's presence. Peter is always sassing -provoking, testing, manipulating- people in one way or another. He uses his words, body language and facial expressions as weapons and he does it terrifyingly well. It never fails to get a response from the people around him, Stiles included, and now their absence rattles him.

Stiles stills suddenly. His eyes dart briefly towards Peter again and then go back to the page. He bites his lip and frowns contemplatively.

Maybe this isn’t a step back after all? Peter uses his words, body language and facial expressions as weapons. To defend himself, to get what he wants, to attack. Weapons. He’s used them against Stiles before, so it's not that he's an exception. It's not that he thinks Stiles harmless, useless or inconsequential either. Even back then, in that parking lot, he thought Stiles had the potential to become dangerous, a threat to him. Enough of a threat, in fact, that he wanted to have Stiles on his side and he offered when could have just taken. That not only hasn’t changed but it has gotten worse.

(Stiles couldn’t trap him and make him choke on mountain ash with a mere thought before.)

But he's blank-faced now. Or rather... relaxed? Maybe?

Stiles sighs, slouching on his seat, and contains the need to throw a dirty look at Peter for being so damn difficult. He must do a lousy job because the man smirks at him self-satisfied.

"You're such a dick," Stiles grouches long-sufferingly and Peter's grin widens even more.

Smarmy bastard.

Of course, there's a chance Stiles is reading him wrong. With Peter it's hard to tell, because he has more layers than three millefeuille combined and even more masks, but Stiles is pretty sure that it's not a front he's putting up this time. The ball is in Peter's court in any case. Stiles will have to accept whatever he chooses to do and react accordingly.

He reaches for the baking journal again and catches Peter's eyes again. The man's eyebrows go high as he eyes the already finished death by chocolate cookies -the normal kind, he knows, because he's seen Stiles take a bite and then perform an awkward dance because his mouth was burning- cooling on the tray with an skeptical eye.

“Just because I can't risk Lydia finding a way to murder me remotely," and she would, of that he has no doubt, “it doesn't mean I can't use this.”

“Hmm,” Peter hums, lips twitching. The way he reclines in his chair makes Stiles want to grumble about the unfairness of it all. Because while Stiles is slouching, you can't call what Peter is doing that. "What are you planning?"

“Revenge, what else? A petty one but equally effective in this case given whom my target is,” Stiles answers flippantly and Peter snorts. "But no, no more baking for now. It's for Monday, so I'll bake on Sunday. I don't bake any substandard goods even if it's for revenge, you know," he sniffs. "Right now, runes. I really need to crack this before the alpha pack makes another move. Like hell I'm getting chased around like a mouse again," he grumbles. "Pity I can't just poison them all and be done with it."

"Pity indeed," Peter agrees, terribly amused by the pout Stiles is sporting.

An alarm goes off on Stiles' phone and he startles. Then he remembers what it is for and he shoots from his seat towards the TV, leaving a bewildered Peter behind. The familiar intro to La Dulce Impostora is already running, so he hurries to set the recording so he doesn't miss anything. There's a pointed silence at his back and he feels himself starting to blush.

"Shut up," he grouses.

"I didn't say a word," Peter lilts.

"Stop judging me, dude," Stiles grumbles with cheeks that are starting feel really hot. "La Dulce Impostora is super addictive, ok? There's a dying abuelita that is the cutest, most charming thing ever... Seriously, that woman is a queen. All hail Queen Isabela, may she reign forever over us lowly mortals," he preaches with an earnest expression. "But yeah. There's abuelita Isabela, a fake cancer that turns out to be true and an even faker pregnancy that doesn't... but kinda does? Depending on how you look at it, I suppose..." he hums thoughtfully, turning to set the recording. "And amnesia, lots of amnesia. It's so fucking ridiculous. But finally, after everything, they're about to elope and Camila Valeria is going to ruin it all. Again. And it's the fifth time. I can't take it anymore, ok? I just want them on a beach in Bali happily drinking coconuts so I can be free and go back to my life, ok?"

"Well, I didn't really understand half of what you said. Congratulations, that must be some sort of record." Damn the man and his sass. Relaxed or not, Stiles served him that one on a silver platter and even Stiles himself wouldn't have let it pass without answer. "Also, I hate to be the bearer of bad news-"

"Yeah, your face tells me you're in despair right now," Stiles quips back drolly.

"-but according to this site, that one still has more than ten episodes left."

Stiles gapes, a horrified expression rapidly taking over his features. "You're shitting me."

"I... shit you not," Peter answers seriously.

A beat, two beats, and then Stiles is running back to the table to look at the laptop's screen. He doesn't slow down as much as he should and he collides against Peter's back with a soft grunt. He doesn't pay it any mind and he reaches for the laptop. Sure enough, there's more than ten episodes left... Thirteen to be exact.

"Oh, god, no" Stiles whispers, the whine escaping him unbidden. For a moment he feels really tempted to just read about how it ends because thirteen one-hour episodes yet to go... and so far the only thing that hasn't happened on that storyline is a zombie apocalypse. Seriously, there's even been an attempt to overthrow the current government! Just. No. Ok. No, he will not. He'll stick right to the end. Like a captain. "I will go down with this ship," he pronounces darkly, prompting a surprised laugh from Peter.

Stiles contains a petulant pout. He raises his eyebrows and narrows his eyes at the man, daring him to say anything about it. Peter smirks and looks about to speak (no doubt to sass Stiles) but suddenly, windows start opening and closing on the screen without either of them touching a thing and they both blink surprised.

"Yesss! Danny, my man!" Stiles exclaims happily, throwing his arms up in the air. Peter grabs his elbow before it impacts with his nose and rolls his eyes but doesn't say anything otherwise. "Awesome! Now we'll be able to track those fuckers without risking our necks. And who knows, I may still get to poison them."

Peter laughs again and Stiles smirks in answer.

---

Much later after Danny stopped doing his own kind of magic on Stiles' laptop, Peter is dividing his attention between something on the screen and a notebook he brought with him. Stiles is kinda itchy to know what's in there because everything Peter brings has been fantastic so far, but he knows better than to try to take a peek because Peter hasn't offered. Privacy and all that shit.

Stiles has the strong feeling that Peter is testing him. For what purpose exactly, he doesn't know, but he's pretty sure that he is. First with how he provoked him into a fight and now with this. And there have probably been more tests that he hasn't even noticed. In any case, if Stiles finds that notebook unattended later he won't be surprised.

(It all comes down to trust, doesn't it?)

Well, he'll cross that bridge when he stumbles upon it. For now, he'd better focus on runes or at this rate he'll be werewolf chow and Peter's tests won't matter anymore.

And, god, it's so frustrating.

Runework sucks. Big. Sweaty. Donkey. Balls.

He knows the actual runes and would be able to draw them with his eyes closed by now. That's not the problem. That was the easy part, actually. The problem is that the placement in the actual item matters. Placement relative to the other runes matters. Size relative to the item AND relative to the other runes matters. Meaning? One tiny mistake fucks it all.

Meaning that it's been one hour already and he has done nothing more than waste a lot of paper and bite the cap of his pen so much that it looks like a war casualty.

Because, on top of that, just because a rune has an established translation doesn't mean that the effect that rune will produce matches it. Because two runes together get a complete different meaning than those two runes separately. And if they're linked it's even worse. The meanings don't add up, they transform each other. Hence, runework sucks. Big. Sweaty. Donkey. Balls.

Stiles reaches for his phone and then takes a selfie, sporting an epic pout. He hits send and then lets his head fall onto the table with a beautifully resounding thud. Peter snorts.

(Also, Peter is a dick that finds too much entertainment in witnessing Stiles' suffering.)

(Or maybe this is another test.)

Without looking, he makes a ball from the paper with his latest failed experiments and throws it in the man's direction. With his luck, it probably falls short, but it's the sentiment that counts, right?

"You're such a dick," Stiles grumbles.

"Yes, we've already established that," Peter drawls, the tapping of his fingers against the keyboard never stopping.

And he flashes him the finger for good measure, because he doesn't need good aim for it to reach the man. Peter snorts again and Stiles pouts sullenly into the table.

Ok, ok. How do you eat a bear? Bite by bite.

He sighs and comes out from hiding reluctantly. He looks at the page where he has noted down the few functioning arrays that can be found in the many books about runes that Stiles has, and decides that trial and error will it have to be. Sorry, Master Yoda, as sacrilegious as it sounds, your teachings hold no place in here. He may get grounded for the rest of his natural life for blowing up the house, but it's not like he has any other options at this point.

He grabs a clean sheet of paper and looks at it thoughtfully. He may as well start with the simpler ones. According to his first chosen runework's specific diagram, the array should cover one third of the item he wants to apply it on. But the question is: is that proportion regarding the size or the mass of the item? Does this mean that Stiles will have to become a master at calculating the mass of things on the go? Because that could pose a big problem.

"Excuse me, Mr. or Ms. Enemy-of-the-Week, can you tell me your height and weight? And what did you say was your last meal? And the quantity of said meal? You wouldn't be constipated per chance, would you? Oh, I'm just curious, you know, ADHD, I get hung up on the strangest things. And since you're killing me anyways, why not share? Oh, you don't speak English? Yo hablo español si lo prefieres... Oh, you don't have vocal cords at all? My apologies. I'll just make an estimate, thanks for your time anyways and sorry for the inconvenience," he pipes softly in a falsetto voice. He studiously doesn't look Peter's way. "Because that would go well..."

His phone chimes and he can't help but cackle at Allison's answering selfie. She looks filthy, sweaty and her face is so red that it gives the impression that she's completely out of breath. She's sporting an equally epic pout and it's hilarious.

Stiles takes a deep breath after he lets go of the phone and shakes himself mentally. Ok, whatever, no big deal. He'll find a way like he always does. First, he has to make an array work to begin with.

Because nothing ever comes easy -and if runes are really such a rare practice as the books say, that suggests a high level of difficulty-, he assumes it's mass. Ok, awesome (note the sarcasm). So volume and density. The paper is a rectangular form, so the volume would be length x width x height. And as for density... The Internet it is. He stands up and goes to the laptop Peter is using. The man looks at him curiously but turns the screen to face Stiles. A quick search reveals paper's density, which gives him the last tool he needs to calculate the mass, and in turn the size the array should have.

Now, where to place it? Up, in the middle or down? Centered, on a side or on a corner? Left, center or right? Because the texts say nothing about that and if the size of the array and each rune regarding each other are so important, Stiles doubts the placing doesn't matter.

Experimenting it is.

(Here's to hoping that all his limbs remain in place by the time he's done.)

He picks up the pencil and copies the array right on the center of the paper. He concentrates on activating it and gets a cloud of mountain ash to the face for his troubles when Pikachu comes out to play so to speak. He sighs and has to concentrate on getting him back to his skin instead. He tries again and gets the same exact results. After the sneezing attack ends, he pouts but gives it another go. By the tenth time this happens, he's ready to tear his hair in frustration and the ash is moving around agitatedly from limb to limb and then even to his face, which gives him another uncontrollable attack of sneezes.

"Are you for real?" he grunts frustrated at Pikachu and his ears seem to flop down, just like dogs when they don't know what they're doing wrong because they think they're obeying what you told them to do.

Stiles blinks. Maybe he's not directing his spark belief whassit (what, he doesn't have a name for it) at the paper but at the ash instead? He hums thoughtfully and makes a soothing gesture at Pikachu, prompting him to return to his skin again. He closes his eyes and concentrates. His magic works with belief, right? So believe he will. He opens his eyes and looks at the paper again.

"Yes!" he crows happily when he picks up the sheet of paper from a corner and instead of flopping down like it should, it remains rigid. "Look at this, Peter! Hah! I'm a genius! Bow down in my mighty presence!"

"I'll be right on that, give me a minute," Peter deadpans drolly. He waves a hand towards the oven trays. "Here, meanwhile have a cookie."

"I made those," he grunts at the man, his face falling into an unimpressed expression.

"Are you saying they're bad and that's why they don't qualify as a prize for your success?"

"Don't you dare!" Stiles gasps, scandalized. "Everything I bake is superb!" Peter raises an eyebrow. "Well, there might have been a few FUBAR situati-" Peter raises the other eyebrow. "Damn you," he grumbles. "Gimme the damn cookie. I deserve it. Because my cookies are totally prize-worthy. You heard that? Totally and without a doubt. Nothing beats them."

"Maybe add a glass of milk to be sure? And two cookies instead of one? Added value, you know. It was a big success after all," Peter quips, picking up the ball of paper Stiles threw at him before and throwing it with all the rest pooling at Stiles' feet without even looking.

Smarmy bastard.

"Stop dissing my wonderful cookies," Stiles grouches, throwing a narrow-eyed glare at the man.

"Me? You wound me, sweetheart," Peter replies amusedly, getting up to prepare a couple of cookies and a glass of milk and put them in front of Stiles.

"Smarmy bastard," Stiles mutters, this time aloud, as he takes a bite. "Just for this, you're not getting any-" Stiles voice becomes an intelligible grumble when he hears the tattletale crunchy sound to his right, where Peter is leaning to pick up the paper with the functioning array.

Stiles humphs at Peter, whose smirk widens, and he rolls his eyes. Then he covers an amused grin because he knows the man's impressed because he nearly forgot to leave the paper behind when he went back to his seat... and because he snatched another cookie on his way.

