#when i was in the old flat with the mould and the lack of natural light i was missing about 4 hours a month minimum to migraines

[thedreadvampy]

Kinda pissy bc in my return to work interview (my line manager is on leave so my senior manager did it) she said oooh you've had 7 absences this year that's kind of a lot

but I just looked back through my calendar and I would say actually it's 5 1/2. Cause one I had a PTSD episode at lunchtime and called my boss in tears from my kitchen floor and I was gonna take the remaining 2.5 hours of my day off and work them back later and she was like nah man shut up you're off sick you don't owe anyone that time back. so that was not even a whole day it was like. A longish meeting's worth of time.

but also one illness is recorded as two absences because. and this'll teach me. I had flu but we had a tight deadline so I was off for a day, then came on to work for a day to meet that deadline, then I was off the next day, still with flu. so that's two separate absences. because I came into work when I should have been resting.

so like. Fuck me for trying I guess.

(it's not super relevant cause there's no real unifying condition that needs action. MH episode, migraine, flu, food poisoning, migraine, COVID. and we know about the migraines and have stuff in place to minimise them. It just seems fucked up to me that it counts more against me that I came in in the middle of 2 days of sick leave than that I've been off for a solid week.)

[childofhypno]

just some thoughts from sherlock and co. Mailbag episode

honestly I did this to myself and at 3am no less.

In an mailbag episode on the sherlock and co. patreon, answering a question on their favorite musicals, John answered Les Misèrables. And being the romantic we know our loveable doctor to be, I was perusing the songs from the 2013 movie album and came across On My Own.

Sung by Èpoine about her unrequited love for Marius. And that is sad in its own regard, there's a reason it's one of the musicals most popular songs and Samantha Barks does a great job of that crushing emotional weight of being so wrapped in someone, so ultimately dazzled by them and wanting to be near them. But knowing they will not look at you the same, will not place the same value on the time and proximity you share. And that is not their fault and it is hard to love someone and desire to be close and yet have them be the source of your greatest pain and rejection, even though they may wish you no harm.

It's been hinted at and out right stated (by Sherlock) that John wants to be liked. And given what we've heard about John's last relationship (the one whereby he gained ownership of Archie after the split) and perhaps some insecurities there, insecurities in his own capabilities, comparing himself to others, its understandable to read John as something of an insecure man. Not in a toxic manner but John definitely has a lot of self doubts about himself and his place in the world and what he can offer to others. Despite him so naturally being able to attune to people and their needs and being quite bloody smart and intuitive. All round just a decent person.

And John, as much as anyone, marvels at Sherlock Holmes. This almost mythical figure. John admires Sherlock and maybe envies him on some level. I think not in Sherlock's deduction skills or specific knowledge skillsets but maybe in Sherlock's apparent surety in himself and where he is in life and what he wants from it. Sherlock is plainly himself, even if it means not "fitting in " John often tries to mould himself to what others might like, and hey, as a people pleaser, oh boy do I understand that. Almost becomes like muscle memory.

Sherlock in turn, I think admires John's social prowess. His ability to express the complexity of emotions. Just because someone doesn't emote the typical way doesn't mean they don't feel the emotions. And that can be incredibly frustrating when you want to communicate with others. Sherlock cares about people. He's interested in people. And he can't always express or connect with them in the way he wants. Like a language barrier he mentioned in another mailbag episode. That is why Sherlock and John work. They draw out in each other and supplement for the qualities they lack or yearn to have more of. They're a balancing act. A good one. And I'm not the first to point that out.

All this to say, imagine when that act is separated. The Fall. Grown so comfortable to have the other's support, always by each others side and then, suddenly the other person isn't there. And you have to remember how you functioned without them before. But you can't go back. You're not the same person you were. But if they aren't there to remind you, to encourage you, it's easy to fall back into old habits.

And so the song. On My Own. From John's perspective, watching the man the myth the dazzling legend that is Sherlock Holmes, getting swept up in the adventures, feeling totally out of place but thrilled be along for the ride, participating, maybe growing in confidence all because of coincidental flat share with possibly the most brilliant and bizzare man he's ever met. The world is changing for John Watson. And Sherlock is seemingly at the center of it all. He's found purpose. Friends. A home. Maybe more. But John is as fallible in his assumptions as any of us are. And Sherlock appears to have no interest in such relationships and John, not confident enough to make the first move. So he can daydream. Of what it would be like to be with Sherlock. And what it would be like be without Sherlock.

And then the Fall. And he truly is without Sherlock and his world has dulled and greyed and blurred. The city has lost its glimmer. The flat is quiet. The words are meaningless. And John sits with his what ifs.

Don't think of John hearing this song. Of the heartbreak of knowing that you can ever be with the one you love. And knowing that taste of what brilliant technicolours the world is when you were with them, full of stimulating twinkling lights. And thinking it could never be that way again. Don't imagine John, sat in the flat, in the achingly quiet flat, as a woman sings for her never was love, head in his hands, Archie resting his head on John's knee. Don't think of John cursing himself for not being sure enough to tell Sherlock how he felt, for not being good enough again to save his friend. Don't think of John Watson, once again, on his own.

[light-yaers]

Fools in the Darkness: Chapter Nine

Darkling x Reader

Warnings: Death, violence, drugs (Parem), NSFW and sexual content. This content is explicit and 18+ at some points.

A/N: OHOHOHHOHOHOHHO. That’s all I can say about this chapter. Hope you enjoy it. All of you need to go to horny jail. 

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Fic Masterpost

Word Count - 3.7k

Chapter Nine

“I have a feeling I know how this story ends,” Jesper said sadly. You found yourself scoffing at him.

“No, you don’t,” You said lightly. “I still don’t know how it ends,”

“What do you mean?” Kaz spoke up, interested suddenly. You let out a sigh, sending a glance over to Inej who was watching you so closely; so worriedly.

“He’s still looking for me, still trying to find me. He doesn’t know I crossed the Fold—,”

“You crossed the Fold?” Kaz interrupted, standing abruptly. “Why? How?”

“You—you should be dead,” Inej said timidly. She was right, they were both right to react in such a way. It was almost impossible really, to cross the Fold on your own. No skiff, no secure route, no way of knowing what would happen when the dark swallowed you whole.

You thought then about telling them how—telling them how you did it and came out of the dark with nothing more than a few scratches on your body; but a lot of scratches in your mind. But you chose not to; that was the end of the story.

If it ended, then maybe... they’d throw you out. Cast you aside. Be done with their interest in your sad little life. You were scared that they’d leave you, even though you hardly knew these criminals. You were scared that you’d be alone again, when the weight of realisation that you’d been alone all along at the Little Palace had hit you so hard before.

All you wanted was security, stability, a home, a family.

“I know,” You finally replied, forcing yourself to smile. “You’re getting too far ahead, though,” Kaz slowly descended into his seat once more, fingers curled tightly around his crow-headed cane. You wondered then, what it felt like to constantly have something on your person.

Inej with her knives. Kaz with his cane. Jesper with his pistols.

You had no such thing, unless you counted the raggedy old Kefta on your shoulders, but you didn’t particularly want to. You’d hated it from the beginning; you’d only worn it because of him.

You could still remember the first time you’d ever donned it.

The Little Palace, Six Months Ago

“Hey! Hey!” Genya’s yells cut through the forest easily, as if the trees allowed her voice to penetrate through them to hit your ears. You stopped training as she approached, breathing heavily, her face blotched with red.

“Genya,” You said, amused, jogging over to where she was hunched over, catching her breath. “Did you run here?”

“No... horses... left...” She heaved out, waving a hand in front of her face in place of a fan. “Saints—that woke me up,” You placed a supportive hand on her shoulder, on the brink of laughing at her flushed face.

“What’re you doing?” You questioned, as she started to calm down. She sucked a breath deep into her lungs, regarding your amused expression.

“It’s the General,” She said. Your face immediately dropped as your heart catapulted into your throat. “He’s back,”

You waved Genya off as she rode your horse back to the stables. There was more than enough space for both of you on the steed, but you needed time to calm your trembling limbs. The walk back would be able to offer you that.

It’d been four months since Aleksander had left the Little Palace. Time had gone fast, but also agonisingly slowly at the same time; which still confused you as to how that was even possible. His face had been forever etched in your mind since that night—his timid knocks, his abrupt and unapologetic kiss, the way his fingers roamed your bare skin like an extension of your own body.

Your heart had been aching ever since, but you’d tried to replace that void with training. You worked hard, mercilessly, tirelessly, so that Aleksander would be able to marvel at your improvement after his return.

He’d sent letters, but rarely. You had three in total, scrawled down in rushed handwriting by a man who you imagined to be busy beyond belief. But he’d still sent them; he’d still checked in with you, sent his words of affirmation, adoration—

Craving. Words of craving and longing and the obviousness that he was missing you.

You kept those letters in the locked drawer of the desk in your chambers, keeping the key secure in the cabinet at your bedside. Maybe it was supposed to be secretive, maybe it was supposed to be kept in the dark—or maybe you were overanalysing it all—but you didn’t want people prying. You didn’t want the extra pressure or scowls or attention that would no doubt come from having this kind of relationship with the General.

If it even was a relationship. You opted not to call it as such, not fully understanding what Aleksander even saw in you, wanted from you—liked about you.

As much as these four moths had been incredibly lonely, you couldn’t stop the uncomfortable wave of anxiety that beat through your entire body as you walked back over the fields to the palace. Beyond those cream walls and gold trim and décor, Aleksander would be back inside.

Waiting for you.

You’d improved; there was no doubt about that. There was a small thought then, when you got ever closer to the palace, that perhaps you should show off. You could already see the hub of carriages and Grisha in the distance, surrounding the General upon his return—

And Saints, maybe it was jealously, or excitement, or fear—

But there was something urging you to summon the air and glide to him. Show him what you’d learned, what you were capable of, what you’d taught yourself in his absence.

You took in a deep breath, bringing your hands together quickly. The air surrounded you almost instantly, circling your body and ruffling your hair and blouse as it descended to your feet. Within seconds, you were hovering atop the mound of air at the ground, and as you directed your hands forward, the air followed your commands.

You were propelled forward quickly, gliding effortlessly up the remaining fields until you were back on the palace grounds. You kept going, rounding the stables and slaloming between plant pots and other garden décor, until you approached the courtyard in a flash.

