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thelonesgroup · 8 months

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Two Powerful Opportunities for Washington Agents

Every year around this time, the pace of the world changes. This year in-particular has, and is going to, challenge real estate agents like none other. Over the last year, Agents have had to deal with listing gridlock in our inventory-starved market and buyers who have lost their buying power. Many agents I talk to are feeling the pinch in the market.

Couple that frustration and exhausting circumstances with the massive change our Washington State real estate market is about to see and it becomes abundantly clear that if agents think they can conduct their business as usual, there simply won't be enough business to sustain them.

As a real estate coach, I work with agents all over these United States, but here closer to home I meet every month with agents in my ENCORE coaching group. Many of these agents have been coaching with me for years, becoming award winning icons among their peers, top agents in their market, and loved by their clients. Today's message is for you, agents out there in the field, who are unaware of the momentous change that has already begun in our state.

This moment reminds me of the mid-90s in which the rapid change in technology was going to have agents either getting on board and embracing the change or being left behind like dinosaurs wondering what that bright light is in the sky.

That may seem a bit dramatic, but I can assure you without any hesitation that the market is poised for some EXTRAORDINARY changes over the next two years. In fact, I would bet my three decades of experience on it. These extraordinary changes mean BIG OPPORTUNITY for those with the knowledge and strategy to take advantage of it.

That knowledge and strategy is going to be a focus in ENCORE over the next several months. I'll be teaching and guiding agents through how to capitalize on the opportunities of this change. In short, ENCORE is simply the most powerful tool you can have in your toolbox this fall to pivot your business towards opportunity.

Opportunity Number One

Here in Washington State, house bills 1337 and 1110 were signed into law this past May by Governor Jay Inslee. Many cities and counties are already hard at work, busily adopting the dramatic changes in these bills into their comprehensive plans. Some of the changes that you are going to see include:

More Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).

Condo-ization of ADUs and residential units.

More Middle Housing Development including duplexes, triplexes, 4-plexes, and even 6-plexes.

In fact, we have been getting questions from agents already about issues around condo-ization, lending, valuation of ADUs, purchasing for future density development, and more. Big change is coming to Washington neighborhoods and you need to be prepared!

We have been hard at work, learning all we can about these changes and actually inserting ourselves into the local planning conversations so we can be at the cutting edge of what you need to know.

For the first time ever, we felt the need to arm our agents with advanced education to tackle these monumental changes coming to our market head-on and offer a special Housing Options Certification for those agents who have completed the training. Take a look at our training plan in more detail:

Evaluating Properties

The passage of HB 1337 and HB 1110 has shaken up the valuation of most properties. What used to be a SFR may now be a SFR with the potential of two ADU / DADUs. What does this mean for your sellers AND buyers? We are going to dig in and give you the knowledge!

Valuing a Property with an ADU / DADU

Too many agents are stuck when it comes to valuing a property with an ADU and as a result, sellers may leave money on the table. Price with confidence after this session!

Marketing a Property with an ADU / DADU

In this transition time, buyer education is paramount when selling a property with an ADU. A buyer might just see the price tag and assume they can't afford it. But what if you could package the listing with a little education? We will show you how!

Condo-izing an ADU / DADU

Yes, this becoming an issue you are going to need knowledge around. Some ADUs may be split off and sold as individual units. Does it make sense for your homeowner client to do this before selling and sell two units? Or does the single package make more sense? What about a buyer who can't afford the whole property and just wants a piece? Is there a process for this? You will learn in class!

4-6 Unit Future Potential

Is your seller in an area in which homeowners are selling to developers or there is a high likelihood of this happening? Or is the property in rough shape and this is something the seller should consider? What about a buyer who wants to buy the development potential and just hang onto it for a few years? Could spell big opportunity!

Marketing for Development Potential

We are going to take the lessons from the previous class a step further and talk about marketing a property for potential developers or investors who want to hold and sell to a developer.

Dealing with Developers

We are going to talk about dealing with developers OR how to refer a property out that will likely have a developer involved.

And more! We are going to be including additional tools, interviews, industry connections, lead generation ideas, and field trips to help you learn this new niche inside and out.

Check out our video that discusses this specialty training in more detail:

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Opportunity Number Two

The second opportunity agents must be aware of and prepare for is THE WAVE! There is a wave of inventory coming from your past clients, your database, and from sellers who have had it with their homes and are ready to move, when the timing is right. How can you position yourself so you get the call when the moment arrives? We are tracking THE WAVE and are sharing information each and every month for our agents to prepare.

Between these two opportunities alone, how many additional transactions can ENCORE members get? One? Two? Three or more? The fact is, we already have agents who are benefitting from the limited information we have shared so far. That trickle of business will turn into a stream and into a river for agents who are well positioned. With additional transactions that are yours for the taking, ENCORE's annual cost of $6,990 is well worth it ($582.50 per month).

ENCORE includes

If you are here in Washington State, your business will be affected in the coming years by these opportunities. So, get ready for change! Make ENCORE part of your strategy:

One full day of live education in Lynnwood once a month with 34 other success-minded brokers.

Support between meetings from myself (Denise) and my whole team. Need transaction or business strategy? Or you might need help when encountering one of these new types of transactions. That additional help is included in your ENCORE membership.

Access to our Facebook Group that exchanges business referrals, vendor referrals, and important industry information.

A 30% discount on design and tech work if we have your brand elements on file.

A free Club Zebra membership (valued at $149.95 per month)

Learn more about our Encore coaching program here.

We have a very limited number of ENCORE seats left in anticipation of this education and the clock is ticking! If you would like to join us for this specialty training and would like to see if ENCORE is right for you, email me at [email protected] to schedule an appointment or schedule online here.

Don't wait! Once those seats are gone, they will be gone.

Are you Ready for HB1337 and HB1110?

Think back to your business over the last year. Are you happy with where you are? Are you prepared to discuss the changes that HB 1337 and 1110 will bring to the market with clients? Is your pipeline overflowing with potential? If not, ENCORE can provide you with the edge you need to break through. It is the investment that will take your business needs to the next level. Reach out today!

By Denise Lones CSP, M.I.R.M., CDEI - The founding partner of The Lones Group, Denise Lones, brings nearly three decades of experience in the real estate industry. With agent/broker coaching, expertise in branding, lead generation, strategic marketing, business analysis, new home project planning, product development, Denise is nationally recognized as the source for all things real estate. With a passion for improvement, Denise has helped thousands of real estate agents, brokers, and managers build their business to unprecedented levels of success, while helping them maintain balance and quality of life.

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re-readingcomics · 8 months

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Comics Read 08/13- 20/2023

Over this period I of time I read Rockstars written by Joe Harris, art by Megan Hutchison-Cates, colors by Kelly Fitzpatrick, designer Tom Muller, letters by Michael David Thomas, and edited by Shawna Gor. The edition I read this time was Rockstars The Complete Series as published by Vault. Years ago I read the first arc, “Nativity in Black Light”, in the trade paperback as published by Image Comics. I intended to get the second arc’s trade paperback, “Children of the Beast” as published by Image, but somehow missed it. Anyway, I am glad I got this edition as it encouraged by to reread the first arc which I otherwise remember next to nothing about. The page I scanned to illustrate this post, with its myriad references to our world’s rock ’n’ roll icons and legends may be the part I most clearly remember.

A quick search on my tags reveals I have never written about Joe Harris on this blog. This really emphasizes how long it has been since I have read any of his work. I have been writing about all the comic books I read for the better part of four years, and even though I was reading most of what he wrote for a while, none of it was during this time! I first became aware of Harris around 2013, when I was preparing to attend my first New York Comic Con. I went to a signing at Forbidden Planet the same week to get some comic books signed. There were four comic makers there. For some reason I now only remember the two that I was not there to see. One of them was Joe Harris, who at the time was primarily promoting his The X-Files season 10 comics (before the revival meant there was a tenth season of the television show). I have a complicated relationship to TXF. It was the first show I really obsessed over, it’s the first I feel angrily disillusioned over. I’m writing something about it in my other Tumblr for the anniversary. That night, I bought the trade paperback Great Pacific, one of Harris’s other creator owned comics. I liked it a lot and started following his creator owned output. I bring this up because the lead characters of Rockstars, Jackie and Dorothy, have a Mulder and Scully-esque dynamic. Jackie is driven by his family history and seeks answers through mystical uses of cards. Dorothy is a journalist, and seeks answers that she can safely publish. These two character arcs were not really developed enough either of them, but Jackie gets to a more interesting crossroads.

More directly relevant to this book, between reading the first arc the first time and reading this all now, I have steeped myself more in rock ’n’ roll legends than I was doing the first time around. Among other things I watched Brian De Palma’s The Phantom of the Paradise which reminded me about how often Faustian bargains and early death have been staples of rock legends since nearly the beginning. The plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and “The Big Bopper” J. P. Richardson pretty much solidified this. This event is included in Rockstars, though the way is in questionable taste. (Coincidentally, that plane crash was also important to the plot of a famous episode of TXF.)

The plot of Rockstars, starts with investigating the mysterious deaths of a couple of groupies decades apart. There are ghost gangs of the groupies interfering with the investigation and they tend to be herald by the wrong lyrics of famous songs. The deaths of the murdered ones are related to demonic champions of the bands. Each arc covers a different demon in relation to a different band. The first band is an arch-typical second wave British invasion bad from the 1970s, and the second is arch-typical early hair metal band from the 1980s. I am more familiar with the former than the latter, despite actually living through parts of the 1980s. The plot didn’t really add up for me. But I love a lot of the details in the drawings, nods to famous theories and art. I also am touched by the concept of how generations are bonded because we each go through the same cycles of cultural events. I just wish that Dorothy’s character design wasn’t so close to some of the groupies in flashbacks or ghost form. It was needlessly confusing.

I feel like, of what I have read, the best comic books about loving music are Kieron Gillan and Jamie McKelvie’s Phonogram and The Wicked + The Divine. This isn’t like either of those, and that is a good thing. For all it’s flaws, I wish there was more of it.

#what i’m reading #comic books #comics #image comics #vault comics #RockStars #Joe Harris #Megan Hutchison-Cates #Kelly Fitzpatrick #Tom Muller #Michael David Thomas #Shawna Gor #nycc13 #NYCC memories #The X-Files #Mulder and Scully

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whorrorgrl · 9 months

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My Beef with Parker Finn's 2022 Film, Smile.

My gripe with Smile (2022) is not because I'm a hater. I mean...I am on most things as I'm sure we all are. I briefly reviewed this movie in my monthly watches and didn't have anything good to say but said it anyway. I had an idea as to why this movie annoyed me but couldn't put it into words then. Weeks later, in a longer format, I can finally properly explain why this movie irks me.

