#which would absolutely be a great thing to focus on eliminating

[assumptionprime]

I adore your take on DS2 and wanted to know what ur thoughts were on Elden Ring and/or DS 3!

(also I have been loving ur comics!!!)

First off: Thank you! Glad you like my comics! <3

I mentioned it briefly in the DS2 post, and it's been said by others, but Dark Souls 3 is about ending Dark Souls. And it does that very well. The "time and space is falling apart and that's why the geography is like that" that people sometimes say about DS2 is literally, textually true in 3. The Dreg Heap is a pile of other, older Dark Souls areas collapsing in on each other. This world has been going on and on, repeating and prolonging the Age of Fire that should have ended long ago, and it's just breaking down. You can't keep the same thing going forever, that's true in the universe of the story, and of a franchise of dark fantasy action RPGs.

It's kind of funny and also impressive that Miyazaki and the team hit that point, saying if they keep doing this it's going to fall apart, on game three of the franchise. There's so many series out there that will pump out game after game of the same stuff, to the point they stop numbering them and give them subtitles to hide the fact that they're on game 23 of this thing, and FromSoft said "three's our limit for this one" and gave us the greatest hits final bow before moving on to new different takes on their subgenre of games.

Enter Elden Ring! The game that got me into FromSoft games. Every time people talked about Dark Souls it was always about how hard they were, and the whole "git gud" mentality, which made them seem like they would 100% be not my kind of thing. But I am an absolute sucker for a fantasy open world, so I dipped my toes into Elden Ring, and really enjoyed it! Being able to just go exploring and do something else whenever I got stuck was a huge plus, as are spirit ash summons. The game is hard, for sure, but there's also a lot of ways to ease that difficulty (not eliminate it, but ease it (also there's no excuse to not have a pause button, that's stupid, don't @ me))

As far as lore and storytelling, Elden Ring has a lot of cool stuff (that's my wife Ranni, my cool witch wife Ranni) but I don't know that I have so definite a "take" on its story. It goes back to the Dark Souls 1 and 3 well of "some important shit happened, go kill this list of bosses about it" but I appreciate that you have a lot more choice in regards to your ending. It's not "link the fire or don't" it's "you're creating a new age, what do you want that age to be like?" with a few compelling choices and some evil bastard ones for fun.

Assorted side thoughts:

FP is better than spell uses. More convenient, more flexible, lets you focus on Mind to allow yourself to cast more spells.

All of my first playthroughs were sword and board, both because of caution going in and because I like the "knight with a sword and shield" aesthetic.

Related to the last point, Guard Counters are a great addition in ER, and the "Sekiro style block" crystal tear for the Physick in the DLC should have been a talisman or something permanent, to just make that a play style people can use.

The Alva Armor rules, 10/10 best fit in Dark Souls

I really like Shadow of the Erdtree, but it is the absolute limit on the current version of Souls-game mechanics. Not everyone is Let Me Solo Her, and between both the extremely punishing difficulty and the becoming more repetitive nature of a lot of the boss design, they need to change up the combat to keep things going. Sekiro seems to be a step in that direction from what I hear?

No boss fight in any video game has ever made me feel as cool as Slave Knight Gael in the DS3 DLC. It just worked for me on pretty much every level. The story, the music, the visuals, the difficulty. I can beat him, and it's hard but not a kind of hard that makes me angry at the game. Dodging in and out of his attacks, getting my own hits in, it felt like a kick ass dance of fantasy combat. It's peak.

[anneapocalypse]

On Cullen's Earnestness

In my current playthrough of Dragon Age: Inquisition, this one early war table quest caught my eye that I think offers a good bit of insight into Cullen’s character.

In “Truth or Dare: The Imperial Court,” Vivienne alerts Josephine to a letter she’s received from an acquaintance, purporting to “warn” Vivienne of the suspect company she has taken up in joining the Inquisition. The letter reads thus:

My dearest Vivienne,

You cannot have heard the shocking allegations against the Inquisition, or surely you would never have been seen with them. Allow me, as a friend, to open your eyes. People are saying that Divine Justinia is, indeed, alive, but that the Inquisition—her closest advisors and most trusted servants—have orchestrated all this chaos on her orders. That it was Seeker Pentaghast and Sister Nightingale who sabotaged the Conclave in order to eliminate the opposition within the Chantry, and cut off the heads of the mage rebellion and templars in a single stroke. To save your own reputation, you must escape this acquaintance immediately.

With deepest concern, Vicomtesse Elodie de Morreau

In the context of the Game, we may understand that this Vicomtesse, while she may call Vivienne a friend, likely has no great concern for her reputation.

The Inquisition is the horse on which Vivienne is betting in order to better her own position (which is considerably shakier than she lets on, but that’s another post); Vicomtesse Elodie is simply making a different bet. If Vivienne heeds her warnings, and the Inquisition never achieves public favor, then Elodie’s advice was correct and Vivienne is indebted to her. If Vivienne heeds her warnings and the Inquisition does gain public acclaim, then Elodie has disrupted Vivienne’s opportunity for advancement, and she also wins. And if Vivienne does not heed her advice and the Inquisition remains a pariah, Elodie gets to watch Vivienne go down with it, smugly saying “I told you so.” Only if the Inquisition thrives and Vivienne with it does Elodie lose this bet—and Vivienne is clearly interested in seeing that outcome, and helping it come about.

The important thing is that the specifics of the accusations against the Inquisition are absolutely irrelevant here. This conspiracy theory about Justinia being secretly alive and the Left and Right Hand doing a sabotage to secure Chantry power—it’s all nonsense, and I doubt the Vicomtesse truly believes it. More critically, she likely does not care whether it is true. Repeating this rumor is just a means to a desired outcome.

If you’ve ever argued with a conspiracy theorist who seemed to simply change their position every time you backed them into a rhetorical corner, you may have realized that facts are largely ineffective at combating this sort of thing.

And of the three advisors, Cullen is the only one to get hung up on the content of the rumor, rather than its source and its purpose. Josephine and Leliana, seasoned players of the Game, both recognize this stupid rumor for what it is. Both of them ignore the substance of it and instead focus on its purpose: turning public opinion against the Inquisition. Josephine proposes to combat it by seeking noble favor elsewhere and leaving it to those allies to do the work of actually arguing against the rumors. Leliana is more interested in finding out with whom the rumor originated.

Leliana also makes the particularly savvy observation that if they were to combat the rumor by attempting to prove Justinia’s death, they would simply be providing their opponents more ammunition to use against them later. Leliana recognizes that “The Divine is alive, and you’re hiding her!” isn’t an earnest accusation, it’s bait. And if you take the bait, if you say, “Actually the Divine did die; here’s her remains to prove it,” then your enemies can say, “Aha! And how do you know she’s dead? It’s because you people killed her!” Or, best case scenario is they just bait you into wasting a lot of your time proving the accusation false, which is exactly what happens if you let Cullen take the bait.

Again, you might have had a similar experience if you’ve ever tried to “debate” a person whose strategy is making outrageous claims, letting you waste a lot of time earnestly debunking them, and then ignoring all your arguments and simply making another, equally outrageous claim.

In Cullen’s case, what happens is poor Knight-Captain Rylen is tasked with leading a field trip of Orlesian nobles through the grisly ruins of the Temple of Sacred Ashes, while asking them to please not touch the red lyrium, and no, you cannot take a charred corpse home as a souvenir, please milord I must ask you not to touch the red lyrium. I’m sure that was an excellent use of everyone’s time and resources.

But it’s easy to understand why Cullen responds this way! It’s a very instinctual and human response! “Well, you’ve just said a thing that is very obviously untrue. I’ll prove to you that it’s untrue! And this will solve the problem of you being wrong, and then we can all move forward together. Right?”

It’s an eminently reasonable response, so long as you assume that the other party is being reasonable and engaging with you in good faith.

Cullen assumes they are. Josephine and Leliana know they’re not. (Vivienne also knew this; hence her handing the letter over to Josephine to deal with instead of bothering to reply herself.)

And you can probably see how Cullen’s earnestness, his desire to believe that other people are also operating earnestly and in good faith, could lead him down some dangerous paths.

Knight-Commander Meredith was also a conspiracy theorist. The difference is that her conspiracy theories were about people she had near-absolute power over, with terrible consequences. And working under the authority of someone he wanted to believe in, someone he absolutely would have taken as entirely earnest (because in many ways she was earnest, at least in her belief that magic was dangerous and must be controlled), it would have been easy for Cullen to assume she must be acting in good faith, even when his misgivings arose. “She needs a spine of iron to survive her position,” he says to Hawke. And like anyone arguing in bad faith, Meredith could move the goalposts when it suited her. No signs of blood magic discovered? That only proves how well they’re hiding it. The tower must be searched top to bottom. The First Enchanter objects? He must be one of them. Dissent among her own templar ranks? Must be the blood magic controlling their minds. As Dan Olson puts it in his video In Search of a Flat Earth, conspiracy theories make facts subservient to outcomes, which is why the "facts" can easily be rearranged and discarded at will—all that matters is the actions those facts justify.

Of course Meredith’s beliefs were, again, quite different—more dangerous, and far more earnestly held than this silly Orlesian rumor about the Inquisition. She was also under the influence of red lyrium at the height of her paranoia. But conspiracy theories often feed on paranoia, and Meredith’s beliefs were still ultimately beliefs that could be bent to justify the outcome she (and her superior, Grand Cleric Elthina) desired: mages must be controlled, whatever the cost.

Cullen has managed to extricate himself from Meredith’s mindset. But he hasn’t yet learned, I think, that conspiracy theories and irrational beliefs can’t be overcome simply by reason. That’s also very understandable for someone in his position. When you’re in the process of overcoming some very wrong beliefs yourself, things you earnestly believed, it’s very natural to want to believe that everyone else is just as earnest and can be persuaded; in fact, you have a personal stake in believing that, because if other people can be redeemed, that means there’s hope for you.

Do I think this justifies the things Cullen was complicit in during his time as a templar, or any misguided opinions he may voice during his time with the Inquisition? No, that’s not why I’m saying all this. But I think it’s an interesting aspect of his character and one worth exploring. Cullen is often characterized as the blunt instrument advisor, his answer to most war table questions being “send troops”; in Josie’s words “the hammer for whom every problem looks like a nail.” But I think some of his offered solutions do offer compelling insights into his character, and this one certainly does—as well as an interesting example of how this approach to the world and other people can go wrong.

[zenithabovemarshland]

Replying after this post on Pluto in Aquarius & fame

@luciddownloading said:

Great post! Something I wanted to add about the opposing signs is that my studies have shown me that the sign opposite from Pluto dictates a lot about the culture. It's no shock that throughout Pluto in Capricorn, there has actually been a more sensitive approach to social issues, a desire for more "accessible" celebs and an obsession with remaking films/shows from the past. All Cancer vibes So, continuing that theory, I actually think Pluto in Aquarius will make society and pop culture more Leo-like in many ways. Hopefully, more of a focus on individuality and not needing to look like everyone on IG, more actual creativity in Hollywood, etc. I think I will do a post on this in a day or so because I love this subject, too.

I didn't think of that! You're so right! And I have heard that before, too, that big planet transits can't be messing in one sign without dragging on the opposite sign, too. @corvoidea mentioned that Pluto in Cancer era was also really about the end of WWI, which makes a lot of sense bringing in what you said about the opposite sign affecting culture. Government and welfare, emphasis on the roles of family, etc. Those are absolutely way more Capricorn things than Cancer things.

Re: Leo-Aquarius axis part, that is so fascinating! And so true, too. Aquarius and Leo are outcasts and oriented around watching and being watched. Leo wants to express its authenticity and specialness, which absolutely matches the glitz and glamour of the period. But you're so right that we have been made to take those images as examples to model, reach for, and emulate, which is totally Aquarian. We're needing the shock to the system!

Like I said in my original post, I've been watching what's been happening to the idea of "celebrity" and trying to find patterns, but you've already got a hypothesis! Have you noticed anything so far that is inching towards what you've hypothesized? (If you wrote this in a post I hope I can find it on your blog, I'm scrolling but I may have missed it.)

Something comes to mind for me. I've heard talk about how AI could eliminate the need for actors, for example. It would be able to superimpose images of yourself and others of your choosing onto any frame and tell a story with your own face on the hero. Personally I don't think that would ever become commonplace. But I do wonder about how that affects story, and the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, and our capacity for change (Scorpio things, which would be square in Pluto in Aquarius). This kind of thing may be very Leo.

[hughjidiot]

Thoughts on the TDI Reboot Season Two, Episodes 5 and 6

Okay the next two episodes of the reboot have premiered, and here are my collective thoughts on the characters and what's been happening. Spoilers below the cut, obviously.

