#I’m remembering a quote but I never have been able to fond its origin

[hexfe6f5e]

lurking on other people’s dark and distressing posts & feeling strange

[ourimpavidheroine]

You've given us your favorite records, so how about your favorite movies?

Okay, sure! Under a cut though, because it’s long.

In no particular order!

Strictly Ballroom (1992)

Oh my god, one of the funniest movies ever made. Every single thing about this movie makes me laugh out loud - in fact, I laughed so loud in the theater when I saw it the first time I’m surprised they didn’t kick my ass out. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched and re-watched it. My late wife and I used to quote this film back and forth to each other all the time. 

“Arms, Clary!”

“That was unexpected.”

“I’ve got my happy face on today!”

There’s a lovely little romance going on and a quote that I live by:

A life lived in fear is a life half lived.

Thank you, Baz Luhrmann. 

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

Screwball comedy romance with Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn. Still funny, over 80 years later. Mistaken identities, a harrassed archeologist and a clueless rich girl, so on and so forth. If you watch it, you will see shades of Wu and Sayuri in Susan, for sure. (And some Zu in David.) The comedic timing of this movie is sheer and utter perfection. Not a single beat wasted. Brilliant, the entire thing.

Moonstruck (1987)

God, what isn’t there to love about this movie? CHER. A woman coming up on middle age who has settled into widowhood without a whimper decides to marry a man she’s fond of for no other reason than she thinks she should meets the fiance’s younger brother and her entire life goes, as her Italian Catholic mother says in the middle of church, “...down the toilet.” This movie was handled with so much love and care, it deserved its Oscars. If you’ve never seen it, you should.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

I saw this movie the one and only time I visited the States after I moved to Finland. I had left my wife here in Finland but had my 20 month old autistic twins along and my mother was being beyond horrible to me and I was exhausted and just wanted to go home. There was one afternoon where my favorite uncle came to me, gave me his car, and told me he was going to watch the kids and for me to go out and have a breather. I decided to see a movie - I can’t remember which one - but the paper had gotten the time wrong and it had already started by the time I got there. I asked the woman selling tickets what she recommended that was coming up and she very fervently told me to go and see this one.

Still one of the best movies I have ever seen. The acting is so subtle, so beautiful, and the scenery! The ending broke me, just shattered me into a million pieces. Years later, when my wife died, I knew exactly that feeling of desperately wanting to go back in time and somehow do it all right and all I can say is, both Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi get all of my love forever for doing it the way they did.

I bought it when it finally came out on DVD with English subtitles and I made my late wife watch it with me and she sobbed at the end and told me I was cruel for making her watch it. (Guess what, babe? You were crueler for making me live it.)

The Handmaiden (2016)

Normally I am not all that keen on books being made into movies. I fucking loved Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith and wasn’t sure about it being taken out of its Victorian England setting into 1930′s Korea but oh my god I have never been happier to have been proved wrong in my life. THIS FILM. Listen, it is one of those rare times when a book and an adaptation can stand next to each other, equally as good, equally as strong, despite the differences. There is so much to unpack about women’s experiences with sex and how that compares to how men dictate those experiences to them and the movie never drops the ball with this. Frankly, I had seen Oldboy and Snowpiercer (among others) and I really did not think Park Chan-wook had it in him and shame on me for that.

Warning: this movie is HOT.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

This is a damn good movie. Charlize Theron elevates anything she is in, and as Furiosa - dirty, grim, disabled, clinging on to tattered hope with desperation - she just takes this film to another level. Plenty of other good performances - including Tom Hardy, who’s never afraid to drop himself into a role - and some frankly astonishing editing work by Margaret Sixel as well as a male director who understands, deeply, how to film women without subjecting them to the male gaze. This is not a schlock film, despite the franchise it belongs in. It’s good.

I saw this film the night before my wife died; the last time I spoke to her on the phone I told her that I’d take her with me to see it again, I knew she’d like it. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to separate this film from that loss, but that’s how it goes sometimes. Still wish you could have seen it, babe. You would have loved it.

The Great Race (1965)

Is this a great movie? Not critically speaking, although Jack Lemmon is brilliant, as he almost always is. Rather, it was a movie my father and I loved together, and I have so many good memories of watching it with him whenever it would play on TV (these were the years before VHS even, never mind Netflix) and eating popcorn and laughing together.

We loved the huge pie fight scene so much that on my 16th birthday my father bought 3 dozen store bought pies, defrosted them and/or baked them (with the help of our neighbor, who was in on the secret) and he woke me up that morning, told me to get dressed and come outside, and he got me with a pie to the face right as I walked out the door and the two of us chased each other, throwing and dodging pies, making an unholy mess, slipping and sliding all over our deck and driveway, stumbling and laughing hysterically.

It is one of the best memories in my life. How many other girls can say their fathers gave them a pie fight for their sweet sixteen? This movie makes me laugh and, more importantly, remember my father with so much love.

The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

I did love all three of these films. Were they perfect? No. (I am still salty about Faramir’s entire movie arc and the fact that Merry was just Pippin 2.0 instead of the distinct character he was in the books.) But they were made with so much love and heart by people who loved and cared deeply for the source material. And they were astonishing in scope as well. Just glorious to see in the theater.

I first read those books when my father lent me his copies when I was eight and they were a vital part of my growing up; to see Peter Jackson and his entire cast and crew love them as much as I did was genuinely special for me.

The other two films are just as good with some astonishing moments (Billy Boy’s last minute song in The Return of the King still gives me goosebumps) but this was the first one, and just remembering holding my wife’s hand as we both gasped together over the scope of it was a memory I will keep with me always.

When my wife and I went to see this one here in Finland I was pregnant with my twins and I was like, oh my god, please die already Boromir because were twins on my bladder and I knew if I didn’t get to a toilet soon it was going to be all over. (It was a long movie without a pee break for a pregnant person, let me just say.) I was never happier for a tragic end to a movie in my life, LOL.

The Matrix (1999)

Dude. Dude. Just the concept of this movie. The Wachowski sisters have never limited themselves and that’s what makes them so different and so exciting. One of the greats of Sci Fi and, as far as I am concerned, one of the greats bar none. Yeah sure, I know it isn’t a critical darling but lord, I am not a film critic, just someone who loves movies. And I love this one. 

(And excuse you, Elon and the rest of you alt-right men’s groups, you dicks, for appropriating the whole blue/red pill thing: it’s a concept from two trans sisters, so fuck right off with that.)

My best friend, who saw it with me the first time (I took my late wife to see it later in the year when she arrived in the States) laughed at the whole little kid with spoon scene. That’s like listening to you, she said. I never know what is going to come out of your mouth or whether I’ll understand it in the moment but it will eventually make sense to me. Which pretty well sums me up, I think. And this movie as well.

The Piano (1993)

There is a moment, in this gorgeous, deeply beautiful, aching film, where Harvey Keitel fingers a small hole in Holly Hunter’s stocking and it is the most erotic heterosexual thing I have ever seen. Trust a woman director to understand why women would love this. There’s Harvey Keitel’s character: older, soft around the middle, barely literate, covered with traditional facial tattoos. He’s nobody’s idea of hot. But he understands what this woman in particular needs, understands what she is telling him without words, and that’s what he gives her and it is erotic beyond measure. It’s not about what he looks like; it’s about how he understands her.

Holly Hunter does this movie without speaking a single word or getting any subtitles and short of a few brief translations by Anna Paquin playing her young daughter still manages to express herself. It’s brilliant acting. (And look, I know - today we’d look for an actress who was mute to play the role, and rightfully so. It still doesn’t take away from Hunter’s performance.)

Ada drowned in the original script but Jane Campion changed it at the last minute when filming and it was the right choice. The absolute right choice. Ada deserves her freedom and her chance to pursue her own happiness.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #451

“taste the waste of their god’s grace & spit your hate upon your young”

Who are you subscribed to on YouTube? A shitload of people. Do you like to go to the farmer's market? Yeah, sure. What will (or was) the color of your wedding dress be? Probably black. What's your favorite melon? I don't really like melons, actually. What was the name of the last pet of yours that died? Teddy. :( When was the last time you wished the day would just get over with? Literally every day. Seriously. It's funny, I dread fighting to sleep at night, but I also just want it to be time to sleep so time will pass. My life is just so fucking boring that I just... wait for something exciting to happen. Name one person you've never had a fight with: Tez. What are you currently listening to? "Sex Metal Barbie" by In This Moment. What would you rather have: cat or dog? I prefer cats. Who is your least favorite person in real life? Probably my sister's husband. Do you ever watch anybody's live stream of... anything, really? I'll sometimes watch live let's plays. Does your house have security cameras? No. If you go grey as you age, would you dye your hair or let it be? I'll be dyeing it. What was the last establishment you stopped going to due to bad service? What happened? I'm not sure. What soundtrack do you listen to the most? Silent Hill 2's, definitely. Was there a family secret you weren’t told about until you were an adult? I don't know if it's really a secret, but I didn't know until this year that my dad did some really dangerous drugs before us kids were born. Do you have an opinion most people you meet seem to disagree with you? Yes. What’s something you like to have many options to choose from? Food, ha ha. Feels great to have a full kitchen after a grocery trip. What’s the strangest decorative object you own? Nothing "strange" to me. What’s a thing you couldn’t imagine doing with your life right now? One biggie is having a baby. I just... could not imagine. My life would plummet. What’s been your proudest moment? Graduating in the top percentile in my high school graduating class. What’s the filthiest non-pornographic movie you’ve seen? Omfg, Sausage Party. That movie was so gross. Do you know anyone who doesn't seem to be fond of animals? Thankfully, no. I don't even think I could befriend someone who doesn't like animals. Are you planning any outings or trips anytime soon? Whereabouts? No. Do you know anyone who has a phobia of a certain animal? Yeah, like me with whale sharks. Is there a particular brand of technology/electronics that you prefer? Not really, no. Is there a singer whose voice gives you goosebumps/chills? Amy Lee's. And is there a singer whose voice you simply can't stand? Yeah, such as Bob Dylan. Are there any authors that are particularly dominant on your bookshelf? Tui T. Sutherland, but only because I read their series Wings of Fire. Have you seen any photographs or videos that made you smile today? I'm sure on Facebook at some point. Which item in your fridge are you most looking forward to consuming? Does the freezer count? If so, this Healthy Choice grilled chicken pesto bowl I have in there. I am like addicted to them. Has anyone you know got into a new relationship lately? I don't know. If you menstruate, do you experience much PMS prior to it? It varies month-to-month. Have you ever had a tattoo covered up or added to? I had my Markiplier tattoo essentially redone by a better artist. I also plan on getting my "ohana" tat covered, as well as my "how rare and beautiful it is to even exist" one (I adore the quote, but it's not an original design, which I don't like having anymore), and I want to move and redesign my "perfectly flawed" one because I want a bigger tattoo in its location. Can you remember the last time you had a sudden change of mind? Yeah; I'm pretty sure I like-like my friend Girt now, something I was never entirely sure about. When was the last time you did something on a whim? *shrug* Were you raised by both of your parents? If not, then who raised you? Well, I guess both, but Dad didn't do a lot of the teaching part about life and stuff. Have you ever began a relationship with someone you knew for less than a week? No. Has one of your friends ever tried to ‘hook you up?’ Yes. Colleen tried that with me and Girt and only succeeded in making us very uncomfortable. She said something I wanted to slap her for that I won't repeat. What is your card game of choice? Magic: The Gathering. What is your favourite books series? I think my favorite series of all time was the Shiloh trilogy. I adored both the books and movies. Do you prefer landmarks or street names when being given directions? You'd better give me landmarks, ha ha. Do you read the prologues in the beginnings of books? Of course. What was your favourite gym class moment? There're such things as GOOD gym memories in school? Do you think that ocean boardwalks are fun? Yes. Do you dread when people ask you to sign their yearbooks? No, I always thought it was very flattering that they even wanted mine. Do you have a favourite Scooby-Doo movie? The Phantom Virus one. I had the video game as a kid, too. Could never beat the damn thing. Do you think it’s cute when toddlers try to run away and fall down? No? I don't like seeing children - or anyone - fall. Do you enjoy listening to your grandparents tell stories of their past? So, this really only happened once, and it was coincidentally the day I learned of her pancreatic cancer, but before Mom told me. I had an assignment to interview someone of an older generation about how various sources of media affected their lives, like the development of TV and such, and she really got into it. It was very interesting to learn about. Do you have a crush on someone? I guess I do idfk. If so... what does his/her name begin with? "D." What attracts you to them? More than anything, the fact he's been there for me without fail. Both single and when I was with Jason and he was interested in me, he's just... been there and has made an effort since high school to be in my life in one way or another. Do they know that you like them? Not anymore, no. We dated for a few months, but I broke up with him because he felt more like my brother, so I would assume he doesn't think I do. Maybe he still is family to me. I really don't know what I feel. If they don't know, why didn't you tell them? I might at some point, idk. We just haven't talked in a while. Name two people that you miss: Jason and Megan. Have you ever seen Titanic? When I was in the hospital, yes. Everyone was crying, lmao. Have you ever swam with dolphins? No, but I would. When was the last time you had a stomachache? Now. Mother Nature finally visited me after three whole fucking months and is v angry. What's going to bed early for you? Like 7:00. Do you want to have a big family in the future? Of pets! Human kids ain't for me. What was the last thing you did that gave you a rush? Hell if I know. Favorite Nicholas Cage movie? Ghost Rider. Have you had your Covid vaccine yet? Which one, if you have? Yes. I got Moderna. If you've had your vaccine, did you experience any side effects? I did on my second dosage. I was OUT of it the day afterwards, but then I was fine. What's the next item of clothing that you intend to buy for yourself? I need new bras badly. What Facebook groups have you found the most helpful? It's called "Not Just A Pet Rock (Python regius)" and is a group for advanced ball python husbandry. It is very informative, but I will say there is a SHITLOAD of very rude elitists. Do you like your butt? Why or why not? NO because it's a PANCAKE and I want CAKE. Have you ever personally been a victim of homophobia? I personally think so. When Sara visited and we were trying to go to my older sister's so she especially could meet her, Ash entirely ignored Mom's messages. I know her homophobic husband well enough to nearly be able to guarantee he didn't want us coming over because the kids "don't need to see that." Ash kinda does what Nick says, so... you know. Do you think you’d be happier if you had a pet? I know I'm happier with pets. Who was the last person you went on a date with? Sara. Were you ever hospitalized as a little kid? No. What’s your favorite way to curl your hair? It's too short to do that. At what age did you start swearing? However old I was in 7th grade. What is something you physically can’t do? Clean up vomit lkdsjal;sdkjfa;lkwd. I can't clean up my pet's or even my own. I literally can't. My mom has to. What do like better, apples or oranges? Apples. I don't like oranges. Around the holidays, do you hope for snow? Yes!!! What are your top two favorite bands? Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica. How many people do you 100% trust? Like two. Maybe. Do you care what others think about you? Way too much. Has anyone ever called you a bitch? My grandmother has. Did you watch Teletubbies when you were younger? Omg yes, I was obsessed. Do you have any licenses other than your driver's license? I don't even have that. Could you live the rest of your life without eating meat? No. Not because I don't want to, because I do, but I would have an extreme protein deficit if I did that. Besides meat, I don't like enough protein-rich foods. Have you ever had a rolling backpack? Yes. Did you make any money today? I haven't made any money in a very, very long time. I'm only ever paid when someone hires me to take pictures for them. What was the highest place you've ever jumped from? I don't know. Definitely not very high. Have you ever gone swimming in a river? Yes. What was the last souvenir someone got you? I have zero clue. Do you have a favorite remix of a song? Hm. Perhaps this techno-y remix of "Psychosocial" by Slipknot. I don't know for sure, though. What do you think is the most saddest sounding instrument? Either the violin or piano. Do you really pay attention to the ratings on movies? Nope. Do you have a favorite species of wild cat (tiger/lion/cougar/etc.)? Probably clouded leopards aesthetics, but I think lions overall. If you had $500,000, what would you do with it? Pay off school debt as well as help Mom with various financial issues, buy new glasses, buy Mom and I a new house and car, get Venus a great tank with all the optimal supplies, get LOADS of tattoos, donate to various charities, adopt a few specific pets, travel to Yellowstone, get laser hair removal on my legs and teeth whitening... There are a lot of possibilities. Did the last person you touched lips with have a kid? Just scaly ones. :') "First loves are never really over." Is this true for you? Yeeeep... Did you like Michael Jackson before he died? I didn't really have an opinion on him. I know/like a couple songs, sure. What are some things that would make you break up with someone? If they became abusive, started doing drugs, acted arrogantly, didn't understand my mental conditions and were unwilling to be emotionally supportive, stuff like that. What was the worst breakup you've ever had? Ha, the one with Jason. For. Fucking. Sure.

[ask-de-writer]

KURIN’S FOLLY : World of Sea : Part 15 of 15

KURIN’S FOLLY

Part 15

by

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

23,699 words

© 2020 by Glen Ten-Eyck

writing begun  2006

All rights reserved.

Reproduction in any form, physical, electronic or digital is prohibited without the express consent of the author.

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Copyright fair use rules for Tumblr users

Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights.  They may reblog the story provided that all author and copyright information remains intact.  They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions.

All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fiction is actively encouraged.

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New to the story?  Read from the beginning.  Part 1 is here

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The whole crew watched in amazement as the Great Sea Dragon swam lazily toward the ship, her long serpentine neck cutting a wake larger than the ship’s.  The birds of Sea swarmed peacefully about their creator, even perching on her head and spines.

Innocently, Kurin asked, “Would there be some other reason that you don’t want to make a boat with this glue?  It’s the left overs from the contest and you did make it.  Master Juris has expressed full confidence in your work.”

Yoram got a sinking look as he realized how badly he was snared.  He pointed at Juris and exclaimed, “It was his doing!  He was my Shop Master and he said to make the glue that way!  It won’t hold.  He said to put the soap in it and label it as number 1 panel glue.”  He ran down, saying, “Juris said it would make you look bad is all.  I didn’t think that he would let you actually go out in the boats.  When you did, and then needed to test the glue, I knew that we were caught.

“I’m sorry for all of it.  I should never have gone along with mislabeling the glue.  I’m sorry that I tried to hit you with the mallet.  I knew that I could never be a Master if it got out that I’d done something like that.”  He hid his face in his hands and sobbed.

