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mymediaarchive · 3 months ago

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#3 - Masterminds (Book One)

Title: Masterminds (Book One)

Published: 2015

Written by: Gordon Korman

Wider Universe: Masterminds (Book Series)

Format: Paperback Book

Date Entered: 3/20/2025

Number Read: First-Time

Entry Number: 3

Characters: Eli, Malik, Amber, Tori, Hector, Randy

Opinion: Amazing

Plot: A group of children discover that something more insidious is afoot in their small town of Serenity, New Mexico when one of their classmates is sent away to live with his grandparents—except he says he’s being sent away to boarding school, because, for some reason, some of the children in the town are “special,” and some aren’t, leaving his best friend Eli and his classmates grasping for answers.

My thoughts: Wow?? I really was on the edge of my seat this whole time. Other than the brief sample I read on my Kindle app before deciding to purchase the book, I read this in one day, mostly between two sittings. Gordon Korman amazes with this exciting mystery—and I just can’t wait for the next two in the series to come in the mail!

Overall, I found this to be a very intriguing work. While I did go into this book knowing what to expect from TikTok, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the writing and Korman’s ability to subvert my expectations.

I quite enjoyed getting to know the characters in this story. They’re all fleshed-out well and unique in their own ways. Korman’s ability to create a voice for each character is remarkable. I can clearly distinguish each of them in their internal monologues throughout the story.

SPOILERS AHEAD

I 100% expected for the group to have already escaped by about halfway into the novel—which I realize now wasn’t very accurate, but Korman’s dedication to a realistic break-out was amazing. While one could argue that some suspension of disbelief was required there, I think rather the opposite—it seemed quite realistic to me, given the facts in the novel.

I’ll start off by talking about the most surprising thing for me—Hector’s death. While I still hold to the theory that Hector managed to hide and will meet up with the group sometime in the future (since it would make no sense for him to be the focal point of the factory break-in chapter, if not), just the idea that his character was left unresolved at the end of the novel devastates me. I really felt for the kid, and I hope I get to see more of him in the future.

Malik’s guilt and remorse is incredibly sad—while I wanted him to realize the error in his ways, of course, I didn’t want him to do so by losing his best friend. If Hector survived, then I can understand the tactic, but I truly don’t know how well Malik will hold up in the real world if Hector is truly gone. They really were close—closer than Malik will still admit.

Amber’s character development was truly interesting. I wasn’t expecting the complete change in character after the truth was revealed to her, but I can see how she reacted that way after it happened. She’s a very regimented person, and as evidenced by her fight with Tori, she dislikes having her routines disrupted. Finding out that her whole life was a lie would take a big toll on her.

Eli and Tori were also very interesting characters, as well as pretty typical for this genre. That’s not to say that I don’t like them—it’s just that they haven’t stood out too much to me yet. They’re both strong and brave kids, and I hope it works out for all of them in the end.

The whole premise of the world created here is truly the kind of thing that I love reading/watching. Teenage dystopian sci-fi is just my favorite blend of horrors all together. The creeping realization that set in on the characters was very entrapping, like watching a train wreck happen before your own eyes. As outsiders, we clearly know that what was happening in Serenity wasn’t natural—but they didn’t, because they were born there. Korman did an amazing job dragging us into their so-different world.

I ordered the next two books today, so hopefully I’ll be able to read them next week. I’m very much looking forward to it.

#mymediaarchives #masterminds #Opinion: Amazing

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cherymotors · 4 months ago

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Best Family SUVs: Compact vs. Full-Sized — Which One is Right for You?

Finding the perfect family SUV can be a challenge, with so many options available in the market. When considering a vehicle for your family, you need to prioritize safety, space, comfort, technology, and efficiency. The choice often comes down to whether you should go for a compact SUV or a full-sized SUV. To help you make an informed decision, we compare two excellent options: the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro (Compact SUV) and the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max (Full-Sized SUV). Both SUVs offer exceptional value, advanced technology, and strong safety features, but each is designed for different types of families and lifestyles.

Tiggo 4 Pro: The Ideal Compact SUV for City Families

Best Use Scenarios:

✔ Urban commuting and city driving

✔ Small families or couples looking for efficiency and affordability

✔ Daily errands and weekend getaways

✔ Budget-conscious buyers who want modern features without high costs

✔ Easy parking and maneuverability in tight spaces

Key Features of the Tiggo 4 Pro

Efficient Performance & Fuel Economy

- Fuel Consumption: 7.3L/100km, making it highly fuel-efficient.

- Turbocharged Engine: Offers a balance of power and fuel efficiency.

- Smooth Ride: Designed for comfortable city driving and highway cruising.

Modern and Stylish Design

- Bold exterior design with sleek LED headlights and a sporty front grille.

- Premium and elegant interior with high-quality materials.

- Heated front seats for added comfort in cold weather.

- 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Technology and Safety

- Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), including:

- Adaptive Cruise Control

- Blind-spot detection

- Lane-keeping assist

- 360-degree cameras for enhanced safety and parking ease

- Comprehensive airbag system with front, side, and curtain airbags.

- Smart Key with push-button start for keyless entry.

- Premium 6-speaker sound system for an immersive audio experience.

Comfort and Practicality

- Surprisingly spacious interior for a compact SUV.

- Comfortable seating for passengers on long drives.

- Large cargo space, perfect for groceries, sports gear, or luggage.

- Affordable price point, making it a great value-for-money SUV.

- Low emissions for eco-conscious buyers.

Tiggo 8 Pro Max: The Premium 7-Seat SUV for Large Families

Best Use Scenarios:

✔ Larger families who need a spacious interior

✔ Long road trips and vacations

✔ Luxury seekers who want high-end features at a competitive price

✔ Families who require extra seating or cargo space

✔ Drivers who need an SUV for both city and off-road driving

Key Features of the Tiggo 8 Pro Max

Powerful Performance & Comfort

- Fuel Consumption: 8.1L — 8.7L/100km, balanced for a full-sized SUV.

- 2.0L Turbocharged Engine with 375Nm of torque for effortless acceleration.

- Four-Wheel Drive (4WD) capability for off-road adventures and tough terrain.

- Smooth and quiet suspension system, perfect for long journeys.

Luxurious Design & Spacious Interior

- Premium leather upholstery and soft-touch materials throughout the cabin.

- Breathtaking panoramic sunroof for a bright and airy feel.

- 7-seat configuration with three rows of comfortable seating.

- Ventilated and heated seats, plus massaging front seats for ultimate relaxation.

- Dual-zone or tri-zone climate control for personalized comfort.

Advanced Technology & Connectivity

- 12.3 LCD dual-screen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay & Android Auto.

- Smartphone-controlled remote start and climate control.

- Wireless charging for added convenience.

- Integrated dashcam for security and recording your journey.

- Over-the-air software updates to keep your system current.

Safety & Driver Assistance Features

- Five-Star ANCAP Safety Rating for maximum protection.

- Comprehensive ADAS Suite, including:

- Adaptive Cruise Control

- Automatic Emergency Braking

- Blind-spot monitoring

- Lane Departure Warning

- 360-degree parking sensors and cameras

- Multiple airbags, including front, side, and curtain airbags.

Practicality & Family-Friendly Features

- Flexible seating with folding rear rows to maximize cargo space.

- Ideal for families who frequently travel with kids or extra passengers.

- Advanced soundproofing for a quiet cabin experience.

- Exceptional value for a luxury SUV, undercutting many premium rivals.

Which SUV Should You Choose?

The best SUV for your family depends on your lifestyle, budget, and daily driving needs. Here’s a quick summary to help you decide:

Feature Tiggo 4 Pro (Compact SUV) Tiggo 8 Pro Max (Full-Sized SUV)

Best for Small families, city driving, budget-conscious buyers Large families, road trips, luxury seekers

Seating 5 seats 7 seats (three-row seating)

Fuel Efficiency 7.3L/100km (more efficient) 8.1L — 8.7L/100km (higher fuel use)

Technology 10.25” touchscreen, CarPlay, Android Auto 12.3” dual-screen, CarPlay, Android Auto, wireless charging

Luxury Features Heated front seats, premium sound system Leather upholstery, massaging seats, panoramic sunroof

Safety ADAS, adaptive cruise, lane-keeping assist ADAS, blind-spot monitoring, 360-degree sensors

Cargo Space Generous for a compact SUV Large cargo area with foldable seats

Price More affordable, great value Premium pricing but packed with features

Final Thoughts: The Best SUV for Your Family

Both the Tiggo 4 Pro and Tiggo 8 Pro Max offer excellent features for families, but the choice comes down to what you need most in an SUV.

- If you want a budget-friendly, fuel-efficient, and compact SUV that’s perfect for city driving and small families, the Tiggo 4 Pro is an excellent choice.

- If you need a spacious, high-tech, and luxurious SUV with room for 7 passengers and long-distance comfort, the Tiggo 8 Pro Max is the way to go.

Whichever SUV you choose, Chery’s commitment to quality, safety, and value ensures that you’re getting a fantastic family-friendly vehicle that meets your needs. Visit your nearest Chery dealership today to explore these models and find the perfect SUV for your lifestyle!

#7 seat suv #family suv

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eurovision-del · 2 years ago

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So that was the first semi final! No big surprises with the qualifiers, and overall I thought it was a decent show!

