#I need to draw stands more often pff

[chloesimaginationthings]

Moments before disaster

[ishgard]

Title: Gifts & Curses Chapter 1: Nothing if Not Consistent Words: 2,545 Rating: T/PG-13 AO3 Link A/N: I opened one of those RP prompts ages ago that said something like 'Gaius gets cursed and Ahru can heal him', and then at like 4am falling asleep it burst wide open. One day I might go back, tweak it up, and fit it in to the grander story at large, but for now it’s just a stand-alone, for fun, deal.

________

Curses were tricky things, suffice it to say. They didn’t work in the ways one expected, or in ways that were obvious. Other times the cursemaker may not have been practiced in the art of it, bringing forth spite-driven but clumsy results.

As it stood, it was difficult to say one way or the other what Gaius Baelsar’s particular case was, but the effects had been wearing on him for days.

“I’m not sure, it’s not like anything I’ve ever seen before…” Yulania frowned, leaning back and folding her arms over her chest. She was still reluctant to help the ex-legatus, but she’d come at Ahru’s behest just the same.

Moving almost in unison with her, Arsh instead leaned forward, tilting his head this and that as he looked Gaius over, scratching his chin.

“That’s because it scarcely resembles anything it ought to. A mess is what it is. Someone slapping together whatever bits of knowledge they could assemble…” He restrained a chuckle -barely- and shrugged. “I’d be surprised if they themselves didn’t suffer for the casting of such a foolish attempt.”

In a small, dim-lit storage room in Ala Mhigo, Gaius sat in silence, gaze cast low to the ground before him, head sunk between his shoulders. He’d always thought himself a decently sensible man - arguable to some, he could reason, when he’d been blinded by grand ideals and the promise of power.

Such was neither here nor there though; whatever this curse, it weighed on him. Hushed whispers and babbling played at the back of his mind, barely audible - only to be crashed by a sudden scream, or angry shouts. Countless voices, all in unison, sometimes dulling to silence, as if to offer him some mild hope of reprieve only, of course, to come barreling over his senses again in a rush.

Sleep was impossible, his performance in battle suffered, and though he held himself together best he could, he could no longer deny the threads were growing thin.

“Can’t say I’m too surprised, there’s no small few who would love to see the Black Wolf hang - or worse.” Yulania sighed and shook her head. While she wasn’t so comfortable with their new ‘ally’, capital punishment didn’t sit right with her either.

“Think you could… I dunno, trace the aetherial patterns or some shit?” Ahru waved a hand at the air. "Track down who might have done it?" She may have been better at the aetherial arts than she’d ever been in her life, but hells if she knew how to deal with any of this. At best she could muddle her way through more basic healing, and instinct had often guided her well, but it had been clear from the moment Gaius had come to her this was well beyond anything she could pull off.

Yulania scrunched up her nose. “You really think the Elementals are going to give me a hand with this?”

“Pff, of course not. I just figured you might have some handy witch-y tricks up your billowing sleeves.” She didn’t give a piss about the Elementals, Yul was one of the most gifted healers she knew, and that wasn’t because of them. Catching her meaning, Yulania’s cheeks gave a faint pink glow, though she hid it with a frown and shake of her head.

“Unfortunately, it’s such a mess, I’d be afraid to apply any of my usual remedies. Fixing one thing could cause something else to worsen.”

Together they both looked to Arshadaya, who was now crouched down in front of Gaius, waving his hand not five ilms from his face. Gaius, however, didn’t seem to notice, his eyes wide and glazed over, mouth agape. The lines of his face were writ in horror, as if he were seeing some fearsome, terrible thing beyond Arsh’s palm and wiggling digits.

Ahru reached over and smacked Arsh’s hand back - even that did not draw the man out of his stupor, however.

“Gaius.” Bodily shoving Arsh out of the way she instead clapped her hands on either of his shoulders, trying to bring his gaze to hers. She’d seen him go like this once before already, and nothing had worked to bring him out of it then, yet still she could not help but try. There was little use in trying to wrap her mind around whatever their relationship was at this point, but she didn’t enjoy the idea of any she counted among her allies suffering.

“Another part of another stitched-together hex,” Arsh shrugged dismissively. “I don’t think wiggling him around will snap him out of it.”

“Your pointless commentary is not why I asked you here,” she grumbled back. He knew that, he knew everything, and she was oh so certain he knew how to fix this, but it was ever his wont to play so frustratingly coy.

“Yet it’s all I’m capable of offering.” Feigning a crestfallen pout, he dramatically shrugged his hands out to either side of him. Now that she knew better, these little gestures of his at times reminded her of Emet-Selch. But she quickly shoved that thought away, as she was becoming accustomed to doing every time the dead Ascian surfaced from the deep to haunt her.

“Oh, come now, that can’t be true.” Yulania was the first to speak up, as exasperated with the Ascians usual antics as Ahru herself was. No matter how accustomed to it they may have been. “According to Ahru, Emet-Selch could snap his fingers and pluck souls from the lifestream. You’ve practically done the same with her. Surely a tangled up little curse can’t pose such a problem.”

“Ah, but it can. And I’d like to remind you I very nearly died saving our darling Ahru. Emet-Selch was nothing short of prodigious in his abilities to see and understand the movements of the lifestream, and I but a paltry babe suckling at the teet by compare.”

“Imagery I could do without,” Ahru muttered. Her hands remained on Gaius’s shoulders, her eyes on his - still swimming in mute, abject fear. What nightmare of his own making must he have been seeing this time? Unable to scream, same as the dead bodies in his wake. Such was as much as he’d conveyed to her the last time this had occurred. That he’d found himself trapped in the corpses of those who had suffered for his ego, watching with lifeless eyes as even greater atrocities ensued. Their fears and horrors became his, but their anger and resentment wrapped gnarled fists around his throat and strangled him.

“Unfortunately, messy as this curse is, it’s effective. Patchwork bits of one hex and another strewn into his very soul, all twisted and knotted together with one great thread of hatred and murderous spite. Removing one could cause upheaval of another, but worse still is the very potential to unravel his very being.”

It was, at times, difficult to grasp just what Arshadaya really felt on a matter. One sentence or word weighed with amusement and curiosity, another with pity. Such was the case now, but Ahru knew the truth to be simple enough. He was fascinated, but not without sympathy.

“So… it’ll keep going like this…”

“Until it kills him, yes. Perhaps he will go mad and take his own life. Perhaps he will act rashly, or from exhaustion, and get himself killed. Or perhaps the shock will soon grow too much for his withered old heart.”

“Arshadaya, please…” Yulania’s voice was soft and small, the barest rustle of leaves on a spring breeze. “There’s no need to elaborate on what we already know just because you relish the chance to talk more.”

Again, Arshadaya shrugged, but his flippant demeanor slowly began to slip away, like a mask discarded. Instead he watched Ahru’s face in profile, the way it furrowed and stared deep into the Garlean’s gazeless eyes. Her fingers were sunk deep into the folds of his coat, making the subtlest of movements as if she hoped to massage away the tension even while knowing it would do no good.

“It’s not really a problem, is it?” The moment the words were out of his mouth she was snapped back to the present, face an amusing blend somewhere between a ‘glower’ and aghast. This did not dissuade or give him pause. “By the laws of mortals, this is a just fate, is it not? To suffer all he has made others suffer, to bear every fear and scar upon his soul. In fact, I daresay it’s better than what any judicial system might be able to fathom up. Beheadings are much too quick.”

With each word her face scrunched up more and more, but so too did her obvious annoyance. Alas, it would seem he’d become much to predictable to his favorite little mortal.

“Can we please skip the part where I have to justify my desire to help people?”

“Even old enemies who’ve done so very, very, many terrible things?” He spoke as if he were talking to a puppy, the sarcasm dripping. What fool mortal could possibly have had more blood on his hands than an Ascian, after all?

Ahru turned partway to him now, drawing her hands back from Gaius’s shoulders to fold them across her chest. She was good at nailing this particular expression, half pleading pout, half stubborn glare. But then, it did precisely encapsulate two of her most prevalent emotions; long-suffering exhaustion and willful defiance. She was not so gifted in the Echo that they could share thoughts, but he could hear her loud and clear. ’Do not make me work more than is necessary for information you could just as easily provide me freely.’