Nichelle is out 5th and quit on top of that thanks to a fake movie contract planted by Julia. Honestly that kind of surprised me; my prediction was that Nichelle would make it to the merge where she'd get voted off because her improved athleticism made her a threat. I thought it would be ironic: in season one she was eliminated for being weak, and in season two she'd be eliminated for being too strong. Well at least Julia got some villain cred, even if it was a bit contrived and felt like Nichelle needed to lose some IQ points to make it possible. I'm not too broken up, but I can see why others might take issue with it.

(You know what would be hilarious though? If when the eliminated campers return for the finale, Nichelle reveals that people in Hollywood saw her improved performance in season two and actually did give her a movie deal.)

Instead, it was Bowie eliminated first after the merge. Now this makes much more sense: after MK's cheating was exposed, Julia convinced team Rat Face that it was Bowie's idea. Priya and Caleb were both victims of Bowie's schemes at some point, Zee is easy to fool, and Axel and Damien wouldn't know Bowie and MK well enough to know for sure but they do know Bowie placed second last season so they know he's a threat. In any case I really enjoyed Bowie this season: I loved the drama of him being torn between wanting to play dirty while not wanting to upset Raj. And he and Raj are adorable together, so I'm glad the cheating didn't lead to any major problems in their relationship.

Speaking of which, I loved Wayne and Raj standing up for their principles in episode five and refusing to go along with MK and Julia's schemes. And they continue to be hilarious on top of that. If I'm being honest though I kind of hope one of them goes soon, so we can finally see how the other gets along without his bro.

Then there's Zee, who continues to be absolutely hilarious. "I killed Priya's pillow boyfriend!" had me rolling. And he's actually involved with a plotline now! He knows about Priya's crush on Caleb and that Caleb is only looking for an alliance. Or at least, he was...

Caleb appears to be actually falling for Priya. Very interesting development. And Priya continues to be head over heels for Caleb, but at least she recognizes that she can't let it affect her game. Very interested to see where things go with them as a potential ship.

As for our other ship, Ripper and Axel seem to be getting along very well. I've seen some people comparing them to how Geoff and Bridgette were in TDA, but I think that's unfair. Sure they're into each other but not to the point where they can't focus on the game. (Axel getting distracted by Bowie's claim that Ripper was making out with a raccoon not withstanding.) Now that the teams have merged I hope we can see them spending time together and bonding in a way that involves more than making out. I'm surprisingly invested in this ship.

Well look at that, Damien actually won a challenge! I was hoping he'd start being more proactive in season two, and now we might finally be getting that. Especially since he's said he wants to find the immunity idol that's now in play, which Priya and Caleb are also hunting for...

Last but certainly not least, Julia and MK. Julia got some major villain cred these episodes, getting Nichelle and her arch enemy Bowie eliminated. Meanwhile MK's intern scheme was exposed, so that plotline's over. (I love how Chris had no problem with her cheating, but her stealing his hairdryer crossed the line.) They continue to be great together as a bad guy duo, and I can't wait to see more of it. (Especially if it evolves into romance, as I and many others are hoping for.)

Also, here's a bit of irony I noticed: in season one, Julia got eliminated in episode 6, and in season two Julia saved MK from elimination in episode 6.

And that's everyone. Aside from a few minor complaints, I'm still loving this season! The characters are all great, the plotlines are engaging, and the jokes are absolutely hilarious. And best of all I have no idea who could be going home next, so I'm very excited for the next episodes.

[blacktowbarony]

Tool Tactics

Knave 2e is a classless game with no skills or abilities. Everything is diegetic - if one of your two careers was that you were a sailor, it's safe to assume you're good at sea stuff, ropes, etc.

I like to distance myself from the 5e playstyle, but I gotta admit, feats and classes are a guilty pleasure. It's not great when your entire character sheet is full of abilities you need to navigate (and it's good to avoid the pitfall of if you DON'T have the lockpick feat, you CAN'T attempt lockpicking). But just a little something you can pop off is fun. I imagined these like commander abilities in wargaming, which are always limited. When to use it as a limited resource is a tactical decision, which is what games are all about.

So this is my attempt to make the Knave-iest feats I could. I tied them to tools, because I wanted the focus to stay on inventory management and the idea that you have practiced with a particular tool. It's also quite interesting if something threatens to take away the item you need to use your tool tactic. I have a player that's specialising in the Rations tool tactic and he's just become a total glutton, he bought a whole cartful of rations to start on this next quest. The quest of which the first stage is travelling through a swamp.

These would also be an elegant way to introduce races into Knave. Dwarves might pick a weapons tactic (especially axes), elves an esoteric one, halflings a tools one.

Oh, and there's a THIRD feature these are replacing: weapon qualities. I'm kinda fascinated by how different medieval weapons have different uses in (and out of) warfare, and this is my way to bring some of that to the table without going all Gygax on this (i.e. making this game a simulation with rules for absolutely everything).

Oh and a FOURTH thing these are a stand-in for: BX utility spells that don't have a parallel in Knave. Wizards need to do things like identify magic items, resist elements, or have a reliable attacks. This brings some of those back.

Anyway, first off some thoughts about how I went about writing these, and would go about writing more. Then d20 Tool Tactics.

Tool Tactics

At character creation, choose one Tool Tactic that you can use once per day, if you have the tool. Add the tool to your inventory if you don’t have it.

Gain a new Tool Tactic when you Level Up. Take the same Tool Tactic again to get more uses per day.

Custom Tool Tactics

Working with the GM, you can create a custom Tool Tactic if you wish. The GM writes the final draft of the Tool Tactic, and has licence to tweak it between sessions if it’s too strong or weak.

Guidelines for writing a good tool tactic:

Require an item.

Always gives a positive benefit when used. No chance of total failure.

Not be something that can be naturally attempted, e.g. blinding someone with pocket sand. A good Tool Tactic allows you to break the rules of the game system in some way.

Create, not eliminate, opportunities for creative problem solving.

You might decide to tweak an existing Tool Tactic. (e.g., Fire is Alive could work for poison damage instead)

d20 Tool Tactics

Weapon

1. Axes are Tools. Quickly smash open a wooden door, treasure chest, or intricate mechanism with an axe. Decrease damage suffered from the immediate consequences by 5.

2. Blunt Trauma Knockout. When you or an ally kills a nearby foe, use this tactic to rush in with a club or staff to render them safely unconscious for d6×10 minutes, instead of dead.

3. Bows are for Hunting. After rolling a ranged weapon attack*, hit or miss: add +5 to hit and +d6 damage. (*bows, crossbows, slings)

4. Flails Swing Back Around. After rolling a chain weapon attack*, hit or miss: add +5 to hit and +d6 damage. (*flails, whips, nunchucks)

5. Maces Crack Armour. When your mace or warhammer hits a foe protected by rigid plating* reduce their AC by d6, to a minimum of 12. (*knights, robots, giant crabs)

6. Polearms Hold the Line. After hitting an enemy with a polearm, use this tactic to keep that enemy at bay. On its next turn it has -5 to hit with all melee attacks.

7. Shield Wall. Use your shield to reduce the damage of an attack you take by d6. Doesn't work against area affects  (splashes, explosions, dragon breath).

8. Swords are Heroic. Make 2 bonus attacks with a sword, targeting two different enemies.

Tools

9. Backpacks are Spacious. Flashback to a memory of the last time you went shopping. You can buy one item from d100 Tools (Knave p. 39), adding it to your inventory as if you are just now remembering your purchase.

10. Boots Fare Well. During overland travel, scout ahead in sturdy footwear, returning in 4 hours with news of the hex ahead and d6 rations.

11. Breakfast is Vital. Eat a ration for breakfast to give yourself +d4 HP for the day.

12. Cloaks Break your Shape. Whilst sitting still wrapped in a cape of a colour matching your environment, fool d6 pairs of eyes into mistaking you for inanimate scenery.

13. Herbs Ease the Pain. Use a healing kit stocked with bandages, splints, and medicinal herbs to heal someone for d6 HP and restore consciousness.

14. Knives are for Sneakin'. Produce a knife you've had hidden upon your person this whole time. Its first attack roll has +d6 to hit.

15. Music Soothes. d6 HD worth of creatures listening to you play a musical instrument have their strongest emotions dulled for 10 minutes.

16. Ropes Hold Fast. If you take damage from falling a dangerous height, use a rope to somehow reduce the damage to just d6, even if there are spikes at the bottom.

Esoteric

17. Fire is Alive, and it Can be Bargained With. Wielding a burning torch, gain resistance to fire for 10 minutes. Mundane fire: 0 damage. Magical fire: -5 damage.

18. Hag Stones Reveal Magic. Look through a stone with a natural-formed hole in it to identify magical items, reveal hidden curses, or see the invisible for 10 minutes.

19. Wands are for Wizard Duels. With a reactionary flick of a wand, nullify an incoming unfriendly spell. You must declare this before the spell takes effect or rolls to save against it are made. If the spell's level is equal or exceeds your INT, win an INT contest against the caster to nullify.

20. Wands Cast Magic Missile. Range 120', auto-hit, d6 damage.

[mareenavee]

Okay, I want you to gimme some Varlais answers~ Because I love a disaster Thalmor

Which areas of Skyrim do they find most beautiful and most dangerous?

Do they regret journeying to Skyrim?

Who is their mentor? Who do they go to most for lessons?

What is their stance on taking a life? Do they kill without a second thought, in the name of a god or daedra, or do they adhere to pacifism?

Hehehe. Okay, alright. I'm inspired. Let's go. I'll let Linare Varlais answer these things himself. :> (From this ask game here.)

Which areas of Skyrim do they find most beautiful and most dangerous?

Hm. Skyrim. I'd say, especially now with the dragons flying about like vermin, it's likely dangerous everywhere. There is a kind of beauty though, if you ignore the danger. I'd say the most beautiful place is likely Solitude, or the surrounding mountains overlooking the ocean. It's cold, but it reminds me as much as is possible of Alinor, regardless of the snow and ice. It's still the sea and it's close enough. That said, it's still one of the most dangerous places here. There, Solstheim, Winterhold, Markarth...anywhere there is a strong Thalmor presence, honestly. You make one mistake and you're -- well. No need to worry about that. As I said, everywhere's dangerous these days.

Do they regret journeying to Skyrim?

Well, to be perfectly honest with you I never did have any choice in the matter. I've lived here most of my life. My father was a guard for -- oh. Yeah, no Ondolemar just said I shouldn't bring him up, so I won't. After a few interesting events, he was promoted to Lady Elenwen's personal guard and that opened up a lot of doors for me when I got older. The only time I get to leave this frozen boulder of a province is when I mess something up and am sent back to Alinor for retraining. After that, though...ugh. They always ship me back to Northwatch as if that'll make the difference. I do regret the mistakes, even when I can't help but make them, because I absolutely hate that fort. If I never see the inside of it again, I'll die happy.

Who is their mentor? Who do they go to most for lessons?

I think this is a complex question, and Ondolemar will kill me if I divulge too many details, maybe. But I can say this. My mother and my sister taught me everything I know about archery. My sister's skills probably outpaced Mother's, and I'm sure she could've outshone me, too, if she had survived her retraining. ... ...Yes, sorry, I was just... I was just thinking. Forgive me. Anyway. Yes, it's not possible to go to Alinor on my own right now with my current posting to train with my parents. Instead, I put all my focus behind the plan Ondolemar is working on. I look to him for guidance whenever things get a bit iffy. For me, to be honest, they usually do.

What is their stance on taking a life? Do they kill without a second thought, in the name of a god or daedra, or do they adhere to pacifism?

I am not a pacifist. Oh, but Gods would I have preferred that. No, early on I learned how it really is in this world. My parents are both veterans of the Great War, and their philosophy on the matter -- regardless of if they'd be able to form other opinions -- is that if one does not strike first, then in most cases, it gives the other person the opening they need to eliminate you. And I've seen it plenty all across Skyrim, a thousand different times. After a while, you don't think. You just aim and shoot an arrow and hope it's enough to get you out of danger. I can't say it doesn't affect me, because I do hate it. Very much. But I can't fix anything if I don't try. That said, I don't fight for a god and certainly certainly not a Daedra. I fight to remain part of the insurgence, more or less, so that I might right the wrongs done to my family first, and to my people as an extension of that.

[magicalgirlagency]

As for a Demon Slayer MagicalBoy!au, I got some ideas that I think you'd like to read:

*The story would focus mainly on the power of Hope, and how it along with Kindness can do many great things. As terrifying as I made the Demons in this au, it'll still have a Happy and Hopeful Ending. And Tanjiro, Nezuko will get the Development they deserved.