Qualifiers:

Croatia: Very glad to see this get through! I worried it might be too off-putting for a lot of televoters – thankfully that wasn’t the case! If anything I felt the performance was slightly tamer than I was expecting – no sheer outfits or rosebuds! But that might also be because I’ve grown used to Let 3 over the past few months. Still, so glad they’ll be in the final!

Moldova: I was certain this was going to qualify with ease and I’m happy to be right! The performance was brilliant, the most atmospheric show of the night, I loved every part of it.

Switzerland: The only real ‘surprise’ – with nine entries in this semi the fandom seemed in agreement was going through, Switzerland was the one to take the coveted tenth spot! I did have a feeling one of the ballads might qualify, since they do have their audience and there aren’t that many this year, but I was also in denial because I really wanted this spot to go to another country. Ah well, Remo definitely earned it with his vocal performance, and the staging was also eye-catching.

Finland: Never in doubt! I knew pretty much everything about how this performance would go down from following the national final through to all the published rehearsal footage, yet it still managed to exceed my expectations! Käärijä popping out of the crate like that was perfect and I loved the transition to rainbow colours in the second half of the song. Fantastic song, fantastic show, now to see how far it can go on Saturday!!

Czechia: This one had cooled on me a little and I thought it might be borderline, but seeing it performed tonight I was sure it was going through. The performance was very cohesive, and the pink outfits really stood out against everything else in this semi. Not the strongest vocal performance but the overall energy made up for it.

Israel: I wasn’t impressed by her vocal. Noa kept us waiting by avoiding pre-parties, but she sounded fine to me in rehearsal footage so I’m not sure what happened tonight. It didn’t matter though, the spectacle was enough to see her through, even though honestly I could have done without this one making it.

Portugal: I’m so happy for Mimicat! People seemed worried that her staging was too sparse after the rehearsal footage, but she filled the stage tonight, and smashed that high note once again! I thought she was great! (although it was at this point when they were announcing qualifiers I realised I was going to lose my underdog faves)

Sweden: The other entry whose qualification was never in doubt. The only time I noticed the box was small was in the moment right after she first stood up, it looked as stunning as in MelFest for the rest of the performance – and of course that wouldn’t be noticed by a first-time viewer. Loreen knocked it out of the park, she’s deservingly very much in contention for the crown.

Serbia: My third place this year so I’m glad he got through! I did start to question Luke’s chances since he was announced so late, but thankfully he made it! The performance was what I expected, sharp and enticing – it was the exact vibe I was after!

Norway: Announcing her last took all the suspense out of the results honestly – no way she wasn’t going to qualify, the song is too memorable. The staging felt a little empty, as did Alessandra’s outfit actually, although I did like her cape in the first part. Her energy was decent though, and the song strong enough by itself to carry Norway right through to the final.

Non-Qualifiers:

Malta: I loved their show! The concept was the same as in MESC but elevated. The only thing I would have changed is I would have actually liked to see the jumper change onscreen – it was a little odd just seeing the saxophone and drummer and hearing a huge cheer – then the camera pans around and we saw the sparkly jumper. I loved every thing else though, and I’m sad it wasn’t enough. This semi was just too strong.

Latvia: Another huge heartbreak, probably my biggest of the night, though I knew their chances were always slim. The staging and performance was everything I could have asked for, I really hope Sudden Lights feel proud of the show they put on – they should! I’m so sad for Latvia failing to get through again, but I hope they stick to their guns and continue to send alternative and unique acts.

Ireland: A little sad that Ireland still haven’t cracked it yet, but based on the song this result was definitely fair. I vibed with the song more than I ever have this entire season, it was definitely tailor-made to be played in an arena like this and it helped it out having the crowd there, but it’s still not a very strong entry, so personally I’m glad it’s staying here.

Azerbaijan: I actually really enjoyed this one live. The split-screen effects might have been overused, it felt they were throwing everything at it, but the colour scheme was beautiful with the two-tone lights behind them switching colours throughout. In my live reactions I described it as ‘pleasant’ – unfortunately pleasant isn’t enough to qualify.

The Netherlands: Once Switzerland got through I knew this had no hope of making it. I still like it a lot as a song, but I think I prefer it in the studio cut. I didn’t enjoy when Dion sang up the octave – I can’t remember him doing that before, but I don’t think it worked. I really hope that they’re not given too much hassle by the media, they still put on a decent show.

I could have been more confident with my predictions actually – despite all my hopes this semi final went exactly according to the betting odds, which made for a not very exciting set of results, though in the end a reasonably deserved set. With Malta and Latvia both failing to make it, there’s no way Romania and San Marino, my underdog faves in semi 2, will qualify, but hopefully Austria and Australia should sail through, and I’m looking forward to what should be a great show no matter what!!

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mrcatfishing · 3 years ago

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Day 3, still going strong, let’s meet the leader of the Swift Retribution.

As I have the past couple entries, I’ll begin with a history lesson.

Across much of Western Canada, the majority of gang activity and violence has been perpetrated by Motorcycle gangs. This was not drastically changed with the introduction of superpowers, though the rivalries got fiercer and conflicts more frequent. What was once many small gangs running small crimes, became much larger networks of bikers supporting the capes among them. On the Island, that gang was the Swift Retribution.

Founded in 1969, the gang mostly made money from their chop shop, although they also had some success selling weed in the 70’s to 80’s. With the arrival of Wheelman in 1998, they suddenly had a top-tier cape in their field. They skyrocketed into dominance on the island, snowballing into a team of villains that seemingly couldn’t be caught.

The Swift Retribution was not a white supremicist gang, so much as a gang with a white supremacy problem. This came naturally from their formation from the predominantly white biker gangs of BC, and a nature of sticking by their bad apples. This attitude suddenly shifted with the arrival of Astaroth.

He turned the gang on its head, massively pushing for recruitment of capes, opening new bases for operations, and finding new sources of income and bolstering the finances they already had.

How did this unheard of villain turn a backwater aging pile of boomers into a crack team aiming to rival The Elite? Let’s find out.

Born in 1980, Damian Freeman had a lonely childhood. His peers in school all seemed so idiotic, not understanding the concepts in the textbook, while obsessing over seemingly pointless tv drama and corprate fads. They were simply beneath him mentally. The same was true with many of his teachers, who knew only how to repeat the exact words and concepts he had already read from his textbook.

He followed his own principles, earning himself flawless grades through highschool, and then committing himself to the study of Neuroscience.

He did well in class, but eventually ran up against the head Professor of the Psychology department. She had somehow become aware of his belief that there were thousands of sheep to every true thinking mind. The rivalry escalated, with neither backing down, until Damian was suspended for two months after an especially strong outburst.

After the two month suspension, he returned to class and was suddenly clueless. He couldn’t keep everything in his head, he had two months of homework he hadn’t touched, assuming he could get it done during lecture like he always had. Eyes swapping from the board to his homework, neither making any sense, he triggered.

His powers are a Master by way of Thinker by way of Striker. He can with a touch, remove a portion of a person’s psyche. That fragment is held in shardspace, perfectly simulated, and he can manipulate and investigate it as he likes. He can return these fragments to their owners, or reshape it to fit another hole he’s made in another mind.

He began using his power to stealthily take apart and sift through the minds of his fellow students, and then his teachers, having learned how to roughly put things back together after his first couple attempts. To this day he cannot predict what portion of the mind he will take from at first contact, only how much, though if working carefully he can map out the entire mindscape of a target.

But those first few mistakes came to haunt him. The brain damage was so severe that one died after two months, and the other was comatose. Investigation into the cause of the brain damage was narrowing in on him, and when he felt he couldn’t risk the heat, he bailed.

He sought power, security, and answers, and he found that in the Swift Retribution. After months on the street, being a serial mind-reader, he got the details out of the mind of a biker in the gang. He took good enough over perfect, and decided to try and take over the gang.

He approached them claiming to be able to improve mental faculties and heal mental illness with his powers, though with the limitation of a week of rapidly diminished mental ability while the power worked its magic. He took the moniker Astaroth, after a demon who could make deals with men, taking their lethargy and lust, replacing it with knowledge of mathematics and language.

He backed up his claim with the new and improved gang member he first met, who was now a polymath and no longer mentally craved opiates. The pitch was a success, and he started doing his impromptu lobotomies, adjusting the minds of the gang slowly, until he had each and every lieutenant under his thrall.

His use of powers has been very measured. He interacts poorly with the Corona Pollentia and Gemma, which often are somewhat restored from his manipulations by the shard once replaced. In essence, this means that even if he has a cape mentally enslaved to him, their power may attempt to reign influence over the parahuman, causing subconscious rebellion.

As a leader, he did very well. Taking over massive amounts of businesses across the island, centering their operations in the city of Nanaimo. However, after five years of setting roots and growing his empire, the BC and Canadian government declared Nanaimo a Hive Of Scum and Villainy, so overwhelmingly full of villains and “turncoat” heroes that it was a lost cause, and all utilities would be disabled.

Now he’s lost his seat of power, after getting a taste for the luxuries of life on his throne. He pragmatically cut down to a solid unit of lieutenants he trusted; made a new plan to wealth, knowledge, and power; and has set eyes on Victoria.

#worm #parahumans #worm oc #wildbow #Feel good about this one. Hoping this all makes sense to everyone else.