“Fine, deprive me of my fun,” Arsh pouted right back at her, though his he would argue was far more heartfelt. “I could, possibly, fix him up if you are truly so adamant about it, but it will require ample payment. Sacrifice, you might even say.”

Had the current situation not already been sobering enough, Ahru and Yulania both tensed, listening with rapt attention. ‘Sacrifice’ was no small word to them, who had buried the bodies of countless comrades, and something neither of them took lightly. Arshadaya, however, simply grinned at them both, shaking his head.

“Ahru, my darling, you’ll have to take him home with you. To Hyr’asra, and your mother.”

Immediately Ahru blanched, eyes wide and mouth agape, not looking all too different now from Gaius.

“You… have to be joking.” There was no emotion to her words, she wasn’t processing much in the way of thoughts let alone emotions, and the thoughts that did get by simply came out like some automated recording on old Allag tech.

Yulania arched a brow. While she was well aware Ahru’s relation with her mother and birthplace were not particularly great, she didn’t realize it was quite so bad as to warrant such a flabbergasted response.

“Mm, as I recall, the Hiraeth don’t take too kindly to outsiders…” Instead Yul grappled for the easy, obvious answer - or question, rather, which she posed to Arshadaya. “So, wouldn’t it be difficult taking a Garlean there?”

“Oh, that’s not the problem.” Arsh moved over to Gaius now running a finger over the crease in the mans brow as if he were naught more than a statue to bear his intrigue. “Ahru can, technically get away with almost whatever she wants-” at that, Ahru nearly choked on a sudden, bitter laugh. “…The problem is she’s been avoiding it so long she hasn’t the faintest clue how to face going back.”

“Yeah, and marching in for the sole purpose of healing an ex-legatus isn’t exactly going to sit well with the uma’taja.” Ahru piped in, her words betraying her reluctance. But even as unwilling as she was, the greater reluctance was saying no to the suggestion if it might really help.

“I mean… will they punish you at all?” Yulania muddled over what they were telling her, unable to pick apart what from what. Arshadaya, conveniently, was more than willing now to be silent and pin any answers on Ahru, his golden gaze locked on her. Ahru simply shook her head.

“It… really doesn’t matter one way or the other.”

“Well that doesn’t sound promising.”

“The worst punishment she’ll endure is her mothers disappointment and dissatisfaction,” Arsh offered.

“No, I’m sure they could do a lot worse.” Ahru rolled her eyes, but she was already coming to her decision. Arsh joked of payment and sacrifices, but as far as she could see it was only her own stubborn pride at stake. “Will you really be able to help him if I take him there?” She frowned, squinting at Gaius. “You said… mother could?”

“Maybe. First I’d try the ruins. We may be able to fix him there, where the aether is strong and pure. But if nothing else,” he grinned - vicious and cruel. “They could always sing it out of him.”

Ahru shivered. The phrase, however, was perhaps comically lost on Yulania - and for the better.

“Are they… bad at singing?” She hazarded, voice small and uncertain like a mouse. To that, Arshadaya laughed.

“The worst,” he answered, clapping her on the shoulder in a way that did nothing to alleviate her unease. “But if we’re going to do this, I should go on ahead and prepare.”

This time he did not wait for assurances or firm glares. A dark portal opened for him, and he was gone, leaving the women and nigh-catatonic legatus behind. Yulania sighed, looking to her friend for some sort of assurance that there was not some worser fate awaiting her. As did, unfortunately, seem to often be the case.

Frustratingly, Ahru simply smiled back at her. That same, tired smile she’d seen countless times before when, inevitably, she rallied herself off to some great battle despite however much she needed the rest. The same one she used to ‘jokingly’ breath the words ‘No rest for the weary.’

“Ahru… You really don’t have to do this.”

“Hah, I do too. I’d do the same for you, or Regi. Any of you.”

Face scrunched up, she fixed her friend with a most ungrateful and quizzical look. “I do hope Regi and I place a little higher than Gaius, Ahru.”

She laughed outright at that, genuine and hearty, and it seemed to liven her up. “Without a doubt, but the sentiment remains the same. So I have a painfully awkward family reunion waiting for me? Not much of a price to pay if it means saving someone.”

Sighing, Yul was near to agreeing, but stopped herself short seeing the apologetic grin now unfolding across Ahru’s features. “…What?”

“Besides~” she sang, “you’ll have the much more arduous task here, letting the others know what’s going on. Should probably start with Valdeaulin.”

“Oh, he'll be pissed, don’t you dare saddle me with-”

“You’re a gem, Yul. I couldn’t do this without you!” Before she could utter another word of protest, Ahru had seized her by the shoulders and given her a kiss on the nose. “Look after him a moment while I grab my things!”

And then she was darting out the storeroom door, leaving her blinking and grumbling to herself.

“You’re as bad as the Ascian…”

[jadekitty777]

Sun Wukong, Mercury Black, and Ruby Rose for the character ask thing?

Sun Wukong

(Definitely not the blond-haired, blue-eyed guy I was expecting to beasked about, but let’s get right to it!)

 ·        Favorite thingabout them: His general attitude. I’ve always got a soft-spot for optimisticcharacters like Sun, and his upbeat, laid-back nature can really bring a lot ofhumor and cheer to a scene. He’s also got a really kind heart. On a shallowernote, the casual way he uses his tail for like, everything.

·        Least favoritething about them: Dude. Stop leaving your team behind. Seriously.

·        Favorite line: “Pff that’sdumb! You should always get friends involved!” Has always been a big favorite.Also, not a line, but his tiny squeal when he realizes where Blake lives isjust fucking precious.

·        brOTP: Definitely hisfriendship with Neptune is one of the most entertaining in the whole show. Theyhave that kind of buddy-buddy ‘I’ve always got your back’ relationship that I’malways a big fan of.

·        OTP: So, when itcomes to shipping characters, they generally have to be pretty high up on myfavorites list for it to really be something I invest time thinking about. Sunreally isn’t that high on said list – but, for just a passing answer - Blake/Sunor Neptune/Sun are both kind of cute. I also rather like the potential Yang/Sun/Blakehas.

·        nOTP: So, mind youthere is no hate to this but, some people ship Ruby and Sun together; that onehas always been a little weird to me. It’s always been a ‘What, why?’ kind ofresponse when I see it.

·        Randomheadcanon: True to his Vacuo nature,Sun likes to do little, harmless crimes just to see what he can get awaywith, Stowing away on boats is his favorite. He never does anything with theintent to harm; mostly he just wants to give everyone a story to tell.

·        Unpopularopinion: Him going after Blake in Volume 4 was fine. I’ve seen lots ofarguments claiming he was being a stalker, but I feel the context is oftendanced over – he was trailing her not because he was trying to be a creep, butbecause he assumed that she was going after the White Fang and knew she couldn’tfight them all off alone. His assumption just happened to be wrong, but theintentions of his actions was noble.

·        Song Iassociate with them: Honestly I have no talent for this kind of thing so I’ll justpick something random: “Stickerbrush Symphony” from the Donkey Kong Countryseries, particularly the SSBrawl version

·        Favoritepicture of them: 

What can I say. I’m a sucker for sunset background with sexy,smirking blonds in the forefront.

 Mercury Black(The emo boy of Team Salem)

·        Favorite thingabout them: Honestly, I’m going all shallow for this, but I like his hair. He’sa total pretty-boy. His snark is a close second though.

·        Least favoritething about them: It fits his character but, that sometimes his snark turns intobrattiness and that can get kind of annoying (but it works well if people pointit out). He’ll go from being clever to sounding or acting like a 5-year old.

·        Favorite line: “Oh Doc, tellme! Will I ever walk again?” Got to love the fake melodrama and the linedelivery on this one.

·        brOTP: I rather likehis and Emerald’s friendship – even if it is a rollercoaster at times. I kindof feel they have this sort of brother-sister relationship going on. Not wherethey are actually sibling-like, but more so where Mercury plays the role of asnooty older brother who just tries to do anything to get on Emerald’s nerves.

·        OTP: Eh, definitely don’thave one for him.

·        nOTP: Yang and him. Idon’t really know why, but that one is just a lot of nopenopenope for me.