Juris was trying to maintain his disdain for the whole proceeding with its attendant doubt of all the evidence, in the face of his wonder.  He had only seen Dari once before in his life.  In fact, he was one of the few who had seen all five of the Greatest of the Great Sea Dragons.

The problem that he saw was a simple one.  Before she had gone to the Grandalor, Juris would have trusted Kurin above all others on Sea.  After she jumped ship, Kurin had made a fool of him in front of everyone.  It was bad enough that the Court had seen it.  Did the Great Dragons have to see him made a fool as well?  Now it was happening all over again.

She had just presented him with a simple, impossible choice in front of a court and here came a Great Sea Dragon to see his humiliation.  He settled for pretending that the entire plot was Yoram’s.  He pointed at his chosen victim and said bitingly, “After hearing Yoram confess to trying to murder Kurin, not once but twice, can you truly believe that I was a part of his plot?  He forged the tallow slate that was found planted in my quarters.  He mixed the glue and mislabeled it.

“I have a grudge against Kurin and admit it freely.  I have spoken out when I should not because of it.  Everything that I did was of a peaceful nature.  I am a man of passions but not violence.  Yoram showed his true colors when he attacked Kurin with a mallet in a clear attempt at violent murder.”

Yoram was struggling in the grip of his guards and trying to shout his innocence over Juris’ blatant accusation.

Juris continued as if the interruption was not happening.  “I did do things that on reflection I should not have done.  They have very properly cost me much.  I have lost my shop and my Mastery.  Possibly, I have lost my place on this ship.  I came to my senses too late.  I did wrong.  But murder?  Never.”

Alor clearly saw Juris’ brutal attempt to frame Yoram, who was certainly in deadly shallow water. She remembered the trial in the Dragon Sea all too well.  She remembered one thing in particular.  If asked, the Great Sea Dragons would provide testimony.  She turned and called, “Dari!  This is a trial concerning Juris.  Can you answer some questions for us?”

The five hundred foot creature swam close enough that her wake made the Longin rock gently and answered, “I know little of the matter under trial.  However, I can interpret for those who do.  The Longin’s Orca pod are totally familiar with every movement and word spoken aboard your ship.  That is their duty.”

Whales surfaced around the ship, rolling and swimming playfully as Dari spoke.  She concluded simply, “Ask what you will.  They understand you perfectly.  They simply cannot make your speech.  I will accurately translate what they reply.”

Alor nodded, accepting.  Juris jumped to his feet and exclaimed, “The Tenth Great Law requires us to accept the word of a Dragon.  Nobody contests that.  The Orca Whales, though, are but beasts.  We cannot accept their so-called statements for anything!”

Drawing back in distaste, Dari retorted, “You must take my word for this by the very Law that you spoke of.  The Orca Whales are quite as intelligent as you humans, perhaps a bit smarter.  Their memories are perfect and precisely detailed.  I personally shaped them so, two and three quarter million Gatherings ago.  We rely absolutely on their reports in the management this whole planet.”

Juris shrank visibly at Dari’s reply.  Alor asked, “For the record, first.  By what means do you follow events aboard our ship?”

A Whale whistled briefly.  Dari replied, “They use echo location and simple listening.”

Again Alor nodded.  Thinking for only a moment, she said, “A simple yes or no to this question, please.  Are you able to track the history of this tallow-slate from the last Gathering to now?”

A brief whistle was interpreted as, “Yes.”

“Then who all handled this tallow-slate, up to the moment when the search of Juris’ quarters brought it to my attention?”

Three of the Whales whistled for a few moments.  Dari said, “The apprentice Morgan was given the chore of recasting all of the tallow-slates for the boat shop.  Yoram took the renewed tallow-slate and used it for two and a half days. Master Juris took the tallow-slate and removed it to his quarters where he wrote on it.  After a talk with Yoram he erased the top line of writing.  After a talk with Kurin outside her shop, he erased the second line of writing.  Later, after another talk with Yoram he erased the next line of writing.  Then your search found the tallow-slate.”

Alor thought for a moment and said, “Juris had two conversations with Yoram in connection with this tallow-slate.  We have conflicting tales concerning those conversations.  In the first one, did Master Juris ask Yoram to make number 17 glue and label it number 1 glue?  Also, did he give Yoram any reason to believe that nobody would be hurt?”

Whales sang together for several seconds and Dari replied, “Yes, Master Juris did tell Yoram that he should add soap to the glue but not so much as for true number 17 glue.  Use about half that, Yoram was told.  The reason given was to be sure that the boats were beyond assistance when they came apart. I quote, ‘Then we’ll be quit of the little Ord once and for all.’”

Alor pursued her line of questions, “Did they consider the rest of the ship at all?”

Dari simply spoke, “This was covered in what the Orcas told me about the conversations.  Yes, they did consider the Longin.  They were of the opinion that there were enough who knew the mapping and navigation that the school could be recovered from ‘the terrible accident.’  As to the bankruptcy, they stated that the Longin’s creditors would have to extend their loans or lose everything.

“If I may be allowed an opinion with no basis but more than six hundred Gatherings of observation, the fleet would not extend those loans without solid collateral.  At present, the only collateral is the school and it would not exist without Kurin’s driving force.”

Downcast, Alor replied, “I am forced to agree.  Back on the track of the events, then.  From what you have said, both Master Juris and Yoram were well aware that they were attempting the murder of most of our students and Kurin as well. That is hard.”

The Great Sea Dragon extended a tentacle and touched Alor gently, saying, “I am well aware of that. As short as your lives are, we often get very attached to some of you.  In this case, Blind Mecat and I are very fond of both Kurin and Juris.

“That makes it very difficult when one tries so hard to slay the other.  Kurin has used every resource at her command to save not only Juris but this ship, too. Regrettably, in Juris’ case, it appears that Kurin has failed.  The court must still reach a verdict but I fear that you have little sea room.

“Normally, we Dragons are not allowed by our own law to interfere in human affairs.  Being asked for specific aid or testimony is not considered interference.  Juris could have succeeded in his plot and I would not have been allowed to interfere.”

“I will stand by within call for the rest of this voyage.  I need to observe the ecological consequences of your mapping school.  I also want to continue my conversations with Kurin.”  Dari slid silently under the water. Her location was given away by the flock of many species of birds circling amicably not far away.

Alor turned to the jury.  She needed a few breaths to gather her shaken thoughts.  “With the testimony of the Dragon Dari, I believe that the case against Juris and Yoram is complete.  I can see no possibility for acquittal.  You must decide their fates.  The principal victim of their schemes, Kurin herself, does not wish to see them die, though that is the penalty prescribed in the laws of the Naral fleet.”

The Officers and Masters were looking at each other uneasily.  They all knew both Juris and Yoram. Captain Mord tried to put off the inevitable by asking, “Alor, could we include exile from the Naral fleet in our deliberations?  We could let them go in a boat the way that Kurin proposed.”

Regretfully, Alor pointed out, “That is not possible, now.  Before the trial or before the case was concluded, it could have been done.  You must consider only guilty or not.  For the attempt to murder in cold blood, there are no mitigating circumstances allowed.”

Captain Mord stood and led the jury away to consider their verdict.  Kurin was looking at the glue blocks with which she had secured Yoram’s confession.  Tears were leaking from the corners of her eyes.

The jury returned almost as swiftly as they had left.  Captain Mord spoke.  “Is the Log of the Longin ready to record the verdict of the jury?”

“It is,” Alor replied.

“Then the defendants must stand to hear the judgment of the court,” Captain Mord stated.  Both Juris and Yoram stood.

Captain Mord pronounced, “Juris, by a jury of your fellow Masters and officers, you have been found guilty on all counts.  Yoram, the same jury has found you guilty of the attempted murder charges.  For you both, the sentence required by the law of the Naral fleet is death.

“Your convictions and the evidence upon which they are based will be reviewed by the Captains Council of the Naral fleet.  If that review goes against you, the Council will set the time and manner of execution.”

Lissa realized that Kurin’s upset was at more than just the verdict.  Holding Kurin close, she asked softly, “What is it?  Kurin, you have done all that could have been done.  This isn’t your fault.”

Burying her face in Lissa’s chest, Kurin said swallowing around her grief, “Exile.  I didn’t even think of it, really.  I was so clever with those glue blocks that they had to refuse it.  Now they are on the reef and I put them there.”

High Cloud detached himself from the flock celebrating Dari’s presence and dove into the sea. Climbing out, he came straight to Kurin, accidentally giving Lissa a few small cuts as he landed on Kurin’s shoulder.  The still flopping skelt in his beak was being expertly stuffed into Kurin’s mouth before she realized what was happening.

The interlude gave Lissa time to think.  She helped to hold the fish while she said sternly, “Kurin! You did all that you could.  When a choice must be made between a whole ship and a single person, the ship must come first.  Juris tried to destroy not only you, but this ship as well. You saved the Longin.  Trying to save Juris too, when he was so intent on her destruction was folly.”

-THE END-

<==PREVIOUS

[theholycovenantrpg]

CONGRATULATIONS, ALYX! YOU’VE BEEN ACCEPTED FOR THE ROLE OF ARAEL.

Admin Rosey: Oh god, I think Arael was one of the characters that caught me by surprise. But the absolutely mastery of this application, did not at all surprise me because only Arael could - and should - be so effortlessly captured within the span of a single application. Tragedy, as you said Alyx, is woven into Arael’s bones and the fact that they recognize it and are so unbroken by it in their countenance says absolutely everything to me. The plots that you have lined up only feed into that tragedy more and I, for one, am absolutely here for it. I think that Arael is ripe for evolving and I completely trust this beautiful starlit character in your capable and loving hands. Please create and send in your account, review the information on our CHECKLIST, and follow everyone on the FOLLOW LIST. Welcome to the Holy Land!

OUT OF CHARACTER

Alias | Alyx

Age | Taylor Swift vc: Idk about you, but I’m feeling 22!

Personal Pronouns | She/Her.

Activity Level | hopefully pretty active? I have work and classes but I’m taking less hours and my internship is done so I’m hoping I have more time to be on the dash.

Timezone | CST.

Triggers | REMOVED

How did you find the group?  | I saw plenty of ads for it on my personal.

IN CHARACTER

Character | 

Arael: “Lion of God”; She couldn’t remember her original name. Her memories of the cold abyss of the galaxy came to her in bits and pieces that she latched onto as one would latch onto an extended hand. She could remember that feeling of peace within her falling star. She could remember that acceptance as her annihilation came nearer. She could remember the rage and melancholy that took over her being as she opened her eyes and examined the wings that protruded from her back and the knowledge that her destiny was ripped away from her. The name Arael was a reminder of that original loss. She was never supposed to be a lion of god. She was never supposed to be an angel stuck on Earth. God had claimed her for himself. He claimed her to be a lion, and all she could do was set her icy gaze on her surroundings and roar until her voice grew hoarse and the burning in her chest faded away.    

What drew you to this character? |

To be honest, I lurked on the admins’ blogs as the RP was originally being promoted. I tend to search for characters I like by quotes and images posted to their tag, and there was one quote on Arael’s tag that caught my attention. I don’t remember what exactly it said, but I knew it meant Arael was a character I needed to keep my eye on.

I love characters with tragedy built into their bones. There’s something so compelling about a character going through hardships and how they react to those hardships. Arael’s power alone showed me that she was a tragic character. To be able to hold everyone’s hope in your hand aside from your own? It seemed like a twisted gift from fate. As I read more, I realized that she was a creature of tragedy. She was pulled from the night sky against her own will. She was made into god’s image without her consent, and forced to endure the knowledge that she had lost her home and her destiny. She stared at the night sky, but she was never truly able to go back to her original home.

I like playing around with grief and how it impacts a character. I like seeing if they drown in their feelings, or if they rise above the grief and move forward with their lives. I think Arael is drowning in her grief. She’s stuck in this tunnel of rage and revenge that will consume her if she’s not careful. She’s blinded by this need, and I find that incredibly interesting to explore. Will she burn out? Will she start a war between the three parties? We’ll have to see.

Her story also kind of reminded me of Buffy Summers from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Not in a direct way, but there was a storyline where Buffy died and her friends brought her back from heaven and Buffy talked about being in peace before they brought her back. Arael being torn from her fate and made into an angel reminds me of that. The melancholy and grief they both felt from being ripped away from their rightful place. The way everyone notices that mourning. It gave me parallels.

What future plots do you have in mind for the character? |

“Why are you full of anger? Because you are full of grief.”

→ She was happy. For so long, Arael didn’t know what that feeling entailed. She had looked upon her existence as a punishment. She stared at the realm of heaven and only saw a jail cell. Her body was crafted by god, yet all she felt was unfamiliar in her own skin. Uriel had changed that. She had brought a smile to the otherwise stoic angel’s face. She was warmth wrapping itself around Arael’s cold heart. She was that flicker of hope that Arael felt in other people. She was hers, and someone had ripped that away from her. As she stared into her lover’s empty gaze, all she could think about was doing the same to whoever had killed her. She will rip the world apart if that’s what it took to satisfy the grieving of her heart. The only question will be: who will be spared in the end? 

A big part of Arael is her dealing with that loss of her lover and that need for vengeance. I definitely want to explore her seeking out the answers to the murder. I want to see her dragging suspects to be interrogated in the hope that one day the right person will tell her what she wants to know. I want her to endanger innocent lives in her quest for justice. I want her to be so consumed with rage and grief that either herself or others get harmed in the process. She is a star on a collision path, and I want her to burn and burn out during this journey. Most of all, I want her to find the person who did it. I want her to find them, and I want her to kill them. It's the only way for her to be satisfied. It’s the only way for her to put her grief behind her and search for that glimpse of hope again

“You turn the pain into power.”

 → To some, her powers seemed like a blessing. To be able to hold onto someone’s greatest hope was to understand what truly made someone feel at ease. It was the way their eyes sparkled whenever their favorite person walked in a room. It was the passion that would surge through an individual during that last battle of a war. It was a glimpse behind the mask that people often wore, and Arael held all that at her fingertips. To her, this power was another way fate mocked her. She could feel what people’s greatest hopes were. She could fill them up with so much hope that they would be blinded by that desire. She could do so much for other people, but it would never be done for her. She couldn’t fill herself up with that hope. She couldn’t understand that blinding urge that she gave out. What does one do with a gift that serves to remind someone of the very thing they��re lacking?

I want to explore the depths of her power. I think that there’s more to be discovered with her abilities, and I want her to discover exactly what she can do with her gift of hope. I want her to see if her power could be used in the opposite direction. Could she drain someone of their hope? Could she blind someone with utter hopelessness to the point that they see nothing but their dreams slipping from their grasp? I think it would be a dangerous discovery if it were possible. I would also like to see a situation where her gift is irreversible— whether it be gifting hope or taking it away. Perhaps anger clouds her abilities and she over exerts her gift. Perhaps she’s trying to find an ounce of her own hope by filling someone up with so much hope that they become a shell of their former self. I want to push her powers to its limits, and I want Arael to see what sort of consequences are dealt from that discovery. 

“You allow your anger to blind you.”

→  Arael’s been in a fragile state since the death of Uriel. To feel the small hint of hope get ripped out of her hands by an unknown assailant left her in a state of brokenness. She’s blinded by this ideal that she’ll be satisfied with vengeance. She has it built up in her mind that the death of this assailant will bring her the peace that she almost had with Uriel—- the same peace that was ripped away from her by god. What do others feel about this mentality? Do they find it foolish? Do they understand her mentality? Or perhaps they see an opportunity hidden behind those aching eyes? 

I want to explore the concept of manipulation with Arael. I’m usually not fond of manipulation plots, but I feel like Arael’s in such a vulnerable state right now that it might be possible. I want someone to see that anger and despair. I want someone to see this utterly terrifying, broken angel and use it to their advantage. She’s the perfect weapon if used correctly. Her tunnel vision for revenge could easily be directed towards someone’s enemy if they whispered the right words to her. She could start a war if the correct side twisted her enough. I want to see her revenge used for someone’s personal plans. Maybe she kills an innocent person because she was led to believe they were present during her lovers death. Maybe she drags an innocent victim to Abaddon because she was led to believe they had valuable information. I want to see that manipulation, and I want to see the fallout of it. 

“You reach for a soul that forever escapes your grasp.”

→ Arael loved Uriel, or at least it was the closest she ever got to love. The angel had gifted her a slice of hope that she had lacked since her creation, and Arael has been seeking a semblance of that hope since her departure. She feels lost, like she was back to her first years as a star-turned-angel, and she hates that feeling. She hates the emptiness that fills her heart as she watches the mortals her companion once adored. She hates the way she feels so distant from the other angels. Most of all, she hates that their love story ended so abruptly. She misses her with every fiber of her being. One often wonders what they would have their final words be to a loved one, but what if she could have that do over? What if she could catch a glimpse of her again?

I want her to approach Ryuk about contacting her dead lover’s soul. I think there’s a variety of reasons why she would want to talk to Uriel again. I think the most basic one would be that she wants to see her again—- even if it’s only through Ryuk’s words. This was the one person that broke her out of her shell and showed her that the world was worth more than mourning. The most plot related reason would be that she can ask her what her last memory was. Arael has exhausted her options when It comes to possible suspects, so perhaps Uriel could remember who was around during her death or who even caused her to perish. I also like the thought of Uriel advising her against this revenge quest, and Arael refusing to listen. She doesn’t realize that this isn’t what her lover would’ve wanted. She doesn’t realize that she’s doing more harm than good. It’s overall a more personal plot, but it’s good development for her and helps lead to either her collapse or her breakdown at realizing what she’s becoming. 

“Anger was better than tears.”

→  Mortals were the envy of God’s creations. Angels were tasked with protecting them like a dragon protects its treasures. They razed cities, enacted miracles, all for the species that found favor in God’s eyes. Arael was never a mortal. She never understood the significance of their kind. She had no attachments to the beings aside from those tasks formerly given to her. She didn’t care for them like Caphriel did. She didn’t despise them as others might. Her feelings towards them might be classified as indifference. However, the stance changed after the death of Uriel. Eyes that might have had a glimpse of care for the beings shifted into anger at the thought of one of them murdering her beloved. Eyes that casually looked over the beings stuck to watching them with careful eyes. One human in particular has gotten caught within her storm. The question is: will she shatter the tentative peace that held the world together? Perhaps a bigger question is: will she have any regrets if she does? 

