#Decibel Cooper Recordings

[infraredmag]

COREY TAYLOR 'CMF2'

♫ COREY TAYLOR new solo album 'CMF2' out 9/15 via Decibel Cooper Recordings / BMG. Check it out now at: www.InfraredMAG.com #NewMusic #NewMusicFriday #CoreyTaylor #CMF2 #DecibelCooperRecordings #BMG

COREY TAYLOR CMF2 September 15, 2023 Decibel Cooper Recordings / BMG Continue reading Untitled

[lifelessfan]

"Don't utter his name"

it's not exactly what was in the transcription of the interrogation but the basic same idea anyway so it's fine. Dall gets very protective. Ooc a bit I think

270-82014...it was him, one of our very own. But how did we find his name? Hoxton sits behind us, an unreadable expression but one can only assume he was feeling a little happy seeing Houston's name in the police database.

Nathan wasn't doing so good tho, staring down the police report and seeing his name. Shade sits by the computer, a repeat screen and looking through more of his reports on another monitor, taking Nathan's silence as not a good sign, figuring she should get to work before he burns up.

Dallas finally snaps out of it, straightening up, thinking about what should be their next steps, the reports wrote down a whole host of legal issues, and while never getting caught, he can only assume how many years he would be behind bars. Hoxton was stuck for 2, only a couple when compared to the papers saying "life sentence", and that was comparatively at the start of their small gangs story. But Houston? He didn't want to even think about it, not now, he just couldn't

He can't really stop himself, turning around and heading out from the safehouse, voice just loud enough to hear in the room, but not a decibel higher

-I need a smoke

The safe house was silent, the previous chatter about Clover and the messages going quiet as the prisoner was revealed, Dall storming out not a surprise though still painful nonetheless.

He had done a lot for the team, the first addition, the quiet, stealthy, mechanic, they practically took him for granted through the years

While some liked him less than others, they mostly still mutually agreed prison was going too harsh. Remembering what he was like, he wouldn't survive like Hoxton, not 2 years, not with anything less than a burn

Nathan stood outside, he needed a breather. The sudden stress and pressure increased 3 fold as he stared at the floor, eyes unfocused. He had wanted to reconnect with him for ages, just never had the guts. Left him once, what's the harm in leaving him again? Now thinking back it was a lot of harm, no security, his dreams a tightrope that seemed to have failed.

Dall wasn't good with emotions, most of the time only talking to Bain, keeping his emotions covered unless it was with specific personnel and Shade just...wasn't there yet, the team was still a team, not people he could open to too easily.

Finally dropping the smoke, mind set on one thing, he needed a second to sit with the news, he needed to break something, steal, come to terms, maybe finally realise just how important Houston was

-anyone call any jobs in? We need information, leads.

The stress was evident in his voice, he needed a distraction, something to help him calm down

-I asked around for anyone with access to the Houston files since they were under different handlers, said we needed to raid the newly opened jewellery street before he plans to help us

-how do you know he's safe?

-I'll have backup check his tracks and records, worst case we will be able to take the haul for ourselves.

It was something. shade had offered the same prospect multiple times, taking up a job and backtracking if the contact couldn't be trusted. While they didn't like to operate like that any more after Hector had proved himself to be a good manipulator even if they had slipped through more than once due to corrupt cops, at this point Dallas would be asking for anything. He needed to see him again, needed something to work with

-yes, take it

-Dallas? You sure. You know we don't do this any more. If-

-we need to take the risk. And we take extra precautions this time. Common, let's go

He he stuff to do, finalising his points and forcing the others to cooperate. Heading out to make a couple of calls to the others on the small-time thievery trips, they were going to be taking the next couple of days a little more seriously

<time skip>

Address, date and time. All details were supplied and agreed on. Final gathered items and they were heading out. Everyone of course had their reactions to the situation, Joy wondering just why Dallas was making such an exception, only getting caught up on the drive and holding her tongue to make up for the mass of questions. Wolf was just happy to get another job, of course, he still held quiet about why, still knowing the implications and opting to stay light for everyone's sake

Pearl was like Joy, except she was quieter about the questions, not willing to get in the middle of the stressed team, following along and listening only to be caught off guard having not followed the reveal like Hoxton. catching wind of a previous teammate heading to possible trial and prison, she had taken a second to take a breather for the possible implications

Hoxton and Chains were left with Shade, both choosing to stay out of the line of fire and instead opting to secure the contract, heading out for information instead of the jewels

The mission while loud, still is quiet when looking at coms. Even split amongst multiple stores and each with different funded security protocols, they all made due with Shade and her input for when and where, only really communicating for help.

Once the van was called, everyone had hauled all the bags they could, loud within the gunfire and running, gems and metals shaking in their bags. Familiar deadweight as each throw what they can in the back, a couple of words for those who finished quicker and running to help pick up other bags left.

Ammo left by the magazines in the rush, health bags slowly burnt away by wandering cloakers. it's not a sloppy job, but still one with enough faults to have calls for hand-on-hand help. A hefty pull by the hand to pull Joy in, blood down her leg, doors closed quickly and towels getting wrapped just as the car is thrown into gear and pulls out

Heavy breathing, and stuffy whines as the wound is attempted simple treatment by Dallas and Pearl. Better medical help once they were back at base but that wasn't for another 30min.

Hoxton and Chains were out of base all the same, looking for answers and any reason to doubt the possible trade. Shade helped where she could with the track down, people to talk through both logically and by brute force.

While not something they were used to doing after learning their lesson the first time, they had to protect what was theirs, they had to take precautions they usually wouldn't bother with.

Finally coming back just in time to meet up with the van, they all clean up. Helping Joy once she's brought into safety, cleaned blood tracks and comfortably placed on the couch. Chains comforts and works on the wound by reflex as he sits by her, both Joy and Chains still listen, following along with the conversation happening by Shade as they finalise and double-check the information

- he's clean, we had a look and he's worked with a lot of trusted people

- you have any more information on the insider?

- not much else of relevance, works within the prison Houston is being kept at, has access and is willing to offer the files

-then let's go through with the deal, the sooner we know what we are working with, the earlier we can make a plan

The finality of the statement, a huff in his words as he heads off, the team splitting up to head to their small jobs, Chains and an extra set of hands or looking for more materials to work with. They were getting close

<time skip>

it was like jumping through hoops, hiding their names and faces to drop the payment and once it all finally dose get through checks and into the right hands, everyone waited, they would be getting their rewards soon.

A ping on the computer and Shades sits up, hands on the keyboard and looking through the message, finding not only the files they had been promised, but an additional file that had been added

-*You were quick with the job, as a thank you, I happened to walk into an interrogation of the person you had been requesting information on. I've added the audio I caught*

The files were duplicated and analysed separately, the audio opened once everything else was analysed. The basic gist of the situation and convictions was understood, and at this point, they would take any more information they could get their hands on, including audio, as long as it wasn't edited. They had their suspicions

The screen dark as the progression bar ticks the seconds of the audio, shuffling, doors opening and closing, handcuffs, everyone's ears strained, heart heavy, Houston's voice was muddy in all their minds, just bare memories

North- Alright, Mr.Steele. You need anything, can I get you some water? Why don't you tell me why you're here?

His voice is gruff, heavy, clearly not here much by choice and willing to make the most of the moment. A smile in his voice

Houston- Officer, I think there's been a mistake. What...exactly am I getting accused of? And I believe asked you to contact my lawyer.

Even with the harsh microphone it was caught on, his voice echoes in all their minds, familiar, not...exact, but not too far.

Pearl stands close by, listening, a small smile from finally hearing the voice of someone they all seemed to stress over, Dallas the most of course.

North- We have enough evidence to put you away for a long time. Grand larceny... fraud...and tax evasion. Those are just the ones that make good headlines. It is quite the list, don't you think?

Houston- Grand larceny?... Wait, tax evasion?? You got the wrong guy, Officer North. I'm inno... This wasn't me

Innocent? Of course, he wasn't innocent...his pause, the refusal to lie that he was a law-abiding citizen and just respond with the same comment that it 'wasn't him'? Maybe that wasn't a lie either

North- Not you, huh? Explain this. We've got witnesses who saw you as the last person on the scene of the crime last week.

Houston- Witnesses?? I look like a lot of people. I can't answer for what these "Witnesses" say they saw but it wasn't me. You know how unreliable eyewitnesses can be.

It was weird, Houston wasn't much in terms of 'confident' years ago, not a complete pushover but not nearly this tough.

Thinking about it, it made sense, the gang were rougher around the edges, his calmer voice didn't mirror the same calm in the public eye. Dallas couldn't help a small scoff in his smile, the same Houston he was familiar with

Houston- How are you doing on that lawyer by the way?

North- And what about the security footage? Sure looks a lot like you.

Houston- Really? security footage? Crazy what AI can do these days and you still can't get security footage over 480p anyway. I don't know what you're fishing for here, or if you're just setting me up, but I've been living clean for the past.... 5 years, at least.

North- A setup, huh? It's always a setup isn't it. You expect me to believe that there's some conspiracy against you? Even with... all this evidence?

Houston- That's exactly what I'm telling you.

North- ...And the tax evasion? We've got your financial records. You're deep in the red, Steele.

Houston-  I'd have to see those numbers myself North. But, I pay my taxes, every cent. If there's been a mistake, I'll make sure to sort it out together with my accountant and the IRS.

North- You're full of it, Steele. This case is a formality, we've got video, papers, witnesses. In all my years I've barely seen anyone this royally fucked. Just confess, make it easier for us both, I'll even see if I can get you a good deal for cooperating and saving the state some money. What do you say?

Houston- Confess? to crimes I didn't commit? Not gonna happen. I think we're done here.

It did seem like a lost cause, the case file looked all formal, the clear backing up of those papers, witnesses, videos, there was no room to argue and it was a criminal word against the police and justice seekers. While it seemed useless, Houston still stood his ground.

Even Hoxton could listen and even quietly admire, his progression and even the now mirroring situation of jail with hands around their throats, a clutch tight, it was...A little admirable.

North-  Have it your way, it's not like the trial's gonna drag anyway Franklin

A pause. He said what?

Houston- Good luck with that. I'll be here, waiting for that lawyer you're supposed to be calling. And I'll take you up on that bottle of water while you're up, thanks.

A cold and hot flush, the moment of confidence, the admiration that maybe he could have some way out, Nathan couldn't keep his pain down much longer.

this was worse than the new accusations, worse to dismiss and trust the paper and videos that yes, can be manipulated. the bite as he said it, the spite and almost small clear hint of victory either way when he said his name. He could only lower his voice so much

- Keep his name out your mouth

A little more shuffling, a closing recording of the case number and participants cutting off as the contact finally leaves, takes the recording before seemingly bolting back to work

Nathan stands by the desk, knuckles against the wood and feeling his nails dig into his palm.

Houston had said, he didn't like using his first name at all, kept it quiet and out of courtesy, no one went much out of their way to find something they kept hidden.

His teeth grit hard, only he had called his first name, he didn't care what happened out of his range of hearing and now hearing it all over again, the pain in his chest, shoulders, muscles strained now and now body temperature unbalanced under his jacket

...

"Keep his name out of your mouth"

[zerounotvadri]

Corey Taylor lanzó el electrizante video/sencillo ‘Beyond’

Para escucharla en streaming, siga esta liga: https://coreytaylor.lnk.to/BeyondPR Para ver el video, siga esta liga: https://youtu.be/k0PKw1B7mSI Reveló detalles de su esperado nuevo disco CMF2 Disponible a partir del 15 de septiembre mediante Decibel Cooper Recordings Liga para pre guardarlo y pre ordenarlo: https://coreytaylor.lnk.to/CMF2PR Hoy, el cantautor, actor y autor de best-sellers del New York Times, ganador del premio Grammy, artista multiplatino, Corey Taylor (Slipknot, Stone Sour), reveló los primeros detalles de su nuevo disco solista de estudio, CMF2, que incluye el lanzamiento del electrizante nuevo sencillo, “Beyond”.

Para escucharlo en streaming, descargarlo o compartirlo se puede seguir esta liga: https://coreytaylor.lnk.to/BeyondPR El video oficial que acompaña el sencillo fue filmado en un lugar remoto dentro del desierto de Mojave en California. Capturado a través de la lente del director Dale "Rage" Resteghini (Hatebreed, Five Finger Death Punch, Trivium), el video muestra a Taylor mientras camina penosamente por el desierto como un Tío Sam reflexivo que se entremezcla con los miembros de la banda y los Cherry Bombs, al tiempo que se ve rodeado de diferentes versiones de sí mismo a lo largo de los años, antes de culminar con una presentación en vivo para una gran cantidad de fans.