Stiles goes back to the paper and sets off to finding out if the array can be turned off. It takes him a few tries but it's possible. If he erases the array, it stops working, it seems. Or is it because he stopped believing it would work? He'll have to ask Peter to participate later. In any case, awesome, success! Now more tests, he thinks rubbing his hands excitedly.

He writes the array, turns it on once again and then he sets it aside. He spreads more sheets around the table as he starts changing the placement of the array on them, activating it as soon as he writes it and noting down the time on a separate notebook. That way he'll kill two birds with a stone and he'll be able to check a few things: the time it lasts once activated and how many he's able to activate at the same time.

(Because he knows that a spark works with belief, but is this power of his finite? Druids depend on outside forces to practice runework and rituals, but where does a spark's power come from?)

Once he has twelve variations of the placement, he tests them against each other. Then he makes size variations and, after that, size and placement variations.

Two hours later, he has reached several conclusions: yes, size matters; yes, placement matters; yes, his spark is finite to a point.

The size sets the range of effect of the magic and the placement sets the point of impact. So, with the hardening array he's testing right now, if Stiles sets right in the center a smaller array than the one-third ratio the book said to use, the edges of the paper don't harden and flop down like they should. Stiles feels giddy with the possibilities this brings to the table. Of course, this experiment was done on a pretty simple form, it will obviously be more complicated with other more irregular ones. But it's a start, right? Stiles has a feeling that he won't be needing to calculate everything's mass exactly, just have a general idea to work with, unless he's doing a very precise work. Of course, to get to the point of not needing to calculate it every time, he'll have do at lot of testing and practicing.

And as for his spark being finite... Even with the snack he had before (which he suspects Peter gave him on purpose because he somehow knew he'd need the extra energy and it kind of makes Stiles want to grin), he's ravenous right now and it has nothing to do with the hour it is. It feels like when he comes back after one of those gruelling lacrosse practices and he'd eat all the fridge's contents... and then the actual fridge itself. So this means that using it tires him as exercising would. It remains to be seen if working out (so to speak) will raise his stamina or if his power is a set value that he'll have to work around.

All in all, not bad for two hours of work. Now that he knows some of the rules (because he's sure he'll find more as he goes) he can start experimenting. But first.

"Dinner?" he pipes looking at the lasagne like a man would at water in a scorching hot desert.

As if on cue, his stomach emits an epic growl that lasts way longer than it should and he feels himself start blushing. Peter smirks at him.

Stiles flips him the finger again.

(Peter is way too smug about that, the smarmy bastard.)

---

"Mmm," Peter hums contemplatively as he takes the first bite.

"Mmm?" Stiles replies, already on his third bite. So sue him, he's starving, ok?

"Mmm," Peter continues humming, almost reluctantly.

"Mmm, huh?" Stiles replies again, smirking.

"Mmhm," Peter says as if unimpressed.

Stiles grins and Peter rolls his eyes.

---

Just after dinner, Stiles gets to work with the second simplest array he has available. The first one was a hardening one (to put it simply, the explanation in the book was way more technical and complicated) and this one is an elasticity one. Whether it augments or reduces elasticity remains to be seen though.

Just like with the hardening one, this array consists of four runes. Stiles' guess is that that's the simplest it can get. Because probably just putting one rune would be too open and thus, the effect would be unpredictable and uncontrollable. So basically there's a primary rune and then at least three secondary ones that delimit the first one. The placing and the size respecting the primary rune define the extent of the effect they have on it. That's probably why there are some subtle differences between both of the arrays that he has, even if they have the same diamond structure.

Ok, good, he can work with that. And since he now knows what effect the placing has, he writes the array exactly on the center of the paper and activates it. He picks it up and looks at it thoughtfully. At first glance there's no apparent change on it. Then he pulls from both ends.

"Whoa!" he exclaims surprised when it stretches out like gum.

Well, it's a little harder than gum and unlike it, when he stops pulling it immediately goes back to its original form with no evidence of what happened left behind. It has a limit of how much it can extend though, so Stiles guesses that the runes alter the original characteristics of the item they were placed on, as opposed to giving it a new set value. So if the original item had been stretchy to begin with, it would have extended even more than the paper. Conclusion: arrays alter the items exponentially.

(Oh, god, the possibilities.)

So the primary rune is elasticity and its size right now is the perfect size to have an effect on the whole paper, but what if he plays with the secondary ones? From what he has gathered, those only alter the primary rune, not the actual item itself.

He has two different arrays with the same structure and, save from the primary rune, the same runes in that structure. And those secondary runes have the same size respecting the primary rune on both arrays. What do those runes do? Because the meaning they have doesn't shed any light on that.

So if he gets the left side one and makes it bigger, what happens? And what if he changes the one at the bottom? Or the one on the left? What if he changes two of them at the same time? Or the three? What if...

---

Stiles startles a little when the lights of the kitchen are suddenly on. He turns to look at Peter perplexed, but the man isn't paying him any attention at all. He squints around and takes in the sun's position in the sky. He hadn't even noticed he was starting to struggle to see.

He lets the pen he was keeping in his mouth fall into his hand and looks at the mess he's made. Maybe it's time to tidy up a bit, he thinks grimacing.

Well, it was worth it, he supposes... or at least a necessary evil.

Some of his tests were a complete bust and some weren't, but he's learned a lot. He now knows that this type of structure is used to alter the physical characteristics of the item it's placed on. -And it has to be an object. All the books were adamant about that, about runes not being used on living beings.- He's learned what each of the runes in this particular array is for and how their size relative to the primary affects it. He's also knows now that, at least in this kind of structure, all the runes need to have the same orientation or it won't work. The secondary runes are set ones that can't be changed and the primary is the one that sets the characteristic the array will alter. Moreover, two runes can be linked as the primary rune, but anymore than that and it fails, which he supposes is where the more complicated arrays come in. Furthermore, just because those particular runes are set ones for this kind of array, it doesn't mean that they can't act as primaries too.

And all of that was just from two different arrays that have the same structure. He has three more structures to go through. And then he has to experiment with items with different sizes, forms, compositions...

(This is not a bear, it's a damn whale.)

He kind of wants to scream but, hey, he still has all his fingers and the house is not only standing but hasn't been damaged at all. Only a full stack of papers has been sacrificed to the cause. Yay for him.

"Ah, father, you man of little faith," he mutters, slouching on his seat and closing his eyes tiredly.

There's no way he can-

Really loud rock music blares suddenly from the laptop's speakers, startling Stiles into almost falling from his chair. He looks at Peter, who looks as surprised as Stiles and is also trying to lower down the volume as fast as he can.

"What the hell, Peter," Stiles gasps, one hand still over his thundering heart and the other grasping at the chair in a trembling iron fist.

"I was trying to put the soundtrack to your little moment there, but this is not what I expected," the man explains perplexed. "I mean, the song is called Crushing Defeat, but I wouldn't say a crushing defeat sounds like that. Not that I would know, but." And then the man has the gall to shrug nonchalantly before continuing speaking. "I should have definitely gone for my first option."

And he hits play.

Maybe I'm foolish

Maybe I'm blind

Thinking I can see through this

And see what's behind

Got no way to prove it

So maybe I'm blind

But I'm only human after all

I'm only human after all

And he stops the music right there.

Stiles, whose face had gone from startled to unimpressed in the blink of an eye, goes right into the evil eye territory equally fast.

"Remind me again who's been dead before?" Stiles says, his voice saccharine sweet.

"Sure! Anything for you, sweetheart," Peter answers, equally sweet. "I'll remind you anytime you want that not even Death could win against me. Anything to inspire you when you're feeling low."

And he turns back with a self-satisfied smirk to continue whatever he was doing before.

That.

Smarmy.

Bastard.

Stiles will show him a crushing defeat.

(Just for that, he's hoarding all the cookies, dammit.)

---

It has somehow turned into a contest.

It's way past 4 a.m. and neither of them is bowing out. Stiles has gone through three more structures, gained more knowledge and even more rules. Peter has at least filled ten pages of that journal of his and Stiles has caught him covertly eyeing the coffee cupboard more than once. At this rate, John Stilinski will arrive to see them either conked out over their respective works or stubbornly resisting but about to pass out.

At this point Stiles wishes his dad would appear so he could order him to bed and he'd have the excuse to bow out, but he'd rather face another run around the pool with all the alphas chasing after him than admit to that.

He eyes the cookie plate and mourns its empty state. Then, with a sigh, he turns his attention back the last structure that he has. So far he has confirmed a lot of the things that he already suspected. The more complicated an array gets, the more things you're trying to change on an object... or the more complicated the object's composition or the being you're placing it on is. But so far Stiles has gathered that if you place an array on a living being, you better brace yourself because it's so complicated that it has disastrous effects more often than not. Which is no good... unless you're banking on it going wrong to get out of a pinch. Stiles certainly wouldn't mind making an alpha go boom with failed runework, that's for sure.

Well, in any case he now has an idea of how the arrays are expanded and of how to link different arrays to cover the more irregular objects or to make domino effects. Of course, he just has the theory and he'll have to experiment a lot but it's something that's not a "crushing defeat".

He just wants to die.

Stiles barely refrains from hitting his head repeatedly against the table to wake himself up forcefully, but only because he still has some dignity left. He looks at the stress ball that he got out to fidget with by hour... whichever it was, he's lost count. It used to belong to Scott, from when he hurt his hand and he needed to strengthen his muscles. It's fuchsia with green polka dots all over it and it couldn't be uglier even if it tried, so it wouldn't be a big loss if Stiles accidentally murders it.

The material is polyurethane, if he's not wrong. The thought of getting up to check its mass on the laptop is too much to bear, so Stiles uses his phone to search for it. When he finally has it, he muses over what he needs to change on it to make it bounce. Elasticity, for one, of course. Resistance maybe? And what else to generate the kinetic energy he needs? How much does he need to add or subtract to its original characteristics to get what he wants?

It takes a while, but he decides what structure to use and the runes that form part of it in the end. Then he calculates the size it should have and, after fretting over it for a bit, he decides that you only live once is the attitude to have and starts writing it directly on the ball. After a moment he realizes that pencil is not the way to go and changes to a sharpie. Either the ball is really old or the sharpie is too pointed, but instead of just writing on its surface, he's partially etching the array. He bites his lip but decides to go on. Then he activates it.

Something catches his attention at the edge of his vision and he turns to find Peter about to fall asleep. Stiles grins triumphantly and picks up his phone to get the visual evidence to lord his victory over the man when he wakes up later. Because he's going to sleep once he has the picture, dammit, he's dying.

Right as he's snapping the picture, the stress ball rolls over the edge and falls to the tiled floor before he can catch it...

... then it ricochets silently but with deadly speed towards the ceiling, where it rebounds again, gaining even more speed than it already had.

"Oh, fuck," Stiles whispers wide-eyed. "Peter!" he screams right before it hits the man's head, sending him sprawling to the floor. "Oh, fuck!"

"What the-!" Peter groans, somehow managing to look both like a spooked kitten and as if a train has just rolled over him at the same time.

"Down!" Stiles warns him again as it comes back like a tiny missile. Peter, the idiot, tries to grab it as it passes by. "NO!" he shouts but to no avail.

Peter gets thrown forward and out of the kitchen, where he proceeds to crash onto the living room's lamp before he can finally stop the momentum, successfully managing to not make another victim out of the TV. The ball continues bouncing and gaining even more speed.

"Oh, fuck," Stiles whines.

---

When the sheriff comes back home, he's greeted by a very odd sight. There's a trash bag full of things in a corner and several items, which includes two lamps, several pictures and a small side table, are missing. There are a lot of round marks over several pieces of furniture, the walls and the ceiling, and quite a few of those round marks look carved in and scorched. From where he is, he can see that the glass from two of the kitchen cupboards is gone and that there are two perfect holes on the dishwasher's door. There's a plant without its pot just sitting there on the living room's table and the missing pot is right at the center of the same table, downturned. Last but not least, Peter Hale and Stiles are completely out, one over the other, on the couch, dark bags scarily prominent under their eyes.

John blinks. And then he blinks even more.

"Well, the house is still standing," he mutters as he reaches for the pot to take the plant off of the table, because he has to start somewhere to fix the mess, after all, and this is really the only thing he can do right now. The rest he'll take care of after he wakes up.

"NO!!!!" both Stiles and Peter shout, snapping awake and bolting, just as he lifts the pot from the table.

---

The plant is still on the living room table but the pot holding the ewok -what, it's a small and harmless looking (fur)ball that's really dangerous when provoked, dad, where's the lie?- is in the toilet, with the door closed for good measure.

(There's another hole in the dishwasher's door and they've lost the two vases that had survived the first assault. Only Peter's speed saved the laptop and it was only by a hair's breadth.)

(Stiles is secretly happy that the TV and the recorder haven't been casualties. He had to pull a The Bodyguard™ move and there's a round shaped bruise already showing on his stomach, but it was well worth it. He'd die if he missed yesterday's episode of La Dulce Impostora.)

(Not that he'll say that aloud, of course.)

It's mid-afternoon and they're having breakfast and not feeling any shame about it. Stiles feels like a limp noodle and is ravenous. He has probably already eaten his weight in pancakes with an obscene amount of syrup, but he has no intention of stopping any time soon.

He looks at Peter's plate covetuously and the man's lips twitch, but he makes an offering gesture (sassy and a little mocking, but still offering) instead of lording his remaining pancake over Stiles. It takes a lot to not descend over it like a rabid beast, and even more to rise from his seat and make more instead. He even shares them with his dad and Peter, so someone should give him medal for the feat.

