#quite a big leap between this one and the last one in terms of quality

[parksrway]

Connection pt. 2/3

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[letterboxd]

In Focus: The Truman Show.

Inspired by Letterboxd data that revealed it to be a lockdown favorite, editor-at-large Dominic Corry looks at the ever-evolving importance of contemporary masterpiece The Truman Show.

It has long been apparent that The Truman Show is an unnervingly prescient film. The story of a man who becomes aware that his superficially idyllic life is, in fact, a live-streamed television show has gone from being high-concept to every-day.

Thanks to the three Ps—the prevalence of mass urban surveillance, the proliferation of reality television and the pervasiveness of video in social media—the notion of cameras filming our every move is no longer a paranoid fantasy, but real life. The twist being that, for the most part, we all willingly signed up for it, and did all the filming ourselves. As Yi Jian saliently observes in his review: “Not to get all ‘we live in a society’ on Letterboxd but I know a person or two in real life that would actually give anything to trade lives with Truman, it do be like that sometimes”. It indeed do, Yi Jian.

So it’s something of a cliché at this stage to point out how we are all living in some version of the The Truman Show, and you don’t have to be a member of the royal family to feel that way. Yet, somehow, the film has become even more pertinent over the last eighteen months. And it’s a pertinence reflected in the massive uptick in viewership for the film as seen in Letterboxd activity.

During the month of February 2020, the last moment of the Before Times, The Truman Show had a modest 1,235 diary entries. That number tripled in April of that year, by which time the seriousness of the pandemic had become clear. And by July, deep in the worst of the pandemic, Truman fervor peaked, with a further 178 percent leap over April’s numbers, firmly placing it in the top 200 films watched by our members in a year of lockdown. (By the way, ‘diary entries’ mean activity where the member has added a watched date; many thousands more also marked Truman as ‘watched’ in those dark months, but didn’t specify a date.)

It’s not difficult to imagine why we might become more interested in revisiting this eminently re-visitable film. During lockdown, social media—including Letterboxd—took on a greater presence in terms of how we communicated with each other. We got used to seeing footage of faces more than actual faces. We were all the stars of our own ‘Truman Show’, and simultaneously the audience of everyone else’s ‘Truman Show’.

Christian Torres boiled it down effectively when he wrote: “Now every movie I see seems to be related to my life in quarantine. I am Truman and I want to escape.” And Sonya Sandra eloquently captured the film’s increased contemporary significance in her review: “This is a real-life daylight horror film. The best kind. Even more relevant in 2021 than ever. We are all Truman, we all want to find what is real in our fake lives filled with media, capitalism and ideology. And it’s our job to fight the storm and get to the truth of it all. Nothing is real, everything is for profit, and everyone is selfish. Go out and find what is real, because it’s definitely not here.”

With its deft, dazzling blending of the profound and the humorous, the optimistic and the cynical, it’s difficult to think of anything released since The Truman Show that comes as close as it does to being a modern-day Frank Capra movie. It’s hopeful, but has its eyes wide open. There’s a darkness in the themes of the film that is never replicated in the colors on display.

While everyone involved delivers career-best work, we must principally credit the triumvirate of talent at the center of the film: director Peter Weir, screenwriter Andrew Niccol and star Jim Carrey.

Star Jim Carrey and director Peter Weir on the set of ‘The Truman Show’ (1998).

Weir is a director who inspires much online love whenever his name is mentioned, but he isn’t really mentioned all that often. Or at least as often as he should be. The Australian filmmaker has delivered masterpieces across multiple genres, and it’s extremely sad that he hasn’t directed a movie since 2010’s not-quite-true World War II drama The Way Back, arguably one of his lesser works. That’s also, insanely, one of only two movies he’s made since Truman, the other being Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, the wide and rabid affection for which regularly kicks up on Twitter (not to mention demand for a sequel).

Weir doesn’t do many interviews, and while this 2018 Vanity Fair article marking Truman’s twentieth anniversary has many quotes about the film’s modern relevance, Weir doesn’t offer any commentary to that effect, presumably preferring to let the work speak for itself—though in this 1998 interview he did talk about the relationship between the media, the general public and the people we become fascinated with, as a “complex situation”.

The Vanity Fair article does, however, reveal a fascinating ‘what if’ scenario relating to Christof, the god-like director of the in-movie TV show played by Ed Harris, who offers up a pile of pretentious auteur clichés: mononymous, beret, etc. (beyond the whole god thing, that is). When Dennis Hopper, originally cast in the role, wasn’t working out, Weir considered playing the role himself, which would’ve added yet another meta layer. It brings to mind how George Miller styled Immortan Joe (played by Hugh Keays-Byrne) after himself in Mad Max: Fury Road, or how Christopher Nolan’s haircut shows up in most of his films.

Ed Harris as Christof in ‘The Truman Show’ (1998).

And, at one point, it could have gone mega-meta. Weir, in the 1998 interview, talked about a “crazy idea” he had, a technical impossibility back then but easily achievable with live-streaming now. “I would have loved to have had a video camera installed in every theater the film was to be seen [in]. At one point, the projectionist would … cut to the viewers in the cinema and then back to the movie. But I thought it was best to leave that idea untested.” Imagine.

Weir also played a role in helping to shape the originally much more overtly dark screenplay into the cheerier (on the surface at least) shooting script, which is solely credited to fellow antipodean, New Zealand-born Niccol, also a producer on the film. Both men have done the majority of their work in America, but it’s tempting to credit the film’s tone-perfect sense of heightened Americana to the degree of separation offered by their foreign provenance. In any case, it’s clear that open-air mall designers were paying attention.

Niccol’s original screenplay made his name in Hollywood, and revealed a storyteller excited by big ideas. He moved into directing with the smaller-scale Gattaca, released a year prior to Truman (itself delayed to meet Carrey’s availability). Niccol’s subsequent filmography includes several legit bangers (Lord of War hive step up!), and his endearing dedication to lofty allegories in a genre setting makes him an increasingly rare breed in Hollywood.

Like Weir, he is not the greatest fan of giving interviews, but the Vanity Fair piece quotes him making an interesting point: “When you know there is a camera, there is no reality,” thereby making Truman “the only genuine reality star.”

It’s a sentiment echoed by MusicMoviesMe, who writes that “‘Truman Show’ beats all other reality shows out there like Bachelors, Survivors and Kardashians. Come on, when you know there’s a camera at your tail, there’s no reality. So yes, Truman beats all reality shows out there bar none!”

The role was perfectly suited to Jim Carrey’s affected mannerisms, and his status as one of the world’s biggest stars meant he could relate to Truman more than most people. Then, at least. Nowadays, of course, we are all Truman.

“It is always incredible to see how far The Truman Show was ahead of [its] time,” observes The Closer79. “In a world where celebs are monitored 24/7 and we are showered with unnecessary private information on the web, where talent-free wannabes become famous and where you sometimes [wonder] what kind of surreal show society you are in—Truman and his fake show life cleverly have anticipated all of this. Only Truman knew nothing of his luck and he was granted an escape from his glass prison. We don’t really have this possibility… Aren’t we all Truman? Sometimes even voluntarily…”

Austin Burke concurs: “I have always known that I really enjoyed this film, but I had no clue that it would hold up so well years later… Could this be because the strange world that he finds himself in is far more similar to our world today? Possibly, but the idea and themes are so much more relevant now compared to when this originally released.” And while DallasFrance is conscious of piling on about the film’s prescience, his review highlights how there really is no limit to the film’s meta qualities:

“Instead of writing a review about how this film predicted social media, or how we’re all Truman, or yadda yadda yadda, I’ll instead fixate on the miraculous fact that two absolute legends were cast as primary viewers of the Truman Show:

1. The old lady from The Running Man who starts betting on Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger). ‘He’s one bad motherf*cker!’

2. The villain from The Karate Kid Part II:

‘Live or die, man?!’ ‘Die!’ ‘Wrong!’ *hooooonnnkkk*

I’ve never seen either of these actors in any other roles. With the second one, I felt like I was watching a character from my childhood watch a character from his childhood come to realizations about the characters in his childhood. So actually… the movie’s really about me.”

Never change, LB membership.

We are all generally pretty aware of how ahead of its time The Truman Show was, but that doesn’t lessen its impact. Maddie’s review shows that there’s always some new angle to consider: “Imagine being an extra in this movie… You would be an extra, playing an actor, playing an extra. Think about that long enough and tell me that doesn’t make you want to walk into the ocean.”

Kev goes even further: “Watching other people watch somebody else while also watching that person while also watching the person watching over that person is a great reminder that watching is weird, and to be watched is to not own yourself. Don’t watch, don’t try to be watched. Just live.”

Or perhaps Will encapsulates the film’s ability to present an ever-evolving message best, writing that, “clearly, this is video proof that we live in a simulation.” Beyond mere prescience, The Truman Show is a telling mirror to whatever era it is viewed in. Its message will continue to evolve.

Now that we’re finally (touch wood) emerging from the pandemic, it will be fascinating to see what The Truman Show has to say about its audience and the world they live in, in years to come. Rest assured, it will be well-documented by you, the Letterboxd audience.

Also: can Peter Weir please make another movie? Like, seriously.

Related content

A Meta-Reality: Robert’s list of layers of film in life and life in film

Follow Dom on Letterboxd

[marginalgloss]

I turn 35 tomorrow. How better to celebrate that than with some notes on the handful of video games I have managed to finish over the last ten months. In no particular order:

Judgment (PS4)

Something I think about often is that there aren’t many games which are set in the real world. By this I man the world in which we live today. You can travel through ancient Egypt or take a trip through the stars in the far future, but it’s relatively rare to be shown a glimpse of something familiar. Hence the unexpected popularity of the new release of Microsoft Flight Simulator, which lets you fly over a virtual representation of your front porch, as well as the Grand Canyon, and so on.

I found something like the same appeal in Judgment, a game which took me longer than anything else listed here to finish — seven or eight months, on and off. Like the Yakuza games to which it is a cousin, it’s set in Kamurocho, a fictional district of a real-world Tokyo; unlike other open-world games, it renders a space of perhaps half a square mile in intense detail. I spent a long time in this game wandering around slowly in first-person view, looking at menus and in the windows of shops and restaurants. The attention to detail is unlike everything I have ever seen, from the style of an air conditioning unit to the range of Japanese whiskies on sale in a cosy backstreet bar. And this was a thing of value at a time when the thought of going anywhere else at all, let alone abroad, seemed like it was going to be very difficult for a very long time.

It’s a game of at least three discrete parts. One of them is a fairly cold-blooded police procedural/buddy cop story: you play an ex-lawyer turned private eye investigating a series of grisly murders that, inevitably, link back to your own murky past. In another part you run around the town getting into hilarious martial arts escapades, battering lowlifes with bicycles and street furniture. In another, you can while away your hours playing meticulous mini-games that include darts, baseball, poker, Mahjong and Shogi — and that’s before we even get to the video game arcades.

All these parts are really quite fun, and if you want to focus on one to the exclusion of the others, the game is totally fine with that. The sudden tonal shifts brought about by these crazy and abrupt shifts in format are, I think, essentially unique to video games. But the scope of Judgment is a thing all its own. As a crafted spectacle of escapist fiction it’s comprehensive, and in its own way utterly definitive.  

Mafia: Definitive Edition (PS4)

I was amazed when I found out they were doing a complete remake of Mafia, a game I must have finished at least three or four times in the years after its release back in 2002. Games from this era don’t often receive the same treatment as something like Resident Evil, where players might be distracted by the controls and low-poly graphics of the original. 

A quality remake makes it easier for all kinds of reasons to appreciate what was going on there. (Not least because they have a lot of new games in the same series to sell.) But in the early 00s PC games like this one had started to get really big and ambitious, and had (mostly) fixed issues with controls; so there’s a hell of a lot more stuff going on in Mafia than in most games of that era. It was also a very hard game, with all kinds of eccentricities that most big titles don’t attempt today. Really I have no idea how this remake got made at all. 

But I was so fond of the original I had to play it. The obvious: it looks fantastic, and the orchestral soundtrack is warm and evocative. The story is basic, but for the era it seemed epic, and it’s still an entertaining spectacle. The original game got the balance of cinematic cutscenes, driving and action right the first time, even while Rockstar were still struggling to break out of the pastiche-led GTA III and Vice City. 

They have made it easier. You’re still reliant on a handful of medical boxes in each level for healing, but you get a small amount of regenerating health as well. You no longer have to struggle to keep your AI companions alive. Most of the cars are still heavy and sluggish, but I feel like they’re not quite as slow as they once were. They’ve changed some missions, and made some systems a little more comfortable — with sneaking and combat indicators and so on — but there aren’t any really significant additions.

The end result of all this is that it plays less like an awkward 3D game from 2002, and more like a standard third-person shooter from the PS3/360 era. Next to virtually any other game in a similar genre from today, it feels a bit lacking. There’s no skill tree, no XP, no levelling-up, no crafting, no side-missions, no unusual weapons or equipment, no alternative routes through the game. And often all of that stuff is tedious to the extreme in new titles, but here, you really feel the absence of anything noteworthy in the way of systems. 

My options might have been more limited in 2002 but back then the shooting and driving felt unique and fun enough that I could spend endless hours just romping around in Free Ride mode. Here, it felt flat by comparison; it felt not much different to Mafia III, which I couldn’t finish because of how baggy it felt and how poorly it played, in spite of it having one of the most interesting settings of any game in recent years. But games have come a long way in twenty years.    

Hypnospace Outlaw (Nintendo Switch)

If this game is basically a single joke worked until it almost snaps then it is worked extremely well. 

It seems to set itself up for an obvious riff on the way in which elements of the web which used to be considered obnoxious malware (intrusive popups and so on) have since become commonplace, and sometimes indispensable, parts of the online browsing experience. But it doesn’t really do that, and I think that’s because it’s a game which ends up becoming a little too fascinated by its own lore. 

The extra science fiction patina over everything is that technically this isn’t the internet but a sort of psychic metaverse delivered over via a mid-90s technology involving a direct-to-brain headset link. I don’t know that this adds very much to the game, since the early days of the internet were strange enough without actually threatening to melt the brains of its users. 

(This goes back to what I said about Judgment - I sometimes wonder if it feels easier to make a game within a complete fiction like this, rather than simply placing it in the context of the nascent internet as it really was. Because this way you don’t have to worry too much about authenticity or realism; this way the game can be as outlandish as it needs to be.) 

But, you know. It’s a fun conceit. A clever little world to romp around in for a while. 

Horace (Nintendo Switch)

I don’t know quite where to begin with describing this. One of the oddest, most idiosyncratic games I’ve played in recent years. 

As I understand it this platformer is basically the creation of two people, and took about six years to make. You start out thinking this is going to be a relatively straightforward retro run-and-jump game — and for a while, it is — but then the cutscenes start coming. And they keep coming. You do a lot of watching relative to playing in this game, but it’s forgivable because they are deeply, endearingly odd. 

It’s probably one of the most British games I’ve ever played in terms of the density and quality of its cultural references. And that goes for playing as well as watching; there’s a dream sequence which plays out like Space Harrier and driving sequences that play out like Outrun. There are references to everything from 2001 to the My Dinner with Abed episode of Community. And it never leans into any of it with a ‘remember that?’ knowing nod — it’s all just happening in the background, littered like so much cultural detritus. 

A lot of it feels like something that’s laser-targeted to appeal to a certain kind of gamer in their mid-40s. And, not being quite there myself, a lot of it passed me by. Horace is not especially interested in a mass appeal — it’s not interested in explaining itself, and it doesn’t care if you don’t like the sudden shifts in tone between heartfelt sincerity and straight-faced silliness. But as a work of singular creativity and ambition it’s simply a joyous riot. 

Horizon: Zero Dawn (PS4)

I stopped playing this after perhaps twelve or fifteen hours. There is a lot to like about it; it still looks stunning on the PS4 Pro; Aloy is endearing; the world is beautiful to plod around. But other parts of it seem downright quaint. It isn’t really sure whether it should be a RPG or an action game. And I’m surprised I’ve never heard anyone else mention the game’s peculiar dedication to maintaining a shot/reverse shot style throughout dialogue sequences, which is never more than tedious and stagey.

The combat isn’t particularly fun. Once discovered most enemies simply become enraged and blunder towards you, in some way or another; your job is to evade them, ensnare them or otherwise trip them up, then either pummel them into submission or chip away at their armour till they become weak enough to fall. I know enemy AI hasn’t come on in leaps and bounds in recent years but it’s not enough to dress up your enemies as robot dinosaurs and then expect a player to feel impressed when they feel like the simplest kind of enrageable automata. Oh, and then you have to fight human enemies too, which feels like either an admission of failure or an insistence that a game of this scale couldn’t happen without including some level of human murder. 

I don’t have a great deal more to say about it. It’s interesting to me that Death Stranding, which was built on the same Decima engine, kept the frantic and haphazard combat style from Horizon, but went to great lengths to actively discourage players from getting into fights at all. (It also fixed the other big flaw in Horizon — the flat, inflexible traversal system — and turned that into the centrepiece of the game.) 

Disco Elysium (PS4)

In 2019 I played a lot of Dungeons and Dragons. I’m talking about the actual tabletop roleplaying game, not any kind of video game equivalent. For week after week a group of us from work got together and sort of figured it out, and eventually developed not one but two sprawling campaigns of the never-ending sort. We continued for a while throughout the 2020 lockdown, holding our sessions online via Roll20, but it was never quite the same. After a while, as our life circumstances changed further, it sort of just petered out.