*If you want to skip straight to Tanjiro part, its at the 5th paragraph downward, the few first paragraphs focus more on the Demons

- just give Muzan magic, how tf does drinking a blue flower liquid give him superpower and also the ability to mutate other humans into demons with superpower like how does that work??? Just, instead of weird rare blue flowers tea, make him an actual, magical, supernatural cryptid that's also an undead entity like Afton from FNAF (who is basicaly a modern day lich) Muzan'd gain power through dark magic or sth, and the blue flowers is just one of the many material needed to truly make him OP

- the demon are flat out eldritch-humanoid abominations now, as they are humans mutated by magic. Most of their ability remain the same (they'll have acidic blood now though), except sunlight would only hurt them, not straight up kill them. Normal Demons can be killed if one hurt them enough with magic to overload the healing system, effectively shutting down their regeneration ability. The Lower and Upper Moon demons would actually have a sort of separated "core", in which their immense power is housed (as there are too much magic to safely store in their body) - sort of like a Lich in fantasy stories. So the issue with killing the Demons Moons is that Slayers have to actively search for the Demon's Core (which for the upper moons, can be cores, they are powerful enough to have several of these) so even if a Slayer severely damage a Demon, they still can't die unless their core is destroyed. Additionally, if one were to fight a Lower or Upper Moon, they don't have to damage the demons themselves, they only need the core to be destroyed in order to eliminate these Demons. As such, these Demons hid their cores in extremely hard-to-find-and-to-reach place, and often change their hiding spot for safety.

- Normal and Lower Moon Demons are hard to fight, but the Upper Moons are just absolute nightmare now. When encountering an Upper Moon in their true form (no human disguise), even a long-time slayer will get scared sh*tless. Because the very atmosphere around these Demons is unnatural. A human standing before them will feel like a tiny ant meeting something far bigger and stronger than they'll ever be. Slayers, as they are magic users in this au, can bypass this somewhat. But upon meeting an Upper Moon they'll still get the horrible urge to turn tail and flee. Looking directly at an Upper Moon will cause some mild headache and dizziness, looking straight into their eye would f*ck with your mind real bad. An encounter with Upper Moon Demons tend to make weaker Slayers - if they did survived - sleepless for weeks, haunted by nightmares and night terrors. As for a Hashira, the effect will last a few days or a week at most. Their cores also inflict similar haunting effects, but they can be found due to their unnatural properties as well.

- Demons that disguise themselves can be found by Slayers through their magic Trails. The stronger a Demons, the better they can conceal their Trails. The Lower Moons can hid their core well due to this. The Upper Moons however, just as their cores, leave trails that the slayer couldn't even detect. The Trails detecting ability of the Slayers function like our eyes and ears - there's a range, a limit to how much colors we can see and what sound we can hear. Similarly, there's a limit to what magic Trails Slayers can detect, and anything outside that perceivable range is basically invisible to them. To find an Upper Moon or their cores, Slayers have to rely on their instinctive reactions to these Demons unnatural auras.

- magicalboy!Tanjiro have memory power of some sort. Like, if he touches someone when they're in an extremely emotional state, he gain a glimpse of all their memories, an overall view of their life. This also extend to Demons before they die, which will allow Tanjiro to view how they came to be, how they lost their humanity. This is to make use of all those sad backstories the demons are given, seriously, why did the writer put them there to begin with if they don't impact the story? This would tie in to Tanjiro development in this au [more about the boi below]

- at first, Tanjiro is just a good boy who want to save his sister (who has a much more important role in this au) from demon-hood. Too kind, too gentle, just like his original version. However, through time he'd meet actual cruel humans, who made him doubt himself, his compassion and humanity goodness in generall. This'd double down when he shift through the demons memories, seeing how their life before Muzan was already made horrible by other humans. This'd make Tanjiro incredibly doubtful if everything he does actually have a meaning, does being kind truly have any effect on the world, at all? Maybe he ended up despairing so much, his only goal now is simply killing Muzan to save his sister, and he'd give up on anything else. But his sister, her hope and kindness, along with all his friends would made him hopeful again! They would help him realize that "yes, what you do always have an impact, being kind always does have an impact!" He'll stand up again, still full of compassion and empathy despite having seen humanity darker side...

- ...which will also give him a new motive to move forward, other than kill Muzan and save Nezuko. He want to be the light of hope that people need in their darkest time. When he look back at all the demons memories, he realizes that had there been someone, anyone instead of Muzan, who truly desire to help these unfortunate humans, they wouldn't have become demon out of despair - because that someone would've gave these poor souls hope, hope for a better future, hope that they will get better, Hope That they will get their Happy Ending. Muzan was their despair and darkness personified, he dragged them down to the darkest part of their heart, and thus they lost their humanity. Then, Tanjiro will be their light, their Hope. He couldn't save the demons nor can he save everyone, but he could save some from becoming a demon simply by helping them when they need compassion the most. This will set up a clear parallel between him and Muzan, with Muzan being cruelty and despair, while Tanjiro is Kindness and Hope.

- Nezuko, give her a role, an actual role instead of "moe silent girl". She'd retain her human mind (consciousness, intelligence, memories, etc.) but also gained quite alot of Demonic instincts after becoming a half-demon (Muzan make her into a demon by accident, so the process wasn't fully correct and she became a hybrid of sort). So she'd still attack Tanjiro at first, but stop when her human mind come back in full focus. Throughout the story, she'd have to actually fight her demonic part that want to hurt people, she cant just sleep it out now. Nezuko would drink human blood, using a spryinge to take people blood (with their consent ofc) and drink those blood instead of having to flat out eat someone. The bamboo mouth piece thingy would stay (it help reassure her that she's okay), so she and her brother communicate with sign language instead! (Make for some good wholesome sibling bonding eyyyyyy

- Nezuko will help her brother fight demons and save people, obviously. She can't eat human foods anymore though, her body can't process them (not even meat), so if she tried to eat anything other than human blood, she'll get sick and will vomit out whatever she ate. She's also able to detect other Demons' Trails more clearly, including the some of the Upper Moons Trails (although their Trails do left her extremely shaken whenever she felt one nearby).

- The Demon Slayers are Magic Users in this au, utilizing their power to fight the Demons. Their Breathing Style is actually their way of using their natural powers. This mean that all those Water, Fire and Lighting, etc. that appear when they use their attacks is very real and contribute alot to their wins.

*Sorry for such a long ask, I'm very passionate about this au of mine and just want to show someone about it to see if it can be improve in any way

Does Rengoku survive the Mugen Train in this AU? His death was the reason I gave up on watching the series!

[purrincess-chat]

Hi, unconventional request, but how would you suggest writing a story that is short, but not too short, like 15k words? I'm not very well with stories around that length. Most of my work are either drabbles or 80k massives.

Also, what do you think of genderbend au? I want to write one, but frankly, I hate heteronormative, overly heterosexualized stuff. I want to avoid that. But at the same time, I can understand that changing the gender of the character would mean changing some things too.

So, I'm actually working on a story around that length now, and I have written several stories around that length in the past. The thing with shorter stories is you have to cut the plot down to the absolute barest of bones. There's a lot of debate around the concept of cutting things that don't advance/add to the plot in longer works, but especially for these shorter stories, you don't have time for filler. Ask yourself what events have to happen, and focus on those. It's also a great time to learn a good balance between showing and telling. You don't have the luxury of having a long story in which to sprinkle details, so you have to be more particular about what details are important to include. You don't want to info dump a bunch of information if it's not relevant to your mini little plot.

The easiest way I can tell you to approach these stories is to figure out what's necessary and what isn't. Shorter works have to move a lot quicker than longer ones, so typically you need to come right out the gate with whatever your inciting incident is and start where things are changing. Something should be happening by the end of your first chapter. The main conflict should be coming to a head by the second half of the story. Shorter stories are just longer stories but faster paced and without all the extra bits. If you have more specific questions, I'll be happy to walk you through my process by breaking down one of my own stories.

As for genderbends, it was explained to me several years ago that genderbends are transphobic (as they tend to treat gender as being a binary thing), but I see people do them all the time. It's really up to you. I personally never cared for them anyway, just not my cup of tea. If you're looking to subvert heteronormative stereotypes, you can do that without genderbending. There are tons of ways to avoid falling into those tropes, and I think ML is actually a good example of that. As I've talked about before, Marinette and Adrien's "gender roles" for lack of a better term are swapped.

Typically in hero stories, the guy is the one out to save the girl and he's so big and macho and cool, and the girl is super helpless and always in need of help. But in ML we see Adrien being softer and more subdued, often in need of saving (either as a result of sacrificing himself or just being in danger in general), and he's often given much more "feminine" qualities (he's a model, a pretty boy, very sensitive, emotional, gentle, often seen swooning over the girl he loves, etc). That's one of the big reasons that I love ML and love the love square because Adrien is meant to challenge the douchebag love interest that's prominent in a lot of heteronormative works. They also allow Marinette to be both feminine and strong. She's smart and clever and caring and clumsy. She's a badass, but also a walking disaster. She wears pink and fights bad guys. She will cut a bitch and look cute doing it. Their relationship is far from heteronormative, no matter what salty individuals in the fandom that think they're enlightened might say. But maybe that's why I don't typically care for genderbends especially in ML because to me, bending their genders just makes them more heteronormative and eliminates the point of their characters, but to each their own. If you really want to go for it, I'd say to ask someone who's done them before, do your research, and weigh your pros and cons.

[pickledpascal]

The Missing Link

Chapter Four: Hindenburg

Warnings: Panic attack, Miles Bron is closeted (?), some swearing.

Word Count: 7.4k

The Missing Link Masterlist

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Out of all the people Detective Blanc expected to arrive at the dock earlier that day, Ezra Wayne and his daughter were not one of them. Birdie Jay, why wouldn't he? She was the problematic fashionista who was clinging onto relevancy by trying to come up with something new and revolutionary every few years. Duke Cody was a men's rights activist, pleading for his audience to trust everything he said. And they did, not thinking to make at least one Google search to check if he was telling the truth or not. Claire Debella and Lionel Toussaint were similar in that much of their money to do their work was provided by Miles, in turn they'd basically support everything he did.

Ezra Wayne was the outlier. 

Why would he come all the way to Greece to meet an old friend who he was very vocal about not liking anymore? He didn't owe anything to Miles as far as Blanc knew. Ezra started his acting career from nothing. No help or reassurance was given to him by any of his past friends.

He knew this because of some of the interviews he'd seen. It was safe to say Benoit was a fan. Who wouldn't think the tall, dark, and handsome man wasn't the best looking in all of Hollywood anyway? He was also a great actor too, starring in anything from a silly rom com to the scariest of horror movies. Blanc liked versatility in his men.

Seeing Ezra in person was certainly something. His gray's were much more prominent than in the movies, showing his age. Maybe he hadn't gotten around to re-dyeing it yet. Then there was the part where Birdie deadnamed him. Ezra didn't seem that bothered, just annoyed. 

When he got his chance, Blanc smiled kindly as Ezra turned to him. "I must say, I absolutely love your films! I've seen almost all of 'em, you're amazin' in every single one." He was nervous but he needed to get that out as he looked Ezra up and down. It felt like he was a teenager again, talking to the most attractive boy at school. Ezra always looked absolutely beautiful on screen but it didn't compare to seeing him in real life.

Once on the boat, Benoit wanted to get an inkling to each person's personality. It just so happened that he was walking into the boat to talk with Lionel when Elle waved him over. It was hard to say no, especially with such a beautiful man in the room. But nerves, they were never something Benoit got over easily. He was a relatively calm person, even after the sheer amount of dangerous cases he's been through that would send any sane person running. Who takes on the mysterious case of the death of the mystery novel writer? Apparently, Benoit Blanc does. When Benoit did get nervous, though, they didn't leave as swiftly as he would hope.

After all, meeting your celebrity crush and escaping a near death experience are two completely different things. Although, they might meet on this isolated island.

Conversation with the father-daughter duo was certainly interesting and insinuated something Benoit wasn’t sure he wanted to admit. As much as he wanted to focus on the matter at hand, it was hard with someone as determined as Elle to make both himself and Ezra a blubbering mess. 

Benoit pursed his lips, he might as well use this time to try and eliminate Ezra from his suspect list. Or try to. “Y’know, Ezra, you and your daughter seem to be out of place among all these…. Eccentric personalities. For an actor, it’s strange of me to admit such a thing.” It was peculiar that Ezra was here. If he wasn’t the murderer–which would be horrible for Benoit–-then why was he here?