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liloelsagranger · 4 years ago

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Night shift - finally a new Rocketshipping-fanfiction

My dear friends,

it’s been a while since I last posted an entry. Let me tell you why and what, besides Covid-19, made me pause from publishing fanfictions over the last couple of months. Of course, Switzerland was very affected by the pandemic and still is today. We had numerous lock-downs or as Swiss people call it “slow downs”. My mother got very sick last year, I almost lost her. The doctors said she would only live two or three more days, but my mom is a fighter. She had to stay at the hospital for months, she endured countless medical examinations, had to take meds and slowly learned to live again. I’m so proud of my mother that she was strong and determined to get better. When she turned back home, I started to take care of her and I hate to leave her on her own, even if we’re talking about half an hour or less. Right now, she’s doing quite good, actually, we’re on vacation and she makes a great effort to participate in life in Italy. She’s my role-model! She will never be the same as before, but she won’t give up, she wakes up every morning to make progress. I prayed for her and her well-being, I prayed every single night she might get another chance and now we’re here at the beach and dining in fancy restaurants. It’s been a horrible year for everyone, a year full of sorrow, tears and desperation, a year where I was constantly afraid, the hospital would call me with some bad news, but she did it! She survived and she fights for her life! So proud! Good news is: I passed my doctoral exams and I’m officially allowed to call myself Dr. phil. des. Melanie C. but that won’t ever stop me from loving Team Rocket so here it is - a brand new Rocketshipping-fanfiction for you guys. LOVE YOU! Night shift

Chapter 1:

It was past ten o’clock when that miserable looking guy entered the diner. He inconspicuously sat down in the farthest corner of the café and immediately hid his face behind the menu card. Nevertheless, Jessie the waitress could make out the pathetic expression on his face, how he was cowering like a whipped dog. She had seen quite a bit in this diner. Drunks, thugs, addicts and other needy people who asked for a sympathetic ear, compassion and understanding, but that guy was different. He suffered terribly, but did not dare to communicate, instead he hid from the world so as not to attract attention and quietly endure his fate. Jessie had to do something about it. Of course, she didn’t want to play the Good Samaritan. She knew the tricks of the men who entered this diner. Most of the time, they told the waitress tall tales, hoping to be comforted, whatever they meant by that. But this young man did not make a shady impressionHe was well dressed, looked well-groomed, and Jessie was especially struck by his bright emerald green eyes, the only thing in his face that had not yet been veiled by grief and sorrow. She decided to do something about his displeasure.

“Did you have a rough day?” she asked while disinfecting the table.

He looked briefly into her eyes and nodded. “That’s one way to put it,” he answered, the gaze immediately lowered again.

This would be a taciturn conversation, but Jessie didn’t give up easily, she was a natural at making even rocks talk.

“Listen! No matter what happened, I’ve seen or heard some things. If I can help you in any way, my name is Jessie and I’m in charge of this table today. Let me just get the gum out from under your seat and get you a cold drink. What would you like?” She pulled a spatula from her apron and rubbed away the remains of the spoiled brats that marred her diner.

‘Wow,’ the young man thought to himself. ‘A strong, self-confident woman who lends a hand herself and who’s not above cleaning up dirt.’ Their eyes met briefly, and he forced a wry smile.

“You know, kid. You can’t rely on anyone. If you want to get everything done, do it yourself and don’t trust anyone. This world doesn’t give you anything for granted!” She briefly wiped the back of his chair before disappearing behind the counter and pouring the young man an ice-cold Coke.

“I have rarely seen you so concerned about a customer. Normally you show yourself aloof and only take the order, so as not to get involved in embarrassing conversations. Must be a really great pike, this pathetic creature in the far corner. Could it be that you’ve got a tiny crush on this guy?” For Eddy, teasing his best friend was the greatest pleasure. He didn’t know her like that. Jessie usually resisted any kind of small talk. This was due to her dark past, when she had repeatedly fallen for advances from men who were never looking for a steady relationship, but for a quick fix. Eddy had witnessed this bad time of his friend, how her heart was broken, how she was badly played with, and how she was simply dropped like a hot potato. Jack was the worst example of them all. While Jessie was already hearing the wedding bells ringing, he was making love to the women of the Strip and deceiving Jessie night after night with other broads. Jessie was devastated when she found out Jack was cheating on her. She was furious, not even at her lying boyfriend, but at herself for having been so stupid as to trust a man.

Jessie gave Eddy a light pat on the head. “Don’t be silly! That time is over. I can take care of myself, I don’t need male support for that. I’m a big girl, I make my own dough, and I keep my head above water pretty well. No, not a chance, I’ve sworn off flirting.” Nevertheless, she caught herself as her gaze wandered to the young man in the corner. “Oh yes, this time is definitely over,” Eddy smirked.

“Jessie, could you bring us a side of fries, please?” Misty’s order echoed throughout the hall. The twenty-year old waved her hands. She was used to speaking loudly, almost shouting, to attract guests to her daily water Pokémon show. Sometimes she walked up and down the streets of the Strip all day in the blazing hot sun, trying to win people for her underwater attraction. As an excellent student, she could have taught at any college, but she had decided early on to get into show business and make her living doing what she really loved, joined by Dewgong and Starmie. Her parents had not agreed with this decision at all, it was wasted talent, they had claimed, and had summarily turned Misty out the door. Since then, she had been struggling through life on her own, but could always count on Jess, the diner and her two best friends, Ash and Brock, young people who were also not favoured by fate.

“Temper your voice, twerp!” Jessie couldn’t help but grin. She spread the ketchup bottles around the table, hoping Ash wouldn’t spill on himself and the diner again. His constant companion Pikachu immediately hopped on his shoulder, grabbed a fry and popped it in his mouth. Ash and his Pokémon were carnies. He had trained his friend well and attracted many spectators with his performance. Most of them felt sorry for the guy and tipped generously. That’s why Ash was able to invite his friends to the diner every night, a place that gave them hope where they could experience security. They were convinced that nothing would ever disturb this idyll and that fate, for better or worse, had taken its course.

“Who’s that guy over there?” Brock wanted to know. He had barely sold chocolate and roses tonight. The others held back, but they were certain that their friend was just too pushy with women and that’s why he only collected rejections instead of green bills.

“I’ve never seen him here before. Must be from another area. I can’t tell you for the life of me why he’s wearing a suit at theses temperatures, he looks pretty pathetic to me anyways,” Jessie replied.

“Maybe his car has stalled,” Ash suggested, “and now he was forced to wander through the desert until the tasty aromas from your diner brought him back from his delirium.”

“Or,” Brock interfered, “he had to flee his own wedding because his wife is a real pain in the ass, unlike our sweet Misty,” Brock oohed at his friend. “Forget it, Brock! You and me, this will never happen!” She gave him a gentle poke.

“Enough now with your naïve speculations! Just let him enjoy his drink. We’re closing soon, so get going,” Jessie dismissed their absurd ideas with a wave of her hand, but at this point no one knew how right Brock was.

Dark thoughts hunted the young man. He knew what he would face at home if he was late. Beatings, torture, rebuke, harassment, were just a few words to describe his failed relationship. Unconsciously, he stroked his scarred arms.

“Can I get you something to eat?” Jessie pulled him out of the maelstrom of bad thoughts, of course she had noticed the wounds, but maybe he had gotten those injuries at work. The young man rummaged some coins out of his pants and let them jingle on the table. “Is that enough for a cheese sandwich?” Jessie hated small change, but she would make an exception for him. A friendly smile, a quick nod, and she passed on the order.

“Something’s wrong with this guy,” she whispered to Eddy. “He’s scarred, bruised and pays with penny coins. Possibly a vagrant.” Eddy couldn’t help but grin. “That guy’s been keeping you busy all night, Jess. What’s the matter with you? Are you getting weak?”

The young man could not overhear the conversation between the waiters, but he was sure they were talking about him. He sure made a rather frightening impression, but that was a private matter and not something you shared with a waitress in a diner.

His gaze drifted to the daily paper, which had two faces emblazoned on it: Butch and Cassidy. He had never heard of this odd couple, but according to the news, theses two were causing quite a stir and were terrifying the Strip.

“Oh, so you’ve already spotted them, those two knuckleheads! They keep the Strip in suspense, and heads roll when the taxes don’t add up,” Jessie served him the cheese sandwich and gave him a slight smile.

“Can I get you anything else?” He thanked her and took a hearty bite of his dinner.

The last half hour flew by and the remaining guests left the diner to spend the night on the Strip, as very few had a roof over their heads. Jessie set about cleaning up and Eddy checked the register.

The young man stood up and made his way towards the door. But before he left the diner, he glanced back at Jessie for a moment. A sigh escaped him. What if…?

Jessie returned his gaze and watched him go until the young man disappeared. She walked right up to his table and found a little note on the receipt.

“Thanks for treating me like a human being, James.”

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wickfursfanfics · 4 years ago

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DCMKEmogust 2021 - 14/08

Inspiration:

My entry for DCMKEmogust 2021 - Saturday 14/08 It’s a bit late, but finally here! xD

My prompt Inspirations for this one:

Word 1 - Tail

Dialog 2 - "We have been dating for two months and you only tell me this now?"

Intended Genre: Suspense with humor

Rating: General

Starring: Kaito and Shinichi

<<<><><><><>>>

Kaito has a strong monkey tail that he might have forgotten to mention to Shinichi...