I mention all this because Disco Elysium is quite clearly based around the concept of a computerised tabletop roleplaying game (aka CRPG). My experience of that genre is limited to the likes of Baldurs Gate, the first Pillars of Eternity and the old Fallout games, so I was expecting to have to contend with combat and inventory management. What I wasn’t expecting was to be confronted with the best novel I’ve read this year.

To clarify: I have not read many other novels this year, by my standards. But, declarations of relative quality aside, what I really mean is that this game is, clearly and self-consciously, a literary artefact above all. It is written in the style of one of those monolithic nineteenth century novels that cuts a tranche through a society, a whole world — you could show it to any novelist from at least the past hundred years and they would understand pretty well what is going on. It is also wordy in every sense of that term: there’s a lot of reading to do, and the text is prolix in the extreme. 

You could argue it’s less a game than a very large and fairly sophisticated piece of interactive fiction. The most game-like aspects of it are not especially interesting. It has some of the stats and the dice-rolling from table-top roleplaying games, but this doesn’t sit comfortably with the overtly literary style elsewhere. Health and morale points mostly become meaningless when you can instantly heal at any time and easily stockpile the equivalent of health potions. And late on in the game, when you find yourself frantically changing clothes in order to increase your chances of passing some tricky dice roll, the systems behind the game start to feel somewhat disposable. 

Disco Elysium is, I think, a game that is basically indifferent to its own status as a game. Nothing about it exists to complement its technological limitations, and nor is it especially interested in the type of unique possibilities that are only available in games. You couldn’t experience Quake or Civilisation or the latest FIFA in any other format; but a version of Disco Elysium could have existed on more or less any home computer in about the last thirty years. And, if we were to lose the elegant art and beautiful score, and add an incredibly capable human DM, it could certainly be played out as an old-fashioned tabletop game not a million miles from Dungeons and Dragons.

All of the above is one of the overriding thoughts I have about this game. But it doesn’t come close to explaining what it is that makes Disco Elysium great.

[salavante]

I’m going to do a quick analysis on the pieces I felt I learned the most from during Artfight2020. I made 20 character illustrations over the course of a little over a month, got to draw a lot of different characters and environments, and would like to catalog what I feel I gained from it in terms of technique and process. A little Post-Mortem, if you will. Normally I would draw a little cartoon or something as a header but I’m tired lol. These are not really in any order. I am going to include the username of the characters’ owners but am not going to “@” them as not to annoy anyone, these are just kind of my personal thoughts about my process. 

Burn Forever - Character owned by @/evilbeards. Really love the colors in this one, it makes it look very regal, while also reminding me of medieval antiquity. This is the best fire I’ve done in awhile because it has both pleasing shapes, and a variance in hues within the flame. I made a point to remember this when I did “The Last Candle Burns”. I also really went all in with uplit lighting that clung to every crag in Tel’s face and think it paid off, it made me more confident that I could pull off more scenes with dramatic lighting in the future. Also, knocking the top of the throne of branches out of black and into dark blue gives an effective illusion of distance.

Bloodline - Characters owned by @/SaltiestGoat (twitter). A solution to characters presented primarily in black and white was to make the colors more symbolic than naturalistic - the story these two characters (who are father and daughter) were presented with was extremely vivid, and so it wasn’t hard to distill it into motifs that could be represented with color - power and violence as red, which is both compounded and spread via war/material wealth (gold), a cyclical relationship that is bright and searing against a cold, grey world. And white as something strange/supernatural and unearthly (eyes and teeth). Something I like when viewing art on a digital screen as opposed to a print or an original is the way that the brightest value of white feels like a stabbing pinprick, it really feels like it shines and elevates it a bit. But, anyway, using so much black was kind of a leap of faith, but it allowed for me to capture the sort of dreamlike atmosphere I was going for.

Dern It- Character owned by @/slabmangrave. Another one of those leaps of faith in using a lot of black, this time to create an illusion of depth implying that perhaps Hogarth here has been wandering around in an endless, stabbing field of cactuses, injecting a little humor, but also the vastness of the landscape. I found it a fun challenge to try and muster up a desert scene in a setting that effectively has no sun (relying on cool colors). The purple was a last minute addition that I ended up really liking, as I think it did better to silhouette The Teeth. I also used very minimal “line coloring” on this - something I really like about the source material is the textural mark making, and I feel like the starkness of black makes things have a little more of a tactile quality, in this case. I also think I might be on to something, representing specks of floating bits as small, short lines.

It’s Coming For You Through The Trees - Character owned by @/peg-head. One, I think this is my favorite set of teeth. I think the uneven quality of the two front teeth really sells it I also found it a fun challenge to change the camera up and have it be looking from a little ways below - I don’t think I entirely sold the concept of the character handing an object down to the viewer, but I think it’s a lot closer than my other attempts. I also liked using what was mostly a limited color palette, and getting to have a more desaturated, naturalistic range of colors. And like I said before, I love that small, stabbing pinprick of white light on a computer screen, and I think it works really well here.

Grease Monkey: Character owned by @/night-margie. This one may have been the most extreme test of my abilities, as I usually try to stay away from background elements that are inorganic, if I can help it. But I’m in the throughs of working on my own sci-fi setting right now and figured I should challenge myself. Not quite limited colors per say, but I think the division of gold and violet light works to separate the different areas of the piece (I tried it first just with blue but found it to be way too homogenous). Not entirely successful in regards to making a character look like they are seated beyond the lip of an object, but I think the pleasing shapes the character creates make up for it…but just barely, lol. I think this has a good balance of black negative space to grimy such-and-such, and am pretty pleased with the stylization of electrical sparks. I’ll have to experiment with it further.

Cryptid Sighting: Character owned by @/gnarliegnasties (twitter). First of all I think the thing this encouraged me to do the most was invest in more abstract, stylized background elements to create the illusion of depth, and I really gotta keep that in my comic-ing back pocket . Typically, I don’t tint my blacks entirely - I usually just color objects and edges that I feel are of special interest, or need to look more cohesive (as is usually the case with seams in clothing or armor, or a character’s fingernails). But In this case, I felt tinting them violet would make the environment feel more lush, and would also attractively frame the warmer blue of the character. This is a color scheme I haven’t tried (teal, purple, blue-green and a light orange-red) and I really enjoy it.

Summersong: Character owned by @/satourni. I really love the colors on this one - but, this is one of those pieces where I feel like I could do it better if I tried again! I definitely learned a lot from - I don’t think the underwater effect around the character is quite convincing, and would have been better served with the surface being visible in the gap between Kester and the camera. I’d also say the small, beadlike drops of water are more effective than the really big, heavy ones. I’d love to do more underwater scenes - makes me homesick! 

Hail To The King - Character owned by @/ petarvee (twitter). This is the one that I think I put the most time in that yielded the least satisfaction for me - I definitely feel like I overworked it. Snakes and creatures with likewise long necks are hard to draw, they need to taper in a way that feels natural, and I don’t think I really sold their feeling of mass - and the way it squishes and stretches - to my preference. I also stepped out of my comfort zone with the brighter, more saturated colors, and though I like the hoodoos, I think the rest of it is a little too discordant, despite my efforts. Should’ve had a stronger light source, or focused less on spectacle and more on portraying the character. I bit off a little more than I could chew with the hydra. I admit, I really like this artist’s work and was anxious about doing something for him - so, I ended up trying a little too hard to make something flashy. But, better to have rose to a challenge and failed doing something ambitious than to do something boring, I suppose.

In summation: 

-Let shapes made out of solid colors or black create illusion of distance or more objects.

-More limited color palettes seem to yield the best results for one-off illustrations, I’m still a little new at coloring compared to other people and need to remember that. I need to “grind” a little more. 

-A painted-in highlight accentuating an edge can both imply a stronger light source, and be a way to separate shapes too similar in value. But don’t overdo it or it becomes a little obnoxious. 

-Knock back an object with color to make them feel further away - you know, atmospheric something or another. 

-Balance black negative space with textured surfaces - it shouldn’t be a clean 50/50.

- Those little hash marks do a pretty good job at varying texture and particle effects. Use em more. 

[opticalfibrecable]

The engineers from Om3 Fibre told me that they use a XENPAK modem which has been adapted for use with the new multimode technology that is now available from ADSL. The difference between the ADSL and the multitude is, that the latter can support speeds of up to 2km per second and this is considerably faster than ADSL. ADSL can only support speeds of around 1kps, so this was actually quite a big leap for Om3 Fibre. One of the reasons why ADSL is limited to speeds of only a few kps is because of the distance it has to travel and because ADSL uses copper wires which are very fragile and easily damaged. On the other hand, Om fibre actually uses optical fiber cable which are much stronger and which do not experience the same problems. This means that ADSL can deliver better speeds regardless of the distance that it has to travel.

The other two said that they had recently moved to other providers and their new provider's offer ADSL Ready and since switching, their previous provider had changed their modem. When I asked them why they switched anyway, one of them said that the engineers from Om3 Fibre had come over to help them upgrade and they were now using om3 multimode fibre. I was a bit confused by this, but decided to ask more questions until I understood better.

In addition to all these benefits, the engineers from Om3 Fibre also told me that their cabling is much more durable than conventional fibre cabling which means that their products last twice as long. They also pointed out that unlike ordinary fibre cables, their cabling is made out of what is known as "micron glass core" which is made out of extremely thin glass and is much easier to install than regular glass fibre cabling. When comparing their products with ADSL, they noted that their cabling is almost identical in terms of speed and the cost involved. However, they noted that their micron glass core is much more durable, which means that their products would last four times as long as ADSL.

A few days ago, my colleague got an interesting phone call from Om3 Fibre where he explained that his customers are reporting difficulty with their Fibre optics. He asked them if they have a document from the ADSIOM presentation at the ADSIOM trade show about cabling. They confirmed that they did have a presentation, but that it was from before the ADSIOM conference. According to my colleague, no one on the call wanted to discuss the Fibre optics, it was simply that no one could remember what they were talking about.

To conclude, I have found that despite the price differences between ADSL and om3, the technology behind them is virtually indistinguishable from each other. Both of them provide a good level of connectivity to households which is very fast and reliable. In order to get the best performance, both ADSL and om3 should be used together with high quality laser optimised converters. Once you've used these two technologies together with an appropriate converter, you will realise that ADSL is clearly a step up from the competition. Hopefully my comparison has been helpful in helping you make your choice and if you need any help choosing a system please don't hesitate to visit our website.

[juvinadelgreko]

🪐share your natal chart tag game🪐

I was tagged by @beautifulcinephile and @strawberrylight. Thanks guys!

Instructions: go to cafeastrology.com and generate your natal chart. Copy the descriptions for your sun, moon, and rising signs. Bold the portions you feel apply to you.

Sun is in Libra ♎️

Libra natives are generally thought to be sociable, somewhat intellectual souls. They have an almost innocent way about them that makes them very approachable. Generally quite eager to cooperate, Librans spend a lot of their time trying not to rock the boat.

In theory, Libras are peace-loving. In practice, they can quietly stir up all sorts of trouble with their ways. Because Libra enjoys balance in their lives, they seek the middle ground. In the process, they may end up trying to be everything to everyone. This is where their reputation for untruthfulness comes from. Generally, their untruths spring from a true desire for peace and fairness--although they may not be comfortable with direct and malicious trickery, they feel totally justified when they lie in order to avoid making waves. Peace at any price! In this sense, they seem harmless. But, what can result is quite a ruckus! People involved with Libras may crib about their lack of directness and their apparent inability to take a stand. Librans are experts at avoiding being the one to blame. When confronted, they'll (calmly and reasonably) say, "What, me? No, I just want peace." "On the fence", "middle ground", "middle road" -- these are all expressions that we can safely associate with Libra. Some more powerful signs may consider Libra a little on the weak side. This is all a matter of opinion, however! Without Libra, life simply wouldn't be as fair.

Librans are known for comparing and thinking in relative terms, instead of in absolutes. This weekend is not just a good weekend, it's better than last weekend. As a Libra, you are always looking for the "best" way or the "right" way to live. Harmony is the ultimate goal, but your idealism and high expectations can amount to plenty of discontent. Since life presents all of us with an extraordinary amount of choices, if you don't learn to live in the moment at least some of the time, you'll be in a constant state of unrest.

You're extremely sensitive to imbalances around you. You aim to meet others halfway, and you definitely keep count in a relationship! As an Air sign, you live in your head more than most people, and as a Cardinal sign, you aim to take action. It's true that you can be a procrastinator, but ultimately, you are moved to get things done, but you seek to do so with tact, grace, and consideration for others.

Society needs rules, and these rules attempt to bring justice, equality, and fairness. On an individual level, Libra represents these laws of civilization. As a Libra, you are very civilized and rather refined. You are diplomatic and fair. You can be indecisive and can suffer from "paralysis by analysis," but you also see many different levels of any situation and can always see others' points of view.

Libra is associated with copper, pastel colors, opals, emeralds, pink quartz, both silver and gold jewelry, the number 6, and Fridays.

Moon is in Pisces ♓️

Those with the Moon in Pisces are known to be dreamy and not always in touch with reality. However, though you may not always show real-world savvy in day-to-day, practical affairs, you make up for this with remarkable intuition. You can put yourself in anybody's shoes with extreme ease. On the plus side, this endows you with remarkable compassion and love. The downside with this apparent ability to break down boundaries is that you can easily lose yourself in the suffering of others.

With your Moon sign Pisces, your sense of humor is delightfully silly and a bit odd. You are a perceptive soul who seems to be in touch with all the nuances and subtleties of human nature. Often this comes through in a strong sense of humor that is more of the receptive kind than the type of sense of humor that would make people the "life of the party." It's generally pretty easy to get them laughing. Crying, too!

Moon in Pisces people may get tagged as "spaced out," but there's a lot more to them than meets the eye. They feel things out and rely quite strongly on their intuition. It just doesn't feel right for them to do otherwise. Their dreaminess can mean plenty of moments of absent-mindedness. These times of oblivion can land them in all sorts of predicaments with others who can too easily misunderstand these complex souls. Without plenty of space and time to daydream, Pisces Moons easily get overloaded in life. Give them room to be alone with themselves, and they're generally able to take on the world--even if their style when they do so is not always conventional or understandable.

Generally considered soft-hearted and sweet, you care about others and are easily touched by human suffering. This tendency can gain you the reputation as a sucker for a sob story. Although this may sometimes be true, you learn in your lifetime how to discern between sincerity and manipulation. Still, you definitely do have plenty of soft corners.

This is a powerfully creative and artistic Moon. It's also one of the most understanding and nuanced combinations.

There's a delightful accepting side to Moon in Pisces that is sometimes mistaken for weakness. Pisces is the twelfth and last sign of the zodiac, and thus carries with it a little of each sign of the zodiac. As a result, Pisces sees themselves reflected in the behavior of others, giving them seemingly boundless compassion. Since the Moon represents our instinctive nature, Moon in Pisces seems to know how things feel without actual experience. They may have never experienced something but still seem to understand it -- even, or especially, the subtleties of it. The ones that aren't too shy make awesome actors. The ability to empathize even in the absence of experience gives them an open mind and heart. Most long to express this through writing, music (both listening and making), poetry, and art --in fact, the more satisfied people with this position do just that. Nevertheless, this is a searching Moon sign that is often divinely discontent!

Though some are doormats, most Pisces Moon people instinctively know when they're due for a much-needed recharge. It's at these times that they retreat from the world (and its harsh realities) if only to gather strength to face everything and everyone again. Solitude is important to them, but they also need people, so their retreats will usually be short-lived. Pisces Moon individuals believe; and, let's face it, the world needs Piscean leaps of faith.

You are a bit of an escapist or avoider. You don't always feel equipped to face things head-on. Although your intentions are usually good, a potential weakness is your ability to "get out of" things. When you are emotionally present, though, you are a wonderfully entertaining, understanding, and kind-hearted person to be around.

Virgo Ascendant ♍️

People with Virgo rising are often a little understated in their personal mannerisms and appearance, although a lot depends on the position of Mercury (the ruling planet of Virgo) in the chart. There is an intelligent and reserved aura about Virgo rising individuals that is unmistakable, however.

You may come across as somewhat shy or aloof, as you need time to analyze everything around you before you warm up to both situations and people. This quality can be received exactly as that, or it can be received as a rather stand-offish, cool, and even critical manner (depending on the audience).

One of the strongest personality traits of this position is body-awareness. You can be particularly sensitive to any discomfort or other signals your body gives you. For this reason, you can be particularly concerned with physical health and might be drawn to mind-body awareness exercises such as yoga. You might also be quite particular with food! Although some people with Virgo rising have good appetites, there can be an unmistakable pickiness about what they put in--and on--their bodies.

You are likely to worry a lot, especially when confronted with new situations. It's difficult not to since you notice the tiniest details that others overlook. Your powers of observation are through the roof, but sometimes this trait adds too much to the anxiety pile.

With Virgo rising, it's definite that you have Pisces on the Descendant. This can point to a tendency to attract (or be attracted to) people who need help, which can lead to uncomfortable or confusing situations -- sometimes you feel taken advantage of. Despite the Virgo rising tendency to appear rather collected and professional, relationships can sometimes get messy simply because you don’t always see your partners and partnerships clearly. You want to see the best in a partner.

You absolutely have your own way of doing things! Some may even call your methods unusual or peculiar, but they get the job done. It's very true that Virgo is a flexible sign -- after all, it's from the Mutable mode family -- and you often make accommodations for others. However, your way is the right way, and as much as you allow others to do their own thing, you demand the right to do the same. You've put a lot of time and energy into your methods, after all.

You work hard at whatever you do. Always going the extra mile, you have a difficult time being idle. As hard as you work, however, you may not always be focused on the big prize. For one, worry and particularness can slow you down -- you can be quite the perfectionist. For another, you're not always comfortable in the spotlight. However, this trait can be modified by the position and condition of Mercury in your chart, by sign, house, and aspect. For example, if Mercury is in Aquarius, you may not mind standing out from the crowd!