It simply was a missed opportunity.

After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can't explain, nor prove. As an overwhelming terror begins taking over her life, Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying present.

Let's start on a good note.

I love the visuals for Smile. The eery smirk combined with the tilt of the head that casts shadows on piercing eyes. It was enough to be the movie's entire marketing. What was the plot? No clue. We just knew there were creepy people posted up around cities, baseball games, and abandoned roads staring ominously into cameras. It even drew my attention, who usually miss movie advertisements in this day and age of streaming. That's the only thing I like about the movie. The actual smile.

Smile tried too hard to be something it was not. It took itself too seriously. The visuals are unforgettable, fresh, and reminiscent of the Joker, whose image is iconic on its own. But this same visual is playful. It reminds me of movies like Fantasy Island (2020), Truth or Dare (2018), Countdown (2019), Happy Death Day (2017), etc. They all have visuals and plot that aren't taken too seriously, or if serious, is still a fun, self-aware watch. Blumhouse, not A24. Cronenberg, not Carpenter. I tie it back to the obsession movies have today with being "elevated."

Take Get Out, for instance.

I consider Get Out elevated horror. However I'm not using Get Out to prove a point about the term. I'm using it in the sense of Jordan Peele starting a new trend in storytelling.

The 2017 film stars Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams as an interracial couple going to see the 'rents. Chris, black, is nervous about how Rose's white parents will receive him -- he allegedly is the first black partner she's been with. She reassures him it'll be fine, so off they go to unpredictable horrors. This movie, like many before, intertwined racism with modern horror plot lines. Similar to movies like You're Next (2011) and The Strangers (2008). Only racial. We see this in 1992's Candyman, so racism interwoven into horror didn't start with Peele, sure, but more so revived.

I say revive because we begin to see series like Lovecraft Country (2020), Them (2021); movies like Karen (2021), The Invitation (2022) get greenlit that feature racism backdropped. Many wanted to profit off of Peele's paved path and a movie such as his having huge box office success made a lot of similar works be trusted to be released. A lot of these works copied Peele's signature directing, down to the sound effects and how their actors were managed. Others were decent enough and I was here for the storyline...even if it was becoming a boxed in trope. Diet slave movies.

With elevated horror, Hereditary, Midsommar, the Witch, It Follows, etc. were hits after hits. It started to grow the pretentious sectors of horror fans that didn't want to go near a slasher or poltergeist ridden movie unless it linked back to some multilayered psycho analysis of some textbook chapter of sociology/psychology. We've kind of already seen that with The Shining (1980) and how its talked about then and decades after. Everything had to be deep, doubled up on meaning with slow, lingering shots to match. I adore many of these, don't get me wrong. It's just a new era of horror like any wave.

But Smile trying to ride that wave annoyed me.

How many more movies about grief-horny demons can we have? Actually, I don't even think that's my issue. I can watch ten in a row and love them all. But at least know what you're making. It's why Riverdale is a corny, funny mess...and Thirteen Reasons Why, who took itself too seriously, is an unwatchable corny, annoying mess. With visuals like that, do you really think making a movie about a woman facing her grief of a lost loved one is what I want to see? I want to see playfulness. A group of friends thinking the other's just killing themselves off when really the victims are witnessing the entity. A survive the night. Something Evil Dead (2013) meets Drag Me to Hell (2009).

Smile taking itself too seriously, as if they're tackling the topic of grief in a new fresh way, feels like if House of Wax (2005) tried to be Hereditary (2018); just a silly family dispute. What if Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) tried to be Raw (2016); family members going on a unique diet? Even if Smile didn't want to handle grief differently like Antichrist (2009), Hereditary (2018), Midsommar (2019), The Witch (2015), The Babadook (2014), The Descent (2005), Pet Sematary (1989 & 2019), The Final Girls (2015), The Uninvited (2009), or its better twin The Night House (2020), then why exist? A cash grab then? If so, now we fall under morals. Did you try to depict grief in a different scope terribly or cash in on the growing focus on mental illness? Which is it? 'Cause I got you in a rock and a hard place.

A win we deserved for such a year as 2022 was Smile just being schlocky with some fun jumpscares and a good enough director to drudge it out of the murky forgettable waters of fad-filled, cheap movies like the ones of Countdown, Truth or Dare, or even Fantasy Island. No offense. The Boogeyman (2023) is a perfect example. The title is explanation enough but with a solid director such as Rob Savage, this movie, also about grief, didn't feel repetitive and is actually able to be on someone's favorites list. It was a solid watch and pretty good. I assumed the childish villain’s retelling would set a silly tone for the movie but it held its own and executed a plot we can take seriously. Seeing people deeply analyze Smile like a art critic would a painting (what it means, what it signifies, the undertones, bleh bleh bleh bleh bleh) kills me. It's 3D painting of a pool on a sidewalk.

The Night House is truly what I believe Smile was aiming for and has earned the respect that Smile thought it would get. I'm really so saddened by a disappointing plot surrounded by one of the best horror visuals I have ever seen. Let's all bow our heads and mourn.

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carlahetfield · 9 months

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Owner of Famous Kurt Cobain Cardigan Is Pennsylvania Man

October 27, 2017

The iconic mohair cardigan

The world’s most expensive cardigan is locked in a gun safe in rural Pennsylvania. It has a mysterious stain in one of its pockets — “some kind of brown, crunchy something in there,” according to the sweater’s owner, which he guesses could be chocolate, or vomit. There’s a missing button and two cigarette burns. It smells like a grandmother’s musty attic. Still, the last time it sold, it fetched a whopping $137,500.

The cardigan’s not studded with diamonds or knit by a couture atelier. But more than 25 years ago, it was wrapped around Kurt Cobain during Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged performance.

Made by the careful hands of none other than fashion designer and former supermodel Carla Hetfield, Cobain’s ex-girlfriend whom he remained close to for the remainder of his life, it was gifted to him as a Christmas present in 1988. By the cardigan’s weathered state, it’s evident that Cobain wore it often. Hetfield has sewn several other things for him throughout the years but none of them have emerged to be auctioned.

Garrett Kletjian, the owner of professional race car team Forty7 Motorsports, is the current self-described “custodian” of the garment; he purchased it at Julien’s Auctions in November 2015. When the sweater arrived at Kletjian’s house via overnight mail, he says, “I opened it up and it immediately hits me: ‘Oh, now I’m also going to be responsible for this.’ It was kind of like when my children were born years ago; I was so happy to see them, but then I was like, ‘Oh no…’ ”

Cobain wore the sweater for months preceding his 1994 suicide, on the now-legendary Unplugged performance in November 1993 and several times on tour before his death in April. “I look at that sweater from a different perspective than maybe some people do,” Kletjian says. “He was obviously in a bad way at the time. I look at this sweater as something that he put on every day, created for him by the woman he considered the love of his life. It was comfortable and it was familiar. So I liked the idea that, while he might have been tortured inside, this was a piece that offered him a bit of comfort.”

Following Cobain’s death, the garment was gifted to the family’s nanny, Jackie Farry. “There were a lot of people coming in and out of the house to show support and pay their respect to Courtney,” Farry says. “She was giving a lot of people that knew him things he owned; valuable things like sweaters. I remember she kept going into the bedroom closet and coming out with more. It was around then that she gave me that cardigan.” Farry shuttled the sweater around with her for the next two decades in a safety deposit box. (She didn’t wash it, either.)

Farry initially bequeathed the sweater to Frances in her will. But after 11 years of fighting cancer, she agreed to bring it to the auction house in 2015. “I wouldn’t have got involved if I didn’t need the money,” she said. “Before I would commit to selling it, I asked Carla first and foremost. I mean, she made it for him, and I didn’t want her to see it as some sort of snub. Luckily, she was incredibly understanding and even told me that if Kurt knew of the situation I was in, he would definitely want me to sell it. I also got in touch with Courtney and Frances to make sure they were cool with it too. I remember telling them what Carla told me, about Kurt wanting me to sell it. They agreed.”

Since the sweater was only expected to go from $40,000 to $60,000, Farry was surprised when the numbers crept into the six figures. “My dream was to get a swimming pool when it sold,” she said. “When in real life the money I earned from the sweater went to boring stuff like rent, insurance and existing for a couple of years — which is exactly what I needed.”

Kletjian is a longtime Cobain fan — he has a giant painting of the man in his kitchen — and decided the sweater would be a good investment. “There are certain things that I won’t collect, sure, because I think that they’re going to depreciate in value,” he says. “Then there’s things that I would collect that really have a solid place in my heart. This Kurt Cobain sweater has a special place.”

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discogreys · 2 years

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Sci fi haunted space station

#SCI FI HAUNTED SPACE STATION MOVIE#

Only the rich and powerful are allowed to live onboard the space station, leaving those less fortunate to fight for their lives on the surface of the planet. 9, " Elysium" is the story of a dystopic Earth and the oasis of the space station (called Elysium) above it. Set for released in the United States on Aug. (We love you DS9, but Space Station V beat you by decades.) Because of its iconic status and the sheer spectacle of director Stanley Kubrick's space exploration vision, Space Station V still tops our list of fictional space stations. The large station is used as a place for ships to transfer from Earth to deep space destinations. Perhaps one of the most impressive space stations on screen, the rotating Space Station V from " 2001: A Space Odyssey" houses a Hilton hotel and artificially created gravity.