Just as he's taking the first bite, the cupboard's door, which was barely hanging from its hinges, makes a piteous sound and falls first to the counter and then to the ground, dragging a plate to it's ultimate demise with it. The lack of door reveals that almost all the mugs inside said cupboard have been smashed to smithereens at some point.

"So," his dad says, looking caught between horrified amusement and resignation.

"You said I'd be grounded if the house wasn't standing," Stiles points out, mouth full and all.

Peter snorts and takes a sip of his coffee. Unlike Stiles and John, the bastard doesn't look tired at all. He's sitting on the chair as if it's his throne. Stiles is a petty creature and he really wants to call bullshit because he knows that's the man's third cup of coffee, so he can't be feeling as good as he's making it look. The need to shoot a dirty look at him for the unfairness of it is almost overwhelming.

"I said I'd definitely ground you if it wasn't standing, not that I wouldn't ground you for any other damaged property."

"What- You- I claim false advertising!" Stiles gasps with a hand over his heart.

"Terribly sorry about that," John deadpans. "I'm sure I have some complaint forms somewhere. I'll make sure your reclamation reaches the proper authorities." He takes a long swallow of coffee and sighs contentedly. "Which would be me, so reclamation dismissed."

"Abuse! I claim abuse! No, don't hand me another imaginary reclamation form!"

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Gta 5 Mac Requirements Computer

Gta 5 Mac Requirements Laptop

4GB RAM is the minimum amount of memory required to run GTA 5. But your RAM size isn’t the only requirement for deciding whether you can run GTA 5. You must have at least a 1GB NVIDIA 9800 GT graphics card or the NVIDIA GTX 660. Your hard disk should have at least 80GB of free space. To download Grand Theft Auto 5 to your computer, log into the Steam app and click on Store. Gta 5 for mac free full version. When you’re in the Steam Store browser, type “Grand Theft Auto V” into the search bar. Click the correct result, add it to your cart, and complete the purchase so it will download to your computer. GTA 5 ON MAC!!!At Last There Is A WayAny Questions Comment BelowI Know Its A Stupid Way To Do ItThanks For Watching.

Grand Theft Auto V game details

Updated May 14, 2020:For the first time since its release, Grand Theft Auto V is temporarily FREE to download and keep forever on the Epic Games Store! The most highly tested game on our website is completely free! Take the System Requirements Test now to find out if your PC can run Grand Theft Auto VCan I Run GTA 5, or GTA V? Rockstar’s latest and most elaborate sandbox game, is at its best on PC. Whether you’re driving to the beach, planning elaborate heists, holding up a store or parachuting with friends online, an Intel Core i5/AMD X8 FX-8350 and a GeForce GTX 660/Radeon HD 7870 will keep you committing crimes to your heart’s content.

Grand Theft Auto 5 is the ultimate do everything sandbox, here is how to increase performance on a low end computer. Here is what is on the script shown at t. GTA 5 system requirements: The cheapest graphics card you can play GTA 5 on PC with is an NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT. But, according to the developers the recommended graphics card is an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660. An AMD Phenom 9850 Quad-Core CPU is required at a minimum to run Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5). Whereas, an Intel Core i5-3470 is recommended.

Here are the Grand Theft Auto V System Requirements (Minimum)

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHz (4 CPUs) / AMD Phenom 9850 Quad-Core Processor (4 CPUs) @ 2.5GHz

CPU SPEED: Info

RAM: 4 GB

OS: Windows 10 64 Bit, Windows 8.1 64 Bit, Windows 8 64 Bit, Windows 7 64 Bit Service Pack 1, Windows Vista 64 Bit Service Pack 2*

VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA 9800 GT 1GB / AMD HD 4870 1GB (DX 10, 10.1, 11)

PIXEL SHADER: 4.0

VERTEX SHADER: 4.0

SOUND CARD: 100% DirectX 10 compatible

FREE DISK SPACE: 72 GB

DEDICATED VIDEO RAM: 1 GB

Grand Theft Auto V Recommended Requirements

CPU: Intel Core i5 3470 @ 3.2GHz (4 CPUs) / AMD X8 FX-8350 @ 4GHz (8 CPUs)

CPU SPEED: Info

RAM: 8 GB

OS: Windows 10 64 Bit, Windows 8.1 64 Bit, Windows 8 64 Bit, Windows 7 64 Bit Service Pack 1

VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GTX 660 2GB / AMD HD 7870 2GB

PIXEL SHADER: 5.0

VERTEX SHADER: 5.0

SOUND CARD: 100% DirectX 10 compatible

FREE DISK SPACE: 72 GB

DEDICATED VIDEO RAM: 2 GB

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How well will your PC run GTA V?

The newest addition to the infamous videogame series designed by Rockstar Games, GTA V is a hard-hitting, thrill seeking criminal playground. Released for PC on the 14th of April 2015, Grand Theft Auto 5 has firmly cemented itself as one of the highest grossing and biggest games to date. However, cruising around Los Santos shooting up gang members and stealing tanks in the desert does come at a price. A very good PC.

Gta 5 Mac Requirements Computer

GTA V’s huge immersive world comes equipped with a full functional stock market, dynamic weather system and thousands of things to do around the 81km2 map, it would make sense that you’re going to need a beastly PC to play this smoothly. The PC edition also boasts mod compatibility which has exploded in popularity, allowing the dedicated community design and share brilliant ideas. The base game on its own is very technically demanding for the average PC gamer, but five years’ worth of free expansion packs and the choice to add mods into the mix, is it going to be too much?

So what’s the damage then? What kind of alien technology will I need to run this? Firstly, you’ll need Windows 7 64 Bit Service Pack 1 or better to run the game on. This will need to be accompanied by either an Intel Core 2 Quad CPU Q6600 or an AMD Phenom 9850 Quad-Core Processor. In addition to this, the game’s file size is 72 GB with 4 GB of System RAM required too. Finally, the graphics card will have to be at least either a 1 GB NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT or an AMD Radeon HD 4870 to tackle this game.

NVIDIA’s 9800 GT equipped with NVIDIA PhysX-Ready2 technology means that it can handle many complex physics situations in GTA V, important situations like driving a tank off of a skyscraper. An Intel Core 2 Quad CPU Q6600 processing at 2.4GHz should accompanied with the graphics card should be enough for the game to run on minimal graphical settings.

To play GTA V in all its glory, at recommended level you will need a more powerful processor in the form of either an Intel Core i5 3470 or an AMD X8 FX-8350 to truly keep up with the game. In addition to this, a more advanced graphics card will be required to truly show off the beauty of GTA V. You will need either a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 2GB or an AMD Radeon HD 7870 2GB or higher for this to be possible. An AMD X8 FX-8350 with 8 CPUs running at 4GHz will be ample processing power to wreak havoc across Los Santos. This backed up with an AMD HD 7870 or higher will do the design team justice and make world come alive on your monitor. You’ll be able to enjoy beautiful textures and lighting mechanics with these specs.

GTA 5 for Android – Can you believe it?! While it had been made available on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 so far, it was never available on mobile phones! Now, you can play this game whenever you want, wherever you want, since it has been released on Android. Even on Android, it comes with great graphics and the game play is also excellent.

For those uninitiated, GTA 5 Android is an open world game wherein you can do whatever you like around the city whenever you want to, even in the midst of a mission. GTA 5 is set in Los Santos and offers you a choice of 3 different characters to play with. Its game play has significantly improved when compared to the previous GTA games, due to better mechanics of shooting, driving, etc. And some additional features have also been included such as yoga and scuba diving.

GTA 5 for Android – Features, Requirements and Installation

Below you can find some important information that will help you access GTA 5 for Android more easily.

Features

While this is clearly not the first time the GTA world has allowed for flight, this game comes with a vast selection of airplanes and helicopters to choose from which can be accessed in a multi-player setting.

There is far more liberty and freedom with how certain missions pan out. Of course there are certain limitations, but with this game you get to decide how you want to go about a mission, whether you wanna go with stealth and smarts, or with a lot of bang and firepower.

There is much wider selection of games and other leisure activities to choose from. If you get bored from the senseless carnage and plot, then you can simply go off to the nearest golf course or yoga studio and relax.

This version of the game considerably ups the ante on how incredibly interactive the GTA environment is. You can actually blast through walls and boulders, offering a far more fun and realistic feel to the game.

Of course, one of the best new features has got to be the multiplayer feature which allows you to better interact with the world around you and the characters, and makes the game far more interactive.

One of the best features other than the multiplayer option has to be the introduction of 3 characters between whom you can switch at any time. As such, you can constantly explore what it feels to explore this world through 3 different eyes, and it even makes the plots so much more fun as you can switch between the characters in the midst of missions thus offering a more vast set of possibilities.

GTA 5 goes underwater! It wasn’t enough that they had to create a large interactive world above ground, they’ve created one underwater as well, one you can explore in a wetsuit!

This time you also have the option to go out to the woods on the outskirts of Los Santos and indulge in some hunting of deers and whatnot.

Walther ppk/s serial number dates. Well, these are only just some of the crazy cool new features that have been introduced to GTA 5 that make it an absolute must play, especially on the android which helps you carry this world in your pocket to wherever you are! Below you can find some important information that will help you more easily access the game.

Minimum Requirements

You need to have at least an Android Version 3.5, preferably higher. You can even install it on a lower version but that will cause some serious lags.

You need at least 3GB of free space on your Android.

How to Install?

You can download the .apk file from the link http://gta5forandroid.org/

Transfer the file to your memory card.

Install an app installer from the App Store.

The .apk file will be visible from the App Installer.

Install GTA 5 onto your android.

Other FAQs

Where can I download it from? You can download it from the link provided in the section above.

Why does my game freeze in the midst of the play? This might be because you are running it on a non-compatible version. Refer to the “Minimum Requirements” above.

You can follow the above instructions to install GTA 5 for Android and have a great time playing this amazing and creative game. Have fun, guys!

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Gta 5 Mac Requirements Laptop

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[xxxdragonfucker69xxx]

Monomyth

A character distributes their weight (5 points) among seven Archetypes, governed by the seven astrological bodies. The Sun is Hero, for matters of virtue and the heart. The Moon is Trickster, for all stealth, deception and shenanigans. Mercury governs the Wanderer, Venus the Lover, Mars the Warrior, Jupiter the King and Saturn the Sage. Each Archetype in which a character has at least one rank can additionally divide that many ranks in Skills, defined by the character themselves. Making a roll consists of rolling dice equal to their rank in the Archetype, plus autosuccesses equal to applicable Edges.

In addition to these standard rolls, a character receives several Feats to enhance her actions. The precise number thereof depends on their Might, which starts at 2 and goes to 12. They receive that many Legendary, Epic and Mythic Feats. Feats can be used to enhance a normal action, or they can be used by supernatural miracles. A Legendary Feat adds a single success, an Epic Feat adds successes equal to the character’s Might, and a Mythic Feat adds that many successes squared. These also apply to miracles that use Feats; a miracle could use a Legendary Feat and only get a single autosuccess, or the same character using the same miracle could get (Might) extra successes. (This notation follows d19 convention; dice rolls are [number], while flat values are (number).) A character’s Legendary Feats refresh every scene, their Epic Feats refresh every session, and their Mythic Feats only refresh every story.

Miracles are special powers dependent on the Aspects. Anyone can use a Miracle if they have at least 1 point in its Aspect, and a Miracle always trumps mundane actions or obstacles. Opposed Miracles roll their attendant Aspects.

Mortals, extras, NPCs who are not miraculous enough to invoke the supernatural do not use these rules. They mostly get a single success for anything they could be expected to succeed at, with set dice pools for tasks they’re specialized in.

EDGES

Each Aspect comes with a certain kind of Edge involved. These may be bought at creation, or granted by certain Miracles. They may also be obtained naturally, but until the character pays XP to raise the relevant Edge and bind it to themselves, it just serves as stunt fodder. Edges are always linked to the relevant Archetype but may also be linked to other Archetypes or Aspects, serving as a source of Feats for that Aspect, sometimes with other bonuses. Total Edges cannot surpass the relevant Archetype. A point in an Edge may grant a Legendary Feat, two points an Epic Feat, and a similar scale for other bonuses to uses of the provided Feats.

Hero: Virtues

Virtues represent causes or beliefs that comprise the character’s identity, and can be used to resist mental attack or generally reinforce actions drawing from those Virtues.

Trickster: Tricks

Tricks are disguises or setups which allow the character to reveal that whatever just happened didn’t actually happen, and was actually this other thing all along!

Wanderer: Sancta

Sancta are safe places that give the character something they need: shelter, food, information. They usually require that the character be in them to benefit from them.

Lover: Companions

Companions represent pets and sidekicks who are capable of acting on their own or reinforcing the character’s own skills. They often offer the chance to substitute for other Aspects or opportunities impossible with a single character.

Warrior: Weapons

Weapons are meant to be used for conflict, even if not necessarily combat. A frying pan is stunt fodder if it’s just for cooking, but a Weapon if it helps in cooking competitions.

King: Support

Support represents favors you can command or demand from people you know, usually not other characters but people in the background and offscreen.

Sage: Skills

Skills represent the one thing a character is just really good at, for whatever reason. Not things like fighting or talking, but maybe firefighting or talking to children.