·        Randomheadcanon: Mercury is not a strong reader and knows almost none of Remnant’sfamous fables. When Emerald and Cinder found him, he actually couldn’t read atall. His father was obsessed with keeping his son weaker than him in every possibleway – from fighting skills to his intelligence – and thus never invested timein teaching him his basic education. Mercury now can read enough to get by, butthe more complicated the words, the more he actually struggles with it. Anythinghe knows now Cinder and Emerald taught to him during their travels together.

·        Unpopularopinion: Overall, I know he’s actually a huge favorite in the fandom,but Mercury is extremely low on my personal list. Not in the hated category oranything, I just really don’t care much for him one way or another. Writing outthis is actually the most attention I’ve ever given to his character.

·        Song Iassociate with them: Another random choice, but “I am Machine” from Three Days Grace seemsa fairly solid choice. Particularly the lines ‘I wish I knew what it was like,to care about what’s right and wrong’ and ‘I don’t like what I’m becoming, Iwish I could just feel something’.

·        Favoritepicture of them: 

I’m sure this is rather a weird choice, but I like this shot overall for the companionship and somewhatprotectiveness Mercury shows here.

Ruby Rose(The precious child we all want to protect but don’t need to ‘cause she’ll kickeveryone’s ass)

·        Favorite thingabout them: Ruby is actually a high favorite for me, so there’s tons of thingsabout her I love. From her fashion, to her skill with her weapon, to hersemblance, to her connections with people, to her attitude, there’s a ton toadore.

·        Least favoritething about them: RUBY. SEND A LETTER TO YOUR DAD ALREADY. FOR MAIDEN’S SAKE, HE’SGONNA HAVE A HEART ATTACK. (Also, still not really into that speech she gave toQrow in Vol 6, Chp. 9… but the one following it in chp.10 was WORLD’S better andtotally made up for it)

·        Favorite line: I have to pickjust one!? Well. I will always adore her little cheer of: “You came back!” whenWeiss returns to be her partner. Also, not a line, but the high-five she andWeiss share over their combat skirts.

·        brOTP: … Everyone? Caneveryone be a choice? Okay, no, it can’t. But some big favorites are her andWeiss, Yang, Jaune, Penny, and Oscar.

·        OTP: Speaking ofOscar… Yeah, definitely in the Rosegarden club. I was fond of Ice Flower onceupon a time, and still find her and Weiss cute, but if there’s any ship of Rubythat I’ll invest time in, it’s unquestionably one with Oscar. More so when theyget older though (and maybe if the war ends and Ozma is finally allowed to passon) – not because of age of anything, but simply because Ruby doesn’t seemsuper interested in any romantic pursuits right now.

·        nOTP: ON THE SAMETOKEN, HER AND OZPIN IS A BIG NO-NO-NO AND I SEE SO MUCH FANFICTION OF THIS? Imean, okay y’all do what ya want, fanfiction doesn’t hurt anyone in the end.But for me personally it’s just too gross to consider.

·        Randomheadcanon: I’ve talked about this one before, but Ruby hates Raven.Probably more than she hates anyone, even Cinder, simply because despite havinghad no physical presence in her life, Raven’s still managed to ruin so much init. She had to grow up and watch arguments unfold between her dad and hersister, with Qrow sometimes ganging up on Tai with her if he was drunk enough, wheneverYang would try and dig for more information. It was equally painful for her tosee Yang burning herself out because of her one-track minded pursuit oversomeone who couldn’t bother to love her like a mother should have. Sometimes,when Ruby is standing in front of Summer’s grave, she’ll tell her that eventhough she’s proud of what a great huntress she was she sometimes wishes she hadn’tbeen one at all, because if she was there, maybe Yang wouldn’t feel like shewas missing something (and, on worse days, Ruby would add “Or me either.”).

·        Unpopularopinion: I really don’t think Ruby is as weak of a protagonist aseveryone makes her out to be. I’ve heard the complaints, and while thearguments sometimes have merit, in general I think she’s fairly well rounded.Did some of her attention get shafted the past few volumes? Yeah, at times. ButI’ve still never found myself disliking her.

·        Song Iassociate with them: Red like Roses?! Okay that’s cheating. How about “The Rose”(Westlife’s version), because I can certainly draw comparisons to every lineabout a character that would fit and Ruby being the central figure – the ‘seedof love’ that was so simple yet so impacting to those more bitter or hurtaround her and, in turn, found solace in knowing her.

·        Favoritepicture of them: Ruby has so many good ones that again it’s hard to choose butfor right now:

“Bitch, youthought.”

[verdigrisprowl]

Dec 14 Odothon Part 2 - Star Trek DS9 - S3E1, S3E2, S3E14, S3E20

Prowl's figured out why Soundwave wanted him to watch stories about the life of an alien constable.

Initially, he thought it was because Soundwave thinks Odo is just like Prowl: a law enforcement officer who—for all practical purposes—came into existence in a laboratory; who is sneered down upon by others as cold and soulless because he struggles to express his emotions in ways that other people can comprehend, and because at many times he recognizes the benefit of not bothering to express those emotions at all; who is shockingly brilliant but (as Prowl once was) untrained in how to correctly use that brilliance; who finds himself slightly outside of the culture he's spent all his life inside.

Now, Prowl has discovered it's because Soundwave thinks Odo is just like Prowl: he's dedicated himself to law and order and justice and the protection of as many of the people of the galaxy as he can reach... and he's just realized the greatest threat to the galaxy is his own warmongering, conquering, genocidal home planet.

So. Where do you go from there, Odo?

Where can you go from there?

ItsyBitsySpyers 8:16 pm *Today, Soundwave makes his preparations ahead of time. They've much to get through and few moments to waste. If Prowl is unable to attend, so be it; Soundwave will call Ravage down and watch Earth nature documentaries. Personally, though, he's hoping his comm will be well-received.*

(txt): Free shift. Story continues, if Prowl: prepared. FakeProwl 8:31 pm ... Be there in about fifteen minutes.

*And in about fifteen minutes, he is.* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:40 pm *Soundwave stretches a feeler across the back of their couch and curls it, waving the end in a 'come here' gesture.*

(txt): Prowl remembers stop point? FakeProwl 8:42 pm *will absolutely come there.*

Yes. DS9 has had some contact with the Dominion, and have met both their infiltrators and their soldiers. They're currently heading through the wormhole to... try to talk them into playing nice. Odo has been invited along out of pity because he's being punished. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:43 pm *Will absolutely coil it twice around his waist. Loosely, so it's easily shed if Prowl stands up. Just an embrace, not a prison.*

(txt): Good. Soundwave plays. FakeProwl 8:44 pm *he's going to see if he can lace his fingers with the tendrils.*

{{S3E1 The Search I}}

... Sisko looked... pleased, that Odo is coming? Did he object to Odo's punishment? If so, who issued it? ItsyBitsySpyers 8:46 pm *He can. They're not much thicker than Soundwave's fingers, honestly. They weave more intricately though.*

[[Higher ranking officers ordered it. He understood their objections to his failure to follow protocols but disapproved of the punishment. And his treatment as a shapeshifter.]] [[That is, Sisko understood.]] FakeProwl 8:47 pm Mm. He's still threatening people, I see. ... Granted, it's Quark. I'm beginning to get the impression that it's difficult NOT to threaten him. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:48 pm [[He is in pain and he dislikes Quark. A foul mood is not unexpected.]] FakeProwl 8:49 pm That doesn't make such threats acceptable, but understandable. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:49 pm *Nods. He'll concede that. Though he still makes those himself, when people irritate him too far.* *But he knows he doesn't obey the rules and has no intention of being in law enforcement as a career, so... yes.* FakeProwl 8:51 pm The Romulan didn't give them important information about the cloaking device until after it had endangered them, and didn't know important information about what sort of sweeps are effective against it. Are any of the Dominion's known member species part of the Vulcan-Romulan cluster of races? ItsyBitsySpyers 8:52 pm [[No. They are in an entirely different sector of the galaxy. One it would take decades to centuries to reach even at highest speeds.]] FakeProwl 8:53 pm Even with the known wormholes? ItsyBitsySpyers 8:53 pm [[The Federation are based in the Alpha Quadrant. The Dominion is based in the Gamma Quadrant.]]