Puedes ver el video de “Beyond” en esta liga: https://youtu.be/k0PKw1B7mSI Los orígenes de “Beyond” se remontan a 2006. Taylor sabía que la canción era especial, pero nunca encontró el tiempo para llevar la melodía a su máximo potencial. Explicó lo siguiente: “Originalmente la escribí como una canción romántica agresiva, pero ahora también la veo como una especie de canción de 'unión. Quiero reunir a las masas y hacerles saber que quiero que mi música los lleve más allá de lo que puedan pensar de mí. Tal vez han tenido una idea equivocada sobre mí. No es exactamente una tarjeta de presentación, es más como lanzarle una señal al pitcher y decir 'bien, pongámoslo todo patas arriba'. Es casi una doble amenaza, porque ahora lo veo desde dos puntos de vista”. CMF2 sigue al debut en solitario de Taylor en 2020, CMFT, que contó con el sencillo número 1 de Billboard “Black Eyes Blue” y el éxito de streaming “CMFT Must Be Stopped” (con Tech N9ne y Kid Bookie). El LP alcanzó el puesto número 6 en las listas de los mejores álbumes de rock de EE. UU. de Billboard. “Mi primer álbum en solitario fue de donde venía. Este álbum es más hacia donde vamos”, agrega Taylor. CMF2, donde Taylor canta y toca la guitarra líder y rítmica, el piano y la mandolina, contiene la energía, la experimentación y la franqueza que han definido una carrera que lo ha visto vender más de 12 millones de álbumes con su banda ganadora del Grammy, Slipknot, y varios millones extra con la exitosa banda Stone Sour. CMF2 es el primer álbum de Taylor para BMG y el primero en su propio sello discográfico, Decibel Cooper Recordings. Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Steel Panther, Amon Amarth), quien produjo en 2017 el LP Hydrograd de Stone Sour, así como CMFT, regresa para este segundo largometraje sonoro de Taylor. “Juntos tenemos grandes ideas, gran energía y somos rápidos para probar todo”, dice Taylor sobre su colaborador de estudio. “No tenemos miedo de decirnos si es una buena idea, o también mala; tenemos ese tipo de confianza”. CMFT está formada por:Corey Taylor (voz/guitarra)Zach Throne (guitarra)Dustin Robert (batería)Christian Martucci (guitarra)Eliot Lorango (bajo) Sobre Corey Taylor:Corey Taylor no deja de impactar en la cultura como el líder de Slipknot, el gigante multiplatino ganador del premio Grammy, y de la formidable banda de platino Stone Sour. Taylor es un autor de best-sellers del New York Times, así como un actor con innumerables créditos en cine y televisión. Ha impactado a generaciones de fanáticos y compañeros por igual, su voz ha reunido a millones de personas en todo el mundo. A nivel mundial, Slipknot cuenta con 13 álbumes de platino y 44 de oro, tres de los cuales debutaron en el número uno en el Billboard 200 (All Hope is Gone, .5 the Grey Chapter y We Are Not Your Kind).

[olivesbest]

How the Waco Tragedy of 1993 Became the Greatest Blunder in U.S. Special Ops History?

The siege of the Branch of David compound, a group of American citizens and Seventh-day Adventists, in Waco in the spring of 1993 was a pivotal event in U.S. history. It sparked an unprecedented wave of violence and changed the fate of the country forever. The 51-day standoff ended with an FBI attack that led to a devastating fire. A total of 82 people died, including Americans and Branch of David members from other countries, among them 23 children. Among the children were two infants who were born in the fire when their mothers died.

The deliberately false testimony and statements of Special Agent Davey Aguilera of the ATF Austin office,

who was used by anticultists during the Waco siege, led to a real tragedy. As a result of the Waco siege, civilians were flayed alive by the U.S. government with the consent of the entire public.

The FBI continued relying on deprogrammer Rick Ross, who was fueling the conflict, encouraging FBI to continue “mass deprogramming” on Branch Davidians.

Every time Branch Davidians cooperated with FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team and adults came out of the residence, the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team punished the Branch Davidians inside of the building by using tanks to run over or crush their vehicles, by shining bright spotlights all night long at them, and also by blasting a high-decibel sounds around the clock at them. The FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team was engaging in what is called a “stress escalation” which is not conducive to negotiations. And FBI negotiators knew that.

Spotlights directed at the Branch Davidian residence slice through the night sky on April 15, 1993. AP Photo

A total of 21 children were sent out in the early part of the siege and a total of 14 adults came out by March 23rd 1993, according to Dr. Catherine Wessinger.

People inside the compound sought a peaceful resolution. Their request to speak with scholars presented one such opportunity, but it was ignored by the agents.

Indeed the efforts by Arnold and James Tabor represented probably the best hope for a peaceful end to the siege. By working within Koresh’s biblical system, they had suggested to him an alternative reading of critical passages in the book (Revelation). By this reading, Koresh should have written or recorded his explanation of the seven seals. In his last letter, written the week before the fiery end, he stated that he intended to come out when it was complete. The FBI, however, did not take this scenario seriously.

Internal FBI documents reveal that the bureau’s behavioral scientists were aware that the Branch Davidians were waiting to see if a biblical prophecy, as interpreted by their leader David Koresh, would come to pass. Koresh had predicted that the group would be assaulted and killed during Passover week, which, in 1993, was from April 6 to April 13. He prophesied that his disciples would be resurrected with him to carry out the Lord’s judgment and establish God’s Kingdom on Earth.

After Passover came and went, Koresh sent out a letter on April 14, outlining his plan to surrender after he completed a short commentary on the Seven Seals of the book of Revelation. Significantly, the FBI log reveals that on April 14, Koresh also sent out a signed contract to retain his defense attorney.

Branch Davidian compound on fire

However, according to a Justice Department report, on April 15, FBI negotiator Byron Sage informed Associate Attorney General Webster Hubbell that negotiations were at a “total impasse.” Hubbell conveyed this assessment to Attorney General Janet Reno, whom FBI officials were pressuring to approve the assault.

On April 16, Koresh reported to a negotiator that he had finished composing his commentary on the First Seal. The Branch Davidians began requesting supplies to type Koresh’s manuscript on the Seven Seals. In his letter, Koresh had promised to surrender once the manuscript was in the safekeeping of two Bible scholars, J. Phillip Arnold and James D. Tabor, who had communicated with him via radio.

Reno approved the plan for the assault on April 17. The Branch Davidians continued to request word-processing supplies, which were delivered on the evening of April 18.

Read more about this in the article:

The Waco Siege: How Anticultists Manipulated Media and Officials to Organize a Holocaust in Texas. Part 2

[ultraheydudemestuff]

Variety Store Building and Theatre

11801-11825 Lorain Ave.

Cleveland, OH

The Variety Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio, is a 2,000-square foot Spanish Gothic vaudeville and movie house that was built by the Variety Amusement Company. With a capacity for 1,900 patrons, the Variety Theatre included a 350-seat balcony, an enormous Kimball Organ, an orchestra pit, and three dressing rooms for stage performances. It opened on Thanksgiving Day in 1927 with the screening of Hula, featuring the notorious sex symbol of the Roaring Twenties, Clara Bow, engaging in such scandalous activities as swimming nude and seducing a married man. Designed by architect Nicola Petti, the Variety featured beautiful cut-glass chandeliers, tapestries, and marble and brass ornamentation, as well as raised plaster decoration on the walls and ceiling. It was the largest theater of its kind west of Ohio’s Cuyahoga River, and it took up an entire city block, incorporating storefronts with shops such as Piggly-Wiggly and the Wurlitzer Company.

Only two years after it opened, the Variety Theatre was bought by Warner Bros. One of the busiest movie theaters on Cleveland's west side, it ran special community promotions such as free Christmas parties for children up to 15-years old, complete with movies and candy. Stars sometimes visited for special events: Lon Chaney Jr. held a late night screening of House of Dracula to raise funds for the local Veterans of Foreign Wars so that residents of a nearby county infirmary could have television sets, and former child star Jackie Cooper visited the manager of the Variety in his new Jaguar in 1951. Save for a tornado that damaged the vertical blade marquee so badly it had to be removed in 1953, most of the drama was purely onscreen. The theater was sold again in 1954 for $500,000 to local realtors and operated by Community Circuit Theaters Company until 1976.

By the time it was sold again to Russell Koz in 1976, the theater was already experiencing some problems brought about by lack of parking and poor repair. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 1, 1982. In the early 1980s the Variety became a concert venue for metal/punk bands including such greats as R.E.M., Dead Kennedys, Stevie Ray Vaughan, INXS, Metallica, Slayer, and Queensrÿche. The most infamous performance was a Motörhead show in 1984 in which the band played at a face-melting volume of 130 decibels, breaking The Who's previous world record from 1976 and earning the group the nickname "The Loudest Band in the World." The performance was not as popular with management; the volume actually caused plaster to rain down from the ceiling onto the audience. The maintenance man, after several attempts to curtail the incessant encores, wound up pulling the switch on the breaker box, greatly angering Motörhead's lead singer Lemmy Kilmister.

The volume of the performances and the raucous crowds they drew caused friction with neighbors, who filed complaints about noise violations, safety, and loitering. One nearby resident was said to have taped a performance in his living room and played it back for the judge to demonstrate just how disruptive they were. These issues led to the Variety's closure as a theater in 1986 though it remained in use until 1990 as a wrestling gym called the Cleveland Wrestleplex. After that, the Variety Theatre went dark. The neighborhood around the theater on Lorain Avenue slumped in the years that followed; it was listed as having the highest vacancy rate in the district and clearly could benefit from a rebirth. When Ward 11 Councilwoman Dona Brady joined Cleveland’s City Council in 2005, she prioritized restoration of the theater. It was both a part of her childhood and part of her plan to link the two bordering neighborhoods that are experiencing an upswing in popularity.

The Westown Community Development Corporation formed a nonprofit, Friends of the Historic Variety Theatre, and took over the property in 2009. Patrick Colvin is secretary of the Friends and board president of Westown. While the theater will not be reused for rowdy concerts as some locals have erroneously claimed – Colvin stresses that they are looking to have a harmonious relationship with their neighbors – the space will instead be used for live and catered events and movies. It’s part of a larger plan by Westown to revitalize the neighborhood by introducing trees, art installations, and public furniture in mini parks to the streets. Though it will take an estimated $12-15 million to restore the entire Variety building (including its storefronts and apartments), the Friends have successfully secured some large donations and historic tax credits, which were used to replace the vertical marquee lost over sixty years ago in the tornado. It’s a bold step: literally a 28-foot, 2,280 LED bulb sign letting all who pass it know that the Variety is coming back - breathing life into the district as it does so.

[rocknews13]

COREY TAYLOR publica nuevo himno "WE ARE THE REST

Corey Taylor el músico, compositor, actor y autor de best sellers del New York Times, ganador del premio GRAMMY®, multiplatino, lanza su tan esperado nuevo álbum en solitario. ‘CMF2’, es el nuevo y segundo álbum en solitario de Corey Taylor (vocalista de Slipknot o Stone Sour) para BMG y su propio sello, Decibel Cooper Recordings. El disco fue producido por Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Amon Amarth, Stone Sour, Steel Panther), quien también produjo el debut en solitario de Taylor, CMFT.

Su nuevo video oficial es la canción “We Are The Rest” fue filmado en un remoto lugar en pleno desierto de Mojave en California. Filmado por el objetivo del director Dale “Rage” Resteghini (Hatebreed, Trivium). el clip encuentra a Taylor y sus músicos situados en una atmósfera post-apocalíptica, tipo Mad Max en un skatepark muy Punk Rock de los 90, rodeados por cientos de estridentes seguidores con ganas de Rock!

La álbum con 13 canciones que  contienen dinamismo, experiencia y la sinceridad que han definido una carrera musical, que lo ha visto vender más de 12 millones de álbumes con su banda Slipknot (ganadora del premio GRAMMY®), sumando más millones en ventas con los líderes de las listas Stone Sour. En ‘CMF2’, podemos disfrutar de Taylor cantando, tocando la guitarra solista y rítmica, el piano y la mandolina.

[miss-nerd-alert]

Fixing Thieves in Time Penelope

Thieves in Time was a pretty good game overall, but I am STILL pissed about what they did to Penelope. ‘She thinks Sly is a bad influence’ like excuse me? Even if that made any kind of sense (it doesn’t), am I the only one who remembers that she had a bit of a crush on Sly when she first joined the Cooper Gang? And suddenly her inventions are awful, even though they recruited her because she was as good if not better than Bentley? I call bullshit, fuck you very much.

I’ve come up with three alternate ways they could have done Penelope’s story that actually make sense and don’t feel out of character:

Option 1 Mind Control: Le Paradox has Miss Decibel hypnotize Penelope to make her give him the designs for the time machine. He decides to keep Penelope on-hand to maintain his blimp, and to serve as a hostage should the Cooper Gang uncover his plans and try to stop him. Upon their arrival in England, Sly and the Gang immediately learn that Penelope is working for Le Paradox and are devastated. During a recon mission, Sly and Bentley discover devices similar to Miss Decibel’s record players, which keep Penelope hypnotized. Bentley immediately begins drawing up plans to destroy the devices and free Penelope. The boss fight against her still happens, but with the plan being to destroy the hypnotic devices keeping Penelope under Decibel’s control. The Cooper Gang succeeds and Penelope is freed, reuniting with Bentley and rejoining the Gang for the rest of the game.

Option 2 Double Agent: Penelope catches wind of someone trying to get their hands on the designs for the time machine, and does a little investigating on her own. This leads her to Le Paradox, who offers her a position working for him. Recognizing the threat Le Paradox’s plan poses to her friends and boyfriend, Penelope agrees, and she sabotages his plans and tech every chance she gets. Throughout the game, she leaves clues for the Cooper Gang to find (such as the sheriff’s badge), trusting them to thwart Le Paradox’s operations. She’s ordered to go to England to work alongside the Black Knight, who is revealed to be Raleigh from the first game (Le Paradox arranged his escape from prison in exchange for a chance at revenge on Cooper and the Gang). In the final fight, Penelope reaffirms her allegiance to Bentley and the Cooper Gang, and she and Bentley work together to dismantle the giant robot, allowing Sly to land the final blow to take down Raleigh. As in Option 1, Penelope and Bentley reunite, and Penelope rejoins the Gang for the rest of the game.