HERO MIRACLES

Sense Evil: Sense if anyone is planning to hurt you right now

Dramatic Speech: Grant a Feat to someone else

Pure of Heart: Perfectly resist a mental attack (Epic+)

Heroic Willpower: Get back up after a finishing blow (Mythic)

Channel Virtue: Get Legendary Feats out of a Virtue (Epic+)

Deep Bond: Act as a Companion for someone else

Holy Smite: Deal extra damage to something with opposing Virtues

TRICKSTER MIRACLES

Just Kidding: Take back something you said

Bavarian Fire Drill: Gain temporary Support, though you have to escape consequences later

Friendly Fire: Redirect something to someone else at random

Doppelganger: Appear as someone else

Black Hat, White Hat: Cause two characters to come into conflict

With Catlike Tread: Do something unseen

Disapparition: Leave the scene without being observed

Cross My Heart: Lie perfectly

Murphy’s Law: Something that can go wrong does

Outside the Box: Reduce the efficacy of Miracles that penalize you

Cover Identity: Establish a Trick as a persona that has its own stats, and assume that persona by spending that Trick’s Feats

WANDERER MIRACLES

Fastest Man Alive: Outpace anyone else who doesn’t use this Miracle

Flash Step: Instantly move to anywhere you can see

Water Walk: Move without falling through water, disturbing snow, etc.

Master Key: Open a lock, trap, binding or seal

Always Coming Home: Fit in no matter where you are

Opening the Way: Momentarily connect a doorway to a Sanctum (Epic+)

Lodestar Reckoning: Always know how to return to one of your Sancta

Hermit Crab: Temporarily claim a place as a Sanctum, for no more than a week. You must leave it after that time (Epic+)

Rainbow Bridge: Enter a spiritual realm such as the home of a god or the realm of dreams (Epic+)

LOVER MIRACLES

Cupid’s Arrow: Inspire an emotion in someone

Below the Belt: Perfectly manipulate someone as long as you use something they care about (Epic+)

Give and Take: Demand something in exchange for something, perfectly (Epic+)

Man’s Best Friend: Gain an animal Companion (Mythic)

Sexual Healing: Help someone recover, physically or mentally

Danger Sense: Be aware when one of your Companions or friends is in danger, and where they are

Reading the Room: Be aware of how anyone in sight feels about others, or how people feel about someone in sight

Heart’s Desire: Know what someone wants most

Sublime Performance: Put on a show (music, dance, speech, etc) so compelling that anyone who sees it is hypnotized and enthralled

Inspiration of the Muse: Let someone use your stats instead of theirs

WARRIOR MIRACLES

Lethal Weapon: Kill someone or destroy something (Mythic)

Unbroken: Survive a finishing blow (Epic+)

Berserker: Gain bonuses depending on how wounded you are

Knuckle-Cracking Show: Intimidate someone into backing down

Bullet Time: Act twice in a row (Epic+)

Fated Strike: Guarantee success in a combat round

Heavenly Ladder Style: Get a temporary +1 Weapon from the scenery

Iron Lotus: Attack multiple people at once

No Sell: Become invincible to attacks until you attack (Epic+)

Battle Cry: Enemies must resist or flee (Epic+)

Second Wind: Heal yourself (Epic+)

Scarred Over: Once you have been damaged by something, you cannot be hurt by it again while that wound remains (Epic+)

Lifting the Sky: Perform any feat of strength, or overcome the strength of anyone else (Mythic)

KING MIRACLES

Stonewall Jackson: Bring your whole party back to the fight

Take a Stand: Negate someone’s attempt at social influence

Power of the Purse: Evoke Support that doesn’t really apply, drawing on their resources

Human Chess: Change what your Support is from

Champion the People: Evoke your Support in combat (Epic+)

Judge’s Wisdom: People cannot lie to you, though they don’t have to tell the truth

Guards! Guards!: Summon a small group of NPCs

Sanctified Oath: Bless a promise or contract so it can’t be broken, including by yourself (Epic+)

Commandments: Speak a law that supporters must obey or be cursed (Mythic)

Provide for the People: Ensure that your supporters have enough to eat (Mythic)

Fisher King: Link yourself to your supporters, so you always know their opinion and so you are protected if they love you

SAGE MIRACLES

Just As Planned: Retroactively negate an obstacle by having planned for it

Listen to Teacher: Grant someone a bonus after instructing them

Jack of All Trades: Gain a point in a Skill you don’t have (Epic+)

Gut Instinct: Know the answer to a yes or no question (Epic+)

Art of War: Apply your Skills to combat, no matter what they are (Epic+)

If I Remember Correctly: Come up with a fact which doesn’t contradict previously established lore

Loremaster: A Skill involving information lets you know anything anyone knows about it; you know everything there is to know about History or Science or Anime Trivia.

Reading People: Ask something about a person and know the answer

Improvise Madly: Gain a bonus according to how hard an uncontested roll is

Prognostication: Know whether or not something is a good idea (Epic+)

Query the Universe: Ask a question about anything and know the answer (Mythic)

Monomyth started as.....jesus, i dont remember. an exercise in writing subtle powers (i used to be way big on flashy elemental stunts)? i think i made this around when heros journey was announced and i was real excited. the original version also had the equivalent of scion APPs but that made it literally just a weird scion homebrew so. bye to that

even as it stands most of these powers are mostly ripped from other games like godbound or the modern magician (though i guess that one doesnt really count as stealing). overall i would deem this a failure, though maybe the one redeeming aspect is using feats to pace power usage

[feelingsdusk]

Runes and all kinds of things, chapter 16

Stiles risks a glance over the brim of his book at Peter and then returns quickly to the page he was reading when their eyes meet and he gets an arched eyebrow from the man. He barely contains the need to facepalm and wince at his own lack of cool and tries to cover it by shrugging as if nonchalant. The answering huffed snort makes him humph and turn his nose up in the air.

As much as he can with it still buried in his book to cover the flush he can feel rising in his face and the top of his ears.

(Smooth, Stilinski. Real smooth.)

But he can’t help it, he can’t read Peter at all right now. It’s weird and confusing to some degree after having been so open, so raw, just a moment ago, but at the same time not. It feels as if they took a step forward and then backed that same step again right afterwards. Maybe even two, because Peter has never been this blank-faced in his presence. Or, actually, if Stiles recalls well, in anyone’s presence. Peter is always sassing -provoking, testing, manipulating- people in one way or another. He uses his words, body language and facial expressions as weapons and he does it terrifyingly well. It never fails to get a response from the people around him, Stiles included, and now its absence rattles him.

Stiles stills suddenly. His eyes dart briefly towards Peter again and then go back to the page. He bites his lip and frowns contemplatively.

Maybe this isn’t a step back after all? Peter uses his words, body language and facial expressions as weapons. To defend himself, to get what he wants, to attack. Weapons. He’s used them against Stiles before, so it’s not that he’s an exception. It’s not that he thinks Stiles harmless, useless or inconsequential either. Even back then, in that parking lot, he thought Stiles had the potential to become dangerous, a threat to him. Enough of a threat, in fact, that he wanted to have Stiles on his side and he offeredwhen could have just taken. That not only hasn’t changed but it’s worse.

(Stiles couldn’t trap him and make him choke on mountain ash with a mere thought before.)

But he’s blank-faced now. Or rather… relaxed? Maybe?

Stiles sighs, slouching on his seat, and contains the need to throw a dirty look at Peter for being so damn difficult. He must do a lousy job because the man smirks at him self-satisfied.

“You’re such a dick,” Stiles grouches long-suffering and Peter’s grin widens even more.

Smarmy bastard.

Of course, there’s a chance Stiles is reading him wrong. With Peter it’s hard to tell, because he has more layers than three millefeuille combined and even more masks, but Stiles is pretty sure that it’s not a front he’s putting up this time. The ball is in Peter’s court in any case. Stiles will have to accept whatever he chooses to do and react accordingly.

He reaches for the baking journal again and catches Peter’s eyes again. The man’s eyebrows go high as he eyes the already finished death by chocolate cookies -the normal kind, he knows, because he’s seen Stiles take a bite and then perform an awkward dance because his mouth was burning- cooling on the tray with an skeptical eye.

“Just because I can’t risk Lydia finding a way to murder me remotely,“ and she would, of that he has no doubt, “it doesn’t mean I can’t use this.”

“Hmm,” Peter hums, lips twitching. The way he reclines in his chair makes Stiles want to grumble about the unfairness of it all. Because while Stiles is slouching, you can’t call what Peter is doing that. “What are you planning?”

“Revenge, what else? A petty one but equally effective in this case given whom my target is,” Stiles answers flippantly and Peter snorts. “But no, no more baking for now. It’s for Monday, so I’ll bake on Sunday. I don’t bake any substandard goods even if it’s for revenge, you know,” he sniffs. “Right now, runes. I really need to crack this before the alpha pack makes another move. Like hell I’m getting chased around like a mouse again,” he grumbles. “Pity I can’t just poison them all and be done with it.”

“Pity indeed,” Peter agrees, terribly amused by the pout Stiles is sporting.

An alarm goes off on Stiles’ phone and he startles. Then he remembers what it is for and he shoots from his seat towards the TV, leaving a bewildered Peter behind. The familiar intro to La Dulce Impostora is already running, so he hurries to set the recording so he doesn’t miss anything. There’s a pointed silence at his back and he feels himself starting to blush.

“Shut up,” he grouses.

“I didn’t say a word,” Peter lilts.

“Stop judging me, dude,” Stiles grumbles with cheeks that are starting feel really hot. “La Dulce Impostora is super addictive, ok? There’s a dying abuelita that is the cutest, most charming thing ever… Seriously, that woman is a queen. All hail Queen Isabela, may she reign forever over us lowly mortals,” he preaches with an earnest expression. “But yeah. There’s abuelita Isabela, a fake cancer that turns out to be true and an even faker pregnancy that doesn’t… but kinda does? Depending on how you look at it, I suppose…” he hums thoughtfully, turning to set the recording. “And amnesia, lots of amnesia. It’s so fucking ridiculous. But finally, after everything, they’re about to elope and Camila Valeria is going to ruin it all. Again. And it’s the fifth time. I can’t take it anymore, ok? I just want them on a beach in Bali happily drinking coconuts so I can be free and go back to my life, ok?”

“Well, I didn’t really understand half of what you said. Congratulations, that must be some sort of record.” Damn the man and his sass. Relaxed or not, Stiles served him that one on a silver platter and even Stiles himself wouldn’t have let it pass without answer. “Also, I hate to be the bearer of bad news-”

“Yeah, your face tells me you’re in despair right now,” Stiles quips back drolly.

“-but according to this site, that one still has more than ten episodes left.”

Stiles gapes, a horrified expression rapidly taking over his features. “You’re shitting me.”

“I… shit you not,” Peter answers seriously.

A beat, two beats, and then Stiles is running back to the table to look at the laptop’s screen. He doesn’t slow down as much as he should and he collides against Peter’s back with a soft grunt. He doesn’t pay it any mind and he reaches for the laptop. Sure enough, there’s more than ten episodes left… Thirteen to be exact.

“Oh, god, no” Stiles whispers, the whine escaping him unbidden. For a moment he feels really tempted to just read about how it ends because thirteen one-hour episodes yet to go… and so far the only thing that hasn’t happened on that storyline is a zombie apocalypse. Seriously, there’s even been an attempt to overthrow the current government! Just. No. Ok. No, he will not. He’ll stick right to the end. Like a captain. “I will go down with this ship,” he pronounces darkly, prompting a surprised laugh from Peter.

Stiles contains a petulant pout. He raises his eyebrows and narrows his eyes at the man, daring him to say anything about it. Peter smirks and looks about to speak (no doubt to sass Stiles) but suddenly, windows start opening and closing on the screen without either of them touching a thing and they both blink surprised.

“Yesss! Danny, my man!” Stiles exclaims happily, throwing his arms up in the air. Peter grabs his elbow before it impacts with his nose and rolls his eyes but doesn’t say anything otherwise. “Awesome! Now we’ll be able to track those fuckers without risking our necks. And who knows, I may still get to poison them.”

Peter laughs again and Stiles smirks in answer.

—

Much later after Danny stopped doing his own kind of magic on Stiles’ laptop, Peter is dividing his attention between something on the screen and a notebook he brought with him. Stiles is kinda itchy to know what’s in there because everything Peter brings has been fantastic so far, but he knows better than to try to take a peek because Peter hasn’t offered. Privacy and all that shit.

Stiles has the strong feeling that Peter is testing him. For what purpose exactly, he doesn’t know, but he’s pretty sure that he is. First with how he provoked him into a fight and now with this. And there have probably been more tests that he hasn’t even noticed. In any case, if Stiles finds that notebook unattended later he won’t be surprised.

(It all comes down to trust, doesn’t it?)

Well, he’ll cross that bridge when he stumbles upon it. For now, he’d better focus on runes or at this rate he’ll be werewolf chow and Peter’s tests won’t matter anymore.

And, god, it’s so frustrating.

Runework sucks. Big. Sweaty. Donkey. Balls.

He knows the actual runes and would be able to draw them with his eyes closed by now. That’s not the problem. That was the easy part, actually. The problem is that the placement in the actual item matters. Placement relative to the other runes matters. Size relative to the item AND relative to the other runes matters. Meaning? One tiny mistake fucks it all.