[[No. The wormholes reduce the time to a little longer than a space bridge.]] [[...Wormhole. There is only the one.]] FakeProwl 8:54 pm Hm. FakeProwl 8:56 pm It certainly sounds like Odo's punishment was perfectly deserved. ... We didn't watch the episode of Odo's punishment. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:57 pm [[It was within this one, and a passing statement made while replacements were being arranged.]] [[Removed from office and replaced. No more than that, for now.]] FakeProwl 8:59 pm We skipped the scene where it happened. Even though this viewing is supposed to be about his development? ItsyBitsySpyers 8:59 pm [[As he said - it was a brief statement in a scene concerning a much larger event. He felt the summary was all that was needed.]] FakeProwl 8:59 pm Hmm. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:00 pm [[We can rewind afterward, if you wish.]] FakeProwl 9:00 pm No, it's fine. *just thought it was curious that soundwave's plans don't think that part is important.* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:01 pm *If he thought it wasn't important, he wouldn't have summarized it.* FakeProwl 9:02 pm *oh, odo's talking about instinct drawing him to a location. he's already discussed having some sort of species memories, and the changlings are from this part of the galaxy...* FakeProwl 9:04 pm *... If the Dominion is as bad as Prowl's been told, and if Odo's "racial memories"—an automatic attraction toward justice and order—are held by the others of his race; and if changlings are now only known of in mythology now, mythology that writes them as fools and villains...* *History—and mythology—is written by the winners. And the Dominion certainly sounds like the winners.* You ABANDONED them?! How is that just! Go back! ItsyBitsySpyers 9:06 pm [[They do not have the power to battle multiple Jem'Hadar ships with only an escape shuttle.]] FakeProwl 9:07 pm He should have gone back to DS9, for help. The— the O-whatever nebula will be there any time. His /crewmates/ won't. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:07 pm [[That is a better point, and one he will accept.]] FakeProwl 9:08 pm *oh never mind it's odo's people prowl's full attention is on the show*

{{S3E2 The Search II}}

FakeProwl 9:11 pm ... So Odo's people are stuck deep in Dominion territory. At the heart of it, if Quark's source is to be believed. They have no star. They're a myth to nearby planets that know very well about the Dominion. FakeProwl 9:13 pm If they're as instinctively drawn to justice as Odo believes they must be—and if they have his inclination toward ignoring authority—their star was probably put out as punishment for rebellion. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:14 pm [[How vicious. It would be a cruel punishment for most organic species.]] FakeProwl 9:14 pm The Dominion certainly appears vicious. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:15 pm [[They do, at that.]] FakeProwl 9:17 pm Don't speak for him. Let him meet his people in his own way. If they don't want to be interrogated they can say so. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:17 pm [[He often thinks that sounds pleasant. Or would, if he did not have so many secrets.]] FakeProwl 9:17 pm Merging in a big psychological puddle with everyone else? FakeProwl 9:18 pm ((his happy face is so awkward i love it)) ItsyBitsySpyers 9:19 pm [[Yes, and no. Not everyone else. Not against his will. But... if there were more telepaths, perhaps, and he were someone else. Conversations could be so much different.]] FakeProwl 9:19 pm ... I don't recommend the experience. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:20 pm ((it is!))

((rabbit i swear to god if i've fixed the bubble problem only for you to have connectivity problems tonight)) *Pulls the feeler tighter just a touch. He did clarify that it be not against his will, but...*

[[No. He supposes you wouldn't.]] FakeProwl 9:24 pm It's not a means of—communication. Boundaries between individuals doesn't exist. That sounds like an idealistic fantasy relationship, "we have no boundaries," but I don't mean it that way. I mean the very thing that separates individual identities no longer exists. If you join something like that—as long as you're joined, you're no longer Soundwave. Soundwave doesn't exist. That might work for some people. I can't—can't quite picture it working for you. FakeProwl 9:26 pm ... Oh good, the captain and doctor survived. ... Temporarily. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:27 pm *The feeler's claws spin while he watches the credits roll and thinks.*

[[In the memory he gave you - of the song - many were connected, but they did not lose themselves. He liked that.]] *Spin. Spin.* [[And he would like to feel the free flow of feeling and information, if it did not harm him in the process.]]

[[...But no. Not if he did not exist as himself.]] FakeProwl 9:29 pm ... Pff. "Solids." ItsyBitsySpyers 9:29 pm [[He wonders what they call liquid monoforms.]] [[Almost-Solids. Somewhat Solids. Solid-ishes.]] FakeProwl 9:30 pm ... I assume if they're liquid, by definition they're not monoforms. Even if they can't shapeshift, they can certainly be poured into different containers. ... I wonder what they call /solid/ multi-formers. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:31 pm [[Sixshot.]] FakeProwl 9:31 pm Pff. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:32 pm ((for the record: this is adult eddie kaspbrak from the old IT series)) FakeProwl 9:32 pm I mean us in general. Are we in a different category from other solids? Or does "solid pieces that just move into different positions" not count to them? Who's "Eris"? ItsyBitsySpyers 9:33 pm [[Ah. Eris was the Vorta who tried to plant herself as a spy.]] [[He assumes we would not count, as we are still more limited than them.]] FakeProwl 9:34 pm Ah. So the Vorta aren't just their diplomatic race, they're the ruling race. ((I could watch garak and bashir flirt while talking about something completely different forever.)) ItsyBitsySpyers 9:35 pm ((i'm glad you have said that. it gives me license to show more with those two on main movie nights.)) FakeProwl 9:35 pm (( 😎 )) ((that wasn't the mood i was going for but okay, smilie, let's go with Cool Shades)) FakeProwl 9:37 pm The changelings have a jamming frequency? No wonder the Dominion hasn't tracked down the rest of them. FakeProwl 9:38 pm *... even among his own people, Odo isn't on the same wavelength as the rest of them.* *"they meant is as an insult, but in defiance we took it and made it our own."* ... Like "Autobots." ItsyBitsySpyers 9:39 pm [[Hm?]] FakeProwl 9:39 pm They took a term that was meant as an insult and made it their own. FakeProwl 9:41 pm ... Was "Autobot" not an alien insult in your world? ((omg, kira talking to random inanimate objects)) ((is that u odo)) FakeProwl 9:43 pm *OBVIOUSLY shapeshifters would need a door to keep out solid invaders. they've obviously had a hard time before.* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:44 pm [[No. Orion Pax created it as a shortened form of "autonomous robots" during his speech to the Council, speaking to the idea of reforming away from the caste system.]] FakeProwl 9:45 pm ... Heh. FakeProwl 9:46 pm During his speech to the Senate, Orion Pax told them that aliens look down on us as Autobots, "automaton-robots," redefined it on the spot to mean "autonomous robots," and claimed it. Speaking to the idea of reforming away from Functionism, of course. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:48 pm [[It was before Alpha Trion's interference resulted in him being made a puppet Prime the Council believed they could control. Not long before... but before.]]

[[Then it is settled. Should he advise any pre-war planets in the future... he will suggest they find someone more creative to name the faction.]] FakeProwl 9:48 pm Heh. I shudder to think how many recruits we lost to the Decepticons just because they didn't want to be called "robots." ... the Great Cybertronian War, fought between the Drones and the Liars. No wonder nobody trusts us. I mean—besides the genocides. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:51 pm *He knows that wasn't what he was supposed to be taking from that, but he hasn't figured out what the greater significance of the reversal is.*

[[Words have greater power than most know.]] FakeProwl 9:51 pm Unfortunately. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:52 pm *He tilts his helm back and pokes through old memories, searching for Megatron's speech.*

[[The supposed idea behind "Decepticon" was that deception is sometimes necessary to force those who refuse the truth to see and confront their own lies.]] FakeProwl 9:53 pm Oh? So your Decepticons admitted they were lying. FakeProwl 9:54 pm In my universe, "you are being deceived" was the Decepticons' motto. Their name derived from it. I don't know if they made it or if it was put on them. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:55 pm [[You simplify. But in some sense, yes.]]