Option 3 Dangerous Threats: Le Paradox threatens to erase Bentley from history unless Penelope gives up the designs for the time machine to save him. Terrified of losing her true love, Penelope reluctantly agrees, and Le Paradox keeps her close by as a hostage and to prevent her from tipping off Bentley and the Gang. She is sent to Medieval England and is kept prisoner in the castle by the Black Knight (who could be Raleigh as in Option 2, or a new character) and is forced to design and build the mechanical guards for him. Once in England, Sly discovers Penelope’s location and sneaks into the castle to confront her. When she reveals Le Paradox’s threats, Sly reassures her that together they can keep Bentley safe, and convinces her to escape with him and return to the Gang. Penelope and Bentley reunite at the hideout, and she gives the Gang useful information about the Black Knight’s plans and weaknesses. During the boss fight, Penelope again comes through for her friends by being the one to finish off the Black Knight and reveal the next time period they need to travel to.

In all three versions, Penelope and Bentley both serve as tech experts during the final confrontation with Le Paradox, making use of their combined talents to help achieve victory (while also being totally adorable together: finishing each other’s sentences, hugging and holding hands, kissing, all of it).

[syntheticpoetry]

And the World Spins Madly On, Chapter 13

Summary:  A few weeks after visiting Kurt in New York and confessing to cheating Blaine is attacked and left for dead, resulting in a traumatic brain injury. Burt finds him on his way home from work and calls Kurt to deliver the news. How will Kurt help Blaine pick up the broken pieces when his own heart is still so conflicted?

And The World Spins Madly On (ff.net link if you’d like to leave a review!) AO3 link

Chapter 1 || Chapter 2 || Chapter 3 || Chapter 4 || Chapter 5 || Chapter 6 || Chapter 7 || Chapter 8 || Chapter 9 || Chapter 10 || Chapter 11  || Chapter 12

“I do.  He looks a little different, but I recognize him,” Cooper said quietly.  Kurt stared at him through unfocused eyes.  “What I want to know,” Cooper continued through gritted teeth.  The anger rising off of him was palpable.  It felt as though the cage of a lion had been kicked wide open and the beast was slinking out in search of flesh and blood.  “Is why that piece of shit isn’t rotting in prison.  And how you guys don’t seem to have a record in your database to match this against.”

“I don’t understand,” Detective Carson looked completely taken aback.  

“He was one of the boys that attacked Blaine when he was fourteen.  Two out of three of them were found not guilty despite the fact that they all killed someone after beating them both with a fucking tire iron.  Surely, you must have heard of it, it was only four years ago.” 

“Coop,” Kurt said warningly when Blaine had tried to bring one of his hands up to his forehead and cursed quietly when it collided with the front of the helmet. “He’s on our side here.”

“Sorry,” Cooper said strenuously.  “But this has to be somewhere in your database, right?”

“Do you have a name? I can run a search when I get back to the station,” Detective Carson held his hand out to Kurt for the sketch.  Kurt handed it back to him and scooted closer to Blaine, resting his palms on his lap while Blaine continued to shield his face.  Despite the lighting in the room casting a distorted yellow tinge to his skin, up close Kurt could see just how pale he looked beneath a thin layer of sweat.  ‘So much for calling this a good day,’ he thought bitterly as he stroked Blaine’s thighs slowly, hoping to channel some semblance of serenity into his trembling body. 

“Logan Walker,” Cooper replied, struggling to keep the edge off of his voice.  “They found him not guilty, along with Bailey Gibson, even though he was the one calling the shots.  The only one they charged was Cody Byrne, his prints were the only ones on the tire iron.  They couldn’t prove the other two were involved and this state isn’t exactly sympathetic about homophobic driven hate crimes.”

“Well, it matters to me,” Detective Carson responded, sounding rather reserved as he jotted down the list of names in a small notebook.  “I’m gonna make sure we catch these guys and that they’re locked up for good this time.  I give you my word.”

Cooper nodded stiffly and knelt down beside Blaine.  “Hey,” He whispered, “You okay?” 

Blaine let out a strained, strangled sound in affirmation and searched for Kurt’s hand while simultaneously fumbling with the clasp of the helmet.  Kurt guided his fingers over to the proper spot and helped him squeeze the sides inward to unlatch it.  At the sound of the tiny click!, Blaine forcibly pulled the straps apart and tugged the helmet off.  He dropped it to the floor where it landed with a dull thud and proceeded to splay his right hand across his forehead now that the barrier was gone. “Are we done?” 

“Yes, I know this has been very hard for you.  I’m sorry, Blaine,” Detective Carson offered sympathetically.  “I hope you’re able to enjoy the rest of your holiday.”

“Do you want to take some food with you?” Kurt asked.  It had suddenly dawned on him that the reason Detective Carson was here now was because he was working instead of being able to eat at home with his own family.  

“Oh, no, thank you––” Detective Carson proceeded to shove the small notebook into a small inner breast pocket of his jacket. 

“No, please, I insist.  You’ve been so helpful and understanding through all of this.  Let me make you a plate,” Kurt interrupted him and motioned to pull his hands away from Blaine.  Cooper stood up before he barely had the chance to retract his hands.

“Kurt, I’ll do it.  Stay with him.” 

Cooper disappeared before anyone could get another word in.  Kurt turned his attention back to Blaine, who appeared to now be employing the breathing exercises Kurt had taught him over the previous days to manage his panic attacks.  Kurt raised his hand up and pressed a kiss to his knuckles.  “You’re getting better at that, you don’t even need me to count,” he whispered, earning a solitary shaky laugh from Blaine that sounded more like a sharp exhale.

“I might need you to count,” Blaine dragged the fingers of his free hand across his forehead, and Kurt could hear how out of breath he sounded now that he was actually speaking more.  “I keep losing track, my head is pounding.”

“Sure.  You’re due for your medicine too, hopefully that’ll help with the headache,” Kurt spoke softly to avoid further aggravating his sensitivity to sound.  The last thing he figured Blaine needed was another repeat of Monday afternoon.  Detective Carson watched as Kurt proceeded to quietly count and guide Blaine through breathing exercises as though they were the only two people in the room.  Cooper returned just as they were starting another round and furrowed his brows in concern.  “Everything okay?” He offered a styrofoam plate covered in aluminum foil to Detective Carson, who had been too busy watching them to notice. 

Kurt waited until the end of their round and spoke quickly while Blaine tried to continue on his own.  “Yeah, can you grab his meds?” 

“Yeah,” Cooper tapped Detective Carson’s arm to garner his attention.  “Let us know as soon as you hear anything new?” 

“Sorry,” Detective Carson quickly took the plate from him.  “Yes, you have my word.” He waited until Cooper disappeared again and though Kurt was not looking at him he could tell he seemed to be hesitating for some reason.  Within a few seconds he appeared to come to his senses and shuffled towards the front door.  “I’m sorry again about dropping by like this.  Thank you for the plate, enjoy the rest of your holiday.”  He let himself out before Kurt could turn around and properly say goodbye.  

“Mom, really, everything’s fine,” Cooper and Emilia’s voices grew louder as they entered the room together.  He was walking in front of her, trying to shield Blaine from view but she pushed past him insistently. 

“I just want to check— Oh, sweetie,” she had taken one look at Blaine hunched over in the chair before her forehead was wrought with wrinkled worry lines.  “You don’t look well at all.  Maybe we should get you home.”

This was evidently the completely wrong thing to say.  Blaine’s head shot up so quickly it even left feeling Kurt dizzy and disoriented.  He looked at Cooper, clearly alarmed, as the little remaining colour drained from his face.  “Coop––”

“Relax,” Cooper said calmly, handing Blaine’s medication and a glass of water over to Kurt.  “Mom, he’s not going back there right now.”

“Blaine, sweetheart, I came home to take care of you,” Emilia disregarded Cooper’s declaration and diverted her attention solely to Blaine.  He squirmed uncomfortably as she continued to stare at him.  Something about the way she looked at him made him feel as though he were under a microscope, waiting to be doused in chemicals just so she could witness the reaction.  As far as he could remember, she had never shown this much interest in his well-being before. 

“Since when have you wanted to take care of me?” Blaine blurted out.  A mumbled curse beneath his breath let Kurt know the question had not been intentional.  

Emilia stared at him with something of a mix between guilt and sorrow.  The dull throbbing against his skull transformed into a steady pressure, forcing him to double back over and groan loudly.  Emilia tentatively extended her hand towards Blaine, but Cooper had gently curled his fingers around her wrist to stop her.  “Goddamnit.  Fuck,” Blaine pressed his fingers against his forehead with such force the nail beds began to turn white. “Fuck.”

“Blaine,” Kurt nudged Blaine’s knee with his own.  “Here, take these if you can.” He offered the two pills resting on his palm.  Blaine squeezed his eyes shut and stomped his foot against the ground as the pressure began to peak.  “I need a minute,” he mumbled strenuously.  

“Let me get some ice,” Cooper released Emilia’s wrist and quickly dashed out of the room.  Kurt set the glass of water down on the coffee table and closed his hand around the pills to avoid losing them.  When Cooper returned, Kurt hastily accepted the ice pack and used his fist containing the pills to gently tap on Blaine’s fingers.  “Honey, move your hand.  Let’s try this,” Kurt pressed the paper towel clad ice pack to his fingers and Blaine tentatively withdrew his hand, releasing a quiet sigh as his forehead came in contact with the cold relief.  “Helping?” Kurt asked softly.  Blaine responded with a quiet grunt and closed his hand over Kurt’s, slowly rotating his forehead against the ice pack.  Cooper had pulled Emilia aside, trying to continue the conversation in whispers, but Kurt was still able to hear every word.

“He’s not going back there—”

“Oh, honestly, Cooper, don’t be—”

“Did you even hear what he said about dad earlier? Did you know about that? Or is that something else you’re just pretending didn’t happen?” Cooper asked, his tone protective and resounding even at the low decibel he was trying to contain himself to.

“I know I haven’t done my best to stand up for him with the last time this happened,” Emilia replied.  “But I’m not letting it happen again.  It’s going to be different.  I’m going to take care of him.”

“I’m not talking about that,” Cooper raised his voice slightly, agitated and impatient, and proceeded to guide her farther away, forcing himself to regain control. His voice was still shaking with the contained anger that had been impossible to weed out.  “Didn’t you hear what he said about dad hitting him? Did you know about that? About him locking him up in closets?”

Kurt had to give her credit if she was acting, but he was willing to bet that her reaction was genuine.  Her eyes darted over in their direction and Kurt could see the same wildfire that danced in Cooper’s eyes when it came to being protective over Blaine.  And he also saw that she mirrored the same defeated expression Cooper had adapted just a few days prior when Blaine’s heavy confession about his father had finally come tumbling out.  Cooper had a point though.  Either she had completely disregarded Blaine’s accidental confession earlier or somehow did not seem to hear it at all.  Both options weighed heavily on Kurt’s conscience currently as she stumbled her way through her reaction. 

“No, he would never–– I would have noticed–– How long have you known?”

She had traversed through the stages of grief in the blink of an eye.  Kurt turned his attention back to Blaine, who appeared to be oblivious to the entire conversation.  He seized the opportunity to continue distracting Blaine and offered his medication again as the coating of the pills had begun to melt in the heat of his clenched fist.  Blaine sluggishly leaned backwards until he could go no further but kept his hand over Kurt’s.  Their fingers were clumsy and numb from the prolonged exposure to the ice.  His eyes were still closed as mumbled his response, terrified any sudden movement would thrust him right back into the full force of the migraine that continued to ebb and flow.  The throbbing had been subdued to a sporadic dull pulse on the left side of his forehead, but previous experience prevented him from being lulled into a false sense of security that it had fully passed.  With some effort, he unfurled his fingers from around Kurt’s and relinquished his hand.  Kurt set the ice pack onto the coffee table and flexed his fingers a few times before he was able to trust himself to grab the cup.  “Here,” he prompted softly, pressing the pills against Blaine’s lips.  Blaine allowed his lips to part just enough for Kurt to push them in one by one and took a small sip of water once he had tipped the cup against his mouth. 

“Thank you,” Blaine’s voice had failed him, leaving him to helplessly mouth the words. 

“You’re welcome,” Kurt encouraged him to drink some more water before setting the cup down again.  “You look like you’re ready to crash,” he brushed his fingers lightly across Blaine’s forehead.  Though the skin was now bright pink it was still cold to the touch.  Blaine leaned forward into his touch and forcibly opened his eyes.  “Are they fighting about me now?” 

Kurt glanced over his shoulder and saw Cooper and Emilia had vanished.  “I don’t think they’re fighting,” Kurt replied and slid his hand down to rest against Blaine’s cheek.  “Do you want to go lay down?” 

“Isn’t Isabelle coming soon?” Blaine closed his eyes again and gripped the arm rests on the wheelchair as a sharp throbbing above his left eye socket caught him off guard.  “I know how excited you are to see her,” he tried to downplay the pain, but Kurt saw right through the charade. 

“Blaine,” Kurt said softly. 

“I wanted to meet her,” Blaine’s grip on the armrests slackened and he opened his eyes again.  He somehow looked both disoriented and determined. 

“It doesn’t have to be tonight if you’re not feeling well,” Kurt brushed his thumb gently over Blaine’s cheek.  The tiny gesture had sent shivers down his spine.