Meaning that it’s been one hour already and he has done nothing more than waste a lot of paper and bite the cap of his pen so much that it looks like a war casualty.

Because, on top of that, just because a rune has an established translation doesn’t mean that the effect that rune will produce matches it. Because two runes together get a complete different meaning than those two runes separately. And if they’re linked it’s even worse. The meanings don’t add up, they transform each other. Hence, runework sucks. Big. Sweaty. Donkey. Balls.

Stiles reaches for his phone and then takes a selfie, sporting an epic pout. He hits send and then lets his head fall onto the table with a beautifully resounding thud. Peter snorts.

(Also, Peter is a dick that finds too much entertainment in witnessing Stiles’ suffering.)

(Or maybe this is another test.)

Without looking, he makes a ball from the paper with his latest failed experiments and throws it in the man’s direction. With his luck, it probably falls short, but it’s the sentiment that counts, right?

“You’re such a dick,” Stiles grumbles.

“Yes, we’ve already established that,” Peter drawls, the tapping of his fingers against the keyboard never stopping.

And he flashes him the finger for good measure, because he doesn’t need good aim for it to reach the man. Peter snorts again and Stiles pouts sullenly into the table.

Ok, ok. How do you eat a bear? Bite by bite.

He sighs and comes out from hiding reluctantly. He looks at the page where he has noted down the few functioning arrays that can be found in the many books about runes that Stiles has, and decides that trial and error will it have to be. Sorry, Master Yoda, as sacrilegious as it sounds, your teachings hold no place in here. He may get grounded for the rest of his natural life for blowing up the house, but it’s not like he has any other options at this point.

He grabs a clean sheet of paper and looks at it thoughtfully. He may as well start with the simpler ones. According to his first chosen runework’s specific diagram, the array should cover one third of the item he wants to apply it on. But the question is: is that proportion regarding the size or the mass of the item? Does this mean that Stiles will have to become a master at calculating the mass of things on the go? Because that could pose a big problem.

“Excuse me, Mr. or Ms. Enemy-of-the-Week, can you tell me your height and weight? And what did you say was your last meal? And the quantity of said meal? You wouldn’t be constipated per chance, would you? Oh, I’m just curious, you know, ADHD, I get hung up on the strangest things. And since you’re killing me anyways, why not share? Oh, you don’t speak English? Yo hablo español si lo prefieres… Oh, you don’t have vocal cords at all? My apologies. I’ll just make an estimate, thanks for your time anyways and sorry for the inconvenience,” he pipes softly in a falsetto voice. He studiously doesn’t look Peter’s way. “Because that would go well…”

His phone chimes and he can’t help but cackle at Allison’s answering selfie. She looks filthy, sweaty and her face is so red that it gives the impression that she’s completely out of breath. She’s sporting an equally epic pout and it’s hilarious.

Stiles takes a deep breath after he lets go of the phone and shakes himself mentally. Ok, whatever, no big deal. He’ll find a way like he always does. First, he has to make an array work to begin with.

Because nothing ever comes easy -and if runes are such a rare practice as the books say, which suggests a high level of difficulty-, he assumes it’s mass. Ok, awesome (note the sarcasm). So volume and density. The paper is a rectangular form, so the volume would be length x width x height. And as for density… The Internet it is. He stands up and goes to the laptop Peter is using. The man looks at him curiously but turns the screen to face Stiles. A quick search reveals paper’s density, which gives him the last tool he needs to calculate the mass, and in turn the size the array should have.

Now, where to place it? Up, in the middle or down? Centered, on a side or on a corner? Left, center or right? Because the texts say nothing about that and if the size of the array and each rune regarding each other are so important, Stiles doubts the placing doesn’t matter.

Experimenting it is.

(Here’s to hoping that all his limbs remain in place by the time he’s done.)

He picks up the pencil and copies the array right on the centercenter of the paper. He concentrates on activating it and gets a cloud of mountain ash to the face for his troubles when Pikachu comes out to play so to speak. He sighs and has to concentrate on getting him back to his skin instead. He tries again and gets the same exact results. After the sneezing attack ends, he pouts but gives it another go. By the tenth time this happens, he’s ready to tear his hair in frustration and the ash is moving around agitatedly from limb to limb and then even to his face, which gives him another uncontrollable attack of sneezes.

“Are you for real?” he grunts frustrated at Pikachu and his ears seem to flop down, just like dogs when they don’t know what they’re doing wrong because they think they’re obeying what you told them to do.

Stiles blinks. Maybe he’s not directing his spark belief whassit (what, he doesn’t have a name for it) at the paper but at the ash instead? He hums thoughtfully and makes a soothing gesture at Pikachu, prompting him to return to his skin again. He closes his eyes and concentrates. His magic works with belief, right? So believe he will. He opens his eyes and looks at the paper again.

“Yes!” he crows happily when he picks up the sheet of paper from a corner and instead of flopping down like it should, it remains rigid. “Look at this, Peter! Hah! I’m a genius! Bow down in my mighty presence!”

“I’ll be right on that, give me a minute,” Peter deadpans drolly. He waves a hand towards the oven trays. “Here, meanwhile have a cookie.”

“I made those,” he grunts at the man, his face falling into an unimpressed expression.

“Are you saying they’re bad and that’s why they don’t qualify as a prize for your success?”

“Don’t you dare!” Stiles gasps scandalized. “Everything I bake is superb!” Peter raises an eyebrow. “Well, there might have been a few FUBAR situati-” Peter raises the other eyebrow. “Damn you,” he grumbles. “Gimme the damn cookie. I deserve it. Because my cookies are totally prize-worthy. You heard that? Totally and without a doubt. Nothing beats them.”

“Maybe add a glass of milk to be sure? And two cookies instead of one? Added value, you know. It was a big success after all,” Peter quips, picking up the ball of paper Stiles threw at him before and throwing it with all the rest pooling at Stiles’ feet without even looking.

Smarmy bastard.

“Stop dissing my wonderful cookies,” Stiles grouches, throwing a narrow-eyed glare at the man.

“Me? You wound me, sweetheart,” Peter replies amusedly, getting up to prepare a couple of cookies and a glass of milk and put them in front of Stiles.

“Smarmy bastard,” Stiles mutters, this time aloud, as he takes a bite. “Just for this, you’re not getting any-” Stiles voice becomes an intelligible grumble when he hears the tattletale crunchy sound to his right, where Peter is leaning to pick up the paper with the functioning array.

Stiles humphs at Peter, whose smirk widens, and he rolls his eyes. Then he covers an amused grin because he knows the man’s impressed because he nearly forgot to leave the paper behind when he went back to his seat… and because he snatched another cookie on his way.

Stiles goes back to the paper and sets off to finding out if the array can be turned off. It takes him a few tries but it’s possible. If he erases the array, it stops working, it seems. Or is it because he stopped believing it would work? He’ll have to ask Peter to participate later. In any case, awesome, success! Now more tests, he thinks rubbing his hands excitedly.

He writes the array, turns it on once again and then he sets it aside. He spreads more sheets around the table as he starts changing the placement of the array on them, activating it as soon as he writes it and noting down the time on a separate notebook. That way he’ll kill two birds with a stone and he’ll be able to check a few things: the time it lasts once activated and how many he’s able to activate at the same time.

(Because he knows that spark works with belief, but is this power of his finite? Druids depend on outside forces to practice runework and rituals but where does a spark’s power come from?)

Once he has twelve variations of the placement, he tests them against each other. Then he makes size variations and, after that, size and placement variations.

Two hours later, he has reached several conclusions: yes, size matters; yes, placement matters; yes, his spark is finite to a point.

The size sets the range of effect of the magic and the placement sets the point of impact. So, with the hardening array he’s testing right now, if Stiles sets right in the center a smaller array than the one-third ratio the book said to use, the edges of the paper don’t harden and flop down like they should. Stiles feels giddy with the possibilities this brings to the table. Of course, this experiment was done on a pretty simple form, it will obviously be more complicated with other more irregular ones. But it’s a start, right? Stiles has a feeling that he won’t be needing to calculate everything’s mass exactly, just have a general idea to work with, unless he’s doing a very precise work. Of course, to get to the point of not needing to calculate it every time, he’ll have do at lot of testing and practicing.

And as for his spark being finite… Even with the snack he had before (which he suspects Peter gave him on purpose because he somehow knew he’d need the extra energy and it kind of makes Stiles want to grin), he’s ravenous right now and it has nothing to do with the hour it is. It feels like when he comes back after one of those gruelling lacrosse practices and he’d eat the fridge’s contents… and then the actual fridge itself. So this means that using it tires him as exercising would. It remains to be seen if working out (so to speak) will raise his stamina or if his power is a set value that he’ll have to work around.

All in all, not bad for two hours of work. Now that he knows some of the rules (because he’s sure he’ll find more as he goes) he can start experimenting. But first.

“Dinner?” he pipes looking at the lasagne like a man would at water in a scorching hot desert.

As if on cue, his stomach emits an epic growl that lasts way longer than it should and he feels himself start blushing. Peter smirks at him.

Stiles flips him the finger again.

(Peter is way too smug about that, the smarmy bastard.)

—

“Mmm,” Peter hums contemplatively as he takes the first bite.

“Mmm?” Stiles replies, already on his third bite. So sue him, he’s starving, ok?

“Mmm,” Peter continues humming, almost reluctantly.

“Mmm, huh?” Stiles replies again, smirking.

“Mmhm,” Peter says as if unimpressed.

Stiles grins and Peter rolls his eyes.

—

Just after dinner, Stiles gets to work with the second simplest array he has available. The first one was a hardening one (to put it simply, the explanation in the book was way more technical and complicated) and this one is an elasticity one. Whether it augments or reduces elasticity remains to be seen though.

Just like with the hardening one, this array consists of four runes. Stiles’ guess is that that’s the simplest it can get. Because probably just putting one rune would be too open and thus, the effect would be unpredictable and uncontrollable. So basically there’s a primary rune and then at least three secondary ones that delimit the first one. The placing and the size respecting the primary rune define the extent of the effect they have on it. That’s probably why there are some subtle differences between both of the arrays that he has, even if they have the same diamond structure.

Ok, good, he can work with that. And since he now knows what effect the placing has, he writes the array exactly on the center of the paper and activates it. He picks it up and looks at it thoughtfully. At first glance there’s no apparent change on it. Then he pulls from both ends.

“Whoa!” he exclaims surprised when it stretches out like gum.

Well, it’s a little harder than gum and unlike it, when he stops pulling it immediately goes back to its original form with no evidence of what happened left behind. It has a limit of how much it can extend though, so Stiles guesses that the runes alter the original characteristics of the item they were placed on, as opposed to giving it a new set value. So if the original item had been stretchy to begin with, it would have extended even more than the paper. Conclusion: arrays alter the items exponentially.

(Oh, god, the possibilities.)

So the primary rune is elasticity and its size right now is the perfect size to have an effect on the whole paper, but what if he plays with the secondary ones? From what he has gathered, those only alter the primary rune, not the actual item itself.

He has two different arrays with the same structure and, save from the primary rune, the same runes in that structure. And those secondary runes have the same size respecting the primary rune on both arrays. What do those runes do? Because the meaning they have doesn’t shed any light on that.

So if he gets the left side one and makes it bigger, what happens? And what if he changes the one at the bottom? Or the one on the left? What if he changes two of them at the same time? Or the three? What if…

—

Stiles startles a little when the lights of the kitchen are suddenly on. He turns to look at Peter perplexed, but the man isn’t paying him any attention at all. He squints around and takes in the sun’s position in the sky. He hadn’t even noticed he was starting to struggle to see.

He lets the pen he was keeping in his mouth fall into his hand and looks at the mess he’s made. Maybe it’s time to tidy up a bit, he thinks grimacing.

Well, it was worth it, he supposes… or at least a necessary evil.

Some of his tests were a complete bust and some weren’t. He now knows what each of the runes in this particular array is for and how their size relative to the primary affects it. He also knows that, at least in this kind of structure, all the runes need to have the same orientation or it won’t work. Also, this kind of structure is to alter the physical characteristics of the item it’s placed on. -And it has to be an object. All the books were adamant about that, about runes not being used on living beings.- The secondary runes are set ones that can’t be changed and the primary is the one that sets the characteristic the array will alter. Moreover, two runes can be linked as the primary rune, but anymore than that and it fails, which he supposes is where the more complicated arrays come in. Also, just because those particular runes are set ones for this kind of array, it doesn’t mean that they can’t act as primaries too.

And all of that was just from two different arrays that have the same structure. He has three more structures to go through. And then he has to experiment with items with different sizes, forms, compositions…

(This is not a bear, it’s a damn whale.)

He kind of wants to scream but, hey, he still has all his fingers and the house is not only standing but hasn’t been damaged at all. Only a full stack of papers has been sacrificed to the cause. Yay for him.

“Ah, father, you man of little faith,” he mutters, slouching on his seat and closing his eyes tiredly.

There’s no way he can-

Really loud rock music blares suddenly from the laptop’s speakers, startling Stiles into almost falling from his chair. He looks at Peter, who looks as surprised as Stiles and is also trying to lower down the volume as fast as he can.

“What the hell, Peter,” Stiles gasps, one hand still over his thundering heart and the other grasping at the chair in a trembling iron fist.