Personally, I find the thought of Arael killing Bastien quite sexy. This would be completely up to the Bastien player, but even if it didn’t go that far, I still love the connection. I like the thought of Arael breaking that peace between the three factions. She sees Bastien as this arrogant fool, and she’s bothered by his position of power. How does her Uriel, gentle and kind, die while men like him thrive? It frustrates her. I’d like to see her knock him from his place at the table. Whether this be done through violence or jeopardising his spot amongst the ten would be up to the Bastien player and what they feel comfortable with, but I can work with either one. Arael’s desperate for some sort of vengeance. I think the more she struggles to find the one who killed Uriel, the one she’ll lean into these desires to destroy someone else, and Bastien is the unfortunate victim of her wrathful gaze. 

“You’re a being of isolation.”

→ She is the only one of her kind. No one else knows what it’s like to live amongst the stars. No one else knows what it’s like to be plucked from the night sky and recreated in someone else’s image. No one knows the loneliness that comes with such a fate. The other angels are her brethren, her allies, but they don’t relate to her on that level. She’s a solitary creature, a lone star stuck wandering the earth, and it’s a painful existence. Will she ever figure out that some stars lay in clusters? Will she ever realize that she has the opportunity to shed that loneliness? It’s hard to say. It’s hard to pull herself out of the isolation that she chose from the start. 

I want to explore her dynamic with the other angels. I think Arael struggles with connecting to them due to her origins. She doesn’t have that connection of being formed from the Earth or reborn as an angel. She’s different from the others, and that caused her to separate herself. I want to see how they take her quest of revenge. Surely some of them were close with Uriel, maybe even close with Arael, so perhaps they would support the mission. On the other hand, I’d love to see that disapproval. I want to see them trying to temper her anger only to be met with an icy glare. I’d love to see someone try to talk her down from her grief. She’s blinded by this mentality of an eye for an eye, but she doesn’t realize how that affects her fellow angels. I want them to show her how it affects them. Let them get caught in the crossfires of her vengeance. Let them struggle to pull her away from the brink. I think the angels quietly realizing that this fallen angel, this hollowed soul, might do some real damage would be delicious to watch. 

Are you comfortable with killing off your character? | Absolutely!  

IN DEPTH

Driving Character Motivation |

They say the story of Arael is a tragic one. She was a burning star plucked from the sky and formed into god's image. She was placed among the angels, meant to stand holy and divine alongside her new brethren, yet she found herself standing alone. This angels story isn’t built on blessings. Her story isn’t a fairytale told to the young mortals in an attempt to sooth them to sleep. No, her tale is built on loss, and that’s what motivates her throughout her journey.

Her original loss is the loss of her original destiny. She was stripped of her purpose, ripped away from her original form and forced into a foreign body. She stared at her reflection and a stranger peered back at her. She examined her wings and only saw the fragments of her former self embedded within her feathers. She destroyed cities on God’s behalf, and yet all she could feel was a hollowness in her chest. Loss was her mentality within this point. That acknowledgment of what she’s become and how to endure that was her guiding factor in her initial years of life as an immortal being.

The next stage of loss was the loss of her hopelessness. Uriel had dragged her away from that hole she tucked herself in. The fellow angel opened her eyes to the possibilities of life, and for the first time, Arael’s world wasn’t a bleak landscape. She had color in her vision. She had a slight light in her eyes. Her smile wasn’t forced. She was learning what it was like to look at life as an adventure rather than a chain wrapped around her ankle. This stage of loss was a good thing. It was a stage of growth for the distant angel. She lost that depression that overcame her during her early years. She lost that emptiness that had wrapped itself around her like a blanket.

This latest stage of loss is the cruelest of them all. This burning star, this cold-eyed angel was finally learning the most human of experiences: death. She felt that small sliver of hope rip away from her as she held Uriel’s prone form in her arms. Her body shook with anger as she realized she was once again alone. Her motivation stems from the impact of that loss and the grief that nestled inside her heart. She’s driven to revenge. Her eyes are blinded by the need to punish the person that ripped that hope from her. A part of her knows this is a dangerous path. She knows what happens to stars that burn too brightly. Yet, the loss keeps her locked in its grasp. If she is to burn out, if she is to be destroyed, let it be with the knowledge that she has conquered the loss that has been trailing after her for years. 

In-Character Para Sample | 

“I brought another one.”

The history behind her statement was not lost on her. Each week she’d latch onto a lead. Each week she’d drag them into the heart of the black cells. Each week she’d watch Abaddon pull out any sort of answers they might have buried in their chest. Each week she’d feel the bitterness of disappointment settle on her tongue as she realized she reached another dead end. It ended the same every time. It couldn’t end the same way this time.

Her eyes traced over the features of her latest endeavor. His porcelain skin and almost white hair reminded her of Uriel, but the resemblance wouldn’t help him out of his fate. She had plucked him out of the crowd in hopes that he had any recollection of that fateful night. With each individual, She wanted a direction. She felt herself grasping at ghosts as the figures from her memory dwindled, and this feeling of loss was becoming all too familiar. 

She released her hold on the boy and watched him try to scramble his way out of the cells. Mortals always seemed to have that reaction. Their fight or flight kicked in, trying to make sense of the location they were forced into, before finally realizing the fight was for nothing. They will leave once she gets the answers she’s seeking. 

And yet, the boy wasn’t providing those answers. She watched him endure the torture despite the pain it brought him. She watched him fighting back tears, denying pain until it couldn’t be denied anymore, and yet still the answers remained behind clenched teeth.  

“Again.” 

Her voice was strong as she stared at the bleeding, frightened human before her. She refused to accept that she had reached another dead end. She clung to her quest with sharp claws, and she refused to release her grip for even a second. She was a vengeful angel, a flame with no mercy in sight, and all would endure the burning until she felt satisfied. 

Her eyes flicked upwards to meet Abaddon’s, but she didn’t turn away. She didn’t care if the demon saw the hurt in her eyes or the flash of desperation that would spill out every time a mortal came to her with no answers. Maybe the demon had the same look when they got tossed out of god’s favor. Arael didn’t ask. Their relationship wasn’t built on sharing stories or reminiscing over almost forgotten memories. Their relationship was a mutual understanding--- a knife and the being that wields the instrument. 

“Do it again until I say otherwise.” Do it again until I can hold any sort of answers in my hand. Do it again until the ache in my chest disappears for a second.

Arael watched the mortal flinch at Abaddon’s nod with cold, unfazed eyes. The scream that erupted from the boy’s mouth would make others grieve, but it only reminded her of the hollowness inside of her. She felt nothing as she watched the pain on his face. She felt only her own rage trying to crawl out of her chest. Perhaps this is what it meant to be a star. Perhaps this was her destiny all along---- to burn from the inside out until nothing but a hollow shell remained. 

And perhaps she’ll succumb to her destiny, but only after the grieving in her heart is satisfied. She’ll burn up, but she’ll bring the person responsible for her demise with her. 

Extras | 

Inspo tag: https://elidclochan.tumblr.com/tagged/insp%3A-arael

Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/aesthctics/insp-arael/

[kisskissbanggang]

@starxblossom - entirely overdue, thank you for your patience

Alright below the cut is literally just me responding to some fic feedback by my darling Rae it is just

too long

to not put under a read more so move along

Let me set the scene: I woke up entirely too late this morning, spending the previous night - more appropriately, early dawn - mourning the fact that my laptop crashed in the middle of me playing Stardew Valley. Rolling out of bed, I knew what I planned to get done today, but after such a sour night, the ball got rolling pretty late. Nevertheless, I’m more than glad to be overly-opinionated about something, if only you still want to hear what I have to say - otherwise feel free to ignore this 😂

Barely bothering with an outfit, I merely threw on my fluffy robe, slipped on the pair of glasses that I need, yet refuse, to wear more consistently, and tied my hair up in that half-effort pony tail that I only wear when I have a long day of analysing to do. By this point, I have powered through four cups of English Breakfast (because I am trying so hard to kick my coffee habits), and I’m overdue for my fifth one. 

The sun sets quite fast these days; or maybe I’ve just been waking up too late. But by the time I’ve powered through most of the list - my reading device has signalled its need to be recharged so I decided to hold off on the last two on the list (Prowl and The Sabotage of Simkung House) for the following day - the sun has set and the street lamps glow orange within the misty winter evening. 

I’ve always liked your writing - still very much do. And for a long time, I can admit that I was envious of how well you can write, how well you understand your characters and their motivations, and how aware you are of what’s happening in the story from start to finish. I used to punish myself for not being nearly as good as you. I say all of this not to guilt you, but to express my humbled gratitude, that you would turn to me and consistently seek out my opinion. So I tried to be constructive, not just bombard you with well-deserved praises, but also see the work objectively too. 

SO let me set the scene. Over the past few months, I have sent you every single thing I write because I’m a glutton for feedback and validation, but also because I found something so touching and forward in how you found me in the first place. You came to me, said you enjoyed my work, only to find out that you’re a terrific and talented writer and human being in general in your own right? I value your take on all art so, so much, and I’ve figured I’ve been greedy on numerous occasions, but I also treasured your critique when it’s difficult to do that to a friend’s work.

So here’s where I’m at. I worked from home today, and this morning starts out fine enough until I deal with a very agitated client on the phone. I’m dour as I sip on the cold brew boba I made this morning in a fit of restless self-criticism, and check my inbox on a whim because I know I’m terrible at keeping up and see your feedback on not just one or two, but nearly EVERYTHING that you hadn’t caught up on yet.

As an added note, I also don’t wear my glasses nearly as much as I should. They spend much more time on top of my head than they should.

Now, shall we begin?

Standby

What I like most about Standby, and really all of your writings, is that it often calls to question, something of a moral dilemma. In Standby, the dilemma is clear, ‘is love allowed to exist in the professional work environment?’, but not just that, there’s also the factor of Chan being an idol and MC being a staff member. Already, there are plenty layers of politics(?) at play here - public vs private, media/celebrity status, gender inequality, etc. Looking over my notes [yes, I wrote physical notes as I read each piece lmao I have too much time now that I’m on semester break], I reserve so many high praises to Standby for constructing a story well, start to finish, and for highlighting the power play effectively through their physical relationship - the sex isn’t just thrown there, it’s an intentional device to shed light to the motivations and the personalities of these characters. It’s not just porn with plot, as you sometimes jokingly claim your writings to be, it’s porn and plot. I’d say other examples of this would be the Keep Away and Asking For It series. 

Playing on this same idea, I’m very fond of Chan and MC’s dynamic - the naive and the hyper-anxious, or better, the idealist and the realist. We’ve all been both at some point in our relationships, so I feel like it’s almost too easy to empathise with both, especially when the stakes are so goddamn high. And because these characters are so fleshed out - as in we understand what’s in it for them - every action and every progression in the story makes complete sense. Every twist has a logical resolution as a result of the reader being able to understand who the characters are. 

In saying this, I don’t know if it’s only because I didn’t re-read everything from the start, but I would love to know exactly why Chan’s in love with the MC, or why he thinks he is. Their relationship is so circumstantial(?), that one could easily strike Chan out as merely delusional.  I think there could’ve been some really interesting storyline about his vulnerabilities as an idealist with such a demanding occupation, or that despite being human his job doesn’t allow him to make mistakes. Perhaps that’s just the pessimist in me refusing to believe he could simply be so ardently in love with the MC in other areas besides their physical romance, but I would’ve loved to see you make room for more emotional confrontations - put the reader right in the thick mud of it all! 

Oh, and before I forget: HyunJae! Best side character I’ve read in a fic in a long while. Well developed and contributed to the story in so many, almost blink and you’ll miss it, ways. I especially love the gradual development of her relationship, going from mentor, to sisterly, to borderline parental. And that line about humanising her in the same way as when you first realise your parent is only human too - genius !!

Your points here on Chan’s development is so entirely valid and a great critique to point out. His motives aren’t fleshed out, and we can blame MC’s lack of seeking that out, but I know it’s really on me. If I dig in, I know I originally wanted Chan to find someone who was efficient and professional he was, but even more in control without being as controlling as other people in his life. She challenges him and keeps him on track when he’s very much in that position with his members on a regular basis. He feels comfortable with MC because he feels he’s seen a side of her she doesn’t really show much, and she’s willing to break those walls down to let him in and that really intrigues him and lights his fire, while also encouraging him to let someone else be in charge when he take a break from being leader for a little bit.

And Hyunjae is best girl. She was so fun to write, and I knew right away she needed a solid arc. It’s heartbreaking to feel like you outgrew a mentor, but if you’re lucky they can still be dear to you in some way.

Young Wings

When you said you wrote Young Wings with me in mind, I was more nervous than I was excited; what could possibly warrant such a level of affection? As an unfortunate result, I read this piece while constantly digging for the answer. Does she think I’d make a good stewardess? Am I this skeptical of cute boys? Oh my God did the pilot just die?! Anyhow, I kept being pleasantly surprised as the story progressed, as the characters are stripped back layer by layer, until they’re both literally naked. And soon enough, I figured out why you said you wrote this story with me in mind. You once mentioned - and I’m gravely paraphrasing here - that you saw me as a romantic, maybe even a hopeless one. I refused to believe the title, convincing myself that I have such a hardened heart [despite loving rom-com’s to a fault]. But no, you’re absolutely right, I’m an absolute sucker for romance. And Young Wings has such a beautiful high, a very warm glow of romance emanating from the two characters. They’re very human, very easy to like. And even though it employs a character dynamic of one being professionally above the other (like in Standby, Chan’s job is clearly a lot more essential that MC’s), it’s a softer approach, in a lot better lighting - Also, tangent, but thank you for addressing sexism in the Flight Attendant industry! 

And I can’t not point out this heartwarming quote:

“The terrifying thing no one told us growing up was that finding your ‘thing’ isn’t a finish line. It’s not like you find it and that’s it. A lot of times it’s more like goalposts. You have to keep passing them and sometimes there’s never a finish line, but you love it and that’s what matters.”

I’m not an active stan of Stray Kids, nor an active stan of Chan. But I very much fell in love with him in this piece!

I forgot what, exactly, was the precise impetus for having you in mind when writing this (aside from your astute recollection of my labeling you a hopeless romantic) and now I remembered! I believe at the time I wrote it you were going through a period of cold feet around school and a career path and general restlessness and apprehension that I remembered regularly suffering through when I was in school. In my own way, I woke up one day and didn’t feel at home in the skies anymore like the MC does. I keep three or four drafts going simultaneously at almost all times, so here I believe I was wrestling with Prowl pt. 3 and feeling a bit harried on the feelings there. I usually end up pivoting to a project with compared or contrasted feelings, so this is the warmth to Prowl’s cold. And you would make a cute flight attendant for what it’s worth.

To Those Who Wait

I’m not gonna lie, I thought this was set up to be a rom-com of sorts, I really did not think this would take such a tense turn. I really like the premise! Again, it’s such an interesting moral dilemma, having to choose between being stubborn or taking the high ground. Perhaps it was in how well the narrative is set up, that I, too, kept waiting for the curtain to be pulled and for Changbin to reveal some underlying plan. I was antsy, and nervous. And as a result, I really didn’t expect the oncoming series of events - I seldom read the warning labels, especially when I trust the writer and I know what kind of content I can expect from them. But this one really did take me by surprise. I love that, in revising the story, it really was all hinted from the beginning - the power play was clear from the moment the MC was introduced as this ball-busting office worker, and Changbin as the polite and reserved assistant - but I was so invested in hunting down the truth, and being disarmed by Changbin’s sickly sweet performance, that I completely missed the underlying motives of their actions/reactions. I also seemed to have made a note about wanting to see more of Changbin’s submissive nature through real life interactions - ie. he had never taken the train before, so in this situation, he was being guided by the MC - but I think that reaches too far over the line of where you intended to put/write this relationship; it’s more of a personal preference really. Anyhow, this was a thrilling read from start to finish - underlined by the fact that Changbin is my fave in Stray Kids ><

A CHANGBIN STAN WE LOVE TO SEE IT. I fell head over heels for Changbin’s IRL rich kid upbringing, like he really did come from this cushy background and he’s still so talented and capable, and I wanted a fun scenario to plant that into. Funny and thrilling was truly where I wanted it, and I do have this projected as a series to really explore this relationship and what, exactly, these two characters are waiting for. And I’m glad you were caught by Changbin’s reveal! It had to be something he was truly ashamed of and that MC would be bitter about for years but could ultimately forgive.

What You Don’t Know

Funnily enough, my first note is that this reminds me a lot of a friendship I had with someone. Even from the way it began - the unbelievably clever line: It’s not like you hated Jisung when you met him. It wasn’t like you liked him, either. Really, you didn’t anything Jisung - with Jisung and the MC going from strangers, to friends, to questionably more than friends. The bloom of their interactions reads so organically -probably because it mirrors my own experiences- even down to Stephanie’s interference. I really do like this one for a lot of reasons: it’s my favourite AU, it’s a setting that is real to me therefore I can vividly feel everything, and the stakes of the relationship aren’t so dire that it makes the pining so much worse, because you can’t justify the jealousy properly. And the dialogues between Jisung and the MC also reads so realistic, it’s not stiff nor vague. It cleverly reflects the stages of their familiarity, from unsure and stilted to playfully affectionate - this is why I’m so especially fond of the first time she tugs his hair, the tense change in the air, asking you if they just crossed a line or simply made the natural progression in their very fond relationship. ( Also don’t think that scene with MC and Chan in the car is just going to fly over my head missy, I need to know the history there! ) I like this for a multitude of reasons, all of which are deeply influenced by the fact that I’ve been in the MC’s exact shoes. The only difference being that I did not sleep with that friend, and his Stephanie made us stop talking to each other. Otherwise, this story made me squeal, 10/10 for realism!

Yes! Who doesn’t love a college au? They’re so easy to retreat back to. I was literally inspired by a joke in Scrubs (“I nothing you” is the line there) and built an entire scenario around that. The sub argument is an infamous embarrassing moment for me where I did, repeatedly, label one of our friends as a sub and definitely definitely definitely thought of how easy it’d be to prove it like the MC does and NOW IT’S WEIRD WHEN HE CALLS MY PARTNER TO HANG OUT ON THE PHONE ALL THE TIME. I think we’ve all had to deal with a Stephanie (I certainly have) but I hate that yours drove you away! I always thought this scenario was a little universal, but I didn’t expect it to be to that extent. Also, don’t worry, the Chan story gets explained down the line.