The first time Shinichi saw it, they were about to fall to their deaths. They were out hiking around a steep canyon when the ground suddenly gave out from under Kaito. Shinichi reacted quickly and grabbed onto him. Unfortunately he forgot the extra weight their backpacks provided and he fell with him.

It happened so suddenly they barely had any time to think. They were grabbing and scrambling to find something, anything that would hold their weight. Lest they fall into the ravine far below.

Kaito managed to snag a branch of a tree and had only a second to grab at Shinichi before he fell further. He desperately pulled at his arm to try and get them both to safety on a thicker branch. But it was too hard to use one hand to hold himself and the other to hold Shinichi.

Shinichi for his part was struggling to release his pack one-handed, but he couldn't get the damn buckle open. He felt how Kaito was straining to hold them up, slipping slightly and then readjusting his grip constantly. They wouldn't last much longer. If only he could get that buckle open.

He glances down and sees a protruding rock. If he angled himself right as he fell he might make it. It was a bit risky but at this rate they both would fall.

"I see a small cliff further down, I might be able to get to it if I let-

"You are not letting go of my hand!" Kaito snarls around a few strained pants, cutting him off. He nearly slips as he tries to lift them up by his one arm.

"Shit!" He curses, breaths are ragged.

"At this rate we will both fall, don't you think it would be better to risk it?" He says strained. If he had to die alone to let Kaito live he would do it.

"Oh no, don't give me that Bullshit love. Don't argue with me right now!" He spits out through gritted teeth as Shinichi tries to argue further.

"Let me try something" he says mysteriously.

Kaito takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly, Shinichi can almost hear him Focusing.

Suddenly he feels how Kaito strains upward and angles his body closer, something slithers around his middle. He couldn't see it but he could feel the tight pressure of something. Kaito looks down at him with a bit of a strained smile that had nothing to do with him holding up two people and two travel packs.

He tightened his grip on his hand and then slackened it just a little, making his intentions known.

"Do you trust me?" He asks, all serious like Shinichi would do anything else.

Shinichi didn't know what he was up to, but he took in a deep breath and let it out slowly to prepare himself.

"I trust you"

He lets go of his hand. Shinichi feels the sickening feeling of dropping. But only for a second before that pressure tightened and held him up. He hears Kaito curse and grit his teeth as he reaches for the branch with his other hand. He couldn't for the life of him understand what he was holding him up with. But it was working.

Kaito heaved them both up the branch. He got his legs around it to give him purchase and when he felt stable enough he reached down to grab Shinichi. Pulling him upp on the branch so he could get him to safety. Shinichi sighed in relief as he finally settled on the branch in front of Kaito. The pressure on his middle slithered away as Kaito let out a sigh of relief himself.

After a minute of shaking off the feeling of dread he finally managed to ask the question that had plagued his curiosity.

"What did you do? I couldn't see anything holding me up?" He looks around Kaito to emphasise that there really was nothing.

Kaito chuckles awkwardly and shifts on the branch.

"It's nothing to concern yourself about love"

Shinichi frowns "Of course I want to know, you know I love a good mystery, and this was no trick."

Kaito takes his hand in his with a smile. "Just don't freak out"

Shinichi blinks in confusion "freak out?"

Kaito sighs, adopting a focused look and suddenly a strange furry appendage appears behind him, twitching in nervousness.

"...What is that?" He can't help but ask.

Kaito smiles "...This, is my Monkey tail"

"Your… monkey tail? You have a monkey tail?!"

"Yes..."

"We have been dating for the last 2 months and known each other for longer than that and you only tell me this now??"

"It's not really something you tell people you know"

"But you know me"

"Yes, and I know you well enough to know you wouldn't have believe me"

"I would-" he stops "No wait… I wouldn't"

Kaito chuckles at his admittance and wills the tail to disappear from sight. How fascinating.

“Now then, what do you say? Should we find a way back up this cliff before someone sends out a search party for us?” he says and starts finding a way up from where they were.

Shinichi winces, he would rather not have the whole police force searching from them. He knows they care, but it quickly becomes mayhem when they go on the hunt for them. Since they always assume the worst when they disappear. But with their track record it couldn’t be helped.

They made the slow and careful climb up the cliff and made it home before it got too dark. Unfortunately, Their friends had already begone to form a search party by the time they came back. Go figure.

END

Until next time

//Wick 0v0

#DCMKEmogust2021 #dcmkemogust #Emogust2021 #detective conan #dcmk #magic kaito #KaiShin #Wick writes sometimes #week two #it's a bit late #humor #detective conan fic

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conradoneil · 4 years ago

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Among all of the colorways to drop was the original colorway that was released for the first time since 2007.

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hmse-research-blog · 4 years ago

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Overwhelming & Brutal

Overwhelming (verb)

Have a strong emotional effect on

Overcome with emotion

Affected by something very strongly

Synonym to: strike, move, affect

Brutal (adjective)

Unpleasant or harsh

Direct without any attempt to disguise unpleasantness

Synonym but not limited to: violent, savage, direct

Brutal & Overwhelming

A combination of both words have a negative-leaning connotation. The experience of course, is subjective to each audience. People who loves seeing horror or action film might find these emotion exhilarating while people who hates loud noises and jump-scare might hate the emotion and feel scared. Study by Lynch and Martins (2015) shows that low empathisers have more tendency to enjoy violent and gore media and vice versa.

Horror enthusiast seeks sensation from suspense and resolve. Suspense for example, is when a character is in threat of a masked killer and resolve is when the killer is finally caught or killed in retaliation. We often feel a sense of euphoria and relieve when a threat is resolved and such logic happens behind a horror enthusiast’s mind.

Zuckerman’s model of sensation-seeking mentions four related but different factors that includes:

thrill and adventure seeking

experience seeking

disinhibition

boredom susceptibility.

Bibliography:

Lissek S., Powers A. S. (2003). Sensation seeking and startle modulation by physically threatening images. Biol. Psychol. 63, 179–197.

Lynch T., Martins N. (2015). Nothing to fear? An analysis of college students’ fear experiences with video games. J. Broadcast. Electron. Media 59, 298–317.

Zuckerman M. (1988). Sensation seeking and behavior disorders. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry 45, 502–503.

Here are the examples of 11 artworks that feels brutal or overwhelming or both:

Requiem for A Dream

(viewer discretion is advised)

youtube

Requiem for a Dream (2000) is a film depicting addicts who are connected to each other. This movie often uses parallel cuts to indicate things are happening at the same time. The use of meditative music over heart-wrenching scenes creates a haunting effect. The editing choice in the final scenes successfully created tension and the continuously looping parallel shots of the characters proves to be overwhelming.

Before Your Eyes

youtube

Before Your Eyes tells a story of a boy who died very young due to an illness. This game utilises motion sensors and the game progresses every time the player blinks. Each scene is crafted with great details making the players holding their blink to elongate the scene. The first person perspective makes the audience sits in the young boy's place watching life flashing before their eyes. This game is overwhelmingly beautiful and heart-wrenching in its aspect to cherish whatever amount time we have left on earth.

Devotion

youtube

In Devotion (2019), the user plays as a father solving clues and puzzles as to what happens in his life. This game criticises the influence of cults in Taiwan. It also heavily criticises overbearing parents and the stigma of mental illness in Asia.

The use of red colour during revelation and flashback scenes and the silent jumpscare during most of the gameplays is very effective to keep the players anxious. This technique also does not over expose the players resulting in a more unpredictable jumpscares. Besides it’s graphic imagery and colour scheme, this game is brutal due to its harsh and raw depictions of cults and superstitions that affects vulnerable families in Taiwan.

Source:

https://www.jstor.org/stable/20059000

https://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Taiwan/sub5_1b/entry-3814.html

Everywhere At The End of Time

youtube

This album created by The Caretaker depicts the mind of a patient with alzheimer. The 6 hour long piece involves a continuously degrading set of music. Each stage shows a deteriorated version of it’s previous stage. The album ends at static noises and ultimately long silence.

What makes this album eerie, overwhelming and brutal is the idea behind it. Exposing the audience to what dementia sounds like forces them to emphatise with the memories. The duration of the album also emphasises the slow and painful degeneration and by stage 5 the sudden void creates a horrible overwhelmingly somber aura knowing the memories are forever gone.

Ouroborindra (album)

youtube

Ouroborindra (2005) was produced by Jim Jupp under the pseudonym “Eric Zann”. Jupp stated this album was inspired by H.P. Lovecraft. Similar to Lovecraft, this album has a haunting and hair-raising aesthetic. A minute listening session gives the audience a taste of Lovecraftian cosmic horror.

The static noise and continuously evolving sounds creates an overwhelming eeriness while not being painful to hear. Some parts are accompanied by pianos giving the listener’s ear some time to rest. This arrangement choice proves to be excellent as it creates a pleasant bridge and outro.

Source:

https://ghostbox.greedbag.com/buy/ouroborindra-0/

Brutalist Architecture

At a glance, this architecture looks boring and unappealing. What makes a brutalist characteristic is the blocky and chunky design.

Some argue that brutalism is an egalitarian movement, this movement strays away from white painted walls with decorated windows typical of the time. At the time, the geometric and blocky design was considered modern. This evidence appears in futuristic movies and in spy/war movies symbolising rebellion, modernism, and revolution.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

Black Mirror (2011)

Source:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10331867.2015.1032481

Shoujo Tsubaki (Camellia Girl)

(viewer discretion is advised)

youtube

Shoujo Tsubaki (1992) is a film adapted from the comic of the same title. The uncensored animation completed with voice acting added many layers of disturbance and the feeling of dread. Many people found this film very upsetting resulting to banning in several countries.