“I’m okay, really,” Blaine insisted, continuing to lean his head into Kurt’s hand.

“For being such a great actor, you’re a terrible liar, you know,” Kurt smiled sympathetically.  

“Don’t let me and my stupid headache ruin this,” Blaine said.  Everything about his expression exuded desperation.  “Please?” 

“Fine, fine.  If you say so,” Kurt conceded.  “Shall we go join everyone at the table again?” 

“What about Coop and my mom? Should I go talk to them?” Blaine seemed hesitant at his own suggestion.  Kurt leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his forehead.  A gentle shiver ran through his body when his warm lips connected with Blaine’s cold skin.  “They’ll know where to find us when they’re done.  Sounded like Cooper needed to catch her up on a few things anyways.” 

Blaine nodded a fraction of an inch and Kurt secured the helmet to his head once again before they returned to the table to find everyone had seemingly put their dinner on pause in their absence.  Kurt took his seat beside Blaine and picked up his cutlery again, “You two really outdid yourselves this year, even without my help.” After that dinner proceeded like normal, each of them taking turns in conversation as though nothing had happened.  Between encouraging Blaine to eat, despite the fact that it looked like the last thing on Earth he wanted to be taking part in, Kurt continued to text Isabelle beneath the table and had solidified a time for her to stop by.  He had also given her an extremely hasty summarized version of events ending with Blaine isn’t feeling well but still wants to meet you.  Cooper and Emilia returned as Finn and Carole were clearing the table.   Their plates still remained in place, untouched.  Both of their eyes were bleary and puffy with the untold story of a thousand secrets.  Blaine’s eyes darted back and forth between them questioningly as Cooper took his seat and Emilia remained standing, her gaze unfocused.

“Mom, sit.  Please,” Cooper pulled on her hand gently.  She sank down into the chair beside him and dabbed at her eyes with the silky material of her powder blue blouse sleeve.  

“What the hell happened? Why is she looking at me like that?” Blaine could no longer contain his thoughts. “Fuck, I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

“Honey, I’m so sorry,” Emilia replied instantly, her eyes welling up with fresh tears.  Cooper’s face contorted with what seemed to be disappointment as soon as she had spoken, as though she was a child who had betrayed a promise to keep a secret to herself.  “Sweetie, I never knew.”

“Never knew what? Don’t tell me you never noticed anything,” Blaine said with an air of impatience.  Kurt slid his hand onto Blaine’s thigh beneath the table in a gesture of comfort, but Blaine misinterpreted it as patronizing instead.  “No, I wanna know why she’s looking at me like that.  What were you guys talking about? Cooper,” Blaine narrowed his eyes at his brother suspiciously.  He had completely lost control now.  “What did you—” As he soaked up his brother’s guilty expression, a realization suddenly dawned upon him.  “No.  No, no, no, Cooper you didn’t.” 

“Blaine, you have to try to calm down,” Kurt squeezed his thigh lightly.  “Remember what we talked about—”

“Cooper, tell me you didn’t.  You promised that was just between you and me.  Tell me it’s something else.  Tell me you didn’t,” Blaine asked urgently, ignoring Kurt.  Snippets of one of the articles Isabelle had sent paraded to the forefront of Kurt’s mind— ‘Increased aggressiveness, increased anxiety, reduced self-control,’ — as Blaine remained hyper fixated, raising his voice.  All of his sentiments were merging together like a train collision.  There was no space in between for Cooper, or anyone, to get a word in against him.  “Why aren’t you saying anything?” Blaine asked impatiently after what he must have perceived to be a long delay.  In actuality, there had been maybe half a second between the question and his previous statement.

“Because I know you don’t want to actually have this conversation in front of everyone,” Cooper responded calmly.  That seemed to force Blaine to come back to himself.  One quick glance around the table and he suddenly realized Burt, Finn and Carole were still in the room with them.  They had become ghosts in their own home, silently observing the Anderson family torturously ripping apart at the seams.  “We were going to talk to you after dinner, wasn’t that what we agreed on, mom?” Cooper continued, still maintaining the same calm tone of voice.  Emilia demurely nodded her head once.  “But we can do that now if you don’t want to wait.” 

The doorbell rang and no one moved.  Kurt did not want to leave Blaine’s side, but knew full well who was at the door this time.  “That’ll be Isabelle,” he said.

“I’ll let her in,” Burt offered, clearly desperate for the opportunity to leave the room.  He left to answer the door and Isabelle’s bubbly voice carried over into the kitchen as she greeted him, completely unaware of the scene she was intruding on.  

“What do you want to do, Blaine?” Kurt had not removed his hand from Blaine’s lap and continued to alternate between rubbing his thigh and squeezing it soothingly.  He appeared to remain undecided, alternating his attention between Cooper and Emilia before he finally said, “Tell me yes or no first.  Tell me that and then we talk later.” 

Cooper sighed heavily and pushed his plate away.  The silverware shook and clattered lightly against the porcelain in the silence.  After what felt like eons crammed into the small stretch of time, he offered a simple, “Yes.” 

Blaine clenched his fists together tightly and painfully tore his eyes away from his brother to look at Kurt.  Whatever he was thinking, it was no longer evident in his expression.  His tone had changed entirely.  There was no anger or urgency anymore.  Instead, he sounded almost confident as he asked, “So about that introduction?”

“Right,” Kurt replied numbly.  Blaine the actor had finally made an appearance again.  The one who had always been able to shove down his own emotions into the farthest depths as he prepared to perform for the world around him.  The transition had always been so subtle.  Something completely natural and unnoticeable.  As Kurt’s body moved on autopilot to stand and navigate Blaine into the living room towards Isabelle’s faint laughter, he wondered how he had never been able to realize whenever Blaine managed to flip the switch between personalities. 

‘Of course I’ve never noticed, he’s probably used the same trick on me a million times.’

In the living room, Burt was being completely steamrolled by Isabelle’s excitement as she jabbered away.  Her face lit up when Kurt wheeled Blaine into the room.  “Hello, my darling!” She glided over to him as though she was some ethereal being simply floating above the floorboards and wrapped an arm around Kurt in a one handed embrace.  In her other hand she was carefully balancing an aluminum pie tin.  She pulled away, positively beaming, and turned her attention to Blaine.  “And you must be Blaine, I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Uh-oh, is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Blaine jested and smiled, extending his hand out to her.  “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“It’s a good thing.  I’m a hugger, if that’s alright with you, darling,” she leaned over to give him the same warm hearted welcome she had offered to Kurt once he had lowered his hand and agreed.  “Sorry, I’m late.  You know how these family get togethers go.  Put us all in a room and the sun will be rising if no one cuts me off.” 

“I can see why Kurt gets along with you so well,” Blaine laughed.  Kurt was finding it far more difficult than he was to slip into the idea of normalcy as the scene played out.  He was roused from his daydreaming when Blaine had subtly reached out to touch his hand and smiled without missing a beat.  

“Sorry, don’t mind me.  Starting to slip into one of those post food comas,” Kurt squeezed Blaine’s hand gently, tethering himself back down again.  

“I hope you’ve saved room; this pumpkin pie isn’t world famous for nothing!” Isabelle held it up as though it was an Olympic torch.  “Do you need help setting anything out?”

“No, no, don’t be silly,” Burt interjected.  “Make yourself comfortable, I’m going to help my wife bring out the rest of the desserts.  Can I get you something to drink?”

“A coffee would be fabulous.  Thanks so much.” Isabelle set the pie plate on the coffee table and took a seat on the couch as Burt disappeared into the kitchen.  “Did you boys have a good Thanksgiving?”

“It’s been eventful, to say the least,” Blaine mumbled to himself.

“What’s that?” Isabelle asked.

“Nothing,” Blaine straightened up in his seat.  “How are you liking being back home? Kurt said you grew up in Ohio.”

“It’s always nice to see everyone, but I would be lying if I said I missed actually being here.  My heart’s still in New York.  It gets too quiet here for me, I need the buzz of the city.”

“There really is nothing quite like it,” Kurt agreed fondly.  

“Sounds like you both really miss it,” Blaine said.  His act had betrayed him and the statement had come out sounding forlorn and distant.  As Kurt opened his mouth to reply, Burt returned carrying a large platter with assorted cookies balanced on one hand and Isabelle’s coffee in the other.  Behind him the rest of the family followed in line, Finn carrying some small plates, Carole with a homemade chocolate cake, Cooper with silverware and some napkins, and Emilia, who had managed to make herself appear more composed.  After everyone had settled in, the remainder of the evening flew by in a whirlwind of laughter as Isabelle regaled them with stories of what she liked to call ‘New York Moments.’  Blaine contributed to the conversation, flawlessly falling into step with Isabelle’s ardor as though they were old friends.  Kurt had been so caught off guard, he struggled to keep up with them.  His mind still lingered on just how seamlessly Blaine had managed to transition into this character he was playing.  A character that looked a lot like the old, ultra-confident boy who had taken hold of Kurt’s hand at Dalton and led him down a hallway towards a performance that literally had changed their lives.  As he took the backseat and observed their interactions, some tiny part of his brain chirped quietly from his subconscious. ‘Which Blaine is the real Blaine?’

At around midnight though Blaine had seemingly exerted all of his energy and was struggling to stay awake.  Every few seconds or so Kurt noticed him nodding off and waking with a jolt as his chin came down towards his chest.  He would cross his arms and straighten his back, trying to sit tall and keep himself awake.  After the fourth time it happened Kurt subtly leaned forward to whisper to him as Isabelle continued to entertain everyone else, “Time for bed?” 

“M’supposed to talk to Coop and my mom,” Blaine drawled on sleepily and rubbed his eyes. 

“There’s always tomorrow.  Plus you have an early start, don’t you?” Blaine looked puzzled and Kurt continued.  “Your follow up appointment and then you have that session with Dr. MacManus.” 

“Oh, right.  I forgot.” The words came stretched on the wings of a long yawn.  Blaine rubbed his eyes again and Kurt patted his thigh lightly. 

“Come on, I’ll lie down with you,” Kurt said. 

“You can stay up if you want,” Blaine paused through another long yawn and pulled on the chin strap of the helmet.  “I know you probably want some one on one time with Isabelle.  Don’t argue, I know that you do,” He added before Kurt could protest.  He was not wrong; Kurt did want to catch up with her away from everyone else.  Especially after the performance Blaine had just given.

“Okay.  You want me to help you to bed at least?” 

“Yeah, could you, please?” He pulled on the helmet strap again.  “Can’t wait to take this thing off.” 

Kurt smiled sympathetically and stood up.  “I’m just gonna help Blaine to bed, I’ll be right back.”

“I didn’t even realize how late it is,” Cooper announced in reply.  “Mom, I should probably drive you home.  We have to be up early tomorrow,” Emilia looked as though she wanted to argue, but thought better of it and nodded.  “Burt, Carole, thank you for having me,” Emilia said sheepishly.

“Our pleasure,” Burt responded. 

“Blaine?” She approached him tentatively and stopped just shy of arm’s reach.  He looked up at her, his head heavy with drowsiness.  “Can we talk tomorrow?” 

Blaine nodded slowly in his sleepy trance and she smiled wearily before turning on her heel to approach Cooper.  “Wait,” Blaine’s small voice drew her attention back to him and he shyly continued, “You’re not gonna hug me goodbye?” Something broke within her and it was evident on her face as she leaned over to embrace him.  Kurt watched them sadly, knowing full well that he was going to stay up and wait for Cooper to return to press him for the details of their earlier conversation.  When they finally broke apart everyone took their time saying their goodbyes before Cooper and Emilia left. 

“Isabelle, could you hang around for a bit?” Kurt asked as he unlocked the wheelchair brakes. 

“Of course, darling.”

“Kurt, I could help him to bed if you want,” Finn surprisingly announced.  “If Blaine doesn’t mind, that is.” Kurt and Blaine simultaneously responded. 

“It’s okay, I’ve got—”

“I don’t mind.” 

Kurt yielded control of the wheelchair to Finn and gently patted Blaine’s shoulder.  Blaine brought his hand up and placed it over Kurt’s, lingering momentarily before dropping it down onto his lap again.  As they rounded the corner and disappeared he turned to Isabelle.  “Wanna step outside for a minute?” They navigated their way through the kitchen and towards the garden table.  The second Kurt had slid the screen door shut, Isabelle’s animated voice permeated the quiet air, “You’re positively smitten with him.” 

“That obvious, huh?” Kurt’s shoulders slumped and he sank down into one of the dark green metal chairs.  “I know you said to set boundaries, but I realized that’s all I’ve been doing since I got home.  Setting rules and keeping my distance.  It was exhausting.  He’s apologized a million times and I really do believe him.  I want to forgive him.  I want to trust him again.  I want him to trust me because it’s obvious to see now that he’s been holding so much of himself back.  Does that make me crazy?”

“How did it feel when you kissed the other night?” Isabelle asked.

“It felt,” Kurt could not help but smile as he reminisced.  “Like coming home.”

“I don’t think it makes you crazy, Kurt.  But have you two talked more about everything since then?”

“A little,” Kurt replied guiltily.  “Not really.  Not as much as we should have.  There are just so many other things going on right now, I’m waiting for the right time.”

“Can I give you my honest opinion?” 

“Always.”

“It sounds like you’re avoiding some of the difficult stuff because you’re trying to protect him.  Which doesn’t seem fair to either of you,” Isabelle said. 