“I was trying to put the soundtrack to your little moment there, but this is not what I expected,” the man explains perplexed. “I mean, the song is called Crushing Defeat, but I wouldn’t say a crushing defeat sounds like that. Not that I would know, but.” And then the man has the gall to shrug nonchalantly before continuing speaking. “I should have definitely gone for my first option.”

And he hits play.

Maybe I’m foolish

Maybe I’m blind

Thinking I can see through this

And see what’s behind

Got no way to prove it

So maybe I’m blind

But I’m only human after all

I’m only human after all

And he stops the music right there.

Stiles, whose face had gone from startled to unimpressed in the blink of an eye, goes right into the evil eye territory equally fast.

“Remind me again who’s been dead before?” Stiles says, his voice saccharine sweet.

“Sure! Anything for you, sweetheart,” Peter answers, equally sweet. “I’ll remind you anytime you want that not even Death could win against me. Anything to inspire you when you’re feeling low.”

And he turns back with a self-satisfied smirk to continue whatever he was doing before.

That.

Smarmy.

Bastard.

Stiles will show him a crushing defeat.

(Also, just for that, he’s hoarding all the cookies, dammit.)

—

It has somehow turned into a contest.

It’s way past 4 a.m. and neither of them is bowing out. Stiles has gone through three more structures, gained more knowledge and even more rules. Peter has at least filled ten pages of that journal of his and Stiles has caught him covertly eyeing the coffee cupboard more than once. At this rate, John Stilinski will arrive to see them either conked out over their respective works or stubbornly resisting but about to pass out.

At this point Stiles wishes his dad would appear so he could order him to bed and he’d have the excuse to bow out, but he’d rather face another run around the pool with all the alphas chasing after him than admit to that.

He eyes the cookie plate and mourns its empty state. Then, with a sigh, he turns his attention back the last structure that he has. So far he has confirmed a lot of the things that he already suspected. The more complicated an array gets, the more things you’re trying to change on an object… or the more complicated the object’s composition or the being you’re placing it on is. But so far Stiles has gathered that if you place an array on a living being, you better brace yourself because it’s so complicated that it has disastrous effects more often than not. Which is no good… unless you’re banking on it going wrong to get out of a pinch. Stiles certainly wouldn’t mind making an alpha go boom with failed runework, that’s for sure.

Well, in any case he now has an idea of how the arrays are expanded and of how to link different arrays to cover the more irregular objects or to make domino effects. Of course, he just has the theory and he’ll have to experiment a lot but it’s something that’s not a “crushing defeat”.

He just wants to die.

Stiles barely refrains from hitting his head repeatedly against the table to wake himself up forcefully but only because he still has some dignity left. He looks at the stress ball that he got out to fidget with by hour… whichever it was, he’s lost count. It used to belong to Scott, from when he hurt his hand and he needed to strengthen his muscles. It’s fuchsia with green polka dots all over it and it couldn’t be uglier even if it tried, so it wouldn’t be a big loss if Stiles accidentally murders it.

The material is polyurethane, if he’s not wrong. The thought of getting up to check its mass on the laptop is too much to bear, so Stiles uses his phone to search for it. When he finally has it, he muses over what he needs to change on it to make it bounce. Elasticity, for one, of course. Resistance maybe? And what else to generate the kinetic energy he needs? How much does he need to add or subtract to its original characteristics to get what he wants?

It takes a while, but he decides what structure to use and the runes that form part of it in the end. Then he calculates the size it should have and, after fretting over it for a bit, he decides that you only live once is the attitude to have and starts writing it directly on the ball. After a moment he realizes that pencil is not the way to go and changes to a sharpie. Either the ball is really old or the sharpie is too pointed, but instead of just writing on its surface, he’s partially etching the array. He bites his lip but decides to go on. Then he activates it.

Something catches his attention at the edge of his vision and he turns to find Peter about to fall asleep. Stiles grins triumphantly and picks up his phone to get the visual evidence to lord his victory over the man when he wakes up later. Because he’s going to sleep once he has the picture, dammit, he’s dying.

Right as he’s snapping the picture, the stress ball rolls over the edge and falls to the tiled floor before he can catch it…

… then it ricochets silently but with deadly speed towards the ceiling, where it rebounds again, gaining even more speed than it already had.

“Oh, fuck,” Stiles whispers wide-eyed. “Peter!” he screams right before it hits the man’s head, sending him sprawling to the floor. “Oh, fuck!”

“What the-!” Peter groans, somehow managing to look both like a spooked kitten and as if a train has just rolled over him at the same time.

“Down!” Stiles warns him again as it comes back like a tiny missile. Peter, the idiot, tries to grab it as it passes by. “NO!” he shouts but to no avail.

Peter gets thrown forward and out of the kitchen, where he proceeds to crash onto the living room’s lamp before he can finally stop the momentum, successfully managing to not make another victim out of the TV. The ball continues bouncing and gaining even more speed.

“Oh, fuck,” Stiles whines.

—

When the sheriff comes back home, he’s greeted by a very odd sight. There’s a trash bag full of things in a corner and several items, which includes two lamps, several pictures and a small side table, are missing. There are a lot of round marks over several pieces of furniture, the walls and the ceiling, and quite a few of those round marks look carved in and scorched. From where he is, he can see that the glass from two of the kitchen cupboards is gone and that there are two perfect holes on the dishwasher’s door. There’s a plant without its pot just sitting there on the living room’s table and the missing pot is right at the center of the same table, downturned. Last but not least, Peter Hale and Stiles are completely out, one over the other, on the couch, dark bags scarily prominent under their eyes.

John blinks. And then he blinks even more.

“Well, the house is still standing,” he mutters as he reaches for the pot to take the plant off of the table, because he has to start somewhere to fix the mess, after all, and this is really the only thing he can do right now. The rest he’ll take care of after he wakes up.

“NO!!!!” both Stiles and Peter shout, snapping awake and bolting, just as he lifts the pot from the table.

—

The plant is still on the living room table but the pot holding the ewok -what, it’s a small and harmless looking (fur)ball that’s really dangerous when provoked, dad, where’s the lie?- is in the toilet, with the door closed for good measure.

(There’s another hole in the dishwasher’s door and they’ve lost the two vases that had survived the first assault. Only Peter’s speed saved the laptop and it was only by a hair’s breadth.)

(Stiles is secretly happy that the TV and the recorder haven’t been casualties. He had to pull a The Bodyguard™ move and there’s a round shaped bruise already showing on his stomach, but it was well worth it. He’d die if he missed yesterday’s episode of La Dulce Impostora.)

(Not that he’ll say that aloud, of course.)

It’s mid-afternoon and they’re having breakfast and not feeling any shame about it. Stiles feels like a limp noodle and is ravenous. He has probably already eaten his weight in pancakes with an obscene amount of syrup, but he has no intention of stopping any time soon.

He looks at Peter’s plate covetuously and the man’s lips twitch, but he makes an offering gesture (sassy and a little mocking, but still offering) instead of lording his remaining pancake over Stiles. It takes a lot to not descend over it like a rabid beast, and even more to rise from his seat and make more instead. He even shares them with his dad and Peter, someone should give him medal for the feat.

Just as he’s taking the first bite, the cupboard’s door, which was barely hanging from its hinges, makes a piteous sound and falls first to the counter and then to the ground, dragging a plate to it’s ultimate demise with it. The lack of door reveals that almost all the mugs inside said cupboard have been smashed to smithereens at some point.

“So,” his dad says, looking caught between horrified amusement and resignation.

“You said I’d be grounded if the house wasn’t standing,” Stiles points out, mouth full and all.

Peter snorts and takes a sip of his coffee. Unlike Stiles and John, the bastard doesn’t look tired at all. He’s sitting on the chair as if it’s his throne. Stiles is a petty creature and he really wants to call bullshit because he knows that’s the man’s third cup of coffee, so he can’t be feeling as good as he’s making it look. The need to shoot a dirty look at him for the unfairness of it is almost overwhelming.

“I said I’d definitely ground you if it wasn’t standing, not that I wouldn’t ground you for any other damaged property.”

“What- You- I claim false advertising!” Stiles gasps with a hand over his heart.

“Terribly sorry about that,” John deadpans. “I’m sure I have some complaint forms somewhere. I’ll make sure your reclamation reaches the proper authorities.” He takes a long swallow of coffee and sighs contentedly. “Which would be me, so reclamation dismissed.”

“Abuse! I claim abuse! No, don’t hand me another imaginary reclamation form!”

Welp, this took more than a year. I’ve lost count of how many versions of this chapter I’ve written… and how many times I rewrote each one of those. Sigh.

Thanks @ssree and @nineorfour for proofing this.

⏪Previous

[rwep2014blog]

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Part of the reason why the software is so profitable is that Russell created a complete ecosystem round ClickFunnels. This contains books like DotCom Secrets, in addition to data products and stay events. According to an article from Forbes, Etison LLC is now a 360 million dollar business. An fascinating factor in regards to the course materials is that it’s set on aiding you in being profitable in constructing masterminds, organizing seminars, small group training, and setting up workshops, and so on. It goes a step additional by offering you several advertising methods and techniques that you will require to have a successful program.

Tony Robbins and Dean Graziosi’s new Knowledge Broker Blueprint is the second coming, quite actually, on the way to effectively setup an internet business and find yourself being an elite business proprietor the correct way by. Dean Graziosi and Tony Robbins are legends in the world of masterminds. Knowledge Broker Blueprint is their in-depth training program that can teach you tips on how to further what you understand and create your own profitable mastermind. Given that these two men already have appreciable affect, the individuals they attract to their program are a level aside, and really enhance your learning experience. I additionally host my very own excessive-ticket Mastermind occasions and apply every thing that you have heard about so far from Tony, Dean and Russell contained in the Knowledge Broker Blueprint.

Module 01: Extract it

In this lesson, Tony Robbins teaches you tips on how to have the best attitude and mindset so you’ll be able to boost your progress and attain massive success. This module deals with finding the ultimate place to begin in your knowledge business. It shows you tips on how to find the distinctive experience you possibly can promote to make income and impression the world. These three world-class leaders are the brains behind the Knowledge Broker Blueprint course. Russell has sold tons of of 1000’s of copies of his advertising books, perfect mastermind occasions, and has a following of over 1,000,000 entrepreneurs.Dean obtained his start as an understanding broker just like Tony did, as well as in Module 4 of The Knowledge Broker Blueprint, he reveals you exactly how to join an expert to develop your first top-level knowledge business. Russell Brunson is the founder of ClickFunnels, a sales funnel software application that has helped users make their optimal lifestyle by generating over $63 million in earnings (bonuses).

One of the most vital part of any understanding business is getting clients to appear, and Russell shows you just how in his 47-minute perk video. Russell additionally appears in several reward videos at the end of several of the lessons. Together, Dean, Tony, as well as Russell set out a comprehensive prepare for running your initial top-level mastermind or workshop (Tony Robbins).

Who Is Tony Robbins And russell Brunson

Knowledge Broker Blueprint BonusesDeep down, the suitable individual for this training course has a significant message that they know can help and also offer others. Regrettably, they may really feel overloaded or entirely shed concerning where to start as well as how to obtain their message across. The ideal person for this training course may function excessive as well as the thought of starting a mastermind is just too frustrating.

syndicated from Best Bonuses for Knowledge Broker Blueprint from Rick Porter and Imminent Business

syndicated from Originally posted on Best Bonuses for Knowledge Broker Blueprint from Rick Porter and Imminent Business

[mydearest-sunshines-blog]

Author’s Background

Margaret Atwood --- is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, inventor, and environmental activist. She is the second child of three children. Atwood realized she wanted to write when she was at the age of 16. Even though she’s a known novelist she also published 15 books about poetry. She is the founder of a non profit literary organization called the Writers’ Trust of Canada who seeks to encourage the writing community of Canada. She also portrays female characters dominated by patriarchy in her novels.  She gives importance on women's social oppression as a result from patriarchal ideology.

Summary 

A low art which is an excerpt from The Penelopiad have garnered any reader’s attention through the opening section of the narrative stating the character’s already dead.

Penelope stated how she’s dead in the first line was already interesting. The narrative picks up when she described how she was a faithful wife to his eminent husband. She knew her husband is cheating on her and kept on telling lies but she stayed quiet and timid. She wanted to scream but sounded like an owl. She’s faithful but was almost tempted to do the same deed, to also cheat on her husband. After main events were over she realized how many people were laughing at her behind her back. They were mocking her, making jokes both clean and dirty. She ignored all of that, or rather kept her mouth shut because for her storytelling is considered a low art. She had a plan and knows when to attack, she knows when to make use of the opinions people had but she could care less for other’s opinions anyway. She’ll spin a thread of her own nevertheless.

UNLOCKING OF WORDS!

1. factoids  - trivial item of news

It seems that this factoid interests you that much.

 2. eminent - famous and respected within a particular sphere

My mom is an eminent doctor. 

 3. rampages - rush around in a violent manner

The rebels went on rampage, throwing stones and shooting guns. 

 4. jeering - make rude and mocking remarks

I tried to ignore the jeering crowd although it hurts.

 5. fumbling -  use the hands clumsily while handling something

He made a fumbling attempt to explain his behavior. 

 6. minstrel - a medieval singer or musician

My grandfather was once minstrel who performs every night. 

 7. preposterous - absurd or ridiculous 

Stop giving me preposterous excuses. 

 8. unscrupulousness - not honest or fair

That businessman's unscrupulousness will surely lead his business into failure. 