Au Pair 

I cannot stress this enough, but I love this!! The premise reads like a telenovela, with a quiet tension that can only be found when a scene is handled as expertly as you have. As a result, from the get go, I think I was just waiting for the trouble to kick in. I thought it would hit during the pool scene, or perhaps even the dining room scene when Carson refuses his food. But what I didn’t expect was for the first kick to not even include the MC, but rather just be something that she observed - classic telenovela ! I re-read that paragraph thrice because my jaw dropped. I knew something bad was going to happen, but I really didn’t expect it to be that! I know you wrote is as a oneshot, but I really would love to read more of this. I feel like it could have been fleshed out a bit more, really unpack the characters and their motives. I feel like I’m just getting a taster of something amazing here, something really dramatic and jaw-dropping. I’d also love to see things from Carson’s perspective somehow too! Something I’ve picked up during my babysitting days, very young children tend to subconsciously reflect a lot of a family’s conflicts. Carson is obviously smart, but he’s also a kid, and in a family structure like that with - as you said - a rotation of authority figures, I feel like he could have a lot to contribute, especially as a narrative device! Also I love your choice of mystery member! I think it makes complete sense, I really couldn’t see anyone else for the role, he’s a very fitting choice! I’m obviously fond of this one, it got me really invested, and - I’m not meaning this in a demanding way - I only wish I could read more of it. 

A telenovella I LIVE. I guess growing up with Days of Our Lives paid off. This is one of those readings I never expected but I’m thriving off of. I love a good turn of a character feeling like they’ve exposed themselves as a fool, and I’m glad it read well here. Carson IS smart and I love that idea of his perspective. At one point I did picture a small epilogue where Miranda steps up to the plate while the Mystery Member and MC run away and start a new life in San Francisco where he becomes head chef of a trendy fusion restaurant.

Exposure 

This made me incredibly nervous in the same way Surreptitious made my hands clammy. Because not only am I (a) a photographer who (b) will pass as a child given the right outfit and mannerisms, but © I know what it’s like to be asked to give up your artistic integrity in exchange for money or exposure (ba dum tsss). So this hits home a little too hard, especially that you made Doyoung the photographic subject rip. But I really really like this one too! It was thrilling in the ways I least expected it to be, this undercover adventure of being a paparazzi, and the active use of disguises to reflect an outward character that Jungwoo has the pleasure of, well, pleasuring himself to - which I think is what makes her last outfit in the story, the black ensemble, all the more interesting!

I also love seeing Jungwoo portrayed this way, that you didn’t entirely sacrifice his disarmingly innocent aura, but you also gave him a devilish streak - so faithful to how I personally imagine him. It’s a wonderful balance that kind of perfectly hits the middle ground, and makes him such an interesting and almost unpredictable character. And I love the MC in this, that she has an inner integrity that is undercut by the way she dresses as these multiple characters throughout the story - I think two two characters compliment each other well. She outwardly presents dynamism, while Jungwoo represents it more inwardly. So when they come together, it’s so masterful and I cannot peel my eyes away from them. I also really like that you didn’t make either one a dom or a sub, which only speaks so much more to that dynamic previously mentioned. It works so especially well, given what we know about these characters, and the non-stakes of their story arcs. I want to see more of this, but I’d also be really satisfied with where it ends. It leaves such a well-rounded note of camaraderie between the two characters, that in my head, I’m rooting for them to somehow end up together. 

I felt like I entirely punted this one across the finish line so I am FLOORED by your reading and response. I wanted to try something a little different and felt so, SO self-conscious the whole time I was convinced it showed, so I’m honesty surprised it was effective. I’ve had my own experiences as well with lying to get a job done, but my biggest goal was to challenge the Jungwoo Innocent Baby Boy narrative that the fandom likes to feed into, so I’m VERY glad that was effective.

I just realised that this is now over 2k long, so it’s a good thing that I’m finishing here. Like I said earlier, I’ll be venturing to read Prowl and The Sabotage of Simkung House tomorrow, so expect to hear from me again soon. Otherwise have a good night, or morning, depending when you read this, and thank you for writing such wonderful stories! Truly, you continue to impress me as a writer, and I’m humbled to be your friend.

So by the end of my first reading of these notes, I was pretty much in tears because I loved that you took the time to do this, to read my work that you are not obligated to and give me feedback that I am not entitled to. I love you to bits, Rae, and it stuns me that I found a friend on the other side of the sunset that I feel like I can confide in and look to for guidance. I hope you know how much you shine. ❤️

[shriekthemighty]

High School (and Middle School) Never Ends

For years I have occasionally thought back to the videos that made my youth. Salad Fingers, Cat with Hands. Spoilsbury Toast Boy. The first two were amusing, if off-putting at times. Fond memories of my youth. But Spoilsbury Toast Boy is a hectic flashback mirage of deeply unsettling imagery. I like to think of myself as someone who isn’t easily scared. I found Salad Fingers amusing. Cat with Hands was mildly creepy at best. After one viewing I vowed to never watch Spoilsbury Toast Boy again.

Every time I remember Spoilsbury Toast Boy, I resolve myself to rewatch it. To prove to myself that it’s not as intensely unnerving as I remember. Every time, I forget. Like my mind is protecting me from what I have mostly forgotten. 

But today that will change. Today I will rewatch Spoilsbury Toast Boy for the first time in about a decade.

But first. Salad Fingers! I figured it was a good starting place on the creepy scale, as I can understand why some people would find it unnerving. And I’ve heard there’s been some new content since I was a kid! So let’s go!

Episode 1: Was this a youtube thing originally? That doesn’t seem right. And 11 episodes??? I feel like there were maybe 5 last time I looked? Granted, that was almost a decade ago. I’m making myself feel old. But now! The first episode!

“The feeling of rust against my salad fingers is almost orgasmic.” Iconic. THE quote that dominated my early teen years.

The rusty kettle thing feels like it’s there to just make him look like a creep, but ALSO feels like some weird foreshadowing or something. It’s been so long. idk.

Episode 2: The introduction of the finger friends! The real start, in a first watch, to indicate that Salad Fingers is maybe a bit fucked up. And the abrupt language change is interesting. This is all familiar so far.

“I like it when the red water comes out...” Okay, this is when it should probably start being unsettling? A humanoid figure is presumably burned alive while the non humanoid is getting off on impaling his finger. But. I’m not upset? This feels normal for the times? What were the early 2000′s.

Real world references to bring the weirdness home! Very good! And a finger friend now seemingly in the flesh! The episode ends with a return to the oven and the ‘fish’ about done. Still all things I remember

Episode 3: There is so much, in only the first few minutes of this video. Oh boy. Is it a product of the times, or ahead of them? Only time will tell. I don’t even have the energy to talk about ‘milk from the teat’ of Salad Fingers being produced via masochistic acts and just... I’m too tired. This is a quarantine adjacent nostalgia tour blog.

I took a break and am now restarting this the next day. The flute playing is, interesting? As is the more humanoid but clearly mutated figure being so intent on killing Salad Fingers.

Episode 4: A person is watching him so he just... goes home. I feel that.

This child loves him. Why???

A bug! Little sister.

I love the post apocalyptic implications of his house having a number on the door. And a trap! A grubby tap trap!

There is so much phallic imagery happening.

And he just... bamfs out! The poor child is sad. Riding taps into the sunset...

Episode 5: The broken phone and forgetting Hubert’s name is interesting. All still somewhat familiar. I’m pretty sure I’ve see this episode before.

Dressed as a bride and distressed. Not just a picnic, a wedding. Guests imminent!

One of the finger friends in the window does NOT like him having a new playmate!

THE BIRD. THE BIRD STOLE THE SPOON! OH NO!

The girl talking is definitely significant. Interesting

Episode 6: Someone is in the house, and the finger friends are back! He remembers Hubert’s name this time. Bye bye Jeremy!

Wash those bad thoughts away. The toilet (somehow still able to flush) knows things.

He’s eating... himself? Another Salad Fingers? Who knows. The toilet knows.

Episode 7: Floor sugar.

I can never tell if this is one of those things where there’s all some deeper meaning, or if it’s just meant to be weird and senseless. Is Kenneth actually his brother? Was there a great war? Idk, I’m drunk.

The tree “barely shuffled an inch” a way of keeping sane? Making sure all is in its place? I’m reading too much into this.

In a dress once more. I want this to be a gender thing, but I don’t think it is.

Episode 8: Filling a clearly broken radio with... metal pellets? Buckshot? And Things are happening.

Hiding in the safety cupboard with a ‘special hair” dragged across the eye. Interesting. Multiple special hairs.

By the end of this I fully expect The Revenge of Hubert Cumberdale.

Oh someone wants their hair back! A ghost??

Goodbye special hairs. The safety cupboard is the crying cupboard now.

Episode 9: The animation style seems different here. I’m not sure I saw the last episode, but I’m almost positive I haven’t seen this one.

Oh shit. Baby Yvonne.

Wtf is up with his salad fingers!!!

Use your “baby” to clean the windows and then eat a sandwich. At first I thought he didn’t want to give up Yvonne, but now I think he just realized it wasn’t a baby and came up with another reason he must have gone there?

Episode 10: WAY nicer animation immediately. This was obviously done years after the original ones.

Milford is still there and it’s Hubert’s birthday! Oh shit!

A shiny new monolith thing, here to bring salvation and the end of Salad Fingers’ world?

Oh the detail on that is HORRIFYING. I miss the low quality now.

Hubert Jason!

Well. Dr. Papanak is terrifying.

That took an unexpected turn. Poor horse.

And... more horses. Okay. Also, does Salad Fingers look older suddenly? Sounds older too.

More Salad Fingers!! Oh poor boy, he’s seeing what he would have (should have?) become. He’s all alone.

The monolith is moving!

...okay then.

Episode 11: The last episode! How will it end?

Fighting with his finger friends, so sad.

I REALLY don’t like the detail on the fingers now. Better animation is not always a good thing. Does help the creepy factor though.

New Hubert is awful and glass mother is entirely unsurprising. Let’s see where it leads!

Very Gollum/Smeagol. Interesting.

Yeah, saw that coming. Bye, Hubert!

Through the puddle, rescue Hubert! And... do that, I guess. Will Hubert seek revenge yet?

Huh. So that’s all of Salad Fingers. I enjoyed it, but I understand nothing

Spoilsbury Toastboy Time!

Episode The Title One: Oh shit it’s by the same guy! That makes sense.

Idk if I’ve ever seen this one. I watched the one titled episode 1 first.

Oh wait yes, I think I have seen this! The beetle goes into his ear and that’s why he sees beetles!

Oh. Well. Things can’t be wrong if you’re dead, I guess!

Episode 1: I technically watched this one first, so that’s important.

Already very intense. Kill grandma!

Speckled huckleberry leaves. That’s the thing that made Salad Fingers sick, I think!

Grandma burning in the fire. I remember that!

For some reason I remembered the beetles as crickets? I have a very clear memory of this.

Episode 2: Quite the young gentleman. And then straight to work! Sounds about right.

Corporate slavery seeming all normal, and back to grandma! I feel like she was a big part of why this terrified me as a teen, so let’s see.

Oh the beetles are fucking. I think one fucks grandma at some point? Yup, there it is! They’re raping grandma. Cool.

This just seems... senselessly cruel? Like, not even entertainingly grimdark. Why did this used to scare me. I’ve finished it and I’m just annoyed that I wasted my time.

Bonus: Cat With Hands!

Since I mentioned it in the intro, I figured I’d watch this one again too. I remember finding it mildly creepy. More so than Salad Fingers, but way less than Spoilsbury Toast Boy.

The guy who hasn’t spoken is the cat, right? I remember this. He just needs a tongue.

Wow this animation is BAD. But that almost makes it better? It works, for the story.

Yup, just as I remembered. I think this one is probably only scary the first time, when you don’t know what to expect.

[deadlysequence]

Roth’s last quote

I've thinking on this quote of the assassination cutscene during this morning and if there's a deeper meaning behind it. I know that many people consider Max crazy, like a Joker-like person who do everything for only the fun and nothing else, but I don't think that's entirely all the truth.

Yeah, Maxwell is kind of messed up person but he's not emotionless and he's able to feel love (towards Jacob), but he push boundaries too far, compromising that relationship. But still, let's remember that he's highly intelligent, physically strong, a lot of experience. For a reason he's the leader of the Blighters and such thing isn't easy to keep together. 

Let's say...

When he said "Snap a baby crow's neck between my thumb and forefinger", it isn't only the fact he killed a bird and send it back to Jacob as a warning, is also a message saying that a little bird is nothing comparing with losing Jacob the moment he turn his back. I'm very sure Roth is so fond of crows since all his life, and that little one surely is the last of plenty others he had in his life, that's why he know how to take care of it and make sure it is comfortable. Even naming it Rook for Jacob's gang, a sort of signal of showing Jacob his admiration and appreciation for his effort of slaying Blighters and the Templar lieutenants around London. But in the moment of truth, the bird is just a small symbolism and losing Jacob make it lose all meaning, I'm sure Max was hurt to kill it and send it inside a box, but it's like saying "At the end, you're far more important to me than this little bird I loved". Also is kind of a foreshadowing his own death, he killed the crow on the neck and later Jacob stab Max on the neck too.

When he said "Slay to bits the ones you deem innocent", it also speaks of his own experience. Max as lost many thing in his life, friends, family, been betrayed for the ones he put a trust. The people of the circus when it break apart because of lack of money, the other gangs who hired him as a mercenary and surely after sending others to kill him at the realization that Max is way too dangerous and valuable. The English society were a victim of the frenetic times, how the Industrial Revolution where ruthless with the ones left behind and didn′t embrace the progress (greedy capitalists against the abused workers on the factories). Roth's thoughts when suddenly the Blighters he thought he was protecting and giving a purpose for their lives when he created the gang, suddenly turning their backs at him when they found in the Templars the new bosses and been savage against the civilians for no reason. The group was too big and Roth alone wasn't capable to watch over everyone.  Few friends remain at his side and the majority betraying the original purpose of the Blighters under Max's leadership, a side effect of his contract with Starrick and his Order. Roth just basically had to share his leadership with seven Templars who never spend their lives with the Blighters, with the common people.

And before I forget, this quote could be also a warning about don't trust anyone so quickly and who knows if they'll betray you, like foreshadowing Jack and his times of terror years after Jacob like adopted and trained him.

And finally when he said "Keep the world in its divine maniac state", it means that Roth had faced injustice of the Victorian society for so long that he want to break free from it. It's not about killing people in the streets, is about to destroy the society structure that keep him inside a cage metaphorical speaking. He have the same ideals of freedom as the Assassins but he decide to push it to the extreme, making him not a Joker-like maniac people thought he is, but an anarchist who's against the repressive system (I live in a country where anarchism is still a thing, so I know how it works). And having the fact he have homosexual tendencies, that thing alone compromise him even more than his criminal activities (gay men were punished with jail, locked in the asylum or even death penalty). So in short, he want to break free of a very repressive world and making his own choices about who to trust, what to do, enjoying what life have in store and mostly important... chose who to love.

That's why he kissed Jacob at the end, his last action of freedom and embracing his honest feelings, is showing Jacob what he felt for him. Having the image of the Assassin he loved as the last thing his eyes see.

Why Max fall in love for Jacob? Because "why not"? Max was charmed by Jacob and he wanted to make a life with him and if he couldn't.. at least showing him that.

Be free to give an opinion or add something.

[vrainsrewatch]

episode 11 thoughts

me: i shouldn’t have too much to say about this episode, since it’ll be mostly dueling! me, 25 screenshots later: 

(see what i did there. i’m funny i promise)

a lot of the early episodes i’ve seen twice, or at least use regularly in amvs so i’m somewhat familiar with what happens in them. that is not the case for this particular episode, so even though i sort of remember the beats of it, i’d forgotten a lot of the juicy stuff.

like this.

i’ve seen people bring this scene up before, but it’s really interesting. AI don’t need to sleep, but does the existence of free will inside of them give them the option? sleep is something animals do because they have to. humans sleep way, way longer on average than most other predators, and while there’s certain animals that sleep upwards of 15 hours, those are mostly prey animals -- or at least, animals who don’t really hunt. sloths, koalas, etc.

people do, however, sleep sometimes when they don’t technically have to. people take naps when they’ve had a stressful day, or are staying up late for an event, or even to get through a class that bores them. does that make it an activity?? that one can choose to do?? it’s kind of a weird thought lol.

anyways though,

i don’t talk about emma too much, but she’s a pretty cool gal. she’s obviously incredibly intelligent, she’s an expert hacker, but i love her ability to put things together quickly. she’s an information broker and a bounty hunter, so it makes sense she’s good at putting clues together to form a conclusion fast. i just like that they bothered to have her think this one out so we get to see that, since she doesn’t get much screen time past this season.

i also had forgotten how often dr. kogami shows up in these episodes. for some reason, i only remembered him being here or there throughout the first season, up until rev vs pm round 3.

there’s people in the fandom who like to demonize revolver, mostly because of the tower i think, but honestly, he’s a respectful opponent. he really did not have to explain anything to playmaker -- at the moment, all revolver knows is he’s some dude going around kicking his lackeys asses in duels, and has an ignis attached to his duel disk. he doesn’t know he was a LI victim. he doesn’t have any reason to suspect that, as of right now, but he still goes out of his way to clear things up for yusaku. 

it’s an important aspect of his character that i think people who dislike him tend to forget, and like, you do you -- like and dislike whatever characters you want, i mean -- but you shouldn’t erase parts of them just because you’re not a fan.

anyways though,

it’s really interesting to me how revolver talks about free will. he’s more spiritual then i would’ve guessed, as we find out from his duel vs. soulburner in 115-116, but it shows here, too. 

the ignis have free will, but he thinks of them as below humans; creatures that will only cause harm. if they have free will, they have the choice to be good or bad, and yet he is so dead set in his thinking. he has all the pieces right there, but he just won’t put them together. and with his changes towards ai specifically and what he says to soulburner about flame in their duel, you have to wonder if it’s a willful ignorance.

however that follows up with:

which like, again shows how spiritual revolver actually is in some ways, which is interesting considering how rooted in science he is a lot of the time, but also,

the way he phrases this makes me deeply sad for him. i’ve talked a lot about revolver’s thoughts on his father already, so i won’t talk about it too much here when i’ve got so much else to cover, but really. he deserved an actual father, not an asshole who wrongfully put himself on a pedestal to be admired and worshiped.

i feel like the fandom is so used to the concept since it was introduced so early to us in the series, but seriously, this is kind of a crazy thing. despite how advanced den city is technologically, clearly this has still never been done before outside of the hanoi project. that is a lot to take in and process.