“I like to think it’s because I grew up poor and didn’t compromise myself or leech off of others in order to get rich and famous.” The brunette explained with a hum. Benoit nodded at Ezra and looked down at his hands.

The others happened to grow up in middle class families, besides Birdie–she was the daughter of a famous model, making her famous even before she was born. And Lionel, a little different too. He intimately worked with Miles, being employed by him for the sake of doing what he always wanted to do. Only for the sake of science of course. 

—------

Now, Benoit did not know of Ezra before his transition but the actor was always open about that time, sharing photos of himself and even his deadname but Benoit didn’t think it was that difficult to call Ezra by the name he goes by now. Apparently it was very hard for Miles. 

“Liz-Ezra…. You look amazing. Great, actually. I’m glad you’re here.” Miles’ eyebrows furrowed as he corrected himself. Benoit observed him as he walked the length of the glass dock. It seemed Miles was blushing a little but it didn’t look like embarrassment.

Huh, interesting…. Oh.

Oh.

Well, it’s reassuring that Benoit isn’t the only one attracted to Ezra. He glanced at Helen who stared at Miles. His main objective was to get her some answers, he needed to focus on that. If he happened to get a boyfriend out of this case, well, that would be nice. Benoit closed his eyes for a moment to get his head in the right mindset, fixing his sunglasses.

“Can we just take a second and fully inbreathiate this moment together?” Miles said with a gentle smile. Benoit pursed his lips and cocked his eyebrow, he ignored it but something inside him was saying that he needed to remember that for later.

Benoit was quiet as the tour started, mostly hanging around Helen to give her some semblance of comfort. Someone here killed her sister so he didn’t blame her if she was tense and weary of everyone, even if some of them seemed too dense to commit a murder. 

“Get settled in! Change. Let’s meet up at the pool.” Miles told everyone with a happy smile. “We’ll have a chill afternoon and then the game begins!” He announced, letting everyone fiddle with the bracelets around their wrists to find their room. As expected, Miles requested Benoit come with him for a private chat.

—-------

The pool seemed to be calmer but that meant it was time for Benoit to start gathering some information, among other things. He looked around the rectangular pool, catching sight of Birdie and Claire on the pool chairs off to the side while Miles was playing a tune on the guitar. He made his way over the Miles and grabbed one of the drinks inside the cooler. 

“Oh! Baby Blue!” Benoit exclaimed, a light smile on his face as he twisted the cap open and took a drink. His nose wrinkled slightly at the taste. It was like Jared Leto somehow bottled how he smelled. Benoit had never met him before but that’s what he imagined he’d smell like.

Duke took a sip of his drink, “Yeah. Miles, you remember when you almost pancaked me outside Andi’s–”

“Anderson Cooper’s birthday party? Yeah, Coop's parties are memorable.” Miles laughed with an almost nervous smile as he grabbed a bottle as well.

Benoit stood from his crouching position and looked over at Ezra and Elle. They were talking with each other. No one seemed to want to talk to them. Peculiar, with such a close-knit group like this. He made his way over to the pair and sat at the other pool chair next to Ezra. “Have you always been…. The outcast in a group like this?” He asked, careful but still blunt.

“Eh, kinda.” Ezra lowered his sunglasses so they covered his eyes, the sides of his lips were tense. “I was the only one who wanted a job in the performing arts and then I told them I was also trangender, kinda put the nail in the coffin.”

“Hmm.” Benoit nodded, catching a glimpse of the scars ever so slightly showing from underneath the half-open shirt on Ezra’s shoulders. “You look…. Great.” He said with a light smile, knowing his face must be some shade of red. He assumed crimson. It didn’t take the detective much to get him a blushing mess. It just depended on the person and if they had the means to.

Ezra let out a small laugh at the compliment. “Thanks, Detective. I could say the same for you.” Benoit bit the inside of his cheek. Was he flirting with him? Holy shit. “I mean, I would be very proud of myself if I was the most attractive detective alive.” Ezra shrugged.

Benoit let out a flattered laugh, feeling as if he was a boy again. “Some might say you’re the most attractive actor alive.” It was weak, but it was all he could come up with. It was like his brain was short-circuiting. Only for a second.

—------

After the little stunt at the pool, Helen and Benoit met in the gym as it seemed no one was using it or was going to use it in the short time they were there. Of course, that led to Benoit snooping around the compound to eventually find Duke watching Miles and Whiskey…. Doing their thing in front of a window. Honestly, though, how could Miles not see Duke. Weird. 

Helen got a little closer, wanting to hear what the pair was talking about behind the glass. Benoit pursed his lips, shaking his head at her. She was good but damn if she got caught, that'd be the end of their investigation.

—------

"My mom took me to Paris when I was six years old. First time I looked at this lady, it changed my life. You know Da Vinci invented a technique for brush strokes that leave no lines?" Miles gushed over the real Mona Lisa, the one in songs and meant to be the museum of art in France. Guess not these days. "That's how you can look straight at her and her expression changes every time. Her smile's there, then it disappears. Is she happy? Is she sad? Is it something else?"

Benoit never was one to be interested in art, at least not high art like the Mona Lisa or any of Goya's paintings. He appreciated it, sure, just not one to dedicate his whole life to caring about them. It seemed Ezra was similar in that aspect, taking a sip from his glass with an unbothered look in his eyes. 

Helen kept staring at the painting, nodding. "It really is something." Benoit glanced up at the painting before he looked back at Miles.

Claire looked from Miles to the painting and narrowed her eyes. "Wait a minute, Miles. Why do you have the Mona Lisa in your living room?" Her tone was pointed, like she knew something the rest didn't. Or, that Claire knew Miles was gonna do something she didn't like.

Miles let out a breath, a cocky smile appearing on his lips. "In one week, I've invited world leaders and members of the press from all over to unveil the future." He said as he grabbed a crystal-like object from his pocket and showed it to everyone in the room. Most looked confused…. But Claire and Lionel…. "You know what this is?"

"You know damn well we do." Lionel gritted out, tapping at the lip of his glass. "What's going on, Miles?" 

Benoit raised his hand, letting out a strained laugh. "Uh, I don't." It seemed, neither did Ezra or his daughter who's attention was peaked at the crystallic object. They seemed to have felt the rise of tension in the room.

"Don't drop it." Miles threw it at Benoit who caught it with ease.

But Claire, she was concerned. "Oh my god!" Perhaps something would have happened if the little crystal touched the floor. They were all in trouble, then. 

Benoit looked at the crystal between his fingers, carefully staring at the grooves and small bubbles that seemed to be trapped inside.

"That's a new solid hydrogen fuel. It's incredibly powerful." Miles explained, "It's radically efficient. Zero carbon emissions, and it's derived from abundant seawater. I call it Klear, with a K." Because of course he did. "And at this event, we are going to announce 'Klear America.' Our affordable home power solution. Klear is going to be powering people's dreams, all over this country, by the end of this year."

Ezra shook his head, he may not have been a chemist or anything that had to do with the sciences but the looks Claire and Lionel had on their faces weren't hard to read. They were concerned, devastated even. 

Lionel slammed his glass down on one of the podiums, causing the glass on the Mona Lisa to lift back up. It was protecting itself, from what? It didn't know just yet. "No. No. Because I was clear with you. I told you I need two years minimum to test this stuff to see if it's safe or even viable. Claire and I are not gonna be responsible for putting something out in the world before it is tested. And–" He paused once Miles pointed up at the air around them.

"Shit." Ezra breathed. So much for being safe on this summer vacation. They were walking around in a ticking time bomb….

"Oh, no." Lionel realized as well, stepping back from Miles.

Miles nodded with a smirk, "Oh, yeah."

Benoit's eyebrows furrowed as he looked back at the small crystal in his hand. "You're running this entire place off this?"

"The whole Glass Onion is powered by Klear." Miles let out a light laugh. He was giddy, his dreamlike fuel was working. As far as he knew. "Come on, let's…. Let's eat!"

It was clear that both Lionel and Claire weren't sure they could trust Miles anymore. He was being reckless. More reckless than he usually was. Elle narrowed her eyes at Miles before she looked at Ezra who let out a light breath. Maybe they could get through this night and leave as soon as possible in the morning. Ezra didn't want to stay too much longer if the whole island was dangerous and he also didn't want to feel responsible if something were to happen to his daughter.

This was a huge mistake.

—----

Dinner was short-lived, Benoit solved Miles' "mystery" in just a few short seconds and Ezra had to refrain from the urge to laugh once he saw his defeated face. The pair went upstairs, leaving Ezra and Elle with everyone else who deemed it was time to get royally hammered after their weekend was ruined. 

Duke's notifications went off, causing the glass vault to go back up. "You know, you could just power it down." Lionel suggested to Duke. 

"Ah, it's my Google Alerts. Got them for all you guys." Duke explained, taking a sip from his glass. "Whiskey, sports I like, general interests."

Ezra rubbed Elle's back while she leaned on him. She was tired even though it was only 8:30 but he couldn't blame her. The whole day was filled with…. things out of the ordinary. Plus she found another father figure and half her time was spent getting him and Ezra together. Well, Elle's work seemed to be done. They may never see each other again after Ezra leaves tomorrow. It was sad, thinking about the future and the fact that each time Elle would look at a magazine with Benoit's solved cases on the front cover, she would ache for something that could have been.

Lionel was unimpressed as Duke's phone rang yet again. "You have a Google Alert for the word 'movie?'"

"I like movies!" Duke defended. "Don't hate. Nerd." Says the guy who started off on Twitch as a gamer. 

Ezra took a sip of his drink, looked at the red table in front of him. His eyes glazed over as he thought about what may happen after this. He'd be glad to go home, back to his normal life. Which was weird to think that being an actor everyone sought over was normal. But it was for him. Though, Elle knew differently. He longed for someone to be with, and if that someone just so happened to be Benoit Blanc…. Well, wouldn't that be nice?

Birdie let out a relieved sigh as she sat down on the couch, "Thank God for Benoit Blanc. We don't have to spend the weekend spelling hedges." She sipped her drink through her straw.

"Well, I'm outta her. Tomorrow morning. Gone." Duke stated, waving his hand.

Whiskey shook her head, "We just got here." She was on the floor. Ezra wasn't sure why or how she got there and he didn't really care either.

Duke mockingly whined like a baby. Elle's gaze hardened at him, she could treat Whiskey much better than him. If only she could let him go and leave him, Duke didn't deserve her. Not to mention, Duke was at least twenty years older than Whiskey. "You can stay. Have fun."

"Fine. You're murdering my vibe." Whiskey grabbed the bottle of tequila next to her and stood up, walking outside.

Birdie whined, "No! Miserable in paradise. We've all earned this."

Andi walked towards the group, "Yes, you have." She seemed more tense than before. Perhaps she was gonna blow up again.

Ezra helped Elle stand from her place on the couch and retreated outside with her by his side. He didn't want to hear whatever argument that was going to happen. It would have been entertaining but Ezra's brain was close to shutting off. And if Elle was anything like her father, he knew it was the same for her.

Soon, Andi was leaving too. She stopped to say a few words to Whiskey then made her way to Ezra. 

"You-you are the only good one. And I don't blame you for leaving all those years ago." She said before running off. 

Ezra cocked his head somewhat confused while Elle looked off into the distance, admiring how the moonlight danced with the water. Whatever happened in there, must've been enough to set her off. Not that Ezra blamed Andi at all. After everything that's happened between her and Miles and suddenly she's cut out of the company. Ezra didn't know many details about why but he assumed it was because of something big…. 

His eyes widened, shaking his head a little. He was being dumb. It was because of that Klear stuff, wasn't it? Andi knew it was dangerous and didn't want Miles to be distributing across the entire country. No wonder….

—-----

Well, they certainly picked the wrong time to make their way back inside. Duke looked as if he was choking, falling down on one of the coffee tables until his harbored breaths were silenced. He died. Right in front of their eyes. Ezra immediately shielded Elle's eyes, holding her tight to his chest while Benoit inspected his body. 

"I'm afraid Mr. Cody is…. Is dead." Benoit said as he looked up at Claire. There was a certain sense of bewilderment in his eyes. He's seen plenty of deaths before, it was a part of his job, but none quite like Duke's.

Birdie started to scream while Whiskey cried, "No, Duke! No!" 

The rest of the conversation seemed to buzz in Ezra's ears. Someone killed Duke. That much was obvious. The question was who? And, well, there were only a select few on the island.

"Fuck." Ezra cursed under his breath, loosening his grip on Elle. "We have to get the fuck out of here." He ran a hand through his hair.