A few Grisha squealed at your arrival, parting the crowds around Aleksander’s carriage and making way for your storm. You lowered your hands then, jumping to the floor as the air at your feet dissipated into nothingness. You took one step forward, and all of a sudden his eyes were on yours—

His stare unwavering, his shoulders broad and brooding, his eyes as dark and deep as the time he’d left; but the smile on his face was one that you’d never seen before. Some mixture of longing and nostalgia and awe. He was impressed, as his eyes roamed down your body until they hit your feet, where your summoned pocket of air had been just moments before.

He trailed his gaze back up your body, landing upon all of the places that he’d touched before. You skin buzzed beneath your clothes, set alight by his stare that you hadn’t realised just how much you’d missed him, until he was stood before you once more.

Aleksander turned, fully, to you then, approaching you slowly, step by agonising step.

“General,” You spoke first, trying to bat away the huge grin on your face into something more subdued. “You’re back,” You added, with a lack of what to say, other than I missed you, Aleksander. Saints, you wouldn’t say that here, not around the other Grisha.

“I see you’ve... improved,” He said softly, trickling his rough voice over you warmly. Saints—you’d missed that fucking voice.

“I suppose that’s up to you, Sir,” You replied, ignoring the tension that floated between the two of you like a storm cloud, just waiting for thunder to crack and lightning to flash.

“Let’s discuss your improvements later. This evening, in my office,” He stated. You tried to keep your expression flat; professional.

“I’ll see you then, General,” He shot you a smile before moving away. The crowd of Grisha and officers dissipated as Aleksander made his way to the palace, and all too soon the black of his uniform was hidden behind the closed doors.

Genya came up beside you then, crossing her arms as an amused smile littered her face. “Someone’s happy to see you,” She said slyly. You shoved your elbow into her rib softly, giving her a light push.

“Shut it,” You said, but there was no denying it. You were happy, the happiest you’d been in months, seeing the stubble that dotted his chin and the pensive look he reserved solely for you. You didn’t care about the murmurs surrounding your abrupt entrance or the obvious secretive nature that you and Aleksander conversed in from the other Grisha—you only cared that he was back.

He was back with you, after what felt like years.

You couldn’t shake the smile from your face when you walked through the upper corridors of the Little Palace, headed back to your chambers that evening. You couldn’t shake the excited energy that coursed through your veins or the anxious buzz that you got from imagining being alone with Aleksander again, after so long.

“He’ll get bored, you know,” Her voice was the only reason the smile drained from your face then, as you stopped in the corridor and turned back.

Zoya stood in the middle of the hallway, silhouetted by the dwindling evening light. You’d recognise her defensive stance and tense shoulders anywhere. “He always does,”

You’d almost forgotten what it was like to be face-to-face with her, after so long avoiding her presence. But all too soon that uncomfortable feeling hit your gut whenever she was around; fear of the unknown.

“What are you talking about?” You replied, but you knew she was talking about Aleksander. She took a few confident steps forward, brooding and almost frightening in this isolated part of the palace. You kept your guard up strongly.

“Kirigan loves girls that he can mould to his own perception. You’re just another in a long line of Grisha that he’s taken an interest in,” Zoya said, her voice coarse and unforgiving. You opened your mouth to speak, but nothing came out. You didn’t know what to say.

“Let me guess, he called you special. He called you powerful and strong. He’s littered your mind with ego-building drivel and promised you what you desire the most,”

You were stunned by her words, as your mind started fretting the last six months under this roof. But—this was also Zoya. Zoya, who hated your fucking guts. Zoya, who was endlessly jealous of any woman that stood by Kirigan’s side. Zoya, who evidently had qualms with the General himself that had been long forgotten by him.

You refused to acknowledge any words that fell from her lips as fact. She was untrustworthy and always would be in your eyes. She continued to approach you, and you started to lose your nerve. You balled your fists instinctively, and she stopped when she saw your shoulders drop defensively. The grin that curled onto her lips was akin to the Devil—devious and all-knowing.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you, when he decides you’re of no worth. What happens when he finds the Sun Summoner, hm? You really think he’ll stay by your side?”

“You’re hurt over something that has long since passed, Zoya. Kirigan saw through your childish behaviour. You need to grow up,” You finally replied, but the words felt muddied leaving your mouth. You hated confrontation at the best of times, but this conversation had curdled your blood faster than you’d expected.

Zoya let out a disgusted chuckle. “See? You’re already too far gone,”

“And you’re a snake who can’t get over the fact that Kirigan may prefer the company of others. Others who don’t hoard past relationships over his head like a curse and constantly beg for affection that he doesn’t want to give,” You watched as her face dropped, and then all too soon she was storming towards you. She swiftly shoved you into the wall of the corridor, shoving her arm beneath your neck and pushing down just enough to keep you stuck. You refused to fight back.

“Your days are numbered. He will soon come to realise that you are nothing but a lost soul, just like the Volcra in the Fold that he wishes to destroy,”

She left as soon as she’d appeared, rounding the corridor and leaving you to place a soft hand against your neck, sucking in air as you caught back your breath. You shut the door of your chambers quietly, flexing your fingers in an attempt to make them stop trembling.

You washed and freshened yourself up, your mind racing. That’s when the wardrobe caught your eye; something within it was burning to get out.

You stomped to it, opening the doors swiftly and laying your eyes over the long forgotten Kefta that Aleksander had commissioned for you so long ago. You draped it over your arm, tracing your fingers over the intricate and beautiful patterns of white and grey, next to the backdrop of such a deep black—his colour—

The colour of the Darkling.

“Enter,” His voice said lowly, and you entered his chambers confidently. Aleksander stood with his back turned to you, placing down two tumblers and that oh so familiar bottle of Ravkan rum on the dark wood table.

When he turned, he stopped immediately. Time slowed, the air stilled, and Aleksander was but a marble statue in a world of concrete creatures.

You stood by the centre table, tall, chin out, Kefta donned for the first time. The fabric draped over you snuggly, the belt showing off the waist that you had underneath such bulky clothing. In this light, the embroidery glistened like Fjerdan snow; bright, light, powerful. After six months, the Kefta that Aleksander had so desperately and patiently waited for you to wear was now on your frame.

You were a Grisha. And perhaps, you were his.

The smile that curled onto his lips hit you—that’s what you’d been waiting for in response. The subtle curve of his smile, the gleam of his dark eyes as they traversed every crevice and curve of your body before him, the subtle flex of his fingers as if eagerly awaiting when he’d be able to touch you again.

The Aleksander you had so dearly missed, after months without his presence. They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder.

“Just as I expected,” He said finally, as he began to walk towards you slowly. “Radiant,”

You blushed at his words, allowing yourself to don a small smile as he approached ever closer. “You picked the right colour,” You replied, prompting a small scoff to fall from his lips.

He reached you then, standing face-to-face comfortably. You peered up at him, noting the way his Adam’s apple bobbed with every gulp he made. Tension surrounded you both once more, but it was much stronger than you’d been expecting.

Aleksander reached out and grabbed the belt of your Kefta, tugging you forward abruptly. You refrained from squealing as you were pulled into his chest, laying your palms flat against him and feeling the unmistakeable pitter patter of his heart, thumping mercilessly beneath his skin.

“It’s such a shame that the first time I see you in your Kefta, I also want to rip it off of you,” He whispered lowly, cascading his voice over your face until you were mere putty in his hands. His hands snaked around your waist then, keeping you flush against his chest. You raised your hands to his neck, eyes flicking to his lips involuntarily as a warmth gushed through your gut.

“That doesn’t sound like a shame to me,” You whispered back, drawing circles over his skin with your fingers. He shivered at your touch, and a small growl sounded from the back of his throat. Abruptly, he hoisted you onto the table, treading quickly so he stood between your legs snuggly. You let out a gasp at his forwardness, but there was no denying it—

Both of you wanted this, wanted each other.

It’d been months in the making, and the absence of one another had only increased these feelings tenfold. You wanted Aleksander to rip the Kefta from your body and kiss you everywhere. You wanted to run your fingers over ever section of bare skin that the Darkling possessed; intentionally, lingering your touch wherever you could, so he’d always feel the warmth of your fingertips even when you weren’t there.

“Do you know how much I thought of you while I was away?” He questioned, and you swallowed down your incessant heartbeat.

“I imagine it was close to how much I thought of you,” You replied, inching your lips closer to his own.

“I poured over your letters,” He admitted. “I imagined your voice reading them to me. I imagined us in the forest, alone together, when my body refused to sleep,”

“Aleksander,” You said abruptly, when the feeling in your gut became far too intense. “Just kiss me,” You begged. He obliged.

His lips pressed into yours with a ferocity that you’d been waiting for since he’d left. It was more than the kiss you’d stolen before he left; more meaningful, less hasty, as if he was taking his time to navigate the intricacies of your body and mouth, now that he was able to.

You gripped onto him as if you’d never let go, feeling the curve of his spine, the tension in his jaw, the soft but trusting way his eyes were closed as his lips were flush against your own. Without parting, his hands pried off the belt of your Kefta, exposing your bare chest beneath. You’d opted against wearing your blouse, almost knowing that this would happen.

When his hands lay upon your warm, bare skin, Aleksander parted from you. His eyes skimmed your chest, landing upon your clavicle and your exposed breasts. There was a hunger in his eyes that you’d never seen before, but one that only made you want him more.

He smiled boyishly. “This was quite presumptuous of you,” He let out roughly, referring to your bare chest.

“I know you, Aleksander,” You replied, as you allowed the thick Kefta to fall from your shoulders until your torso was utterly exposed.

“Yes, you do,” He said, before plunging his lips onto yours once more. You noticed the difference now, as if he was craving so much more, and didn’t know how to grab as much of you as he could. His fingers swiped down to your trousers before long, toying with your waistband.

But this time, you pulled away quickly. You looked at him with a smug expression, flicking your eyes over his clothed body. “I don’t think that’s fair,” You said playfully, as your fingers moved to the buckles of his uniform.

You’d seen Aleksander bare just once, when you’d both jumped into the lake those months ago. You’d been thinking of that day ever since, imagining the time you’d get to be the reason for him undressing in front of you.

He mimicked your smile, but instead of helping, he simply raised his arms. Like the body of Christ on the cross, he smiled and waited for you to undress him. You let out a scoff, jumping off of the table to kiss him playfully, as your fingers pried apart all of the buckles on his jacket and dropped it to the floor.

Aleksander toyed with you when you got to his shirt, nipping at your earlobe and neck while you tried desperately to undo the buttons.

“You’re terrible at this,” He whispered in your ear.

“You’re terrible at standing still,” You replied, giving him another peck while you tried to avoid his playful teasing. You undid another button and moved onto the next.