[[And that is not so different from our claim.]] FakeProwl 9:57 pm Mm. Different direction, same sentiment, I suppose. Although the Decepticons in my universe never claimed that they were using deception, for a good cause or not. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:58 pm *Huffs loudly at Garak.* FakeProwl 9:58 pm ... Odo, you just said the door is to keep something in, and now you're unlocking it without bothering to find out what's behind it. FakeProwl 10:00 pm *right. now to the question of this suspicious alliance. granted, Prowl knows very little about how Starfleet operates, but the suggestion that they've simply "gone insane"...* Wh—? They're—? They aren't even on the—? WHAT. *hold on while Prowl gapes at the screen* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:02 pm *Oh, he IS enjoying that.* FakeProwl 10:04 pm *the changelings were persecuted by solids, and now slaughter and conquer them. They call it imposing order on a chaotic universe.* *... Just like Nova Prime. Just like the Decepticons.* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:07 pm *Actually twists to see Prowl now while he checks his records for the next tapes.*

[[You were not expecting that.]] FakeProwl 10:07 pm *And Odo, who is one of them, stands against them, for the same reason they stand together. Because their definition of "order" is myopic and doesn't reach beyond their own race. And unlike them, Odo has learned to see what they do to other races—and would willingly stand against his own species in defense of all the other species out there. Just like...* *a sideways glance at Soundwave.* ... No. I wasn't. I think I should have.

{{S3E14 Heart Of Stone}}

ItsyBitsySpyers 10:11 pm [[Perhaps.]] *He already said his side's claim was that they would expose the truth through deception, after all, and there are a few sprinkled here and there in these tapes.* [[That is all right.]] [[Now. There is one he does not have time to show you tonight, though it is important. He will give you that file. Watch it when you can. We will move forward.]] FakeProwl 10:12 pm *nods* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:12 pm [[But before then - the priest, Winn Adami. You recall him mentioning her?]] FakeProwl 10:13 pm Yes. The one who is... opposed to Sisko? *there were two priests and both of them have funky alien names with too many vowels and double consonants.* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:13 pm [[Yes. Between the file he will give you and the one we watch next, she will have negotiated a peace treaty with the Cardassians... while intentionally working her sick former rival turned assistant to death in the process.]] [[We will proceed.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 10:17 pm [[He must also note that Kira and Odo have spoken and undergone irrelevant missions too many times for him to c--]] *Ha. Peregrine-class.* [[To cover.]] FakeProwl 10:19 pm They're friends again? ItsyBitsySpyers 10:20 pm [[Yes.]] FakeProwl 10:22 pm ((i like that the ferengi have "bylaws" instead of "laws" or "traditions" or whatever)) ItsyBitsySpyers 10:23 pm ((heehee)) ItsyBitsySpyers 10:24 pm [[Consumed by food.]] FakeProwl 10:25 pm That's an incredibly fast-growing crystal. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:25 pm [[Perhaps she's unusually nutritious.]] FakeProwl 10:26 pm Hff. ... They could dig a hole in the ground around the crystal and drag it along with them. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:27 pm [[What if it attempts to root itself deeper?]] FakeProwl 10:27 pm ... Dig deeper? It depends on how deep it roots itself. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:29 pm [[That might waste time, if they cannot reach deep enough fast enough.]] *He flicks a hand.* [[They could remove the leg.]] FakeProwl 10:29 pm ... As a last resort— yes. That. Most spacefaring organic species are physically durable enough to survive amputation. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:30 pm [[They would have to work quickly. To keep ahead of it before it could make a head of her.]] FakeProwl 10:31 pm *gives Soundwave a sideways look* ... How do you THINK puns? ((eeey, it's pran!)) ItsyBitsySpyers 10:32 pm [[It involves quickly juggling both expectations of the phrase while maintaining a sense of amusement. How well others catch and interpret that vary.]] FakeProwl 10:36 pm ... They're using sound waves to break the crystal. *and by reading criminal activity reports. BEAM* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:37 pm [[It's a worthy solution.]] FakeProwl 10:37 pm Indeed. *and obtained from a worthy source.* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:39 pm *Soft huffing.* [[Music to keep a smooth paddling rhythm. He'll have to remember that.]] FakeProwl 10:39 pm Mhmm. FakeProwl 10:43 pm *... and odo uses readings to build up scripts of stock phrases to use on other people and doesn't know what to do when they diverge from the expected replies.* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:45 pm *He really must ask Ravage if that's how it felt.* FakeProwl 10:46 pm *leans more on Soundwave. that's—a touching story.* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:46 pm *Leans into and squeezes the tendrils.* FakeProwl 10:53 pm *... well she can't die now, they just confessed romantic feelings to each other.* FakeProwl 10:58 pm ... They can imitate other people that well? He spoke to her for hours before figuring it out. FakeProwl 10:59 pm Well. Okay. Great. From now on anyone can be a changeling at any point. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:59 pm [[They are well-informed, and far, far more familiar than Odo with their abilities and how to mimic someone.]]

[[And yes. Yes, they can.]] FakeProwl 10:59 pm ((i would like to say, personally, for the record, i figured it out the first time the crystal grew.)) ((admittedly, i also know you're shwoing me odo-as-related-to-changelings episodes)) ItsyBitsySpyers 11:00 pm ((LOL yes, tiny bit of advantage)) FakeProwl 11:02 pm ((of course, in Search II, i also thought that the changelings replaced dax, o'brien, and the starfleet lady))

{{S3E20 Improbable Cause}}

FakeProwl 11:03 pm ((ALSO I WANT TO POINT OUT garak was totally going to bring bashir chocolates in whatever the cardassian equivalent of a heart-shaped box is)) ItsyBitsySpyers 11:03 pm (( 😄 )) ItsyBitsySpyers 11:06 pm [[He does admire Garak's ability to continue making witty remarks in the face of death.]] [[That is a level of self-control most will never have.]] FakeProwl 11:09 pm Or self-deprecation. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:10 pm *HUFF* FakeProwl 11:11 pm Maybe he just isn't terribly opposed to the thought of his own death. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:11 pm [[Yes. Or that. Though it is hard for anyone sobbing in hysterics to crack jokes.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 11:13 pm *Side glance.* FakeProwl 11:14 pm ... Is "floral" a similar scent across species? ItsyBitsySpyers 11:15 pm [[He doubts it. Unlike you and Odo, he has a sense of smell, but he cannot pick up the scent of most organic flowers.]] FakeProwl 11:15 pm ... So how do you know they DON'T smell the same? Maybe it's like species with two arms and legs and a head and hands. Convergent evolution. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:16 pm [[If he can't smell organic flowers, but he smells the plants of his own planet, then the scents are probably not the same. Or so he assumes.]] FakeProwl 11:16 pm Hm. Fair. ... Although I expect when organics talk about "floral," they mean "organic floral." If they didn't, after all, that would mean they're considering mechanical species equal to their own. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:18 pm [[Also fair.]] FakeProwl 11:21 pm Good job, you just told the people who are supposedly trying to kill Garak that he's still alive. Unless you're luring them into a trap, that's stupid. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:23 pm [[It is. Then again, he has little faith in the capabilities of any organization that can't get knowledge as basic and readily available as Garak's occupation correct.]] FakeProwl 11:23 pm Is that Gold Docket? *doesn't remember his voice* *(or his name)* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:24 pm [[No. We do not discover their identity, but it is not Gul Dukat.]] FakeProwl 11:27 pm *Huh. Odo's better at playing politics than Prowl expected.* FakeProwl 11:32 pm *and guessing based on nothing but an understanding of assassins' modus operandis... a risky jump without solid evidence, but since no arrests were on the line, a fair one to make.* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:34 pm *There was the Cardassian tissue found in the pheromone explosive. Easiest to get from himself. And how unlikely it is for a suspected former spy of his caliber to not know when others have intruded into their space or modified something.* FakeProwl 11:34 pm ((sometimes i wonder how cold do they have to keep star trek sets so all the people in elaborate makeup and masks don't sweat to death)) ItsyBitsySpyers 11:35 pm ((same!! that greasepaint stuff melts so quick)) FakeProwl 11:36 pm *grimaces. prowl's been on the receiving end of quite a few accusations like that.* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:36 pm *Tendril squeeze. Such accusations are obviously nonsense.* [[How delightful.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 11:43 pm *Gently nudges Prowl.*

[[If you were wondering, he has no intention of destroying this building any time soon.]] FakeProwl 11:43 pm Good to know. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:44 pm *And a stretch.*

[[More next time.]] FakeProwl 11:45 pm ... I'm free tomorrow. *HE WANTS TO KNOW* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:46 pm *And that is why creative writers everywhere invented cliffhangers.*

[[So is he. We will do what we can then.]] [[For now, rest, and let the stories process. They will only grow more complex.]] FakeProwl 11:48 pm Mm. Rest comes after work. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:48 pm *Checks his chronometer.*

[[So it must. When you have returned, then.]] FakeProwl 11:49 pm *And, honestly, it's too close to work for him to watch another episode, anyway.* You'll send me the file of the one we skipped? I can watch it during my break. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:50 pm [[Of course.]] FakeProwl 11:52 pm Then I'll see you next time. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:52 pm *Nod.* [[Goodnight.]] FakeProwl 11:53 pm Goodnight. *He leans in for a crest tap, then disappears.*

[junker-town]

How Baker Mayfield and the Browns can fix their offense

Baker Mayfield’s early struggles can be fixed.