This artwork is one of the greater known titles within the ero-guro (short for erotic-grotesque) genre. The Ero-guro genre symbolises resistance and rebellion during world war 1. Some also enjoy it as escapism and sexual liberation. This film is brutal due to its depiction of grooming, abuse, and nonsensical grotesque scenes.

Source:

https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A1570686&dswid=8039

Sistine Chapel Church

The wall and ceiling of the Sistine Chapel were painted by Michelangelo (1508-1512). It is not surprising that this work took an incredibly arduous time that Michelangelo dreads working on it. The details and paint stand the test of time and the colossus artwork will make every visitor gasps in awe. Each painting has incredible details and the colours are carefully coordinated. It only takes a single glance to feel overwhelmed by the presence of this artwork.

Source:

https://www.jstor.org/stable/1464068

Japan Sinks

youtube

Japan Sinks is a Japanese animation series created by Masaaki Yuasa. The animation was an adaptation of a novel with the same title. Each depiction of death are raw and uncensored oftentimes includes close-ups. This series was a contribution to Paralympics 2020 and was set to release as a promotional campaign.

It doesn’t take the brightest bulb to notice the brutality of this series. The main characters experienced sudden deaths of their loved ones and the grief was left unprocessed until much late. Naturally, this end of the world scenario includes a multitude of body counts. Many great characters did not survive and their final scenes include close-ups and slow motion of their remnants making their sudden demise even more brutal, leaving a gaping hole in the viewer’s heart.

Judith Slaying Holofernes (Artemisia Gentileschi version)

The painting showed an “uncensored” gory scene of Judith beheading her abuser helped by another woman. It is said that Gentileschi was inspired by her master, Caravaggio. Caravaggio’s version had a different composition and the painting shows Holofernes holding his blood, resembling strings.

Judith beheading Holofernes (Caravaggio)

Unlike her master, Gentileschi did not hold back nor consider making the painting palatable for the viewer. The more brutal interpretation made the intention behind the painting even clearer. It is one of the strongest depiction of complex independent women and a strong message of feminism in baroque era.

Source:

https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/urc/2018/arthistory/2/

Notre Dame Basilica (Montreal)

youtube

This gothic style cathedral is located in Quebec City, Montreal. The three-story-tall hall symbolises the church’s power and the huge size of a cathedral has been known to give psychological effects to the devoters. The blue colours represent the sky and heaven, the red colours complemented by gold accents gives a royalty and majestic look. The pillars will reverberate the sound of organs creating an effect of “heavenly sounds”, many believers are attracted to this sound resulting in higher attendance. The design of the cathedral makes the attendees feel small and overwhelmed as if the church attendees are “meeting” God.

Source:

https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/11/9/478/htm

https://askinglot.com/why-are-gothic-cathedrals-so-tall

Final short reflection:

Each of the artworks above shows a great amount of research and thoughts poured into the small details. They each have their own unique approach creating unique and impactful results.

#assignment 1

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doomonfilm · 4 years ago

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Review : The Tomorrow War (2021)

HBOMax and Netflix both had entries for the weekend of July 4, so it only makes sense that Amazon Prime would make sure that their presence was felt as well. After the swing at big budget glory that was Infinite, Amazon Prime’s recent science-fiction offering starring Mark Wahlberg, another big box office presence finds himself as the face of an Amazon production in the form of Chris Pratt, the household name whose fame grew after a stint in Parks & Rec and a star-making role as Peter Quill in the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Based on the trailers, the film has all the trappings of a big budget, special effects and action-driven popcorn flick, so I decided to give it a shot.

youtube

If it weren’t for the deep science-fiction premise, The Tomorrow War could almost be mistaken as a commentary on the Military Industrial Complex, like an inverse take on the Starship Troopers approach. Watching Dan Forestor instantly transform from a teacher and family man into his former war-hardened soldier form feels noble in terms of its intent, and maybe it’s just the cynic in me, but it immediately puts a coldness on the entire future war affair, as if pure detachment is needed to survive a threat that draftees are given zero time to comprehend. The fact that a worldwide draft is implemented to subdue a universal threat is oddly timely for the conspiracy theorist in me, especially in light of the fact that there seems to be an interesting sea change on the horizon in regard to the political stance on public knowledge of extraterrestrial existence. Even with this otherworldly threat standing as antagonist, the film doesn’t hesitate to play on the beat that having the enemy emerge from within is a strong possibility. Despite the way that I’ve rambled about this particular spectrum of The Tomorrow War, Chris McKay and company balance these threads quite well, and all while ramping up the energy and momentum of the film from story beat to story beat.

With Infinite standing as Amazon Prime’s other attempt at rolling out a blockbuster (as previously mentioned), one can garner that a fascination with time-based narratives is becoming a common thread. The Tomorrow War borrows the best aspects of the Terminator franchise and Shane Carouth’s Primer approach to build its framework, which allows the logic needed for this particular suspension of belief to be sold due to concepts that seems easy to explain at face value, but above the head of standard comprehension upon reflection. For example, the acknowledgement of the generational gap that would exist between the young military force from 30 years in the future and the middle-aged draftees helps us dispel the worry for potential time paradoxes due to meeting yourself in the future, but it also sets up a slight John Connor mythos once you realize the Forestor father and daughter relationship will boomerang back and forth through time, at least from Dan’s point of view. Positioning time as fluid and always moving allows McKay and company to implement the fixed point theory of time travel, which instantly raises the stakes of the story due to the built-in ticking clock that comes from making sure you don’t miss your return window. With these two foundational points strongly set, a sort of narrative tuned mass damper is built which allows you to stack all types of realistic and imaginary science on top of what the audience has already accepted.

There seems to always be some sort of indistinguishable gap between the historic big budget releases in theaters and the small sample serving of streaming service attempts, but The Tomorrow War is a huge step in closing that gap when it comes to production value. Viewers will immediately notice the impressive use of effects for both the time travel and the Whitespikes, and when we are given moments to view the post-apocalyptic world, it is stylized enough to have an emotional impact. The combat is appealing to watch, much like the previously mentioned Starship Troopers, as a good mix of novice, survivalist and pure military approaches are mixed in among our characters, with as much adaptive learning being present as there are unfortunate casualties. There are a number of powerful allusions to Vietnam present in the film, such as the use of choppers and air strikes, the post-traumatic stress and shattered worldview of returning soldiers, deserters, and much more. The overall tone of despair and danger weighs heavily on the film, and using unconditional familial love as the driving force of hope rather than traditional romantic love is a nice change of pace.

Chris Pratt does what he does best, mixing his natural charm, humor and ability to symbolically and literally gather the troops in his role as the leading man of The Tomorrow War, while also being one of the most believable members of the combat force. Edwin Hodge matches Pratt’s intensity in terms of combat while providing an edge that stands in opposition to Pratt’s warmth, which makes them a formidable dynamic duo. Yvonne Strahovski manages to present a façade of military leadership to mask a clearly volatile presence of love that must be held in check in order to make sure her mission is successful, which echoes the adoration shown by Ryan Kiera Armstrong in her role as the younger Muri Forestor. Betty Gilpin remains hopeful (and even mentally sharp) in the face of a threat that would cause many similar characters to go to pieces and play their characters as fragile, one-note worried housewives. Sam Richardson provides a solid mixture of comic relief and scientific knowledge, which is welcome within the midst of a very heavy soldier presence that dominates the film, giving the average viewer someone they can latch on to. J.K. Simmons makes a couple of notable appearances (I wouldn’t mind seeing him work with Chris Pratt again in the future), while Jasmine Mathews, Keith Powers, an interestingly cast Mary Lynn Rajskub, Mike Mitchell and Seth Scenall round out the supporting cast.

The Tomorrow War reminds me of my time working at the movie theater back when I was in high school, specifically the summer that Independence Day was released. I’m not saying that McKay has found that Roland Emmerich magic, but he has managed to match the spectacle of Independence Day in a way that modern day audiences can relate to. If streaming services can match the quality of films like The Tomorrow War moving forward, I may have to stop mentioning the movies in a light that makes them sound lower tier.

#ChiefDoomsday #DOOMonFILM #ChrisMcKay #TheTomorrowWar #ChrisPratt #YvonneStrahovski #JKSimmons #BettyGilpin #SamRichardson #EdwinHodge #JasmineMathews #KeithPowers #MaryLynnRajskub #MikeMitchell #SethScenall

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annalyticall · 5 years ago

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Anime Newbie in her Twenties Ranks her First 10 Anime

With the recommendations of my sister @ging-ler and friends, I started watching anime just over a year ago and within that time I’ve watched a total of 10 - some clocking in at almost 200 episodes and some with only 12. I told myself a while ago that once I had finished 10 anime shows I would rank them like some Anime Newbie WatchMojo list, so, here we are. Really this is just an excuse to force more of my unwarranted opinions onto unwilling followers.

I should also preface this by saying I don’t think any of the anime I watched this year was bad, and I enjoyed a lot about every show even if I ranked some low. However, the top three anime on my list are the ones I would recommend to anyone following me even if they don’t watch anime.