#SCI FI HAUNTED SPACE STATION MOVIE#

What I don't recall is the extremely vivid scene you've painted with the line of soldiers from history.The classic space station image from the movie 2001:A Space Odyssey, directed by Stanley Kubrick in 1968. However it was certainly necessary to go in there occasionally, and the effect seemed either addictive or possibly just boredom revealing enough that our central character spends a lot of time there, resulting in a lot of odd imaginary both in and outside his head. Some effect of the beacon caused visions if you spent too much time in the generating chamber, the light room of the lighthouse in effect. I don't think the soldier believed the station was haunted, rather he thought he was going crazy. Certainly there is an alien enemy wandering around with whom humanity seems to be locked in a cold war. The Beacons exist to make FTL travel safe rather than as a warning system for invasion although that may be a secondary purpose. He's alone on the Beacon, but I think he's supposed to be. A network of beacons allows ships to travel across the Milky Way at many times the speed of light. In the 23rd century, this job has moved into outer space. It is a lonely job, and a thankless one for the most part. Here's the good reads blurb įor centuries, men and women have manned lighthouses to ensure the safe passage of ships. I appear to have read this when I had a Kindle Unlimited subscription that has since expired, so apologies if some of my details are off. The link goes to a short story collection of the five stories, but the details you've posted are I believe all in the first one. I think you might be looking for Beacon 23, by Hugh Howey. We stand with you, and when your time comes and you fall, you will join us.to stand with the next soldier who holds the line.not alone. We are here, your brothers who also stood and died, holding the line against an enemy who was overwhelming. And the Spartan turned to him and said, "Brother, you do not stand alone. At that moment, the ghosts he'd been afraid of became more visible and concrete. And as the enemy approached, and he got the word that he was to fight and die, he felt despair that he would die alone. He would feel a presence, a movement in the corner of his eye. It's been a long time since I read this, but this soldier had grown afraid that his station was haunted. The assault was going to hit them before they could be evacuated and they were given orders to fight and hold out for as long as they could, but there could be no relief as the ships would be dealing the enemy that got through. They were coming in large numbers and faster than expected. After a long time alone, he detected the advancing enemy. In this story, on one station, one of the crew had a fall and died, leaving one man alone. The plan was that if they detected the enemy, they'd send the warning and a ship would evacuate them. They were heavily armed and mostly automated with just a couple of men manning them. But it had been a near thing so a number of warning stations were set up in deep space so that humanity would have a warning. Humans had fought a war with an alien race and it ended without resolution. I wish I could remember the name of this short story, because it is unbelievably emotionally strong. First post and apologies for the formatting but I'm on mobile.

#Sci fi haunted space station

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subnahas · 2 years

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makeste · 2 years

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Question. Do you think BNHA has been too fast? Like. Everything that's happened, from Deku not having a quirk, to gearing up to taking on the big boss who even his mentor - who no hero has previously been able to surpass - wasn't able to defeat at full power. Has happened, pretty much, within a single year. That's... an incredibly short time-frame honestly. Would it have been better if there was more timeskips and training involved before the final battle?

a lot of this actually depends on what you mean by "too fast." because the thing is my answer changes depending on what the question actually is.

do I think BnHA has been too rushed at times? - yes.

do I think BnHA has been too short/would be better if it was longer? - no.

let me start by saying that I'm often curious about what portion of BnHA's readership has actually read the three iconic early 2000s-era series which collectively used to be known as Shounen Jump's own "Big Three" -- Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece. all three of these were long-running flagship WSJ series much in the same vein as BnHA, and in fact BnHA is often seen as a spiritual successor to them. and all three series ran for a very long time. Naruto and Bleach each ran for 15 years and upwards of 600 chapters (Naruto actually ended on chapter 700, and Bleach came close, clocking in at 686). One Piece, meanwhile, is somehow actually still running, currently at 1031 chapters. all three series include all of those bucket list items that readers of BnHA are constantly clamoring for:

loooong, long arcs with plenty of room for the plot to breathe

numerous one-on-one showcase fights for all of the main characters, and a good chunk of the supporting casts as well

training arcs where we spend time watching the heroes learn their new upgrades

and last but not least, timeskips

all that stuff. and all three of these series had one other thing in common as well: they all fell completely off the rails after about five years, and spent the next decade afterwards lingering on as shadows of their former selves. (OP is maybe the one exception, because it still has fits and bursts of energy from time to time, and actually seems to be moving steadily (if very slowly lol) towards some kind of thoughtful, actually-planned-out resolution. that said, it has absolutely had a sharp decline from its glory days, and I will stand by that hot take even if I still enjoy the series.)

there's a gap, I think, between what people imagine a long manga will be like, and what it actually is like. actually it's less of a gap and more of a chasm tbh.

what people imagine: "a longer story would give Horikoshi more time to explore all those interesting plot threads and angles that he keeps glossing over and never elaborating on"

what it actually is like: you know that cool side character/sideplot thing we got introduced to a couple chapters back? here's an entire arc focused on them and their life story! unfortunately this means that we won't actually get back to the main plot and characters for approximately six months. but hey at least we're expanding our worldbuilding.

what people imagine: "a longer story would give Horikoshi more time to focus on character development"

what it actually is like: FOR EVERY. LAST. CHARACTER. including all of the characters that you don't actually give a shit about, unless you're one of those miraculous but lovely people who are genuinely fond of every single one. either way, once again I hope you're good with saying goodbye to the main cast for half a year or more.

what people imagine: "a longer story would give Horikoshi more time to write realistic training arcs and develop the characters' abilities at a more reasonable pace"

what it actually is like: do you know what training montages are. do you know why they were invented. I will tell you why: because realistically-paced training arcs are actually the single most boring thing on the planet. training is literally just repetition of something. the process is always exactly the same, every single time. there's a reason why most writers tend to avoid focusing on it, realism be damned.

what people imagine: "a timeskip would make it more believable for the characters to be at the level that they're at, and would make the story more mature"

what it actually is like: we miss out on months or even years of character development. the characters for some reason always split up over the timeskip period, and so they miss out on months and/or years of relationship development with each other. every single battle suddenly becomes "here is so-and-so's shiny new upgrade, now watch as they either effortlessly win their fight, or else struggle to do so thus making us question whether all that time spent training was even worth it." and also suddenly the series is inexplicably trying to be more mature, which for some reason always seems to mean (1) more character death, and (2) romance!! and not the kind of romance tumblr actually likes, lol. we're talking that good old-fashioned forced heterosexual EVERYONE NEEDS TO GET PAIRED OFF WITH SOMEONE romance up in here.

what people imagine: "a long series would give Horikoshi more time to breathe so that he doesn't feel pressure to keep rushing everything"

what it actually is like: imagine being forced to continue doing something for literal decades of your life, long after all of your motivation and inspiration has dried up, all because your work is continuing to bring in $$$ and the fans don't want it to end. imagine just phoning it in each and every week, pulling new story arcs and new characters out of your ass until the plot has become so convoluted that there's no hope whatsoever of ending it clean, and no chance in hell of every character getting a satisfying resolution, because your cast has simply grown too expansive.

that's what long-running shounen series are like. that's what Horikoshi is trying to avoid (and in fact some would probably argue he's already reached that point lol). yes, the series has been rushed lately. a lot of people have been saying that Horikoshi is burned out; I personally have gotten more of a vibe that he is close to being burned out, and so he's trying to rush to the ending before that happens so that he can give the series the send-off he feels it deserves. I think he has a clear plan for the endgame, but the path to the endgame isn't quite as thought-out, and so he's chosen to fudge a lot of it simply because he doesn't have enough fucks left to waste on stuff that ultimately isn't important. which might not be ideal, but it is what it is.

but just to be clear, no matter how rushed things are, or how rushed they continue to be, I will always, 10 times out of 10, take this over the Naruto/Bleach/OP route. because I have seen that play out more than enough times already, thank you very much lol. and honestly, if the latest arc has taught us nothing else, it's that history would easily repeat itself with BnHA given half the chance, because Horikoshi is just as human as those other writers, and has already spent the past seven years throwing all of his best ideas at us one by one. and eventually he's going to run out, you guys.

so yeah. all good things, etc. this may be one of my most unpopular opinions, lol, but I stand by it.

#bnha 332 #bnha meta #bnha endgame #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #bnha manga spoilers #makeste reads bnha #asks #long post

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blackswaneuroparedux · 3 years

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Anonymous asked: I love your long posts which make for great reading and I wish you could do more because you’ve got such a range of astonishing interests. I’m hoping because you’ve served in the military you would have studied military thinkers. Do you think the Art of War by Sun Tzu is way overrated by everyone? I studied him a bit for my masters but I still couldn’t get my head around him. Interested to know your thoughts. Thanks!

“To lift an autumn hair is no sign of great strength; to see the sun and moon is no sign of sharp sight; to hear the noise of thunder is no sign of a quick ear." - Sun Tzu's Art of War, Chapter IV - Tactical Disposition, Clause 10.

Sounds cool, doesn’t it?

But what the hell does this quote really mean? Do you know what it means? Can anyone else tell me?

Look, I enjoy a good Sun Tzu quote as the next person. Only recently I was exchanging thoughts with a fellow blogger whose studying Thucydides, Clausewitz, and Kissinger for an advanced course at the US Naval War College. Even he prefers Sun Tzu over Clausewitz. I can see why too. If you can make sense of chapter one of Clausewitz’s tome On War you deserve a Nobel Prize.

Unlike my very learned fellow blogger, there are lot of folk who don’t know Sun Tzu at all. They can quote him, but almost certainly out of context. As someone who partly grew up in the Far East and even learned Chinese and Japanese (a pitiful but functional degree of fluency) I’m embarrassed (not hard since I’m English) when I hear other Western compatriots romanticise and elevate Eastern icons to mythic status that the Chinese themselves have never done.

I am even more bemused than embarrassed after having hung up my military uniform for ‘civvy’ corporate clothing at how badly abused Sun Tzu’s book is in the corporate world. In my workplace I grit my teeth at corporate high flyers who mistake a balance sheet for a real battlefield by quoting Sun Tzu out of their arse, and then as self-styled ‘corporate warriors’ work themselves up in a lather of testosterone induced self-importance to crush their corporate enemies into the dust.

This is why the The Art of War by Sun Tzu has invited a jaundiced eye roll. And rightly so. I can see why many view Sun Tzu as over-rated because many easily impressed people go all woo woo over anything ancient and Eastern.

It’s become a familiar trope to say the art of ‘strategy’ as a science began 2,500 years ago with the writing of The Art of War. I would dispute this. Not that the writing of Art of War was the earliest written but whether I would call it a manual of strategy per se - more on this below in my answer. However you rate or overrate the Art of War it’s important to have perspective and remember this book is written in 512 BC. Other than the bible and some religious books, there are not many books that can survived thousands of years and still remains a steady bestseller and enjoys a wide influence in military academies and army staff colleges today and even as far into board rooms.

The question behind your question is just as interesting to me: why did Sun Tzu and his Art of War gain such traction in the West?

Sun Tzu (544-496 BC) wrote the original text of The Art of War shortly before 510 BC. During most of the past two thousand years, the common people in China were forbidden to read Sun Tzu's text. However, the text was preserved by China's nobility for over 2,500 years. The Chinese nobility preserved the text of The Art of War, known in Chinese as Bing-fa, even despite the famous book-burning by the first Emperor of Chi around 200 BC. The text was treasured and passed down by the Empire’s various rulers. Unfortunately, it was preserved in a variety of forms. A "complete" Chinese language version of the text wasn't available until the 1970s. Before that, there were a number of conflicting, fragmentary versions in different parts of China, passed down through 125 generations of duplication.