Sure, Claire could see the headlines but Ezra could see them too. He was an actor, a transgender one at that so criticism was something he was used to. But this…. This would be a whole new level. Ezra hated red-pill "truthers," so being on an island with one who just so happened to die would automatically blacklist him. Progressives in Hollywood wouldn't cast him anymore and the conservatives didn't cast him at all because he was trans. 

"My dear, hey, you're gonna be alright." Benoit told Elle softly, wrapping his arms around her for a moment while she sniffled softly.

Even if Duke was an asshole and a bitch, witnessing his death wasn't something Elle was particularly fond of. Sure, he might have deserved it with the harm he caused on little boys minds but…. This…. This was different. It would haunt Elle for the rest of her life, she was sure. 

"Boat can't come till low tide in the morning. Six am at the earliest." Lionel announced as he walked back.

Benoit patted Elle's shoulder for a moment before he looked at Lionel. "Do they understand the situation?" He asked with a frown.

"There is no other landing point, and Miles' dumbass Banksy dock was set to low-tide height and it isn't buoyant. It is a piece of shit." Lionel explained, tone very reasonably pointed at the man who decided to have said dock. 

Ezra wrapped a blanket around Elle's shoulders, knowing that sometimes she needed the weight to feel normal again. This certainly wouldn't help all the things going on inside her brain. And, holy shit, was Miles saying someone was trying to kill him and not Duke? Well, then they royally fucked up. Poison in the person's drink was rather cliché wasn't it? And clumsy because shit like this could happen. You could mix up the drinks and accidentally have given it to the wrong person. 

Hm, maybe Ezra could be the new Harlan Thrombey…. Without all the parts of suicide and…. Well, Benoit Blanc appeared in Ezra's life too. Maybe that was a sign.

"Forget about his phone. Look." Lionel pointed at Duke's holster…. Which was missing the gun. The gun that Duke was famous for always keeping with him.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck…." Ezra ran a hand through his hair, squeezing Elle's shoulder to comfort her. Now someone was roaming around the island with a goddamned gun. So much for a little light hearted fun. 

Elle shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. "I can't believe this is happening." Her lungs were screaming for air, her esophagus closing up. "D-Dad…." She said weakly. She could feel her heartbeat going faster and faster. She couldn't breathe. 

She was having a panic attack.

Ezra's eyes widened. He knew these signs. He didn't care about what was happening behind him, he needed to focus on his daughter. "I'm right here, Elle, c'mon look at me, okay?" He tilted Elle's head towards him as he wrapped his arms around her. "Take a few big breaths, honey. I'm here for you, whatever you need, okay?" Ezra squeezed her tight, not missing the concerned look Benoit had for her. But it was like he knew Ezra would help her through it. 

"Blanc, you have to help me. Help me! Help me!" Miles yelled right before Benoit slapped him across the face.

Benoit shouted, "What happens at ten o'clock!" 

As soon as those words left his mouth, all the lights powered down. They were showered in darkness, the only light that didn't turn off was the lighthouse just outside. It rotated, causing only a sliver of light to run through the house. 

Against Benoit's wishes, no one stayed in the living room. Well, besides Elle and Ezra. Weirdly, the light seemed to help Elle out of her panic attack. Her heart was still beating fast but she could breathe again which helped marginally.

"Alright, that's good, sweetheart." Ezra said calmly, cupping her cheek softly as he wrapped a blanket around her. "I'll grab you some water, okay. Stay here." Turning on the flashlight from his phone, he found his way to the kitchen and grabbed a glass to fill it with water. Once he was back in the living room, Elle took it gratefully and downed it. Her throat was feeling better, less dry than before. "There we go." Ezra kissed the top of her head. "I love you, kiddo."

Elle buried her face in Ezra's chest, letting a few tears flow. "I love you too, Dad. So much."

—-----

"Who?" Claire asked, that's the thing all of them were thinking but it seemed only Benoit had the answers.

Benoit, looking off to the side for a moment, smacked his lips. "Well, I keep returning, in my mind, to the Glass Onion." Ezra cocked an eyebrow at him. He's heard of the weird ways Benoit had explained the truth of a case but…. What did the Glass Onion have to do with any of this? "Something that seems densely layered, mysterious and inscrutable. But in fact, the center is in plain sight. And that is why this case has confounded me like no other." Benoit gently rubbed Elle's arm before walking the length of the living room.

"Why, every complex layer peeled back has revealed another layer and another layer and come to naught." Benoit looked around at the room, at the different people standing in front of him as his eyes narrowed momentarily. "And that was the problem, right there. You see, I expected complexity. I expected intelligence. I expected a puzzle, a game." Where was he going with this? Ezra kept Elle close, not knowing if they were in a room with a murderer or not. "But that's not what any of this is. It hides. Not behind complexity, but behind mind-numbing obvious clarity. Truth is, it doesn't hide at all."

Ezra looked around the room. Who would be the most obvious choice to murder both Andi and Duke? He could think of many reasons why all of them would want to kill Andi but Duke? He was dumb, he had no ill intentions. At least, not to them. To the greater public? Probably. 

"I was staring right at it." Benoit sighed, feeling somewhat dumb for not assuming it at first. "The killer nearly struck my Achilles' heel. But thank high heaven, at the last moment, I realized what had teased my brain through this entire case… "inbreathiate." It's not a word." Benoit shook his head, glancing at Ezra for a moment. 

It seemed obvious he would start to catch on out of all of them. Not to say that Whiskey wasn't smart or the rest weren't but they all believed Miles and how "smart" he portrays himself to be. Ezra, on the other hand, does not. 

Lionel shook his head for a second, not getting how this related to anything. "What?" 

"'Inbreathiate.'" Ezra repeated. "It's not a real word, it just sounds like one but it's…. Made up. Like something a kid would say to sound smart." He explained, blinking a little as the pieces started to fall into place. 

"Precisely." Benoit nodded, "And "reclamation," that is a word. But it's the wrong word." His eyebrows furrowed for a moment, sighing. "This entire day… A veritable minefield of malapropisms and factual errors." Now, Ezra would be lying if he said he knew any of the words Benoit used in that single sentence but he was sure the detective was using them correctly. After all, Benoit had this way of speaking that felt like he would be more at home in the 40s or 50s if he should ever set foot in that time period.

Benoit turned and pointed out the window. "That is the Aegean Sea." Right…. Miles said the Ionian Sea. But if what Benoit was starting to say was true then… It was Miles all along. But he couldn't, right? Miles was too dumb to pull off a murder. 

"Oh, yeah. It is, it is." Claire said, not understanding what Benoit was trying to explain.

"His dick doesn't float. His wonder-fuel is a disaster. His grasp of disruption theory is remedial at best." Aw, and just when Ezra was going to turn to the dark side. Yeah…. No. "He didn't design the puzzle boxes. He didn't write the mystery. Et voilà. It all adds up. The key to this entire case. And it was staring at me right in the face." Benoit then clarified, clicking his tongue as turned back the group. "Like everyone in the world, I assumed Miles Bron was a complicated genius."

Ezra chuckled, shaking his head. "First mistake, Detective." He shrugged. Miles couldn't come up with his own idea if it saved a million lives. 

Ezra knew that and he warned Andi against partnering with Miles… but she didn't listen. And that's why he left. Sure, the transphobia was part of it but he couldn't bear to watch Andi throw away all her ideas and let Miles get all the credit. Alpha was hers, never Miles'. He just so happened to run into Andi and she took him along for the ride. 

Benoit glanced at Ezra, a slightly amused look in his eye. "Look into the clear center of this Glass Onion… Miles Bron is an idiot."

Whiskey covered her lips, a little shocked Benoit would say such a thing. Miles' jaw tensed, "Oh, please." He grumbled, shaking his head as he crossed his arms. "Just tell us who tried to kill me."

"No one tried to kill you, you vainglorious buffoon." Benoit countered, shoving his hands in his pockets. If Miles was the murderer, Benoit certainly did not seem scared when he insulted him to his face.

Miles exclaimed, growing frustrated and not in the way that would make him seem innocent. "Duke took my glass!" He wouldn't make a great actor, Ezra could see all his tells easily.

Keeping his composure, Benoit looked at Miles unpressed. "That's what you told us he did. He must've picked it up by mistake, you told us, right after it happened." Ezra cocked his head slightly as he started to remember. It was right in front of them. Miles couldn't be that dumb? To attempt murder right before their eyes. "Ignore his lies, everyone, and think clearly now! What did we all actually see?"

"Y-You handed Duke your own glass. In front of us! And you lied. Made us think you didn't." Ezra said, letting go of Elle once it seemed she was alright. "I must admit I'm not sad that he's dead but…. You traumatized my kid for life.

"Blanc, Ezra… you're telling us Miles killed Duke?" Lionel asked in disbelief. 

Benoit nodded, "Yes."

"Why?"

"Because the night Andi sent you all the emails, when Duke got to Andi's house early on his motorcycle he saw Miles leaving. Was almost struck by him." Benoit explained, Ezra wasn't following this time. What email? "In fact, he told all of us. Right in the open, he told us. That night, at Andi's." 

Claire nodded, rubbing her chin slightly. "That night…. Duke told us he almost got in an accident. He… pancaked?" She realized.

"Okay yeah, but Miles had been living in Greece the past six months." Lionel said. He couldn't accept the fact Miles would kill one of their closest friends. Even if Duke was…. Duke.

Benoit let out a light huff, a laugh almost. "No." It was clipped. "Whiskey." He made his way over to her. This piqued Elle's interest, what did all this have to do with her? "Miles saw you on your birthday in New York. Gave you that necklace for your birthday. You're a Taurus." He whispered.

"I am." Whiskey said in a light whisper as well before she realized, "Two weeks ago. May 9th."

Benoit shrugged as Peg ran back into the room. "Forget the hydrofuels, and the sweatshops, and the consensual cuckolding for cable news assignments." Cuckold? God, that had to be the first time he's ever said that for a case. It made Ezra snort out a laugh. 

"Sorry what?" Peg asked, face clear with confusion. 

"And focus! On the envelope." Benoit motioned with his hand to a staircase.

Everyone's heads turned at the staircase to reveal Andi descending from the steps. Birdie let out a shriek, while Claire yelled a few curses. Ezra, on the other hand, was utterly confused.

"Andi?" Lionel asked, appalled.

Ezra looked from Andi to Benoit, "What the fuck is going on?" She was dead not more than two minutes ago when he thought she was dead, the grief was just starting to set in until she came back.

"Who did the envelope threaten?" Benoit didn't expect Ezra to know, maybe he should have explained but it's not like Whiskey really would have known either. "Miles Bron." Almost as if Miles' mom just died in a house fire, his expression became sour and hardened. "That night, Lionel faxed Andi's email to Miles who received it in New York. The one thing that could destroy his empire of lies, the truth in the hands of the only person unafraid to tell it. So Miles drives his Baby Blue Porsche to the scene of the crime, and Andi let's him in." Benoit cocked his head at Miles, eyes narrowed.

Benoit never had any remorse unveiling the truth, especially with cases with such…. Shitheads. "Of course she did. Miles' machine of lawyers and power could destroy her through sheer dumb force. But Miles himself? Oh, she was clever enough not to fear Miles." If this was going where Ezra thought this was going… then who was the woman that looked exactly like Andi? "But she didn't see the real threat, the obvious threat until it was too late. Duke alone knew you were there that night, but he didn't know Andi was dead." 

Ezra ran a hand down his forehead. Wait… Andi had mentioned she had a sister to him, maybe a few times just when families were brought up in conversation. She didn't happen to say her sister was twin but… What else could this be? The actor looked up at the "imposter"—if he could really call her that–and realized. That had to be Helen.

"No, no, he didn't know that until this evening." Benoit continued as he pointed out, "Right here, when he got a Google Alert on his phone, which has now fallen strangely silent." He made his way around Miles and grabbed something from his pocket to reveal that Miles had Duke's phone ever since he died. Ezra was somewhat scared Benoit was feeling him up or something, thankfully it didn't seem Benoit had a kink for villains. "Which he showed to you… because you don't own a phone." 

"Did you really think you could stop all of them from finding out about Andi's death? They all have phones." The blonde made her way towards the group, her southern accent was thick.

"He didn't need to hide the death, he just needed to hide that Duke has shown him the death moments before he was killed." Benoit spun the tail a little further… Well, not so much spinning, more like weaving. Putting the pieces together so they could see the finished product more clearly. "Right out in the open, Duke showed him. And told him exactly what he wanted in return for his silence. So what does Miles do?" The Detective stepped away from the man in question.

The woman followed Benoit, "Does he keep a vial of poison in his tooth or something? Is that some rich person thing?" If it was, Ezra was in trouble. 

Benoit sighed, shaking his head in slight disappointment. "No, no, no, no, it's just… it's so much stupider than that. Birdie, what are the ingredients to your Cuban Breeze?" He asked.