10. Death Note

Despite absolutely loathing the “protagonist” since episode one, I really enjoyed the first half of Death Note! The story was intriguing with all of its wild twist and turns and I found myself immediately invested in what was going to happen next. Unfortunately, after the death of who I thought was by far the best character, the show seems to go off the rails as it introduces new characters and contrived plot devices in the second half that were frankly hard for me to care about at that point. The ending was satisfying but I forced myself to sit through a lot of painful meandering to get there.

9. Cowboy Bebop

Cowboy Bebop was the first anime I watched as suggested to me by @mcsherrybr. The smooth and jazzy art, atmosphere, animation, action, and music were all a lot of fun, as were the lovable ragtag group of misfits that made up the main cast. I enjoyed myself a lot while watching this western/sci-fi melding pot of a show, and I only ranked it so low because the last few episodes were a huge disappointment to my found-family-trope-loving heart.

8. Violet Evergarden

Violet Evergarden, following the story of a child soldier learning to love, is absolutely beautiful to look at and listen to. The music in this anime is, for me, THE best music from any show on this list. This is also the only anime that made me sob several times while watching it. The collection of short episodic stories that explore the deep facets of human love and connection are incredibly resonant and will stay with me for a long time. However, the strength of the small story arcs made the rushed overarching war story and finale weaker in comparison. Similarly, the memorable characters introduced in the one-off side plots were more interesting to me than the cast of rather bland reoccurring supporting characters. While I will remember a lot of great individual moments, I can’t seem to remember a single character’s name besides Violet’s, but that might also be due to being one of the shorter entries at only 12 episodes.

7. Hunter x Hunter (2011)

Going from one of the shortest anime on this list to the longest, Hunter x Hunter was an great and engrossing story during the entirety of its 160+ episodes. It’s colorful and playful, but can also be very dark and at times even heart-wrenching. Because it contains so many distinct arcs, there is a wide variety characters and stories to get attached to, and some, like the Chimera Ant Arc, I even cried over. But this also left me with issues regarding the pacing. The show has great action and introspective moments but will often drag with long drawn-out pauses between fights to explain simple concepts (though I understand that’s a common trope in old shonen anime in general). The world-building is rich but also caught me off guard with some strange ideas, and admittedly not all of them I liked. Some eccentric characters and concepts rubbed me the wrong way and ended up hindering my enjoyment of the show. Overall though, it was a lot of fun and I left with a few more endearing favorite characters, like Leorio and Killua.

6. Erased

Also a 12 episode anime, Erased was amazingly impactful for how short it was. Even as I followed the unfolding murder mystery, I was also touched by the meaningful themes and kind-hearted characters I met along the way. The already-strong story is accentuated with great symbolism, art, and music. The only problem I had was with the mystery itself; I was able to tell who the true killer was within the first 4 episodes, which didn’t lend itself well to suspense and I spent the remaining episodes frustrated that the main characters couldn’t see some obvious clues.This is a minor problem, though, since the finale has less to do with mystery and more about the morals and resolution of themes that I felt was satisfying.

5. Demon Slayer

Demon Slayer is gorgeous. The stunning art style, fluid animation, and breath-taking music are all valid reasons to watch it, but the main character Tanjiro and his unwavering devotion to find a cure for his sister-turned-demon Nezuko are the reasons to stay. Tanjiro is unbelievably gentle as he shows even the evil demons he has to slay a hard-fought kindness, and it’s those tender moments between all of the amazing action sequences that really elevate this show for me. The issues I have lie with the rest of the cast. While I love some supporting characters, like the pig-headed Inosuke and the stoic Giyuu, others have very niche personalities that can get annoying if they’re on screen for too long, which they definitely tend to be. Still, the bond between Tanjiro and Nezuko is so strong that it gets me through even those dragging scenes.

And it’s written by a woman!

4. My Hero Academia

Hey so this might come as a shock for anyone who’s followed me for a while: My Hero Academia is not my favorite anime! I do love it a lot - it’s the only anime on this list that has inspired me to read the manga, write fic, and buy merch. There are so many lovable characters and exciting arcs in this show that there is bound to be something for everyone to enjoy, both inside and outside of canon. It’s a wonderfully paced and animated deconstruction of the superhero genre and besides its deeper themes and commentary, there’s also just a lot of endearing teenage goofin’ to be had, and the show balances the tone of these two almost-equally engaging aspects of the story fairly well.

The downside, for me, is the show’s sexualization of female characters, especially the teenagers. With the likes of pervy fellow classmate Mineta, it’s a flaw that’s hard to avoid and takes up an unfortunate amount of screen time. There are in-universe characters that protest against this behavior, and the female characters are still well-written for the most part, but that doesn’t make up for the canon material including it at all. It’s not a huge part of the show but it’s present enough that it really knocks the ranking down for me.

3. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Out of my top 5, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the only one that is complete. Because of that, I can tentatively say that so far, it is the best completed story on this list. From beginning to end, the pacing was perfect - the action never dragged, the characters were never unnecessary, and the plot twists were never unearned. I found myself more invested than I thought I would ever be for the large cast of characters, and everything, including its ending, was satisfying to watch. The animation is fluid and lent itself well to the most impactful scenes, especially involving the flame alchemist Roy Mustang. It’s also written by a woman! Really, the only nitpicks I have were with tonal problems - serious moments would sometimes be ruined by too much slapstick or visual gags.

As I mentioned before, my Top 3 are shows I would recommend to anyone who’s unfamiliar with anime simply because they’re good solid stories with almost no distracting anime tropes. This is a good place to start.

2. The Promised Neverland

The Promised Neverland is deceiving; on the surface it looks like a sweet show about a bunch of adorable kids playing together in the spacious green backyard of their quaint orphanage. Once you finish the first episode, however, you will quickly discover that there is definitely something more sinister lurking under the surface. This show is an expertly executed dark horror/thriller that always had me on the edge of my seat. The cute aesthetic never distracts from the suspense, in fact, it adds to the discomfort when the horrific visuals and expressions are contrasted against the character designs. I loved all of the characters, including the antagonist, who manages to be just as sympathetic as she is menacing. The sound design and music are also beautiful and adds so much to the rich atmosphere. I am definitely excited to see where this series will go!

1. Mob Psycho 100

ONE, the creator of Mob Psycho 100, said the single word he used for the concept for the series was “kindness”. Kindness shines through so much of this story following the life of Mob, a super-psychic kid that just wants to fit in, and I adore every second of it. While many shonen anime stories force the child protagonist to get stronger, become more powerful, and fight in battles against hostile adults, Mob Psycho 100 says “that’s stupid. Kids shouldn’t have to be traumatized by immature power-hungry adults. The only strength that anyone should pursue is strength of character, motivated by self-love and love for others.” And it says it with the most beautiful animation I have EVER seen in a show. The simplistic character designs mean the animators can have as much creative freedom as they like with expressions and movement, and they absolutely use that freedom. Humor is a large part of this mostly-comedy anime, but it makes the serious and introspective scenes so much more important when they do happen. The shifts between these two tones never feel awkward or imbalanced.

Mob Psycho 100 has inspired me to become more experimental and joy-seeking with my art, as well as just become a better person in my own life, which I can’t say for many other anime or many other pieces of media period. Even though a Season 3 hasn’t been officially announced yet, I can still safely say Mob Psycho 100 will forever hold a special place in my heart.

#Well I did it i ranked all the anime i've seen #now to watch naruto lol

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brightbeautifulthings · 5 years ago

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The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

"I'm the thing in the dark, just like the Viking used to tell me. I'm the creature coming up from the basement, the thing under the bed. I have nothing to fear in the dark. I am the dark. I am afraid."

Year Read: 2020

Rating: 4/5

About: Carly has a secret that few people know: she shares a body with her sister, Kaitlyn. Carly has the daytime hours, while Kaitlyn has the night, and they have been this way for as long as they can remember. After their parents' deaths, their psychiatrist becomes convinced that Carly suffers from dissociative identity disorder (DID), and she begins treatment to merge their personalities. Yet Kaitlyn is convinced that both of them are real, and Carly's friend Naida suspects that they are two souls sharing the same body. Soon a third, sinister force begins haunting Kaitlyn and causing trouble for them at school. The Dead House tells their story in mixed media format, including Kaitlyn's diary entries, notes between the sisters, police notes, and interviews. Trigger warnings: death (on-page), parent death (off-page), graphic violence, some gore, body horror, severe injury, blood, hospitals, institutionalization, mental illness, DID, depression, eating disorders/anorexia, sexual harassment, grief.

Thoughts: I wavered between three and four stars on this, but if I hesitate that long, I usually round up. The fact is that I liked it quite a bit more than And The Trees Crept In, and I think it's more successful at what it's doing overall. Experimental structures can be hit or miss, but this one mostly works. Is it totally necessary to remove us from the story by placing it in a "recovered" diary and police file? I doubt it. It helps with the ambiguous ending, but there are plenty of ways to avoid closure in more traditional narrative styles. Kurtagich gets around it by fudging the diary/video format in some instances, in my opinion: it doesn't always read like a diary and slips into a more conventional-sounding narrative to place us in the action. I minded that less than the police report notes, which occasionally intrude to tell us how to interpret something instead of leaving it to the reader. I like to form my own conclusions, thank you. But all in all, I think it works fine, and it's a nice YA introduction to less conventional narrative structures.