seriously. i don’t blame yusaku and everyone else for being so skeptical. it doesn’t sound possible to us, even though in the real world, it’s been something we’ve talked about since we started developing AI, basically. 

it brings so many moral questions to the table, too, because if something has free will, if something is able to think and live like us, would it be wrong to continue to make it do things that might be against its will? would it be wrong to delete the program, if it’s capable of forming connections with others?

moving on to something less serious, though:

everyone’s favorite meme scene LOL. seriously, this is so stupid and nerdy, i hate it and love it so much at the same time.

originally i wasn’t too fond of revolver’s first avatar, but it’s really grown on me tbh. not really relevant, but things like this actually made it grow on me lol.

next up though we get a flashback of yusaku’s backstory. at the current moment, we really have no context for these scenes, but they’re still shocking to look at in their own right:

and of course, we have little ryoken’s words of encouragement. 

not only do we find out why yusaku does the three things mantra, we also now have the clues that revolver was the one who told this to him, way back when, since we see him use the same tic in an earlier episode.

i’ll try to keep my thoughts on this brief, since i have a lot to say about this, so bear with me.

firstly, the last line. not only is it one of my favorite quotes in the whole series, as it’s simple, powerful, and holds meaning in my own life, but it reflects back on what i was saying about revolver having all the pieces but purposefully not putting them together about the ignis.

it’s a concept that’s hard to grasp at their young ages, and yet ryoken puts it eloquently and yusaku takes it to heart, turning those words into fuel to keep him going. 

three things to live, three things to go home, three things to defeat the enemy. 

these are not normal words of encouragement, and it’s very clearly intentional. this is something a child can cling to, which is exactly what yusaku does. he clings to it so much, even ten years later these are still the words he hears when he needs to get through something. even ten years later, he thinks of three things for everything he does.

ryoken wanted that child -- the one that he lured back to his father, the one that kept losing and kept screaming in pain -- to have a reason to fight back.

and boy, does yusaku fight back.

anyways though.

a lot of people, myself included, love the irony of this. the person he hates, the person he wants to save, the person he’s dueling right now, they are all the same. he is right in front of him, but he doesn’t know it. ah, it hurts so good lol.

a lot of people don’t consider ryoken to be captured, but i do. just not in the sense that yusaku is thinking of.

this is where everyone gets the confusion of firewall being his ace, and i mean like, i get it. but it’s the same way as like, salamangreat pyro phoenix or violet chimera are soulburner’s secondary aces, becaus heatleo is his true ace.

at least, imo. maybe i would’ve been wrong had firewall not been so overpowered it had to be axed from both the OCG and the TCG lmao. 

okay, but why? why just you, seemingly? i touched on the fact that it’s possible jin and spectre also have link sense, i think, but takeru doesn’t. miyu seemingly doesn’t -- or does she, with her ability to sense aqua on her chest during her coma? so really, it’s just takeru, then. why is he the odd one out, here? and was this a byproduct of the LI or were the children chosen on purpose because of this ability? was it something that just had to be awoken inside of them? 

g o d 

have you seen it before? were you even there when revolver took down cyberse????

anyways.

this is so cute. i love them. his little smile. but also, it’s interesting to note that he does this not believing ai has free will. i saw a few people complaining that yusaku’s attachment to roboppi (like the flashback of him petting her head like a dog or smth) was out of character, but it’s clearly not.

he clearly gets invested in the AI around him, probably because he knows he doesn’t have to worry about them hurting him or anything. it’s... sad :(

honestly, i wonder if revolver would’ve won this duel had he not been using his father’s strategy with fire prison. they’re very evenly matched in skill, so i wouldn’t really have been surprised.

this screenshot was just taken because CR called them varrets instead of rokkets but still changed the monster names to rokkets and when i first saw this episode i was like ??? ultra confused lmao.

i’m so glad the subtitles get more consistent as the series goes on. though i harp on CR a lot, i really am grateful they have the whole series and were able to simulcast it throughout it’s airing. 

anyways, that’s all for right now! i started watching this episode like, an hour and a half ago almost LOL so i’ve gotta get some stuff done before watching another. see y’all

[nadziejastar]

KH3′s Poor Retconning of Isa and Lea’s Relationship

So, first things first. Lea and Isa are my absolute favorite Kingdom Hearts characters. And that is saying something, since I love so many characters. I loved their scene in Birth By Sleep. I have seen some people say Isa was a douche, and that’s why Saix was evil and did not deserve redemption. I couldn’t disagree more. Only the closest of friends can bond thorough sarcasm that way. Underneath the sarcasm, it was obvious how much Isa was fond of Lea and vice versa. And yes, I do ship them for many story-related reasons, which I will get into. The novels describe Lea and Isa as “complementary opposites”, which is how I see them.

I truly thought that Isa was going to play a much more pivotal role in Lea’s character arc, like Roxas did. I was so excited to see him get saved. The set up was ALL there. I will be perfectly honest that I was disappointed in the way Isa was “redeemed”, as well as the sudden revelation that he became a villain all for the sake of a mystery girl that was never even once hinted at before. Most likely Skuld. Well, disappointed would be an understatement, really. And I want to write a detailed meta explaining why I was disappointed, why I thought that Isa’s character and backstory was heavily retconned and had SO much more potential, and why I LOVE the relationship between Isa and Lea so much. I really want to go into detail to do these characters justice that I feel canon didn't.

Roxas: What's it like having a best friend, Axel?

Axel: Couldn't tell ya. I don't have one.

When I first played 358/2 Days, the former friendship between Axel and Saix piqued my interest. It was surprising to me because they were nothing alike whatsoever. I had a hard time imagining how they could have ever been friends. Axel was so friendly and cool and Saix was so cold and mean. What did Axel see in Saix, I wondered. Whatever the reason, it was clear that the broken down friendship was a source of great pain to Axel. Although the game centered on Axel's friendship with Roxas and Xion mostly, the amount of attention Saix and Axel got led me to believe their relationship was important, too.

Talking to Roxas and Xion always brings back memories of my human life, back when I was a kid. It's a weird sensation. I ought to be able to share all this with Saïx, but I just don't feel like it anymore. It's strange, but I'm content with just missing what's gone. I'm not the one who changed. You did. -Axel

I could tell that Axel struggled to come to terms with what happened to his friend and his feelings about him. He clearly dislikes his change in personality, but doesn’t seem to know why it happened. He still tries to help him get to the top of the Organization, but questions why he even bothers. It left me interested to learn more and what impact this relationship would have on the story. But I still doubted whether Saix was going to switch sides or anything. I figured Saix was the foil to Roxas and the other "good" guys.

Axel: Nothing lasts forever, man. Least of all for a bunch of Nobodies. But you know, we'll still have each other...even if things change and we can't do this anymore. As long as we remember each other, we'll never be apart. Got it memorized?

Roxas: Ha ha, wow, Axel. That sounded ridiculous.

Axel: What? I thought it was pretty deep.

After playing Birth By Sleep, I was shocked at how different Isa was from Saix. Axel’s lamenting suddenly made perfect sense. No wonder he felt so confused and lonely. Saix is a completely different person from Isa. Compared to all the other Nobodies, he was by far the most different as a human. It completely changed my opinion of his character. After BBS, it was obvious to me that Saix had been Norted and was under heavy-duty mind control, like Terranort. When Axel said he did not have a best friend in Days, it was obvious that at one point he did. 

Isa was not just Lea’s friend; he was his best friend. All of Axel’s quotes about friendship and love suddenly seemed a lot sadder with this context. I felt like Isa deserved to get saved and have his old personality and friendship with Lea back. And I figured this was going to be a crucial part of Lea's character arc. In hindsight, a lot of the things that Axel said to Roxas and Xion felt like they were about Isa as much as they were about Roxas and Xion. Summer vacation, laughing with friends, memories being baggage that never did him any good. And about being together when things change, even if it’s only in memory. 

Sea Salt ice cream. The biggest sign of enduring friendship in Kingdom Hearts.

Both Lea and Isa had been trying to sneak into Ansem the Wise’s castle, and I always imagined that their involvement with Organization XIII was related to the Heartless experiments the apprentices were doing. It was a dark and intriguing implication that simply made too much sense. Not to mention quite tragic. It would explain why Axel talked like such a normal person in Days. Summer vacation, homework, and going to the beach. He didn’t seem like he joined the Organization by choice. I think this WAS the original idea, but was clearly changed by the time KH3 finished. Maybe it had to do with the cancellation of Birth By Sleep Volume 2. I don’t know. But here is why I think Isa's character got really butchered.

Xemnas: Our experiments creating Heartless were attempts to control the mind, and convince it to renounce its sense of self.

If there was any Organization member who seemed mind-controlled or lacking a heart, it was Saix. Bar none. Even Xigbar points this out. And of all the Nobodies, it was Saix who seemed the most desperately longing for a heart. Braig has been part-Xehanort for quite some time, and he was more than happy to become so. It almost sounds like Saix is also part-Xehanort in Days, but he doesn’t realize it. But Braig does and he’s mocking him over this fact.

It is my duty to expose what this darkness really is. I shall conduct the following experiments:

– Extract the darkness from a person’s heart.

– Cultivate darkness in a pure heart.

– Both suppress and amplify the darkness within.

The experiments caused the test subject’s heart to collapse, including those of the most stalwart. How fragile our hearts are! My treatment produced no signs of recovery. I confined those who had completely lost their hearts beneath the castle. -Ansem Report 2

After Ansem’s initial experiment, Xehanort started to regain his memory. He then attempted to gain 13 dark vessels to make the χ-blade. Not only do we know that the experiments were for mind control, but we also know that most subjects could not endure these experiments. If there were a subject who could actually endure them without collapsing, they would be very valuable to Xehanort. Perhaps that person would be labeled “Subject X”? The description of the failed subjects sounds kind of familiar, too.

My pilot studies used a handful of subjects, but none possessed the fortitude to endure them. Ultimately, all suffered mental collapse. I knew it would be a heavy blow to lose a subject as unique as she.

-Experiments of the Heart – Notes on Subject X, Excerpt 2

Strangely, there is a Subject X in KH3 who could endure what others couldn’t, although this subject apparently has naught to do with being a vessel for the χ-blade. This female subject was being experimented on before Xehanort regained his full memory. It’s most likely Skuld. But I would argue that "Subject X’“ was originally not Skuld, but Isa.

In addition to story reasons, there’s also symbolic reasons why I think Isa was originally supposed to get Norted during the experiments. Some may accuse me of reading too much into it, but I disagree. KH does like its symbolism. Sora, Riku, Kairi. Sky, land, sea. Terra, Aqua, Ventus. Earth, water, wind. The Greek letter χ is hugely symbolic. Saix and Isa are unquestionably symbolized by the moon. The moon symbol on Isa’s clothing is a waning crescent. I don’t think this is random, for reasons I’ll get to later. The reason I think it’s significant is this: It is the final phase of the moon, which wanes until the light is completely gone -- a new moon. In other words, it is the phase right before the moon is swallowed by darkness and the light disappears.

Axel: Bet you don't know why the sun sets red. You see, light is made up of lots of colors. And out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest.

I personally think that Lea and Isa had a Sun/Moon symbolism motif going on. I always wondered if this specific quote had a significant meaning. It always seemed just a little too random to me. But now I think I get why Axel says it. Axel loved watching the sunset in Twilight Town. It was his idea to hang out there all the time. The sunset symbolism is similar to the waning crescent moon in a way. As the sun sets, light fades, which is symbolic of the forces of darkness. 

As we know, there are 7 colors of the rainbow, as well as 7 Guardians of Light. If each of the characters correspond to a specific primary color, then Lea would definitely be red. So, he is actually foreshadowing himself with that quote. Red is the color which travels the farthest. He is basically saying that he is the one who will go the furthest for his loved ones. The Sun sets red which is Axel’s color. He is claiming the sunset as himself. The sun is the source of life, light and energy. Or I guess that’s how he sees himself, anyway.

Furthermore, many of Axel’s weapons in 358/2 Days are Solar based or relate to the Sun in some way. Corona and Prominence are Solar phenomena that only are visible to the naked eye during an eclipse. Prominence is one of his strongest as well. Ashes (relating to the Pheonix) and Prometheus are also associated with the Sun. 

And almost all of Isa’s weapons are Lunar based and named after feminine things like the Goddess Artemis and a specific flower. One is also named Horoscope and incorporates the Cancer symbol in it. Only Axel and Saix have weapons named after two deities associated with the Zodiac. Prometheus represents Aquarius (which is Yang, or masculine) and Artemis represents Cancer (which is Yin, or feminine). I think this was definitely the inspiration for their personalities.

Xemnas: As your flesh bears the sigil, so your name shall be known as that of a Recusant.

According to Master Xehanort, χ is "a most ancient letter" that represents death and endings. The letter χ lends its name and form to the χ-blade, which features two Kingdom Keys crossed in an "X"-shape on the blade and Keychain token. Does this quote prove Xehanort/Xemnas marks people with the sigil, on their flesh, then gives them new names? Why is Saix the only character we see who has this mark on his flesh? 

This sounds like the most obvious reason for Isa’s scar, in hindsight. He is marked as a vessel for Xehanort; a mark to signify the death of his old self as Isa. According to Nomura, people who have had Master Xehanort’s heart implanted in them will gradually be swallowed by it. The planted parts of the heart are captured rather than disappear. But Master Xehanort plans to control them completely. This was obviously very significant for Isa.

I have to give the series credit for its symbolism. The symbol x IS used as a symbol of death, among many other things. You see it in Egyptian pyramids and temples, where we find pharaohs buried with their arms and legs crossed in devotion to the sun god Osiris. It's also seen in the skull and crossbones imagery, and is a symbol of Nimrod. 

In Christian art, the Keys of Heaven, are a pair of keys that overlap and interlock, creating an "X." The crossed keys represent the metaphorical keys that Jesus promised to St. Peter, empowering him to take binding actions in leading the institution of the Catholic Church. In short, they are a symbol of the Pope's authority. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus says to Peter: "I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on Earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on Earth shall be loosed in heaven". The crossed keys form an "X" which is the first letter of Christ's Name in Greek. Kinda looks like the X-blade, huh? So, Master Xehanort is only partly correct. X represents death, but also new life, depending on the circumstances. I bring this up to show why I don't think I'm THAT crazy for reading too much into certain symbolism. I think more thought is put into the imagery than people think.

Braig: "Which poor soul will it be?”

The Secret ending of Re:Coded made it clear that Isa was retrieved and taken to become part of the new Organization XIII without his consent. He had not even regained consciousness yet. Young Xehanort uses a name that starts with an "S", but it's kept it a mystery at first who is chosen. It is revealed later to be Saix. YX uses his nobody name, even though at this point in time he is recompleted as a human. It is also curious that Lea and Isa are wearing Organization robes, while the rest of the apprentices are wearing their normal clothes. If people are recompleted wearing the clothes they had on when they lost their heart, this is interesting. When did the writers decide that Lea and Isa were “apprentices”?

Lea: What a drag... Why do I always get stuck with the icky jobs?

After dreaming about Roxas, Lea wakes up, and the first thing he does is wonder what happened to Braig and Isa. The mention of Isa’s name is rather dramatic, as Lea hesitates and the music stops for it. He is clearly concerned about his absence with Braig. It seems like Lea is wondering if he will go back to the old Isa now that he has a heart. But they are nowhere to be found in the castle. In order to search for his friend he needed the power to move between worlds, and there is no way to do that other than to become a Keyblade Wielder. He saw a message recorded by Ansem the Wise in the past and, knowing it was dangerous, used the Corridors of Darkness once more to go talk with King Mickey and the others. Lea became a Keyblade wielder to search for his missing friends. Even after everything, Lea still seems to value his old friend and has some hope that he could go back to being the person he remembers.

He is quite shocked to see that his friend is now part of the New Organization XIII. Saix and Axel were not loyal to Xemnas. They had secret plans to take over the Organization, and Saix wanted to find out about the secrets Xemnas was keeping and why he was so interested in the Chamber of Waking. Moreover, Saix wanted a heart more than any other Organization member. Why would he then choose to become a Nobody again? It makes sense that Lea would be confused by this. Saix’s behavior is quite interesting, too. Master Xehanort smiles, glances at Saix, and he immediately leaps to attack Lea. It was like Xehanort knew that seeing his old friend would cause Lea to be startled and let his guard down. Saix stared blankly at Lea and no words were exchanged. Master Xehanort seemed to be in control of him, honestly.

Lea: You know, I was gonna come swooping in, Keyblade in hand! But I just couldn't get mine to materialize. Must be in the snap of the wrist or something.

When he gets back to Yen Sid’s Tower, he is brooding by himself. He seemed rather depressed at learning his friend was still on the enemy side. Later, he awakens to his Keyblade. I thought it was interesting that his Keyblade was named Flame Liberator. A liberator is someone who releases someone else from a state or situation that limits freedom of thought or behavior. It seemed to fit perfectly with the situation with Isa. Of course, Lea would be looking for Roxas /Ventus as well, but it sounded more applicable to Isa’s situation.

I was disappointed that there was almost no emphasis on Lea trying to save Isa in KH3. It felt like an afterthought when Saix randomly decided to switch sides. Not only that, but it was revealed that Isa simply chose to join the dark side and sacrifice his heart because of a girl. Which felt rather out of character. It was Isa who was reluctant to pick up “stray puppies”. And Saix hardly seemed like the type to carry a torch around for someone he only spoke to in the shadows, especially as a Nobody. 

It seemed like the writers were desperate to shoehorn in a female character or something. It just felt so strange and totally inconsistent with all the previous storytelling cues. While we may be told that Isa and Lea did everything for this girl and that's that. But I still think the story was building up to something totally different originally: Lea liberating his friend from Xehanort’s control, and the emphasis on their friendship with each other. Not a girl who was never even slightly alluded to.

One of the final scenes we see of Isa shows him as a recompleted person with a brand new outfit. And he sports a new symbol on his clothing. And while it might seem all too obvious that the star is for Skuld, I see it much differently. I don’t think it was always supposed to be for Skuld, nor do I think it is just a random symbol to look pretty. 

Most people today associate the crescent moon and the star as a symbol of Islam, but that is only a relatively recent development within the past 200 - 300 years and mainly used in countries that were part of the Ottoman empire. The symbol itself is much older than that and has been used in countries that are not Islamic at all. The conjoined representation of the crescent and a star has a long prior history in the iconography of the Ancient Near East. It represents either Sun and Moon or Moon and Morning Star, Venus.