Suddenly the attention was on her and it winded her for a moment. "Um, vodka, amaretto…."

"Oh, God." Whiskey gasped, raising her hands to her mouth as she realized. 

"And… pineapple juice." Birdie finished after a little while.

Benoit strained, slightly disgusted and appalled. "An allergy!" 

"He can't even have a drop." 

"Pineapple juice!" The detective exclaimed in frustration. "He just put pineapple juice in his whiskey! It's so dumb." He shook his head, raising a hand to his forehead to rub at it. It teased his brain in the worst way possible. 

Birdie, probably drunk, gasped in amazement. "It's so dumb, it's brilliant!" 

"No! It's just dumb!" Benoit exclaimed, rubbing a hand against his forehead.

Ezra didn't need to check as he went up to her while the rest went to check their phones, reading off the first article about Cassandra Brand. "You must be Helen Brand…" He said softly.

"You know Helen?" Claire asked. It seemed none of them knew who she was, or they didn't pay much attention when Andi told them about her.

Helen glanced from Claire to Ezra. "We met once. He was in Alabama for some movie and recognized me." She explained, fiddling with the red envelope in her hands as Miles realized… The person he just tried to kill wasn't Andi at all. But an entirely different character all together.

"And now we come to Helen's attempted murder. Which, I have to give you credit for, did have a sound foundation of thought." Benoit said, earning him a glare from Ezra. The actor could see it being a bad habit already, the detective praising a criminal for their creativity just because it tested him enough. But Ezra didn't mind if that was the worst thing about Benoit. "You realized the opportunity laid out in front of you. You have a house on a remote island, filled with desperate people, all of whom have a real-life reason to wish this woman harm. You–" Benoit paused suddenly, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Miles. Something started to become abundantly clear in his mind.

Benoit continued, somewhat weary, "Furthermore, you have a loaded gun conveniently within reach. And the lights had even been turned off." He let out a heavy sigh as he brought a hand to his forehead. "Heavens to…" Ezra didn't want to laugh but the sound escaped him anyways. Benoit may have described Ransom and Harlan in an older case as "drama mamas" but he wasn't exempt from that description either. "You dim-witted, brainless… jackass!" Elle jumped a little as she wrapped the blanket tighter around her form. 

"Your one murder, with any panache at all, and you stole the whole idea from me." It seemed he knew how it felt now. Andi got her ideas stolen by Miles for years, the napkin wasn't the only thing. They all knew that.

Lionel cocked his head, "And after all that, you…. You still kept the envelope? Didn't burn it or anything?" He asked. It could have been seen as a trophy of some sort but if someone–like Helen–were to discover he still had it then his empire would fall. 

"You recognize this?" Helen asked, almost smug as she took the napkin out of its packaging. "Andi's handwritin'. I got you, son of a bitch." Miles almost looked scared. 

Miles shook his head, "Oh, let's slow down there, sister. Okay? Because first, how could you ever prove that that's the original?" He countered. "She might have copied mine."

"No. The bar closed nine years ago, and hers has one thing that yours just doesn't." Helen pointed at something, Ezra couldn't see what since he was standing behind her. However, Ezra was prepared to jump Miles if Helen asked him to. 

Miles hummed, glancing over Helen's shoulder to meet Benoit's eyes. "Okay, but second…." He clicked on his light to set the napkin aflame. 

Benoit and Ezra ran over to Helen. "What the hell did he do?" Benoit exclaimed as he looked at the pile of ash that suddenly formed at Helen's feet. 

"He just burned it!" Helen gasped as Benoit squatted down to see it for himself.

"Burned what? I didn't see anything." Miles shrugged.

Ezra growled, "You are acting worse than a child! And I should know, I have one." Elle pouted, shaking her head. At least Ezra raised her right. Who knows what Miles' parents were like. 

"This will not stand." Benoit ground out, his jaw clenching. 

Miles chuckled, "Uh-huh. Well, did you see this proof, this smoking napkin, Blanc?" He asked with a knowing smile. They had no more evidence. Nothing that could prove Andi's death. "No. Did anybody?" The group casted their gaze downward, defeated and silent. They couldn't go against Miles, he had them in his pocket. "Okay, then wow! Wow! We got some big accusations flying around here. Except, everybody seems to have a very foggy recollection of what they actually saw–"

"Well, I did see you burn something." Ezra countered.

"And there's nothing but totally circumspective evidence." Miles continued, completely ignoring Ezra like he did most of the time a decade ago. "So, if this was just us playing my murder mystery game, which we should have been doing all weekend, then Blanc wins an iPad Pro this time." He joked softly. "But this is the real world. And in the real world you need more than a neat, little detective story. You need evidence. And you've got… nothing. Do you?"

Ezra looked from Benoit to Helen. He was right. You need evidence and you need witnesses. And if Ezra was going to be the only to side with Helen then the courts would never work out in her favor. Miles had the majority here. 

Benoit pursed his lips, a sad glaze rolling over his eyes. He hated losing in a game as serious as this. "He's right." He sighed, pursing his lips. "The contents of that envelope and his possession of it were our only physical evidence."

"Right." Miles pointed at him, clicking on his lighter yet again to fiddle with it. "Wanna take that to the cops? You wanna take that to the courts?" He laughed quietly, "Look, pick your poison. Anywhere you go, it's going to be your word against mine. How do you think that's gonna go?" 

Benoit took his jacket from the glass pedestal he hung it from and put it on as he walked across the room, ushering Ezra with him by setting a hand on his back.

Miles shrugged, clicking his tongue slightly. "I think it's gonna go about like it went for Andi."

"Jesus." Lionel whispered under his breath, glancing at Helen. He could have been good. But no. Lionel wasn't quite there yet. 

"And I do want to say, your sister was a complicated woman, but she meant the world to me." Miles pursed his lips, trying his best to sound sincere. But if it was sincere… would he have ever killed her? "And I'm so sorry for your loss." 

Dejected, Helen made her way over to Benoit. "Blanc. I need you to do something." Tears started to form at the edges of her eyes, threatening to fall. After all this work and… nothing. 

"I'm sorry, Helen." Benoit shook his head, eyebrows drawing together. "I gave you the truth. This is where my jurisdiction ends. I have to answer to the police, the courts, the system. There's nothing I can do." He took a quick breath as he grabbed the glass with 'Andi' written on it. "Except maybe… offer you some courage." Benoit handed Helen the glass. "And a reminder of why your sister walked away in the first place." He quickly handed her something else, Ezra could only imagine what it was. 

Benoit turned away, whispering to Ezra, "I suggest you and your daughter come with me." He said. It was a very serious tone and Ezra hadn't had the time to think it through much so he followed his instructions.

Ezra grabbed Elle by her arm and walked outside, following Benoit to the docks. He wondered why Benoit was in such a hurry to leave. Or maybe… not? He didn't seem that worried. 

But, well…. The entire Glass Onion blew up a few minutes later and Ezra would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the fireworks. 

"Disruption." Benoit laughed as he took a drag from his cigar. 

"Fuckin' A." Derol laughed as well, his joint firmly between his lips as he lounged on a chair.

Ezra ran a hand through Elle's hair while a proud smile was on his lips. Helen sure knew how to shake things up, Ezra didn't mind though. Miles deserved to have his house blown up.

[studyblrbymaya]

study tip #1: eliminate. all. distractions!!!

i kinda find that on days where i don’t feel hugely motivated, i tend to make use of every single excuse that i humanly can so that i can study a tiny amount, or even not at all. whether it’s a random politics thing that i supposedly have to do, or a random book that i supposedly need to read, or a random rabbit hole that i find and investigate, needlessly, for 3 hours, i’ll try and go straight for the distractions. inevitably, these usually work how they’re supposed to, and i usually end up kicking myself at the end of what could have been an extremely productive, useful day. 

for me, i found that my main culprits are pretty much everything on my phone, random news stories on my laptop, hearing my family outside my study, and random thoughts about random things that i may or may not need to do, creeping into my head at extremely random points during the study session. i also tend to get quite fatigued if i’ve studied for longer than i can cope with. acknowledging all of my distractors is great: i’m self aware, and i know the reasons for which i’m unproductive. i don’t know if i have these in common with some people, or whether certain ones are quite exclusive to me, but here’s what i’ve found helps to stop my focus dwindling:

for my phone: it goes away!! if i’m studying downstairs, my phone is in my room upstairs. it’s always just out of sight and out of mind, and as such i’m not tempted to pick it up and doomscroll twitter (or the few tweets that i can, anyway... thanks elon for the stupid rate limits.) or randomly send my friend a gif of a dog which inevitably causes gif wars to begin as she fights back with ones of cats... if it’s not with me, it’s out of my frame of mind and i can be more productive. as for random websites: i set myself a challenge. i might say that i can only use 5 websites not related to my studies all day, or within a certain timeframe. if i’m having a day where i feel particularly distracted, i’ll usually let myself scroll through random things during the pomodoro breaks that i take, and abide strictly by the time limits of these breaks. that way, i feel fulfilled, my brain’s had a break from studying, and i’m also on task when i need to be!! in terms of hearing my family outside my study, it’s a quick fix. CLOSE THE DOOR!! no matter if they’re baking delicious food outside, no matter if they’re talking about the latest marvel show... i’ll close the door and focus on what i need to do. sometimes that’s hard, but i always remember to spend time with my family if i can, even if it’s just a quick conversation with them in the morning if i’ve got a particularly intense day of studying to do.  as for the random thoughts creeping into my head, i never knew what to do with these. they would make their way into my brain, lodge there, and grow and grow and grow as i tried to focus on the task at hand. instead of ignoring them, i now  acknowledge them. i tend to write them down on the whiteboard next to my desk, or on a random post it which i’ll then stick on a wall facing away from me. this means i’m not distracted, but also can attend to it, so i won’t forget about it and feel frustrated in any way.  in terms of the fatigue, using the pomodoro technique works wonders. on a usual day, it’s 60 minutes on to 10 minutes off, but if i’m struggling with what i’m studying or i’m feeling particularly stressed, i’ll sometimes send 45 minutes studying and 15 minutes on a break. my breaks are never static: i might go for a quick walk, i might talk through what i’ve learnt with a friend, but i’m strict with myself. i set a boundary that whenever the timer goes off to start the next session, i need to be there and i need to be ready to study. this means i can avoid games like ‘i’ll make it up later!!!’ (i never do) or the famed ‘well, i’ve wasted 5 minutes, might as well go chill for the whole session.’ (all that does is contribute to a lack of productivity.) that was an absolute rant and a half... i doubt anyone read all of that, but it’s a useful reminder for me, too... happy studying :)

[elwongo2]

INFINITY Battle Report - Operation Hungry Walrus "The Ruckus"

I had a great time playing against LouisXIV at the Rustbelt Ruckus, which was an Infinity tournament out in Michigan.

Although my performance overall was not the best, the experience was lovely. I got to see friends I rarely see (in person!) and had a nice time rolling lots of dice. I even ended up doing a little teaching on the side, due to some low placements. 😅

The four rounds were all challenging and interesting, and the prize support, meals, and chats were all a delight. Well worth the time and effort.

As a part of the tournament, I was challenged by someone interested in contributing to Operation Hungry Walrus, LouisXIV, for the 1st-round. (Players can have challenges, but only for the first round pairings.) This worked out, since the mission we were set to play - Frontline - was the first mission of the tournament, allowing us to contribute thematically while also playing the standard rules of the Rustbelt Ruckus.

So, without further ado, our battle report and contribution to the online fan campaign! 

THE RUCKUS

LOCATION: WEST HYPATIA COASTLINE SITREP: Hypatia’s western coastline is home to a number of interesting locales, not the least of which is a former Silk Lord’s estate. After being booted out of the Akua Leisure District, the former eccentric billionaire Battho’ Ubelin built a sprawling estate to the west of the main city. 

The Black Hand believes that Ubelin’s fall is part of a multi-phase cover operation, in which the former silk lord would slowly transition into a life of debauchery and eventually move to VaudeVille. All of this, presumably, is just a long-term plant operation, with Ubelin having been psychologically groomed to be utterly loyal to his Haqqislamite paymasters after decades of loyalty before his social downfall. Their goal is to seize his compound and plant quantronic tracking devices to observe him, and confirm if Ubelin has any such issues with loyalty.

Haqqislam Special Operations has deployed a multi-tier task force to Ubelin’s estate. This is not “protection,” but instead the desire to secure it and destroy the building to prevent any evidence of Haqqislamite deep-cover techniques. Ubelin is expendable. 

The Haqqislamite team was going second, and the Nomad team from Bakunin going first. 