You work best at projects that you can oversee and manage slowly. Starting small and expanding slowly but surely is definitely the better choice for you, as situations that seem beyond your control can overwhelm you too quickly. Your confidence builds as you move along at your own pace. Watch that you don't miss out on opportunities because of the high standards you have for yourself. You may not think you can handle something, but if you give it a try, you may very well realize that you worried about it for nothing.

You can be highly skilled at what you do. It's no surprise that there are many artisans among you with your meticulous attention to detail and your desire to perfect and hone your craft. You might also be drawn to projects and lines of work that involve a lot of research, analysis, classification, and detail work.

You can come across as a little cool or critical, often without even realizing it. In truth, you are kind and concerned. You do live in your head so much that you can end up not trusting your intuition -- something to watch for! You are not obviously demonstrative. You are an earthy and sensual being, but it doesn't show up in first impressions.

Orderliness is vital to you. Chaotic situations stress you out more than they do others. You quickly become aware of all the variables involved in a new situation, and it's important to you that you feel you can manage them. With Mercury your sign's ruler, you can be given to fretting, tension, and nervousness. You certainly aim to pay attention to the smallest details. You can be a great lover of lists, catalogs, and schedules. Feeling organized finds you at your happiest!

You possess a quiet charm, and once you have the chance to warm up to new people and situations, you have much to offer. In other words, it's worth the extra effort that people may need to put in to get to know you! You'll help people out of a jam, go out on a limb for others, and surprise them with a natural modesty hiding behind a somewhat critical and standoffish manner.

Tagging: @satans-helper @hansonobsessed @dufflesmckagan @dramaticjupiter

[silversabl-inova]

( same information beneath the read more if you’d rather click through. ) BIOGRAPHY | BASICS | WANTED ARCS

i can bear any   p a i n   as long as it has meaning.

IC PORTION; BASICS —

CHARACTER NAME/ALIAS: Silvija “Silver” Sablinova

FACECLAIM: Katherina McNamara

AFFILIATIONS: The Wild Pack, ISA 

AGE (physical age as well, if different): Twenty three (23)

SPECIES (human, metahuman, alien, etc): Human

IS YOUR CHARACTER’S IDENTITY SECRET OR PUBLIC?

... Is ‘both’ an okay answer? I’m sure she thinks her identity is secret, but her name is Silver Sablinova, it’s not like... a leap to guess she’s the Silver Sable.  I guess it’s probably secret to the rest of the world because I don’t think she’s “famous” yet, but in her home country and the criminal underworld of eastern Europe, she’s probably pretty well known for her more infamous capabilities.

IF SECRET, OR YOUR CHARACTER IS A CIVILIAN, DO THEY HAVE A CIVILIAN OCCUPATION?

She prefers the term “secular recovery operative” but she’d be most appropriately dubbed a nationalistic bounty hunter.

IF YOUR CHARACTER LIVES IN THE FORTRESS, WHAT ARE THEIR DUTIES?

N/A.

DESCRIBE SIX TRAITS (3 positive, 3 negative) YOUR CHARACTER HAS AND HOW THESE AFFECT THEM:

[ + ]: PROUD - The third generation of Symkarian nationalists, Silver’s childhood was quickly marred by an airstrike that stole her mother’s life and destabilized her entire country, causing a civil war. Ever since, all Silver’s life has felt like a battle: for freedom, for justice, for family, and for peace. She knows her family history like the back of her hand, and because of this, she knows that fateful day was the result of her own family lineage doing everything it can to protect Symkaria & its people - but in the end, they had done anything but. The last surviving member of the Sablinova line, it’s Silver’s duty to restore balance to Symkaria, and she holds this duty deep in her heart, fueling the fire inside her. Everything in her life can be boiled down to ending the war in Symkaria - nothing else matters to her, and Silver’s duty to her country & compassion for her people are, arguably, her best qualities. [ + ]: RESOURCEFUL - There’s nothing in a room that Silver can’t make into a weapon at a moment’s notice. She’s not above fighting dirty to achieve the upperhand, and if her arsenal of gadgets won’t do the trick, than whatever’s closest to her will have to do. Locked in an empty room? No matter - she’s trained her entire life for the inevitable day when that situation arises, and when it does, her foe will be shocked to learn that she is the deadliest weapon of all. [ + ]: UNWAVERING - Devotion is one thing, but Silver is unwavering in her support. Once past her icy exterior, Silver tends to show her devotion with actions rather than words. She’s the first to interject herself into a dangerous situation to protect those she cares about; that circle is too small to allow any harm in its way, and Sable would break any law or commit any crime to safeguard those closest to her. It’s why her heart has such exclusive access - that kind of loyalty is, quite literally, worth dying for.

[ - ]: COLD - There’s a certain sharpness Silver tends to adopt when dealing with... people. Whether it be her version of professionalism, or just a product of her childhood, Silver’s apathetic approach to most interactions may give the impression of aloofness or distance. Bridging that gap is difficult for her, and for what she can’t give people emotionally, she tries to supplement with non-verbal acts of compassion. Not everyone has the ability to see through her stony exterior, or bone dry humor, and she often comes across as unhospitable or unconcerned, even if she’s anything but. [ - ]: DETACHED - Sometimes, you have to be selfish to be selfless. Silver has to remind herself of this fact constantly to keep herself in check; it’s easy to be swept up in the warmth of compassion for all, but a good leader knows when to draw the hard line between what’s good for everyone, and what’s good for your people. Silver has to draw that hard line far more than she’d like to - her one track mind is on brand for the Wild Pack’s affairs, but on a larger scale, this self-centeredness can spell disaster when they’re not careful. She just continues to tell herself that if Symkaria will ever be restored to its former glory, she needs to become as comfortable as she can with restricting big picture empathy. [ - ]: INFALLIBLE - When Silver makes a choice, be it over a contract or a personal matter, she becomes quite obstinate that her decision was the best possible one. In most cases, thankfully, it ends up being true; however, when Silver does make a mistake, she will outright refuse to accept responsibility, instead often blaming all other factors surrounding the situation for impeding her. If the mistake is a deadly error that costs innocent lives, than her adamance  increases tenfold, but in her heart, she knows she’s not free from wrongdoing - she just refuses to relent her headstrong exterior for fear of losing the respect of the Wild Pack.

POWERS AND/OR ABILITIES:

Indomitable Will: unnaturally strong willpower, able to resist all forms of temptation, including subordination manipulation, telepathy, subliminal seduction, & mind control.

Weapons Specialist: skilled with a katana, throwing projectiles, stun guns, & dual-wield fighting.

Master Martial Artist: and gymnast!

Multilingual: Fluent in seven languages - English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Somali, & Symkarian

WEAKNESSES:

Human: Quite literally, she’s human. No level of aptitude with guns, throwing knives, Kevlar bodysuits, or martial arts will help her defeat super-powered foes, and even though she can keep up with the best of them, a well timed sniper would write the end to Silver’s story immediately.

The Wild Pack: One of the last vestiges of her family history, Silver’s pledge to lead the Wild Pack includes protecting them, at all costs. There’s few honors she holds higher than the privilege to be apart of their ranks, let alone their commander in chief. She wouldn’t jeopardize their well-being for any contract, no matter how ludicrous.

Symkaria: It goes without saying that on the global playing field, Symkaria is the beating heart of Silver’s allegiances. She loves her country, and she would do anything to return it to the glory of her childhood - even if that means aligning with the wrong people for the right amount of time. Silver’s compassion for her countrymen - and longing for what used to be - outranks her perception of the bigger picture.

WHAT DREW YOU TO THIS CHARACTER?:

Well. I love Silver Sable, off the bat - the Spiderverse is pretty much my favorite comic conglomerate in the world, so I feel pretty comfortable writing characters derived from it. I dig a good villain, or at least, antagonists, and I just feel like Silver is one of those characters you can really dig your teeth into & flesh out so many different layers. The death of her mother at a young age, the duty to a country she saw prosper & implode within her lifetime, the lineage to uphold within The Wild Pack, and moving forward, the mending of Symkaria & creation of Sable International -- they’re all different strokes of the same woman, and I love poking & prodding around them all to see what sticks!

IC PORTION; DETAILS —

WHAT BROUGHT YOUR CHARACTER TO SOKOVIA?

Money. She’s only there to fulfill a contract - she’s been hired by the ISA to retrieve any powered people she can find. She’s not a big fan of Sokovia as of late, especially given their recent catastrophes. The damage to Sokovia had a ripple effect, upsetting the socioeconomic standard of neighboring countries. This, of course, includes Symkaria; getting powered people out of Sokovia will hopefully halt the continued destabilization she’s watched through her country even further off balance, making it easier for the oppressive regime currently in place to make swooping laws

(I would like to offer your current players the ability to opt into this plot! I don’t want to assume anyone wants her as an antagonist - if no one’s interested, she can certainly creep along the sidelines within the city of Matchak in the name of reconaissance. I would die if she & the Wild Pack were part of the reason why people are going missing in the woods, or at the very least, they begin to provide intelligence as to who or what is causing it.)

DID THEY SIGN THE ACCORDS? WHY OR WHY NOT?

No, Silver & her team aren’t superpowered and thus, outside the scope of the Accords, the ISA, or anybody else, for that matter.

(Well, maybe not Interpol, but that’s not her chief concern... ever.)

PROVIDE 3-5 HEADCANONS RELATED TO YOUR CHARACTER:

Thou Shalt Not Kill: Silver doesn’t consider herself a mercenary, unlike the rest of her crew, and for good reason. She staunchly keeps to a “no kill” rule; her clients pay her for retrieval, not assassination (and even if they did, her price would be too high). Silver specifically accepts contracts that require her to bring the target back alive, preferably to face trial. It’s a moral and economical decision - she believes in the hard lines of justice, and typically, the Wild Pack will get hired to also run security for these high profile trials. It’s a win-win in her eyes, especially because this moral alignment begins & ends with her; she can’t force the Wild Pack, a band of true mercenaries, to abide by that rule unless it’s part of the fine print. Otherwise, they don’t get paid.

I’m Not Your Silver Lining: Silver does not “connect” well with others. Even the Wild Pack, despite being raised within their ranks, has become inexplicably difficult for her to bond with after she assumed a leadership rule over them. She doesn’t put herself on any kind of pedestal; it’s just lonely at the top, and heavy is the head that wears the.. crown? Tactical helmet? Whatever. Regardless, her icy exterior isn’t the result of her pride, but her inability to display outward affection. It makes her quite difficult to befriend, let alone romance.

Anything You Can Do...: She does not do well with being confronted with her own mortality, chiefly the indisputable fact that she is not super powered. She’s quick to start a fight with anyone who dares to say it. Silver has accomodated this woeful transgression of fate in every way she could, keeping a strict training routine that began in her childhood and never letting herself have a “real” life outside of the Wild Pack. Stories of her “powers,” passed in hushed whispers around Symkaria, never failed to bring the smallest of smiles to the Ice Queen’s lips, before quickly melting away. She feels uncomfortable around true superpowered individuals, knowing she’s at a tactical disadvantage at all times, so Silver prefers the company of augmented humans or just normal people.

WANTED CHARACTER CONNECTIONS:

Peter Parker: NEVERENDING PLOTS FOR SPIDEY!!!! I’m partial to Silver being an antagonist against Spiderman; I’m also partial to them being begruding partners, and pretty much everything in between! There’s a lot of back story I would want to establish with Peter’s player, since Silver does have some background in NYC at the Symkarian Embassy. Has she heard of him from her time in America, and can’t believe her eyes when she sees web residue in the forests of Sokovia? Maybe he intrigues her, in the sense of cat-and-mouse, the chase for a target that she can never quite catch. Anyway, I just like that they’re well matched and could endlessly go in circles around one another!

Dick Grayson: Silver will not take well to other mercenaries on her turf, and if she finds herself losing targets - and money - because of some dick in a spandex suit, she’s going to intervene the only way she knows how: a tactical net and a stun gun, to haul his ass off to ISA, or whoever offers the highest bid for his head. Either way, their connection would be openly antagonistic, and it’d be way more enjoyable if he continously slips through her fingers through the fault of only her own.

Tony Stark / Bruce Wayne: Waaaaaay in the future, but right off the bat - I know I’d love to lay the groundwork for Silver to have Tony and/or Bruce help her begin the first drafts of Sable International weaponry, specifically the special red energy blasters they use as well as their unique armor.

I like the idea of Tony trying to spear head any kind of science based project, but obviously, he has his own demons that he’s struggling with re: his inventions, so that would be the slowest of burns for Silver to actually convince him to help her of all people. Potentially, it would be easier to recruit Bruce because she has a hard moral alignment of Justice, which may appeal to him, but it also may not since she doesn’t have an issue breaking other countries’ laws to acquire her target. It really depends! I’m open to either or both options.

POTENTIAL CHARACTER ARCS: ( ohhhhh buddy... )

THE WILD PACK: Silver’s ascenscion to leader of the Wild Pack may not be a new development, but  I don’t think she has quite the handle over her role as her father had. At the moment, she’s still trying to prove herself that she was their best choice. It doesn’t help that she was merely picked for lineages’ sake, the group being “passed on” to her, despite there being members who were more qualified and possibly, even more respected than a Sablinova. It’s caused Silver to retreat within herself, for now, as she tries to feel out what’s the best version of herself to be that can actively command their respect. I want to see her grow within this role, specifically finding her stride and proving herself as not just her father’s daughter, but her own person. I’m mainly focused on her accepting the weight of her father’s death as a “positive” burden to shoulder, because it gave her the Wild Pack, but without anyone to banter off of, I want to remain a little removed from addressing her relationships with individual members until I get a better idea of her.

THE BAD GUY?: At the moment, she’s not very concerned with anyone’s opinion of her, outside of the Wild Pack’s. If that means that she’s comes across as a “villain” for simply doing her job, she doesn’t quite care - everyone has to make a living somehow, and she hasn’t seen these so-called “superheros” do very much to help anyone other than themselves. Sure, individual civilians are great to rescue, but they hold no concern for the bigger picture when it comes to their actions.

THE GLOBAL PEACE AGENCY: I don’t know what the hell is going to happen with this group, but boy am I excited! Regardless of whether their true to their name, I think Silver’s entire personality is tailored to be taken advantage of by them, especially if they promise stability for Symkaria. As long as she’s not exposed to intel that hints at bad intentions, she’d probably operate at their beck and call, until her trust in their motivations becomes fractured.

SABLE INTERNATIONAL: I want Sable International to come to fruition!!! I don’t know how, or why, but I just love that journey for her! Maybe as a retirement plan from “bounty hunting,” so she can lean more into private security consulting? Maybe as a tactical weaponry distributor that could rival Lex Luthor / Trask / Oscorps’ on the global market, but in the name of “good”? Maybe something happens to the Wild Pack and it’s the only way she can keep herself sane in the following months? WHO KNOWS!!! I’m always open to ideas!

CHARACTER BIO —

Silvija Sablinova and her mother, Sacha, were sleeping peacefully in their beds the morning that the Sablinova family was changed forever. It was too early to even be awake, dawn having not yet struck its colorful brilliance across the lavender-grey when the drone peppered the valley. It wasn’t the first time such an act of aggression was lobbed across their way, but this time, her father Ernest wasn’t there to save them, away on an assignment with his Wild Pack. It was the end of February, the winter of 2002. Silver was five, and from that moment on, she never left her father’s side again.

After that, the story sounds the same. Daddy's little girl raised to be his right hand; there's no softness, no grief, only purpose for them both to find vengenance for her mother's killer. Not a border nor an army could keep them from finding whoever ordered the strike, and with the Wild Pack by their side, their path toward retribution knew no limit. In the mean time, they trained, and Silver's entire life began and end at all the same lines as her father's. It would be nice, if the story could stop there, but it never does.

For generations, the Sablinova's served the monarchy that ruled over Symkaria, until World War II threw the entire planet off-kilter and brought their beloved country into turmoil. Her grandfather was a prolific Nazi hunter and a national hero, actively fighting against the civil war threatening to break out across the land. Her father followed in his footsteps, his career more focused on collecting HYDRA agents with terror charges, alongside his infamous band of mercenaries as they brought countless criminals to justice. In 2017, when it was exposed that HYDRA had infiltrated SHIELD, a frequent employer of the Wild Pack...It was no surprise they would be targeted, but once again, Symkaria became the battleground of their disposal; their loved ones targeted, their neighborhoods raided, and soon, they were left no choice but to go underground.

Silver was there the day that her father's tenure as their fearless leader came to a shuddering halt, face to face with the man who hadn't just taken her mother from them. He'd destroyed their homeland in the name of the enemy. He'd taken peace from innocents without a second thought. In his final act of treachery, he stole her father's life and body, slipping through the Wild Pack's clutches as they gave desperate chase, but to no avail. She was the natural choice as his successor; it was a lifetime achievement tainted with sorrow and defeat.

The hunt has never ended, despite what Silver says. She knows her father's dead, and she'll probably never find the man who destroyed her family, but still, she waits. Until then, it was business as usual; catch the bad guys, bring them to justice, rinse & repeat. No duty is monotonous when it serves a greater purpose, but eventually, even Silver couldn't stop herself from pushing the Wild Pack toward Sokovia. Their unrest had begun to bubble over and spill across its borders, eventually displacing refugees and criminal activity into Symkaria's own. Silver Sable may be investigating client contracts, but Silver Sablinova is bidding her time, waiting for something, anything to help her either accept the fate that's been handed to her, or to find the man that caused it.

Until then, all she can do is be stronger than she was the day before.