I really like the premise of the novel, and right away I found myself sympathizing with Carly and Kaitlyn's situation. The book blurb is a little misleading in saying that Kaitlyn is her identical twin; in fact, Carly and Kaitlyn are two distinct personalities sharing the same body, and I like that the novel never chooses a side on whether she has DID or there is something supernatural going on. On that, we are left to draw our own conclusions, and there's evidence to support it either way (though I always prefer supernatural over psychological). We have a clear sense of Kaitlyn's personality from her diary, and I enjoyed her rebelliousness (sometimes for its own sake) and her strong, sisterly bond with Carly. Carly's personality and experiences are more distanced, but I think that works for the plot, and Kaitlyn's reflections do enough to establish their history. Their friends and love interests were mostly background noise for me, but that also helps to emphasize Kaitlyn’s isolation.

Due to the format, the book is pretty fast-paced for its size, and I was absorbed enough to finish it in around 24 hours. In terms of scares, I wanted a little more, but that's almost always the case. Instead, The Dead House does a nice job of building tension and creating atmosphere with the small but escalating changes in Kaitlyn and Carly's situation and Kaitlyn's bizarre and creepy hallucinations of a smiling girl. I really like the way Kurtagich invented her own mythology to address the supernatural (rather than misappropriating another culture's, as Voodoo so often is), and I'm hoping "The Naida Tapes" will fill in a bit more of that. There's a bit of surprisingly graphic gore/body horror, which is probably the most climactic part of the book. The end is a mild letdown. All the horror and suspense have built up but don't quite go anywhere, and it feels like, without the benefit of Kaitlyn's diary, we're sidelined for the actual conclusion. Still, it's a solid YA horror venture and likely something I’ll revisit in the future.

#book review #the dead house #dawn kurtagich #ya horror #4/5 #rating: 4/5 #2020

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grimmbrookhq · 5 years ago

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SATURDAY MAY 30TH, 12:45 PM SWAN LAKE

Finally, just as Ramona is considering feigning sleep, they reach the turning to the cabin. The switch from a smooth tarmac road to a dirt track which severely tested the suspension. When they get to the cabin, another twenty minutes later, Ramona is astonished by it. She was expecting a small wooden structure containing maybe two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen. What she actually found was a house which, from the look of the outside, had at least eight bedrooms. As they make the walk towards the lake they are immediately hit with a strong rotting scent. "Can you smell that?" Ramona asks, sniffing the air experimentally. Ryan mirrors the sniffing and wrinkles his nose. "Let's get the gear inside and we can go and investigate."

"It will take an hour to get your equipment inside," Ramona comments. "Do you really need so much?" Ryan shrugs dismissively. He only brought three poles, a selection of reels, several spools of spare line, two cases of hand-made flies, one box of live bait and two keeps nets. "I wouldn't say it was excessive.” Ramona snorts. "Ryan, I've seen you catch fish using a stick, a length of string, a piece of bent wire and a caterpillar you found on a nearby fern. You really don't need this much stuff." Ryan throws one arm around her, pulling her close to his chest in a playful manner and gives her a kiss. "That was survival, this is leisure." It actually only takes a matter of minutes to get the equipment inside. It’s as he enters the main living area that Ramona gets her first glimpse of the lake. What she sees also explains the aroma they'd detected. "I think you have a problem, Ryan," she calls out to her boyfriend, who is in the kitchen putting his live bait in the refrigerator. Joining Ramona in front of the large windows, Ryan's eyes widened in shock.

"What the hell!" he exclaims. “What’s with all the fog?” Ramona asks with her eyes focused on the thick white mist hovering over the water. “I don’t know.” For several seconds, Ryan fumbles with the keys for the cabin and eventually finds the one he’s searching for. Pushing the doors open he stepped out and took in the full horror. “Oh my god.” Hundreds of dead fish lay on the shores of the lake, with hundreds more floating on the surface of the water. The stench was much more potent than it was around the front of the cabin, and Ryan estimated the fish had been dead no more than two days.

OOC

It’s all over the news: a dense white mist has formed over Swan Lake and spreading across the woods. While the cause of this strange incident has yet to be determined, the appearance of hundreds of dead fish ashore and the mysterious death of wild life leads experts to believe the fog may be associated with a toxic substance. Citizens of Grimmbrook are advised to stay away from the mist until the investigation is finished.

Authorities have closed off entry to the woods, including the hiking trails and the lake area. Anyone who thinks they've been in contact with the fog is advised to visit Grimmbrook Memorial Hospital as a precautionary measure.

#grimm.plotdrop

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jadekitty777 · 5 years ago

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See You Heal

Hey everyone, long time no update, right? Aha!

Alright time for something a little different but still sweet. This entry is a work entirely inspired by @ladyrobiness‘ beautiful Slow Sunrise series. I woke up one morning and the idea just hit me like a truck and well... I had to write it out.

This is a continuation to that series so, reading it first is absolutely required. But why wouldn’t you? It’s a beautiful Fix-It fic with lots of tender moments of healing for Qrow and Clover both along with them just falling in love like the adorable dorks they are <333

Here are the Ao3 links to both:

Robiness’ Story: Slow Sunrise series

My Story: See You Heal

It’s also below the cut!

Rating: K+

Pairing: Qrow/Clover

Word Count: 2800

Summary: Qrow knows ignoring the problem only makes it worse. Unfortunately, dealing with it has its own set of problems too.

Sometimes, Qrow wished his standard for dealing with shit wasn’t ‘‘Ignore it until it goes away’.

It didn’t work. He knew it didn’t work – and yet sometimes his traitorous brain thought: maybe this time it’ll be different. So, when the issue of Clover not liking anyone at his six came up, like a scroll that had been factory reset, he defaulted. Hoped in the most ironic ways that the problem would just fix itself or at the very least, never become a problem.

That was why, as he gusted through the air trying to spot the nearest nomadic settlement, all he could see instead was Clover’s dismayed expression.

Really, he only had himself to blame.

They’d been traveling through Vacuo’s unforgiving desert for hours. It was a six-day journey to reach Shade Academy, most of which they had to do on foot as no locals at the city border ever escorted anyone across the desert without a price. Though they’d gotten an early start, beginning their trek even before the sun had peaked the horizon, as the day waned the sands around them began to shimmer as the heat rose to unbearable heights. Add onto that an unstable ground that left them all unsteady on their feet, relentless winds that whipped sand along exposed skin and eyes, and the occasional Grimm or wildlife lying in wait for an attack, and it just seemed like a recipe for disaster.

So, when the Sidewinder Grimm leapt from the dunes they were walking across and struck out at Weiss, all but two of them either didn’t react fast enough, or stumbled when they tried. The first of the two that had was Clover, who had his fishing line around Weiss in an instant and yanked her his way. The second was Ruby, who sped above the field like a shot, petals and dust following her wake as she managed to get in the first blow.

Within seconds, the rest of them recovered and suddenly the snake had ten skilled opponents bearing down on it. It certainly wasn’t a long battle, but enough to get the adrenalin going. The kids seemed to take it as they saw it, realizing the threat was over once the smoke cleared. But more veteran huntsmen like himself kept on guard a little longer.

Or like Clover – who wasn’t expecting Jaune to come up behind him and give him a congratulatory pat on the back.

The reaction was instantaneous. Clover yelped as he twisted and swung Kingfisher right at the boy’s head.

The clang of metal hitting metal seemed to echo the world into silence.

Jaune, shield shadowing his face, looked tense and a little frightened.

Clover just looked horrified.

And then he was faltering back, dropping his weapon into the sand. “I’m- I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to- are you okay?!”

“I’m, fine.” Jaune answered a little shakily, trying to laugh it off. “I don’t think now is the time for a training exercise though.”

Clover tried to meet him, but his own chuckle rang hollow. “No. No it’s not.” He ran a hand agitatedly through his hair. “I really am sorry. I, I don’t know what came over me.”

“It’s too hot.” Weiss was the one to offer, turning the attention her way. “I’m having trouble too.”

It sounded logical. Believable. Of course the Atlesians weren’t accustomed to blistering heat like this and would be most likely to succumb to its’ effects.

Only Qrow knew the truth of the matter. Tried not to think how a desert wasn’t so unlike a tundra – open space, unsteady footing, extreme weather.

“We need to get out of this sun.” Blake decided.

Ruby nodded in agreement. “Right. Uncle Qrow, can you scout ahead and see if you can spot something?”

That’s how he ended up in the sky, canting in great big circles like a vulture and looking to every horizon as he tried to make out a camp or an outcropping or a cactus. Anything that might provide shade or water. It took a few cycles, increasing his radius at every turn, before finally managing to see several flutterings in the distance. Upon closer inspection, he knew it was the tarps of caravans, moving southwest. Which meant stable ground and civilization.

He dove back towards the group, morphing just shy of his landing. “Looks like someone’s on the move several miles that way. There’s probably a temporary camp nearby.”

Or if there wasn’t, there would be.

“Right, then let’s move.” Ruby ordered, turning to the robot beside her. “Penny maybe you can try and keep us cool in the meantime?”

“I will give it my best shot!”

Their conversation faded to background noise as his focus instead shifted to Clover who, for the first time since they’d begun traveling together, took lead instead of rear. A silent attempt to rebuild goodwill. But his posture was held straight, an unnatural rigidity to his movements.