“I don’t want to stand still,” He said. “I want to carry you to my room and lay you down,” His words made your entire body shiver. Arousal crept up through your gut to your chest, causing your heart to almost explode beneath your ribs.

“You can do that after I’ve touched every inch of you,” You said, amused, but Aleksander let out a guttural moan. He stopped playing suddenly, as he abruptly wrapped his arms around your waist and hoisted you from the floor. You wrapped your legs around his hips instinctively.

“I’ve run out of patience,” He muttered, as he carried you to the adjoining room of his chambers. You’d never been in Aleksander’s bedroom before, but it was just as you expected. A dark wood, four poster-bed in the centre of the large room, dotted with matching furniture.

He dropped you to the bed and wasted no time as he went for your waistband once more. You protested playfully, scrambling to keep undoing the buttons of his shirt.

“No fair!” You yelled, but it was obvious you weren’t really complaining. Aleksander tugged down your trousers, pulling you abruptly as he loomed over you. His arms were by each side of your head, your body encased in his shadow as he towered above you, boxing you in from all angles.

He stopped then, as his eyes ate you up. All bare skin and soft curves and subtle goosebumps—his. He looked at you like he’d imagined this moment often, like it littered his mind when he tried to focus and only left him frustrated by his own desires.

“I didn’t think it was possible for you to get more beautiful,” He whispered. You swiped your fingers over the last button, undoing it finally and tugging the shirt off of his shoulders. Your fingers skimmed over his chest softly, until you reached his heart. You placed your palm flat against his skin, keeping your eyes fixed on him.

“Your heart is racing,” You said, feeling his incessant beat. It only made your own speed up even faster, mimicking his own pulse.

“You know why,” He replied, and as he did, he dipped his head down, pressing his lips against yours strongly. You inhaled him fully, wrapping your legs around his hips and bringing him down on top of you.

He pulled away, coiling his arm around your head until his fingers were combing through your hair.

“It’s because of you,” He breathed out. “I’m only focused on you,”

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Thanks for reading! See you next time!

[scripttorture]

ST speaking of Pathfinder they also have a literal god of torture named Zon-Kuthon and his portrayal is interesting. And bad, like it shows Paldiens considered hero’s on the setting being tourtoured and “turned” evil

So this isn’t really a question and I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to respond or not, but I thought it might be interesting to try and unpack the idea of a fantasy God of torture. The majority of the time these sorts of things in a fantasy setting are pretty simplistic torture apologia. And it sounds like that’s what’s going on in this game.

 Let’s explore the concept though.

 To start with I think a lot of fantasy pantheons function a little strangely. They often lack the multiple functions and overlap of domains that you see in polytheistic religions.

 Both Pan and Dionysus are Gods of agriculture. Both are associated with fertility. But they’re also distinct. Pan is rooted in wild places, mountains, ‘rustic’ music and sheep herding. Dionysus is rooted in orchards and vineyards. While he’s also about ritualised ‘insanity’ and release he’s fundamentally rooted in more ‘civilised’ places.

 This effects the associations and meanings of both deities.

 Note that the wide range of what these Gods represent tells you a fair bit about Ancient Greek society. The fact that we are talking about vineyards and mountains instantly tells you something about the landscape these people inhabited. It also tells you something about their associations with the environment: wild mountains, civilised orchards.

 The portrayal of these Gods might tell you something about how the Ancient Greeks thought of the people who inhabited these parts of the country. It tells you about their priorities. It tells you what they thought important, moving and vital enough to be deified.

 For a fictional society to have a God of torture implies that torture is a big part of public life. But if we’re approaching this sensibly it also leaves out a lot.

 We don’t know the nature of this God yet, because we haven’t defined the other parts of their realm, the other things they focus on. In the same way that we do not know the nature of Pan or Dionysus when we call them ‘Gods of agriculture.’

 So if we’re designing a fantasy God whose realm includes torture it’s worth asking what the important part of that is? It could be rooted in concepts of suffering, self sacrifice, heroism even. It could be rooted in concepts of ‘just’ authority and legal penalties. Some societies have treated pain as cleansing so that could be a factor. Some religions have used torture as part of their consistent oppression of minority faiths in an attempt to force conversions.

 Anybody mention the Spanish Inquisition?

 We could even take this in a completely different direction. For instance a group of people who have survived genocide, occupation, torture and have taken this into part of their identity and memory- For them a God whose realm includes torture might be about their past, about survival, about healing even or compassion.

 What I’m driving at here is that this idea does not have to be some ‘edgy’ or apologist set of stereotypes. It doesn’t have to be boring.

 Part of achieving that means thinking it through as a religion. Making sure it makes sense. And that means questioning what ‘torture’ means in a particular fictional society. And that can be all sorts of things! It can tend towards implying that this society has a lot of torture apologia, like associating torture with law and order, with protection. But it could also tend much more towards supporting survivors because it could be about the aftermath of torture, healing, recovery, living with mental illness.

 I write a lot of fantasy and I think about making fictional pantheons a fair bit.

 Long term readers will have seen pieces of the story with Ilāra, I came up with a pantheon for this story and several different denominations of the overarching religion.

 It’s an animist religion; they believe that everything has a soul, desires, purpose. A voice. A big part of the religion is trying to communicate with other things. There’s a big sense of things, natural features, animals, even occupations belonging to the realms of different Gods.

 And I bring this up because I think that, if I wanted to, I could put a lot of things to do with the aftermath of torture or supporting survivors in to the realm of two of these Gods.

 Here’s what I wrote as background cultural detail for them:

 ‘There was on the Path a fog and the Prophet entered. Grey with mould and spores and creeping things. Here He, withered to bone, wasted with what will come.

“What are you?” The Prophet said.

Gentle He said. “I am Rot. I am what comes to those gone so what is left may endure; you that would spend your time in comfort come first to me.”

And here the Prophet dwelled a time and learnt of the small things on which life is built. Called him Kindly and Charitable, the Lord whose realm is inescapable.

“Do not go on.” The Lord said. “For the Path is long and there is worse ahead.”

But on the Prophet went.

 There was on the Path a circle and the Prophet entered. Sharp and bright with thought, each breath a memory, each blink a dream. Here She, old as birth, grown ancient with all that is known.

“What are you?” The Prophet said.

Unsmiling She said. “I am Thought. I am what makes your boundaries as a circle holds sigils; you that would truly learn come first to me.”

And here the Prophet dwelled a time and learnt of limits. Called her Strength and Indomitable, the Crone whose realm marks our souls.

“Do not go on.” The Crone said. “For the Path is long and there is worse ahead.”

But on the Prophet went.’

 What I’m trying to convey here is that cultural associations are a vital part of world building. If we’re writing fantasy we can’t be sloppy with those associations. Consistency and inventiveness are what brings a fantasy culture to life.

 It wouldn’t be inconsistent for one of the cultures in this world to talk about survivors in relation to worship of the Crone. She is the mind, it’s natural that serious mental illness would fall into her domain. I could see her being associated with torture in some regions. In moving past it, in healing. Because the lasting effects fall squarely into her realm.

 I could also draw a connection to the Lord if I wanted to. Death is part of his domain and a place where torture is associated with execution could draw a natural link. He’s also a symbol of suffering and compassion, he’s the patron of doctors. So anyone intervening or attempting to help survivors might call on him. Survivors might call on him as well.

 Fantasy religions shouldn’t be flat. We’re trying to create different cultures and really bring them to life in the story. Religion should be a major part of that. The more we box ourselves into the stereotypes and associations of our own culture the more likely that our fantasy worlds are going to seem… typical.

 At its best fantasy challenges our perceptions of the world by showing us different worlds. For me personally the worst thing it can be is boring. It’s a stonking great challenge to ‘go big’.

 Think things through. Question how different features of a culture would impact each other. Try to create a truly different perspective of the world.

 And if you want to make a God of torture in a fantasy world think about what that means. What part of the subject relates to the God? What does it say about the culture and history of the world?

 Write torture apologist cultures in your world if you want to, remember that there’s a difference between writing apologist characters and an apologist story. Be inventive. Fantasy is a challenge to push your creativity. We can rise to it.

 I hope that helps :)

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[purplesurveys]

1059

surveys by lets-make-surveys

1 - When you wake up, do you get up straight away or do you lie around in bed for a while? Lie in bed, even on work days. I work from home, so there’s nothing to prepare or look nice for, anyway. I can stay in bed and just roll out of it and head to my desk at 9 AM to start the day.

2 - Who was the last person you video-called with? Have you done this more often since COVID hit? Video calls make me anxious, so I’ve always turned them down even when it was someone I’m close with who was trying to call, like Angela. The only person I’ve felt comfortable having video calls with was Gab but that obviously hasn’t happened in a while. I think the last people I saw on video was my dad’s family, though I was still shy and asked my mom not to put me in the shot for too long.

3 - How many times a week do you go out for food or drink? Back then I’d do it 2-3 times a week. Then Covid happened and I had to stop; but now that I’m starting to try to put in more effort to take care of myself, I try to bring myself to a coffee shop for me time at least once during weekends.

4 - Do you prefer getting takeaway or actually sitting in a restaurant and eating your meal there? Dine-in. For me ambience is a big part of eating food, and even if I had the once-in-a-lifetime chance of getting to eat the absolute best meal in the whole world, if I’m eating it alone at home I would still feel like shit.

5 - Where’s your favourite place to get takeaway coffee (or whatever your drink of choice is)? Starbucks. We have five joints in the highway I live on alone, so it’s both a personal preference and a I-don’t-really-have-a-choice type of situation haha.

6 - Do you tend to keep your phone on silent, vibrate or loud? It’s on vibrate during work days; then I’ve formed a habit of putting it on Do Not Disturb during weekends or holidays.

7 - If you have pets, when was the last time one of them annoyed you? What happened? Cooper thought my hand was a toy earlier so he was biting on it, and not in a very playful way.

8 - When was the last time you went into a bookshop? Around a week ago when I was buying presents; I needed to get my cousin the mechanical pencils and eraser she wanted for Christmas. I also came across the bookshop that Gab and I would make a habit to visit, but I didn’t go inside as I didn’t know if I was prepared for the memories that would inevitably flood back. I looked through the stuff they had on their windows, though.

9 - What was the last thing you ordered off Amazon? I don’t know if Amazon operates here. But the last thing I got from a local e-commerce app - don’t judge me HAHA - is a phone socket featuring the face of my newest K-drama crush. I placed my order literally 10 minutes ago.

10 - When was the last time you took a dog out for a walk? Is this your own dog or did you borrow someone else’s? Yesterday. Both were my family’s dogs.