[dansnaturepictures]

Photos of mine on my 2021 landscape & other outdoor calendar: Cover and January to August with my thoughts on each picture 

Further to my posts last week revealing on my Tumblr the 13 of my pictures taken between May 2019 and April 2020 that had made it onto my wildlife pictures calendar for 2021, here’s the first of two posts tonight with the pictures I took over a slightly greater period from May 2019 to May 2020 (I write this post this May just after tweeting and doing my Facebook reveal of the lineup) that I have decided to put on my 2021 landscape and other outdoor subjects pictures calendar. The next post with September-December and my reserves shall be in half an hour. As last week and previous years, please find below captions of and my thoughts on the pictures in order they appear in this photoset. 

Cover: Ruby at Cape Cornwall taken August 2019

Generally for these calendars as I always have its my strongest photos over the selection period (as I’ve said a lot over the years I have evolved into this pattern that I like of deciding the final lineup for the calendars in May/June and every subsequent picture I take in that year then going into contention for the calendar for two years later) that make the lineup. In terms of the final 13 pictures though some have to prove to me as such they are strong to make it and others get an easier ride onto the calendar for emotional reasons. 

I used to make a calendar for my bedroom wall from my wildlife and landscape pictures merged and one for pictures of our dogs for me. From 2018 onwards I obviously have done a wildlife and landscape calendar each for myself as my Christmas present each year to put on my bedroom wall and I do make an additional one with dog pictures for my Mum usually a less critically evaluated thing. Since 2018 I did though say dog pictures, as they are mostly taken outdoors on our walks and are animals yes but clearly not a wildlife subject, could compete to be on my landscape and outdoor calendars you could say. 

Ever since it always seemed a distant possibility that my best photos of Missy or Ruby could actually outshine one of my landscapes or other minority subjects to be on one of these calendars they don’t tend to prove as strong as those others of my pictures for quality when really looked into. There is no doubt that what made me say right this picture is on my calendar for definite was Ruby, the most photogenic dog I have ever known with respect to her mother Missy, passing away in April. It felt like one last thing I could do for her, have her on a calendar of mine for the last time and on the front cover so what I will see when I store the calendar in 2022 after its use on my wall. It felt like a way to honour her as she had provided so many of my most entertaining and memorable photos over the years even if they weren’t my very best quality and adorned many of my calendars. She was a star in front of the camera. 

That being said, it was more an idea when Ruby left us of “I’m gonna put a Ruby picture on my landscape and outdoors calendar”. I was well into my selection of the final calendar lineup by that point and there was only one dog picture taken over that near 12 month period left in my calendar shortlist, this one. But in all honesty even before we lost Ruby I had wondered if this picture might against the odds be my first dog picture to get on one of my landscape and other outdoors calendars as right from when I took this one of her watching us eat a meal at a cafe on holiday late last summer I knew it was a strong dog one for me and I just always loved this picture for quality and beauty. So in the end, it was the perfect choice to lead this calendar. 

January: Sunset at Fort Cumberland taken in January 2020 

You’ll get to learn that this is one of my most sky dominated calendars, I always say I must have at least one sky picture making this calendar for me its a big part of my landscape photography after all and for this calendar I’d say six are ones I could consider to have strong sky elements and four in particular are what I’d clasify as sky pictures and further still all of those four are results of lowering suns in the evenings so are what I am really loving taking right now sunsets as such. This winter one back in the days when the sun set on our walks quite often is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen from one of my most memorable bird and wildlife watching days and weekends of 2020 as we saw Sanderlings and Stock Doves for the first time this year here and had seen Barn Owl, Fox, Roe Deer and more at the Titchfield Canal path earlier in the day with a memorable garden bird picture from home that morning and a personally historic day of birds and photos at Whitefield Moor in the New Forest the day after. Certainly a memorable photo with the quality to match of this lovely scene I felt. 

February: Pig Bush in the New Forest, taken February 2020 

This is a worthy image to be February being taken on this year’s Leap Day. Its another success story if you like in my journey with Pig Bush photo wise as it makes it my second landscape calendar running a picture from this my favourite part of the New Forest has appeared. This dark sky one was a dark horse as I produced around 20 photos on that showery but sunny afternoon and there were many strong ones at the time that could have made the calendar I didn’t think straight away this was my pick of the bunch but it really grew on me leading up to the calendar final decisions and I realised how much it summed up that memorable afternoon for photos and birds seen weather wise and how much I like it. 

March: Snake’s head fritillary flower at Lakeside Country Park taken March 2020 

Alongside Ruby this represents my minority subjects another category I say I have to have one of on a calendar at least and over the last year and especially now my flower pictures which I’m taking more and more have have become perhaps alongside fungi the premier variant of my minority subjects. Just like last year it felt smashing to include one, even better that it was a truly sought after and special wild flower. This is a flower that I noticed last year and photographed that we are so lucky to have growing a rich area in Lakeside so very near to us. Even luckier this year as this was taken during the early days of the coronavirus lockdown during a daily exercise walk and I remember that day when not a lot was going on you could say when my Mum said she’d seen these flowers springing up here days earlier itching to get out and see this species. Even more excited as I didn’t know what it was last year but had learned it is this well named species. I enjoyed the purple ones there too but also wanted to photograph this splendid looking white one and I didn’t know just how satisfied the result would make me I think this picture shows the delicate markings of a natural work of colour and art well. Its a testament to my new macro lens which I only got in January 2020 that two of the pictures produced with it made my 2021 calendars perhaps the biggest compliment I can give one of my own photos, this one and the Green Hairstreak butterfly on my wildlife one and more so could have easily to be honest so its a good start and this one sums up that detail this brilliant lens is giving me. I feel so good about this photo. 

April: Sky seen from my bedroom window from April 2020 

Its a testament also to the pictures I took during lockdown, and how well I feel I’ve started 2020 for photos, that after my first ever garden bird photo making a calendar of mine in the form of the Collared Dove for my 2021 wildlife one this is my first ever sky/sunset from the bedroom window photo to make one of my calendars. This pre-sunset sky probably was a pleasure to take and in a what felt like constant run of taking these photos from my bedroom window stuck well and truly in the mind and with me well into to the picking when I took this it just looked stronger and stronger every time I saw it which was crucial to it getting here. 

May: Milkham in the New Forest, taken March 2020 

Taken a couple of weeks after the Pig Bush one it was a similar day, sunshine and showers, amazing birds seen and so many photos taken which this one sums up well. I picked this and the Pig Bush one by pitting some of my favourite heathland landscapes in my precious New Forest taken before lockdown in 2020 against each other to find winners as such as I felt I needed and wanted to represent this group on my calendar. I ended up with two I was proud of but what both showed, especially this one I thought also, was that rich woodland habitat the New Forest is equally as strong for. Celebrating trees the very precious life form for our planet and nature is something I have been trying to do for the last couple of years more in my landscapes. Whilst there were other photos that celebrated trees in my landscapes more taken that day I feel this one does it well and it feels like a pivotal moment on this journey me putting it here. I just love the way this one looks, the positive energy it gives me as a photo and how much of a wilderness is conveyed I would say in this very precious habitat. 

June: View at St. Abb’s Head, Scotland taken June 2019 

For once the current year outnumbers the pictures form the latter half of the previous one it always seems to be the other way round on these calendars lately but here is one of my strongest 2019 landscapes that just had to be on the calendar. I love the coast especially sheer cliffed areas where cliff nesting seabirds come into its my favourite habitat for really my favourite wildlife and that Northumberland holiday with a quick day trip into Scotland was all about that. This view brought me a chance to see one of the most striking and distinctive rock formations I’d ever seen this sight greets you as soon as you get there and looks so lovely. It looked stunning on a sunny day with that blue water and I just felt there was something so strong about this one from the off. Without doubt one of my favourite ever landscape photos to take on a day that had a few candidates for that. 

July: The River Itchen, taken April 2020 

For this summery month its an April picture that ended up looking quite summery. This was another of my favourite daily exercise pictures during lockdown from a typical spring day. I’d wanted to take a down river photo good enough for a calendar for years in honesty and this one did that. I’ve always said photos on sunny days in April and October can often look much better quality wise than high summer with angles of light and how it makes the photo look so I was possibly in the right place at the right time to make this a bright blue and tranquil photo with everything looking at a nice quality in the photo and that’s what I like most about this one. It shows off rich woodland as well and possibly even better delicious woodland beside water a habitat I love at a local place I have always loved. 

August: Pendeen lighthouse, Cornwall from September 2019 

Part of my timing for deciding the calendars is so photos from weeks on holiday etc don’t completely take over the lineup, but in truth they still dominate the relevant calendar as weeks away as I said before doing once in blue moon things with iconic creatures and different also too sometimes iconic places and just so many photos I get time to take often lead to my very best photos. If as predicted my Northumberland 2019 (Farnes etc) seabirds/marine wildlife photos dominated my 2021 wildlife calendar, my coastal (my favourite type really) landscapes of our 2019 Cornwall holiday dominated the 2021 landscape one with four making this calendar (albeit one was Ruby so not a landscape). This is one of the ones I picked out as one of my best at the time of the Cornwall holiday from the trip, but it got overlooked by others from the trip for my 2019 end of year posts on here and Twitter involving my best quality photos as I saw it from certain categories. But it forced its way onto my calendar and maybe the calendar was what it was meant to be used for. I like how it shows a classic summer’s day by the sea at an amazing location in Cornwall, in 2019 what was a strong year for landmark photos for me too especially by the coast it ticks that box as well with that nice lighthouse involved. One of my best ever such photos. 

[no-d4y-but-tod4y]

Thanks to @betsysinlove for the tag on her wonderful piece!

The rules are the same as last time!

Enjoy!

———

Love Is Blind: Episode Two

Alma tapped her pen against the spiral bound notebook in her hand. She scrutinised the handwritten notes that had accumulated throughout the experiment. A couple of redeeming qualities here, a few witty one-liners that made her laugh there. A big fat NO over the slimy man that gave her the creeps - she had scribbled out what little she recorded until the pen ran out of ink.

Nobody in the potential list held a candle to Frankie.

She’d been looking forward to seeing him all day. Eventually he would walk in to her pod (they told her to stay in one place this time and let the men come to her) and that’s what spurred her on.

When she lay on her back, listening to the chirpy sportsman talk about his athletic achievements, she wondered if Frank was at all competitive. When the blanket cocooning her made her feel safe and secure whilst enduring disgusting “womanly expectations”, she consoled herself with the thought that at least Frank had made it out of the 1800’s. When her date didn’t reply to anything with more than a one word answer, she longed for Frank because she knew he would have taken a huge interest in her and what she had to say.

‘Okay, Alma,’ the voice of a crew member caught her attention as he let himself into the room. ‘Thank you for your time today, we got some great footage. We don’t need to go over anything else so you...are done!’

‘I’m done?’

‘And dusted. Shall I take you back to the common room?’ He blinked. ‘You’re looking confused.’

‘That can’t be. I haven’t seen all of my dates yet.’

Now it was his turn to look confused. ‘We’re on a tight schedule so that should be everyone...’ he flipped through a cluster of pages on his clipboard while Alma fought off a certain degree of panic. ‘No, you’re definitely finished. We don’t have anyone else lined up to see you today.’

‘But what about - I wanted a second date with-.’ She stopped, for fear of crying.

‘With...?’

‘Frankie. Frankie, you must know who I’m talking about. Thick plummy accent, likes to drink Old Fashioned cocktails?’

‘Oh right. Him.’ The crew member wore an expression that Alma couldn’t quite read but didn’t like. ‘I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news but to go on a second date you both have to agree.’

That painful sinking feeling was all too familiar. Of being punched in the gut and a large rock forcing its way down the throat and into the stomach. She felt her face getting hot and dearly wanted the man to go away and let her cry in peace.

Deep down she didn’t expect a different outcome. But that didn’t make it hurt any less.

‘Okay,’ she said. ‘Thanks.’

She was shaking all over on her walk back to the common room. She forced a fake smile and invented many wonderful dates to keep up with the other girls. When the time came she climbed into bed and pulled the covers over her head.

Only then, away from the cameras, did the tears well up and spill over.

———

Frank stared at his notebook, fluffy pen in hand.

I have not seen Alma for two days. I am starting to get bad again.

The skinny men in black t-shirts and wireless headsets came to tell him Alma was ill, too ill to see him that day. He was sympathetic at first. Poor little thing, he thought, feeling poorly and being away from home is a simply rotten combination. He sent positive thoughts to his endearing first date and wished her a speedy recovery.

But it happened again the next day, and this time he wasn’t quite so understanding.

If she was too sickly to even sit up and hold a simple conversation, what on Earth was she still doing on set? He had exceptional hearing, the sound of a veichle driving away no matter how distant would have caught his attention. She should be at home, where she would be taken care of. Come to think of it, he didn’t know where the medical unit was. Or if they even had one...

Frank was mooching all of this over in the common room, not really listening to anything the rest of them had to say. Which didn’t stray from the norm but at least he had a reason this time.

‘I think they allocated me a mute today. I barely got two words out of her. I can’t even remember her name. Olga, or something.’

‘Alma?’

‘Yes! Have you been on a date with her too?’

‘I think once, at the start of the experiment, but I hear she’s the reason that guy disappeared.’

‘I heard a rumour that he got arrested.’

Frank was so flabbergasted that he remained speechless for the first few moments. Upon making the connection between Alma, another man and a law that may have been broken, he snapped to attention.

‘Say that again?’ He leaned forwards, crossing his right leg over the left. ‘What happened?’

The man to start the conversation gave him a weird look. ‘Haven’t you noticed? That guy, the older man with the expensive suits. He was here one day and gone the next and the word is that this Alma was the last girl to be in the pod with him.

‘And,’ continued another, ‘I overheard the producers talking amongst themselves and from what I could pick out it may have been a legal obligation.’

Frank stared back at them with an expression akin to a sex doll. He could feel his mouth hanging open and his eyes unblinking but he was so lost for words he couldn’t even think straight.

Not only had Alma not fallen ill (therefore he’d caught the producers in a blatant lie) she’d had an altercation in which someone...tried to hurt her?

‘How could a crime have been committed when two people are separated by an impenetrable wall?

‘Oh, you never know, it only takes one thing. My guess is she reported him for something and they had to look into it by law and found something else.’

‘Me personally I didn’t like him, I thought he was a bit weird and too old to be on a show like this. It just came off as strange.’

Frank thought hard and tried to remember the man in question. He sat back and listened most days. Observed. However most of the time he fell into a daydream and didn’t realised he’d zoned out until there was no point zoning back in. A vague memory came to mind of spotting a tiny gold cufflink winking at him in the middle of the floor, but it ended there. One could safely assume it belonged to the vanished man if he’d already been cited as wearing expensive suits.

He was confused, but also felt a strong rage. Who would dare try and hurt his sweet little Alma?

He excused himself and entered the small room in which they made their video diaries.

‘Who’s in charge here?’ Frank demanded of the glassy lens staring at him. ‘I have a few things I’d like to discuss.’

He immediately recognised the man who’d briefed him before going into meet Alma on the first day. He stepped into the room with an arrogant smile on his face.

‘Hey, Finn, what’s going-?’

‘It’s Frank,’ he growled. ‘Why the fuck did you lie to me?’

‘Okay, first of all I won’t be spoken to like that-.’

‘And I will not be taken for a fool. You told me Alma was ill, too ill to sit up straight, yet I’ve got three men talking about their encounters with her today! And what’s this about unnerving men and jail time?’

———

Alma glanced over at the table stocked with Absolut, orange juice, an ice bucket and fresh orange slices. Because she didn’t drink anything else, the team left her the ingredients to make her vodka and orange herself, yet she didn’t feel like drinking it when it only reminded her of Frankie.

No stranger to the real world, Alma knew you can’t always get what you want. After letting herself get very upset she consoled herself with the thought that at least Frankie would find someone in the end.

Maudlin and disingenuous, she knew that.

It still would have hurt but it wouldn’t have been such an embarrassment if he’d just told her. She felt stupid and naive for letting herself feel so happy and excited. To get her hopes up like that for it all to come crashing down...and to have the whole thing broadcast on TV as if it wasn’t bad enough.

If no one interested her today, she would leave. She couldn’t put on a fake smile anymore.

‘I’d know that blurry shadow anywhere...’

The smoky drawl made her heart leap. She sat dead still, hardly daring to believe it.

‘Hello, stranger.’ Alma’s hands were shaking. ‘Where have you been hiding?’

‘Frankie!’ Alma launched herself from the sofa and down in front of the blue wall, almost crying with disbelief. Too overcome with joy to play it cool. ‘Oh, Frankie! I thought-! You said - I mean, they said-! They told me you didn’t-!’

‘I know what they told you, my darling. Believe me I am furious. Tell me, sweet girl, please tell me you didn’t think it was true?’

Alma lowered her gaze and swallowed hard.

‘I’m sorry, Frankie, I...it didn’t make me think you were a horrible person, I just-.’

‘Hush now, it’s alright. Don’t upset yourself.’ The urge to kick down that wall was as strong as ever. The poor girl was innocent in all of this and had been made to feel like a toy instead of a human being. ‘I adored my time with you, Alma.’ Frank stressed every word in the hopes that she would believe it. ‘I didn’t want to go. I never would have left you alone like that. The day after our meeting they told me you’d caught a sickness and were too poorly to see me, to see anyone. Earlier today I found out I’d been lied to and I demanded they take me to you.’

They lied?

Why would they do that?

How on earth did they think they could get away with it?

———

‘I’m intrigued by you, Alma.’ That voice sent shivers up her spine every time but with words like that...they’d have to mop her up from the floor. ‘Tell me more. Talk to me.’