The Browns offense has been surprisingly dull and unproductive, but it’s not doomed to be that way all year.

The Cleveland Browns offense was supposed to be exciting in 2019. So far, it’s anything but.

Baker Mayfield threw an NFL rookie-record 27 touchdown passes last season despite not starting until Week 4. When the Browns added Odell Beckham Jr. to Mayfield’s offensive arsenal in March, the hype train ran wild.

An offense with Mayfield, Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Nick Chubb, and David Njoku sure sounded unstoppable. Then the regular season arrived and the Browns lost 43-13 to the Titans in their opener. The offense only looked marginally better in a 23-3 win over the Jets in Week 2, and was back in neutral in a 20-13 loss to the Rams in Week 3.

Three weeks into the season, the Browns average 16.3 points per game, better than only the Raiders, Broncos, Jets, and Dolphins. Mayfield has thrown three touchdowns with five interceptions, and his 70.3 passer rating is the worst among quarterbacks who started all three weeks.

“Blame me,” Browns first-year head coach Freddie Kitchens told reporters after their Week 3 loss, via Cleveland.com. “The first thing we can do is, I can start calling better plays and putting our guys in better situations.”

Kitchens got the job after he was credited with helping Mayfield to a tremendous second half of the 2018 season as offensive coordinator. But amidst the criticism of the Browns’ slow start, and his own admission that he deserves blame, Kitchens isn’t passing the sticks.

#Browns Freddie Kitchens on giving up the playcalling: 'That's not even being considered'

— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) September 23, 2019

Are the Browns doomed to a whole season of disappointing play from Mayfield and the rest of the offense? Not necessarily. Cleveland can still sort things out. But it needs to do so quickly.

The Browns don’t have much receiving depth behind their stars

In the first half of Cleveland’s Week 1 loss to the Titans, wide receiver Rashard Higgins was rolled up from behind on a screen pass. He suffered a knee injury that kept him out of action for the remainder of that game and the next two weeks.

Prior to his departure, Higgins caught passes for 11 and 35 yards on the Browns’ opening drive of the season. Those were Higgins’ only two receptions before he left the game. That particular trip down the field ended with a four-yard rushing touchdown for running back Dontrell Hilliard.

Higgins was a large part of what kept the Browns offense moving in 2018, too. He only caught 39 passes that year, but 27 resulted in first downs for Cleveland for the highest percentage on the team.

Fortunately for the Browns, Higgins should be back soon. He’s been limited in practice the last two weeks and questionable for Weeks 2 and 3. A return to action appears on the way.

That’s good because without Higgins, Mayfield hasn’t had a safety blanket to move the chains. The lack of receiving depth behind Beckham and Landry has hurt the team, and has led to Mayfield been waiting way too long for somebody to get open.

Mayfield’s lack of faith in his line is worse than the actual blocking

The Browns did a better job protecting Mayfield in 2018, but not that much better. The offensive line allowed 177 pressures last season (11.1 per game) and has given up 46 (15.3 per game) so far in 2019.

That’s a jump, but the raw numbers don’t account for how long Mayfield has been holding the ball.

Mayfield’s average pass attempt took 2.57 seconds in 2018, and it took an average of 3.26 seconds to sack him. Those numbers have climbed to 2.74 and 3.61 seconds, respectively.

It isn’t just that Mayfield’s waiting longer to throw in 2019, however; it’s how he has stood in the pocket. Mayfield has been unusually skiddish, limiting his receiving options by bailing to the right side of the field. Far too often he has scrambled despite standing in a clean pocket.

Here’s an example from the last drive of the Browns’ loss to the Rams:

The Rams did well in coverage on the play, but Mayfield puts pressure on himself by leaving the pocket. He also eliminates his two options on the left side of the field and shrinks the windows to his three receivers on the right. (It doesn’t help that those receivers bunched together.)

That’s why the extra time that Mayfield can buy with his legs isn’t helping.

Last year, Mayfield had a 94.5 passer rating when he got the ball out of his hand in less than 2.5 seconds, and a 93.9 passer rating when he waited longer than that. His passer rating is still 92.3 when he gets the ball out in less than 2.5 seconds, but now it’s just 48.0 on throws after that mark.

That’s from a quarterback who was great outside the pocket in 2018.

No AFC North QB had a higher grade on passes from outside the pocket than Browns QB Baker Mayfield did in 2018. pic.twitter.com/ot3HIlNRlG

— PFF (@PFF) April 2, 2019

It’s good to have a quarterback who can keep a play alive when the pocket falls apart. But scrambling becomes a problem when that player leans on that ability when it isn’t necessary. That was especially true against the Rams.

The @RamsNFL pass rush was too much for Baker Mayfield and the Browns OL (46% pressure rate). Mayfield struggled when throwing from outside the tackle box: Inside Box: 17/26, 176 yards, 1 TD (97.6 passer rating) Outside Box: 1/10, 19 yards, 1 INT (0.0 passer rating)#LARvsCLE pic.twitter.com/mxJvz0Mb8c

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 23, 2019

Fixing that issue for Mayfield is probably easier said than done. The Browns could add more tempo to the offense and draw up more plays that get the ball out fast. The impending return of Higgins could also help. But Mayfield may also simply need a few big plays to get his trademark swagger back.

Mayfield isn’t missing explosive plays by that much

Much of what made the rookie version of Mayfield fun was his fearless-bordering-on-reckless style. He had a 107.6 passer rating on deep balls (20 yards or more downfield) and was among the NFL’s most accurate quarterbacks on tight-window throws.

.@Browns @bakermayfield just keeps on ripping this league apart. How confident must you be to make these throws? Merry Christmas Cleveland! You got the greatest gift of all. A real NFL QB. REJOICE. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/vP42erfcDJ

— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) December 24, 2018

That has changed in 2019. Mayfield’s passer rating on deep balls in 2019 is 47.9 with five completions, an interceptions, and no touchdowns on 14 attempts.

His trust that he can complete tight window throws has also resulted in a league-leading amount of ill-advised pass attempts.

Baker Mayfield has thrown into double coverage at the highest rate (6.4%) in the NFL through Week 3. Throwing into double coverage has not worked out for quarterbacks league-wide this season: 14/55, 175 yards, 3 TD, 9 INT (30.6% average completion probability) pic.twitter.com/pWU8yYia6S

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 24, 2019

Those risks need to be dialed back, but the statistics might also make Mayfield look more off the mark than he has been. Mayfield has made multiple plays that were razor close to being game-changing highlights for the Browns.

This drop from Landry was a huge play. 31-yard dime on Third-and-14 that would have moved them to the goal line. Instead punting late in the second quarter at 3-3. pic.twitter.com/eeBCZmlw2Y

— Cian (@Cianaf) September 23, 2019

What's amazing is that despite that crummy design, Mayfield and Ratley almost pulled off a miracle. pic.twitter.com/TwkekKvKKg

— Jake Burns (@jake_burns18) September 23, 2019

Of course, Mayfield could also help himself by taking the easier option when it’s available.

Baker Mayfield said he’ll have nightmares about this third down play because he knows he missed Jarvis Landry underneath. pic.twitter.com/vm3WFItyaX

— Everything Cleveland (@EverythingCLE_) September 23, 2019

Ultimately, the Browns’ surprising offensive ineptitude in September stems from multiple problems, but most of them are fixable.

Kitchens deserves plenty of blame for some stale and uncreative play calling, like eight running back screens against the Rams and a draw on fourth down. But the solution very well may be as simple as getting Mayfield in rhythm.

A more comfortable Mayfield will also be a more confident one. That may be all it takes to get the Browns offense back on track, because it’s really not that far off as is.