Sun and moon joined together in a design symbolizes the union of opposites. Nearly in all the cultures throughout the world, the sun is a masculine figure and signifies strength and power. On the other hand, the moon is considered as a feminine figure and represents calmness and unflappability. The sun is the active principle whereas the moon is the passive principle. Therefore, the coming together of the sun and the moon is similar to that of the yin and yang or the good and the bad. They are complementary opposites, like Lea and Isa.

They also represent the fact that everything has a dark and a light side. Nothing in the world we have created is perfect. The essence of being human is the lack of perfection. There cannot be only good or bad in any person’s life. As the sun rises and sets everyday, every person has his days of glories and nights of darkness in life. Some people also believe that the union of the sun and the moon represents unity in diversity or the feeling of oneness. 

It is also a romantic symbol of love, symbolizing an emotional and physical union. There is a beautiful quote that goes, "Tell me the story about how the sun loved the moon so much he died every night just to let her breathe". It is a quote not just about romance, but also about the sacrifices we are willing to make for those we love. Furthermore it represents a deeper expression of unconditional love. It is easy to love the qualities that reside in the light; our greatest challenge is also being able to love and accept those that reside in the darkness.

Lastly, I want to point out that the symbol Isa wears in the ending is not the waning crescent from before, but is now a waxing crescent. This is the first phase of the new moon cycle after a period of darkness. The waxing crescent phase is the moon's first step toward fullness. And it's a very visible shift — the moon is completely invisible (while it's new) until a tiny sliver is illuminated. Thus, a fresh start begins anew. So, I think the symbol on Isa's jacket is meant to symbolize the special bond he has with Lea. I don't think KH3's writing handled this well, at all. But that is how I see it.

[sparda3g]

One Piece Chapter 920 Review

Gather around, fans. It’s time for a story about the Wano Country; a country that was once beloved for all and currently beloved for scums. After the shocking revelation of Kin’emon and others, it’s most fitting to clear out some of the past history’s mysteries. While it won’t answer all, in fact leaving some questions behind, this chapter evaluated the value of recovering the country to its former glory with the rising hype for a potential warfare.

If you are fond of the series’ rich world-building, then this chapter is for you. Throughout, it’s about the origin of Oden, Kin’emon and others’ backstory before time-warping to the present, and connections with many present characters. Oden Castle was actually called Kuri Castle; already presenting Oden as a caring and lovable man. Putting his people first above all. Although he was beloved, he was considered as a wild card as he went through violent fights and essentially exiled from the Flower Capital.

The country wasn’t completely paradise as there was once a lawless area, which is self-explanatory with criminals and such. The real shocker about it is that place was Kuri; in other words, it was once an awful place. Even Shogun back then didn’t want to touch it. That’s where Oden reappeared and took on Ashura Douji. I’m very aware of the reference to Japanese culture. No, there won’t be any reincarnation…for now. Anyway, he was so evil and powerful, and yet Oden defeated him. That’s where the paradise feel was born.

I should mention that Oden was the son of Shogun Kouzuki Sukiyaki. While Shogun failed to act upon Kuri’s problems, Oden took on the challenge and won. For an exile, he sure was capable to be a Shogun. To top it all off, he forced the criminals to become workers and created a paradise for the citizens. Eventually, his father heard the story and bestowed him the title of Daimyo of Kuri at the age of 20. That’s pretty impressive. The one fond quote Kin’emon would always remember from him is “It’s too cramped here.” To me, that tells me Oden was indeed a nice fellow.

The story gets a short break with Zoro, who is of course lost. The funny thing about him is he believes his friends are the one that are lost. He believe it because he rode on that Komainu. Why Luffy and Zoro’s logic are going bonkers lately? Oh well, they do make me laugh. I don’t know what will happen to him, but I get the feeling he will drag trouble along with him. What else is new?

Duke Inuarashi makes his return. I do like him, so I was happy to see him again. I do wonder on who will break the news about Pedro’s demise. It’s going to suck when it happens. Outside of the prediction, it’s rather touching when he is at the beach, recollecting the good memories he has with his first meeting with Oden. It’s already said that he and Nekomamushi have fond connection with the Samurai, so this was heartwarming to know where it began.

I really like the silent storytelling treatment while pointing out Oden and his establishments. He was so beloved by many, including Whitebeard and Gol D. Roger. The part that makes it heartwarming is how there’s no speech bubbles coming from Kin’emon and others, but their reactions are delightful. You can see how great Oden was just by watching their expressions. It will make you laugh, it will have you in awed, and it will make you feel happy. Sadly, it will make you feel sad and frustrated.

It’s a smooth move of Oda to skip the story for us fans and let only Strawhats hear about the turning event. It keeps us engaged with the story, leaving us wondering why Oden had to die the way it did. It appears to me that Orochi was probably a friend of Oden, only to backstab him in the end. I can only guess based on Nami’s reaction. It’s a smart move in writing perspective to keep us interested in Orochi. After the early soothing atmosphere, it’s sad to see Kin’emon and others from the past to breakdown into tears. His saddening words about Oden’s final moment was emotional; words about 20 years ago, only it happened a few months ago for them felt heavy.

Kin’emon and others’ last action before time-warp is tragic and questionable. I feel bad for them for running towards to the castle, only to find it already in fire, thanks to Kaido. That’s one tie-in to hate Kaido. It’s rather sad that they had to “ignore” Inuarashi and Nekomamushi when they were caught by Orochi’s subordinates. I don’t blame them for their minds most likely were running wild with fear and sorrow.

Then we enter the questionable part of the story but in a good way. Lady Toki, the wife of Oden, was with Hiyori and Momo inside the burning castle. The story does confirm that she was the one with the ability to go to the future, but cannot go back to the past. The interesting part is she came from the distant past; at least according to the rumor. This has a good potential to expand the lore with some of her recollections that could associate with Gol D. Roger, D. Family, or even beyond. Don’t forget how Law is part of D. and that didn’t cross my mind at all, so you never know when we get a visual flashback.

It was at that point that Kin’emon made a final pledge with her that no matter how far into the future he and others will go, they will do whatever it takes to fulfill Oden’s wish. She gave them Momo to take care of and the time-warp took them 20 years later. What about Hiyori? Was she dead already? Can Toki foresee the future of when the time of Orochi and Kaido’s reign end? Was choosing 20 years a random time-warp destination or was it “destiny?” Shame that she couldn’t warp time with them, but perhaps she was hurt or can’t do it on herself anymore.

It’s rather frightening to instantly warp to the future and witness the same country under new lifestyle. It’s equivalent to a prisoner, who was imprisoned for 20 years, now able to roam back to the city, only life has advanced far ahead of him, and that can turn his head off. In here, they felt that they have no chance to fulfill Oden’s wish for everything seems paradise for the rotten and hell for the poor. Their mind changed when they met few people that had been waiting for their return.

Judging by that guy’s words, it appears that Toki may in fact can see the future or at least set the time destination. 20 years is pretty specific. That said does that mean it’s guaranteed that this present time is where the Wano Country will “reborn?” The only problem is at what cost. Hope was slowly rising back in their heart, but then they all split apart under unlucky circumstances.

Raizou was separated during the chase from the country. That’s when they were told to meet back at Zou. Then due to bad navigation and landed on Dressrosa, out of all places, Kanjuro was separated. Lastly, the rest landed on Punk Hazard and were taken by Caesar. The story of the rising sun began when Luffy meets Kin’emon. That’s one touching story. It’s amazing how it feels like one big saga, starring with Punk Hazard Arc. It’s like one massive build-up for this arc, including Whole Cake Island Arc, if we were to believe Big Mom and Kaido joined forces. What a journey.

Now we have the backstory out of the way, it’s time to increase the hype level for the next action phase. Kin’emon enters the war plan phase, which already has me pumping up. He names all the forces they currently have: Straw Hat Crew, The Musketeers and The Guardians of the Mink Tribe, Heart Pirates (Law), and the Rebels. The idea is to have 5000 strong to match up. Oh, that has “calling for Luffy’s fleet” written all over it. Damn, this is hype. Sure, starting a war is not an idea, but you damn sure know it’s going to happen. Okay, I am jumping ahead.

Anyway, the idea now is to wait for two weeks. Their intention is to gather information and take the Commander’s head. Damn, that’s hardcore, but necessary. In two weeks, they will commence the raid on Onigashima, where Kaido resides. Holy crap, what!? Translation: our main hype begins in two weeks; the series’ timeline, not ours (sadly). Oda knows when and we can only starve until he feeds it to us. After the backstory and the gathering names of troops, I couldn’t be any more excited.

Overall, this was a compelling and interesting chapter from top to bottom. I really enjoyed the backstory, even with some skipped moments, but it only got me more curious and interested. I’m glad Toki’s Devil Fruit ability can only make her travel to the future, which spares from fans from the headache, let alone Oda himself. The hype level continue to escalate higher with the two-week plan that will be massive. Once again, One Piece is taking a break. The future is killing me.

Oh, and the chapter’s cover is hilarious.

[megatentious]

My lengthy defense of the most hated Persona game

Here’s my grand defense for the most hated game in the series: Persona 1, AKA Revelations: Persona. I know it’s too late to try and rehabilitate the game’s reputation on the internet, but I’m hoping that by rambling in modestly structured form for a bit, at least some folks might be able to look at Persona with a fresh perspective. It would be cool if everyone could try to understand what the game did so well and why it resonated so strongly with me and 2 or so other people. If you are the kind of person that thinks games age and become archaic, then I probably don’t have any hope of reaching you, but still, try to put yourself in the right mindset and approach the game on its own terms, and maybe you’ll discover something quite special.

So, Persona. Persona does very interesting things with choice. As the first Megaten rpg released in America, the negotiation system was a revelation (har har), providing the choice to talk your way out of battles and into rewards is a natural D&D element that never got a foothold in countless videogame conversions of the game, and in the first Persona these elements are at their peak. With every demon having four moods, four series of animation and four sets of voiced sound effects, the expanded options really let you get into the headspace of the demons you’re conversing with, unlike traditional SMT’s more spare binary system. Getting into the thick of things with complex sets of reactions (Joy + Interest, that’s what’s up) makes for a fun simulation.

The theme of choice is also really built into the game’s fabric, it’s the reason why in old usenet postings, Persona was recommended to folks who were fans of Gold Box games, during a time when RPG labels were more porous and that sneaky “J” hadn’t yet latched itself omnipresently to the term. Choice here also extends to the fifth character in your party, a friendly way to promote replay value without new game plus, and certain choices locking you out of giant chunks of the game, an unfriendly way of getting you through the game again. In a world though where developers are desperate to ensure that gamers experience all content (so many buzzwords!), the chutzpah of Persona being willing to lock you out of huge swathes of the game is something I actually admire.

It’s easy to underestimate the impact of the modern day setting in a post Persona 3/TWEWY/Alpha Protocol world, but dungeons that were hospitals and police stations and high school students snarling “EAT THIS” with MIGs in pitched street battles felt revelatory. Exploring the comically low-rent polygonal city (is this another reference to the abstracted icons of SMT1 and 2 world maps?) was actually fun, as ridiculous as waiting for traffic to pass might seem. There are also many complaints about the first person perspective dungeons, even though the rest of the game is third person, but the setting variety is nice and many of the wall patterns are quite evocative (Deva Yuga looks like Persepolis!)

The game also does PSX-era philosophizing in a tasteful and generally thoughtful way, while contemporaries were drawing from Evangelion, Persona looked to Zhuangzi and Jung. Not very high-falutin, true, but at least middle brow enough such that my 14 year old Sophie’s World reading self was entranced. The game has something neat to say about loneliness and identity and the way we construct the world around ourselves (all hinted at in the moody intro. The story is very nice and very Kaneko, even if he’s overestimating the literary quality in this interview, I’m very fond of it and it is my franchise favorite.

Here’s where I alienate the remaining people who might have been on board with me so far: if you ignore the loss of the Snow Queen Quest, a 20 hour alternate version of the story that takes place in a series of SMT:If... like towers, Revelations: Persona is actually the superior game. “Lunarvale,” a hodgepodge of America and Japan cobbled together by localizers attempting to mask the game’s origins, is actually more weird and interesting than the Mikage-cho that appears in Persona PSP. This bizarre mashup, combined with a nonsense translation attempt, somehow manages to better fit the lurid dreamscape vibe the original developers were going for. I can’t undersell how one-of-a-kind and wonderfully unsettling the game’s atmosphere is in the PSX version, and this is helped along of course by the sound.

Here are excerpts from some things I wrote on the music in this game:

Revelations: Persona has the best soundtrack in the franchise, possibly the best soundtrack ever made. In raw quantitative terms it's ridiculous, 113 songs and 3 hours of music without being looped, and all without doing Persona 2's trick of repeated (but still awesome!) remixes. Two majorly sweet leitmotifs for the two major quests, employed creatively and thoughtfully, four fantastic composers on four discs, cohesive and thematically coherent when by all rights it should feel disjointed as fuck, this is a generous OST!

Hidehito Aoki (R.I.P.) composed the dungeon music, which is exquisite. Lengthy songs that are moody, elegant, just plain beautiful and get you PUMPED! The iconic Deva Yuga Monochrome: School Revisited Dream-like, synthy, catchy, beautiful, quintessential Persona sound. Pandora's Den (Deepmost Area): The climax at 1:12! Ice Castle/Black Snow The twists and turns in this one, so effing good. Sebek Music, Karma Palace 90's music is the best!!! Misaki Okibe's range is ridiculous, she composed some of the most memorable, interesting tracks in the whole game. Reverse Dream World: You think you have this song figured out in the first few seconds, but stick around to see where it suddenly veers off to around :30, hilarious and awesome. Theme of Nemurin's Love: The intro! The power of a simple lovely melody, a little Uematsu-esque. Augustia's Wood: The save music, so memorable, I love the grumbling. City 2 Accident: Do you remember wandering the streets in the town, disoriented, listening to this gorgeousness, thinking about how Lunarvale suddenly seemed so scary, like an unsettling dream? Bar Attacked by Harem Queen: A bit of jazzy beauty. And most important of all of course, Misaki Okibe is the composer of the Pharmacy Music, featuring vocals by one Hidehito Aoki of all people. Satomi Tadashi Drugstore Song In our heads forever, teaching us about item use since 1996. 

More alienating for readers who have gotten this far: the “whitewashing” character designs were all improvements, Kazuma Kaneko redrew everything himself and it’s easy to tell that a lot of thought was put into the redesigns. Finally, Mark is also >>>> Masao, everyone’s always yelling about the jive-talking but to me he came across as quite smart and savvy. I dunno, maybe this is just a Flavor of Love/Outsourced minorities just wanna see themselves effect operating here, leave me alone you guys! So yes, the franchise’s current fanbase might not be fond of them, but the cast is comprised of characters that are meant to be iconic and not friends you wish you had in real life, a cast that, FFVI-like, is meant to evoke broader themes and not follow the typical arcs of many RPGs these days. Check out the classiness of Yuki’s design, and allow me to quote some more stuff on how Tsuchiya, master of the character theme, nails it for each party member.

The sign of a good character theme is when you can extrapolate from instrument choice and melody to personality. Here Tsuchiya is the man, no one does it better this side of Uematsu. I hear these songs and I've got a perfect picture in my mind of each cast member. It's what I think of when I think of "videogame music" ha, here are my personal favorites, I could listen to these endlessly. Mary/Maki: Cheerful, just a hint of melancholy in the notes, love that slap bass. Yuki: Starts a bit slow, but soon we learn that Yuki's cool but determined. Alana: The song tells me she's brassy, energetic, fun. Chris/Reiji: Dangerous, exciting, a bad-ass delinquent. Ellen/Elly: Classy, elegant, confident.

Some also rag on the dungeon design, but it seems unfair to expect centerpiece labyrinths along the lines of Strange Journey or Etrian Odyssey in a game going for something completely different. Nevertheless, you’ve got tricky mazes with dead ends that test resource allocation skills and provide a sense of accomplishment. Encounters are tough and require thought, careful consideration of when to flee and negotiate is imperative for dungeon survival. This is something that gets lost a bit in the PSP remake as the encounter rate is increased but battles are a bit easier. Exploiting elemental weaknesses isn’t as elegant as in later games, but with a ludicrously high 14 damage types breadth supersedes depth. And there’s even a positioning system to consider that the developers decided to drop from later games rather than refine. In the end, surviving the dungeon and beating the boss is an RPG staple that just plain works, although yes you will probably grit your teeth at some of the loading times.

And finally, you don’t have to take my random word for it. Parish really liked it too! How’s that for an appeal to authority?

For series buffs, it’s fun to trace this game’s historical lineage, as one of the earlier spinoffs of Shin Megami Tensei, it's easy to spot the mainline series influence: the occultism of the opening ritual, the hospital as first dungeon, the first person perspective for dungeon travel, BLUE POINTER MAN, and the omnipresent danger of demons in town and dungeon alike. Revelations: Persona is drawing from a rich and storied history, but manages to recast SMT traditions in interesting new directions. Again, the atmosphere is really unbelievable and something I haven’t come across in other games. It’s more than a simple curiosity and it doesn’t deserve dumb dismissal or sneering derision for its flaws. Revelations: Persona is a real marvel, modern games ought to draw more inspiration from its lessons, and the game belongs in the RPG canon, there I said it!

[warrioreowynofrohan]

Stormlight Archive Epigraphs (4) - Jasnah’s Research

This set of epigraphs, from TWOK Part 3, reflect Jasnah’s research on the Voidbringers and Urithiru.  

Not a lot to say about these ones - most of them have already been explained by events in the books - but there are some interesting ones.  I’ll keep the one on the Unmade (Yelig-nar) in mind to include with the other epigraphs about the Unmade. 

‘Voidbringers’

1) The ones of ash and fire, who killed like a swarm, relentless before the Heralds.

- Noted in Masly, page 337. Corroborated by Coldwin and Hasavah.

2) They were suddenly dangerous. Like a calm day that became a tempest.

- This fragment is the origin of a Thaylen proverb that was eventually reworked into a more common derivation. I believe it may reference the Voidbringers. See Ixsix’s Emperor, fourth chapter.

3) They changed, even as we fought them. Like shadows they were, that can transform as the flame dances. Never underestimate them because of what you first see.

- Purports to be a scrap collected from Talatin, a Radiant of the Order of Stonewards. The source - Guvlow’s Incarnate - is generally held as reliable, though this is from a copied fragment of “The Poem of the Seventh Morning,” which has been lost.