“So, what should I do?” Kurt asked desperately.  “Everything is such a mess and I just want it to be normal again.” 

“What’s keeping you from forgiving him?” Isabelle asked.  “Are you afraid he’ll do it again?” 

“I was,” Kurt replied automatically.  

“And you aren’t anymore?” She probed.  

They sat in silence as Kurt contemplated his response.  Deep down, he really did believe Blaine had regretted his actions.  That he had acted only out due to a combination of their miscommunication and his own mountain of insecurities.  The more he was coming to learn about Blaine’s past through his accidental confessions the more he came to understand the complex machinery of his ex-lover’s inner world of twisted turmoil.  Aside from Cooper, anyone Blaine had ever come to trust or rely on had completely betrayed or disregarded him.  He had been singled out and bullied not only at school, but at home too.  Two of out of his three previous attackers had been allowed to walk free from an assault and murder charge.  And while Kurt had offered him his own trust and love, Blaine still kept himself guarded.  He had only allowed Kurt to view tiny glimpses of his life, and even that appeared to be an act bred of his own need to please others while casting himself aside.  He thought back to Blaine’s confession in New York — ‘I thought I was losing you’ — and felt his stomach lurch.  He had let his demons fester and infect their relationship to the point of believing Kurt would abandon him the same way everyone else he had ever come to rely on did.

“He wouldn’t do it again,” Kurt said finally. 

“Something is keeping you from forgiving him though.  And until you figure out what it is, you’re going to be stuck in this same loop, sweetie.  Where things sort of feel normal, but you’re still avoiding these major problems and they inevitably resurface,” Isabelle offered a sympathetic smile and reached over to the table.  Kurt slid his hands into hers.  

“I think,” Kurt said slowly, the wheels in his head still turning slowly as he continued, “What’s holding me back is that it feels like he can’t trust me enough to show me who he really is,” he exhaled sharply and tilted his head back slightly as his vision became blurry with the threat of tears on the horizon.  “And if he can’t trust me to let me in, how can I trust him? That Blaine you just met in there? That’s partly him, but it makes me wonder how much of himself he keeps locked away when he isn’t trying to please everyone around him.”

“Well,” Isabelle said softly, “There you go.” 

“I keep wondering if he would still be keeping everything to himself if he was able to control it.  I think about it a lot, actually.  He’s become completely incapable of keeping secrets, and I’m scared he’ll just hide himself away again the second he’s able to,” Kurt sniffled loudly.  “If he’s able to, I guess.  Since they have no idea what kind of lasting damage there will be.  God, this whole thing is just terrifying.  I wish it never happened.” 

“I'm sorry, sweetie,” Isabelle offered consolingly. “I find it best not to let my mind wander too far away from the situation I’m in.  Otherwise the possibilities will never end.” 

“It’s funny you say that because I’ve been parroting the same response to everyone else,” Kurt laughed sardonically. 

“Time to practice what you preach then, my friend.” 

“I suppose you’re right, as usual,” Kurt pulled a hand away to run his fingers through his hair.  

“I know it’s difficult to think about, but what are your long term plans, Kurt? Say you forgive him and you boys make up, then what?” Isabelle asked with innocent curiosity.  The way she posed her inquiries never felt like the interrogations that Rachel usually subjected him to.  And he loved her for that.  She had a sort of candor about her that could make anyone feel right at home.

“I really don’t know,” Kurt replied quietly.  There had not been much time to consider the possibilities of reconciliation between them when everything forced him to focus on the moment.  The scope of his vision had been reduced to day-to-day, measured in good ones or bad ones depending on how much Blaine had either regressed or accomplished. 

“Just something to ponder and maybe discuss with him, don’t you think?” Isabelle cocked her head to one side and smiled half-heartedly.  He knew she was right.  Of course she was right.  She had been right about everything already thus far.  

“Yes,” Kurt replied, resigned.  “I’ll talk to him this weekend.  We need a mature heart-to-heart, that’s pretty evident.”  Isabelle squeezed his hands and smiled.  “So,” Kurt continued, shrugging his shoulders slightly.  “What did you think of him?”

Isabelle laughed.  “Well, he’s certainly a teenage dream, that’s for sure.”

“Yes,” Kurt laughed quietly.  “Yes, he is.”

___________________________________________________

“Tell me again why we had to make this appointment so early?” Blaine drawled in the passenger seat and dragged his knuckles across his eyes in a desperate attempt to knead away the exhaustion overtaking his eyelids.  Beside him Cooper spared a moment from scanning the road for the right building to roll his eyes.

“Since when is ten o’clock early for you?” 

“Lay off, it’s not my fault,” Blaine responded grumpily and folded his arms across his chest. 

“I’m only teasing,” Cooper smoothly navigated his way into a parking space and shifted the gear into park.  The car lurched briefly as it came to a still and he twisted the key in the ignition, abruptly cutting off the song Blaine had been quietly singing along to.  “Was last night as bad as the rest of the week?” 

“You mean you somehow slept through all the screaming?” Blaine mumbled as he unlatched his seatbelt and slid it across his chest slowly.  

“I only came back this morning to pick you up,” Cooper replied.  “I stayed at home last night.” Blaine tugged at the strap of his helmet and spared a sideways glance at his brother.  “Didn’t plan on it, but I kind of got into a screaming match with dad and then stayed up late talking to mom after.  I just ended up napping there for a few hours before I came back to get you ready to go.” 

“Oh,” Blaine offered quietly.  

“I know you want to ask about it, I can tell,” Cooper responded.  “But we’re gonna be late, so we can talk about it later.  I promise.” Blaine nodded meekly and sent his mind into overdrive as Cooper exited and proceeded to help him out of the car.  It was another conversation to add to the growing list ahead of them.  He thought back to his outburst at dinner last night after Cooper and their mother had returned to the table and found himself lingering on the way she studied him with such pity in her eyes.  He felt naked and embarrassed being exposed like this, constantly under observation from everyone.  Despite their best efforts, he knew they were all walking on eggshells around him.  He hated it.  It made him feel fragile.  One false move and he would crumble to pieces before their eyes, just like they all expected him to.  

______________________________________________

“So how was your holiday?” Dr. MacManus asked.  She was sitting opposite Blaine on a red leather, cushy armchair with one leg crossed over the other.  Perched against her thigh was a yellow legal pad.  Blaine propped his head up on the arm of the wheelchair and stared out of the window into the parking lot.  The sky has become overcast in dark grey between his first appointment and the trip to her office, bearing the threat of an impending storm.  The irony was not lost on him.  “Your brother mentioned your parents came home.” 

“I saw my mom,” Blaine stated tonelessly.  “Not my dad.  What else did he tell you?”

“I want to hear your version of events, Blaine.  Not his.”  She folded her hands atop the pad and waited patiently. 

“What if I don’t feel like talking right now?” Blaine said bitterly.  In actuality, he had come prepared with a million burning questions buzzing around his head until the news from his follow-up appointment earlier in the morning wiped everything away.  While Cooper had already reminded him of the upcoming brain surgery they had scheduled for mid-December, neither of them were prepared for the news that Blaine’s knee might never heal properly even with the elective surgery to repair his ACL.  At the mention of the word ‘cane’ Blaine had completely shut down and tuned out the rest of the conversation.  While the vertigo had him worried for when he felt well enough to start dancing again the thought of never being able to dance again at all had been too much to bear. 

“That’s okay too, if you don’t feel like it right now,” Dr. MacManus’ voice cut through the buzzing self-pity and he sighed heavily. 

“This just fucking sucks.  All of it.  It’s not fair,” Blaine finally stated.  He turned away from the window to face her and had suddenly adapted Kurt’s habit of speaking with his hands as he continued to lash out.  “I just want it to stop.  I want to stop feeling so useless and scared.  I want everyone to stop looking at me like a pathetic broken toy.  I just— Is it so much to ask for a fucking break? Just one.” He dropped his hands onto his lap and returned his gaze to the window. “Maybe I deserved it.”

“What do you mean by that, Blaine?” She leaned forward in her chair. 

“What?” Blaine begrudgingly glanced in her direction, keeping his eyes downcast to pretend like he was not trying to notice her, before returning to gazing out at the parking lot. 

“You said ‘maybe I deserved it,’ what did you mean by that?” 

“Goddamnit, I didn’t mean to— I can’t even keep my own thoughts private either.  Everything is just out on display for everyone all the damn time!” Blaine raised his hands up in exasperation.  She offered a sincere, sympathetic half-smile in return.  He dropped his hands down into his lap and curled them into fists, tugging at the fabric of his pants.  Kurt would have a heart attack if he saw the wrinkles he was working into the material.  “I don’t want to talk about that.” 

“Alright, well can you tell me what kind of person you think deserves what happened to you?” Dr. MacManus asked politely.

“I don’t know,” Blaine replied, losing the edge in his voice.  “No one.” 

“If you believe nobody else does, then why would you think that you do, Blaine?” 

“Because,” Blaine replied automatically and pursed his lips together to try to stop the remainder of the thought.  As usual, it came tumbling out before he could stop himself.  “I’m a bad person.” 

“Why?” She pressed on. 

“Stop,” Blaine whispered.  He wanted to scream.  Wanted to rip up the ugly beige carpet she had lined her office with and hide himself away like all of the secret things you kept away from the world beneath the floorboards.

“Why do you think you’re a bad person?” Her tone was gentle, but the alarm bells in his brain still told him it felt like an attack.  She was interrogating him.  Pushing him.  Even after they had established he did not need to discuss anything he did not want to talk about. 

“Stop,” Blaine repeated, louder this time.  “Stop it.” 

“Blaine,” She set the blank legal pad aside and uncrossed her legs.  “I think you have a lot of anger and pain that you don’t know how to deal with any other way than turning it inward toward yourself.  I know you aren’t going to exactly trust me after the one session we had at the hospital, but I am on your side here.  I can’t help you if you don’t let me.  Deep down past this barrier you’ve put up I think you do want that help, or else you wouldn’t have agreed to keep seeing me once you were discharged.  I could guess at things.  I could bring up all your brother’s concerns.  But we both know unless you bring yourself to say what’s bothering you it’s not going to matter what I do or don’t know.  It has to come from you.” 

Blaine chewed on his lip and ran his fingers over the clasp of the helmet chin strap. “I think my dad hates me,” he surrendered quietly.  “I don’t know when it started, but I think that he does.  And for as long as I can remember, which— let’s be honest, that doesn’t mean much these days,” He added the small jab of self-deprecation as a joke.  She did not laugh.  “I figured there must be something wrong with me.  Something I must have done.  Because what other reason could there be? And on top of that, what do I go and do to the one person I love more than anything in this whole world? Cheat on him.  Hurt him.  So, yeah, maybe I deserved what was coming.  Maybe it was just the universe fighting back to balance the scales again.”

“And I think truly terrible things happen to very good people sometimes, Blaine.  There’s a lot to unpack here so let’s break this down a little bit, okay?” He nodded stiffly and took to chewing on his fingernails instead.  “What makes you think your father hates you?”

“Before he started completely ignoring my existence?” Blaine said bitterly before he ripped off a piece of his nail between his teeth.  He spit the fragment into his lap.  “He used to hit me and lock me in closets.  Would tell me I wasn’t his son.  After the first attack he just took to flat out ignoring and avoiding me.” He moved onto another fingernail to gnaw on.  After confessing this all to Cooper, Kurt and Finn the other day it seemed easier now to let the words come tumbling out to her.  

“I’m very sorry to hear that, Blaine.  Can you remember how old you were when this started?” 

“I don’t know, maybe like 10? Things get kind of jumbled around when I try to think about it.”

“Can you remember anything before then?” 

“Sometimes, but not really.  Bits and pieces with Cooper, but a lot of it feels,” He paused as he wracked his brain for the right word. “Fuzzy? I don’t know.” 

“Barring your physical injury, there could be a number of things attributing to that,” She said and pulled the legal pad back to her to finally begin writing on it. 

“Like what?” He shifted in his seat to sit up and a sharp jolt reverberated from his knee straight down the rest of his leg.  He grimaced and casually placed his hand over his knee as though he could press the pain back down into the synapses responsible for causing the painful response to his sudden movement.  Dr. MacManus’ eyes were on the pad, focused on writing.  She had not noticed. 

“There’s a chance your brain could have repressed certain memories, sort of like a defense mechanism.  Sometimes people are simply just unable to remember things past a certain age.  Your recent trauma, coupled with the previous assault, has also had a profound effect on you and PTSD can cause lapses in memory or blackouts.  There are some exercises we can try in later sessions, but right now I want to focus on things you can remember.  You say you think you were around 10, do you remember anything leading up to the moment?” 

“Not— No, not really,” Blaine ripped off another nail fragment and shoved his hands beneath his thighs to stop himself as Kurt’s voice sounded off in his head to dissuade him against the further mutilation.  “I just remember him shoving me in.  He was,” He squinted as though it would bring the fuzzy image into focus.  “He was angry about something, I could barely understand him, he was screaming so loud.  I couldn’t tell you what he said, it’s just this like… garbled static.” 

“Was anyone else at home?” She peered up at him, her pen still poised on the pad.

“Cooper was gone by then, moved out to LA.  My mom,” Blaine frowned and strained to recall.  “I don’t know if she was there.  I don’t think she was.  I think it was just my dad and me.” 

“Who would let you out again after he locked you in?” 