The Bakunians had a number of aggressive morlocks in their own specialized unit, primarily kept in line by a taskmaster.

The Haqqislamite team had very few defenses in place, save for a few hackers placed up front and an impersonator pretending to be Ubelin. 

A somewhat painful turn 1 for Haqqislam, the pupniks and Morlocks advanced quite far. They even managed to discover the hidden impersonator. Things were looking a bit dire, but the elite Asawira Unit , alongside hired operative Knauf, cleared out much of the chaff - including the Taskmaster. 

A Red Fury Mukhtar, placed far up, only activated too late (if only he’d had earlier initiative!) and absolutely decimated the Morlocks and Pupniks. By the time it happened, many rear-line units were in peril. 

TURN 2

Turn 2 continued apace, with a renewed focus on the Riot Grrl team and the Asawira. The Asawira and nearby Mukhtar did clear out quite a few, but the 2 wounds on the Riot Grrls were unable to be broken. 

Making matters worse, the Impersonator fell dead without having accomplished anything due to some bad rolls adn the Riot Grrl’s MSV preventing smoke-throwing. 

TURN 3 

Horror upon horrors! A Prowler (well-painted by LouisXIV) appeared out of nowhere to eliminate Knauf and the Barid hacker who had been providing support from afar. although Knauf survived, the Prowler was able to steal a cube, accomplishing a classified and removing two orders as well as my hacking support. A well-placed Prowler can make all the difference in the world, especially when nobody is watching down the way! 

DeDespite a decent number of points in the middle and back, I’m unable to really outwit the Riot Grrls and prowler together. Although my opponent has lost the vast majority of his orders, it’s not enough; he still has a few chunky ones touching the right spots, and I'm not. An honorable game, played well by him and decently by me.

OUTCOME

In the aftermath, the entire compound - although damaged - was not destroyed. In fact, Ubelin was found hiding in a courtyard dressed as a baggage-bot.

[morelorethenthereseem]

“Do you know the tale of how the fourth age began? It started with the creation of mana, now, I don’t know how they came up with such a brilliant idea, but I can tell you What they came up with, how it works.

But first a bit of background: At the end of the second age the primordial of change created cost magic, the first form of magic, the way cost magic works is as follows: you can choose to either gain or lose something then you will either lose or gain something of equivalent value, it is possible to force the cost upon another person, however this is exceedingly rare for many reasons.

The problem is that there is no way to know what "equal value" means, is it subjective based off of what the primordial of change thought?

Is there some objective universal truth for what things are equal to other things?

Or is it subjective person to person?

The problem is that there's no way of knowing, Cost magic has no limits, it could destroy all of reality or create an entirely new one, but it is also monumentally risky.

Fast forward to the end of the third age, humans are scattered throughout many nations, yet they don't have a singular nation of their own, a large group of humans are trying to find a workaround to cost magic, eliminating the grievous consequences, and the absolute unpredictability.

The solution is the creation of something called "mana."

Mana is like blood in that it is both physical and ethereal, blood was given to the gods to help create life as part of a pact by the primordial of the ethereal.

That group of humans altered there biology so that their bodies would convert the soul into mana at a rate that was slower than the soul would regenerate, mana was also built off the foundations of ning, Ning was a product of will and required will and focus to use, in this way, they could control the result, allowing for the ability to choose the affect of cost magic, well locking the cost to being mana, however everyone's bodies aren't the exact same, and depending on who you are, you might regenerate mana faster or slower, you might be able to hold more or less than another at any given time, and in rare cases, you produce mana faster than your soul can regenerate, it you use more mana then you currently have then the cost will start to eat into your soul and your lifeforce, this is also because the foundations for the idea and creation of mana are based on ning, it also goes without saying that you can't use magic if your body can't produce mana, (at the time) Restricting it to humans exclusively, by design, in fact mana was made extremely complicated on purpose to try to prevent other races, be able to produce it.

Mana was the creation of nine great sages, and upon its creation began the kingdom of magic and the start of the fourth age, all those special chants, magic words and symbols and all those special body movements are all for efficiency and to focus the power and intent. So there you go that's the origin of magic. but then there's also mind magic which is basically

"perception is reality," but mind magic no longer exists, it was created by the first God after his resurrection, there is also "rune fading" which was originally built upon amplifying the power that comes from the moment of something not existing anymore, and there's also runes and symbols and enchantment and ALLLL the different types of flames and how they work and the already mentioned but not explained "Ning" and then there's also the power of domains and there's also will and there's also the fundamental concepts of reality and also lich stuff and many more magic systems, NOT TO MENTION how they all interact with each other, so yeah reality gets abused a lot. the world is a real cluster fuck of power, and it’s falling apart, just as much as it staying together.

It’s a shame though, what happened to those all the humans. Wiped from mind and land alike. But that’s another, much bigger story to be told another time.”

[allinmycorner]

It was week two and Latin Night on Dancing With the Stars. Each couple had to learn a Latin dance and perform it for the judges and us viewers at home. This is always a popular theme night and usually promises some steam. So who burned up the dance floor and who just flamed out?

Let's find out!

Jamie Lynn and Alan: It wasn't the worst performance of the evening but it also wasn't the greatest. Jamie Lynn just seemed…average. I know some people suspect Britney's fans are behind her elimination because #FreeBritney has trended during each show so far and while I wouldn't be surprised if some people didn't vote for her because of her stance during #FreeBritney…I don't think that's the entire reason. Though I do think hair and wardrobe were against her - they did her absolutely no favors the past couple weeks.

Jason and Daniella: They saved the best for last. Jason and Daniella closed out Latin Night and they were the only couple with a rumba. And even though Jason expressed some doubts in his package, his performance proved that last week wasn't a fluke. He remains a serious competitor and could hoist the Len Goodman trophy at the end of this season. I would think he might just need to be careful of his face. He was singing along during this performance - which wasn't too bad but it looked a little goofy in the close ups.

Xochitl and Val: Xochitl kicked it up a notch this weekend. The salsa again was a great and energetic number for her though I feel she was more controlled this week. She even overcame her fear of heights to do some fun jumps for the routine. But Val let her dancing and personality shine. Carrie Ann even compared her to Rita Moreno, which is a high honor indeed.

Charity and Ezra: Artem tested positive for COVID prior to the show and therefore was unable to dance with Charity on Tuesday. Troupe member Ezra stepped up and partnered with her to help with her cha-cha. I don't know if having a new partner affected her scores because I think might've had the same issue with Artem - she is technically good but now she has to work on connecting with her partner. That will elevate her dancing even more and I think helped both Kaitlyn and Hannah make it to the mirrorball trophy. So we'll see what happens once she's back with Artem.

Lele and Brandon: Lele got to kick the night off with her samba. She took Brandon to Miami and let him connect with her Venezuelan culture to help them get the flavor of the dance. Her Latin roots really showed and she was the perfect choice to start things off. I would also say she had some of the best hip work of the night.

Ariana and Pasha: Ariana and Pasha also had a samba. She started off solo before moving into the samba rolls, which seemed risky but it definitely paid off. Ariana exuded confidence and sensuality while on the dance floor, easily owning the dance floor. She and Lele could easily over take Charity if she's not careful.

Alyson and Sasha: Alyson certainly was the most improved between last week and this week! Her tango was graceful and on point. She was able to tap into her more serious side to focus more on the dance and it certainly helped her. I look forward to seeing her grow this season.

Mira and Gleb: Mira dedicated her salsa to a friend who taught her to dance and who had recently passed. I believe she made that friend proud with her routine. She's such a delight to watch on the floor and I do focus more on her than Gleb, which I count as a sign of a good performer. I don't know if she could ever catch up to some of the top talent but I believe she will be on the show for many more weeks.

Tyson and Jenna: Tyson also improved from last week. I guess he shook off the Week 1 nerves. When they started with a few tricks, I worried that Jenna was going to hide Tyson's poor dancing with just tricks but there ended up being a good balance between salsa content and tricks. So I'm glad that Jenna found a way to let him dance but also used one of his strengths.

Adrian and Britt: Like Jamie Lynn, he wasn't the worst but he also wasn't the best. I could sense some hesitancy in his samba but he kept smiling through it. Maybe his own scandalous past is catching up with him in regards to the voters or maybe this was just a fluke. We'll see how he bounces back next time.

Barry and Peta: Oh, Barry. He was hoping for some good scores for his birthday but it didn't seem the judges agreed. Again, his routine wasn't terrible but it wasn't the smoothest cha-cha. I think his hips did him in but his feet weren't a big help either. His routine felt more like he kept hitting poses rather than dancing. Hopefully he and Peta can work on smoothing things out for him because I feel like he could do so much more.

Harry and Rylee: Like Tyson and Jenna, I worried that Rylee would try to cover Harry's dancing with tricks but their routine also had a good balance of salsa and tricks. However, unlike Tyson, Harry didn't show as much improvement. He still struggled with the dances and didn't move as much as some of the other stars, including Barry. I think he's trying but he needs to get out of his own head and just let himself dance.

Mauricio and Emma: Poor Mauricio! He completely blanked on his salsa routine halfway through it. But it is a testament to his partnership with Emma and her abilities as a teacher that she was able to tell him to "clap it out" and he was able to recover to finish the routine. His low scores were understandable but I think he and Emma were so genuine in their response to the incident that it inspired audiences to vote for them and letting them dance another day.

Next time Michael Stahan will join the panel as a guest judge for Motown Night. So I hope you all come back to see how that goes for our stars!

[nyortor]

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[just-your-average-tangerine]

I've been going to the lgbt group for like 4 years now and there's definitely been some issues but I've had enough positive experiences to make it worth it.

And they have guidelines in place to try and keep it safe for everyone, one of these is "no isms" generally defined as no racism, sexism, ableism, antisemitism, etc. (Whether those are enforced is an entirely different issue). They've always added the caveat that feminism is the allowed "ism" they used to say inclusive feminism or intersectional feminism but now the "allowed feminism" is trans inclusive radical feminism.

Which is perfectly in line with how many times people in that space have told me that I shouldn't "want" to be a man and that starting t was going to turn me into a monster.

[canonicallysoulmates]

The podcast thing premiered and while I have zero interest in it Jared and Jensen are in the first two episodes so I sat down and listened to them and now I’m gonna give y’all a speedrun of what was said so you don’t have to- unless you want to then do whatever the fuck you want.

This post contains both episodes the boys are in thus it got really long so I will be putting the contents of the second ep under a read more.

The first episode is about the Pilot- sort of the first half is more about the casting process the boys went through but we’ll get into that; I absolutely hate the music in this, you know how music can influence your emotions? There’s sounds that make you happy, sounds that make you sad, the music in this makes me angry. My brain no likey.

From here on Rob Benedict will appear as RB and Richard Speight Jr. as RS. This is just for convenience sake.

RB and RS do get some things right at the beginning: j2 are the leads of the show, the core of the show is the brother’s relationship, and without the two of them there would be no show.

They do a quick recap of the episode.

RB reveals that he has never seen the Pilot before, he watched it for the first time a couple days prior to recording this. *internally screams* 🙃

Moving on, Jared remembers the casting and the filming for the Pilot pretty clearly. He thinks it's because shooting the Pilot was like a movie. They had months to get used to the script and get to know their characters when they did the Pilot.

Jared compared their audition more to a meeting because he and Jensen already had a relationship with WB, they had both done work for them at the time. He also remembers how since there was no SM they would be swapped for radio press tours meaning if Jensen did a press tour then the next time it would be his turn and vice versa. So they’d have to wake up at like 2:45am in Van to be on the phone call at 3 to do an interview that would air at 6 in the east coast and they’d do like 4 hours worth of radio interviews before going to set to film.

They both remember meeting each other. They didn’t have a traditional chemistry read, the network studio test acted as their chemistry read.

They both knew David Nutter, and Kripke prior to the audition. Jared had met Nutter when he was a guest star on an episode of ER that Nutter directed and Kripke he met independently. Jensen knew Nutter from Smallville because he had directed the Pilot for that show.

Jensen tells how when he read for David and Kripke at Wonderland, he read for Sam originally and then asked if he could read for Dean. They looked at each other, shared a laugh and told him he didn’t have to, the first time Jensen read for Dean was at the ranch when he met Jared.

Jared had a holding deal with WB when he originally read for Sam, which meant he couldn’t audition for any other network. Kripke thought he was great but they were looking for a smart Duchovny type and he didn’t think Jared fit the bill so, Spilo, Jared’s manager, told him how smart Jared actually is and about his academic achievements.

When it comes to the chemistry with Jensen, Jared says he felt it kinda instantly. He remembers his and Jensen’s first convo in detail, and it’s actually kind of cute to hear him describe how it went because he describes how Jensen went slowly softening up as their conversation progressed.