Bold request when she could barely remember her own name.

‘Well...I’m Alma, you know that. I’m twenty years old, you know that too. I’m happy where I live, but it’s a bit out of the way. I wish I lived closer to the capital.’

‘Why?’

‘Stuff happens.’

Frank chuckled. Classic Alma. That term was coinable.

‘I love animals, I have two cats at home. They become members of the family and loosing them is a different kind of pain. My doggy taught me that, we lost him suddenly and it broke my heart.’

‘Oh you poor thing. I have five dogs at home and I couldn’t imagine loosing any one of them.’

‘Five? What type of dogs are they?’

‘I have a blue Staffordshire Bull Terrier called Persephone and I have a soft spot for her as she is my only girl. Razor is my Siberian Husky who thinks he’s a puppy and tried to sit on your lap and cries to be picked up and cuddled. Cujo is nothing like his namesake, he’s loving and docile, a true gentle giant. More recently I welcomed Kaiser into the house, a striking German Shepard who loves playing tug of war. And not two weeks ago I met my Newfoundland Dexter. He’s very big and stupid but the name suited a big bumbling dog in an affectionate sort of way. Well, to me it did.

Smiling so much for so long made Alma’s face ache.

‘But enough about me. You, my dear, are far more interesting. What do you do for fun?’

Going into this conversation, Alma thought it best to be careful about the information she shared. But something about Frank’s presence and the comfort she felt from it made the words just fall out. She felt safe around him. Like they could talk about anything. Therefore an hour after Frank asked to know more she was still talking about herself.

Now Frank knew most everything about her. Foods she liked, her love of reading and why that came about, things she was proud of, things she would go back and change if given the chance. Her insecurities, her fears, what she worried about and what she dearly hoped would happen one day. Music that made her cry and films she’s never forget, what she hopes to achieve from participating in the experiment and what she hoped to achieve from facing life head on.

‘...don’t feel bad Frankie but I was heartbroken when I thought you’d changed your mind because nobody else in here makes me feel the way you do. I feel happy and safe and protected and like I could never truly have a bad day again. I couldn’t handle thinking I’d never see you again, especially after-.’

Frank frowned. ‘What, darling?’

Alma didn’t want to put Frank in an uncomfortable position by telling him about the weird date that nearly made her leave the experiment. Especially since she just realised she might not be allowed to tell anyone in the first place. The laws of producing television shows were lost on her.

Frank had a feeling he knew what she wanted to tell him, but didn’t want to admit they’d been discussing her behind her back. She might feel disinclined to trust him and that would never do. Especially since he forgot to clarify with the male producer whether he was allowed to disclose his knowledge in the first place.

‘I’m sorry, petal, don’t worry. Just because you can tell me everything doesn’t mean you should have to.’

The conversation took a deliberate turn to steer them away from the discomfort.

‘So that’s me,’ Alma said. ‘What about you?’

Frank knew this was inevitable but that didn’t lessen the fear. He had a quick decision to either lie and spin a tale of normality and safety or be honest with a complete stranger (however much he liked her the statement was still true) and risk being turned away. Again.

Alma was not person of prejudice and judgment. She had already been so lovely and sweet to him, surely he owed it to her to at least give her a chance?

‘I suppose there was only so long I could get away with that,’ Frank mused, obviously smirking by the sound of his voice. ‘Well, darling, I’m Frankie, I’m old enough to legally drink alcohol and I live in a big country house in Windsor. Just a short drive away from London, where I recall you’d like to be?’

I just want to skip the formalities and get married right now.

Don’t be the first one to say it, you might come on too strong and scare him off.

I am nothing if not traditional.

‘I employ household staff who help me take care of such a big place. They are more like family than personnell. I take pride in my house and my appearance,’ well, though Frank, that’s one way to put it, ‘because I worked very hard to get to where I am now and I earned everything I have. I’m a firm believer in that where you come from or the start you have in life means nothing to where you can go or what you can achieve.’

Of course he would think like that. It all worked out for him. Alma didn’t see herself having huge prospects in anything. But she wasn’t going to tell him that.

‘That determination is refreshing,’ she said. Inwardly though she was already sulking as this was the second time Frank’s achievements thrawrted hers and, although she was sure he didn’t mean to, made her feel inferior and even quite guilty for making a connection with him. There were so many people better and more suited to Frank than she was. It was like ordering champagne and receiving sparkling water.

‘Let’s play a game.’ Alma immediately snapped back to attention. ‘I’m going to try and read your mind. I bet you’re sitting there now thinking that it’s all well and good for me to say these things but what does it really mean if I’m already there? You might even be thinking that I didn’t have any obstacles in my way, or affluent family members, or even a single scratch card and pot luck.’ Alma didn’t say anything. She was too embarrassed that she’d been caught red-handed. ‘Darling, if I told you I have a “weird” or “undesirable” aspect of myself that meant I did have to work harder than the average person and I still did it...would you believe me?’

‘No,’ she said immediately. ‘Because you’re not undesirable.’

‘Everyone has battles they have to fight, sweet girl. Not just you.’

Frank felt as sense of deep honour that Alma had opened up to him in the way that she did, explaining her fears of never succeeding because of narrow minded people that wouldn’t give her a chance because she wasn’t like ‘everyone else’. This turned into a long and deep and sometimes emotional conversation. Frank’s heart went out to her but he also couldn’t believe his...he supposed luck was the wrong word, but what divine being had looked down on him and presented him with someone now only who he liked and who liked him back, but someone who he didn’t have to be afraid of because he could relate to her all the way? Because they were exactly the same?

‘I know you like me, darling. You’ve never seen me before, you wouldn’t recognise me if I passed you on the street. Are you bothered at all about how I might look?’

‘No. I can’t wait to see you. I want to see you so badly. I want you to put your arms around me and pick me up and kiss me and smile at me.’

‘So why do you think I would feel any different? If you knew how much I like you, Alma, even after such a short time, how excited I am to head your voice and how I think about you all the time you’d never doubt yourself again.’

‘I think there’s a little bit of anxiety isn’t there?’ Frank continued when Alma didn’t say anything. ‘That I’ll change my mind once I really see you.’

No one could lie to Frank for long. ‘Yes.’

Frank stayed quiet but his kissed his palm and pressed it against the frosted blue glass. This was supposed to be fun and he didn’t want her getting worked up again, so he said,

‘I suppose that will make the moment I shove a big fat ring in your face that much sweeter.’

She laughed, thankfully, and the conversation remained lighthearted and loving until it was time to leave.

A producer met them at the door and said they would now be allowed to choose who they spent time with. They both immediately chose each other.

———

‘I’m excited but I’m scared,’ Alma said to the camera during her video diary. ‘I like Frankie so so much and I can’t wait to see him but I’ve never done this before. I don’t know how.’

‘What if I ruin it?’

‘My reputation precedes me and that’s what worries me the most. I know I look scary, and I know the average person will be shocked by my behaviour and appearance. I’ve been told time and time again that I come on too strong. The last thing I want to do is scare her, especially when she’s never been with anyone in this way before.’

‘He’s the right person—.’

‘—but I don’t think it’s the right time.’

‘So my answer is yes. I’d like a third date.’

[zafarrais]

The Dark Side of Entrepreneurship

Being your own boss as a concept that everybody seems smitten by because it’s just absolutely lovely. Yes, Entrepreneurship is amazing and there’s nothing as exciting as creating something you truly believe in and want to see it scale various leaps and bounds. But, very often one tends to lose focus and run behind one specific element versus a balance between it all.

Here are a few elements that form the dark side of Entrepreneurship and routes towards overcoming, or completely avoiding them.

Balance. Your work-life balance will seem like something you don’t need because you’ve convinced yourself and others around you that your work is your life. Big mistake! The mind needs distractions and rebooting every now and then.

Health. It will take a toll on you eventually. The sooner you can rectify it, the better it is for you.

Trust. People will come, people will go, people will take certain learnings and use it some place else. You will lose trust and question everything and everyone. Stay real - Everyone has to learn and moves on; The only constant will be you and you should be confident enough to manage with knowing that. Don’t stop trusting, don’t stop believing because that would just result in you falling. Benefit Of Doubt (BOD) works wonders in most cases here.

Mood swings. There will be dark days and there will be extremely dark days. But there will also be awesome days where everything you work for seems worth it. Hold on to that thought, keep breathing through the lows and keep it real. What also helps is finding a support system / partner / mentor / lover - someone who you can speak with and vent out or seek advice from. Sometimes even just someone you can lay it all in front of.

Vision. Most don’t have one. “Hey this is a brilliant idea, lets do it” or “Hey, I’ve just quit my job and this seems really easy and I have a client already lets do it“ are the most common businesses that seem to be cropping up. Before you go any further, get back to the drawing board and figure out what you wish to achieve out of the company you are setting up. If you vision is to make quick money, so be it. Just know what you want to do and work towards it. Tons of websites provide you with support towards creating a vision. Use them. The more you move into your business, the path will get more blurry unless you have a vision that you’re driving towards.

Money. When you say it’s not about the money, that’s you fooling yourself. You need money in today’s age and time to not only survive but to evolve and become bigger and more powerful. You also need it because you truly deserve it. Pay yourself along with paying others. Make sure you scale it up each year or even twice a year if you’re doing well. Grow along with your company and invest and splurge in adequate proportions. 

Scale. Most entrepreneurs keeping adding on to what comes their way but forget about a systematic approach towards scale. If you aren’t making a minimum of 60% profits out of your services business, you’re doing it all wrong. (Unless your aim is towards scaling at a massive level towards a sell-out. This of course is more prevalent in products) Don’t get that fancy, big office or high profile CXO unless you can truly afford it or unless it promises to give you returns within 3 months.  Ideally, afford it and then purchase it. Don’t go the route of : I will get a fancy office and that will lure in a fancy CXO and that will lure in new fancy clients. You and your work should be your core driving factor to getting your team on board. If they’re in it for the fancy office, they’ll leave you for a fancier one. Another element of scale is keeping a quality and quantity check. Very often, entrepreneurs in their need to scale the business taken on every thing that comes their way and forget the core reason why they left their last job or took up their first client - the need to do quality work that makes a difference and helps you stand out from the clutter is essential if you have  long-term scale in mind.

The darkest part of being an entrepreneur is forgetting to live and be grateful. Don’t let that happen to you.

[imagine-hetalia-countries]

The Allies’ + The Axis’ Pets

AMERICA

Alfred has a cat named Hero and a Golden Retriever named Scout. He adopted both of them as babies, but Scout is a little older than Hero.

Scout was adopted from his neighbor out in California, her goldie had a litter of puppies. He’d go over to help her take care of them and ended up falling in love with the runt. When it was time for her to adopt them out, he begged her to let him keep him. She agreed and he named the pup Scout.

Scout is extremely playful and loves to run. He still tries to be a lapdog despite being fully grown. Alfred bathes him every other Saturday and takes him for nice, long walks around the grounds of DC.

Hero, on the other hand, is just a domestic long-hair. He has no idea what breed or breeds he is. He found the kitten while walking Scout one day. Poor thing was all alone in a parking lot. He took the little guy home to help him back to health. The kitten ended up thinking of Alfred as his mother and likes to follow him around.

Hero will sit on the windowsill by the door and cry when Alfred leaves for work. He’s also really playful, and since he and Scout pretty much grew up together, they’ll often be playing together when Alfred gets home. Alfred trips on Hero way too often.

ENGLAND

Arthur has a single cat. The Scottish Fold belonged to one of his ex-neighbors. His old person was a lovely old woman who was moving in with her grandson, but he couldn’t move in with them because the young man was allergic to cats. He was named Pork by her great-granddaughter.

Pork is a grumpy little thing who absolutely hates being outside. He hates strangers but if you get him to like you, he’ll be all over you. He likes sitting in laps and loves being held. But only on his own terms, don’t try to pick him up.

He often follows Arthur around the house and tucks himself between the arm of the chair and Arthur’s leg. Cats are liquid and Pork is no exception... Especially since he once accidentally got turned into a liquid when he got in the way of a spell.

FRANCE

Francis has a spoiled cat named Opal. He’s pretty sure Opal is at least part Birman, but not so much if she’s purebred or what anything else in her blood is. Like Hero, Opal was adopted as a kitten after being nursed to health.

Francis found Opal on a riverbank, she’d fallen in and been washed away from her mother and litter. He found her soaked and crying, it had probably been a few hours that she was just sitting there on the shore trying to get someone to come help her. He dried and warmed her in his coat while walking along the river trying to find her mother. He never did.

After a while, Opal got spoiled to all hell. She gets only the best quality food that Francis cooks himself, a strict brush schedule, and is allowed free roam of the house. The only room she’s not allowed in is Francis’s studio. She still slips in sometimes and messes things up.

Seriously, Opal will drink the milk out of the cup you’re holding. That’s how spoiled she is.

RUSSIA

Lev isn’t exactly Ivan’s cat, in the sense that Ivan never adopted Lev. The Siberian just decided that Ivan was his person. There was a snowstorm and Lev was sitting on the doorstep crying, Ivan let him in, and from that point on, Ivan’s house was Lev’s house.

Granted, Lev isn’t around a lot, he’s usually off exploring, but he seems to always come around when Ivan has guests over. Lev usually only stays around for a day or two, but once he stayed a whole week.

Lev also seems to understand that Ivan wants him to come home for a week every couple of months. So he does, so his person can take him to the vet and make sure he’s still healthy. He’s been microchipped at one point too.

CHINA

Do his pandas count as pets? If you count them, then he’s got two pandas and a cat.

His pandas don’t have names and are both pretty much your average panda. The slightly larger one seems to be more lazy than the other, who’s the one you’ll see come over for head rubs when called.

His cat, however, is Yin. She’s a mixbreed of Dragon Li and Ocicat. She pretty much lives with the pandas, not because Yao makes her, but because she wants to. She’ll come out to eat if she has to, but usually she just drags the food back into the enclosure. She doesn’t like people.

CANADA

Matthew’s cat is a Maine Coon. He’s a sweet little thing and loves to climb trees and sit on Matthew’s counter. While he’s not as in-your-face, he has a big personality and loves to play when Matthew gets toys out. He’s named Waffle, for the little waffle-like pattern he has on his side when he sits the right way.

Waffle likes people but is shy, so on your first visit, he’ll be hiding under the couch watching and listening to you. Pull out his favorite toy and he’ll use the wall as a launchpad to get to it to play. And then he’ll love you and you’ll be his second favorite person. Matthew is his favorite.

GERMANY + PRUSSIA

The brothers have three dogs, two cats, and a bird.

Blackie is the Dachshund and is the youngest of the dogs. While she’s the most playful and will absolutely tackle someone if they let her. She’s the one who’s most likely to take a running leap into a river for absolutely no reason.

Berlitz is the Hovawart male. He’s the oldest and somewhat the most serious. Until you show him a ball. Then he’s ready to run off and play. He’s really excitable either way.

The last dog is the German Shepherd, Aster. He’s a little more cautious but is the fastest of the dogs and loves to run the most. When Ludwig or Gilbert first open the door to let them out, he’ll vanish within seconds. He also used to be a little thief. He still steals the things Ludwig is using sometimes. Just to make him play.

The cats are littermates. They’re both domestic shorthairs and male. The bigger cat is technically Ludwig’s cat and the more lithe one is technically Gilbert’s. They’re both males and their personalities couldn’t be more different. Their names are Cobalt and Snowball, they were named for their fur color by the family that they were adopted from.

Finally is the bird, Gilbird. He’s a pretty tame little thing and likes to be near Gilbert. He’s honestly the most calm of all the animals, which isn’t saying much since they’re all pretty wild.

ITALY

Feliciano has a cat and a dog, the cat is named Enzo and the dog is Volpo Italiano named Caro. Enzo is as close to his owner in personality as possible, he loves people, he loves exploring, and he’s extremely lazy.

Meanwhile Caro is the opposite, he’s standoffish, likes his house, but is wild. He loves visiting the vineyard, and at this point Feliciano is probably going to let him live with his brother.

ROMANO

Lovino has an old Maremma Sheepdog named Nube. She’s old, but damn she still does her job well. He treats her as best he can and makes sure she has water all over the vineyard to stop for a drink.

He also has a cat named Giovanni, though usually he just calls him Gio. He never really sees the cat, he’s usually off hunting smaller rodents and is pretty much just a barncat at this point.

JAPAN

We all know about Kiku’s dog and cat. Pochi and Tama are both sweet little things but are pretty shy with new people. Tama is a little more brave than Pochi, but not by much.

AUSTRIA

Roderich has no pets. He just has a cat that comes by sometimes. The cat hasn’t quite adopted him yet. Little guy’s working on it.