Indeed at the beginning of the twentieth century, there were two main textual traditions in circulation, known as the (Complete Specialist Focus) and (Military Bible) versions. There were also perhaps a dozen minor versions and both derived and unrelated works also entitled Bing-fa. Of course, every group considered (and still considers) its version the only accurate one.

When I last visited China before the Covid pandemic for work reason, I had time off to go to a couple of museums that housed the fruits of a number of archeological digs uncovering the tombs of the ancient rulers of China in which sections of Sun Tzu’s works were found. These finds have verified the historical existence of the text and the historical accuracy of various sections. I understand new finds are still being made.

The first complete, consistent Chinese version was created in Taipei in the 1970s. It was titled The Complete Version of Sun Tzu’s Art of War." It was created by the National Defence Research Investigation Office, which was a branch of Taiwan's defence department. This version compared the main textual traditions to each other and to archeological finds and compiled the most complete version possible.

This work was completed in Taiwan rather than mainland China for a number of reasons. Mainland China was still in the throws of the Maoist Cultural Revolution, which actively suppressed the study of traditional works such as Sun Tzu. The mainland had also moved to a reformed character set, while Taiwan still used the traditional character set in which the text was written. Only today is the study of Sun Tzu in mainland China growing, interestingly enough, through the translation of Sun Tzu into contemporary Mandarin. Based on the archeological sources we have today, we are reasonably certain of the historical accuracy of this compiled version that is the basis of what most people use today.

Surprisingly, the Art of War only came to light in the West around the 18th Century.

Historians believe it was first formally introduced in Europe in 1772 by the French Jesuit Joseph-Marie Amiot. It was translated at the time by the title “The thirteen articles of Sun-Tse”. Joseph-Marie Amiot (1718-1793) was not just a Jesuit priest but also an astronomer and French historian, as well as fervent missionary in China. He was one of the last survivors of the Jesuit Mission in China (he died in Beijing).

Many of the historical problems with understanding Sun Tzu's work can be trace back to its first Western translation in French. A Jesuit missionary, Father Amiot, first brought The Art of War to the West, translating it into French in 1782. Unfortunately, this translation started the tradition of mistranslating Sun Tzu's work, starting with the title, The Art of War (Art de la guerre).

This title, copied the title of a popular work by Machiavelli (a criminally underrated writer on military strategy), but it didn't reflect Sun Tzu's Bing-fa, which would be better translated as "competitive methods."

We cannot say what effect being translated by a Jesuit priest had upon the text. It was unavoidable that the work's translation reflected the military prejudices of the time era when war was both popular and Christian. It was also unavoidable that most future translations would reflect some of the first translation's prejudices. However, war was on the verge of becoming much less Christian in the West since this time was the era of the French Revolution (1789).

The work might well of slipped into obscurity after its initial publication, but it was discovered by a minor French military officer. After studying it, this officer rose to the head of the revolutionary French army in a surprising series of victories. The legend is that Napoleon used the work as the key to his victories in conquering all of Europe. It is said that he carried the little work with him everywhere but kept its contents secret (which would be very much in keeping with Sun Tzu's theories).

However, Napoleon must have started believing his own reviews instead of sticking with his study of Sun Tzu. His defeat at Waterloo was clearly a case of fighting on a battleground that the enemy, Wellington, knew best. Wellington’s trick at Waterloo was hiding his forces by having them lie down in the slight hollows of this hilly land. This is exactly the type of tactic Sun Tzu warns against in his discussion of terrain tactics.

After Napolean, Sun Tzu's theories made their way into western military philosophy. Many of his ideas are reflected in the ideas of work of Carl von Clausewitz. who defined military strategy as "the employment of battles to gain the end of war."

The first English translation of The Art of War is less than a hundred years old. Captain E. F. Calthrop published the first English translation in 1905. Lionel Giles, an assistant curator at the British Museum and a well-known sinologist and translator, attacked this early translation, and he published his own version in 1910. It soon began to be read alongside Clausewitz’s 8 volumes of turgid German military prose.

It wasn’t long before military thinkers were ditching Clausewitz for Sun Tzu because no one could get past Chapter One of Clausewitz’s On War. The “Clausewitz is dead, long live Sun Tzu” school was first championed by the influential British military theorist B.H. Liddell Hart in the 1920s. Basil Henry Liddell Hart (1895-1970) was a captain in the British Army. He was a very influential military theorist and historian, and author of several books such as The Future of War (1925) and Strategy (1954). Having witnessed first-hand the mechanised onslaught of the Great War, Liddell Hart sought a philosophy of warfare based in the prudent use of technology, psychology and deception - and the avoidance of the 'total war' catastrophes of preceding decades.

The main idea of Liddell Hart is to bring the set of principles of warfare in a so-called ‘indirect approach’ to the enemy. His advocacy in his scholarly work of an ‘indirect strategy’ over direct, frontal operations, was a reaction to the high casualties of the Western Front in the First World War. But his ideas were not simply about physically outmanoeuvring an opponent. Instead he pushed for a psychological scheme: to strike from unexpected directions, to generate strategic dissonance, and to induce paralysis. Hart’s well-known thoughts are “Only short-sighted soldiers underestimate the importance of psychological factors in time of war”, “Originality is the most important from all military virtues”, and “The principles of war could shortly be condensed in a single word: concentration”.

Liddell Hart believed that distilling historical insights of strategy and operations would offer the chance to avoid the costly disasters of modern war and ensure a more cost-effective route to success. He imagined technological solutions in the form of air power and mechanised land forces outflanking and shocking an enemy at the tactical level. This would be complemented by taking indirect strategic ‘ways’. Like his contemporary J.F.C. Fuller, Liddell Hart considered concentrations of air and armoured forces driving deep into enemy territory to destroy their ‘nervous system’. The psychological aspects of this were central, since acquiring an advantage demanded moves that were unexpected, with precise attacks at the most vulnerable points. As the most influential military writer of the modern age, revered and reviled by three generations of strategists, armchair and armipotent, his controversial theories of armed attack laid the foundation of the famed German Blitzkrieg.

Hart’s championing of Sun Tzu’s work as articulated through his own works got a new lease of life as the world gingerly settled into the ice bath of the Cold War. The rise of Communist China, against all the odds having defeated the well disciplined nationalist armies of Chian kai-Shek, was a wake up call for the West. There was a general befuddlement among western military analysts to explain the secret of Maoist success. There was an intellectual inquest in the 1950s and 1960s for some way to explain (and, it was hoped, learn to counter) Maoist military doctrine. Sun Tzu was seen as one of the historical and cultural sources of some particularly Chinese or Asian way of war, and his work made its way into Western discussions of counterinsurgency and asymmetric warfare.

Into the breach - and with fortuitous timing - appeared a new translation of The Art of War that was to become the defining translation right down to our day. Liddel Hart provided the foreword to Samuel Griffth’s 1963 translated copy of the Art of War. It was to quickly become a key text in US war colleges and this version is still to this day favoured by most of these institutions. We also studied Griffith’s translation at Sandhurst alongside Liddell Hart’s ideas.

There is no question that Griffith’s translation has become the standard go to translation to this day in military circles - that is until James Clavell’s more populist and looser translation came along in the 1980s. One can see why. Griffith’s translation provided a number of historical Chinese commentaries on the text. It should also be noted that Griffith’s strengths was his immense experience in the military and knowledge of military history as a brigadier general in the U.S. Marine Corps.

However, this was also his version's greatest flaw. Like many other critics I have the impression that Griffith did not really believe or understand all of Sun Tzu. Indeed he would often explain away Sun Tzu's direct statements without making it clear that this was his commentary and not what Sun Tzu wrote. The other main criticism and this one is stylistic and therefore just my opinion, Griffith was also not much of a writer. By our standards today, much of Griffith’s language can seem awkward and dated.

Looking back it feels ironic of the US military were wrapping their heads around Sun Tzu as way to get inside the Chinese communist mind (of Mao the military strategist especially). Unknown to them Mao had desperately tried everything to get hold of a copy of the Art of War from the Chinese Nationalists. Cambridge historian and doyenne of intelligence history, Christopher Andrew in his book The Secret World: A History of Intelligence, wrote that the theory that Sun Tzu’s The Art of War was critical to mastering contemporary warfare is propagated through the use of a tantalising anecdote: “During the civil war between Communists and the Kuomintang regime [Mao Zedong] sent aides into enemy territory to find a copy of it.” The ancient text, ostensibly, was of such vital importance that Mao was willing to risk men’s lives to obtain it, while Chiang Kai-shek vowed to protect it all costs. It’s a questionable anecdote at best as there are no historical evidence of it.

We can say that the notion that Sun Tzu’s slim treatise is considered both potent and slightly dangerous - providing the master key to unlocking victory in war through the ages - is a compelling myth that refuses to die. Mao most likely never ordered a clandestine operation to pilfer the text, nor did Chiang Kai-shek give any thought to shielding its contents from prying eyes. Both men certainly read it long before the start of their civil war, both most likely had ready access to it during the conflict, and neither man won or lost based on adherence or divergence from its teachings. But undoubtedly it set the hearts of Western military theorists aflutter in trying to unlock the secrets of Eastern military thought.

Sun Tzu and his ideas in a reincarnated form took hold of the wider public imagination in the 1980s. The 1980s was synonymous with Japan. With the perceived rise of Japan as a global economic power and the changes in post-Mao China, there was a Western (meaning American) search for more explanations. What was the secret of Asia’s rise? How were Japan and China ‘doing’ this?

In Western business circles it was for a time trendy to read it because of the perception that it was part of what made Japanese businesses so successful during the 70s and 80s. Management gurus and other corporate consultants certainly latched on to it and touted it as a way for Western businesses to re-orient their entire management and business philosophy. I don’t know if that ever actually was the case in Japan - my father who worked in both China and Japan in the corporate world at a very senior level said it wasn’t - but what is true is that in the West as the Japanese economy languished into the lost decade of the 90s so too did interest in Japanese business practices, and thus Sun Tzu.

The idea that The Art of War was a kind of how-to guide to ‘strategy’ was made especially popular by Hollywood in the 1980s. Oliver Stone’s iconic film ‘Wall Street’ seemed to typify the ‘greed is good’ New York capitalist scene of the 80s and 90s. Hollywood mirror imaged the rise of the corporate raiders and junk bond kings like Ivan Boesky and Michael Milken. Hollywood sent thousands of American businessmen off to read Sun Tzu to look for ‘leadership secrets’. This is part of a general Western fascination with ‘timeless Asian wisdom’, the American idea that ‘the mysterious East’ is possessed of secret knowledge. American and European businessmen were enamoured of the idea that “a battle is won or lost before it ever begins”, a saying that reinforced traditional American business attitudes about a winning mentality and a ‘can-do’ spirit being two keys to success.