11 - What jewellery do you have on at the moment? Not wearing any, haven’t worn any in a while.

12 - Do you have any products in your hair right now? What are they? Just shampoo and conditioner. I never put anything else on it; I don’t really deem hair products other than those two a necessity.

13 - Have you ever used a VPN to access foreign content online? Hahaha no. I’ve wanted to try it out, but I’ve always been paranoid that the NBI would come knocking at my door the moment I install one of those.

14 - Who was the last artist you listened to? Is this someone you’re a fan of? She’s a Korean singer named Cheeze, though she’s honestly unfamiliar to me. The song she contributed for the OST of Start-Up is my absolute favorite in the entire tracklist, and that’s how I knew of her.

15 - What was the last thing you had to drink? I’m at a cafe joint right now and they didn’t have my usual order of caramel macchiato, so I opted for a Spanish latté because it sounded new to me.

16 - When was the last time you cooked something for the first time? Did it work out the way it was supposed to? I made a Monte Cristo sandwich, if that counts as ~cooking; this was about a little more than a monthh ago. It worked out significantly better than I was expecting, given how rubbish I am in the kitchen. I lacked a couple of ingredients, like mustard for the sauce and the right kind of cheese, but I still ended up liking it.

17 - Black cats are considered to be bad luck - is this a superstition that you’ve ever believed in? Not me personally, but I know this is still widely believed in my country. It’s sad, so I approach black cats whenever I can and play with them for a bit.

18 - Would you ever eat blue cheese or do you find the idea of eating mould to be pretty repulsive? It is definitely not my favorite; I’d say 5 times out of 10 I would consume it, and the other 5 I would set it aside. I enjoy it the most in pizzas and as a sauce for chicken wings.

19 - Do you visit the dentist every six months like you should? Is that the standard schedule? Lmao. I only go when I have to.

20 - How old were you when you first used the internet? Was it dial-up or did you have access to proper broadband? I was first exposed to the internet at around the ages of 3 and 4, when my mom would use the dial-up internet to email my dad (he had just started to work abroad). For many years I thought Yahoo Mail was the only website that existed, since that’s all I saw my mom use. Eventually my dad got broadband for the family by the time I was 10, and the first website I ever looked up was YouTube.

21 - Are you old enough to remember using floppy discs? I remember those; I just never had to use them myself.

22 - When was the last time you purchased an actual DVD or CD? Andi gave me a Petals For Armor CD for Christmas, if it counts. Because they’re the most awesome fucking friend. The last DVD I bought myself was probably a Beyoncé's Life Is But A Dream, which was...holy crap, 7 whole years ago.

23 - Do you shave? Which body parts and how often? I do. I shave my underarms every few days, and my legs monthly.

24 - What’s your favourite season, and what are some of your favourite things about that season? We don’t have the usual four seasons we hear about in other countries; we only have wet and dry. Between those two, I definitely like wet more because I love the rain, and I like how cold it can get.

25 - When was the last time you burned yourself? I took a big bite of a lumpiang togue yesterday when it was still piping hot, so it felt like I almost burned my tongue and the roof of my mouth. But since I was a guest at my dad’s family’s house, I couldn’t spit it out.

26 - Have you ever been the victim of a theft or robbery? What was stolen? Did the police ever catch the person who did it? Someone stole my wallet in high school, and I never got it back. It was a small petty thing that the police didn’t need to be involved in, lol. I know my mom’s family got robbed when she was a teenager, though; the worst thing that got stolen was their grand piano :(

27 - What was the last TV show you discovered that you really liked? What was it that got you to watch it in the first place? START UP. I first heard of it from my co-workers who would mention the show here and there; and because I was new to the team and wanted to have something in common with them so that I can break the ice, I figured I should start on the show myself. Ended up getting obsessed with the show and gaining a new Korean crush altogether.

28 - Have you seen any of the live-action Disney remakes? Which one is your favourite? What about your least favourite? No, those have never looked even remotely appealing to me. I never saw the point of recycling movies that already exist and already feel magical by themselves.

29 - Do you have any exciting plans for tomorrow? If not, how are you planning to spend your day? It doesn’t sound exciting on its own, but I’m very much looking forward to be a homebody tomorrow haha. We’ve been with extended family for five days straight and I’m at a café right now for some me time, so tomorrow I can’t wait to just be at home and lounge around.

30 - Would you ever keep a working dog as a pet? Do you think it’s fair to keep dogs like huskies in flats when it’s so different to their natural environments? If the dog is already trained or certified to be a certain kind of working dog, I don’t see the point in keeping them for myself when they could be beneficial for other purposes. The only time I see myself adopting a working dog is if they’re already at the point of retirement and would need a loving home to live out their remaining years.

--

1 - Are you a fan of garlic bread? Do you eat it on its own or as part of a bigger meal? Love garlic bread; I regularly have it with my pasta and occasionally, pizza.

2 - When was the last time your area was under some kind of weather warning? Did it end up being as bad as predicted? Last month, during Typhoon Rolly. Other cities had worse experiences, but it also wasn’t sunshine and rainbows on our end. We had a blackout for around two days and I had to file for an emergency leave four days into my new job, which was super embarrassing. It didn’t flood in our street but the water was high in other areas in our village, so we couldn’t go out for a while.

3 - Do you ever buy things from charity/thrift shops? What was the last thing you bought from there? I don’t recall ever buying anything from either.

4 - The last time you got fast food, did you eat in, takeaway or go through the drive-thru? My last fast food wasssssss Jollibee, and my parents got it for takeout so that we could eat as a family at home.

5 - If you have multiple pets, do they get along with each other? Hahaha no they don’t. It’s been six months since we got Cooper but the two still don’t get along, unless it’s Kimi trying to hump him. It’s understandable; Cooper is a vibrant pup that’s super excited and play bites all the time, and on the other side is a nearly 13 year old, nearly blind, can’t-smell-as-well-as-he-used-to senior dog; and I get that Kimi’s more sensitive to sudden movements now.

6 - Do you ever buy things off eBay? If you do, do you participate in auctions or do you just use the “buy it now” option? I never go on eBay. And since I’ve never checked it out, I never understood the gimmick of the website.

7 - When you go out, do you worry that you’ve forgotten to lock the door or turn something off? Yeah, this is especially the case with locking the front door.

8 - What fruits and vegetables have you eaten so far today? Do you tend to get your “five a day”? I didn’t know five a day is a thing of some sort; but it’s only 8:47 AM and I haven’t eaten anything at all yet today.

9 - When was the last time you were in pain? What caused it and did you manage to get it sorted in the end? Last night when my back was giving me hell. As for the cause...idk, years of bad posture maybe? I was able to deal with it for a bit with the new massage pillow that my dad got for Christmas.

10 - Do you live in an area that gets lots of snow? Do you like it? If not, would you like to live somewhere that gets that cold? I would love to move somewhere that’s generally more cold. Humidity gets exhausting to deal with.

11 - What was the reason for your last doctor/hospital visit? My fever had already been lasting for a week and wasn’t showing signs of going away. No Covid symptoms, just pure hellish fever.

12 - If someone had told you that 2020 would see a global pandemic, countries going into lockdown, compulsory face masks and millions of deaths, would you have ever believed that you’d live through something like that? My personal biggest surprise for 2020 wasn’t even the pandemic. I would have had a more violent reaction if I was told I would no longer be in a relationship and be barely talking to my then-girlfriend of six years by the end of 2020.

13 - Do you prefer having the blinds/curtains open or closed when you’re at home? Does it depend on the weather or the time of day? Always closed. I don’t ever voluntarily open the curtains or windows to let the sunshine in.

14 - Do you use an ad-blocker on your computer or phone? Why/why not? I use one on my laptop because the ones on YouTube can be extremely annoying. I didn’t know it was possible to put on ad blockers on phones (is it?).

15 - Do you still use a paper diary/planner to organise your appointments and schedules? No, but I’m thinking of getting a planner again for 2021. I used to get a Starbucks planner every year just because I wanted to get into their Christmas promo hype, but I never completed any of them. Now that I’m working and am busier all around, I see the bigger need for a planner. These days, I use a Google extension called Momentum to list down my to-do tasks. My parents also got me a corkboard for Christmas on which I stick notepads with things I have to do for the day.

16 - When was the last time you charged one of your electronic items? Do you have to charge that specific item often? I’m charging my laptop now. At this point it’s always plugged in because I want to keep the cycle count low, though I’m not sure if it’s the healthiest thing to do.

17 - Have you ever thrown or broken something in a temper? Yes, definitely. I’m not normally aggressive when angry, but sometimes it happens.

18 - What does your outfit look like today? Did you pick it out for a special reason? I have on a black sundress that I didn’t change out of. I wore it yesterday when I went to a coffee shop to spend some time on my own.

19 - Do you follow any vlogs or podcasts? What is it about them that interests you? I do follow certain channels who do vlogs, but I never tune into them since most of them have gotten a little uninteresting. I’m also subscribed to several podcasts like Andi’s and Renee Young’s, but I’m not always in a podcast mood; I subscribe because I want to support them.

20 - Aside from Tumblr, what websites do you spend the most time on? Do you go through phases of visiting certain websites? I visit Twitter and YouTube the most often. I will binge Reddit every now and then, and I will get into a Wikipedia black hole at least once a week.

21 - Do you have a good relationship with your siblings? If you don’t have siblings, what about your cousins or extended family? I do not maintain a relationship with my brother after he physically assaulted me last year. My sister and I are on good terms, but we’re not close in that I can cry to her or that we know each other’s secrets. We have a very good casual relationship, and we never argue.

22 - When was the last time you were up early enough to see the sunrise? I hate the sun so I don’t really do that lol.

23 - What movie series did you last watch from start to finish? Was it one you’d seen before? I only ever do this with Twilight. I have my annual Twilight Saga marathon where I watch all five films in one afternoon hahaha.

24 - Do you still enjoy watching children’s TV programmes? What was the last one you watched? Yeah, but only the ones I watched as a kid. My cousins and I watched the Wet Painters episode of Spongebob last Christmas Eve right after we finished Midsommar.

25 - Who was the last person to tag you in something on social media? How do you know that person? I have no idea. I’ve been going in and out of deactivation, so at this point I’m sure people no longer have any clue if I’m on a certain social media website or not.

26 - What was the last thing you took a photograph of? It was a screenshot of something I wanted to show Angela.

27 - Are you a fan of giving animals human names? Sure. I certainly find it funny when pets are given incredibly ordinary human names, like Bob or Mark.