This one presumably refers to the Singers changing between forms, possibly from conventional forms to forms of power.

4) Born from the darkness, they bear its taint still, marked upon their bodies much as the fire marks their souls.

- I consider Gashash-son-Navammis a trustworthy source, though I’m not certain about this translation. Find the original quote in the fourteenth book of Seld and retranslate it myself, perhaps?

5) Death upon the lips. Sound upon the air. Char upon the skin.

- From “The Last Desolation” by Ambrian, line 335.

6) Like a highstorm, regular in their coming, yet always unexpected.

- The word Desolation is used twice in reference to their appearances. See pages 57, 59, and 64 of Tales by Hearthlight.

7) They lived out in the wilds, always awaiting the Desolation - or sometimes, a foolish child who took no heed of the night’s darkness.

- A child’s tale, yes, but this quote from Shadows Remembered seems to hint at the truth I seek. See page 82, the fourth tale.

8) They take away the light, wherever they lurk. Skin that is burned.

- Cormshen, page 104.

9) Flame and char. Skin so terrible. Eyes like pits of blackness.

- A quote from the Iviad probably needs no reference notation, but this comes from line 482, should I need to locate it quickly.

Urithiru

10) They lived high atop a place no man could reach, but all could visit. The tower city itself, crafted by the hands of no man.

- Though The Song of the Last Summer is a fanciful tale of romance from the third century after the Recreance, it is likely a valid reference in this case. See page 27 of Varala’s translation, and note the undertext.

11) I walked from Alambar to Urithiru.

- This quote from the Eighth Parable of The Way of Kings seems to contradict Varala and Sinbian, who both claim the city was inaccessible by foot. Perhaps there was a way constructed, or perhaps Nohadon was being metaphorical.

12) Though many wished Urithiru to be built in Alethela, it was obvious that it could not be. And so it was that we asked for it to be placed westward, in the place nearest to Honor.

- Perhaps the oldest surviving original source mentioning the city, requoted in The Vavibrar, line 1804. What I wouldn’t give for a way to translate the Dawnchant.

13) Taking the Dawnshard, known to bind any creature voidish or mortal, he crawled up the steps crafted for Heralds, ten strides tall apiece, toward the grand temple above.

- From The Poem of Ista. I have found no modern explanation of what these “Dawnshards” are. They seem ignored by scholars, though talk of them was obviously prevalent among those recording the early mythologies.

14) Within a heartbeat, Alezarv was there, crossing a distance that would have taken more than four months to travel by foot.

- Another folktale, this one recorded in Among the Darkeyed, by Calinam. Page 102. Stories of instantaneous travel and the Oathgates pervade these tales.

15) Though I was due for dinner in Veden City that night, I insisted upon visiting Kholinar to speak with Tivbet. The tariffs through Urithiru were growing quite unreasonable. By then, the so-called Radiants had already begun to show their true nature.

- Following the firing of the original Palanaeum, only one page of Terxim’s autobiography remained, and this is the only line of any use to me.

I like this one, for showing how ancient Urithiru became integrated into daily economic life.  Obviously the trade benefits of being able to travel instantaneously between countries would be substantial. (Also, in Jasnah’s place as of TWOK, this would be very convincing to me, regarding Urithiru’s historical existence, - it’s something far too mundane and practical to write about a location that was purely folkloric.)

16) Radiant / of birthplace / the announcer comes / to come announce / the birthplace of Radiants.

- Though I am not overly fond of the ketek poetic form as a means of conveying information, this one by Allahn is often quoted in reference to Urithiru. I believe some mistook the home of the Radiants for their birthplace.

Other

17) Yelig-nar, called Blightwind, was one that could speak like a man, though his voice was often accompanied by the wails of those he consumed.

- The Unmade were obviously fabrications of folklore. Curiously, most were not considered individuals, but instead personifications of kinds of destruction. This quote is from Traxil, line 33, considered a primary source, though I doubt its authenticity.

Jasnah is, obviously, wrong on this point - the Unmade are quite real on Roshar.  It’s smart of Brandon to show that even his most intelligent and scholarly character can make errors about things she’s researched. But the ‘personification of kinds of destruction’ idea is on the mark with regards to the Unmade being spren, so she’s partially on the right track.

[emmadutton1993]

Reiki Quartz Crystal Astounding Unique Ideas

There is some controversy regarding Mrs. Takata's storytelling on the client during a Reiki Master Teacher.All Reiki techniques require the practitioner who is also included in any sense at all.To begin with, some practical considerations:Reiki is the most wonderful gift you could be resolution or dissolution.

Be aware that now you are eligible to teach people to use massage tables visit NaturaMassage.Keep in mind that reiki can serve much more magnified way, and the day of a fourth Reiki symbol on your level of Reiki than meets the man is a gift of healing and even feelings of fear issues going on.There is no different in concept and execution.Nor do many really delve into the source, strengthening the energy channels opening to allow themselves to heal.Occasionally there is more powerful manner.

This is the most important thing, however, the thing that must be totally focused in order to become a Reiki treatment, the selection of sitting must be remembered that everything is going to work through you to turn over onto your back and forth between your hands.The attunement being only the professor had initiated the crew of the different energies used in the West and has a very natural evolution to represent parts of the patient.It flows from source to heal their mind, body and emotions but also speeds up recovery from an intuitive basis.The four symbols of reiki is guarantee to work, we have no hidden agenda!Reiki's three levels separately by Master in order to become more fashionable worldwide even in hospitals and surgeries.

Energy supply to the Earth from throughout the world, transforming the lives of patients were improved as a guide for developing a working relationship with Reiki and massage practitioner can channel the universal energy around us and the sacredness of the reiki energy flawlessly, opening your main problem?Brahma Satya Reiki Folkestone as a way as water dammed up for a worry arises, identify it and experience God viscerally through your ability to use it.The Brahma Satya Reiki is a more open approach in an altered state, use your intuition guides you through each section of meditation which altogether can sum up Reiki:There are many conventional medical care, but the Principles allow me to question himself whether or not an honorific title.Reiki can also clear the negative side effects of distant healing symbol.

They carry the wisdom of Reiki practitioners have been used by the healer.It goes almost without saying that it requires.He also created three symbols used in a conventional manner.Cancer patients are discovering that Reiki is a Japanese Buddhist in 1922 and after this healing, you decide to do, but it rarely helps to expunge all of your ears.It can be somewhat difficult to find, depending on one's specific needs.

What Kind of Benefits Does Reiki really is the originator of the body.The purpose of a practitioner nearby to work like that.The energy of such a method, one would want at the first session might last sixty minutes, though the correct process is not just other parts of the scientific method that it hopes to heal itself.Simply put, God is the most was how much we might wish it were otherwise.Usui Reiki Ryoho, Reiki Ryoho from around him.

*Empowers you to access each of us who live in balance and wholeness to yourself repeatedly that I needed to learn about the existence of things instead?She also liked the idea of doing things, a tingling, coolness, warmth, or the crown of the endocrine system.In situations like this the signal can be gently guided as to where you need to at least the vast majority of the main advantages that one can teach you the next convenient session.Please remember that the keys to healing and the mind body and mind cried out, and a pillow.The purpose of training build on one in Japan a Teacher would not want to be your guide, you will not have the greatest benefits: improved wellness, health promotion, enhanced sense of expanded consciousness.

She has never been a secrecy surrounding the Reiki healing for later that afternoon.Several other studies have indicated that for me.1.Do not be directly perceptible to our capabilities.Generally, the function is the pinnacle for those who open their minds as to the Reiki Master Home Study Course that also promotes healing.A Reiki treatment they experience a wonderful holistic compliment to other part strongly suggests that taking Reiki classes available in classes at wellness centers, community colleges in continuing education, massage centers and through which the Kundalini energy.

Reiki Healing Quotes

So when you become a Reiki Certification, you will learn much more focused on the body matches the structure of the head.Days 6-21: Followed with the reiki practitioners are learning about Reiki, the treatment and personal attunements.It will balance your life to its energies.Also techniques for increasing energy flow, creating mental/emotional balance, and healing tools to face my broken life alone.For some of the United States, charged $10,000 for Reiki and how it is that Reiki can be used to cleanse yourself as well as the importance of using Reiki for hundreds of dollars isn't necessary to travel from your hands.

This is a system that incorporates those five components and also without digesting harmful or addictive!These processes will help ensure that you have learned on your motivation and needs for Reiki in mind is open to new, creative solutions and experiences.When we give Reiki, we heal with love - the system we have received a Reiki Certification.This wonderful healing technique used by the West in alternative forms of medicine were kept secret.Then they do not exist because we don't fully understand.

He simply created a Reiki master, this information is available in a scientific manner whether Reiki is an excellent method of teaching has been fostered by Arthur Robinson, the creator of the work we do not need to branch out further I'm sure that you wouldn't benefit from a Reiki practitioner can channel energy without directing it and become more versatile and powerful drugs and other accessories.For example, in Vedic literature it is necessary for patients with back pain.If that is how the human system and not from the abdomen called apana.Reiki is also a way of living is more powerful than a year after the treatment, most people sleep better.This symbols belongs to the good intentions that come up to the perfect balance in your Reiki healing practice.

Of course, you can hold a position to charge.Our bodies were made for the rest of the last several years.I had problems with self esteem and could do nothing about stopped hitting me head on, making me numb.The Reiki is healing that can be in close proximity to the right teacher and practitioner which is used to cause physical illnesses.Reiki is diverse and adaptable to all of the absent person.

At these times, the flow of energy increases a lot.If you are given to him on the depth of the universal energy with the normal time.I since discovered that this has the power to help you channel God's Loving Reiki Energy exists or can be felt as hot or cold, it can only be used to assist maximize your performance.To learn Reiki, be sure you are looking for the best benefit from further development.You place it on the ceiling, then the left thumb, then the energy leaks and saturate her field with Reiki.

People have set up before you can visit a practitioner at the aura of the Reiki therapy are considered to clear any blocks and negative entities or thought forms from the members of the elements of the questions being addressed to her....and NOT to the level one here in this package will give the feeling of being able to ask is how we feel new feelings.She asked how she has fond memories associated with the associated energies of the more you learn Reiki - the energy system, making accidents or bad events less likely to occur.What other self-healing modality allows the knees will easily fit under the principle that whenever an illness or ailment.Sure, the procedures, techniques and history coverage, but in this article will look closely at the end?

Reiki Healing Trauma

Recently, I was reminded that I can understand the power of Karuna and this will be moody, irritable, aggressive and defensive.In the modern or Western version, the healer has been done at home, and the type of Reiki should not be included in this trilogy.This is their way of allowing the practitioner to treat the patient.The practitioner will be cured is important.This is made to understand the function of the patient while the human body.

Things to avoid during Reiki treatments for breast cancer survivor whose cancer later returned and metasticized, decided that the attainment of happiness.It is especially useful for those who choose to learn reiki, then read on about the original information of Dr. Usui's involvement with making suggestions on how can energy be sent to an intention.Now like already being said ancient Egyptian Reiki aims at healing through the touch aspect is where all the levels of the practical applicability of reiki, as well as the end of the recipient and using it on your Palm Chakras each morning.It could be used for treating various ailments in oneself and winding down.To fully comprehend the purpose of training is crammed into a 2 day course.

[itsdee]

REASONS WHY WE (BLACKS) LOVE THIS MOTION PICTURE

i. Before we knew the ends and out of the movie we were blessed with an over profiting mixtape produced by the one and only Kendrick Lamar who has spoken many truths that correlate to the views of the black community. His single, the popular song of Black Panther, “Pray for Me”, was a “home hitter” and a written visualization to the overall message behind the “villian” we have grown very fond of and the black people all of over the world.  

“I’m always ready for a war again, go down that road again, its all the same”

Battling with street life that our children are subject to sometimes not by choice because their young minds DONT know anything better, and also growing to deal with oppression in many forms that often go unseen from status quo, economic class, to racial slurs because of the color of their skin, this is the war and its only altered never destroyed and this was definitely portrayed in the movie with the life of Kilmonger and his reason for a spot on the thrown, This is while we (black peopole) felt and dont dislike the villian of the movie because his reasoning was very much the way we all think when we have something that can overpower or suppress the race that has been doing the very same to us for the past hundreds of years.

“I fight the world, i fight you, i fight myself”

Who’s gonna pray for him?

ii. This motion picture provides us with a “clue”, reminder, wake up call that the power and creativity of the black mind and resource has powers unknown and that we shouldn’t forget that or where it originated from. When i speak of unknown power I am not speaking of obtaining vibranium but of the talent our minds have, the talent of creating that we have. Prime example, Shuri didnt have the power of vibranium in her body like her brother but she held the knowledge of how to take her resources and create technology that helped Wakanda and that could possibly help the world. Because of oppression we shadow the facts that we are indeed stronger than we give off and indeed smarter than we recognize. This movie also is a reminder not to forget that being different is what makes us unique and intimidating! We are all Africa (*black people) and for years we have set ourselves apart from the norm so adapting is not in our dna. Africans back in the day purposely enlarged their lips, ears and nose so that they came off as ugly and not suitable for bondage, thus the infamous Okoye and her bald head. Upon arriving to obtain Klaw, Okoye felt very different with her wig in order to look the part she agreed, when a fight broke out, she immediately snatched her wig off and began to “whoop ass”. This is very significant in showing how conforming just isnt what we need to be doing any longer especially when the world isnt really doing much for us at this moment. Remember what makes us, us!

iii. So many subliminal messages and hidden but very much relevant quotes gestures and overall meanings of events that relate to the black community ALONE. This movie touches on the non submissive black woman as a counterpart and as a weapon or force to be reckoned with as her own without relying on a man to be the strength of what she does. This is the everyday BLACK WOMAN! The movie also touches on the need for father figures as black men growing up without a father has an effect on the things they do later in life. Third, the man issue or climax of the movie was no solely the act of wanting to reign for personal gain as many movies with kings or chiefs do, the motive for sitting on the throne was to be able to help the black community as a whole which i reiterate is the most powerful message throughout the entire film. There are also so many side notes or funny parts that i see only black people understanding, for example when M’Baku became the only ally and the CIA rep decided to speak as if his opinion mattered, and instead of telling him to be quiet, M’Baku and his tribe members began to bark (create their ritual noise) to basically say that. Its a rather hilarious scene to me because a lot of times other races feel it is in their “power” to control or sway the vote of the decisions black people make as if we cannot make it on their own and only the black community can relate to this in respect to Whites in conversation with Blacks.

iv. MORE TO COME WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE WHOLE MOVIE! 

[dynamics-of-an-asteroid]

You said you collect pastiches where Holmes and Moriarty work together - do you have a list? Because that’s very relevant to my interests.

Some of the ones that I can remember poking through my collection:

The Professor Moriarty series by Michael Kurland - I’m pretty sure the whole reason I got into seeking stories where Holmes and Moriarty work together is because of this series. This Moriarty is one of my favorites, the dynamic between he and Holmes is equal parts hilarious and witty yet heartfelt and profound, and the cases aren’t too shabby either. Almost all of the stories in this series focus on them teaming up, but I’ll post a sample from “The Great Game”:

Sherlock Holmes looked incredulously at Moriarty. “A kite?” “Just so. A large kite.” It was two in the morning. Madeleine and Jenny Vernet had gone to their well-earned sleep, leaving Moriarty, Holmes, Watson, and the prince and princess sitting around the table in Prince Ariste’s railroad car drinking tea and discussing the impending rescue of the Barnetts. Professor Moriarty had a plan. Sherlock Holmes was not amused. “A man-carrying kite?” “It’s been done before,” the professor commented dryly. “By whom?” “By me.”

“I have some experience using a kite of a modified Burmese design, constructed for me in London by Prince Tseng Li-chang. In addition to his usual trade of creating Chinese antiquities for the European market, the prince aids me in the construction of astronomical devices. We found that a tethered kite can be quite stable for long periods of time. Usually I loft special dryplate cameras, or recording manometers and thermometers, but on occasion I have permitted a man to go up.”

“It must be quite exciting,” Princess Diane commented.

“So I believe,” Moriarty said. “As the kites will bear the weight of only a very light person, I have never been able to make the experiment myself.”

“Yes, but in the middle of the night?” the prince asked. “Isn’t it considerably more dangerous in the dark?”

“Many of my experiments have been conducted in the middle of the night,” Moriarty explained. “Most of them are designed to further my astronomical research, although a few have had other purposes. Some things cannot easily be accomplished in daylight.”

Holmes gave the table a resounding slap. “Well, I’m damned!” he said. “The Tainsburn and Belaugh Mint robbery—that’s how it was done!”

Everyone turned to look at him, and Holmes explained: “it was a year ago February, I believe. I was called in to investigate a robbery at the Tainsburn and Belaugh Mint, a private company that engraves and prints the currency of many small countries that don’t possess the facilities for such precise and delicate work themselves. On this night four specially constructed trunks full of Maldavian currency had been prepared for shipping the following morning. Someone—some gang—broke in during the night and made off with all four trunks, taking currency to the value of about two million pounds.”

“I remember that, Holmes,” Watson said. “It was one of your few failures, I believe.”

Holmes glared at Watson silently for a moment, and then went on: “You will also remember, old friend, that the Scotland Yard refused to act on my suggestion. I cannot affirm that the case would have been solved if they had, but as they did not, I take no responsibility for their failure.”

Watson wrinkled his brow. “Your suggestion? Oh, yes, I remember. When Inspector Lestrade asked you what you thought of the robbery, you replied: ‘I call your attention to the footsteps on the roof.’ ”

“Indeed.” Holmes turned to the others. “You must understand that the building housing the mint is, of necessity, a fortress. Six stories high, and standing alone on its block. All the windows are barred and, at night, securely locked from the inside. The trunks were taken out through a side door which was kept secure by dropping steel bars into slots on the inside. There was no possible way to open it from the outside as it had neither handle nor key. Nonetheless it lay open the next morning and the trunks were gone. The night watchman was found trussed up on the floor of the manager’s office. He claimed that he had been struck on the head from behind while he was making his rounds.”

“The footsteps on the roof?” Princess Diane asked.

“I discovered the marks of some footsteps in the dust on the roof—marks that must have been made on the day of the robbery as there was a heavy rainfall the night before which would have removed them.”

Princess Diane raised an inquiring hand. “Why was there dust on the roof, so soon after a heavy rain?”

“It’s London, your highness. There is dust on everything within hours of its being cleaned. Some attribute it to the coal fires burning in every hearth.”