[kuriboo]

so. yugioh vrains is over. the last episode has aired.and with that in mind, with three seasons of this show, i’ve still got a lot of feelings about this show. especially that last episode. so i guess this is sort of the final thoughts and feelings post about yugioh vrains. not the last post in general about yugioh vrains. just the big opinions post, i guess, because there’s a lot.

yugioh vrains was good

yugioh vrains was very good. i liked it a lot. and me liking it a lot is the only criteria here for whether i’ll say it’s good or bad. i liked it! so it’s good.

i’m also very thankful that vrains has broken a curse yugioh has been suffering for awhile now. we’re talking about the dub. and no, i don’t really care that much that the dub censored some bullets, i think it’s funny, but i don’t care otherwise. this is just about general dub quality. zexal’s dub was bad. written bad quite a bit of the time, and a lot of the voice acting was just, not good. arc v, i can’t speak for the writing, because i only have seen like ten episodes of it, which is to be fair more than most people on this website, but the voice acting in arc v is atrocious, it’s worse than zexal. i’ve seen 20 episodes of the vrains dub, and look, i know. i know arc v’s main villain sounded like iago from fucking aladdin, i know that dub yusaku is voiced by someone who did voicework in zexal. but in 20 episodes of vrains, there wasn’t a single voice i didn’t like. the voice acting in vrains is good. and the dub is written well! it’s actually funny! i think i actually laughed more with the vrains dub than the sub for those 20 episodes. you know how the zexal dub tried to be funny every episode but it was just obnoxious? vrains was actually funny. the jokes are actually good. it’s been awhile since yugioh’s been dubbed well, and it was refreshing. the only thing i don’t like about the dub is that it only airs in canada and it’s impossible to watch in like any way online. i’m not done watching the dub btw eventually i’ll be able to watch more and i will watch more and i’ll be back here in this tag. if nothing else, i’m hoping it joins the other yugiohs on hulu or something when the dub’s done in like, two years. and if there’s a vrains manga i’ll definitely read it but like. shrugs on that.

the show’s got big megaman battle network, code lyoko, and the world ends with you vibes. i’m not saying this to knock vrains or anything. i love vrains. but if you like any of those games/shows, and you haven’t given vrains a chance, even if you haven’t watched any other yugioh series, i highly recommend it. the card games in vrains were very secondary to the story itself, and i think that went a long ways here, it worked well. 

so like, how was vrains, how did i feel about it

season one...season one was really good. in hindsight, season one had some good foreshadowing for season three. season one was probably my favorite season, though, but not by much. season one showed yusaku in school the most and i actually loved all the school scenes. revolver’s a really cool and interesting character, and while i’m glad he stopped being a villain after season one and went the sort of anti-hero route, revolver did make a really good villain. uncovering the mystery of the lost incident was fun. a lot of people guessed early on that revolver was both the person yusaku was trying to take down and the person he was trying to save, way before yusaku himself figured it out, but that wasn’t a bad thing at all. i’m pretty sure the show wanted the audience to figure it out before our protagonist, and the reward itself felt pretty rewarding. revolver has cool dragons, yusaku got a cool dragon, ai got insulted a lot, kusanagi was there, definitely a solid season.

season two was easily my least favorite season. bohman and blood shepherd kinda ruined it for me. thoguh, to be fair, blood shepherd didn’t do much. he gave us an excuse to get some takeru flashback, which we could’ve gotten through other means, and he sort of revealed judgement arrows and helped everyone be able to prepare for it, but like, anyone could do that. i hate blood shepherd a lot, but he’s easy for me to forget. i forgot him between episodes a lot, actually, and when he’d show up i’d have to be like, oh that asshole exists. bohman was worse because he was the main antagonist of season two. and he shouldn’t have been. bohman wasn’t a good villain imo! i feel like he wasn’t written super well. i can sort of make him work out in my head, but i don’t like him, and he kept just pulling ideas out that seemingly came from nowhere. he’d make these leaps that were hard for me to follow, and this was after lightning stopped messing with his memories. and since bohman was the main antagonist and because i really didn’t like him, it made it hard for me to enjoy season two. there were other good things in season two. takeru joined the scene in this season, and i love takeru a lot. i require apologies from everyone who didn’t trust my man takeru. lightning was a really good villain (lightning should’ve been the main antagonist imo), was very interesting, and i liked lightning a lot. and hell, haru was alright! i kinda wish they did more with haru. season two wasn’t bad by any means. we also saw the story of how kusanagi and yusaku met in season 2, and those were some of my favorite episodes of the season, along with the yusaku vs kusanagi duel. the story and message was good (though that doesn’t boost it up a ton given season 3 had the same messages) but honestly i just really don’t like bohman.

season 3 is very close to being my favorite season. this is the season of the protagonist having to face against their partner. it happens in like, any yugioh where the protagonist has a partner. vrains didn’t disappoint on that front. this season felt short! season two felt like it dragged on forever and season three felt short. it didn’t necessarily feel like it needed to be longer, when it ended, though. i just wish the show wasn’t over lmao. everyone got baited super hard like episode 1 when everyone thought queen would be the next antagonist after lightning + bohman and then she super wasn’t, which was kinda funny. most of hte time this season i was just yelling at ai to tell me the truth. i loved roboppy and ai this season. and im SO sad about what happened to them!! ai and roboppy were written really well, they made really good villains. i’ll definitely be making more posts about ai in the future. and also, that epilogue though!!! i didn’t get into it when i watched bc i was in a hurry, but!!! jin looks really happy, i love his haircut! and kusanagi is keeping the hot dog truck open so that yusaku still has a place to come home to! im gonna cry!!!! the knights of hanoi are all super good now and i love them. akira’s the ceo of sol!!! it’s what he deserves!!!!! and the whole takeru + kiku scene was really nice. everyone was screaming about that ship being canon now, which i guess it is? i didn’t read it as romantic, i read it as “kiku is a little scared about everything with vrains and takeru is helping her feel safe and secure, like, making sure she doesn’t fall off his hoverboard and shit”. i honestly read it more as takeru still being gay for yusaku while thinking about how cool yusaku is lmao. but i know yusaku + takeru will never be canon, i never thought it would be, and knowing yugioh, takeru + kiku im sure is supposed to be canon so like. it’s not a bad ship. i’m surprised how many people i see like that ship? but it’s just not for me i guess. im happy for yall who wanted this though. and that last scene!!!! we saw ai!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i’ll save thoughts on that another time i guess, including yusaku post that time skip.

i liked shima a lot this series. i honestly wish there was more of him lmao. i mostly wanted more yusaku + shima interaction, not in terms of shima finding out yusaku was playmaker, i just wanted the two of them to bond more. i wanted to see more of them being friends (read: shima forcing his friendship on yusaku and yusaku reluctantly goes along with it but actually likes it more as time goes on). and i wish we got to see takeru in the duel club at least once. takeru and yusaku both going to one meeting and yusaku sleeps through it and takeru is pumped and like taking notes and shit and shima is just like how can yusaku sleep through it this is the best!!!

aoi....i have mixed feelings on. i liked her a lot in season one, and i liked her a lot in half of season two. i really don’t like the blue maiden avatar (i did like blue girl!), and i preferred the trickstars over marincesses. i did enjoy her figuring out yusaku was playmaker though, that was a fun scene. i like aoi a lot still, love that girl, but after a point i stopped liking what they were doing with her.

they did ghost gal dirty. ghost gal was GREAT in season one. i loved her. and then they gave her a brother, her brother was shit, and everything about ghost gal got thrown out the window so that her character could revolve only around her shit brother. i feel so bad for her. i mean, i kinda get it? this whole thing’s about bonds, a lot of the bonds focused on were familial bonds (either in the blood family or found family sense, there was both). but ghost gal was already developing a sort of family-ish bond with akira and aoi by that point. i never felt like she needed anything else. she still could’ve done cool things in seasons two and three without having a shitstain forced into her life.

im madly in love with kusanagi and if anyone says a single bad thing about him i will stomp you to death with my hooves

i’m running out of people to talk about here i can’t avoid it anymore i’ll talk about blood shepherd now. i hate him. i hate him. he’s an idiot. i’ve yelled about this before and i’ll do it again. some shit happened to him because of malfunctioning ai or whatever. cool. great. now he has a grudge against all ai. that makes no sense. if im playing basketball and i get hit in the head by a basketball (by accident) am i gonna blame the basketball? no, i’ll either blame the person who threw it or myself for not noticing it and letting myself get hit. if i sprain my wrist playing volleyball am i gonna get mad at the volleyball? no, i’m mad at myself for messing up and playing in a way that caused that injury. if i get in a car accident because my car brake stops working, am i going to blame the car itself? maybe a little, but not as much as either the manufacturer or, if i recently had work done on the brake, the mechanic i visited. see, these things are all inanimate objects with no malicious intent or free will. since vrains is one of those shows, it may sound cruel comparing an AI to a car or a basketball. but the ignis (all generations, we’ll include pandor and bohman and haru in here for simplicitiy’s sake) are a special case. the ignis specifically stand out because they were made with free will. other artificial intelligence does not have that. it cannot have malicious intent. artificial intelligence cannot do anything it is not programmed to be able to do. it cannot hurt or kill someone, unless it is either programmed to have that function, or you’re looking at an ignis. and blood shepherd KNOWS THIS, because he became a hacker, and even REPROGRAMMED AN AI THAT WASNT SUPPOSED TO LIE TO LIE FOR HIM. along the way, he would’ve had to learn that somewhere. an ai malfunctioned and caused blood shepherd and his mom to get in a car accident. the ai itself isn’t to blame for that! that’s the fault of whoever made it!! or if the car was hacked to cause that problem, it’s the car manufacturer’s fault! you blame those people!!! and if blood shepherd went after those groups it’d be fine! instead he goes after artificial intelligences because he’s the biggest fucking idiot the world has ever seen. this does not make sense, even in the vrains universe, because again, the ignis are the only ai with free will and who can make their own decisions. any other ai cannot do something like this on purpose. the solution is to make ai better, not get rid of them. the solution is to improve security. not get rid of ai. at this point ai is so ingrained in society that you’re not gonna accomplish that anyway. oh, and i hate blood shepherd for what he did to ghost gal’s character. other than that, he was cool for two episodes before we learned his bullshit backstory, and he hasn’t done a single thing i liked since except he died twice, and i liked those parts. i fucking HATE blood shepherd. easily one of the worst yugioh characters ever. i could rant on about bohman, too, but im tired.

i don’t have bad things to say about a lot of characters. yusaku, kusanagi, jin, ai, roboppy, revolver, lightning, aqua, akira, earth, go onizuka, windy, i don’t really have bad things to say about them now that the series is over. i liked them a lot!!! they were really good. 

i guess the bottom line of this is, i wish yugioh treated its girls and its “joke characters” or “comic relief characters” better. and i wish bohman and blood shepherd didn’t exist, or were executed better. other than that, very solid.

if you were curious about my preferred ships here, yusaku + takeru is the best ship this show has to offer and it’s a shame more people don’t like it, and miyu + aoi is really good. anything else is like, okay, but i don’t love it. the show’s most popular ships are fine but not for me. yusaku + ryoken is okay but doesn’t really work in universe for me, i don’t love it but it’s fine, and it’s aight in a like real au setting. i don’t think there’s any ships i don’t really like, not like, other than the obvious. but these two are the best. 

all in all, vrains was really good. this show helped me through some real bad times, and will continue to do so as bad times continue. i love it lots, it holds a special place in my heart, and im glad i was able to watch it. im excited for whatever yugioh has to offer next, especially following this, because vrains is definitely one of my favorite yugioh series over all. it was a lot of fun and made me suffer and cry a lot and it was just...a good time. please watch it if you haven’t. thanks for going on this journey with me. i’ll probably end up talking more about bigger characters like yusaku and ryoken and takeru and kusanagi and ai more in different posts. ive talked enough here already

[sapphic-sustrai]

Team DMNO Bios: Douglas Craig.

So, a while back I made a post talking about my RWBY OC team. I’ve decided to update all of their bios and this time I’ll be posting them each individually on Tumblr, starting with Douglas. Before I begin, I just wanted to say a little bit about my OC team!

The team name is DMNO {pronounced Domino}. When I think of dominoes, I primarily think of the colours black & white. To match the theme of the team name, all of its members have a name that either means light/white or black/dark.

They’re an all Faunus team from Atlas Academy and at the start of Vol. 1 are in their 2nd year. They’re also one of the chosen teams from Atlas to fight in the 40th Vytal Festival tournament. 

Basically this team exists within in AU that I have for RWBY.

The team consists of their leader Douglas Craig, Melanie Hertz, Norbert Beaufort, and Olwen Kunik. 

Now it’s time to talk about my free-spirited son, Douglas Craig! If there are any errors, I will go back and fix them eventually. More will be underneath the cut.

Full Name: Douglas Murchadh Craig.

Alias: The Blackwater Blader. 

Nickname{s}: Doug {mostly used by everyone}, Dougie {only used by his mothers, mostly by Nagisa}, Bud {only used by Olwen}, Doofus {only used by his younger brother Kaito}, Saltwater Breath {only used by Melanie}, DC {only used by Norbert}.

Age: 18 {Vol. 1-3}.

Gender: Cis Male.

Race: Sea Otter Faunus, has a dark brown otter tail.

D.O.B/Star Sign: July 17th/Cancer.

Romantic/Sexual Orientation: Pansexual.

Handedness: Ambidextrous.

Complexion: Lightly-tanned.

Height: 5’10 {178cm}.

Weight: 160lbs {73kg}.

Body Type: Rectangular body shape, tall, lean, slightly muscular, six pack, long legs.

Hairstyle{s}:

Buzz cut, looked almost bald {Youth}.

Short and messy, with his bangs parted in the middle {Vol. 1-3}. 

Hair Colour{s}: Black, with aqua highlights. Added the highlights right before attending Atlas Academy.

Eye Colour: Blue.

Aura Colour: Seafoam Blue.

Emblem: A swordfish, that looks as if it’s leaping out of the water. The majority of the emblem is seafoam blue, with an ocean blue outline and eye.

Weapon{s}: Black Marlon and the Dorado Daggers.

The Black Marlin is a two-barreled shotgun katana mix, with the shotgun as the base mode. When transforming into its katana mode, Douglas holds down a button located on the stock/grip and swings the blade out. The blade pops out from in-between the two barrels and extends. The shotgun and the stock/grip are primarily ocean blue, with a seafoam blue striped pattern that looks like waves. The stripes do glow when the weapon is in use. The blade is primarily obsidian black, with a pearl white Kanemoto-style hamon.

The Dorado Daggers are a switchblade/water pistol mix, with the water pistol being its base mode. When transforming into the switchblade mode, Douglas holds down a button located on the grip and the blade pops out from in-between the barrel and locks into place at the front. The grips are the same colour as the Black Marlin’s grips and they also glow when they’re in use. The blades are the same colour as a Mahi-Mahi fish.

Dust is inserted into the bottom of the stock or grips of Douglas’ weapons. Both weapons have a reflective coating on their blades and they shimmer when exposed to sunlight.

Types of Dust Used: Primarily water and electricity. Sometimes he’ll combine water and fire dust to create a steam element.

Other Equipment:

Dust pouch {ocean blue, belted around his right leg just above the knee}.

Shotgun Holster {ocean blue, attached to his belt, hangs from his left side, where he keeps Black Marlin when not in use}.

Gun Holster Vest {ocean blue, worn underneath his button-up shirt, where he keeps the Dorado Daggers}.

Fighting Style: Douglas’ fighting style is almost exactly like how he is a person, it’s very, “go with the flow”. He moves like a body of water, one moment he’ll be like a gentle river, the next he could be like a ferocious tidal wave. When using his sword, he does a lot of slashing like a swordfish or precise jabs.

Semblance: Ocean Mist - A semblance that allows the user to disappear and evaporate as a misty vapour, then reappears just a few seconds later. They can either reappear in the same spot or teleport to a new spot a few feet away, they can’t teleport over large distances. They also cannot use the semblance too much in short bursts, otherwise they’ll experience dizziness, feeling disoriented and a slight headache. Douglas has described this as, “feeling like he’s seasick”.

Other Skills, Talents, etc...

Vast knowledge of marine biology.

Expert sailing skills.

Very agile, nimble & flexible.

Incredibly creative, is known for having, “out of the box, solutions for most problems.

Excellent swimming skills.

Current Affiliation: Atlas Academy.

Previous Affiliation: Sanctum Academy.

Place of Origin: Vacuo, but his family currently resides on the Island of Patch.

Current Occupation{s}: Student, Huntsman-in-training.

Team/Status: DMNO. Currently active, but will become inactive soon after the Fall of Beacon. Won’t be active again for quite some time. 

Team Members: Himself, Melanie Hertz, Norbert Beaufort & Olwen Kunik.

Partner: Norbert Beaufort.

Team Role: Ranged/Melee DPS.

Status: Alive.

Positive Qualities: Humble, dependable, out-going, charismatic, creative/imaginative, venturesome, calm, very go with the flow.

Neutral Qualities: Ambitious {applying to both his short- & long-term goals}, mellow, dreamy {often finds himself daydreaming}, absentminded.

Negative Qualities: Lazy, resentful {if you hurt him or anyone that he’s close to, he probably won’t forgive you}, untidy/messy, can be a bit clumsy.

Likes:

Laying in hammocks & taking naps.

Going to aquariums.

Marine biology.

Going sailing.

Surfing.

Spending time at the beach with friends.

Barbecuing.

Sketching in his sketchbook.

Dislikes:

Cauliflower {he hates how it tastes}.

Studying {he’ll still do it, but will complain about having to do it}.

People who wear socks with sandals.

Sunburns.

Dishonest people.

Alarm clocks {hates the alarm sounds and he likes to sleep in}.

Favourite…?

Food: Seafood {primarily lobster & crab}, pineapple pizza, mangos.

Drink: Iced tea, fruit smoothies, water with lemon.

Season/Weather: Summer/sunny & rainy days.

Colour: Cerulean or ocean blue.

Animal: Swordfish, mahi-mahi fish, dolphins.

Movie Genre: Romantic comedies or comedies.

Music Genre: Bluegrass & classic rock.

Relationships:

Meredith Craig:

Relationship: Mother, good overall, but there was a point in time where their relationship was strained.

Status: Alive.

Nagisa Watanabe:

Relationship: Biological Mother, good.

Status: Alive.

Hurley Lynch:

Relationship: Surrogate Father, good.

Status: Deceased.

Kaito Watanabe:

Relationship: Younger Brother, by 6 years, good overall, but they tease each other often.

Status: Alive.

Fingal, “Finn”, Craig:

Relationship: Grandfather {Meredith’s Father}, good.