Qrow joined him, not quite reaching for his hand, but allowing their knuckles to brush together. The effect was miniscule, but there, just the slightest drop of his shoulders as his face eased into a small, not-quite-there smile.

Okay. He could work with this.

It was funny how easy it was to trick a Vacuon when they thought they were the ones playing it. All it took was some altruistic speeches from the kids about wanting to help because that’s what huntsmen did and the words “free of charge” and suddenly they were traveling with a whole parade of people who thought they were getting protection for nothing. Which was mostly true – except of course, now they had a place to stay in and quicker way to the academy.

It also kept them busy, trading off shifts throughout the day to keep watch on their surroundings. Which meant it was almost two days later before he finally had a moment alone with Clover. The wayfarers who they were assisting had a strict habit of bearing down at the hottest part of the day to conserve resources and energy. With JNPR 2.0 on duty and RWBY helping with lunch, Qrow took the opportunity to retire to their makeshift quarters.

As he stepped into the tent, he found his segue into the conversation was going to be more on the nose then he’d planned for.

Clover was seated on one of the various sleeping mats, Harbinger in his lap as he tended to her gears. “Hey.” He greeted. “How’d scouting go?”

“Uh. Fine.”

Seeming to sense his unease, the huntsman paused, looking between him and the weapon. “Oh, sorry! I guess I should do this later.”

“No!” The word burst out of him, startling them both. Qrow cleared his throat, repeating more levelly, “No, it’s fine really. I told you to take care of her.”

To prove his statement, he took the few steps forward to sit directly across from him.

Clover eyed him skeptically for several long moments, perhaps trying to puzzle out if he was trying a backwards form of recovery or just talking big. He seemed to decide the former as he bent back over the sword. “Well, I’m glad you’re here. A lot of grit is getting in-between the gears. But I’m worried about messing up the mechanics.” He offered him a smile. “Harbinger’s really intricate. You did an amazing job.”

“Laying it on a little thick there, aren’t ya Ebi?” He scooted forward just a little, pointing to the correct parts as he spoke. “First loosen the spindle here. Then you can take out the suspension spring and remove this gear.”

They spent the next several minutes just going about the task. Even though he was guiding another’s hands through the motions, the work was so familiar it was relaxing. He even found it possible to keep hold of the small, easily lost pinions as they were removed. All the while, he studied Clover as he worked, the way his brow furrowed with deep concentration or how his strong hands never faltered as he took out each gear with care and reverence. As if the weapon was as cherished as his own.

“Last one.” Qrow announced as the fifth pinion was dropped into his palm.

“You know, before I really was praising you.” The smallest cog came out with a small pop, being added to the growing collection on the cloth Clover had laid out. He finished his statement with a mirthful smile, “But now I’ve determined you went too far.”

He snorted. “Sorry my sword-scythe-shotgun hybrid is a little more complicated than your basic fishing rod.”

He gasped in mock offense. “My darling may not have all your weapon’s fancy little tricks, but it gets the job done with just as much grace.”

“Oh, that’s what you call all that flailing around?”

“Watch it Branwen.”

“What? Am I-” The rest of his words ‘on thin ice’ died in his throat. “Uh-”

This time, Clover misinterpreted his floundering. “What, am I doing it wrong?”

He focused on where the other’s hands were, his own quickly reaching out to catch his, only to abort the motion just as quickly when his fingertips skimmed Harbinger’s surface. That Clover noticed.

He ran the same hand over the back of his neck. “Uh, don’t remove that unless you want her coming apart completely.”

“Alright.” Clover lifted his hand from the center plate obediently. “Are you doing okay or should we stop?”

Dropping the pinions onto the cloth beside the other parts, he tried not to let it feel like too much of a failure. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

“Why would I be uncomfortable?” He replied with a frown.

Qrow stared. Was he being serious right now? “You’re kidding. If anything you should be more repelled to be holding her than me.”

“But I’m not. I never have been.”

The frustration broke over like a wave so that his next words flooded out like a tide of turbulent emotions, “Why not? You’re the one who got hurt! Why is it so easy for you?!”

No, no. Shut up.

He slouched over, scrabbling hands through his hair, tugging at the ends as if it would ground him back to the present.

This was going all wrong. He wasn’t supposed to be getting angry.

“I-I mean-” He started to say.

Clover cut him off. “Have you ever considered things were different from my perspective?”

He blinked. Looked up. “What?”

The other huntsman’s gaze drifted, falling down to the blade still in his lap. He ran his palm along the surface. “I never saw it. Or if I did, my mind’s blocked it out. I… remember pain. How hard it was to breathe. But as far as anything I saw in that moment? All I can think of is gray. A dark gray, almost black, but kind of green too?”

Qrow frowned, trying to piece that together. Atlas wasn’t exactly known for its abundance of greenery. The only green thing he could think of was Clover’s own pin. Maybe it was just his body going into shock, making him see things that weren’t actually there.

“Either way,” He continued, idly tracing the intricate patterns embedded in the sword’s metal. “What I’m getting at is, the only reason I know this was the weapon that struck me is because I was told it was. To me, it’s kind of removed from the whole event.” His movements stopped, that same dismayed look from several days ago clouding his features. “Instead, I have other problems.”

Seemed like they were going to have that conversation after all. “Like what happened with Jaune.”

“Yeah. I hadn’t meant to attack him. I just thought…” Clover slumped, trailing off.

“That he was someone else. I know.” Qrow said in the space left behind. “Known for awhile, actually. I knew it was an issue, but I hadn’t said anything. Tch. I should of. Maybe then-”

A flick to his forehead had him jerking back.

“Stop.” Clover’s fingers soothed over the spot, sliding down along the contours of his face to cup his jaw. “You’re not responsible for my problems Qrow. It’s my job to acknowledge them and ask for help if I need it.”

There was a lot of things he thought to say, the most prominent being how Clover never seemed to have an issue laser focusing on Qrow’s problems and addressing them (though, to be fair, those results didn’t always pan out) – but what he finally decided on saying was, “Do you need help?”

Teal eyes went wide and he drew back. The look on his face, vulnerable and lost, was heartbreaking. “I, uh. I don’t know.”

“Would you like to try something?” He pressed on gently.

“Like what?”

“An exercise.” He waved towards Harbinger. “Set her aside and take off your shirt – Don’t smile like that, I’m not gonna do anything lecherous.”

Clover laughed. “Ah, there goes all my hopes and dreams.” Still, he did as commanded, laying the blade to his left before peeling off the green shirt he wore.

Qrow managed not to stare at the metal plating built into the center of his chest, stitching his body together like a broken doll. Instead he reached forward, undoing the red bandanna around the man’s arm – one of the only things he’d kept of his old uniform, besides the boots – and tied the cloth around his eyes instead.

“Uh, Qrow?” Now blind, Clover sounded a lot more uncertain.

He ran a hand through short brown locks. “When I used to teach, I would do this with the students.”

“Lot to unpack with that statement.” He was barely containing a laugh.

It was his turn to flick him. “Shut it and listen.” He got to his feet, speaking as he rounded the other. “It was usually for typical stuff. Figuring out what movements they knew by reflex and what they needed to work on. Keeping an ear on their surroundings when their eyes can’t. But sometimes,” He stopped directly behind him. “It was to help break bad habits.”

Clover was already tense. “Really?”

“Ruby’s footwork used to be terrible. Got worse when she discovered her semblance – she was tumbling all over the place. Taking away her sight made her focus harder on every step she made. Made her more aware of everything she was doing.” Qrow reached out, fingertips brushing along the base of Clover’s neck, the skin shuddering under his touch. “That’s what I want you to do. Focus on the way your body reacts and correct it.”

“This… seems a little unconventional.”

He knelt down behind him. “Sometimes it’s the unconventional methods that work. Now,” He laid his palm flat along metalwork layered over his spine, hearing the sharp inhale. “Let’s get started.”

Qrow couldn’t say for how long, exactly, the exercise went on for – but it was certainly not as long as he would have kept one of his students at it. Where he’d push them to continue even just a minute longer, he was more willing to pull back with the brunette, knowing this was taking a mental toll along with the physical one. So, when he noticed Clover’s efforts were turning to frustration, he was quick to call for a break, offering that maybe they could finish up with Harbinger in the interim.

Clover, stubborn man he was, didn’t want to quit entirely though.

That was how they ended up sitting back to back as Qrow polished off the gears and pins and Clover set them into place.

Healing takes many forms, Qrow mused as he handed over the third cog and reached for the next, the anxiety he normally felt completely, blissfully absent.

Felt the stretch of muscles against his own as Clover worked, his erratic breathing and shakes having steadied a while ago.

One day, he hoped they could come out of this without their demons controlling them.

Yet, he knew recovery was a difficult, haphazard mess of a journey; so that day was in a future he still couldn’t quite discern, no matter how hard he looked.

Not that he could say he was surprised. His life had never been simple and that track record wasn’t going to let up a four decades’ long streak so easily – but, for once, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

For the one brightness he could see in all this was right behind him.

Qrow slid down, just enough to rest his ear against the metal along Clover’s back, the reassuring thump-thump-thump of his heart a gift he’d never waste.

For it beat with the promise that he was here.

He was alive.

And, Qrow recklessly dared to believe, he was his.

Another gift he’d never waste.

A devotion he’d never dishonor.

A love he’d forever hold onto.

#qrow branwen #clover ebi #fair game #rwby #fanfiction #Chase Firekitten's Tale

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