 9. compulsion - being forced to do something

I gave in to one of my compulsions and bought chocolate ice cream for dessert.

 10. plausible -  seeming reasonable or probable

I thought her explanation was perfectly plausible

GUIDE QUESTIONS

1. Why does Penelope consider storytelling “a low art?”

Penelope consider storytelling a low art since the storytelling she talked about is the love shared between her and her husband. However, love is supposed to be mutual relationship between two people who try and make things work out. But, Penelope who claims to be faithful continued to be faithful but chose to ignore or set aside her true feelings about the sin her husband committed. That’s what makes it a low art.

2. How does Penelope’s portrayal differ from the traditional portrayal of Odysseus? What do you think of Odysseus?

Penelope’s portrayal differ from the traditional portrayal of Odysseus with its context about having own perspectives. Penelope’s portrayal focused more on her struggles being the one being cheated on. While the traditional portrayal of Odysseus paved the way for heroic acts he did that overshadowed his dark acts.

3. Based on Penelope’s perspective, how is she different from how the epic portrays her? What do you think of Penelope’s character in the preceding story?

Penelope’s perspective differ from how the epic portrays her in a sense that she views her husband as respectable and that she is someone who would try and gulp down all the insults she hears. But on the other hand, the epic portrays her as someone who stays quiet but waits for the right time to drop the bomb of her own.

4. What does she have to say about the “official version” of what happened? Why does she point this out?

The official version is Penelope being the one who cheats on her husband. The author tries to point this literary work coming from a woman’s perspective. She voiced out the power women in Greek culture never had through this contemporary twist of Homer’s “official version”.

5. Why does she call herself “a stick to beat other women with”? Do you agree with her? Why or why not?

I somehow agree with her on this context. She only wanted to point out the unfairness of the character development for women in this literary work. And how most women are viewed as unfaithful when most of the time it’s the other way around.

6. Why does Penelope say that she “sounds like an owl” when she tries to warn other women?

She "sounds like an owl" when warning other women because only a bit of sound can be heard. Owls are known for being calm. Whenever they make a sound, it goes out softly, very gentle to hear. Just like her, then even though she wanted to shout to other women, she can't because everything that she wants to say would be very soft to hear. 

7. How much of ancient history do you think is fact and how much on gossip or exaggeration? 

 For me, ancient history as a fact would be proven by evidences like remains or ruins of particular things. But such is a gossip or exaggeration when it comes to its background, myths and/or legends according to the people living during that time.

8. Do you think a story is colored by the biases of the storyteller? Support your answer.

Well, it actually depends. If its her own original story, then yes, the story is colored by the biases of the to storyteller. But if not, like for example, making a story of a part of a person's life, then it should not be biased and instead should be based on the real happenings of a particular event of another person's life. 

9. Do you think history is colored by the biases of the historian? Support your answer.

Well if the biases of the historian is based on the facts of a history, then yes, it's colored by its biases. But sometimes, some things may be exaggerated for it to look or think it really happened which really didn’t.

10. Does this story change the way you look at literature and history? Why or why not?

It doesn’t change because literature is a form of literary entertainment. It entertains people through reading or writing. And with the combination of literature and history, it gives such piece creativity in which a person could express his own way for him to be satisfied and for others to be inspired. 

Individual Reflection 

[ khelsly’s ] 

Both literature and history are expected to clash and seeing how this made an impact on this literary work of Margaret Atwood, it made more sense how all writers take time in revising or thinking of a great concept they go for.This very excerpt whether it’s a twist from the original version it still gave flavor to both stories since all sides are heard and somehow made relevant perceptions of the issue. Though Atwood focuses more on female character portrayal it is clear that she knows how to grab a reader’s attention.   

[ althea’s ]

Learning literature and history is very important. Knowing the history, the origin of particular things and places, it gives us the overwhelming feeling that we were given an opportunity to learn such history that may be one of the reasons of what is happening now. Learning literature, it gives us the idea of expressing ourselves through creative writings and inspiring ourselves through reading. And having them together would mean how creative a person's mind is. Through this, it may give information and at the same time, entertainment to all, especially to those who really are fond of reading.

[njawaidofficial]

'Game of Thrones' Season 7: Kit Harington Interview

http://styleveryday.com/2017/07/11/game-of-thrones-season-7-kit-harington-interview/

'Game of Thrones' Season 7: Kit Harington Interview

Jon Snow was gone. Then he wasn’t. Mirroring his character’s arc, Kit Harington was gone from the Game of Thrones press circuit — and now he’s not.

“It’s nice to be back,” the actor tells The Hollywood Reporter, “and not feel like I’m a walking spoiler.”

Indeed, there was absolutely nothing Harington could say about Jon’s season six storyline at the time, nor anything anyone else could say in that regard. The character’s very existence in the sixth year of the HBO fantasy epic was the spoiler to avoid, which was a difficult prospect given the size and scope of Jon’s role in everything.

For those who haven’t revisited season six since it aired: Jon was returned from the dead courtesy of Melisandre (Carice van Houten), the Red Priestess who performed a resurrection ceremony, seemingly failed, then was as surprised as anyone when the 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch sprang back to life. From there, Jon shrugged off his Lord Commander robes and embarked on a new mission: rallying the North to prepare for war against the White Walkers. 

First, Jon was forced to take out the garbage person running amok in his ancestral home of Winterfell: Lord Ramsay (Iwan Rheon), the so-called Bastard of Bolton. Jon’s battle against Ramsay was not without casualties (RIP Rickon), but the campaign was successful, thanks to the help of his sister Sansa (Sophie Turner), Tormund Giantsbane (Kristofer Hivju) and his wildling warriors, and an eleventh hour assist from the Knights of the Vale. Now, Ramsay’s gone, and Jon’s the man in charge of Winterfell — the latest man to wear the mantle of “King in the North,” a proverbial crown that’s not likely to fit comfortably on his head.

“He seems to be the one person who’s gotten to leadership without actually asking for it,” Harington says. “He started the series as an illegitimate black sheep in the family who’s just going up to this, back and beyond, to achieve nothing. And now he’s the King in the North. He never aimed for that. He never expected it. He never asked for it. I think he’s proud of it, but I think he’s going to have about 10 seconds to be proud of it before he’s right back in the proverbial poop.”

For what it’s worth, one man has confidence that Jon can side-step the muck: Liam Cunningham, who plays Davos Seaworth, the former Stannis Baratheon lieutenant who now serves as one of Jon’s single most trusted advisors. 

“He’s a good man,” says Cunningham. “We all have confidence in Jon that he’ll do the right thing and wouldn’t succumb to power — but power is a difficult and dangerous drug, so we shall see there.”

Cunningham points to the common theme in Game of Thrones: “The nature of power and what it can do to good men. That’s why Davos defended Stannis for so long. There was a good man in there who got consumed by the drug that is power. We’re talking about holding up a mirror to society here.” And there are more than a few people lurking in Winterfell who want to see that mirror break, like Littlefinger (Aidan Gillan), the political animal who wants nothing more than to drive a wedge between Jon and Sansa — nothing, save for his own ascension to the Iron Throne, of course.

“It’s one of the reasons he’s been nurturing this relationship with Sansa Stark,” Gillen says about how Littlefinger plans to move about Winterfell. “Clever as he is, he knows that she’s the most appropriate person to align himself with right now. He also wants to use that relationship to observe Sansa and observe what’s happening around [Winterfell] — for instance, Jon. [He wants] to undermine her relationship with Jon. It’s the best position he can be in for now. Let’s see where that goes.”

We’ll also have to see where things go in terms of Jon and his secret origin. It was revealed at the end of season six that Jon’s not the son of Eddard Stark (Sean Bean) as he always believed. Instead, his mother is Ned’s late sister Lyanna Stark, and it’s heavily suggested that his father is Rhaegar Targaryen — a twist that would make Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) Jon’s aunt. For his part, Harington is quick to caution that the first element of the R+L=J equation remains unconfirmed.

“It’s important to say at the moment that it looks clear that this fan theory is going to come true, but we don’t know that yet,” he says. “We know Lyanna Stark is his mother, but we don’t know who his father is for sure yet. But when I read all of that, I was very excited by it. There’s obviously been this mystery for him for many seasons and many years. I love that he doesn’t know about it. We all know about it, but he’s completely in the dark about it. As far as he knows, he’s still the illegitimate child of Ned Stark and some southern woman somewhere. That’s all he thinks.”

Someone is on his way to meet Jon, and he holds the answers to Lord Snow’s secret beginnings: Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright), who used his time-spanning gifts as the new Three-Eyed Raven to visit the moment of Jon’s birth at the end of season six. When we last saw him, Bran was on his way back to Westeros after spending several seasons beyond the Wall. If he makes it back to Winterfell, he’ll have the surprising answers to the questions Jon doesn’t even know to ask… but that’s an if, according to Wright, and even if Bran and the other Starks reunite in Winterfell, it might not be the happy reunion fans are hoping to see.

“If a Stark reunion ever were to happen, I think it would be bittersweet,” he says. “All of them have been in so many different places and done so many different things. Bran is the Three-Eyed Raven, Arya (Maisie Williams) is an assassin, Sansa has been bandied about by Littlefinger and Ramsay and Joffrey (Jack Gleeson); not the best taste in gentlemen. I don’t know that it would be exactly what everyone wants.”

For his part, Harington doesn’t know if even Jon knows what he wants, other than to stop the White Walkers from invading Westeros. Whatever fate lies in store for the King in the North, it’s hard for Harington to picture a happy outcome. 

“I think happiness is a very strange term to associate with Jon,” he says. “He has a very odd sense of what happy is. It might not be everybody else’s happy. I don’t know what happiness is for Jon. I actually think secretly deep down, he’s a bit of a psychopath, weirdly. He looks for violence. In a strange way, and I said this to [director Miguel Sapochnik] during ‘Battle of the Bastards,’ I think that in a weird way this could be Jon’s natural home, on this battlefield, where he comes to life. For all of his good, he’s a violent man.”

Wherever the violence leads, the man’s journey ends one season from now — if not sooner. 

“It’s been my life through my twenties,” Harington says about the show’s imminent end. “It will be very emotional when it finishes for me. It might finish for me this year; who knows. It’s a strange thing to fathom, not coming back and doing Game of Thrones. But it’s also the right time.”

Game of Thrones returns July 16. Keep following THR.com/GameOfThrones for interviews, news, theories and more.

Game of Thrones

Source

#Game #Harington #Interview #Kit #Season #Thrones

[mcnaughton]

Abandoning Hope -- Some Thoughts on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