[heyymonkey2]

First Night Back in Fuuga Ch 36: What I Saw in the Distance

AO3 Link to Chapter 36

Summary: Truths, new and old, come into focus

Yona zips between tree trunks, her cloak flowing out behind her. Though her breathing is heavy, her smile gives away the game--

--Hak follows after the giggles with powerful strides from tree to tree. He could catch up in an instant, but he prefers to… he stops and watches her bound ahead, then with a wry smile he slips off to the right.

Yona slows as her laughing grows. She can’t help it -- she looks back over her shoulder to see him…

But there’s only the forest.

Puzzled, she turns forward again--

“Ah!” She’s been tackled.

Hak gracefully lands them on his back, she safely atop him. He holds her tightly as he goes on--

“Isn’t it my line to make a joke, then run away? And what did you just say about my breakfast?”

Yona is laughing into his chest as she tries to get words out, “Pff... you never run away… you just stand there and I hit you.”

Hak nods concession there.

“I wasn’t joking about breakfast.”

The shock on Hak’s face…

“It’s not your fault!” Yona amends, “It’s the pregnancy. Your child may have good taste…”

Hak takes that on the chin, then, “Oh? And so it’s also good to run through the woods like a wild animal for the pregnancy?”

A corner of Yona’s mouth curls up, “You weren’t complaining about me being a wild animal last night.”

Hak lets out a breath as he smiles, “You drive me mad,” shaking his head, “I love you. I love everything about you.”

“I like giving you a hard time. You always end up right there.”

Tracing his fingers over her lower back as he stares into her great amethyst eyes, “Trust me, I’m always there.”

Yona’s blushes ever-so-slightly -- those lovestruck blue eyes still affect her right back -- then she glances up toward the palace high above them, just beyond a clearing, “I’m really going to need you today. At my side.”

Hak watches her curiously, “You’ve got it. ...are you worried?”

“A little. I haven’t talked to Lili.”

Hak begins pulling them up, “Then let’s get you back.”

Yona rises, her hand in his, and she looks up at him bittersweetly.

Back. Where last night ends and today begins. The moment their new journey must start -- to infuse everything good and right that last night represented into their reign here from the palace. She and Hak agreed to reach for coronation, to ask the generals today to officially give them their support. Even though Yona is not like her father or Soo-Won. The generals will have to have faith in the royal blood that flows through her veins and that ruling this kingdom is her fate. That she and Hak will find balance.

Believe in us. Yona is deep in thought when she feels Hak stop.

Up ahead she sees it -- half a dozen Sky Tribe soldiers where they shouldn’t be. A messenger being sent off.

Yona can feel how tense Hak is, “Don’t you dare,” she begs, “You’re not armed, Hak!”

“Don’t move. I’ll handle this -- be right back.”

Yona reaches to grab him, but he’s already long gone.

All six warriors turn. Hak has the messenger pinned not far away.

The resulting fear on the warriors’ faces says everything. Something has been seen that should not have been. And one way or another, there will be blood now.

They reluctantly draw their swords.

The vision of Yona’s reaction…

“Yona!” Soo-Won bolts upright, sweating, shivers of terror down his spine.

He glances to the side in the dark room, his home since the war with Kai.

And there he is, his companion -- Ik-Soo… sleeping like a baby... who drools.

Soo-Won stares at this roommate, I have these nightmares every night and he sleeps through them all? As always, he’s either impressive or an idiot.

Ik-Soo wakes from Soo-Won’s prodding, “...eh? What is it?”

“I saw it again. It was… more intense this time,” Soo-Won rubs a temple, “We’re not advancing fast enough. I’m ready to begin for the day.”

Ik-Soo sits up, “It feels strange starting a lesson in patience at this hour.”

Soo-Won sighs, “I’ll never understand how people can spend so much time sleeping.”

“Not everyone has nightmares.”

Ik-Soo has Soo-Won outside filling water buckets at a well and bringing them back to the village for the elderly keeper of the bathhouse, Mitsuko.

Soo-Won eventually asks Ik-Soo to sit and watch as opposed to walking with him -- the dark has been doing nothing to help Ik-Soo’s coordination.

It’s tedious work for Soo-Won. He’s a strong man, it’s no physical bother. However, he’s used to the highest and best use of his abilities and this is just not it. Eventually he finds it easier to pass the time by letting his mind wander.

It took a while in this place before he was able to allow this. He had been afraid. For the longest time, his mind would only wander to dark places. To take a closer look at what hurt so badly inside. How wrong he’d been. How terrible he was. But one can’t live like that. And Soo-Won has been in a place where the people have no intention of letting him die. Or leave.

Once he accepted that, his mind started wandering somewhere more constructive and very natural to him -- manipulation. How could he, in this situation, achieve something meaningful? That’s when the nightmares started. And that’s when he knew -- if there was any truth in the prophecy about Yona, then this was the message sent that he could choose to or not to act on. His part to play. His meaning.

And that is where his mind always wanders in a free moment now. How to reach Yona. He is going to save Yona and Hak. From a danger within the palace he knows far too well.

“Oh!” Soo-Won nearly tramples Mitsuko as he delivers the final bucket of water.

“My apologies, Mitsuko-san,” Soo-Won quickly sets down the container as he helps her regain her balance, “I’m not myself today."

“It’s alright, my dear,” the white-haired, pock-faced grandma offers, “I like this you today. Your face just now was like the water you’ve been fetching me -- still and clear.”

Soo-Won wonders about that.

“...if you were thinking about one of our beautiful young maidens to marry, let Grandmother help you,” she winks.

Soo-Won smiles as he innocently scratches the back of his head.

“Thank you for your hard work this morning,” Ik-Soo moves to Soo-Won's side to save him, “Join me for a walk?”

Ik-Soo and Soo-Won sit at the familiar pool of water in the forest.

“I need to speak with her,” Soo-Won gets right to it.

“That is not up to you or me," Ik-Soo glances up toward the sky.

“Then allow me to try… and the ‘fate’ you believe so firmly in will still do what it chooses.”

Ik-Soo glances in Soo-Won’s direction, “I can’t let you leave yet.”

“The dragons,” Soo-Won suggests, “Let them take a message to her for me.”

Ik-Soo nods, realizing it's time he let Zeno and Kija return to Yona’s side, “Alright. A message -- though it must be her choice what to do with it.”

Ik-Soo can feel Soo-Won absorb that opportunity -- his relief and hope. And Ik-Soo himself accepts: it’s time to begin to tell this young man the truth that was always kept from him.

“Your father, too, suffered from his choices. In politics and war.”

Affronted, Soo-Won corrects, “He was a proud warrior who did what had to be done for this country.”

“That sentence won't bring you closer to the truth," Ik-Soo laments, "Your father suffered, but he did heal, Soo-Won.”

Soo-Won’s mind is rejecting the words -- what does this man mean?! -- and yet, a calm washes over his heart that gives him a peace that has tears in his eyes.

“You’re often thinking about her, I can see it. You know Yona is special. You may have been too young to know it, but her mother also had the same gift in changing hearts.”

Again, Soo-Won cannot mentally process the words, and yet his heart accepts them with ease. As though they were a pure truth that couldn’t be denied, clicking into place.

“After what happened with Xing. The slaughter. Many things came to pass. All of which are known today as a different story. I don’t know which to tell you first.”

A crushing realization falls on Soo-Won. All of which are known today as a different story? No... no... it can't be possible. If that's true, then... “The dragons. I need to reach Yona. Immediately.”

“Trust the gods. There are forces protecting her.”

Soo-Won, trying to keep calm, but still processing, “If my father ‘healed,’ as you say, then why did King Il murder him?”

Ik-Soo looks out over the still, clear water, “He didn’t.”

Lili stands on one of the palace’s many bridges, her chin cupped in a hand. She’s been watching something in the distance. The look on her face both troubled and warmed.

In a courtyard next to a fountain, Jae-Ha plays his erhu -- beautiful, calming music filling the stone, flower-lined expanse.

He hears her coming and can’t help but joke as she arrives, “I’ve never liked being pursued. It takes away all the fun.”

Lili’s cheeks go pink, “Don’t get the wrong idea because I keep coming to you looking for Yona. I only like older men.”

Jae-Ha stops playing and considers, then turns to look at her, “I am older.”

“No, I mean like way older. Like General Geun-Tae,” Lili saves.