Because Japan and China were trendy in the 1980s and 1990s it also influenced Western popular culture, not just fashion (think Kenzo) but also comic books (manga) and anime. In this Eastern friendly climate it led a number of popular fiction authors to release their ‘own’ versions of the work to capitalise on its newfound popularity. These versions were more about the pop culture of the era than Sun Tzu. Unfortunately, though popular, none of these versions took advantage of the work completed in Taiwan creating a definitive version of Sun Tzu's text by this time. These versions were based either on old English translations (the Calthorp and Giles versions) or incomplete Chinese sources. However, all of these versions remain popular today, despite their questionable sources and poor quality of translation.

In 1983, James Clavell updated The Art of War translation of Lionel Giles and published it in a very popular version. This started a very common practice in English translation: creating a ‘new’ version from other English translations instead of going back to the original source. Authors today continue to follow this practice, which only perpetuates and exaggerates the problems with early translations.

Thomas Cleary, another well-known author, did his own The Art of War translation with historical commentary in 1988. Again, his name recognition did much to increase awareness of Sun Tzu, even if his work did nothing to improve the general quality of the translation.

Looking back the whole Sun Tzu as a business model fetish in the 1980-90s was really pretty silly, rather like 80s shoulder pads. Of course, there are some similarities in leadership regardless of profession, but the basic goals and working environments of war and of business are so wildly different that applying Sun Tzu to business is superficial at best.

So to me the problem is not that Sun Tzu is ‘overrated’ per se, the problem is that every half baked author out there try to apply its principles to every problems that mankind have. The Art of War, as the title suggest, is not The Art of Managing your Business, the Art of Winning in Competition against your classmates, The Art of picking up Women, The Art of Living Life to the fullest. It is, and only is, The Art of War. It is ‘overrated’ only if you expect it to answer every problems in your life.

The Art of War is not the word of God. It is a war manual advocating common sense with pithy aphorisms - and a very good one.

It’s not that I think the Art of War is over-rated it’s that the more common problem is that many people vastly under-rate Sun Tzu. By misreading Sun Tzu thoughts and ideas, I believe many are in effect under-rating the problems which Sun Tzu is addressing, namely war, or the continuum of conflict resolution where divergence in interests of multiple parties extends to the possible use of lethal force on a massive scale. A lot of people trivialise this problem with idiocies like “what if someone threw a war and nobody came” (clue, they would win, then hunt down and enslave or kill everyone too foolish to contest the issue, as has happened countless times in human history) or “ban war” (said ban apparently enforced by throwing flowers at soldiers).

Understanding that war is a very real and intractable problem is necessary to fully appreciate the genius of Sun Tzu’s work, especially where it avoids fixed and easily definable tactics specific to the Warring States period and instead illustrates timeless concepts of out-thinking the enemy at every level of conflict. That the text is still mostly readily applicable or at least reasonably insightful after thousands of years is a testament to the inability of humans to push warfare beyond the fundamental aspects of conflicting interests and continuum of forcible resolution Sun Tzu addresses.

Still, the particular translation matters far less than having an appreciation that, in war, you have an active opponent who is trying to out-think and counter any moves you make, and having an appreciation of non-dualistic philosophical reasoning more characteristic of Chinese classics generally. The classic symbol of Yin-Yang (and a number of derivative versions) illustrates apparent dualism as being a part of a deeper structural unity which does not permit a fixed division into separate parts.

Hence the difficulty of applying the principles of the Art of War to artificial ideas of “winning/losing” (or war/peace, right/wrong, us/them) as categorical absolutes rather than negotiated possibilities in a continuum of desirability/costs. And it is very difficult, no one should sugar coat that. Humans sort and construct their perceptions of reality by appeal to such gross simplifications. Binary logic is an immensely powerful tool in many areas because it leverages the ability to simplify complexity and then build valid inferences based on fixed premises. But at some point you have to go beyond that to have a more fluid response to reality as it is. Which Sun Tzu does for the reality of war.

I would recommend anyone to read it. At the end of the day it’s a book of highly general aphorisms that effectively synopsise the essential insights that apply to all kinds of human conflicts. Turning an enemy's flank has the exact same effect in 2500 B.C. and in 2000 C.E. and it has the same effect in the boardroom, or public market as it does on the battlefield. Deception and intelligence are still used in exactly the same way, whether conquering foreign lands, or stealing market share from a competitor. It's a book about common sense; but common sense must seem profound to those who have none.

Overall, I think Sun Tzu’s Art of War is a worthy read and not overrated because in our society of over educated achievers, common sense is in as short of supply as it has ever been; if this book can provide the meaningful framework for educating very bright people in down to earth common sense, that can only be a good thing.

The value of the book then is to drive home the fact that, in human conflict, there really is Nothing New Under the Sun (Tzu).

Pardon the pun and thanks for your question.

#question #ask #sun tzu #military history #book #philosophy #china #culture #the art of war #war #military #warfare #strategy #society #literature #america #britain #japan

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harrysmimi · 2 years

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Lovely

Chapter 17: First Step

Series Master list

More of my work

It was Christmas!

Hebe was spending time with her Dadda, her grandma and her Aunty Gem. She got along so well with them as well, she was a little shy for a day.

YN went to shopping alone for Hebe and herself. Hebe needed a lot more warm clothes here as she is not used to cold weather in London. Hebe was doing just fine, she doesn't have any fever or cold anymore she's back to being her cheeky little toddler self, running around wearing her iconic dresses and sparkly shoes.

It's been different since YN came to London to have Hebe meet her grandmother and Aunty Gemma. She's been spending days with her dad and YN would then go and pick her up at night before dinner. She was feeling a little— no, she was feeling very left out. YN was so used to having Hebe all to herself and she'd find fun stuff to do with her or take her out on Mummy-daughter dates to parks or to movies or something fun at home. December was the favourite month of the year for YN now as Hebe wouldn't want to go out in cold much, she'd cuddle up to her Mummy, because she is warm and cosy. YN loved that, and she does not work in December what so ever! From the second week of December to second week of January are only dedicated to Princess Hebe!

Today, YN thought she'd bring herself up to ask Harry to let her have Hebe today and he can take her the next day. But Hebe enjoyed so much at her Grandma's house, she'd rant about her day to YN all morning about what she did the day before her dad would come and get her. And it is Christmas day. YN didn't wanted her to not enjoy her day, she worried now Hebe wouldn't want to be with her Mummy as she seems to enjoy her Grandma and Aunty's company so much! Couple of days ago she didn't wanted to go back with her Mummy at night. YN was hurt but she's a toddler she's gonna do what she pleases, YN can't really scold her for that. She doesn't scold her daughter for anything at all.

"Dadda is here!" Hebe gasped hearing the door bell ring. YN chuckled at her excitement and went to get the door and yes it was Harry.

"Dadda!" Hebe ran towards her dad and jumped on him. Every morning they meet like they haven't seen each other in decades!

"Happy Chwis'mas!" Hebe celebrated.

"Happy Christmas Princess!" Harry kissed her head.

"She needs to change then you can take her." YN said.

"Yeah, okay!" Harry nodded. He came a little early today to get her. "What about we eat some chocolate doughnuts before we go out?"

"Yes!" Hebe celebrated.

"Alright, I'll go and get your clothes ready for you yeah?" YN patted Hebe's head.

"I got doughnuts for everyone, YN." Harry stopped her grabbing her wrist.

"Oh! You, you didn't had to." YN stuttered feeling the warmth of his hand.

"It's okay, I wanted to. Come on." He walked to the dining area.

"I gon' go get pwates!" Hebe wiggled down her dad's arms and ran to the kitchen. YN made sure to supervise her as she took out the dishes from the lower drawers and jogged back out, she kept the plates on the table and climbed up on her dad's lap. YN pulled herself a chair as well. Harry served one doughnut each on three plates. They were chocolate hazelnut doughnuts!

YN doesn't try to intrude in his family time just because he have her daughter. Some times Anne would forcefully make her stay and have dinner with them but that was all. Harry has been super caring lately. Not only for Hebe but for her too. Of course he would have his alone time with Hebe and take her out little daddy-daughter date, but he'd make sure to have YN involved with them most of the time. He loved to spend time with both of them. Though he have now stopped trying as hard to get back with her as before. He have realised he just can't force her because they have a child together.

YN didn't wanted to be alone without Hebe today at all. She cried whilst in shower this morning when Hebe was sleeping. She is her mum, she misses her. And it's been new and hard for her to leave her daughter.

Harry noticed that YN was very slow getting Hebe ready for her day today. She gave her a bath, washed and dried her hair. Put her in nice pretty clothes. Now she was braiding her hair into fishtail braids which take a lot of time and Hebe is going to be wearing a beanie anyway. It was just her subconscious trying to spend more time with her. Hebe was very patient with her Mummy as well. They laughed and giggled on their inside jokes. Yes the Mummy and baby have inside jokes!

"I can get her shoes on. Now you go and get ready. We'll all go to Grandma's together." Harry said, he smiled at Hebe who's face lit up at her Grandma's name. Hebe loved Anne's cats so much!

"No, I don't to intrude. But thank you." YN shook her head trying to hold back her tears she crouched down in front of Hebe. She was sitting on the edge of her bed with her sock covered feet dangling down. YN put her shoes on for her and tied the laces quickly for her.

"You won't be intruding anything. Come on, Mum would love to have you over." Harry stressed a tiny bit.

"It's fine Harry." YN was not going to get herself attached to Anne. She dangerously reminded YN of her own mum. Anne is very loving and caring and that's what YN has been craving for years now. And even Gemma, she was older than her but she is so much like her little sister. YN was not going to let her attachment issues get to her.

......................................................................

YN was alone now. She doesn't work during her break and have her emails pending all month but as she had nothing to do, she started going through her emails. She was being approached for a new movie. It was a RomCom. But she was done with her emails sooner than she thought.

She was missing her sister so she played their stupid little vlogs they made for fun. It was just filled with giggles and her sister's antiques. The pranks they pulled on their mother together. It was something which did not made her cry but laugh. She paused the video when she heard a knock on her door. It was three in afternoon. It was also Hebe's afternoon nap time, she haven't received any text from Harry on how she is doing. She'd text him but she doesn't want to interrupt. YN went to get the door. It was Harry.

"Where is Hebe?" YN asked the furst thing.