Status: Alive.

Olwen Kunik:

Relationship: Closest Friend, teammate, good.

Status: Alive.

Norbert Beaufort:

Relationship: Close friend, partner, crush.

Status: Alive.

Melanie Hertz:

Relationship: Close friend, teammate, good overall, but they do clash often because of their differing personalities.

Status: Alive.

Team RWBY:

Relationship: Friends, good overall, gets along with Ruby the best, gets along with Weiss the least.

Status: Alive.

Team JNPR: 

Relationship: Friends, good overall, gets along with Nora the best, gets along with Jaune the least.

Status: Alive {Pyrrha’s alive in this AU}.

Penny Polendina:

Relationship: Friends, good.

Status: Alive, then deceased, then rebuilt and brought back to life.

Early Life {Backstory}:

Douglas was born in the Kingdom of Vacuo.

His family consists of his two mothers, Meredith Craig & Nagisa Watanabe, as well as his younger brother Kaito Watanabe. Meredith was an accountant who worked from home, while Nagisa was a marine biologist. Kaito attends a public school on Patch.

His surrogate father Hurley Lynch lived close by and played an active role in both Douglas & Kaito’s lives. Hurley was a close family friend and worked as a marine biologist alongside Nagisa.

Hurley tragically passed away while out at sea with his crew. They were on their way to study the marine life in Mistral, but the boat was attacked by a Sea Feilong Grimm during an intense thunder storm. Douglas was 9 years old when this tragedy occurred and it hit him incredibly hard. As a result, he soon experienced a fear of the water, which lasted for about two years. Eventually he decided to seek out professional help, so that he could conquer his fear and learn to love the water again.

When Douglas was 10 years old, the family decided to pack up everything to move to the Island of Patch in the Kingdom of Vale. They still reside there currently and have no plans on moving again anytime soon.

Douglas got along very well with Nagisa, but from the ages of 8-12, he had a strained relationship with both Meredith & Kaito. Meredith used to be a little tougher on Douglas more than Kaito because Douglas was, “the oldest and should know better” because that’s how she was raised growing up. After a couple of arguments between the entire family, Douglas & Meredith reconciled with each other. Eventually Douglas apologized to his younger brother for how he treated him. Meredith has since then treated her sons equally.

Douglas has always wanted to be a Huntsman ever since he was little. He wanted to help people of course, but his two other big reasons were 1} he wanted to explore every inch of Remnant because he loves to travel and 2} he wants to be moderately wealthy so that he can help his family live a comfortable life. His mothers insist that the family is well off financially, but Douglas knows about how his family struggled financially for most of his life growing up. He just wants to help his family out in any way that he can.

Douglas decided to attend Sanctum Academy because by his own logic, “he’s already lived in Vacuo and Vale, so he thinks that living in Mistral next would be interesting.” It was at Sanctum where he met his closest friend and future Team DMNO teammate, Olwen Kunik. When it was time for them to pick the academy that they’d attend for the next 4 years, Douglas decided to tag along with Olwen to Atlas. He didn’t really have a set school that he wanted to attend to, he also hadn’t been to Atlas before and wanted to give it a shot.

Primary Attire {Youth}:

Baggy T-Shirt {White, with a navy-blue anchor logo, short sleeved}.

Selvedge Denim Shorts {dark blue}.

Straw Sole Flip Flops {rubber parts are black}.

Atlas Academy Uniform:

Pocket-Vest Jacket {grey, left unbuttoned, with the belt undone}.

Suit Shirt {white, top buttons left unbuttoned, tie hangs loosely around his neck, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, untucked}.

Long Trousers {white}.

Dress Socks {black}.

Dress Shoes {black}.

Primary Attire {Vol. 1-3}:

Button-Up Shirt {navy blue, left unbuttoned, short sleeved, wears nothing underneath}.

Anchor Necklace {silver, with a silver rope wrapped around it, silver chain}.

Military Belt {ocean blue nylon webbing, with a sturdy plastic buckle, gun holster vest is attached}.

Board Shorts {colour gradation from indigo to a lighter shade of blue, has belt loops}.

Open-toed Sandals {black, with straw soles}.

Other Notes About Appearance:

Has a couple of freckles on the bridge of his nose.

Has long sideburns {Vols. 1-3}.

Has a soul patch {Vol. 1-3}.

He has a large version of his emblem tattooed on his upper back. He also has an outline of a compass tattooed on the back of his right hand.

If He Had a Voice it Would Be: Travis Willingham {Current}, Chris Burnett {Youth}.

Misc. Trivia:

Douglas’ inspiration for his emblem & weapons came from his many visits to the Vacuo aquarium growing up. Swordfish and mahi-mahi fish were two of his favourite fish to see during these trips. He also wanted a reminder of Hurley because going to the aquarium was always their favourite thing to do together.

He has a stuffed shark named Sharptooth that he’s had ever since he was a child. He received it as a gift from Hurley during their first ever trip to the aquarium together.

He has arachnophobia {a fear of spiders}.

He has two dogs at home, a brown Newfoundland dog named Bear and a black Labrador retriever named Blackbeard or, “Beardie”, for short. Bear is 6 years old and Beardie is 3 years old. His mothers named Bear, while Douglas named Beardie.

Douglas loves giving/receiving nicknames. He has several nicknames for his teammates, friends and family {e.g. he calls Norbert, “Norbie”, Olwen, “Wen”, Melanie, “Melly or Flame Brain”, and Kaito “Half-Pint or Squirt}. He thinks that the use of nicknames shows that you have a close bond with someone.

He’s loved to draw & sketch since he was little. He designed his tattoos himself. He has a sketch book filled with potential tattoo ideas that he wants to get in the future.

That’s all that I have for Douglas! Any comments or critiques would be greatly appreciated and my askbox is always open! I’ll be posting the next member of DMNO Melanie’s bio in the next couple of days, so stay tuned for that!

[johnskleats]

Beautiful Fool

That Great Gatsby!Merther AU, ya’ll.

@the-once-and-future-love @arthur-of-the-pendragons @the-fated-dragoness @pretty-pendragon

He had only wanted a little space to himself. That was natural enough, Gaius had said, provided he be mindful to keep sharp whilst on holiday. Privacy was recipe for secrets, his mother had said, get too used to it and risk a doomed marriage. What his uncle failed to understand was that this was not, in fact, a holiday, and his mother, bless her, would have to come to terms with his preferences. Whomever he found as a companion, eventually, would favor a similar life to his- that was what made a household, after all -harmony. “Find a woman who hates flowers,” he had jested, “and lake houses, and sunsets.” Merlin had been grinning. His mother had not. “Specifically task her to woo me, see if I give it up.”

“Give what up, Merlin,” mother had sighed.

He had only gotten so far as opening his mouth before Gaius boxed his ears in scolding. Mother fussed over supper. Merlin set the table. All was as it had always been in their little house on the corner, only in his room, there was a suitcase by the door, and the drawers were empty, and nothing was as it had been, really, at all.

And now he was home, where a new always would forge itself. Even as he had told mother to her bleary-eyed face that he would visit often and call yet more, Gaius had watched the lie weave through his lips as it was spun. His brow had been stern, but understanding. As always, he neglected to stop him spouting words that dug graves; Merlin couldn't blame him, as whatever came to him, he would probably deserve in one way or another. Yet, here he was: Camelot Isle, renting out a minuscule gardener's cottage that overlooked the harbor. His backyard, backwoods rather, lead into the gardens and courtyards of the looming mansion next door, Pendragon House, the full and dreary history of which he had gotten in his tenancy letter. Merlin had skimmed it. As his personal contract with the cottage was in no way connected to Pendragon House, originally servant's quarters or not, he had no interest or attachment to its grounds whatsoever. Because he lived here, he preferred not to be treated as a tourist, though the thought crossed his mind that the rent was fixed where it was for a purpose. The possibility of poor neighbors hadn’t crossed his mind. Between himself and whomever occupied the mansion, they had the isle to themselves; whatever it was that rendered his house so cheap couldn’t be so bad.

Merlin, on the porch of his new-to-him, two-room-with-a-bathroom-and-a-patio house, drank in the character of his little abode through a lens of intentional whimsy. It had windchimes nailed to the wood frame of the awning, bits of Cola bottles and seaglass turned in the lake and hung up with cord. The step into the living room and kitchen area was high and gnarled, and in his rounds about, Merlin had tripped on it no less than three times; his bedroom, the aforementioned second room of the two-room-with-a-bathroom-and-a-patio house, was a splotched lavender color, unevenly applied rose wallpaper fading and peeling away at cracks in the corners of the walls. His favorite part of the bedroom was probably the curtains, orange and visible, with their thick plumes of dust and heavy shadow. They were hideous. They were his.

Between his house and his neighbor's stood a dock leading out to a pier, at the end of which was a signalling bell. It was here that Merlin’s attention was drawn when with a peal of joy, the bell, chimed with the wind, his permanent glass fixtures tinkling with it and all the leaves sounding applause through the boughs of the canopy. A chill cut through him, and Merlin retreated inside to weather the surely impending storm. Awaiting him was a house of his own, just as cramped as his mother’s and far less comfortable, made sweeter and more welcoming by the name on the lease.

Merlin was a third of the way through chipping the grime from his stovetop when the first cracks of thunder rent the air. He jolted in surprise, butter knife clattering to the tile, and, shakily, took up his task again. The sound of pouring rain had deafened him to all other stimuli, and the sense of exposure rattled his bones. With the panes trembling in their frames and shutters fluttering, clamoring against the sides of the house along with the waving branches and pelting rain, wind whistling through the waterspout with the gush of overflow, he felt swallowed inside a void. The house was empty, save for himself. A new always, he supposed, being safe, unscathed, while simultaneously so utterly immersed in what his mother lovingly referred to as trouble. It filled him to the brim with the kind of excitement that makes boys leap from cliff faces to the sea, the kind of adrenaline that demands to know whether or not he could make the jump. The chaos scraped at his safehouse as the wall of his own skin, itching. It called to him like a siren song and, oddly, his heart ached. Merlin had longed to be alone, but the magic had followed him anyway.

Forlorn, he closed again the beaten shudders.

--Merlin opened them again.

There, in the earth driveway leading up to his neighbor's abode, was a car, the likes of which Merlin had only ever seen on magazine covers in stores. Yellow, canary yellow like rain slickers, yellow like bananas and technicolor and his mother's good dress stared back at him, obscured by black mud and torrents of water coursing along the body of metal. Outside the vehicle was a man of equally astounding quality, although less from the fact that he was soaked through to his designer shoes with water-dark hair in his eyes, and more so that he stood outside apparently his car, mixing himself in what was about to be ankle-deep mud. The moment Merlin had registered that the man was trying to push it out of its rut to no avail happened to be the same moment that the man had given up, throwing up his hands and kicking at the white-faced wheels with petulant abandon. The car wasn't hooded, rather open, actually, and the man looked away, paced, fumed as it rapidly took up water. Much longer in the road, which was flooding quickly, and the vehicle may not be operable at all.

Merlin, despite his brain telling him quite avidly that this would somehow change the course of his day, if not his life, in a way that would render him devoid of control, took it upon himself to don his raincoat, nevermind the boots, there was little time, and help the remarkable stranger.

When Merlin dashed out his front door, the look of surprise and relief he expected left much to be desired. Instead, he saw bewilderment and agitation, characteristic of a man who has had a very, very long morning. The man was shouting at him. Merlin was shouting back, but both voices were carried away in the storm, leading to a mutual agreement to shut up and push the car. He was struck with regret at his choice in priorities; his raincoat did him little good, as the exertion and laboured movement lead to water penetrating and eventually inundating his upper half, while he suspected galoshes would have done him much good indeed, in place of the cold mud oozing beneath his heels and riding up his socks. In several short pushes of combined effort, plus one big push, the buggy was out of the worst of the puddle, and arguably fit to go again. Still too loud to speak much, Merlin offered a thumbs up, and the man blinked at him, surprised again, although it may have been to chase away water clinging to his lashes still blindingly. Merlin gave that close-lipped, polite smile that offered immediate exit to limited acquaintances to urge him forward and out, but when the strange man, a drowned cat in a suit, continued to look at him as though transfixed, Merlin decided to make an executive decision on part of the universe.

He turned, and went inside.

The man watched him go, Merlin could feel it like the prickle of lightning in the sky, but he dared not look back, not even out his ugly curtains until he was certain his guest was gone. When he opened the shudder for the third time that rainy first day, it was to a flooded, murky street made to a mud pond in front of his house, and a long trail of tire tracks he could trace like a piece of string to the gates of the beautiful Pendragon House.

-

The first of the letters arrived the following morning. Merlin had only barely begun updating his address, most of his mail sure to be forwarded by his mother in the coming months, but this first letter, addressed to him, was from someone he was vaguely surprised but not astounded to hear from. Arthur Pendragon, his landlord. He could assume it was just like the last few he had received, informative snippets about his tenancy or more fluffy introduction to the place he was so privileged to live in, and so he paid it little mind. Merlin set it aside. The man with the yellow car crossed his mind once or twice, but only in passing. He hoped he had made it wherever he was going without much more trouble, even if it was his own fault for leaving such a valuable possession vulnerable to the elements like that.

He spent the day cleaning and tidying, much as he had the day before. The sunny sky and renewing smell of rain set him in a mood of rebirth, of new beginnings, and everything in his cozy fixer-upper was an opportunity to make something lovelier than before. He had a day or two yet for his holiday before he would have to call into work, and until then, he intended use his time wisely.

The wallpaper was the first thing to go.

With the night came the smell of drying paint and the sound of cars passing his house one after another, the chatter of excitement and the glare of filtered, colored light. Merlin would have shut it out if he could, but to close the window would be to suffocate in paint fumes, his beauty rest be damned. He wanted a good night's sleep, not a hangover. In the earlier hours of the evening, he had thought this would be an eight to ten kind of affair. Then the music started, a whole brass band, it sounded like, and he knew he was in for something interminable.

Merlin rolled around his cluttered living room, everything from the bedroom shoved into it whilst his paint aired out. He perched on his loveseat, did a lazy summersault out of his pillowfort, baked cookies to warm the house, even put on his own record as though to spite Pendragon House for its inconsiderate racket. The latter was to no avail, and he turned it off after a few minutes; the clash of melody was giving him a headache. He checked his watch- almost three in the morning. He was agitated enough to round up; at most, he had dozed a little under two hours between nine and now, fifteen minute increments interrupted by raucous laughter and what he assumed to be drunkards skinny dipping in the lake. He wished he didn’t know, but again, his windows were all wide open, and if anything killed him, it would be curiosity, followed swiftly by this miserable Arthur Pendragon.

Just then, Merlin remembered the letter he had received this morning. Was it a notice? He could find it in himself to be less put off if he had been warned- at least then it would be his own fault. Eyes shot, he fumbled with the heavy envelope until the seal popped- who wax-sealed their letters? -and squinted to make sense of the elaborate script.

Hereby invited...party...courtesy of Arthur Pendragon…

That was about all he got out of it, and all he really needed to read. Merlin tossed it aside with a huff and, exhausted, covered his ears with  throw pillows.

-

The letters kept coming. The parties kept happening. The house was coming together.

Merlin had painted the outside a soft blue and rigorously cleaned the white trim, although he left the knobbed stair and wind chime as they were. The living room and bedroom were a brisk white, the curtains had been washed- Merlin didn't have the heart to throw them out -and he had livened up the space with a new dining table, a novelty painting of a farmhouse, and a little potted plant. The teakettle was operable, and life was good.

Still, the invitations came. Invitations to day trips into the city, rendezvous on the yacht, tours of the estate, and at the end of each was a reminder of the inevitable nightly house party.

Merlin had received seven now, and other trinkets had started to accompany them in little red boxes. A birdhouse. A teacozy. A brass watch, at least he hoped it was brass. All in all, it was unsettling, but Merlin had managed to put it out of his mind. It was thoughtful, and probably born of guilt, although, if Arthur knew he was a terrible neighbor, Merlin wished he would just start being a good one instead of perpetuating this compensation nonsense. It was the ninth night, and the eighth letter that finally convinced him. It had come in a box that was shaped frighteningly like a necklace from Tiffany’s, or some other such bizarre place, and Merlin had opened it with pallor and trepidation. The letter was on top, he could only guess its contents, but beneath that, in the box itself, was a simple, soft, blue...scarf. There was no price tag, no note, for when he did open the envelope, it was only his name in that elegant script he had come to be so familiar with. Somehow, that was enough.

Merlin made yet another executive decision.

He would attend one of these parties, only one, and put an end to this strange outreach of companionship. He was willing to make passing friends, would allow teatime some afternoon or another, but this gift business would stop, and by the stars and stripes, they would be on a mutual last name basis. No more of this dear Merlin business, no signed Arthur. It would be Mr. Emrys, Mr. Pendragon, chatter about the water pressure, the Sox game, and no more.

-

Merlin was unfit to be there. He didn't only feel that way, but was, surrounded by people he saw glimpses of in movie pictures and heard on the radio, talking about their careers and mixing brandy in their sequined dresses and tight suits. Even amongst those closer to his own economic class, college students wasted out of their minds, he didn't feel at ease. There was no theme, no center, no purpose to their frivolity- only music, loud and frenzied, and glittering champagne, dancers, fireworks above the tower raining stars into the lake. Whoever he spoke to told him something different; Mr. Pendragon was a prince, an actor, a war hero, a famous doctor, a mob boss. Not once did he hear Arthur. No one seemed to know him, or where he was, if he even lived in the house bearing his name, if he intended for there to be a shindig tonight. Apparently, the gates opened and people came, from everywhere, and no one was ever turned away.

No one was ever invited.