“He would,” Blaine shifted and pressed his hands down against the seat to fight the urge to start chewing on his nails again.  “I don’t know how much time would pass in between.  Progressively, I think he kept me in there longer and longer.  The harder he hit me, the longer it felt like I was in there anyways.” 

“Can you remember any happy memories with him?” 

“Some, I guess.  Mostly the ones involving Cooper.  Just me and him though? Barely.  It’s been harder to remember things like that lately.  I get… confused sometimes.  This week has been kind of tough.”

“Do you want to talk about that at all?”

Blaine squirmed and caved in, resorting to chewing on his thumb nail.  His words came rushed, just as they had last night, with very little space in between the sentences.  “I’m guessing Cooper told you about it already.  It’s been getting worse.  I can’t sleep through a single night anymore.  I forgot who Kurt was the other day.  That’s never happened before.  I wanted to die when they told me, because that’s what it felt like.  Like I’d been kicked in the chest and my heart was going to stop.  I’m terrified I’m gonna just lose it all one day.  That everything will be wiped away and I’ll just be some helpless blank slate who can’t even remember his own name.” He seemed shocked at his own admission.

“Did you mean to say that out loud?” She asked.

“I think I did, actually,” Blaine replied.  She smiled. 

“It’s difficult to accept when things are out of our control.  I have to imagine that constant fear makes it nearly impossible to concentrate, which can be why you have such a difficult time with your memories.  Again, I’m sure the physical injury has something to do with it, but you saying it’s been getting worse since the nightmares and flashbacks have been progressively getting worse leads me to believe it’s more the anxiety you’re feeling than anything else.  I want to give you a prescription for Zoloft, I think it can help with the panic attacks.” 

“Great, more meds,” Blaine grumbled.  He remembered the name from a television commercial.  “Isn’t that for depression?” 

“There’s nothing wrong with needing a little extra help sometimes, Blaine,” She smiled sympathetically.  ““It can help with PTSD and anxiety too; it’s called an SSRI.  If it’s the right medication for you then we’ll start to see a decrease in those panic attacks and feelings of fear and helplessness.”  She cast a sideways glance on the clock above the door.  “We still have a little more time; do you want to talk more about your recent break up? It seems to be weighing pretty heavily on you, based on your previous statement.  It must be really hard being around your ex with completely different dynamics.” 

Blaine hovered his palm over his mouth to hide the way his lips had tugged into a smile.  He had no clue what to call whatever was happening between him and Kurt.  The entire thing confused him to no end, but he worried bringing attention and talking about it would cause whatever good thing they had going to come to a screeching halt.  No.  He wanted to keep that for himself for now.  “Can we talk about something else?” 

“Sure, Blaine.  Have you been practicing those relaxation and grounding exercises I passed along to your brother?” 

“I try to.  Kurt’s been helping me with breathing exercises too.”  ‘I can almost do them without his help.’ The thought had remained contained within his own head for once. “I’ve been okay for the most part when I’m awake, but when I fall asleep,” He trailed off.  The image of Kurt’s face from the other morning when he had forgotten him, terrified and absolutely devastated, had become ingrained into his thoughts.  If there was anything he wished he could permanently erase, it was that pained expression.  “I can’t control what happens then.” 

“Are the nightmares about the recent attack?” 

“Most of the time.  Sometimes the first one.  Sometimes,” Blaine swallowed hard and cleared his throat quietly.  There had been more than a few nights when he could not tell which nightmares were actual memories or over exaggerated depictions of his darkest, deepest fears.  “Sometimes it’s other stuff, but mostly that.”

“Extra stress can sometimes be an added trigger.  It’s going to take some time for the Zoloft to kick in before we notice any changes.  I know it’s a difficult thing to ask, may even seem impossible, but working on managing that stress and focusing on staying relaxed is probably the best thing you can actively do right now.”

“You’re right,” Blaine restlessly brushed his fingers over his lips.  Their hour long session was starting to feel like a director’s cut version of a Lord of the Rings film.  “That does sound impossible.”

“You mentioned breathing exercises, do you do those regularly or only in response to the panic attacks?” 

“Usually after I’m already worked up or starting to feel really anxious.”

“I want you to try to incorporate it more throughout your day.  I would try to do it right before bed.  Or something you find relaxing.  I remember you mentioned your love of music at our last session?” Blaine nodded once to affirm her recollection.  “Do something you enjoy, make your bed feel like a safe place instead of treating it like somewhere you go to relive your worst memories.” 

“And if that doesn’t work?” Blaine asked apprehensively.

“Then we’ll think of something else.  One step at a time, Blaine.” 

“Yeah, well I’m not exactly taking any actual steps anywhere anytime soon,” Blaine grumbled under his breath and tugged at the chin strap.  

“I take it you got some bad news?” She inquired.  By then he’d had enough.  He could not remember what time they started, but there was no way they had not exceeded the hour. 

“Can we end here for now? I just,” He shifted in the chair again.  Within the last fifteen minutes he had grown progressively more restless and uncomfortable.  “I’m really tired and I’m just really sick of talking about myself today.” 

“Okay,” She smiled politely.  “You did really well today, Blaine.  I know it may not feel like it, but you are making progress in your recovery.”  He returned her statement with a tight lipped smile.  “Is it still okay that I talk to your brother? You still want him involved, correct?” 

“Yeah, it’s fine.  Do I need to be in here for it?” His hands were already positioned on the wheels, ready to leave.  At the first sign of her head tilting forward he was wheeling himself towards the door.  With some effort he twisted the doorknob and maneuvered his way out into the waiting room where he had left Cooper at the start of the session.  He was in the exact same chair, his legs stretched out in front of himself with his arms folded across his chest.  His head was tilted down towards his chest.  He appeared to be asleep.

“Coop?” Cooper immediately lifted his head and looked in his direction.  He looked as exhausted as Blaine felt and the fragment of the early morning conversation came fleeting from the depths of the abyss to remind him that Cooper had also not gotten much sleep the night before.  Blaine glided over to him and did not wait for a response.  “She wants to talk to you.” 

“Go okay?” Cooper unfurled his arms and stood up, stretching languidly.  

“Yeah, I guess,” Blaine shrugged.  “I’ll wait for you here.” 

Cooper gave his shoulder a gentle pat and disappeared into Dr. MacManus’ office, leaving Blaine to sift through a pile of magazines.  It was moments like this he wished he still had his phone.  He made a mental note to talk to Cooper about getting a new one sometime soon.  He glanced at a clock on the wall and was shocked to discover it was nearly half past four.  After the events of the day he was not sure where he was supposed to muster the energy from for the conversation he was still meant to have with Cooper and his mother.  If it was still happening.  Cooper had not mentioned it at all yet.  He took to wheeling himself around the table in the center of the waiting room to pass the time, trying to force himself to stop stealing glances at the clock.  The more he tried to avoid it though, the more his head jerked upwards to see that the minute hand had only moved a fraction of an inch.  

He sighed loudly and decided to go back to the pile of magazines.  At first glance, they all seemed to be outdated copies of Psychology Today.  At the very bottom of the pile, the last glossy booklet caught his attention.  The words ‘DANCE’ was written across the top in bold yellow font, with ‘The world at your feet’ in smaller text beneath it.  The text beside the man featured on the cover said ‘Andy Blankenbuehler’s Broadway.’ The subject, presumably Andy Blankenbuehler, was dressed in charcoal gray slacks and a long-sleeved white button-up dress shirt.  Both the top two and bottom two buttons were undone, letting the shirt fall loosely over his clearly toned physique.  Around his neck was an undone green and black checkered tie.  Perched atop his head was a black felt bowler hat.  He had been photographed mid pose that very much reminded Blaine of a scene straight out of Chicago, it was a classic sexy jazz pose.  He had one leg bent at a forty five degree angle, the other straight out, as his torso twisted towards the camera.  Only the profile of his face was visible, especially with the bowler hat tipped down.  One hand was positioned near the brim of the hat, his ring finger resting comfortably against the accessory to tilt it downwards.  

The image sent chills down his spine as he plucked the magazine off of the table and continued to study it in his lap.  He knew this move.  Had practiced and perfected it in his bedroom and the McKinley auditorium.  Seeing it now had ignited something in the pit of his stomach.  At first he thought it might have been jealousy or some rampant form of self-pity festering and bubbling up to remind him of the conversation from the doctor’s office earlier.  But as he continued to stare, he recognized that it was not a malicious feeling.  It was motivation.  He was not going to sit and be told what was and was not to be expected of his recovery.  They had repeatedly told him what a shock it was to see him awake from the coma with so many pieces of himself still intact.  So why should he force himself to be resigned to the possibility of never being able to dance again just because some doctor had told him so?

He was still staring at the cover by the time Cooper had returned with Dr. MacManus at his side.  “Ready to go?” 

Blaine glanced up at them and nodded.  “Dr. MacManus, can I keep this?” He held up the magazine.

“Sure, Blaine.  Nobody usually reads them anyways.  Enjoy it.” 

They said their goodbyes and confirmed the next appointment set for Tuesday.  In the car, Blaine had kept the magazine propped on his lap and silently continued to study the image as Cooper drove.  The radio volume had been set so low the music was barely audible, causing a strange white-noise sensation to fill the space surrounding them.  As Cooper pulled onto the highway, Blaine’s eyes were still on the cover as he spoke, “I don’t care what they say, I’m gonna dance again, Coop.” 

“I know you are, Blaine.”

_______________________________________

This is the magazine cover

[suburbanmetaldad]

What can I do for you?

Here, friends, is my super power:

I can create an entire book — a good one — quickly, with very little help.

You want a book with your name on it. I can make that happen.

Maybe you typed up a draft, and you’re not sure where to go next.

I can take it from here.

And anything smaller than that will be cheaper and faster.

Get on the schedule while you can.

Following are more details about me and my work.

Follow are links to different things D.X. Ferris makes & does. 

I am D.X. Ferris.

I grew up obsessed with music and reading. I went to school for writing. At the time, I thought I couldn’t create things. I didn’t know it yet, but I was wrong. I tried to quit. Writing wouldn’t let me. It kept pulling me back in. 

Once I figured out how to do what I wanted to do, I made up for lost time. Now I’ve covered a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction for Rolling Stone. I endured a career-ending injury. I’ve been to the Pentagon on business. I’ve written books with & about some of my iconic heroes. Communication is my business, and business is good.

I do a lot of different things. 

I am an award-winning writer, editor, manager, publisher, teacher, speaker, cartoonist, maker, co-author, ghost writer, and overall communications professional. To me, those various & sundry processes are all part of the same sphere — and here’s the common thread: Communication is the art of organizing information. That, friend, is what I do. I can do it for you. And we can make some money together.

I have written/co-written nine books. My personal record is four new books in 16 months.

I cut my teeth as a rock & roll journalist. Then I successfully transitioned to hard news. Lately, I’ve been creating motivational literature and self-help books. I write very effective press releases & promo material. I write & storyboard short videos. I’m writer for a documentary I can’t talk about yet.

I get around. I teach college. My CV includes work for dozens of publications, including Rolling Stone and Alternative Press (America’s two top rock & culture magazines). I’ve also written for leading outlets such as The A.V. Club and Decibel. I write and stage communication seminars. 

I have been to the Pentagon and National Air & Space Museum on business. I have been backstage at the Vans Warped Tour on business. My body of work includes book-length oral histories. 

I have collaborated with certified Grand Masters, civilians, and high-profile musical & Hollywood creative types. I have had Almost Famous moments on the side of the stage at European festivals. I wake up so early it hurts. I make money for my partners.

I am a 33 1/3 author. An Ohio Society of Professional Journalists Reporter of the Year. And a third-degree black belt (in Taekwondo). Also a 32° two-time WM/PM.

Let’s do some good work — and then let’s do some good with what comes from it.

Click the following links for my...

Good Professional Wrestling: Full Contact Life Lessons From the Pinnacle Performance Art The Good Advice From... series is now officially a franchise. Volume II features a foreword by Diamond Dallas Page, motivational icon, founder of health & wellness movement DDP Yoga, and WWE Hall of Famer. Professional wrestling is the toughest business. It is a form of competition built on collaboration and cooperation. Every successful wrestler has a diverse skill set that can help you get over too, no matter what your business or lifestyle. Filled with short chapters and useful advice, this browsable motivational manual features inspirational quotes from dozens of wrestling icons. Each is followed by easy-to-read analysis and actionable tips that can turn a life around.

I collaborated with Darren Paltrowitz on this one-of-a-kind positivity handbook. It breaks down the habits, skills, and strategies that your favorite superstars practice — and you can too, starting today.

Good Advice From Goodfellas: Positive Life Lessons from the Best Mob Movie It’s the last — or maybe first —  motivational manual and self-help guide you’ll ever need. 320 pages, paperback; Kindle ebook also available, cheap. At 145 short chapters, it’s the perfect airport/travel book. This unique meditation & reading finds teachable moments in all your favorite and quotes and scenes from this beloved, seminal movie. If you know what to look for, Goodfellas covers all the same evergreen topics as your favorite business podcasts and startup seminars... but it’s a lot more fun. No, seriously.

Co-author of motivational/how-to Masonic leadership manual

Co-author of parents’ motivational guide to kids’ martial arts

I am the most prominent, prolific non-marquee contributor the music-writing/music journalism textbook How to Write About Music, from the brain trust running Bloomsbury/Continuum’s 33 1/3 series. TECHNICALLY, I AM ON THE SAME LABEL AS NEIL GAIMAN. This is one of two or three books on this topic. Note to self: Write your own.