28 - When was the last time you weighed yourself? Were you happy with what the scale said? Christmas Eve eve, when I saw a weighing scale in my cousin’s room. I mean it’s what I’ve weighed for the last 5 years or so, so I have no complaints.

29 - How often do you buy yourself new clothes? What was the last clothing item you bought for yourself? Used to be a few times every month, but I have not bought anything new since before the pandemic. The last items I got were still the tops with puffed sleeves that I bought in March.

30 - What is the reason behind your mood today? Is this something you could have done something about? I’m mostly at ease; a little anxious because work continues for a certain headache of a client even though we told them our office would be on shutdown; and a little melancholic for no reason. I’m trying to combat the latter by doing my embroidery and it’s kind of helping, but the sads are still lingering.

[darkmindsthinktwistedthoughts]

Devil’s Trust pt6

Warnings: Strong language, Moblord styling warlords.

Masterlist

—

Chapter 6

“Someone want to tell me why we’re all here again?” Ieyasu grumbled as he joined the rest of the men in the meeting room. There were no papers or anything on the large glass table to hint as to why they were all to gather again and yet they were all here because they all received the same summons.

Since the unification of the companies the chairs around this table hardly ever seemed empty. The brightness of the room felt dull even with the contrast of the fresh flowers against the white walls that usually felt strangely warming in the otherwise blank space.

“We’re here to discuss what we are going to do next.” Nobunaga replied. He was already sitting in his seat when they arrived which only served to make this all feel more unusual.

“Do we have to do anything right now? I mean aren’t we in kind of a stalemate over this whole thing?” Yukimura asked as he took his place between Shingen and Sasuke. Mitsuhide noted that Kenshin drifted to his own chair like a frosty breeze, the look on his face seemed to be a mask of disinterest. Well, it does seem that Peace isn’t favourable to all in the realm.

“It will be better to at least put countermeasures in place even if we cannot find a direct target that lynchpins this whole fiasco.” Nobunaga countered the enquiry bluntly. Shutting down further questions on the subject easily. “Mitsuhide did you find anything further?”

“So, you decided to send your dog out after all? This shouldn’t take long to see what he dug up.” Shingen scoffed and sat up in his chair to his full height. He was one of the tallest at the table and there was no doubt his postulating was imposing but it failed to hit its mark. Well now isn’t that cute? The Tiger is wanting to play games.

“I find I’m inclined to agree. After all it would appear that a certain cat did manage to drag home most of the information on the topic at hand.” Mitsuhide held Shingen’s gaze across the table. The infuriating taunting smirk never leaving him as he watched the facial muscles twitch on the other man.

“What did you call him!?” Ever the one to jump to the defence of Shingen, Yuki moved to get up from the chair he had only just begun to occupy and found his arm locked in a firm grip by Shingen himself.

“It’s no worse than his reference to me. I was simply returning the curtesy.” Mitsuhide goaded the smile on his face never leaving his eyes remaining locked on the black eyes that flashed in controlled anger back at him across the table. Well, would you look at that. To think I’d be graced with witnessing the legendary Trading Tiger’s quiet rage.

“Why you—” Yukimura moved against the grip on him.

“Hush Yuki. You said “most of the information”. What could you have possibly found that my network couldn’t?” Whatever anger he felt over the banter-like name-calling was being painted over with his own curiosity to find out what he might have missed. He had crossed Azuchi before and come up wanting. If this was to be a case of his own network being the issue he wanted to know where the broken links were.

“It seems your old as the hills stock and trade isn’t without its flaws after all.” Nobunaga chuckled. He had not missed the hungry looks from Shingen as he feasted on what was happening. The fact that the tables were turned now gave him back the feeling of superiority he had been missing. “What did you find?”

“There is a higher power moving under the table in the boardroom of Esshu. I looked into the situation myself after seeing the information Shingen provided had certain, discrepancies.” Mitsuhide made sure to emphasise the last word as he produced a flash drive and placed it with a click on the table as if it were a chess piece.

“Discrepancies? You think I would provide information that was tampered with?” Shingen’s quiet rage was seeping into his words despite his best efforts to keep them masked. Of all the men sitting at the table, it seemed that it wasn’t just Mitsuhide and Nobu to be gaining some entertainment from this. Kenshin’s ice-cold disposition of boredom in peacetime was showing palpable flashes of interest like dry ice hitting moisture. Your fingers are twitching, God of war.

“Not at all, I have every confidence that you did, in fact, provide all the information you were given but that did not mean that it was complete. You can after all only provide what you know.” Mitsuhide smiled and changed the angle of the digital device. He continued in the style of lecturer giving a lesson after taking a second to pause and be sure that what he had just said hit its mark. “Well now. It would seem that the reason there seemed to be minor failures in the deception Esshu were providing was because what we are seeing is only what they are willing to show.”

“Sounds familiar.” The words slipped out of Sasuke’s mouth before he realised, he had inadvertently voiced what should have been an inner thought. Shingen tensed and Nobu turned a heated look towards the young tech expert after the unusual display of tactlessness. Sasuke coughed and adjusted his glasses in a way that practically screamed how apologetic he felt and that he wouldn’t do it again.

“Mitsuhide what are we looking at?” Nobu turned again to his left hand seemingly happy enough that the outburst would not occur again.

“Currently I’m still asking around but it does look like there is still someone governing the company, even if the orders are being split up around the table. The links between the two are severed after they have made contact so there seems to be no trail back. I’m hopeful that a pattern should eventually present itself so a move can be made.” Mitsuhide lay the USB flat on the tabletop as if to say he is presentation was no done.

“Very well. I trust you won’t return empty-handed.” Nobu allowed his words to linger as a silent threat that he knew the man next to him wouldn’t miss. “Now we need to think about how we are going to—.”

“Excuse me but aren’t we missing one? Where is Masa?” Mitsunari interrupted after receiving a rather firm nudge from Hideyoshi to remind him of the meeting they were all in. Violet eyes blinked as he put his reading glasses safely in his breast pocket on his blazer. 

The girls in the office had some choice names for a lot of the men at the table, but the way they swoon and call Nari the model professor was one that tended to stick. He was always happy to help, giving with explanations and he smiled no matter who approached him. To top that off with the stylish yet comfortable academic look to his wardrobe just increased that appeal. A gift that seemed wasted on one so oblivious.

“He sent a text saying he was going to be late.” Hideyoshi replied rather tiredly. It was nothing new to have the errant head of the Date family turn up late to meetings and usually he had the good grace to message beforehand but it was rather frustrating when the man tended to appear almost on time despite the communication.

– Crash –

As if waiting for the perfectly timed wrong moment to appear, the doors to the room were thrown open and a rather flushed out of breath Masa appeared. He made it over to his chair and clung on to it as he tried to regain some oxygen.

“Guys you need to hear—”

“I was in the middle of talking Masa.” Nobu interjected before Masa could continue with little of his usual success in shutting down the interruption.

“Yeah? Well, sorry ‘bout that but Esshu is on the news.” Masa reached over to the sideboard and plucked the remote control for the projector screen which lowered from the ceiling over the end of the table. An image becoming revealed inch by inch of a what looked like a press conference outside a building made of mostly glass.

“They what?” Nobunaga got up out of his chair, snatched the controller form Masa’s hand and hit the volume. All attention in the room had shifted to the screen waiting for whatever was about to happen.

“… So, it is with the future in mind that we would like to announce our company’s official interest in moving towards the International Trade market. We feel it to be the only choice in providing our shareholders and investors with a more stable turnabout. It will also provide more jobs and secure futures for the many people employed as part of our company.”

“You say this will provide a more secure future for the company and employees but what of the benefits to the people of the city?”

“Thank you for your interest. We would like to make a quote from our sadly departed former CEO - Lack of diversity breeds stagnation. Basically, we are hoping that by moving into this area we will also open up the field for competitive prices and trading. Naturally, this will provide the people of this city with more choice and better opportunities to find what they desire which we hope to give an overall positive effect for both the commercial sectors but also private ones respectively.”

– Click –

“What the hell was that?” Yukimura’s voice broke the spell that had been cast in the room. All eyes that had been firmly locked on the screen unable to look away. Every detail of what was being said seeping into them all leaving a feeling that chilled and burnt like glacial ice.

“A direct declaration of war.” Shingen and Nobunaga answered in perfect synchronisation. The mixture of shock and dread that rolled around the room had changed into something a lot more interesting.  

“Good I was thinking things were getting boring around here.” Kenshin smiled and brought his hand to his side. The feel of the cold moulded metal sending a shiver of anticipation through him. Oh yes, Peace is not favourable to all.

---

Final requests…  Confessions on a death bed…  The last hopes and dreams of hundreds of people…  His head was filled with them. How many had he been witness to? How many more would he see before the end? After all, everything comes to an end, even if it doesn’t seem to.

The café was a quaint little family-run establishment. Somehow in the wave of franchises and brand label takeovers it had managed to survive and he was thankful for that. Not only was it a prime position to view the trade building but it had a large selection of teas that they managed to brew perfectly. He raised his cup to his mouth and took a sip. The subtle flavour of jasmine-infused with the matcha caused him to smile. Green tea was hardly his usual preference but when in Rome.  He took out a fob watch from his waistcoat and glanced at the enamel face as fine golden pieces moved silently under the glass. Almost time.

---

“Well thank you very much for making time for us today Mr Date, not to mention the food you’ve supplied for the staff is phenomenal.” A well turned out professional woman smiled politely at the man they called the one-eyed dragon. They were standing in the flagship location for his restaurants waiting on the other members of her reporting staff to finish setting up for their interview.

“Not at all always happy to make time for my favourite reporter. And what did I tell you about calling me that?” Masa slipped a little closer to her side. It was just enough to feel slightly scandalous given the public place they were standing in and the number of people present. After everything that was happening and the way that dry meeting from earlier had concluded, he was itching as much as the God of war for some action. What kind of action didn’t matter to him, a quick fumble or a gunfight was neither here nor there. What he really wanted was to let off some steam.

“I’m working right now Mr Da—Masa.” She moved creating a little space between them and tried to suppress a laugh at the boyish actions of the terrible flirt she had come to know over the years of covering his career and food.

“Fair enough kitten, have it your way.” Masa shrugged and moved to pick up one of the caramelised onion-and-roast beef vol au vents.

– Crash, Bang, Clatter –

The relaxed atmosphere was shattered like the window and door to the restaurant as what looked like an army descended. They were all dressed in the typical black standard-issue gear that the police gave to their special ops teams. Printed in foot-high lettering on the back of the bulletproof vests was the word S.W.A.T.