That put a knot in his stomach like nothing else, and he kept a white-knuckle grip on his little box of unsolicited gifts. He would find Arthur, if he could, and return them, explain himself if there was air left in the atmosphere. He would apologize. He would leave. The stars fallen into the lake would stay there, extinguished, and Merlin would soundproof his bedroom. The next letter he got, he would pack his things. The overwhelming sense of impending change, so much like doom, made his heart beat heavy and his teeth ache.

He had meandered for two hours, and like Persephone in the underworld, dared not partake. Unlike her, he could leave whenever he pleased, even if it didn't feel like it just then. The pull of destiny made him stay put, and with every passing moment, he was tempted to throw caution to the wind and join the fray.

Four hours in. Midnight. Merlin felt a tap on his shoulder and turned, the band meeting crescendo to the coo of a love song and the stars bright overhead, a moment of stillness and light, he stared, caught in the blue eyes of Apollo himself. He wished he had had something to drink. Heart fluttering in his chest, he half listened to the man welcoming him with a smile, leading him by the shoulder to somewhere more private where they could talk, and yes, he did have a lot on his mind, and indeed, the decorations were splendid. The click of a door brought him to his senses.

“What’ve you got there?”

They were in a study lined with chestnut bookshelves, each full of old, decorative books and ships trapped in bottles. The man who Merlin recognized as Mud Man With the Yellow Car had seated him on a plush lounge, black leather that squeaked faintly when he moved and smelled particular, but good. Its arms were too wide for his comfort, and he felt small. The man, much neater than when Merlin had last seen him, placed a cold glass in his hand.

“Just water,” he assured amiably.

Mindlessly, Merlin broke his vow and sipped.

Arthur Pendragon was a tall, broad man, who knew his way around a suit. In private now, he had shucked his coat to a hanger and loosed his ascot, red, to leave it hanging about his neck. He had never seen a man in suspenders any color but black or brown before, but for the sake of fashion, Merlin compelled himself to understand one's need for scarlet, if only to pair with a white suit. A white suit that looked fantastic, mind.

His host was watching him bemused, as if he knew what Merlin was here for. Merlin certainly didn't. He swallowed.

“Is that for me?” Arthur probed again. All eyes went to the repurposed gift box in Merlin’s hands, suddenly thrust into Arthur’s, who took it with mild surprise. Opening it, the look of someone enjoying a marvelous and delightful game was lost to one crestfallen. In the box, was a birdhouse, a teacozy, and a brass watch. Arthur closed the box. Had he continued to paw through it, he would have found the stack of letters, each written in this very study. Merlin, feeling like he was intruding on a private moment, was relieved that he had stopped there.

“Would you like a drink? I'd like a drink,” Arthur hummed, and he was gone again, opening wine.

“So you're not a gift person,” he said cheerily. A new glass found its way into Merlin’s hand. “Or a, how do you say, luxury adventure person,” he was starting to feel guilty, “or a party person--”

“You don't even know me,” Merlin heard himself say. The half empty wine glass he didn't remember drinking set itself on the table. Everything about this night was shiny and ethereal, his whole body abuzz with newness and golden warmth. He didn't know he had passed four hours wandering this house, drunk on art and a myriad of mismatched strangers, didn't realize he had spent almost half an hour drinking with the mysterious Arthur Pendragon in his private study, didn't know how he had gotten to the point where he could hear the words coming out of his mouth but couldn't understand who on earth had put them there, but here he was, and, “You don't know a thing about me.”

Arthur furrowed his brow and stared into his glass, the box far from forgotten on the coffee table. “I know you like the color blue,” he said quietly. “I know you like to watch birds. I know you like to work with your hands when you could call someone instead.”

Merlin, at once feeling too big for his skin and yet very small under the pressure of Arthur’s attention, watched him carefully. He watched his body language, stiff even in as casual a position as he was, legs crossed and leaning. He watched his lips, red from the worry of teeth and wine, round themselves about his words, saw his eyelashes cast shadows on his cheeks.

“I know you don't mind helping strangers,” Arthur was saying. Merlin’s mouth was dry and his water was gone. Arthur was watching him now, too. His eyes were blue, bluer than anything, his jaw was sharp, his shave was close and he could smell his cologne and Arthur was saying, softly, “I know your name,” and then, “Merlin,” and then.

Hook, line, and sinker.

“We know each other plenty well,” returned the easy smile. The moment was gone just like that, leaving him breathless, as though he'd been kissed. Arthur hadn't kissed him, though. He hadn't touched him aside from the occasional brush of fingers exchanging a glass, hadn't tried to breach the distance. He was still talking. Merlin wondered how his a smile didn't reach his blue, blue eyes. “But you've avoided me quite avidly, I would say. I was starting to get ideas when-”

“--When?”

“Beg your pardon?” Arthur flushed red, not expecting the question. He was used to Merlin’s silence, had no way of knowing how unusual it really was. Perhaps he had rehearsed parts of this conversation. Regardless, he disliked being thrown off guard.

“Ideas. I've been here a week, when could you have possibly found time to get ideas?”

Arthur was incredulous.

“You'd be surprised to find I do have a brain, you know,” he seemed about to continue, but Merlin glowered. Arthur began again.  “...Ideas about you?”

“The Queen,” Merlin answered dryly.

“Victoria or Elizabeth?”

“Mary.”

Arthur winced, and poured more wine.

“You pushed my car,” he murmured. “No one asked you, there was no proposed reward, you just came out in your loafers and helped me.”

Merlin thought back to that night, the sniffles he'd had the remainder of the evening, the mud he had to mop up the following day. “I help people who need it,” he corrected. “The ‘who’ makes no difference to me.”

Arthur toasted him halfheartedly. “‘Sure know how to make a guy feel special, don't you?” His host glanced back to the box of rejected gifts, rejected friendship, and again, Merlin felt a pang of guilt. The distant sound of the party made its way to them, a bass beat that had always been there but had still managed to be forgotten. The clock read two.

Merlin took a drink.

“What do you want from me?” His glass clinked against the wood of the table.

“Are you flattered?” He frowned in confusion. Arthur repeated himself, clearer and more distinctly. “Are you flattered, Merlin?”

“I…”

Merlin didn't know. Why was he here, he thought, what brought him into this situation? Why had he set out tonight, bent to break his promise to his mother? Why did he insist on following that drag of purpose clutching his heart, leading him into danger such as this?

“...I am.”

There was a breath, Arthur waiting for a ‘but’ that didn't come. Again, Merlin was caught in the gaze of an Adonis.

“Would you come back?” Arthur’s tone was low, wistful, concealing. His look didn't waver, daring Merlin to lie, staring into his heart or perhaps just enjoying what he saw- both concepts he couldn't understand. “If I let you go tonight, home,” he sighed, every word sounded like a sigh now and the world was a void, “would you come back?”

The implication that his landlord might not permit him to leave should have been disturbing. Much of this should have been, in fact, he ought to have reported it or left or something--

“Yes.”

What.

“Yes?” Arthur smiled.

What are you doing?

More than smile, he beamed. He tried to hide it but couldn't, the relief overwhelming his composure and Merlin was damned if he saw anyone more beautiful than Arthur Pendragon was in that moment.

“...That's all I wanted,” he said simply.

Merlin was damned.

He knew then that if he took even the smallest amount of momentum towards Arthur, he would do something they would both regret. He would lose a potential friend, although an odd one, of his an admittedly lousy, endearing neighbor. He could always say he had been drunk, which he was, a little- he wasn't -and bank on Arthur being the same- sober, that is -and maybe, maybe then he could get away with it. Dangerous thought, danger, danger--

“Will you stay tonight?”

His heart leapt to his throat to choke him, treacherous thing.

“...Until the party is over?”

The clock read two fifteen, Merlin unabashedly eyeing those red, red lips.

He made an executive decision.

He left.

[akhil123-things]

How Google Panda Affected Website Creation

Aside from penguin, panda is one of the most common terms in search engine optimization.But if you’re looking for an in-depth look at the algorithm update, its attributes, how it affects websites, and how you can use the update to your advantage – well, if you hadn’t stumbled upon this page, you’d be searching for quite a while.

This is your complete guide to understanding Google Panda and how it affects the stages of website creation. If you plan on receiving organic search traffic from Google (or you already are), make sure to read all of the way through so you’re not penalized – as you’ll see below, most of the time, a Panda penalty is permanent.(If you have been hit with a penalty for Panda, contact an SEO professional today for a no-obligation on-site SEO audit.)

Origin Panda Updates & Refreshes

The original Panda

Google originally rolled out Panda in early 2011 for US-based sites. More than 12% of queries were affected – almost double from the last major update prior to Panda. Google had made a brief announcement in January of 2010 describing their plans to address low-quality content, but few thought the impact would be so widespread.

Originally, the update targeted only sites with low-quality content. If you have ever stumbled upon an article, started reading, and found that the information was completely generic and utterly useless… that’s what we call low-quality content.

These types of sites pump out content that can rank for a keyword with minimal SEO effort due to lack of competition. When search engine traffic lands on their useless content, the hope the users will click through to the ads on the page – sometimes directly from Adsense.

But that’s pretty much the only goal. There is no focus on user value or retention what-so-ever. To the lazy, profit-driven webmaster, these sites are easy to build, easy to populate, and easy to monetize. To users, they’re terrible – and annoying to stumble upon in the search results.

As such, Google made a huge leap to eradicate them. After the initial 12% surge, the madness didn’t stop, though – not even close.

Scraper Update

Just a week later, Matt Cutts (who has since retired) confirmed suspicions that another update to Panda had rolled out, called the scraper update.Scraping has many different connotations in the SEO world – in this case, the reference was aimed at those annoying, poorly-designed websites that literally do nothing but copy other websites word-for-word. https://www.login4ites.com/ We still see them sometimes in 2015 (especially in niches like lyrics), but it was a lot more prevalent way back in 2009 and 2010. You would search for a keyword, only for the first five results to be completely the same from one another – it was infuriating.So, the scraper update eliminated most of these problems – nowadays, even if you’re pulling from a RSS feed by legitimate means, displaying that content on your website without the proper SEO formatting can result in a penalty.

Farmer Update

Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Land had discovered a reference to the next update being referred to as the farmer update– but Google said that the update didn’t explicitly affect content farms. The reasoning behind this was the potential to offend partners of Google – if a website was penalized during this update, it would be dubbed a “content farm”, regardless of quality. (You’ll see a little further on that some legitimate sites were penalized, making this a very smart precaution for Google to take.)

But by and large, most of the sites to get hit by the farmer update did deserve it.One such example is eHow – though eHow had plenty of in-depth guides, some of them were completely useless and composed entirely of garbage filler content. There would be “guides” for topics that made no sense, and the “advice” was a bunch of feel-good nonsense.Sites like eHow were hit by the farmer update to Panda. Many more were, too, as this problem of content existing but providing no value was very widespread. We’ll go over six big-name examples in just a second.But first, here’s how Panda continues to plague webmasters to this day…

Panda Refreshes from 2011 – 2015

There hasn’t been another update since the farmer update, but there have been plenty of refreshes, which is the Panda algorithmic update being rolled out to a larger percentage of keyword queries. In essence, this means that even if a content farm does exist, it can be hit by the new refresh. And if a new content farm pops up in between refreshes, it will be hit, too.To date, there have been over twenty refreshes, usually occurring a few months in between each other and sometimes emphasizing certain types of sites, such as gaming or lyrics sites.

The impact of Panda

Throughout the years, Panda has solidified its reputation as the most fatal algorithm update because of the enormous and permanent effect it had on a variety of web-based businesses.Let’s go through six interesting examples of Panda in action, explaining what these sites were doing, why they got penalized, what they tried to do to fix it – and of course, if they finally succeeded. (Most didn’t.)

[yvynyl]

// Letters to YVYNYL //

Guma - Floor Models

/ I’ll be honest. My YVYNYL email account is a mess. Swamped to the brim. I was stoked to find this letter, though! TJ’s story made me happy and his tunes even more so. Mellow, driven, beautiful. Listen to the two tracks he’s released so far before the whole record comes out in a week or so and you’ll share in the majesty of rebuilding his motorbike and crafting songs as strong as these. Let’s support his vision!

Hi Mark,

My wife and I got to Austin, TX a couple years ago with one car between the two of us, and as she was the first to get a job and start using the car every day to commute, I needed a way to get around. For six years in New York City I had been a cyclist, and I was proud of both my physical fitness and my willingness to bike year-round. Austin made short work of that, as it is basically a city of two giant hills that converge at the river that runs through downtown. Coming or going, the hills will get you. As the temperatures crept toward 110F and I showed up to freelance gigs exhausted and smelling bad, I knew that I needed a better way to travel.

We couldn’t afford a second car, so I bought a used motorcycle on Craigslist. It didn’t run. It was nearly fifty years old, had probably sat outside for a good amount of that time, and it was covered with rust and grime. But that was part of my plan: I had no mechanical experience, and the way that I justified the transition from a bicycle to a significantly faster and more dangerous mode of transportation was that I was going to learn how it worked by taking it apart and putting it back together. This would demystify the machine, I thought, and give me the knowledge needed to maintain what is essentially an outdated snapshot of internal combustion technology. In other words, a fifty-year-old gasoline motor is a finicky thing, and if I was going to use it every day to get around while my wife had the car, I needed to be able to understand it.  It took me a week to take the entire thing apart and lay it out in the garage, and I spent the next three months cleaning, painting, greasing, and reassembling.

A strange thing happened during that time: I stopped playing my instrument and writing songs. Instead, I started to dream about the bike. When my wife got up early to go to work, I would get up with her and bound outside with a cup of coffee and a wrench. I’d get lost polishing a piece of aluminum and look up only to find her pulling back into the driveway at the end of the day. I hovered over eBay auctions for used parts and posted questions to small forums of older, mostly male Honda enthusiasts, the kind of online communities where emojis are used haphazardly and— all other options for troubleshooting exhausted— where people would simply post their actual phone number and say “just call me and we can figure this thing out.”

New terminology started to populate my vocabulary. I began to think of objects around me in terms of three-dimensional, exploded-view diagrams. I would space out at work and instead of jotting down lyric ideas, I would scribble color combinations. As the bike came together, I marveled at the increasing amount of three-dimensional space it took up in the garage and the diminishing number of parts in labeled bags on the floor. And this process I would recommend to anyone who has a love of projects and puzzles. With a shop manual printed from the internet and YouTube videos aplenty, building a bike is like following instructions for the biggest and most well-designed LEGO set you will ever see. In the process of reassembly you begin to discern logic and intention; human qualities. Every piece has a function in one of a handful of systems that comprise the whole; many components serve two or more purposes by using forces of rotation and chain linkages to disperse physical energy to different parts of the bike over the course of an eternally recursive 360-degree path. I could go on, but Robert Pirsig has already written quite effectively to these points and others. 

I was also aware that I was inhabiting a new way of being. Last time I wrote to you about my experiences with depression and the transformative power of traveling alone. I knew that I could never have done this project in New York City. I now lived in a house instead of an apartment, I had a yard instead of a sidewalk, a garage, a long driveway. As the seasons turned and we spruced up our house and adopted some cats, I was aware of a new kind of domesticity that I had not otherwise known.

Domesticity is a big theme in my most recent work. I have always felt most comfortable writing songs from my actual, first-person perspective as opposed to creating characters or inhabiting situations with which I’m unfamiliar. This process takes time and like any other process of self-reflection is a habit that needs to be continually nurtured. I finished the bike in the spring; it looks brand new and runs better, I suspect, than it ever has. When I meandered back toward songwriting, I realized that I had not had any particularly grand adventures to plumb for inspiration and that the most pressing question on any given day was usually, “what do you want for dinner?” But this is a sacred place in which to exist! The truth of your inner experience can be more readily found in this stillness. There are messages in the calmness, a lazy cat on your lap while the sun breaks through the window.

When I felt that I had enough material, it was time to put some money up. There is no greater motivator for me than a deadline and cash at stake. I reached out to Chris Schlarb in Long Beach, CA. His music had found me earlier in the year, and I was struck by what I thought I recognized as another person digging at the same rock that I’ve always dug at. It was a completely unsolicited e-mail and the first line that I cast once I had decided to commit to the project. He wrote back the same weekend, and that was all I needed to kick off.

The album we made at his BIG EGO Studios over the course of three days in May 2018 eventually came to involve more than fifteen collaborators, a far leap from the last record that I made more or less alone in 2016. It was tracked live in a room with two drumkits, two basses, keys, and myself on guitar. The double rhythm section is equal parts men and women. I am proud that it features contributions from people of different genders, sexualities, colors, religions, and nationalities. Not just because inclusivity is attainable even on a shoestring budget and to a largely unknown songwriter (it is), or because attention to social justice should be the foremost mandate for collaboration (it isn’t), but because diversity of people leads to diversity of ideas, and our world is stronger when we create together. This record most certainly is.

I have always loved the so-called “pastoral” albums by the Kinks. Peppered as they are with Ray Davies’ angst about the music publishing industry, they nevertheless ooze this kind of unglamorous daily life. For this and other reasons, Ray gets a name check in one of the tunes. The song posted here references my time building the motorcycle. Other songs are about eating, traveling, sex, the cats; regular things for regular people. It might be a little while before I write another record— when I got back from Long Beach I bought another motorcycle and it’s currently laid out in labeled bags on the floor of the garage.

-T.J. Masters

Guma (2019) is released on March 15, 2019 and is available now on 12” vinyl through a BIG EGO Records 2019 subscription or directly through Bandcamp.

(Photo credit above: Bridgette Miller)

Got a story to tell? Submit them via  Letters to YVYNYL.

(Band photo credit: Devin O’Brien)