Wrote the official book with Donnie Iris and the Cruisers For my money, Donnie Iris & the Cruisers are the best-kept secret from 80s rock radio. That had not one, but seven hot 100 hits. The bandleader/songer penned an enduring disco hit. AND he worked with three Rock Hall of Fame artists. The band have a continuous near-40-year run. During this epic tale, they work with a young Trent Reznor, Kiss, Breathless, Cinderella, Sam Kinison, Gamble & Huff, the Jaggerz, Wolfman Jack, and bunch of others. The book is a painstakingly researched oral history that plays like a mix of the four-hour Tom Petty documentary, the movie That Thing You Do!, and the American Hardcore book. Coffee-table book, 464 pages, 102 images, 308 endnotes, 8.5x11″.

Wrote two books about thrash-metal icons Slayer

One is part of 33 1/3, the vanguard series of music-related writing.

One is an exhaustively researched full-length biography featuring 33 images and over 400 endnotes.

Publisher of 6623 Press, home to creator-owned, useful, reasonably priced, unconventional books about popular culture, success, and other cool stuff. People like them.

Full-service, full-contact indie publishing. I write, co-write, ghost-write, edit, and publish books. Quickly.

Do you have book in you? We’ll get it out.

Worked for Rolling Stone, the no. 1 music & culture magazine ever.

I’ve been writing for Alternative Press — America’s no. 2 music magazine — off & on since 2002. More recent pieces are here. Older material is here.

Wrote for alternative newsweekly Cleveland Scene, in various capacities, for 8 years. Won numerous awards for news reporting, business reporting, arts reporting, commentary, feature writing, personality profiling, and sports reporting. Click here for profiles, business features, columns, reviews, and more.

I think this piece about Cleveland’s LeBron James banner won me the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists’ Best Reporter award: Literally the entire city was looking at an iconic, massive piece of public art/advertising — and I was the one person who looked behind the scenes. For alt-weekly Cleveland Scene.

https://www.clevescene.com/64-and-counting/archives/2010/08/05/goodbye-lebron-banner-hello-sunshine-workers-behind-the-banner-speak

For Rolling Stone, I interviewed a band and created unofficial liner notes for a classic album:

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/they-might-be-giants-flood-track-by-track-guide-to-the-geek-chic-breakthrough-82345/

This kind of piece is a specialty. For Alternative Press, I interviewed an infamous punk musician about his friendship with the late, great Anthony Bourdain. I supplied many conversation prompts, transcribed it, then edited his answers into one continuous narrative, while I remained invisible in the piece. If it looks like I didn’t do much, then that was the entire point.

https://www.altpress.com/features/anthony-bourdain-harley-flanagan-cro-mags-tribute/

I visit a business, describe the experience, and research how a controversial industry works. For Cleveland Scene.

https://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/game-of-chance/Content?oid=2183398

While the rest of the rock-journalism world were writing SOPA stories (Summarizing Other People’s Articles) about a developing story, I dug deep, excavated some court records, and wrote an informed summary. For Metal Sucks — for my money, the best metal news & views site.

https://www.metalsucks.net/2019/06/11/how-many-more-misfits-reunion-shows-will-there-be-according-to-legal-documents-probably-just-one/

A friendly multi-person Q&A and sidebar, stitched together from three different interviews from different media. For Alt Press.

https://www.altpress.com/features/punk-goes-fearless-records-interview/

Cover story/feature profile of the president of a local university — and how his work has helped shape the city. It’s pretty whitebread and dry, but I can work in that style when I’m not writing about raging hellions. For Cleveland Magazine, the city’s upstanding guide to what’s happening and who’s doing it.

https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/the-read/articles/city-mission

News interview with Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cavaliers and Quicken Loans. For Scene.

https://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/enhanced-interrogation-dan-gilbert/Content?oid=1678536

Excerpt from Good Advice From Goodfellas, my self-improvement book that draws positive life lessons from the greatest gangster movie:

https://6623press.tumblr.com/post/181078213342/the-new-self-helpmotivational-manual-good-help

Christmas Sevenfold: Metal Dad, Compendium Two  My second comic-strip compilation collects seven years of Christmas & fall holiday stripes, with new art, a foreword, and an essay about why the kind of guy who wrote two books about Slayer still loves Xmas. 180 pages, oversized 8.5 x 11″ paperback.

Suburban Metal Dad, Compendium One: Raging Bullshit. The first compilation book for my webcomic. It collects Years III and IV of the comic, with 172 strips, 8 previously unreleased demo strips, an updated FAQ, and a true-life, all-text real-life metal dad story (so there’s something to really read). 180 pages, oversized 8.5 x 11″ paperback.

Individual strips of Suburban Metal Dad, an online comic that has run twice weekly since 2010.

I am totally into the Misfits/Danzig/Samhain, and wrote a bunch of stuff about this record-setting continuum of ground-breaking musicians

I wrote things for Metal Sucks

Guest on heavy metal podcasts, and bloggage about it all

Guest on assorted TV and superhero-show podcasts

Guest host on rock podcast Lost Together

Annotated both versions of “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” at Genius

Random bloggage about stuff that isn’t necessarily metal... mostly movies and holiday stuff like a survey of Christmas imagery in True Detective season 1

Tweet too much, but it’s healthier than taking cigarette breaks.

The Pentagrammarian: I take note of writing, grammar, usage, and the business thereof. I am one of very few professional writers who can list the four parts of a well-rounded profile or break down the constituent parts of a sentence, in correct technical grammar terms.

The goat had it comin’. I swear.  

[nuclearblastuk]

PALLBEARER | release new song 'Atlantis' + sign to Nuclear Blast worldwide

Revered purveyors of their own critically celebrated style of doom infused progressive rock/metal, PALLBEARER, have expanded their relationship with leading metal label, Nuclear Blast Records, announcing today that they’ve signed a worldwide deal for the band’s highly anticipated fourth full-length album.  “We are very honoured to announce that we have signed a worldwide record deal with Nuclear Blast. We had the great privilege of working with them on the European distribution of our previous album, and it was quite clear that this was the next logical step for us. We greatly look forward to continuing our work with Monte Conner and his legendary team at the label, as well as being included amongst a truly unparalleled group of some of heavy music’s greatest artists of the modern era.” - PALLBEARER In timing with the signing announcement, PALLBEARER has released a new single, 'Atlantis' as part of Sub Pop Records’ recently revived “Singles Series.” The single is available for streaming here https://geni.us/Pallbearer_Atlantis   “We’re very excited to finally be able to share another piece of new material with you. As many of you probably know by now, Pallbearer has always been very “album-oriented” — when we are writing music, it’s often with the big picture in mind. However, we also thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to release pieces that might not necessarily fit into a larger album. Thanks to the Sub-Pop Singles Series, we were thrilled to have the chance to write a brand new song, ‘Atlantis’ plus also document how ‘Thorns’, a song from our previous LP had taken on a different bit of attitude after being road-worn for a couple of years.” - PALLBEARER

PALLBEARER has also announced a handful of USA summer dates, including shows with BARONESS and two special home-state shows where the band will be performing Sorrow and Extinction in its entirety.    “Things have been relatively quiet on our front here, after wrapping up the Heartless touring cycle last October — but we’re coming out of our album-writing hibernation period to perform some select shows in July.   Things didn’t quite line up for us to perform a show commemorating the 10th anniversary of the band last year, but we’ll be performing two dates in our home state that will unofficially be a celebration of one whole decade of Pallbearer in the books so far! We’ll be performing Sorrow & Extinction + other selections from our history at both of these shows. We’ve also teamed up with our esteemed friends at Lost Forty Brewing to bring a new limited beer, a Czech-style Pilsner dubbed “The Legend” (plus other surprises!) which will be available at these dates.”   And, since these two Arkansas dates are over a week apart, we managed to sneak a few other regional shows in there too. Hope to see you there!” - PALLBEARER   PALLBEARER USA Tour Dates: July 13 - Little Rock, AR - Rev Room * July 18 - Oklahoma City, OK - 89th Street July 19 - Columbia, MO - Rose Music Hall July 20 - Kansas City, MO - Riot Room July 21 - Fayetteville, AR - George’s Majestic * July 30 - Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom + July 31 - Birmingham, AL - Saturn + * Playing all of Sorrow & Extinction in entirety +with Baroness

Pallbearer's latest studio album 'Heartless' was released in 2017, it is available to order physically HERE and digitally HERE. 'Heartless' was recorded entirely to analogue tape at Fellowship Hall Sound, Little Rock, Arkansas between June and August 2016. The record was produced by Pallbearer, and mixed by acclaimed producer Joe Barresi (Tool, The Melvins, QOTSA, Fu Manchu). Engineering was handled by Jason Weinheimer and Zach Reeves, and mastered by Grammy winning mastering engineer Dave Collins (Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper and Soundgarden). 'Heartless' achieved widespread critical acclaim in 2017, landing countless impressive 'end of year list' scores such as the #1 'Best Metal Album' slots at The Quietus and Heavy Music HQ.  Initially formed in 2008, Pallbearer grew from the fertile underground metal scene of Little Rock, Arkansas - releasing their debut full length ‘Sorrow and Extinction’ in early 2012. The record made an immediate and immense impact on die-hard doom fans and metal critics alike, also forming the four piece fans outside of the metal scene. Hailed by Rolling Stone as the #1 metal album of 2012, the album also received the coveted ‘Best New Music’ stamp of approval from Pitchfork and landed the band on end of year lists at SPIN and NPR. Their formidable sophomore record, 2014’s ‘Foundations Of Burden’ featured on countless critic’s end of year lists and cemented their reputation as an unstoppable and emotive force - driving doom beyond its imagined limits, carving themselves an entirely original path through the realm of heavy music. The record charted in the Billboard Top 100, achieving Pitchfork’s ‘Best New Music’ accolade and Decibel’s highly honoured ‘Album Of The Year’ award.

[securityhome1-blog]

Best Alarm & Security Systems

All home security frameworks work on a similar essential standard of getting passage focuses, similar to entryways and windows, as well as inside space containing resources like craftsmanship,  PCs, firearms, and mint piece assortments. No matter what the size of your home, miami security systems or the quantity of entryways and windows or inside rooms a mortgage holder chooses to safeguard, the main genuine contrast is in the quantity of safety parts sent all through the home and observed by the control board.

The most fundamental meaning of any security framework is found in its name. It is in a real sense a method or strategy by which something is gotten through a process for interworking parts and gadgets. In this example, we're discussing home security frameworks, which are organizations of coordinated electronic gadgets cooperating with a focal control board to safeguard against robbers and other expected home interlopers.

Buy into our Youtube feed for additional recordings like this one! Figure out how to safeguard your home, your friends and family, yourself and your possessions. How does a security framework function Home security frameworks work on the straightforward idea of getting section focuses into a home with sensors that speak with a control board or war room introduced in an advantageous area some place in the home.

The sensors are commonly positioned in entryways that lead to and from a house as well as effectively available windows, especially any that open, particularly those at ground level. Open spaces within homes can be gotten with movement sensors. Control Panel: The control board is the PC that arms and incapacitates the security frameworks, speaks with each introduced part, sounds the caution when a security zone is penetrated, and speaks with an alert observing organization.

They normally highlight a touchpad for simple programming and cooperation, is the place where pass codes are placed to arm and incapacitate the framework, can chip away at voice orders, and can be customized to work with remote controllers called key dandies.

Entryway and Window Sensors: Door and window sensors are included two sections introduced contiguous one another. One piece of the gadget is introduced on the entryway or window and the other on the door jamb or window ledge. Whenever an entryway or window is shut, the two pieces of the sensor are combined, making a security circuit.

Whenever the security framework is furnished at the control board, these sensors speak with it by announcing that the mark of passage is secure. Should a checked entryway or window abruptly be opened, the security circuit is broken and the control board deciphers this as a break of a got zone. A high-decibel alert is sounded and in many examples the caution observing organization is naturally informed.

[circlesecuritysolutions-blog]

How Is a Security System and How Treats Work

All home security frameworks alarm companies miami  work on a similar fundamental rule of getting passage focuses, similar to entryways and windows, as well as inside space containing resources like craftsmanship, PCs, weapons, and currency assortments. No matter what the size of your home, or the quantity of entryways and windows or inside rooms a mortgage holder chooses to safeguard, the main genuine distinction is in the quantity of safety parts conveyed all through the home and checked by the control board.

 The most essential meaning of any security framework is found in its name. It is in a real sense a method or technique by which something is gotten through a procedure for interworking parts and gadgets.

 In this occasion, we're discussing home security frameworks, which are organizations of coordinated electronic gadgets cooperating with a focal control board to safeguard against criminals and other likely home interlopers.

 A common home security framework incorporates:

 A control board, which is the essential regulator of a home's security framework

Entryway and window sensors

Movement sensors, both inside and outside

Wired or remote surveillance cameras

A high-decibel alarm or caution

A yard sign and window stickers

 How does a security framework function?

Home security frameworks work on the basic idea of getting section focuses into a home with sensors that speak with a control board or war room introduced in a helpful area some place in the home.

 The sensors are ordinarily positioned in entryways that lead to and from a house as well as effectively available windows, especially any that open, particularly those at ground level. Open spaces within homes can be gotten with movement sensors.

 Control Panel: The control board is the PC that arms and incapacitates the security frameworks, speaks with each introduced part, sounds the caution when a security zone is penetrated, and speaks with an alert observing organization.