“Freeze. Everyone hands where we can see them and don’t move.” One of the first to burst into the building was slightly crouched holding his weapon and scanning the room. The rest of his team were fanning out and making sure to secure the area blocking off exits.

“What the hell?” A camera guy had to drag his gear quickly out of the way to avoid it being crushed under heavy boots.

“Is this a raid?” The make-up girl squealed.

“Why is there a Swat team here?” A crewman who was standing next to her helped shield her from a couple of the armed police as they pushed past.

“Omg, they brought dogs too!” The make-up girl squealed again as one of the dogs put a cold wet nose on her leg making her jump.

The news staff were thrown into confusion and panic as they made moves to group together in clusters avoiding the intruders. They were too scared to even imagine what would happen if they looked too long at any of the officials holding guns.

“Where is Masamune Date?” The leader spoke again and the news staff automatically looked at the Chef that was still holding his food.

“Right here, Guys. I realise it’s a rather long waitlist for a table but this is taking it a little far don’t ya think?” Masa popped the vol au vent in his mouth in one motion and smiled. The female reporter next to him gave an audible gasp as she watched the complete lack of worry or concern, he was displaying. He was the head of a respectable dining empire and he was also surrounded by members of his own staff and hers. Yet here he was displaying an almost sociopathic response to an otherwise shocking situation.

“Shut up and cuff him.” One of the team wrapped a pair of metal cuffs around his wrists and tightened them. The brush of unforgiving cold steel on his bare skin just made his smile grow. Someone was playing a dangerous game here and he was interested to find out where it was going.

“Masa?” Finding her voice, the reporter called out as the staff were being sent through to another location in the restaurant for questioning so the dogs could do their thing.

“Sorry kitten looks like we’ll have to do a rain check on the interview.”

---

Sitting in his office Ieyasu was looking over the latest figures from the last round of testing for their newest drugs. The figures were improving and that was promising. Clearly, it had been the right move to change the quantities they had used in the last test. It did look like it might still be days before they could make an announcement about the new medicine. He sighed as he looked out of the window and frowned.

A cluster of vans had pulled up to the security gates for the building. They were unmarked but he knew they were a favourite for the police. His office phone started to ring the id displaying that the front gate was trying to contact him. This isn’t going to be good.

---

It was the end of the day finally and [Name] slipped her arms back inside her jacket as she picked up her bag and made for the doors. It had been a boring uneventful day if you didn’t include the lunch date with her friend. She smiled as he left the building as part of the small crowd of straggling staff that had stayed a little later in the building than the rest.

The fresh air was turning a little crisp which had the benefit of clearing her head from the stuffy feeling of being in a grey cube most of the day. As she crossed the street to head to the underground for a train, a well-dressed man stepped out from a small café she sometimes frequented and gave her the most disarming smile as he removed his hat.

“Miss [Name]? I was wondering if you could spare a moment?” Something about the man felt familiar and instantly had her guard up. Still interacting in such a public place shouldn’t have been nearly as much of an issue as it might have been had they been in a deserted side street.

She nodded and his smile grew wider until the edges of his eyes crinkled with delight. He motioned to the café doors and held them open for her as she stepped in. There was a chair by the window that already seemed to have a man’s coat draped over it. The gentleman moved like smoke past it and pulled out the chair on the opposite side for her. Waiting until she was comfortably arranged before gently pushing it under her.

“Thank you.”

“Not at all. I should be thanking you in fact. I had wondered if I had missed you but you saved me some time by appearing just as I was about to give up hope.” He motioned to the young girl behind the counter who nodded and went to pick up a notepad and pen.

“You said you wanted to speak to me. Can I ask about what?” [Name] didn’t remove eyes from the man before her. Something was telling her that if she did it might be the last thing she would do. He was pleasant and well-mannered but she also knew all too well how those sorts of things could easily be faked.

“Your father.”

---

A fresh arrangement of Snapdragons had been placed in a vase. The long-stemmed perennials held a variety of hues that seemed rather shocking in this otherwise dead space. The phone next to them on the table vibrated as a new text arrived.

“Awaiting the opponent’s counterplay.”

---   

[welcomeeatery]

Dad does it! Hacks the most amazing princess castle bed

When my son was 4 years old, my wife and I needed to move him out of his convertible toddler bed to a “big kid bed” so that our daughter could begin to use the former.

He wasn't excited about it, so I offered to build him a new bed that was “the most awesome bed ever”, and the result was a success that made him very happy.

Our daughter is no dummy though … as she approached her fourth birthday, she began asking for her own special “big girl bed”.

And while our son had given us complete “creative control”, our daughter was a little more specific: “a fairy princess castle bed … preferably pink,” she said.

My daughter's first draft of the hack

3D model before construction began

This is the Fairy Princess Castle Bed we built for her:

Watch my YouTube video, including 3D model, time lapse of the assembly, and my daughter's reaction to her Fairy Princess Castle Bed:

IKEA items used for castle bed:

2 Kura children's beds

1 Kura bed tent

Other materials:

~30' of 2x4s

~80' of 2x2s

~16' of 1x4s

~15' of 1x10s

3' of 1×12

18 2' x 4' white mdf panels

6 2'x4' faux stone panels

~30 ft2 of laminate flooring

~30 ft2 of plywood

~25' of nature-themed moulding

~50' of plain moulding

Strips of hobby wood

4 flat metal bars

22 button magnets

Square dowels of varying thickness

Bundle of cedar siding

Various pieces of hardware

Roll of grey contact paper

Quart of pink paint

Several quarts dark brown (Jacobean) stain

Several quarts of clear lacquer

Quart of black paint

Various fake plants

2 sets of remote-controlled LED strip lights

1 Aukey table light

2 sets of drawer slides

Tools:

Belt sander

Sandpaper (60-220 grit) and sanding block

Rip cut saw

Hack saw

Back cut saw

Miter box

Power drill and various drill bits

Hammer

Various screw drivers

Level

Various paint brushes

Super glue

Construction adhesive (i.e. “Liquid Nails”)

Caulk gun

Hot glue gun

Staple gun

How we put together the Fairy Princess Castle Bed

This hack was so extensive that giving detailed step-by-step instructions would be a book in itself, so here's a concise summary:

The hack consists of 2 major sections (each of which is comprised of a separate Kura bed):

I. “The bed”

1. Use belt sander to strip preexisting lacquer off all Kura parts

2. Stain all wooden Kura parts

3. Cover mdf panels provided with the Kura with grey contact paper on one side.

4. Assemble Kura roughly according to IKEA's conventional directions, but keep each of the 4 walls separate from one another. Only notable exception is to not include the upper rail to the side wall adjacent to the ladder – as this will be where “the bed” joins “the tower”. This will also require 2 2x4s (or alternatively 2 2x2s) to help support the back wall, which otherwise can't be assembled independently of the others.

5. Create frames for the door and window using 2x4s and 2×2 respectively.

Finishing the bed half

Front wall almost finished

6. Construct the door from bed slats taken from the second Kura: Cut off the ends to create the proper height. Attach them together using rectangular dowels nailed to their back sides.

Future door from bed slats

Use hacksaw to cut metal bars to the width of the door, superglue metal button magnets on the front to look like rivets, and paint the bar/magnet pieces black. Once dry, attach to the bed slats.

(Super gluing them didn't hold well – I had better luck with drilling shallow holes into the slats, filling with construction adhesive, and then clamping the bars over them for 24 hours. Be sure to roughen the back side of the bars for maximum adhesion).

Once door finished, attach to the frame via hinges.

Optional: Attached pink wooden fairy to the door using the same drill hole-filled with adhesive approach.

7. Construct window shutters using square dowels and strips of “hobby wood”. Paint pink. Attach to window frame.

Window shutters in various stages of completion

8. Use white mdf panels for the walls. (The ones I used were actually intended for whiteboards, so were smooth white on one side, and rough/unfinished on the other. The smooth white side replicated dry wall relatively well). Attached walls to the inside of each of the now-assembled Kura wall frames.

9. Cut faux stone panels to fit into the preexisting spaces in the front frame. (I used Wellington light grey panels from fauxpanels.com. Attach to the backside of the mdf panels using construction adhesive.

10. Create an inset for behind the ladder using the same general principles used in steps 8 and 9.

11. Cut, sand, and stain plain moulding to use inside the first floor of “the bed” to cover over seems

II. “The Tower”

This is the more difficult half to hack/construct.

First, the tower consists of part of the second Kura bed tipped on its side (It doesn't include the top rail – which can be used as 2×2's anywhere else in the project).

Also, the tipped Kura may not be structurally sound; I create a platform for the second floor of the tower using 2×4's, 2×2's, and plywood, which stood completely independently of the visible tower.

12. As with “the bed”, strip and stain all wooden Kura parts.

13. Also as with “the bed”, assemble the 4 walls using the 12 main edge pieces to the bed/tower.

14. Create a lower platform using plywood placed on top of spare bed slats. (This will go directly on the actual room's floor when finished)

15. Create the upper platform using 2x4s for the vertical supports, 2x2s for the “beams”, and plywood for the floor. The plywood can be covered on one side with the white mdf panels to make a nice ceiling for the first floor.

16. Use a combination of 2×2's and mdf panels to create a wall that will divide the first floor into 2 halves. The left half will become an alcove for the hide-away bookcase, and the right will become a “secret passage”.

Inside castle bed – secret passage closed

Inside castle bed – secret passage open

Secret passage exit to outside

17. Create the sliding platform for the bookcase. I used 2 2x4s attached to the lower platform, 2 2x4s attached to a horizontal 1×12 that acted as a shelf, linked together by industrial-strength, full extension drawer slides. (I used 32” drawer slides made by Hettich)

Sliding platform for bookcase

18. Use a combination of 2×4's, 2×2's, mdf panels, and faux stone panels to create the front and side walls in similar fashion to what was done for “the bed”.

This should include swinging doors covered with stone panel that will act like hidden compartments for the bookcase and secret passage.

The back wall of the tower will rest against the wall of the actual room and thus, can be left open as it was for “the bed”.

Backside of tower, almost finished

19. Build door and window shutters as done with “the bed”.

20. Use plain moulding to cover vertical seams inside the tower, and additional moulding around the top (I used nature-themed moulding).

21. Cut wooden laminate flooring to cover both the lower and upper platforms. (You do not need to worry about underlayment for this kind of usage)

Inside of tower without the upper platform

Inside the first floor (i.e. under the mattress)

22. Build a bookcase that will fit in the alcove and on top of the sliding platform built during step 17. (I would have preferred to use an IKEA bookcase – for example, a Bestå or Billy bookcase – but there wasn't one that was the appropriate size).