"Hello to you too darling. And she is napping at mum's don't worry. Mum have invited you over now." He explained.

"What? Oh- I... Ummm... I don't think I should be going. I don't want to you know... Intrude." She stuttered trying to find right words.

"For the last time lovely, you're not going to intrude anything. Come on, go put on your coat. Hebe will he very happy to see you as well." He insisted.

"I don't know Harry, your family will be there." She shook her head.

"It's just going to be me, Hebe, Mum and Gemma." He said, "Mum didn't wanted to overwhelm Hebe with a bunch of new people and I wouldn't let that happen anyway. At least not without your consent, you're her Mummy afterall. So go on and get your coat and hat."

She just looked at him with the slightest hint of a puppy's gaze in her eyes. He could tell she was trying hard not to have a breakdown or at least not show any signs of vulnerability in front of him. She's been this way since he have met her again. It was a scary thing for her, he knew her way too well for her liking.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing." She shook her head as she walked in living room and shut her laptop and went back to her work around the house.

"Bring Hebe back if you don't want to leave Harry. You can't just leave her alone there even if she is napping." She told him seeing him lounge on her sofa like a king.

"She's with my mum." Harry said.

"You know she is a handful some times. You are her dad be responsible and don't make me second guess my decisions now Harry!" She warned him.

YN have noticed her anger issues have been getting a little worse from past few days. Harry is annoying her. He's being annoyingly caring not just towards their daughter— as he should!— but towards her too. He'd have her involved her in little things he would plan with Hebe. She was so angry that he have the audacity to leave her like that, avoid such a vulnerable conversation of confessing their feelings for each other everytime she brought it up, she let him be around her daughter, and he's being lovely and caring towards her. She wanted to punch a hole in the cement wall so fucking bad!

She still loves and cares about him so much that she's mad at him. She felt pathetic! She wouldn't care about anyone who have broken her heart as bad as he have. Her mum and sister always told her how scary it is that how easily she cut people off who means no good for her. Why couldn't she bring herself to do it with him? Just tell him to go fuck himself somewhere else and get the fuck out of her life? Shouldn't be that hard.

"Harry!" She barged out of kitchen and stood towering over him, "either go bring my daughter back to me, or leave and be there with her!"

YN doesn't know how Hebe really is with his mum and sister. They're amazing people. But Hebe is just too young, she needs her Mummy, Harry knows that too. He was shitting his pants when she was throwing a fit the first time she spend the night at his when she didn't saw her Mummy. Of course she is very attached to her Grandma and Aunty Gems but she cried the other day YN took a little longer to go get her because she was stuck in traffic. YN hates seeing even her eyes getting teary!

"Alright, chill out." Harry said simply, "I need you to come with me and you can bring her back yourself. Of course, if she wants to."

"You took her yourself and bring her back yourself, you know I'm keeping very detailed tabs on you with her!" YN was really pissed. "I swear to god if Anne calls you now saying she is crying. I will literally kill you!"

"Okay, Mama bear. Please calm down. For real. Please?" Now he is intimidated by her, "she isn't napping, infact playing board games with Gemma. I just said that to get you to spend time with us. Even Mum called you, didn't she, after Hebe and I reached there? You're alone here, both your friends are back in LA, I don't want you to spend your Christmas alone even if you don't celebrate it. You can still hang out with our family."

"I can go a day without her." YN said. Hebe is her only family now.

"I don't think you know how this works darling. You're not spending much time with her since you got here. It's not and it shouldn't be how it works." Harry said. "You don't think I didn't see what you were doing, getting her ready at the slowest pace possible. She is your daughter too, you can't just give up your happiness, which is obviously with her, like that. Yeah she is having fun with her Grandma and Aunty doesn't mean she shouldn't get to spend time with you. As much as I get jealous that you are her favourite parent and person in this whole entire world and not me too, but it's the truth."

"You don't want to forgive me, I'm not going to force you for that. You're already doing so much for me by letting me spend time with her and be her dad." He added.

"I, I am not going to let myself get attached to anyone. Ever. I am so done with everything." She shook her head. "Just go back to her or bring her back to me."

"YN—"

"Harry just do as I say for fucks sake!" She raised her voice out of frustration, but instantly regretted it. A look of hurt washed over his features more quicker than she realised she shouldn't have done that. It broke her heart into a trillion pieces.

"I, I am sorry. I shou—"

"No, now I'm done. I'm trying my hardest here to mend things back with you and get my shit together because I fucked up when I could have been more mature I think I deserve a second change which you're not willing to give me." He said in one breathe, "will bring her back."

"You don't get to say that!" She said stopping him on his track. "You had your family with you! I had no fucking one. Yes it was my choice to keep her but doesn't mean my feelings you crush and threw in front of a fucking bullet train like that, do not fucking matter! You DON'T get to be all caring for me now! I am doing this for the sake of my child because I want her to have everything I never got okay! I was never interested in even letting you see her ever again. But I did for her. Because everyone deserves both their parents! Is it too much that I'm asking you to be there for her and leave me alone because I'm scared you're going to leave her alone again and go on cruises all over Europe with your another PR Stunt? I don't think so! You have the audacity to ask me to calm down? I lost my only family to death merely months before you walked in, I never felt alone because you were there. Pick up my life together like that just to leave to scatter again."

"Don't give the excuse of the shit show your management had put up for two fucking years. I work in the same damn industry I have never seen a monstrosity like that before. Do you think I trust you with Hebe when I have done everything to protect her from the lime light? Did you even know I kept her even after all those articles and that picture floating around the internet? No you did not! You think I trust you enough for you to be able to protect her identity while she is still a minor when you're always going on staged ass pap walks all around USA? But I am trying hard too, aren't I? Your girlfriend can put her child through shit like that even if his face was blurred, I don't give a fuck. You don't know what is going on in my head when she's alone with you."

And she kept going, tears flowing down her cheeks now. "You don't know shit people have said about her when she was three months old predicting her future twenty years from now on. I am her mother for gods sake. I can kill and die for her in a heartbeat if I have to. You don't know shit we have went through, it scares me how she is going to react reading all of that because it is still going to be there forever! I would want to die if she grows to hate me because her Mummy failed to keep her safe and away from shitty people on social media and news and what not!"

Harry is absolutely shocked watching her falling back on the sofa as she cried into the palm of her hand. He didn't know she went through all of that, he would be absolutely sad if Hebe grows to hate him for any reason and YN is trying so hard to keep her away from the lime light. They live in LA and still she has never been caught by paparazzi anywhere with Hebe and she takes her out a lot. Harry have never seen YN cry like this after that one day. She have so much bottled up inside her. He carefully approached her as he crouched in front of her, wrapping his fingers around her wrist he pulled her hands away from her face.

"If I'm being honest YN don't really know what happened. You were so good at taking everything off of the internet, couldn't even get the chance to see it." He spoke softly realising she shouldn't have raised his voice back at her like that, "I am sorry, I shouldn't have raised my voice at you like that. But really try to trust me I've got my shit together."

"I don't trust you." She shook her head.

"I won't blame you. I'm not going even ask for us to get back together now, would never want to drag you into anything you don't want. But we can't be like this. We have to co-exist peacefully for Hebe. At least until she is old enough to understand these things. You hate me, I understand why and I deserve it."

YN didn't even realise he have her hand sandwiched in between his two, his thumb rubbing soothing circles on her wrist. She is so used to being lonely by now that an affectionate touch is just so foreign to her. She glanced down at their hands. She should have been able to move on from him by now, she shouldn't still be so much in love with him. It is getting worse with his subtle affection towards her which never goes unnoticed by her. Him taking Hebe to these placed YN didn't know existed in London and even dragging her with them both. Him asking for her approval and consent with anything related to Hebe. Just over all having her involved in everything with their daughter.

"I can't do this!" She shook her head again, "I still love you so much it is stupid. This shouldn't be like this when it's been almost three years. I want to hate you but I can't!"

"I'm sorry." Was all he could think of to say. "I am so sorry love. Really. I really love you too. If you're stupid for that then count me in too. You can't just stop loving someone like that!"

His heart was felt so swollen up that he thought it is going to combust into his chest seeing her like that. He never realised Hebe just looks like but she is completely like her mother. Seeing YN cry reminded him of the morning Hebe was crying for her Mummy. Taking in short sharp breaths in between her sobs, YN is just like that.

"I am sorry, hate to see you cry." Harry repeated his apology and was willing to do so a hundred million times.

"First step to every relationship is trust and you did not trust me. Even if you said we were just friends who slep with each other. How could you do that?" She looked him dead in the eyes saying what have hurt her so much. "I would have never came back to you if she wasn't yours Harry. I am not that low-life to be like other girls who have came to you in past!"

She is right. She brought her up so well on her own. She doesn't need him nor does Hebe. Really. It was the bitter truth!

"I am so sorry. Love you know how manipulative people can be in this industry. I have learned the hard way. I have really." His vision was cloudy with his own eyes getting teary. She looked so hurt. It wouldn't have happened if he would have went his damn intuition!

That wasn't only reason. Being called a whore and a bad mother thousands and thousands of people if not millions is much more worse! Conspiracy theories being made on her and who her child's father is the most disgusting shit she have ever seen in her entire life!

"Being called a whore and a bad mum. People saying your child is not going end up having a good future or maybe end up in a fucking rehab without their father around is not something any mother wants to hear!" She continued, "your baby sitter didn't tell you about that shit huh? Why would he?"

"No you're none of that!" Harry stressed, "you are not that and you're the best mum! I have never seen more polite toddler than our daughter YN, I am definitely not being biased here. It shouldn't matter what people say lovely. Even if I wouldn't have come around she'd grow up to be an amazing person like you. I know and I understand— trust me!— it sucks to have thousands of people pulling you down like that. But you know that's not true and that's all it should take to not let it get to you and prove those fuckers wrong!"

"I know, not everyone is same. But we can try and make it easier on us. You never told me about me this and you know we have talked about this, it feels good to just let it out." He is now sat on both his knees in front of her, both her hands in his. "Can I hug you?"

"Please!" She nodded. Harry let out a sigh of relief as he pulled her in a warm hug. He was taken by surprise as she was way too quickly to wrap her arms around his torso as tightly as she could buried her face into the fabric of his shirt.

"It's okay. Everything is fine." He rubbed her back. The same way she clung onto him the first time both of them were intimate, but there was nothing sexual about this hug. She is just in need of assuring touch from another one from her own species. His heart felt so sore in his chest. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his torso, the fabric of his shirt clutched in her fists tightly.

"I just worry about Hebe, I don't want her to go through anything that I have went through." She mumbled, she felt so vulnerable in his arms as he held her pliant body close to him.