 They commonly include a touchpad for simple programming and cooperation, is the place where pass codes are entered to arm and incapacitate the framework, can chip away at voice orders, and can be customized to work with remote controllers called key coxcombs.

 Entryway and Window Sensors: Door and window sensors are involved two sections introduced contiguous one another. One piece of the gadget is introduced on the entryway or window and the other on the door jamb or window ledge. Whenever an entryway or window is shut, the two pieces of the sensor are combined, making a security circuit.

 Whenever the security framework is outfitted at the control board, these sensors speak with it by revealing that the place of section is secure. Should an observed entryway or window out of nowhere be opened, the security circuit is broken and the control board deciphers this as a break of a got zone. A high-decibel alert is sounded and in many occasions the caution observing organization is naturally advised.

 Movement Sensors: These security parts, when furnished, safeguard a given space by making an undetectable zone that can't be penetrated without sounding an alert. These are commonly used to safeguard rooms containing assets, as well as regions less visited in bigger homes.

 Observation Cameras: Available in both wired and remote setups, reconnaissance cameras can be utilized in more than one way as a feature of a general security framework.

 Normal uses incorporate observing:

 Difficult to see or far off region of your property

Distant structures like carports, horse shelters, and studios

Passage focuses, both outside and inside, similar to carport entryways and front entryways

Reconnaissance cameras can be gotten to somewhat on PCs, cell phones, and tablets. They are regularly utilized in this technique when mortgage holders are away, to look for conveyances and other help work force like parental figures and gardeners, and to screen the appearance of kids after school. They can likewise be utilized to record any security breaks, which could bring about having film of a home attack, including a decent gander at the thieves and maybe even the vehicle they drove.

[nuclearblastuk]

PALLBEARER ANNOUNCE UK & EUROPEAN SUMMER TOUR DATES!

Ascending Arkansas progressive doom quartet Pallbearer are pleased to announce that they will be gracing our UK and European stages this summer for a run of club shows, on top of several previously announced festival appearances. Kicking off in Hamburg, Germany on July 13th - this run will take Pallbearer across eleven countries for 21 club/festival shows, concluding on August 16th at Germany's Summer Breeze Festival in Dinkelsbuhl. Pallbearer commented: "We're excited to once again be heading over to Europe and the UK, and we might even be playing a handful songs from our catalogue that have never been performed outside of the US before! “ Dates are all on sale now: 13 Jul  DE  Hamburg  -  Molotow Club 14 Jul  BE  Dour  -  Dour Festival 15 Jul  NL  Nijmegen  -  Valkhof Festival 16 Jul  UK  London  -  Islington Assembly Hall 17 Jul  UK  Glasgow  -  Stereo 18 Jul  UK  Leeds  -  Brudenell Social Club 19 Jul  UK  Bristol  -  The Fleece 21 Jul  DE  Crispendorf  -  Chaos Descends Festival 23 Jul  IT  Milan  -  Circolo Magnolia  24 Jul  SL  Tolmin  -  Metaldays festival 03 Aug  DK  Copenhagen  -  Vega 04 Aug  DE  Beelen  -  Krach am Bach Festival 05 Aug  DE  Cottbus  -  Zum Faulen August 07 Aug  HR  Primosten  -  SuperUho Festival 08 Aug  HU  Budapest  -  A38 09 Aug  CZ  Josefov  -  Brutal Assault Festival 10 Aug  DE  Bad Kotzting  -  Void Fest 12 Aug  UK  Derbyshire  -  Bloodstock Festival 14 Aug  DE  Wiesbaden  -  Schlachthof 15 Aug  CH  Winterthur  -  Gaswerk 16 Aug  DE  Dinkelsbuhl  -  Summer Breeze Festival

Last week, Pallbearer released a brand new track titled 'Dropout' - their first music released since their latest studio album 'Heartless' back in early 2017. The track is the 53rd installment of the Adult Swim Singles Program. The track will be available for download and streaming on April 27th. Check out 'Dropout' here: https://youtu.be/IHfjaT0Omt8

Pallbearer's latest studio album 'Heartless' is out now and available to order physically HERE and digitally HERE. 'Heartless' was recorded entirely to analogue tape at Fellowship Hall Sound, Little Rock, Arkansas between June and August 2016. The record was produced by Pallbearer and mixed by acclaimed producer Joe Barresi (Tool, The Melvins, QOTSA, Fu Manchu). Engineering was handled by Jason Weinheimer and Zach Reeves, and mastered by Grammy winning mastering engineer Dave Collins (Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper and Soundgarden). 'Heartless' achieved widespread critical acclaim in 2017, landing countless impressive 'end of year list' scores such as the #1 'Best Metal Album' slots at The Quietus and Heavy Music HQ. Several of the achievements are listed below: #1 The Quietus #1 Heavy Music HQ #2 Pop Matters #3 Decibel #5 Loudwire #6 Rolling Stone #9 Laut.de #13 Metal Hammer #14 Kerrang #18 Consequence Of Sound #20 Bandcamp #25 Stereogum ------ Initially formed in 2008, Pallbearer grew from the fertile underground metal scene of Little Rock, Arkansas - releasing their debut full length ‘Sorrow and Extinction’ in early 2012. The record made an immediate and immense impact on die-hard doom fans and metal critics alike, also forming the four piece fans outside of the metal scene. Hailed by Rolling Stone as the #1 metal album of 2012, the album also received the coveted ‘Best New Music’ stamp of approval from Pitchfork and landed the band on end of year lists at SPIN and NPR. Their formidable sophomore record, 2014’s ‘Foundations Of Burden’ featured on countless critic’s end of year lists and cemented their reputation as an unstoppable and emotive force - driving doom beyond its imagined limits, carving themselves an entirely original path through the realm of heavy music. The record charted in the Billboard Top 100, achieving Pitchfork’s ‘Best New Music’ accolade and Decibel’s highly honoured ‘Album Of The Year’ award. Pallbearer are: Brett Campbell | lead vocals, electric & acoustic guitars, synthesizers Devin Holt | electric & acoustic guitars, vocals Joseph D. Rowland | electric bass, vocals, synthesizers Mark Lierly | percussion 

[extraneousdominomask]

I don't understand the hate for Sly 4. Can you explain why you think the game sucked?

Alright. I’ll give you a summary of the major issues I have with Sly 4, and try to keep it brief. Here’s an itemized list of 30 years of disagreements (Sweet Jesus):

-First off, the first half of the game is fucking incredible. (If that sounds like a weird place to start, that’s only because it is.) The opening recaptures the spirit of the games wonderfully - and given I was a returning fan, fresh off an eight-year hiatus, that was amazing - Japan is beautiful and builds well, and Cotton Mouth Bluff is probably my favourite level in the entire damn franchise.Even leaving aside how I can’t pretend bad installments of my favourite things didn’t happen - that’s just not how my brain works - part of the reason Sly 4 irks me is because it had so much goddamn potential. It’s an updated Sly Cooper game where he and the Gang go on time-adventures. We were so close to something incredible. This should, by rights, be my favourite game in the series, and also of all time.I’m angry because I care.

-Carmelita’s redesign. She was already a very sexualized character, but she used to have sensible jeans and a sense of vaguely realistic athleticism. Sanzaru insisted on pushing the sexualization further, and since we started at a pretty advanced point, it got taken to frankly disgusting levels. Her waist terrifies me. You can see her ribs. The badass Interpol inspector is now worryingly underweight. It legitimately creeps me out.

-I don’t like the caveman level. This is the least analytical gripe, I admit that. I just… don’t like the caveman aesthetic. Never liked the Flintstones or anything similar. That’s just subjective.What’s not subjective is how the Gang ending up in just the right place and time to stumble across another of Le Paradox’s lieutenants is a strong contender for the least likely coincidence in all of fiction. But whatevs. Them improvising an escape while falling down a cliff was cool.

-Likewise, as Cooper ancestors go, Bob is very underwhelming. He’s a big ugly block who reuses the Guru’s joke. Instead of Henriette or Slaigh or anybody else in the Vault or Henriette, we got this guy. Great.

-The Grizz. Unfunny character with an awful boss fight. Complete bungling of what a graffiti is or does or sounds like. Unnervingly racist.

-The Penelope twist. Good god in heaven, what even was that? I mean, I was interested. I gave the game the benefit of the doubt, all ears for what the explanation was. Unfortunately, that explanation never came. We’re still not sure what the hell was going through Penelope’s head. She’s just evil now. A lovable character, funny and endearing and not overly sexualized (which in this series is rare), just… twisted. For no real reason.There’s zero textual information justifying her decisions. Especially because the focus is entirely on Bentley, giving her no room to explain herself. And sure! Bentley’s great, I love him, but I also love Penelope and I also love(d) their in-practice painfully brief relationship. I want Geeks in Love doing Crimes Together, not a half-assed betrayal twist.

-Ms Decibel. Irritating to watch. Retread of both Octavio and the Contessa. Has no reason for having mind control powers. The fact it’s just “ha ha there is a trumpet in her nose” genuinely irritates me. This isn’t hard sci-fi, but it ain’t Looney Tunes either. Try harder.The Joke Is That She Is Fat And Ugly. Ha Ha Ha.

-The Carmelita belly dance. Sweet CHRIST. If I keep coming back to this, it’s because it’s gotten me progressively angrier ever since the first time I played it and felt an uncomfortable churn in my gut.This shit is genuinely disturbing. She is coerced. Why did Sanzaru think this was a good idea? Everybody in the writer’s room signed off on this; anyone who may have wanted to stop it didn’t manage to. Then it got animated and designed and Grey DeLisle was called into the booth to voice how beloved strong-willed icon of my childhood Inspector Carmelita Fox was deeply uncomfortable with this sexual act three men she was close to were forcing her to perform. I don’t find this shit amusing. Kids play these fucking games, man.

-Carmelita’s (lack of) use in general. She gets some good moments when she’s first dragged along, again making Tennessee’s level the best. Then she storms off during Bob’s. Then, after wandering back and calming down? Next to nothing. She’s barely there.Bentley shutting down over Penelope’s betrayal was a perfect opportunity for her to take charge and show off her tactical prowess as an officer. What did we get? “Uh… let’s go with Galleth’s plan, then walk forward through Penelope’s front gate. idk guys” Outside of objectifying her, Sanzaru had no idea what to do with her, and it shows.

-The underwhelming climax. The finale of Sly 2 felt earned. The original three all had great final acts, but I bring up the second because it resembles the fourth. In both, there’s a last-minute upset where everything the Gang has accomplished so far is suddenly snatched away.But Sly 2 built that feeling. From the moment Jean Bison sees through the Gang’s disguises, things get worse and worse. The time they spend in stony silence, hiding in that battery, really creates a sense of encroaching dread. Things are going wrong, but they’re going wrong slowly. And that’s worse.Sly 4 - perhaps due to a dwindling budget - rockets through where that suspense should be. “Le Paradox showed up and stole Carmelita and then his plan worked and he was king of everything and we were sad but we went to fight him anyway.” wow. my emotions. i’m so invested.One of the lines I can particularly remember is “I don’t ever remember feeling so defeated.” Oh, you don’t, Sly? Not when you lost every Clockwerk Part at once? Not when Clockwerk was reassembled and Neyla merged with him? Not when you watched your parents be murdered in front of you?It’s 100% Tell, 0% Show. That’s not how you do a finale.

-Le Paradox. God. Just… god. Obnoxious in a way that isn’t entertaining. An awful, nasty character who does not receive an adequate level of comeuppance for his overblown, overwrought crimes. Rapey. He hates Sly for something Conner did; Sly has no agency here, he’s just a victim, pulled into the story because he’s directly threatened over something he had no part in. That’s bad writing. Bad writing which retreads other, more interesting antagonists.Doesn’t hold a candle to Clockwerk, Arpeggio, Neyla or Dr M. Unlike them, Le Paradox survives his game, which a) feels like too light a punishment if everybody else got a dramatic death and b) creates the worrying prospect they intend to bring him back. Ugh. Would work fine as an insignificant filler villain; instead, has means, power level, and (intended) gravitas outstripping Clockwerk. Total disconnect between his persona and his stupid, childishly powerful plan.Bigger =/= better.Skunks don’t come from France.

And, of course, the grand finale. The last thing to happen to Sly Prime. To this day, four and a half years later, the current state of the original series, and what may well be the overall ending at this point no matter what Sanzaru originally intended long-term. Everybody sing along at home~!

-A terrible cliffhanger ending with no sequel greenlit!

There. That about covers it. For me, anyway. Everybody has their own take.For the record, every box in that brain meme is a genuine opinion of mine. Sly 4 is most certainly a Sly game. It has amazing art and great moments. It brought in a ton of new fans, and kept the franchise going. That can’t be undervalued.But it’s the most flawed installment by a wide, wide margin. Sly 1 was rough, but a lot of that feels like beginner’s jitters. 4′s flaws feel more like huge, enthusiastic strides in the wrong goddamn direction, made by well-meaning people who are super excited to bring the franchise to places I do not want it to go. Like Sexual Objectification Town.

I don’t hate it blindly, but I can’t pretend I love it. I’m not gonna repress my negativity. This is my blog where I talk about Sly Cooper. And when I talk about Sly 4, I won’t skip over its flaws. In the vague hope that maybe, if I explain how and why these things don’t work, there’ll be less of these mistakes in the world. For my own writing, if nothing else. Straightening out my emotions into coherent, rational analysis. Looking toward the future.

…that and because it’s cathartic.