Jae-Ha chuckles, “That’s your type? Then I’m safe. That man may be my complete opposite.”

As Jae-Ha turns back to his instrument, Lili sits on the ledge of the fountain, micro-cringing at how awkward she’s being.

“...how old are you, by the way?”

“Not your type,” Jae-Ha explains, “Although, it seems you go younger if it’s women…”

Lili frowns, “You shouldn’t tease me about that when you’re in love with her, too,” and somehow that stings them both a little.

“I’m sorry,” Lili is cringing again, unsure of what to do with her hands, her loud mouth, anything right now.

“It’s OK, Dear,” Jae-Ha admits, “It’s true.”

“...when I first met you, you seemed like a player. Always flirting with women and wandering off. What I’m trying to say is… I’m impressed that you love her. Because I can tell you really do.”

“She wasn’t the first.”

Lili’s head snaps around -- she faces him in shock, “Who?!”

Jae-Ha laughs at this girl’s intense interest, “A pirate.”

Lili’s eyes become wide orbs of wonder and Jae-Ha realizes he just had the opposite effect he was going for.

“A pirate? ...tell me, do you have a type then? Was she like Yona, too?”

Jae-Ha considers, “It would appear I’m taken with strong women.”

“How dare you raise your swords at him!”

Yona marches out of the woods toward the men. She just caught a glimpse of something beyond them in the distance -- and if she's put her hope in the right place, then what happens next will mark the beginning of change at this palace.

[asterinjapan]

Of Buddhas and cats (or: black and white)

Hello again after a hot and surprisingly long day in Tokyo!

After getting up so early yesterday, I set my alarm for 8:15, mostly so I could wash my hair before breakfast (which ends at 9:30). I was too tired to actually get up at that time however, so I decided to never mind and just be in time for breakfast.

It was very hot today, right from the early morning onward. The weather forecast had predicted a cloudy morning and sunshine later, and you can usually count on the Japanese weather forecast to be more-or-less reliable, so I just assumed it would be. Time to visit some outdoors locations it was!

I picked the locations I needed non-JR trains for, since I have a JR pass I can use starting August 2, so it’d be a bit of a waste to go to places by JR train if I can do it later for free. And hey, it helped me narrow down my options for today. I decided to take the Tobu Tojo line first, to Shimo-Akatsuka. I had found this location on a random website, which I had open on my cellphone because long live the modern age and free wi-fi, haha. The website instructed to leave the station, turn left, and then walk for 20 minutes straight until there was a plate pointing at the Botanical Gardens. Those are instructions even I can’t mess up on, and indeed, after walking for about 20 minutes I ran into the plate.

No, I wasn’t actually going to the Botanical Gardens. The temple I intended to visit is Jorenji, except it’s apparently such a frequently visited spot that they didn’t even bother with separate street signs for it, pfff. There are some hints, though – a nearby street is called Tokyo Daibutsu, and there’s a noodle shop with the same name. Hmmm.

Anyway, right at the turn for the botanical gardens, I ran into the temple entrance I was looking for. If you know a little Japanese and/or listened to my ramblings in previous years, you might already know that Daibutsu means Great Buddha, and that’s exactly what I came here for. Now, in the cities of Kamakura and Nara are giant Buddha statues that are incredibly famous and well-known, but until I clicked that website, I had no idea Tokyo even had one of its own. Granted, it’s way more recent than the aforementioned ones, but still! You’d think they want to cash in on giant statues, but nope, entrance was free. (This is pretty surprising since usually you have to pay to visit temples, even if it’s just 100 yen or something. The very famous and popular ones can go up to 1000 yen. For reference: 100 yen is slightly less than 1 euro.) And after climibng the stairs to enter through the gate, you only had to turn right to spot the Buddha of Tokyo. It’s much taller than I thought, I think it’s like 13 meters tall? It’s actually the third largest bronze Buddha of Japan, apparently. It’s hard to see on the pictures though, so I tried to take a picture with someone else in it for reference. That’s harder than it sounds, because this temple is not exactly as busy as Nara or Kamakura. Which is a shame, because the area is quite lovely. The (black) Buddha statue sits on a lotus, and there are actually artificial ponds nearby with lotus flowers! There’s also an actual pond with koi fish, and quite some statues to discover. It’s not a huge area, but since it’s not super busy, I’d definitely recommend this visit from Tokyo. The only drawbacks are the walk (if you’re walking in 32 C with the sun burning it’s not quite comfortable, let me put it that way) aaaand well, if you go in summer with the bugs buzzing and a pond nearby…. Yeah, bug bites. My legs kinda look like battle zones at this point, oops.

I braved the walk and kept to the shadows, but I was glad I had brought my fan with me today, because phew, it sure was getting hot, especially after two slightly cooler days. Anyway, thankfully the train back to Ikebukuro was airconditioned, so I could cool down a bit as I decided where to go next.

I had lunch at Ikebukuro station, for which I was looking for a specific food stands, but I couldn’t find it anymore because it turns out I’d walked too far and ended up in the wrong warehouse. Yeah, that’s right – Ikebukuro station has at least 3 different warehouses, all at least 8 stories high. My hometown barely has one warehouse, and this is inside a station. I really felt like a country bumpkin, being amazed over that, haha.

Anyway, by then I’d made my decision about where to go next. I first went to Shinjuku station (yaaay, my favourite – it’s so huge it’s almost impossible to not get lost) to transfer to the Odakyu line. That’s the line that goes all the way to Odawara (on the way to Hakone), but I had the local version of it, which stops at every stop including the one I needed: Gotokuji.

Gotokuji is also the name of the temple I was going to visit, but apparently that didn’t matter enough for them to put up plates, pff. Luckily, Google maps came to my rescue! It led me straight through the neighbourhood, but let me tell you: if you want to visit this temple, be sure to type in Gotokuji ENTRANCE in Google maps. I just typed in Gotokuji, which led me to the temple alright – except it was to one of the three (out of four total) gates that was closed. Turns out I had to be on the entirely other side of the complex, which isn’t exactly small. In the summer heat…

Eventually I found the one entrance I could use, and I noticed some more tourists now, surprisingly many foreigners. The temple complex looks very normal, until you take a closer look at the pagoda: it has tiny cats carved in it. And if you turn right there, you will see exactly why this temple in the middle of a normal neighbourhood still draws in foreign tourists.

You see, this temple is famous for one thing: beckoning cats (maneki-neko). The story goes that the temple used to be very small, owned by a poor monk and his cat. One day a group of samurai passed the temple, and the cat beckoned for them. They found this so peculiar that they followed to cat inside, and then thunder struck (according to some stories, it struck the exact tree they’d been seeking shelter under). One of the samurai then donated tons of money to the temple, making it prosper and making the beckoning cat a symbol of bringing in prosperity. Or well, good business – which is why you’ll often see them in front of Japanese restaurants in the west.

So, one beckoning cat. Naturally a statue was made, and then another, and then another, because everyone wanted a cat to place at the temple to bring good luck. And now, there are literally hundreds to thousands of tiny to not so tiny white cat statues, all exactly the same savev for their size, neatly set up in this small area. Tons and tons of cats all beckoning. No points for guessing what everyone came to see, haha.

There’s a bit more to the complex, as it’s also ‘just’ a Zen temple (and you’re not allowed to actually enter a Zen temple, so the cats are the biggest draw to this complex). And of course, there’s a little shop where you can buy a cat of your own and put it with the rest outside (or you know, keep it because it’s cute – shush, the money gained from the sales goes directly into the temple anyway). I got a couple, mooched off the wi-fi to send some pictures home, and then slowly started to make my way back to the station.

This was only a ten minute walk, but I was still glad once I hit the station, what with the heat. Back in Ikebukuro, I ‘just’ wanted to check one store, but I ended up shopping for like an hour, haha. In the end, my feet started protesting quite a bit, so I got dinner and called it a day. (I actually wanted to do karaoke, but meh, I still have 2 full weeks left, so I will soon enough).

So here I am, fresh out of the shower and preparing for tomorrow, when I’ll be meeting up with my Japanese friend again to go to Ueno. In the evening, we’ll attend the Sumidagawa hanabi – the fireworks of the river Sumida. When I went there in 2010, a million (!) people did the same, so it’ll be quite a bit busier than it was today, haha.

Well, off to bed now, good night and see you tomorrow!