Paint (or finish) bookcase. I also glued some thin strips of nature-themed moulding to the front to add some character.

III. “The tower roof”

23. The tower roof was the most elaborate and challenging step.

Calculating measurements for the tower roof

Angled wood used as a radial beam for the tower's vaulted ceiling

To begin, create a frame that will firmly attach to the top of the tower and also provide a lip for the roof to sit in.

(This way, the roof will stay on by virtue of its weight alone, and you won't need to worry about separately securing the roof.)

Vaulted ceiling inside tower

The roof is built from 4 triangular shaped mdf panels, joined together by pairs of angled wooden dowels that act as radial beams for a vaulted, pyramid shaped ceiling.

(I lacked the tools to do create those “beams”, so this involved a lot of sanding and revisions.) For the roof, I used cedar siding (which I needed to recut and sand prior to painting pink).

Tower roof, about halfway finished

IV. Assembly of the Castle Bed

By this point, you should have 4-5 different pieces for “the bed” (4 walls +/- separate inset behind the ladder), slats for “the bed”, and ~12 different pieces for “the tower” (4 walls, 2 platforms, 2-4 vertical posts for upper platform, 1 inner vertical wall on first floor, bookcase, roof frame, roof). Time to put them all together. (The main assembly took me ~10 hours, separated across 2 days).

Now install the lights, any miniature furniture (e.g. pillows, kids chair, toy box), and attach fake plants (I literally stapled them to the wood frame).

Parts that will eventually become the exterior light fixture

Finished exterior light

Add mattress and bed tent.

Woohoo – you're finally done!

Our daughter loves her Fairy Princess Castle bed.

How long and how much did the castle bed cost?

Took 10 months and ~400 hours. Total cost was about $2000-2500 US (I didn't keep receipts).

What do you like most about the castle bed?

How much my daughter likes it.

What was the hardest part about the hack?

Getting the hidden bookcase to slide in and out of its alcove with enough ease that my daughter could easily do it herself.

What to pay special attention to?

A Kura bed is not necessarily structurally stable if used on its side. Also, be 100% sure this monstrosity will fit into its destination room before you start!

Looking back, would you have done the castle bed differently?

I would have spent less time on the shingled roof, which is literally not visible without a step stool.

~ by Eric Strong

The post Dad does it! Hacks the most amazing princess castle bed appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

[kerrychelly-blog]

Dad does it! Hacks the most amazing princess castle bed

When my son was 4 years old, my wife and I needed to move him out of his convertible toddler bed to a “big kid bed” so that our daughter could begin to use the former.

He wasn't excited about it, so I offered to build him a new bed that was “the most awesome bed ever”, and the result was a success that made him very happy.

Our daughter is no dummy though … as she approached her fourth birthday, she began asking for her own special “big girl bed”.

And while our son had given us complete “creative control”, our daughter was a little more specific: “a fairy princess castle bed … preferably pink,” she said.

My daughter's first draft of the hack

3D model before construction began

This is the Fairy Princess Castle Bed we built for her:

Watch my YouTube video, including 3D model, time lapse of the assembly, and my daughter's reaction to her Fairy Princess Castle Bed:

IKEA items used for castle bed:

2 Kura children's beds

1 Kura bed tent

Other materials:

~30' of 2x4s

~80' of 2x2s

~16' of 1x4s

~15' of 1x10s

3' of 1×12

18 2' x 4' white mdf panels

6 2'x4' faux stone panels

~30 ft2 of laminate flooring

~30 ft2 of plywood

~25' of nature-themed moulding

~50' of plain moulding

Strips of hobby wood

4 flat metal bars

22 button magnets

Square dowels of varying thickness

Bundle of cedar siding

Various pieces of hardware

Roll of grey contact paper

Quart of pink paint

Several quarts dark brown (Jacobean) stain

Several quarts of clear lacquer

Quart of black paint

Various fake plants

2 sets of remote-controlled LED strip lights

1 Aukey table light

2 sets of drawer slides

Tools:

Belt sander

Sandpaper (60-220 grit) and sanding block

Rip cut saw

Hack saw

Back cut saw

Miter box

Power drill and various drill bits

Hammer

Various screw drivers

Level

Various paint brushes

Super glue

Construction adhesive (i.e. “Liquid Nails”)

Caulk gun

Hot glue gun

Staple gun

How we put together the Fairy Princess Castle Bed

This hack was so extensive that giving detailed step-by-step instructions would be a book in itself, so here's a concise summary:

The hack consists of 2 major sections (each of which is comprised of a separate Kura bed):

I. “The bed”

1. Use belt sander to strip preexisting lacquer off all Kura parts

2. Stain all wooden Kura parts

3. Cover mdf panels provided with the Kura with grey contact paper on one side.

4. Assemble Kura roughly according to IKEA's conventional directions, but keep each of the 4 walls separate from one another. Only notable exception is to not include the upper rail to the side wall adjacent to the ladder – as this will be where “the bed” joins “the tower”. This will also require 2 2x4s (or alternatively 2 2x2s) to help support the back wall, which otherwise can't be assembled independently of the others.

5. Create frames for the door and window using 2x4s and 2×2 respectively.

Finishing the bed half

Front wall almost finished

6. Construct the door from bed slats taken from the second Kura: Cut off the ends to create the proper height. Attach them together using rectangular dowels nailed to their back sides.

Future door from bed slats

Use hacksaw to cut metal bars to the width of the door, superglue metal button magnets on the front to look like rivets, and paint the bar/magnet pieces black. Once dry, attach to the bed slats.

(Super gluing them didn't hold well – I had better luck with drilling shallow holes into the slats, filling with construction adhesive, and then clamping the bars over them for 24 hours. Be sure to roughen the back side of the bars for maximum adhesion).

Once door finished, attach to the frame via hinges.

Optional: Attached pink wooden fairy to the door using the same drill hole-filled with adhesive approach.

7. Construct window shutters using square dowels and strips of “hobby wood”. Paint pink. Attach to window frame.

Window shutters in various stages of completion

8. Use white mdf panels for the walls. (The ones I used were actually intended for whiteboards, so were smooth white on one side, and rough/unfinished on the other. The smooth white side replicated dry wall relatively well). Attached walls to the inside of each of the now-assembled Kura wall frames.

9. Cut faux stone panels to fit into the preexisting spaces in the front frame. (I used Wellington light grey panels from fauxpanels.com. Attach to the backside of the mdf panels using construction adhesive.

10. Create an inset for behind the ladder using the same general principles used in steps 8 and 9.

11. Cut, sand, and stain plain moulding to use inside the first floor of “the bed” to cover over seems

II. “The Tower”

This is the more difficult half to hack/construct.

First, the tower consists of part of the second Kura bed tipped on its side (It doesn't include the top rail – which can be used as 2×2's anywhere else in the project).

Also, the tipped Kura may not be structurally sound; I create a platform for the second floor of the tower using 2×4's, 2×2's, and plywood, which stood completely independently of the visible tower.

12. As with “the bed”, strip and stain all wooden Kura parts.

13. Also as with “the bed”, assemble the 4 walls using the 12 main edge pieces to the bed/tower.

14. Create a lower platform using plywood placed on top of spare bed slats. (This will go directly on the actual room's floor when finished)

15. Create the upper platform using 2x4s for the vertical supports, 2x2s for the “beams”, and plywood for the floor. The plywood can be covered on one side with the white mdf panels to make a nice ceiling for the first floor.

16. Use a combination of 2×2's and mdf panels to create a wall that will divide the first floor into 2 halves. The left half will become an alcove for the hide-away bookcase, and the right will become a “secret passage”.

Inside castle bed – secret passage closed

Inside castle bed – secret passage open

Secret passage exit to outside

17. Create the sliding platform for the bookcase. I used 2 2x4s attached to the lower platform, 2 2x4s attached to a horizontal 1×12 that acted as a shelf, linked together by industrial-strength, full extension drawer slides. (I used 32” drawer slides made by Hettich)

Sliding platform for bookcase

18. Use a combination of 2×4's, 2×2's, mdf panels, and faux stone panels to create the front and side walls in similar fashion to what was done for “the bed”.

This should include swinging doors covered with stone panel that will act like hidden compartments for the bookcase and secret passage.

The back wall of the tower will rest against the wall of the actual room and thus, can be left open as it was for “the bed”.

Backside of tower, almost finished

19. Build door and window shutters as done with “the bed”.

20. Use plain moulding to cover vertical seams inside the tower, and additional moulding around the top (I used nature-themed moulding).

21. Cut wooden laminate flooring to cover both the lower and upper platforms. (You do not need to worry about underlayment for this kind of usage)

Inside of tower without the upper platform

Inside the first floor (i.e. under the mattress)

22. Build a bookcase that will fit in the alcove and on top of the sliding platform built during step 17. (I would have preferred to use an IKEA bookcase – for example, a Bestå or Billy bookcase – but there wasn't one that was the appropriate size).

Paint (or finish) bookcase. I also glued some thin strips of nature-themed moulding to the front to add some character.

III. “The tower roof”

23. The tower roof was the most elaborate and challenging step.

Calculating measurements for the tower roof

Angled wood used as a radial beam for the tower's vaulted ceiling

To begin, create a frame that will firmly attach to the top of the tower and also provide a lip for the roof to sit in.

(This way, the roof will stay on by virtue of its weight alone, and you won't need to worry about separately securing the roof.)

Vaulted ceiling inside tower

The roof is built from 4 triangular shaped mdf panels, joined together by pairs of angled wooden dowels that act as radial beams for a vaulted, pyramid shaped ceiling.

(I lacked the tools to do create those “beams”, so this involved a lot of sanding and revisions.) For the roof, I used cedar siding (which I needed to recut and sand prior to painting pink).

Tower roof, about halfway finished

IV. Assembly of the Castle Bed

By this point, you should have 4-5 different pieces for “the bed” (4 walls +/- separate inset behind the ladder), slats for “the bed”, and ~12 different pieces for “the tower” (4 walls, 2 platforms, 2-4 vertical posts for upper platform, 1 inner vertical wall on first floor, bookcase, roof frame, roof). Time to put them all together. (The main assembly took me ~10 hours, separated across 2 days).

Now install the lights, any miniature furniture (e.g. pillows, kids chair, toy box), and attach fake plants (I literally stapled them to the wood frame).

Parts that will eventually become the exterior light fixture

Finished exterior light

Add mattress and bed tent.

Woohoo – you're finally done!

Our daughter loves her Fairy Princess Castle bed.