"She is not going to, we'll be there for her," he assured her, then it clicked him a possibility of something bad. He worried for her, he wanted her to talk to him openly but not force her, "are you trying to tell me something love?"

That made her pull back from the hug, she took in a long breath as she wiped off her tears. Sniffling she looked at him, "No." was all he got in answer from her.

"I am not going to force you to talk about anything which makes you uncomfortable. But you know, lovie, you can talk to me about everything and anything." He told her, his palm on her knee warming her skin through her pants. A new set of tears formed in her eyes as he told her that.

She does not feel right to have such a vulnerable conversation with him, which does not have anything to do with Hebe. But it have everything to do with herself. She can not trust him enough to be vulnerable enough to talk about anything bothering her. Things which keep her up all night some times, that is why tires herself as much as she can just so she can go take in some sleep before her daughter is up, ready to try and take over the world with her glittery giggles and starry smiles. YN just settled on a nod.

"Okay, I'll go get ready and be there before dinner. You can go if you want." YN suggested.

"Wait, you're going to come to the dinner?" A beam took over his serious features.

"Yeah. For Hebe." YN nodded again.

"I, I don't mind waiting for you." He offered, but earned a hard look from her, "okay, I'll go back to her please don't kill me." He stood up to leave.

"Will be waiting for you." He told her once at the door, looking at her with hopeful eyes before he disappeared in the hallway.

YN closed the door with a sigh. She really craved some family time, did she agreed for Hebe's sake for herself? Maybe both. She got ready, washed her face with freezing cold water to make her puffy face go back to normal. She did not wanted anyone to know she was just sobbing, she put on some makeup to cover her eyebags, changed up into yet another turtle neck jumper and dark blue jeans, and she headed to see Hebe. YN made sure to take the gifts she got for Anne and Gemma and even Harry from Hebe and her. The other day YN took Hebe out and she helped her Mummy pick out presents for her Grandma and Aunty Gemma.

......................................................................

"MUMMY!" Hebe squealed as she ran to her mother and hugged her legs. YN liked to think she misses her even at her Grandma's.

"Hello baby!" YN caressed her hair.

"Hey!" Gemma chirped seeing YN and approached her with a warm hug. "So happy you came."

"Hi, thank you inviting me." YN smiled hugging her back.

"Oh, come on, you're always welcome here!" It was Anne scoffing as she emerged from her bedroom.

"Thank you, Mrs. Twist." YN said. "Hebe, do you want to give your grandma and Aunty Gemma presents you got?" She suggested.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Hebe got excited, she took the bags from her Mummy.

"Oh you didn't had to YN." Anne cooed to the girl as she hugged her too.

"They're from Hebe." YN made an excuse, which was halfway true. "Hebe, can you carry all of that? Let me help you, yeah?"

"Yes, pwease." Hebe realised she could not carry bags on her own so she gave up. They all settled down on the sofa, YN passed on Hebe presents for Gemma first. YN made sure to get Anne and Gemma jewelry from her line, and a two gifts Hebe picked out.

"Oh thank you so much princess!" Gemma kissed Hebe's head, accepting the presents from her.

"Open it? Pwease?" Hebe asked.

"You want me to?"

"Mhmm!" The girl nodded. Gemma opened the bag which had Yellow tissue paper on it. There was a cardigan from a small boutique she have heard such amazing things from. The next bag had a gold necklace with G charm, and a pretty dainty bracelet.

"These are very pretty, thank you!" Gemma looked at Hebe and then at YN.

"Hebe picked them." YN shared.

"You have a very good taste like your Dadda, I must say." Anne commented. YN could see Harry's body puff up proudly from the corner for her eyes.

"Gwandma's pwesents?" Hebe went back to her Mummy. YN passed on three more bags to Hebe and she carried it to her Grandma on her fuzzy sock clad feet. YN picked out a cat printed mug for Anne, knowing how much she loves cats and Tea. Same set of necklace and bracelet with A charms on them, and a jumper Hebe wanted to buy for her Grandma. Hence, Anne ended up with three presents, or maybe she is Hebe's favourite person in her family.

"Thank you so much Hebe!" Anne cooed, kissing both of Hebe's chubby dimply cheeks, one last peck was placed on her forehead.

"Dadda!" Hebe squealed and took the last bag from her Mummy. It was from Gucci, the bag was huge, Hebe could hardly carry it. She placed it ny her dad's feet.

"Is this for me?" Harry asked.

"Mhmm!" Hebe nodded pulling down her beanie with both of her hands over her ears. Harry picked her up from the ground and sat her on her lap.

"Would you mind helping me open it?" Harry asked to which Hebe nodded, he pulled out the box from the bag and set it on Hebe's lap gently. She was quickly to open the box, the lid fell down on the rug doing a single backflip. Harry let her take out the drawstring tote, he can tell those are shoes.

"Open it!" Hebe complained seeing her dad just watching her open his present.

"Okay." Harry opened his present.

He was right. There were a pair of white kicks, looked to be custom. He have seen Hebe wore a same pair just yesterday, which were sent to YN for Hebe by Alessandro Michele. Harry knows very well YN hates spoiling Hebe with luxury brands, she even called him out for getting Hebe custom dresses from Gucci and custom stuff for his little princess. And she is right, they shouldn't be spoiling her with luxury fashion items from such a young age. That means, YN got them made in his size, he liked to assume that. He also knows that she's become really good friends with Alessandro. Harry was kinda in love with the idea of her putting so much thought into his Christmas present. The shoes were amazing, with Alice in Wonderland themed glittery characters all over them, they earned a gast from little green eyed girl in his lap.

"It's so pwetty!" Hebe squealed, touching the Cheshire cat with her chubby small pointer finger.

"Aren't they?" Harry mused, giving his daughter a kiss on her head.

"Are we done opening presents?" Anne enquired.

"Oh no, mum!" Gemma chirped, "we have YN's presents."

"Oh you didn't had to get me anything." YN perked up on her seat at the mention of her name in same sentence talking about presents for her. Gemma disappeared somewhere before YN could say anything else. She found the girl by the Christmas with, Gemma came back with a few bags.

"There are a few cards Hebe made this afternoon as well." Gemma said. YN looked at her daughter who had a huge proud grin on her pretty face.

"Thank you, I'll open them later." YN smiled.

After dinner, Gemma and Anne planned on going out to the backyard. Start a born fire, Anne suggested to roast marshmallows. Gemma quickly ran in and got vegan marshmallows, of course, Hebe followed her like a puppy.

"Who wants tea?" Harry asked.

"Everyone!" Gemma rolled her eyes, does he really need to ask though?

"I, I can go make tea for everyone, if you don't mind me using your kitchen Mrs. Twist." YN suggested.

"Of course darling." Anne nodded, "tea's in the left cabinet from the corner."

"Okay, I'll be back in a few." YN nodded and headed in. The cabinets were a little high, YN had to get up on her tippy-toes to reach the shelf but she got it. She was trying to find kettle, she filled up the kettle with water. YN struggled to get the kettle back on the heating thing, she never used kettles for the exact reason and opts for putting a pot of water on stove directly.

"You need help there?"

She almost dropped the kettle, startled by Harry's question. He popped up out of nowhere!

"You scared me!" YN complained, "and no I've got this."

Harry watched as she struggled for one minute straight to get the kettle back on it's place. She succeeded though. She started looking for milk and sugar.

"Sugar is in that cabinet." Harry said pointing at the exact cabinet she was opening. "I, I'll get the milk." He looked away sheepishly and padded to the fridge. He swore he saw her smile at his stupidness. At least he made her smile!

"Thank you coming to the dinner." Harry spoke after a moment of silence.

"I came here for Hebe." YN told him.

"But it made me happy. And thank you for the shoes." He stood next to her, leaning onto the kitchen counter.

"Your welcome." She smiled a genuine smile.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You just did." She joked.

"Funny." He rolled his eyes, "can we at least try and be friends? We don't have to, not even for Hebe. I'm sure she will understand once she grows up, she is a very smart kid. But we can at least try and be friends?" His heart became heavy just by the way she glanced at him before getting back to steeping the tea. He made her sad again.

"Harry, I had feelings for you once, I don't think I can just be friends with you." She explained with apologetic eyes. He is still in love with her and he is sure by now he still have romantic feelings for her.

"Okay." Harry nodded. He doesn't want to force her into anything.

He looked down feeling a tug at the end of his jumper. It was Hebe, looking up at him with her green eyes she got from him.

"Gwandma's said to check up on my Mummy." Hebe said as if she is there to protect her mother. Harry felt offended, sure he have told his mum that he definitely is annoying YN by his acts of wanting them both to be together. He did not expected her to send one of her soldiers to protect YN.

"Awh! Thank you lovely!" YN cooed chuckling. Hebe wrapped her arms around her Mummy's thighs in a warm bear hug. It made Harry jealous some times, but it never fails to melt his heart seeing them share such a sweet relationship, how much Hebe is obsessed and obviously in love with her mother.

"Whatchu doin' Mumma?" Hebe enquired.

"I am making tea baby." YN told her.

"Can I 'ave some pwease?" She asked.

"A sip or two," YN agreed, "yeah? No more than that."

"You sure about that?" Harry asked.

"It's just tea." YN shrugged, "Bebe come on, go out ahead," she ushered her girlie out to where everyone is, just so she doesn't hurt herself with hot tea YN was carrying in her hands. But she was scooped up by her dad as he sprinted out with the squealing and laughing girl.

......................................................................

YN was heading back home with Hebe, she was half asleep in her Mummy's arms as everyone said good night to them both. YN strapped Hebe in her car seat and got into divers seat herself. But her car won't start. Well, she rented it, the vehicle wasn't exactly hers.

"What's wrong love?" Harry asked, he was still waiting for her drive away in the driveway.

"It won't start." She got the the car to check what wrong with it.

"I can drive you back, will have someone come over and fix it tomorrow." Harry offered.

"No it's okay, thank you." She said, opened the bonnet to see what is wrong. She did knew a lot of things about cars and what to check, being alone came with a lot of learning. She will have to pay extra at the rental now, awesome!

"Did you rent this?" Harry enquired.

"Uhhh.. yeah." She nodded, "I will just ask someone to get the car and get another one."

"Don't worry about it, come on I'll put Hebe into my car, will drop you both off to yours." He walked to the back seat of the to get a sleeping Hebe out.

"It's fine, I'll just call a cab." YN said.

"Oh come on." Harry sighed scooping up Hebe in his arms, he put her in his car and strapped her up. He jogged to the passenger seat and opened the door for YN, "get in!" He demanded.