*NOTE: I wrote this the day after seeing Rogue One at the cinema. I don't do FB, so I posted it to my neglected G+ and linked to Twitter ( twitter.com/drewmcnaughton ). Every few years I remember I have a Tumblr, so I'm sharing it here 6 months later. Also, to correct the opening sentence, I did not see R1 again in theaters, making it the first live action Star Wars movie I've ever only seen once on the big screen. Enjoy....... Original Post 12/16/16 ( https://plus.google.com/108163877778963936170/posts/TUqccQPVkzf ) I will see Rogue One again while it is still at the cinema. That isn't really saying much since I saw Phantom Menace five times during the summer of 1999, back when I had way more time on my hands and George Lucas was only in his first phase of ruining my childhood. Today at work, I told people who knew I saw it last night that if they like Star Wars, then Rogue One is worth seeing, and if they had seen all of them, then they had already seen worse Star Wars movies as well as much better ones (among which I would include The Force Awakens). I did not really know what to expect walking into Rogue One as I had read no spoilers other than there would be no opening crawl (real spoilers will follow below). While I was looking forward to seeing it, it was the least excited I had ever been for a new Star Wars movie (I was 4 years old when Jedi premiered, and the Emperor's force lightning torture of Luke was too much for my little mind to handle). I identified at least two reasons for my lack of enthusiasm: it would not move the saga forward nor would it likely answer long pondered questions since in at least a general sense we already know what happens because it is literally spelled out for us in the opening title crawl of the original Star Wars. Also, we just got a new Star Wars a year ago. I probably will be much more excited for Episode VIII next year, but it is also possible that the House of Mouse Star Wars saturation is already taking its toll. ***Spoilers below, you've been warned*** I walked away from Rogue One with mixed feelings. I did not enjoy it as much as I did last year's The Force Awakens. This is largely due to Rogue One’s paper thin characters. I don’t dislike Jyn or the Captain guy. The blind Jedi inspired warrior and his brick shithouse companion are fun. I especially got a huge kick out of blind Chirrut (I had to Google his name because I honestly could not remember it) saying "May the Force of Others Be With You" and his reference to the Whills, both of which are ancient relics of the earliest drafts of The Star Wars by Lucas (I highly recommend The Star Wars comic book miniseries that brings the rough draft to life; it isn't exactly what I'd characterize as a good story, but it is a fascinating look at from what Star Wars evolved, as well as how certain elements emerged decades later in the prequels, for better or worse). But the only character I really cared about was the droid K-2S0. He dies. They all die. That was fairly predictable. But only K-2S0's sacrifice made me even somewhat emotional. The Captain is a one note character, and while I embrace the diversity on display in these new Star Wars films, I honestly had a difficult time understanding some of his dialogue due at least in part to the character’s (or actor’s) accent. Then there is Jyn, who goes from not really caring about the Rebellion (or anything for that matter) to preaching about "hope" to Mon Mothma almost immediately after her father is killed, seemingly turning on a dime in terms of her character’s motivation. This character’s shift is less convincing than Anakin's turn to the Dark Side. I cared less about Jyn after 2+ hours than I did about Rey in her first couple of minutes on screen in The Force Awakens while scavenging the crashed Star Destroyer, hocking her goods, and making her portion of space bread. Maybe it was a difference in the quality of the acting, the script writing, or both. The absense of characters in whom I am emotionally invested is a big problem I have in fully embracing Rogue One. Not caring about the characters is largely what sank the prequels, especially The Phantom Menace (though to be fair, I really liked Ewan McGregor’s performance in Attack of the Clones because he seemed to be having fun with the role, and even Hayden Christensen had a few shining moments about midway through Revenge of the Sith where I actually felt his inner turmoil). Speaking of which, Darth Vader is in Rogue One and it is pretty awesome. We see his lava planet castle, based on old conceptual art for Empire Strikes Back, I believe. Most of the planets in Rogue One are identified by title cards. This one is not, though I assumed it was Mustafar and I'm sure that will be confirmed or denied through some official Star Wars sanctioned means if it hasn't already. I absolutely love the planet Jedha, with the relics of the last remaining Jedi temple and fallen statues that are very much in the spirit of the Lord of the Rings films (think The Argonath from Fellowship of the Ring). Pretty much everything that happens on this planet are my favorite parts of the movie. I'm getting slightly ahead of myself here though. The film opens with a somewhat cliched scene of young Jyn seeing the murder of her mother and abduction of her father by the Imperial bad guy who needs help finishing the construction of the Death Star. It is notable that the mother is wearing clothing very similar to the Jedi robes in the prequels that were also worn by common Tatooine folks in A New Hope and Return of the Jedi. She also is the bearer of a Kyber Crystal, which have long been known to be the power element for both Jedi/Sith lightsabers as well as the Death Star's main weapon, though never acknowledged on film until now. We then flash forward to Jyn in an imperial jail. It is at this point that I really started to worry about Rogue One because in the next 10 minutes, we visit at least 4 different planets, and I started to wonder if the film was heading into a narrative nightmare not witnessed since David Lynch's Dune (which, in full disclosure, I absolutely love, though I'd never try to convince anyone that it is actually a good movie). Fortunately it does not (although perhaps Rogue One would be far more memorable if it was a complete disaster of a film rather than one that is just somewhat off its mark). As I write this, it has been about 24 hours since I saw Rogue One, and that brief, messy stretch of the film is mostly a blur in my mind, but at its outset, Jyn is going to help the Rebels find Saw Gerrera played by Ghost Dog himself Forest Whitaker because plot reasons.. That leads to the terrific sequences on Jedha. The film is worth seeing for these alone. In The Force Awakens, Han Solo stated that Luke Skywalker went in search of the last Jedi temple. Perhaps what we see on Jedha will come into play in next year's Episode VIII, or perhaps not. There was no teaser for Episode VIII before or after Rogue One. Then a bunch of stuff happens: Jyn's dad dies, we see Tarkin which is cool, and we see some other OT characters, some of whom's cameos are clever, while others are shameless fan service and pandering. And then we get to the film's third act, which has been what most people who have seen and enjoyed Rogue One have pointed to as its highlight. Frankly, I was underwhelmed. Again, I got a little emotional when the droid K-2S0 is killed protecting Jyn and Captain guy. Many of the more iconic images from the film's trailers didn't even make into the final cut of this sequence (which calls into question the apparent validity of the rumors of the production being troubled). I did not hate this extended sequence, but this is the first time in any Star Wars movie where I was not fully engaged in the epic battle. Yes, that includes the ones in the prequels. I did really like when Darth Vader's Star Destroyer popped up to thwart any sense of pure victory the Rebels may have felt after capturing the Death Star plans. Then we see Princess Leia, obviously a special effect, and she lightspeeds away on the Tantave IV into the opening shot of Episode IV. This all calls into question why The House of Mouse felt compelled to make this movie. Well, the answer is simple, to continue to make "a shitload of money" (to quote Lone Star from Spaceballs) off of their $4 billion investment. But why this story? My guess is that the powers that be recognized that Revenge of the Sith’s attempt to tie directly into the beginning of A New Hope failed miserably, largely because of the 20 year gap in the saga timeline between the two films. This is probably why they went with Princess Leia at the end of Rogue One and not Artoo and Threepio, since we already saw them on the Tantave IV in one of the last shots in Episode III. There's a lot of unaccounted for events on the Star Wars timeline, especially in light of the abandonment of the Extended Universe (which was fine by me because most of those novels and comic books were really dumb) and the introduction of new characters, concepts and entities in The Force Awakens. Maybe years from now (or much sooner) we'll get to see the Battle of Jaku on the big screen in another standalone film. I would have preferred that to what we get in Rogue One. Some of my specific nitpicks, such as how can the X- and U-Wings destroy the AT-ATs when in Empire Strikes Back their "armor is too strong for blasters", I've already found answers to -- according to Den Of Geek, these are actually AT-ACTs, designed for cargo, not combat ( http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/star-wars/260771/star-wars-rogue-one-easter-eggs-and-reference-guide ). My brother picked up on some other nitpicks, particularly how the end of Rogue One and the beginning of A New Hope don't exactly match up ( https://t.co/q881t4Jr5e ). I'm sure more of those will occur to the collective Star Wars community as time goes by and second, third and perhaps fourth theatrical viewings occur. *****END SPOILERS**** Look, when new Star Wars (and also Star Trek) movies are released, I am tense when I see them the first time because I am anxiously waiting for them to start sucking. There is an unfortunate precedent for that for these two franchises. In the last year, I enjoyed both The Force Awakens and Star Trek Beyond way more on subsequent viewings than I did the first times. In the case of Rogue One, it stumbles out of the gate, then thrives during the Jedha sequences, and finally settles in as a B-/C+ grade Star Wars film. There is a chance I might like it even less when I see it again, but I might also find more to appreciate. I've seen the worst Star Wars and Star Trek films at least several dozen times each, and the best ones hundreds if not thousands of times (no exaggeration…. I wore out my VHS copies of Star Wars, Empire, Wrath of Khan, Search for Spock and The Voyage Home as a kid). I'll see Rogue One again. I even look forward to it. I just HOPE I find something more to like about it. 

[anseladams03]

How to Improve Your Alexa Ranking in 30 Days or Less

Numbers don’t lie.

When it comes to the popularity and overall value of your business, it’s important to have a solid Alexa Ranking.

Why? It’s a common metric that potential business partners, investors, etc. will use to determine the state of your business.

They’ll use it to gauge your business’s health and whether it’s trending up or down.

The lower your Alexa Rank, the better, and vice versa.

This is why so many business owners agonize over their Alexa Rank and work tirelessly to improve it.

In this post, I’d like to discuss two key things.

First, I’d like to talk about the factors that Alexa assesses when determining rankings.

Second, I’d like to offer a tangible strategy you can use to improve your Alexa Ranking in 30 days or less.

Let’s hit it.

What’s an Alexa Rank?

Just to be sure we’re on the same page, allow me to formally define an Alexa Rank.

According to Avangate,

“It’s a ranking system set by alexa.com (a subsidiary of amazon.com) that audits and makes public the frequency of visits on various web sites.

Alexa’s support section clarifies matters even more by explaining how its traffic rankings are determined:

“Alexa’s traffic estimates and ranks are based on the browsing behavior of people in our global data panel which is a sample of all Internet users. Alexa’s Traffic Ranks are based on the traffic data provided by users in Alexa’s global data panel over a rolling 3 month period.”

Here’s what Google’s Alexa Rank looks like at number one:

And here’s what Quick Sprout looks like at the moment:

Not nearly as good as Google but solid nonetheless, considering the fact that the lowest ranked website is somewhere around 30 million.

Which factors does Alexa analyze?

Before we can formulate a game plan, it’s important to understand what Alexa is looking at when assigning a ranking to websites.

Fortunately, Alexa is very upfront about how its data is calculated.

According to the Alexa Blog, “Every day, Alexa estimates the average daily visitors and pageviews to every site over the past 3 months. The site with the highest combination of visitors and pageviews over the past 3 months is ranked #1.”

“The site with the least is ranked somewhere around 30 million. If no one in our measurement panel visited a site over the past 3 months there is no rank at all for that site.”

They also provide a couple of graphs to illustrate this:

Of course, Google receives more traffic than any other site on the Internet.

It gets more daily visitors and pageviews, so it sits at the top of the mountain.

Alexa also points out the fact that the closer you get to the top of the plot, the harder it gets to move up a rank.

While it may be fairly easy for a site ranking 24,500,132 to move up to, say, 20 million, it’s significantly more difficult to climb from 50 to 40.

The main takeaway is that it’s all about two key factors: (1) average daily visitors and (2) pageviews over the last three months.

That being said, here’s what you need to do in order to improve your Alexa Ranking quickly.

Certify your site metrics

If you don’t mind making a small investment, it’s a good idea to use Alexa’s Certified Site Metrics.

This will give you an Alexa Certified Code, which will directly measure your site’s traffic.

It offers several advantages:

You get a more accurate Alexa Rank

You have access to more in-depth analytics reports (there’s a private dashboard)

You can closely monitor your site’s performance

You also have the option of displaying unique visitors, pageviews, and ranks publicly

Here are the different pricing options:

It’s also important to note that you get a free monthly SEO audit with the “Insight” plan and a full site audit with the “Advanced” plan every two weeks.

This is just something to keep in mind when choosing a plan.

Here’s a screenshot from Alexa support, explaining how to get your site certified:

The bottom line is that certifying your site metrics gives you an advantage over other websites.

You can gain a clearer perspective on the health of your site and are equipped with tools to improve your ranking.

Produce epic content

Sorry if I sound like a broken record with the whole “epic content” thing.

But when you break it all down, it’s an essential component of online marketing on many levels.

I’m not going to bore you with all the gory details, but it’s extremely important to create A+ content that genuinely satisfies your audience.

Check out this guide I wrote on Neil Patel for pretty much everything you need to know on the subject.

This will be a necessity for boosting your Alexa Ranking.

Get quality backlinks

What are two critical factors that Google takes into account when assigning a ranking to your website?

Trust and authority. In fact, “Domain trust/authority represents 23.87% of Google’s ranking algorithm.”

One of the most straightforward ways to increase your site’s trust/authority is to obtain quality inbound links.

You know the drill. They need to be from reputable, relevant websites.

I realize this is obviously easier said than done.

I wish it was as easy as putting out a few decent blog posts and having multiple big name publications chomping at the bit to link to you.

Of course, it’s a fairly arduous process.

But at the end of the day, it all goes back to creating great content.

In fact, I like to adhere to the 90/10 rule of link building, where “90% of your effort should go into creating great content, and 10% into link building.”

And when it comes to the process of link building, there’s one technique that outshines all the rest: guest-posting.

Now, I’m not going to rehash what I’ve already written about this topic here. But you can learn the essentials from this guide on Quick Sprout.

If you can get even a few guest posts published on reputable websites, this should result in an improved Alexa Ranking within a month.

Analyze your competitors’ keywords

Here’s a question for you.

What’s your motivation behind wanting to improve your Alexa Ranking?

I bet it’s to have a better ranking than your primary competitors. Right?

Of course, you’ll want to outperform the competition. But how do you go about it?

One of the best ways to gain an edge with your Alexa Rank, and with SEO in general, is to analyze your competitors’ keywords.

You’ll want to know which keywords are bringing them the most traffic, generating backlinks, and so on.

Once you know which keywords are driving the bulk of traffic to their websites, you can optimize your site for those keywords and build momentum.

It’s like killing two birds with one stone. Not only will your Alexa Rank improve, your overall SEO rankings should improve as well.

But how can you analyze their keywords?

I recommend using Google’s Keyword Planner.

There are a lot of tools out there, but this is perhaps the most universal. Besides, Google is usually the go-to source for Internet data.

Here’s what you do.

Go to your Keyword Planner dashboard.

Click on “Search for new keywords using a phrase, website or category.”

Under “Your landing page,” type in the URL of a competitor.

I’ll just use quicksprout.com as an example:

Click on “Get Ideas” at the bottom, and your screen will be populated with a list of competitor keywords.

Here are just a handful that popped up from my search:

The great thing about using the Keyword Planner is that you can instantly determine the volume of monthly searches and the level of competition for each keyword.

Creating better content that outperforms your competitors is a great way to gradually boost your SEO and at the same time improve your Alexa Rank.

But in order to see a significant improvement within 30 days, I would suggest first going after the “low hanging fruit,” meaning keywords with minimal competition and a lot of searches.

Focus on those initially for a surge in your ranking.

Conclusion

In many ways, your Alexa Rank directly affects the health and progress of your business.

It’s something that key stakeholders will often look at when determining whether or not your company is worth doing business with.

Therefore, achieving a favorable ranking (at least in the top 100,000) should be a priority.

If you follow this formula, I can pretty much guarantee that you will see at least a reasonable improvement fairly quickly.

However, if your site ranks really poorly, it may take awhile to get to the point where your business is attractive to stakeholders.

And because your Alexa Rank is such an important metric, I recommend making your efforts at improving it ongoing.

How big of a factor has your Alexa Ranking been in terms of business partnerships and opportunities?

from Quick Sprout http://ift.tt/2l1ogna from Blogger http://ift.tt/2lSWYRz February 17, 2017 at 09:35PM