How long and how much did the castle bed cost?

Took 10 months and ~400 hours. Total cost was about $2000-2500 US (I didn't keep receipts).

What do you like most about the castle bed?

How much my daughter likes it.

What was the hardest part about the hack?

Getting the hidden bookcase to slide in and out of its alcove with enough ease that my daughter could easily do it herself.

What to pay special attention to?

A Kura bed is not necessarily structurally stable if used on its side. Also, be 100% sure this monstrosity will fit into its destination room before you start!

Looking back, would you have done the castle bed differently?

I would have spent less time on the shingled roof, which is literally not visible without a step stool.

~ by Eric Strong

The post Dad does it! Hacks the most amazing princess castle bed appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

[connorhurleyphoto]

artist analysis 2 - Johnny Joo

Architecture photography.

 What is the name of the photographer? Are they a professional? If so what companies have they worked for in the past?

 The fine art photographer’s name is Johnny Joo from USA, Ohio. He is a professional photographer in that he has made books from his photographs and sold them, yet hasn’t necessarily done photography for any specific businesses.

 What is their motivation for being a photographer? what’s their motivation for being an architecture photographer.

 His motivation for being an architecture photographer was due to him traveling around a lot of abandoned places while 16. This made him want to capture and share what he finds and keep it as part of the present.

 Discuss if this photograph had been taken for commercial purposes, editorial purposes or fine art purposes.

 The photograph was taken for Fine art purposes. Joo puts all of his images up in his online gallery known as “architecturalafterlife.com”.

 What is the name of this building?

What was this building used for?

Was this building designed by a well-known artist?

 The building itself was simply an abandoned house in Ohio that was part of his “haunting homes” collection. It is suggested have originally been a home that people lived in and its designer is unknown.

 Discuss the content of this photograph

 The main content of this image is the broken-down home, with trees and other parts of nature growing through the original structure with a vignette around the border of the image, focusing in on house.

 What is the photographer trying to communicate to the viewer about this particular building?

 The building communicates to the audience about the unusual growth of nature around the building, as well as the surprising fact that the building is still standing. It has been moulded around by the nature that surrounds its old structure. Even though the building has obviously been abandoned for a long time, it has withstood a large amount of damage.

 Discuss the main technical or formal elements featured in the photograph.

 A main element of the image is the unusual composition, with almost no negative space, save a few gaps between leaves. The flora surrounding the house begin to hide some of the features and parts of the structure for the building. The deep depth of field also makes it harder to differentiate some of the plant life from the actual architecture. Another interest element of the photograph is the lack of differing colours, closes to a monochrome style. The colour is mainly consisting of green and grey, with differing shades in different areas.

  Read the quotes and answer question.

 “shadow is an amazing subject. Shadow is an absence. As an absence of energy, you can compare it to silence or maybe cold air. It tells you the most. But it’s the one also that can trick you. Because you could have a feeling that it’s something else you see.” – Helene Binet

 Helene Binet is an architecture photographer that shoots both contemporary photography and historic. In her quote, she talks about the importance of shadows and their uses. It can be a use of concealment to hide details in architecture, allowing the audience to view the shadow in whatever way they want. This is why she says it can tell you the most, as what it tells you is different from what the shadow may tell others. But this is also how it is a trick to many, for you may be misled by your own imagination of the shadow. I agree with this quote on how shadows can be an amazing piece to a photograph while simply hiding small details from the audience’s view.  It can link in to Joo’s image as there is many points of shadow within the image that help conceal details of the building, though in small amounts. The shadows help add depth to the image where the deep depth of field may not have added to.

 Do you think the photographer has manipulated the photograph using digital editing? If you think they have then what impact does this have on the viewers and how they react and respond to it.

 When looking at the image, there is very little to suggest any manipulation from editing. Joo does not seem to have a past in using editing software on his images and if he does it is only for light touch ups. The vignette could suggest there was editing of the image involved, but specific lenses can add vignettes themselves which could be the case here.

 What is your personal response to the photograph.

 My personal response to the image is that it is very effective at showing the age and loss of care surrounding the image. The monochrome like effect with green grey really does make it look as if it has not been touched for years by any human, which is the driving point that Joo wanted to bring across. The vignette also adds to this effect as this was a common technique used in older images taken. I will say that some of the foliage can come across as flat in the image, but the main focus being the building does obviously stand out. This look at abandonment is what I have taken inspiration from in this image. Though it may not always be directly to do with fauna it is the tone of the photograph that I want to take over.

[uniofbathscifi]

Anime Review: Erased

[Review submitted by http://hawk-in-a-jazzy-hat.tumblr.com/]

Originally posted on 25/03/2016

This review is a personal opinion and does not necessarily reflect the views of the committee or the society in general.

Satoru Fujinuma really wants to write manga, but his attempts keep getting rejected due to not having enough of his own heart in them. Unable to find the inspiration, Satoru finds himself working a part-time pizza delivery job, but he has other things on his mind as well. Namely, the fact that he keeps undergoing “Revival”; being sent back a few minutes into the past in order to prevent an imminent disaster. However his life suddenly takes a turn for the worse, and he finds himself being revived way, way into the past; back into his elementary school days. Reuniting with his old school friends, he figures he has a chance to prevent a disaster from his childhood; a disaster which, if averted, may just change his life forever…

Adaptations are tricky beasts. No matter what you do, you’re always going to get people going “but the original was better because it did it first”. Incidentally, I stand by my belief that all work stands on its own feet, adaptation or not, and if something is a unique story in its own medium then it deserves to be looked at as such. Some film adaptations are better than their books, some books are better than their films; there’s no one rule as to what makes something “better”. But that’s a rant for another time. What I will talk about is the nature of adapting a manga into an anime, and what that entails.

See, the Erased manga is an 8 volume series standing at 44 chapters, which finished this year. It was adapted into a 12 episode series to be released during a single season (a season of anime lasts for about a quarter of the year). This immediately causes discrepancies with timing, pacing, where to split the chapters; film is a very different medium to comic, since some pages only take a few seconds (action scenes), while others will take several minutes (character discussions). Also bearing in mind that you might need to add or take away things, and you can probably see why adaptation is so difficult. Luckily the Erased manga was due to finish at the time when the series was airing, so at the very least the series ending is actually the “true” ending. (Again, another rant about the stigma of anime-only endings another time)

So given all that, what, you’re probably asking, do I think of Erased? Honestly, it’s great. It’s got a really unique concept and the first episode is incredible, setting up a dark, mystery thriller. The next few episodes add even more layers, taking place in the past and adding several beautiful character moments.

Easily the highlight of this series is the arc revolving around the main schoolgirl character, Kayo Hinazuki. Her relationship with Satoru takes up most of the series and it is beautifully done. For one thing, the kids in this series actually act like kids. It may not sound much, but trust me, it’s so rare to find great, believable child characters in any piece of fiction. None of the child cast come off as annoying or bland or grating, not even the catty ones. The segments in the past really felt like a nostalgia trip, and props to everyone involved in writing and acting that. I also want to give a shout-out to Satoru’s mother, who may be hands down the best mother I’ve seen in anime period.

Another plus is the presentation by A-1 Pictures; every frame of this looks utterly beautiful. Characters are always on model, the designs actually look semi-realistic without looking ugly, and the facial animation is leagues above what I’d expect for anime. The direction’s really solid as well, with clever composition and editing creating some beautiful and tense moments, and even sometimes saving the scenes which are, let’s say, not quite as well written.

Now, this series follows the basic story of the manga, but a lot had to be cut out. But herein lies the real problem with this series, and why I was harping on about adaptation earlier; in order to make a good adaptation, you need to mould the whole series to your new medium. If something needs to be taken away, then you need to actually write it out completely. Conversely, if you need to fill time and add something in, make sure it completely fills the gap. (Which can be done well; this is one reason why I actually for the most part like the Hobbit movies). Erased has a lot of story, and has a lot of plot threads and characters to get that story across, but the thing is, the anime is not given enough time to explore them. Hence while it does wrap up the main plot, technically, there are a load of extra characters and sub-plots that are either completely rushed or just don’t go anywhere.

They’re not bad characters, they really aren’t, but they just feel so superfluous. It really feels like this should have been a 24 episode series. In fact, I was convinced it was going to be until the last three episodes, which are probably the worst of the series in terms of pacing. And again, they’re not bad episodes; they’re tense, they’re emotionally driven, they focus on the right things and the ending itself is satisfying. But as well as they did manage to fit in all this stuff they could have done so much more if they’d just taken out some of the fluff. The present day stuff and pretty much all the characters there, and maybe a few of the other schoolkids could all have been cut, and we could have spent some more time developing others, particularly Kenya and Yuuki who in the end were both desperately lacking despite both being interesting.

Having now watched this for a second time, I can pinpoint the series’ flaws down to another issue, again probably due to the adaptation; from the beginning, Erased sells itself as a mystery and a thriller. The direction, the concept; everything lends itself to high-concept tension. But the thing is, when you really get down to the story…it’s not a mystery. It’s a drama, and it’s a character study, and when the show actually focuses on that, it’s really fantastically good. But that just makes the deficiencies stand out even more when it tries to push the mystery angle at you, which may be somewhat realistic but in many ways completely kills the tension. I feel the series could have saved itself if the big ‘reveal’ as it were had been at the halfway point, rather than close to the end. Erased is a far more engaging story when it’s dealing with the ‘how’ rather than the ‘who’, and given the final confrontation of the series, I’m convinced that’s what the story was trying to do; it’s certainly more akin to a clash of ideals than a big Phoenix Wright ‘blowing open the case’ story, which in this context just falls flat.

That’s the saddest thing about this series for me; I want to love it so badly. It has so many wonderful things going for it; great animation, wonderful characters, a thrilling mystery and beautiful emotional beats, all the way through. But if you’re going to tell this story you need to tell it properly, and the adaptation here was overall just so sloppy. Either double the series length, or if that’s really not possible, then cut out bits and shorten the story. Yes it’s difficult, and it’s sad to lose great stuff, but it’s even sadder to be shown great stuff and then never actually having anything done with it. Let me put it this way; I’d much rather be able to build a small Lego set than get sporadic glimpses at a huge one.

With all that said and done, this is still a great series. It definitely rises above my recommendation line (between 6 and 7) and has an awful lot to love, particularly in the first half. With all that said though, despite nearly everything else being near perfect I can’t call this a true classic. It clearly wants to be, and I seriously wanted it to be, but that’s the nature of adaptation. You can have the greatest story in the world, but if you don’t tell it right, then you are losing so much more than you realise.

My score: 7/10