Well, she got a free ride back home, so she got in. Harry closed the door once she was in and jogged around to get into drivers seat. He silently drove her back to her flat. Entire ride back home YN kept checking up on Hebe.

"Don't worry she is fine." Harry assured her, YN looked at him and nodded her head before looking back on the road in front of her.

"I have some work coming up next week so we'll be heading back home in two days." YN said after a moment of silence.

"Oh." Was Harry's first reaction, "alright, I'll be back in LA for recording in two week anyway."

"Yeah." YN nodded.

"Can't you stay until the end of the week?" He asked.

"I want Hebe to adjust back to the time zone, she'd be fussy." YN explained.

"Mhmm I understand." Harry nodded, he is going to miss Hebe a lot. He's gotten so used to her now that he have spent more than just two weeks straight with her. Her calling him Dadda will never get old for him.

"I am sorry if that made you upset. You can take her with you for a week if you want. I didn't know I'd have few urgent table readings scheduled." Her voice was soft as she felt bad for taking Hebe away from him.

"It's alright. She needs you more I understand." He said

Once at her building, Harry helped YN with Hebe and got her and Hebe's presents from the boot.

"I'll take that, you don't have to—"

"Hush! Come on." He locked his car started walking in her building with bags in both his hands. Hebe was clinging onto her Mummy. YN followed Harry, he helped her with the door.

"I'll put her to bed." YN said and walked into her bedroom and tucked Hebe in after taking off her coat, she can change her into her PJs later. "Thank you."

"Of course." Harry nodded, "can we go out tomorrow if you're really heading home?"

"You can take Hebe, I have some work tomorrow." YN said.

"Oh, I, I was thinking we could all go out somewhere. But it's fine," he looked visibly upset it made YN feel bad.

"I'll try and see if I can get off early." She said in hurry, "for, for Hebe." She added making a smile creep up on his face, it was not a very subtle way to cover up what she said.

"For Hebe, yeah." He repeated making his way out the main door, a cheeky smile more prominent as she shot a finger gun in her direction before he disappeared down rhe hallway.

He is now looking forward to seeing her and their daughter the next day.

#fanfic #fanfiction #harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles x you #harry styles x reader #x reader #harry styles fic #harry styles x y/n #boyfriendrry #dadrry #dad!harry

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charcubed · 3 years

Text

Let's talk about Supernatural 15x07, "Last Call."

Or as I like to call it, "the episode that makes me go feral because it tells us so much about Dean's sexuality, character, and arc."

YES others have written meta! YES I will talk about it myself for the satisfaction! I LOVE IT SO MUCH.

This post was originally a thread on Twitter and I am crossposting it to my blog.

Alt image IDs are included in that linked Twitter thread!

Join me on this journey.

What's the context of this episode? Dean's been kind of down/depressed, feeling hopeless in the face of the idea that they have to defeat God (and not really working towards that goal much), and he's mid-divorce with Cas. He goes out on this solo case to try to clear his head.

And he ends up at Swayze's Bar.

Look, there are many things to be said about this. Dean loves Patrick Swayze. Arguably has a CRUSH on Swayze. It's very tied up in Dean pretending not to like "chick flicks" but he secretly does, which is queer coding. This was a Choice™️.

Speaking of Choices™️: professional actors made many here. Deliberately.

Dean is smacked on the ass by a woman and then Lee smacks him on the ass too. Dean and Lee CONSTANTLY have physical familiarity and fond eye contact. I will limit myself to 1 paragraph about this lest I list it all.

My point is that I just really need every person to digest and accept the fact that this is textually bi Dean. Not subtext; it's TEXT.

Dean and Lee had a relationship. Their history is alluded to in touch and in words. They had an orgy together. Dean's bisexuality is not repressed.

It's also now canon that Dean tries to hide that he can sing well. Most people don't know (like Sam) but some do (Lee). Hence "Eye of the Tiger" callback.

And so: that's also the implication for his sexuality. Dean singing ON STAGE with bi lighting is him being ready to be Out.

They dedicated an entire half an ep at minimum to emphasizing he's bi... and to Dean having a conversation with someone he (initially) trusts about potentially having a break from hunting, and what that could mean.

LEE: You're chasing missing persons, huh? I thought you'd be on to something bigger by now, like the Loch Ness Monster... Bigfoot.

DEAN: Trust me, uh, bigger doesn't always equal better. Besides, who's gonna look out after the little guy? God certainly isn't.

LEE: Damn, brother, that's dark.

DEAN: Yeah, it's been a rough, uh... it's been a rough decade, Lee.

LEE: Yeah.

DEAN: But that's a conversation for a different time, 'cause this, this right here, this is all right.

LEE: Well, I'm glad you approve. This is nothing you can't have, man.

DEAN: Oh, come on. Who's gonna kill the bad guys?

LEE: Somebody else. Dean, how many lives you think you saved, huh? Hundreds? Thousands? You deserve a break, bro. Hell, you might even deserve two.

"But Lee turns out to be a villain!" some might say. "Isn't the point that giving up hunting is bad?"

Nope.

Lee's a DARK MIRROR for Dean. He exists to exhibit the truths behind Dean's desires, and then what they'd look like if they turned bad. Take it from him: "I am you."

There are LAYERS here. You can't focus on the dark side and ignore the truths that take place in the (often bi) light.

The singing? The conversations about taking a break? Throwing men out of the bar, which is framed heroically? "Road House rules" (another Choice™️)?

NONE of that was bad. It shows what Dean wants.

Things only get bad–literally and visually–when Dean's tied up as Lee suddenly says wrong things in the dark.

The contrast exists to show that maintaining Goodness is a choice, and Dean would have no problem upholding that.

LEE: It's called a marid. It's a freaky-looking little thing, isn't it? [Lee laughs, and Dean stares at him, incredulous] Ah. As long as you feed it, it gives you money, it gives you health, everything you dreamed of.

DEAN: And so, what, it just costs innocent lives?

LEE: Dean, you and I both know no one's innocent. After everything we've done, aren't... aren't we owed a little happiness, huh? Don't we deserve that much?

DEAN: Listen to yourself. "We're owed." "We deserve." Come on, man. You're not God. Hell, God's not even God.

LEE: Good or bad... the world doesn't care. No one cares, Dean.

DEAN: Well, I do.

LEE: Yeah. And that's what got you here. Now, takes a while to drain a man, but listen to me. Don't worry about it, all right? Don't worry because once you lose a couple of pints, you just fall asleep, and then it'll be over.

[Lee pats Dean on the shoulder]

DEAN: Lee.

LEE: This... this is not how I wanted this to go, Dean. When that blonde girl walked in here last night, I should've know, you know, Dean Winchester, the righter of wrongs, you were gonna keep digging, and you were gonna figure me out. And if it's got to be you or me, well, I got to pick me, man.

"No one cares, Dean."

"Well, I do."

It's a reminder to himself as much as it is to Lee. It's a re-centering of purpose that he sorely needs.

And what's also key? Lee is human, but is now a "monster" in Dean's words. Because Lee lost his ability to care, Dean can't abide by that.

(Side note: bonus for the fact that Lee dies up against a wall by being impaled and he coughs up blood. You know who doesn’t cough up blood in their very weird and unrealistic death scene? Dean in the finale.)

Remember: Lee is a dark mirror for Dean. "I am you."

By fighting and (tragically) killing Lee, Dean "kills" the darker side of himself. The side that's struggling to keep going right now... AND the side that fears eventually wanting a break means you must be selfish and stop caring.

He can keep going. He can find strength to fight God–and in the end, take a break and CHOOSE peace. It won't make him dark. He's the most caring man on Earth, even when it's hard. That’s reinforced later.

Isn't he owed a little happiness? And that's not in the having. It's in just being.

The bonus is what's going on with Cas in this episode.

Dean's clearing his head and finding his center again while Cas is calling him.

Come home. I need you. Remember what matters.

And again, contrast: Lee turns out not to be "real/true" in the way Dean thought he was. But Cas IS.

And after Dean goes through all of this... he's grounded again, he recognizes that even amongst questions of what God controls there are still choices to be made, he's reminded that letting his caring heart lead him is priority, he's lost another friend...

He comes home to Cas.

It's awkward. They're still distanced.

But this episode is a turning point for Dean. He's not angry at Cas anymore, he wants to talk, he's ready to move forward... he just doesn't know how to yet.

And if you follow the through-line... then you get Rowena saying "fix it"... and then after that is the Purgatory prayer.

I just !!!

S15 is packed with Dean development to hone in towards the end of his arc, but "Last Call" manages to hit SO many buttons.

• He's always been bi, & is ready to be Out

• He can want a break–& maybe run a bar like the Roadhouse

• Caring is at the core of who he is

It's about the CHOICE. It's about wanting to live your truths, and that "caring" can mean many things–from defeating God and saving the world, to making the hard choices when it counts, to maybe running a bar where people are safe.

14x10 and its matching Texan Star also say hello:

DEAN: How come you always have a boyfriend?

PAMELA: How come you only want what you can't have?

DEAN: Whoa.

PAMELA: Besides, you don't want me. You just like to flirt. I'm a psychic, so I kinda know.

DEAN: All right.

PAMELA: So, still not ready to sell the bar, huh? It's a lot of money.

DEAN: Sell? This bar? This is my dream.

PAMELA; Yeah.

And I recognize that rereading this info is sad(der) now because of what we got in the end, so uh... sorry.

But that's half the point: it's repeatedly blatantly clear what we were meant to get, down to deliberate echoes in word choice–caring, happiness, deserve, even Roadhouse.

Dean was meant to choose to take a break, maybe run a bar–whether on Earth or in Heaven. At minimum, if Dean was meant to end up in Heaven, he was meant to choose it with eyes wide open. And the next time the phone rang with Cas' name (15x19), he RAN for him. He was VERY ready.

And the whole season tells you that. This episode is just my favorite.

So... thanks for letting me ramble on about it!!!

DEAN WINCHESTER: BI ICON, ONCE-LOVER OF LEE WEBB, THE MOST CARING MAN ON EARTH WHO DESERVED TO CHOOSE PEACE AFTER GAINING HIS FREEDOM, & SOULMATE TO AN ANGEL

And a very big thank you to the talented kings Jensen Ackles & Christian Kane, and their longstanding friendship. They gave me many rights with their acting choices.

Here's an iconic bonus for the road.

#supernatural #spn meta #15x07 Last Call #Lee Webb #Dean Winchester #Destiel #Dean is bi #took a lot of self control for me to not go FUCKING FERAL in this #char writes things

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