Jensen used to be a little shit, he shares that back in the day when he would be in the audition waiting rooms he would start making small talk with the people that seemed the most nervous- those that were pacing, sitting in their chairs rocking a little bit, reading their lines over and over again. He’s not sure if he did it just to eliminate the tension in the room or if he was just messing with them doing it to knock them off their game but he liked popping that little bubble of focus 😂

And then RB asks if he thinks that’s what he was doing to Jared in that moment when he initiated conversation with him in the audition waiting room, Jensen he says no because they weren't going against each other. And then Jared mentions how even to this day once you’re about to test for a studio network you've signed a 6yr contract so if you go to the waiting room and they say they’ll take you that’s the next 6 years of your life, so you want to get to know the person you may be spending the next 6 years with; he also makes a comparison to marriage and how it’s like if you have 10 minutes before having to get married to this person you wanna ask the important stuff like where they’re from and the family history.

We have reached the around halfway mark into the podcast and you know it’s halfway because of the annoying loud music that slightly overlaps with the talking for no real reason. This is where we would usually hear sponsors but they don’t have any so it’s just this pointless addition.

Asked if they felt they had something at the time when they finished shooting the Pilot. Jared says that Peter Roth who was running WB studios at the time believed in the show and believed in him and Jensen, and Jared hadn’t realized how much he believed in them until after the fact. Because at the time they were hiring big names and really talented people, and spending a ton of money doing long days, their cinematographer had won an Oscar for a short film he had directed so they were surrounded by people that had either been working for years and/or were outrageously talented so he knew they had made a great product but the industry is intense you don’t really know what’s going to happen. He knows he has a job after getting a check in the mail after having filmed it; mentions how he had done a few Pilots prior to spn and how Jensen even did a show where he shot 7 eps only for FOX to shelve it after putting 15million dollars into it.

They start mentioning shows that came out in the 2004-2006 era and RB mentions a show he was in called Threshold, mistake on his part because they start ribbing him about it which was actually pretty funny especially since he actually sounded flustered.

RS says visually the Pilot is more lit like a horror movie, it's darker. Jared says that was the initial idea but that’s unsustainable; they would have 3 hour lighting set ups sometimes. In the time that it took to shoot the Pilot they could have shot 2 episodes.

When they shot the Pilot how much did they think about what their characters situation was in terms of like the scene where Dean says “Dad’s on a hunting trip and he hasn’t been home in a few days” and did they think about what their life was cause Dean essentially didn’t have a home? Jensen ties it in to the question of when they knew that they had something that could be a success, and says that he thinks it was the day they shot that particular scene of Dean saying “Dad’s on a hunting trip and he hasn’t been home in a few days” which is also when they shot the fight scene between the brothers in Sam’s apartment, and also matching that with when he saw the playback of him kicking the door in when Jess is on fire and Dean goes back for Sam, he remembers seeing the shot and thinking ‘that’s some heroic shit’ and thinking they could get 3 or 4 seasons out of the show. Also, the same day they shot that fight scene they went outside that night to shoot the final scene of the episode.

Jared shares how the end sequence of the Pilot was multi part, so they shot Dean kicking in the door, Sam getting cookies and laying on the bed, seeing Jess’s body on location at USC. Then in a studio they shot the wide angle Nutter wanted of Sam on the bed with the room on fire with live fire; they filmed that part, Sam on the bed with the fire all around him and Dean running in and grabbing him with actual fire, there was even a whole fire department on the sidelines. Safety people told him that as soon as he got warm to run, and Jensen remembers there was a take where Jared was really emotional and he was fighting so hard against him, and Jensen started to feel warm and instead of him going ‘we gotta go!’ he said ‘i’m getting hot we gotta go!’ 😂

Neither of them were around when they shot Jess and Mary on the ceiling so they don’t know how that was filmed. They met Sam Smith and JDM the day the scene where Mary burns up was filmed.

Everyday was a big day, and there were a lot of long days. Jared remembers Jensen telling him about Ray LaMontagne's debut album, and he got the CD (which is freaking adorable that he would go get a CD just because Jensen told him about it) and he thinks he managed to go through the entire album in the time it took him to drive from his house in North Hollywood to the set. And there was one day when they didn’t shoot anything after lunch; it’s when Sam pulls up and the woman in white appears and you see the inside of the house, after lunch they start setting something up, 6 hours later it still isn’t finished so the boys got sent home.

Kripke never gave them info about what was going to happen, the boys were along for the ride just like everyone else only finding things out as they got their scripts. And that model never really changed, there were a few episodes like French Mistake where they got called up and asked how they felt about it, but for the most part they would find things out as they got scripts; and Kripke didn’t share what he was planning with anybody.

To wrap it up, do they remember the moment they saw the Impala and thought it was a cool car? Jensen remembers reading it in the script, it was talking about a classic car and he thought it was going to be something like a Mustang or a Challenger so the Impala was kind of left field in the best way possible.

Jared recalls how in one of the first conversations he had with Kripke he asked him if he had read Joseph Cambell and Jared replied that he had because his mom taught Heroes, Myths and Legends in High School and was an English Major, and his family is big on reading so he was familiar with the archetypes and classic story tropes; and he’s also always been a 60’s Chevy or classic car fan. His first ever car was a '61 Camero which he’s almost done restoring he’s been working on it for the past 10yrs, and also had a ‘65 Mustang which he restored a bit and then sold so he’s always been into late ‘60’s muscle cars so seeing Baby for the first time was like ‘Yeah!’ he’s not sure he had ever seen one before in his life.

Like I said, that wraps up the….interview(?) portion of the podcast. Then they say there are upcoming messages but there are none so that’s pointless.

They are doing a bitch count to count how many times in the series ‘bitch’ or ‘son of a bitch’ were said *long suffering sigh*

They’re also highlighting things that make the show a little dated like the computer monitors. Doing a creepy kid count. They share some random trivia about the ep like how the note from Jessica on the cookies was written by Holly Ollis the long time publicist at the WB. Or how this is one of two eps fimed in the US, the other being the Bloodlines backdoor pilot.

The speak a little bit on the mythology of the ep, and RB does one of the- if not the worst pronunciation of La Llorona I've ever heard. They allegedly did re-search for this but they couldn't find the man a clip to help him learn how to say Llorona properly.

They go through the cast a la IMDB and if you stick around past the end music there’s some excerpts tucked away one being Jared sharing a story about how he used to get mistaken for Barry Watson - an actor on 7th Heaven - and one time his girlfriend at the time, Sandy, was flying to Van to see him and the guy sitting next to her had asked what she was headed to Van for, she told him it was to visit her boyfriend who's filming a show and when she tells him what show it is the guy went "no way, is he the short one or the one from 7th Heaven?".

Moving on to Wendigo.

RS for some reason says they talk about Kim Manners but I listened to this whole thing and unless I zoned out, which is admittedly a very real possibility, they don’t actually talk about him they just mention him. I don’t know if they did talk about him and then it just got cut out and they forgot to edit the script. I do know I didn’t like the way RS talked about Manners though the way he says “he [Kim Manners] didn’t survive the run of the show, he passed away somewhere in there” it just sounded kind of flippant to me….I don’t know I didn’t like it.

Anyways same as the last, they do a mini recap of the ep before starting the interview portion.

Jared mentions how they call Wendigo episode number one. This is because Pilots are not numbered.

Four months passed between this episode being filmed and the Pilot.

When they got picked up, they had to travel to New York for the upfront presentations and afterwards they went to Nobu with some of the execs from the studio network. And that’s when Jared found out they wouldn’t be filming in LA that they’d be filming in Vancouver.

Jared and Jensen mention how they spend their summer between the filming of the Pilot and the filming of Wendigo together hanging out and doing their assigned fight training. Jensen shares the story about how one time their trainer put them in the ring to spar, Jared hit him hard on the nose and when he went to do it again Jensen got him with a right hook that made Jared’s ear ring which is when their trainer told them that was enough, got them out of the ring and never made them spar like that again.

This episode marks the beginning of the “Dean voice” and Jensen talks about how that came to be; that came about after meeting Jeffrey and seeing parts of the Pilot and seeing what he was doing as dad. Jensen figured if this is a first born son who idolizes his father, he wants to be like his father and is going to imitate him. And John has such a rich voice, maybe that’s something Dean inherited from his father and also leans into it a little bit to be like dad. It didn’t happen in the Pilot because he hadn't met Jeffrey and seen what he was going to do to the character yet, it wasn’t till he got to Van and started work on Wendigo that he realized that’s something he could add to the character.

They tell the Stanley Park story about how Kripke sat them down and told them the show boils down to them and their relationship.

RS didn’t know this is where the iconic line of “Saving people, hunting things. The family business” had come from *screams into the distance*

Jared is a big fan of Paul Newman and Robert Redford, and Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid so he freaked out a bit when he met Donnelly Rhodes told him what a big fan he was and asked him questions about his scene in the movie.

Then we reach the halfway point but instead of just music they pass the clip about how messages are coming. But they don't have sponsors.

David Nutter was the Pilot King, if he directed the Pilot of a show odds were it would get picked up. Supernatural was the 11th Pilot he did and 11th to go to series.

They mention Dawn who sort of inherited them when the WB- UPN merger happened and how she didn’t like them.

Jensen says he remembers Nutter never sitting down, he was always close to set, had an endless supply of energy even though you never saw him eat or drink anything, gentle with the actors.

Jared says he imagines that what Nutter realized is when shooting a Pilot cast it correctly, cast it with people whose instincts go towards what their characters will be and don’t overdirect them; Jared doesn’t feel he truly knew Sam until at least towards the end of the first season, he was still learning as an actor and he didn’t want the Pilot to be the best Sam Winchester is he’s gonna have to evolve, and Nutter seemed to get that he wasn’t a micromanager he set the scene and stage for them to do the best they could.

On the experience of forging the SPN crew family. For Jared from episode 1 to the Benders which was episode 15 he was focused on Jensen and Sam was focused on Dean. It wasn’t until he felt he had hit his stride with Sam that he realized he could spend time getting to know the crew cause several of his first eps were spend trying to learn things about Sam. So by the time he got to know them the crew had spend months seeing him and Jensen working together in concert in a friendly but creative, efficient way so there was a mutual trust there, they knew him and Jensen were good dudes who cared about what they were doing.

Jensen feels they got to know their crew quickly because it was just him and Jared so the crew was the extension of who they were surrounding themselves with and they quickly became bonded; they also had a lot of crew members they were contemporary in age with which helped.

They filmed the Pilot, then Wendigo then they did Hook Man which got moved because it needed more work, followed by Dead in the Water, and Phantom Traveler which is when they met Bob Singer who until then had been in LA essentially baby-sitting Kripke who was only around 30-33 when the show got picked up. That’s young for a showrunner so Singer was kind of hired to be the veteran and keep Eric within the lines.

At the end of the interview the boys talk a little bit about their projects.

Jared says Walker s2 will have 20 episodes. And also mentions that the prequel that was announced Walker: Independence has actually been in the works since January before Walker even premiered.

Jensen says the network has script in hand for the Winchesters and he should have news by January. This was recorded in 2021 by the way so that January means now not in 2023.

There's another clip announcing a message break that doesn’t go to messages. An excerpt from I think a future episode with Bob Singer where he tells the story about how originally Kripke had written the episode subsequent to the Pilot as a ghost story but the head of the WB didn’t want them to do another ghost story right after the Pilot so Kripke came up with the Wendigo and it was expensive and took like 10 days to film, and the network was not happy at the cost.

And by this time any shred of attention I was paying to this thing was gone so....

It wasn't as bad as it could have been however it's badly edited, I wouldn't consider it a re-watch podcast because first of all it seems Rob and Richard have only seen some episodes of the first season so they're not re-watching it they're watching it for the first time, they do so individually they don't share their experience watching it, and they don't go through the ep with the guests it's just general talk about the episode. The company producing this is apparently interested in listening to feedback and going to be making changes and so called improvements. So I don't know if these are things that will change.

Sincerely, I don't care. I have no plans to listen to more of this podcast, and quite frankly if the boys appear again I'm not sure I would listen to it. There were some interesting parts and I love listening to the boys talk but...let me put it this way there was a point where I paused this to go do something and then forgot it existed for like 20mins, if it hadn't been because I had my notes for this post open I would have forgotten that I hadn't finished listening. And that happened on the first episode.

This podcast is currently only available in audio form, I don't know if there are plans to ever release it in video format. If you wish to listen to the eps yourself you can find both episodes on Apple podcasts as Supernatural Then and Now.