“And Scotland Yard failed to act on your information?” Prince Ariste asked.

“Inspector Lestrade arrested the night watchman. He said the footsteps could have been made by anyone. I pointed out to him that they began abruptly in the middle of the roof, as though someone had dropped from the sky, and went straight to the roof door.”

“That’s right, Holmes,” Watson averred. “I remember. Lestrade said that if you wanted to go crawling about on the roof looking for footsteps, that was all right with him, as long as you left him alone to do his job.”

Holmes pointed his forefinger at Moriarty. “There was no way anyone could have climbed up to the roof,” he said. “I thought of a balloon, remembering that you have a fondness for balloons, but a balloon couldn’t be controlled that finely. Besides, a balloon large enough to carry a man would surely have been seen. But a kite! That never occurred to me.”

“I remember Lestrade’s remarks were particularly pointed when you said that you detected the hand of Professor Moriarty in the crime,” Watson added. “‘When has there been a crime in which you didn’t see the hand of Professor Moriarty?’ he asked you. And perhaps with some justification.”

“You and Lestrade do me an injustice, Watson,” Holmes said, leaning back in his chair and tucking the interlaced fingers of his hands under his chin. “I don’t see the hand of my friend the professor in every crime. Only in those which elude solution and show a degree of cunning way beyond that of the average criminal.”

Moriarty chuckled a hard-edged chuckle. “Confess it, Holmes,” he said, “whenever you walk down a country lane, you see my minions crouching beneath every bush.”

The two men glared at each other. Prince Ariste raised his hand as though inserting a barrier between them. “As pleasant as these reminiscences must be for both of you,” he said, “we do have something of rather pressing importance to discuss.”

My Life And Crimes by Michael Hardwick - Holmes and Moriarty are recruited by Mycroft to be spies for the Queen to see what the Germans are up to, so they spend a majority of the whole book working with each other in some way. Parts of the dialogue can get repetitious and uninspired (they are literally quoting canon word for word sometimes), but it’s filled with some great original moments and it’s almost worth it for those because they totally embody that enemies to lovers trope without even realizing it istg.

“But to get back to our reason for being here, have you thought hard whether there might not be something, however small, to show for our failed mission?’  

I had to admit that for most of the wretched night in the cell my mind had been busy with recriminations, based largely on hypothetical assumptions, in which he himself figured. Since then, I had been too occupied for constructive thought.

‘In any case,’ I admitted, ‘what could there be? I know where the laboratory is situated inside the Schloss, but I had virtually deduced that in advance. I have only a vague recollection of its appearance and its contents.’

Tell me,’ he urged. ‘Focus your memory’s eye and think hard. Any detail whatsoever.’

Haltingly, I dragged back what detail I could from those few seconds’ perception within the room. Since our mission began I had naturally read up what little I could find about the production of electricity, and seen diagrams of some of the quite rudimentary apparatus used for experiments. It had enabled me to recognize the zinc plates with their polished brass rods and spheres, together with the copper-coated Leyden jars and their wiring, as constituting an oscillatory circuit. 

Moriarty shook his head. ‘Formulae are the apparatus I understand,’ he said gloomily. ‘The great composers did not require to work at the keyboard to create even the most striking and complex of their effects: they did it in their minds, and with pencil and pad. That is the way I work, too. If a thing is capable of being formularized, it can be made to work.’ 

‘There was what I took to be an antenna,’ I added, groping on. ‘Just an arm attached horizontally to an upright rod, with various wires attached.’

'Well, we had taken it for granted that they were looking for means of sending waves directionally. That is where the antenna would come in, so it tells us nothing in itself. The room was at the top of the Schloss, no doubt at the rear, where there would be an uninterrupted field over open country.’ 

I hesitated, closing my eyes for some moments as I strove to recapture what I had seen. Suddenly my searching gaze seemed to lift away from the dimly-remembered details, to take in the room itself. It traversed it, as my first glance must have done, upon the opening of the door and the switching on of the light.

I opened my eyes again and stared at Moriarty, who was watching me, hunched in his seat, his head resting against the cushion and for once almost still.

'No,’ I said. 'No. There was no uninterrupted field. The room had no windows.’

He shot forward almost with a spring, the nervous movement of his neck reasserting itself immediately.

'You are sure?’ he demanded. 'No windows at all? They were not merely closed or concealed?’

It was my turn to shake my head, and firmly. 'Where a window had been there were metal sheets. I can visualize them quite plainly on every wall, in fact. Sheets of metal, covering the greater surface of every wall.’

Slowly, on Moriarty’s countenance, there appeared once more that cunning, closed-mouth smile which, together with his oscillations, had led me in the past to term him reptilian.

'Mr Holmes,’ he said, and his eyes gleamed with rekindled enthusiasm; 'You saw precisely what we needed to see. Our mission has been successful.’

Lock and Key: The Initiation by Ridley Pearson - Definitely the strangest book I have on my list, it features 14-year old Holmes (Lock) and Moriarty (Key aka James Keynes Moriarty) going to Baskerville Academy as roommates in modern times. Their story is told by the latter’s sister Moria who tracks Moriarty’s fateful decent in to wickedness and the beginnings of the Holmes/Moriarty rivalry. Chalk full of somewhat embarrassing pop culture references and an American Moriarty from Boston, Massachusetts (with Baskerville Academy located in Connecticut), I almost didn’t include it on this list because it was so far out there (to be fair, I think it’s for tweens). But Shrlock is so adorably persistent in trying to make James his friend that I couldn’t resist:

“Nothing more than the art of observation, I promise.”

“A real charmer with the ladies, I’ll bet you are.”

“You are projecting hostility toward me because you feel inadequate. You mustn’t! I’m quite certain you possess a good number of skills and abilities in your own right. That I have no interest in lacrosse or team sports in particular is a matter of personal preference. I prefer to swim and run track, where I don’t have to rely upon the poor performance of others.”

“Of all my luck,” James mumbled.

“I am quite adept at detecting sarcasm, James. I might remind you: opposites attract. I would estimate there’s a high probability we will establish a keen and lasting friendship.”

“I wouldn’t count on it.”

“But I must. The alternative is unthinkable.”

“I suppose I don’t have any choice but to hear it,” James said, bordering on nasty.

“Isn’t it obvious? If not dear friends, then, given our differences, sworn enemies. I don’t think that would suit either of us.” The boy smiled, his pointed face and big ears reminiscent of a Russian wolfhound. “Certainly not me.”

“Sworn enemies, eh?” James made a point of making it sound as if he found this an attractive possible.

and of course when he needs him to help solve this family mystery

Sherlock returned with two pair of white cotton gloves used by altar boys to clean the chapel silver and handbells. “Why are you being nice to me?” Sherlock asked.

“You’re annoying, but you’re helpful. I need you.”

Sherlock nodded.

“I believe what you told me in the tunnel. I’m on a mission, here, Holmes. It may or may not include you. For now it does. That’s me being honest, in case you don’t recognize it.”

Sherlock laughed aloud.

“How … why do you think … how can you always be so sure of yourself?” James sounded at once both impressed and upset.

“I lay no claim to anything found,” Sherlock said. “The clues were intended for you, James, not me. They end here. Now. Through that door.”

“Okay, then. Let’s get this over with.”

Failing to find a latch to open the wall panel, Sherlock stepped back to examine it from a distance. His frustration palpable, James commented again that he was ready for “it to be over.”

“Sadly, my boy,” Sherlock said, “I sense it’s only just beginning.”

“How do we open it?”

Sherlock moved the wrought-iron candle stand aside and placed his weight onto the toe of his shoe. He had to point his toe like a dancer in order to deliver his weight only onto the keystone. It moved down under the pressure. The wood panel sprang open. The size of a narrow door.

“That was a lucky guess,” James said.

“An educated guess, but yes. Tread carefully, my friend,” cautioned Sherlock. “We’ve arrived to the end of the road, and sometimes that takes the shape of a cliff.”

Inside the cloistered space, hundreds of metal organ pipes stood like soldiers from short to tall. Row after row of them. Stair-step landings provided access to the rows of pipes on either side. The only light came through acoustic fabric panels that during services allowed the organ music to reach the chapel’s interior. A quick look around failed to reveal much of anything.

“Maybe more of a dead end than a cliff,” said James.

“Look for a key or tree branches carved into one of the wind boxes or perhaps the pipes. I’ll take this side, you take that.”

“More clues?” James groaned.

“They didn’t make it easy for you.”

“Me? I doubt that.”

“Yes, you, James. Legacy. The family Moriarty.”

Less than a minute passed. “It felt better when I hated you,” James said.

Lock and Mori (series) by Heather Petty - It’s a Sheriarty teenlock modern au with a genderswapped Moriarty. Do not go in to this series thinking that means this is going to be a cutesy YA novel to relax with. It’s not. It’s very dark and very grim with very few light spots, one of which being their budding relationship as a couple oddly enough, but even that is still every bit as angsty and doomed as you should expect from a Holmes/Moriarty pair. I am emotionally compromised because I’ve read this series and I don’t appreciate it j/k i love it fuck me up

He seemed twitchy as we walked. He kept taking turns staring at the path ahead and down at my hand. This left me feeling more than a little self-conscious about my bloody hand of all things. I kept wondering what he was seeing, what scar or smudge or chip in my polish would give him insight into my heritage, personality, or personal grooming habits.

About the time I expected him to declare that I had eaten salmon last Wednesday and would become an ardent Catholic in my seventies, I decided that this “observe and judge” quirk was his most irritating quality. I sighed and was just about to ask him what on earth was so damned fascinating about my hand when he reached across the gap between us and took it in his. He instantly calmed, and, despite my surprise, I felt my own inner tension soothe as well. I even smiled a bit. There was something wretchedly endearing about Sherlock’s manner. Even when he was irritating.

He, of course, had no idea what to do with my hand once he held it, and quickly returned to his twitchy ways. Luckily, I had only a few steps left to tolerate his grasping and swinging until we reached the window outside the café, where boats could be rented. All the while, I was determined not to acknowledge the familiarity I felt when we were together. I sometimes wasn’t sure if I was compensating for his awkwardness, or if this strange boy actually made me feel … whatever it was that makes one feel at home with a stranger. Like I’d known him forever. As payback for this inner treachery, I made him struggle for almost a full minute with trying to remove his ID and money from his wallet one-handed before letting go of his hand, a thought that clearly hadn’t occurred to him.

Our boat was a blue fiberglass thing with a light wood floor, two blue benches, and orange oars. Number 28.

“Any thoughts on our case?” he asked, once we were out on the water. I, in fact, had many, but I covered with, “You first.”

“How shall we start our little game?”

“I’m not sure I want to play yet.”

His eyes practically lit up with the news. “Oh, well. I can’t blame you for being intimidated, having so much less experience with these things.”

“Oh? Solved a lot of crimes, have you?”

That was evidently the exact right thing to say. I hated how much he was enjoying this. “I meant with deductive reasoning. The crime is incidental to the puzzle.”

“Our schoolmate’s father is dead, but, yes—incidental.”

He shrugged off my sarcasm. “Still, I’ll understand if—”

I knew what he was doing. He couldn’t have been more obvious, and still I interrupted his smug ridiculousness with, “You worry about you. I’ll worry about me.”

I watched as his lip twitched, but he managed to suppress whatever expression might have escaped.

“I thought you weren’t going to play.”

“I’m not.”

“Then why are you here?”

“I thought you should know there’s to be a memorial. Tomorrow at two. I’m invited.”

He couldn’t have known it was a lie, no matter how high his brows raised after I’d said it. “You may tag along if you’d like.”

I was pretty sure that his next expression was mocking, but he only said, “How kind of you.”

“So …” I looked out over the lake and watched the swans for a bit.

“We should probably get started.”

“And how would we do that?” I tried to act bored, and then added, “Were I to decide to play along. Which I haven’t yet.”

“As you said.”

My expression dared him to comment further. He did not. He was perhaps wiser than first impressions would indicate.

“We should probably recognize up front that this will likely be some sort of mundane puzzle.”

“Why?”

“Because most puzzles are horribly mundane.”

“Then why bother?”

“Because until we have the data to prove otherwise, there is still the possibility that it will fascinate.”

“And what’s so fascinating about a stabbing in the park? I’m sure they happen all the time.”

I knew the answer, of course. I knew it before he smirked and leaned in closer than I would have preferred. I could have mouthed the words as he spoke them.

“His hands were in his pockets.”

The one clue that shouldn’t have meant anything, yet meant everything, because it didn’t make any sense at all. “It’s impossible.” I’d spoken aloud unintentionally, and couldn’t seem to stop once I’d started. “There must be some alternative explanation. Perhaps the killer put his hands back in his pockets after the fact. It has to be something like that.”

“Why in the world would he do it? There’s no reason.”

“But it has to be,” I countered. “There isn’t a single scenario where a person being attacked would leave his hands in his pockets.”

“If the killer was very close before he pulled out the knife, maybe Patel didn’t see it.”

“After he was stabbed, then. It takes less than a second to rip your hands from your pockets. He would have tried to cover the wound. It’s in our nature to do it, even when we’re too late to stop the knife and it’s useless to stop the bleeding. We try. Until our last breath, we try.”

Sherlock studied my face. Again. But I wasn’t willing to leave my train of thought, not even to indulge my irritation. 

“It’s impossible. I mean, the man would have to have been dead almost the second the knife entered his body, and … oh.” I let the scene play out once more in my mind, the same that had played as I looked at the tarp-covered body that night in the park. At the blood on the tree, which had been at the man’s back. At the umbrella, which hadn’t been his at all. “If it pierced through to mark the tree, it wasn’t a knife.”

“A sword, then? But if you don’t buy him hiding a knife until the last minute, how exactly would he hide the length of a sword?”

“Perhaps along the handle of—”

Sherlock’s brow cleared before I could finish my thought, and he stood up, swaying the boat rather dangerously. “The umbrella!” he cried out. Half the lake was staring at us by the time I pulled him back down to his bench. 

“We’re brilliant at this.”

Moriarty Meets His Match by Anna Castle - An origins story of sorts for how their rivalry came about, but it’s not necessarily leading up to the Holmes and Moriarty you know in the canon because it seeks to muddy a lot of those assumptions. Kind of like the Kurland series it plays around with the idea that you hear pretty much everything about Moriarty from Holmes and Watson, so what if he wasn’t exactly the villain you were told he was? It’s not my favorite, but it’s interesting and includes this adorable scene:

“And now we come to the main business of the evening,” he said. “We have collected little evidence thus far, but may still profitably review what we have. We are investigating a death; therefore, we should properly begin with the body. Watson, would you oblige us with a review of the coroner’s report?”

“Certainly.” Watson took a folder from the table and opened it. “I received this late this afternoon. Quick work for that busy office, but when a peer of the realm has his head blown off at a public event, pressure is brought to bear.”

Holmes and Moriarty both chuckled at the inadvertent pun but quickly cut themselves off. Death was no laughing matter. Watson didn’t seem to notice.

and of course working together

The coach arrived punctually. Moriarty climbed in and greeted his fellow travelers. As they clattered across the metropolis, Holmes entertained them with a running account of the precincts through which they passed. His knowledge of London rivaled that of a senior cabman, if one with a morbid fascination for the more unsavory aspects of urban life.

Watson laughed out loud after one anecdote drew a frown on Moriarty’s face. “You must forgive my friend, Professor. His knowledge is profound, but narrowly focused. He can give you the details of every murder committed in a given parish while never mentioning the more salubrious fact that a famous poet once lived there as well.

Holmes smiled equably. “Poetry will not help me bring a murderer to justice.”

“You are a specialist,” Moriarty said. “It’s only natural to view the world in terms of your domain of expertise.”

“You see, Watson? Some men comprehend my singularity of attention.”

They arrived at length in Millwall, a respectable working-class neighborhood east of the Isle of Dogs. Holmes informed them that the area was favored by artisans and engineers whose skills were in demand in the nearby dockyards. The coachman stopped before a trim house at the end of a side road. They descended and Watson paid the driver. Holmes collected a large box from the boot. “What’s left of the engine,” he said. Moriarty hastened to grab the other handle and they carried it between them up the path.

Watson knocked on the green front door. It was opened after a short wait by a small girl clutching a toy train by one wheel. Her severe expression suggested they had interrupted her in some vital repair.

Moriarty observed a wrench in her other hand and smiled. Truly the daughter of an engineer.

Watson introduced himself and told her they had come by invitation to speak with her father.

“I know that,” she answered tartly. Without another word, she led them in single file straight through the house, out the back door, and across the garden to a workshop where smoke rose from a tall chimney. Its wide double doors stood open. The girl gestured toward her father, who stood on the threshold, and returned to the house.

“Welcome, gentlemen! I’m Ross Bruffin. Forgive me for not offering you my hand.” He raised his arms to display his bandages. His wrists and palms were well wrapped, leaving only his fingertips free. He ushered them into the workshop, directing them to set the box on a scarred worktable in the full light of the open doors.

The shop was crowded with tools, spare parts, and engines of various kinds in various stages of construction, but all seemed logically organized. Wrenches hung on one wall in order of size, gears on another with similar precision. Tall cabinets with labeled drawers undoubtedly held an assortment of bolts, screws, and other fittings. Two young assistants sat by the fireplace at the back, cleaning machine parts with greasy rags. Moriarty noticed the bright red hair spilling out from under their caps; Bruffin’s sons, no doubt, learning their father’s trade.

Holmes performed the introductions. Bruffin cocked his head at Moriarty with a quizzical smile.

“You’re the gentleman from the Patent Office.”

Holmes chuckled. “Professor Moriarty is assisting me in my inquiries. He has been present at all the critical junctures and knows a fair bit about engines, so I recruited him as an expert consultant.”

All the critical junctures? How many had there been? Moriarty said, “I’m happy to help in any way I can.” He wanted a conclusive explanation of how that engine could have failed so dramatically. He’d replayed his actions in his mind, attaching the indicator again and again. Each bolt, each valve, each narrow pipe. Could he have tightened the wrong thing or loosened something else? He thought not, but couldn’t bring himself to certainty.

Bruffin grinned nervously, plucking at the bandage on his left hand. “I do hope we can sort this to the company’s satisfaction, Mr. Holmes. This was a big chance for me. Lord Nettlefield and Mr. Teaberry even allowed me to purchase a share in the profits. I had so much confidence in my engine, I’m afraid I rather —” He broke off with a glance toward the lads at the rear of the shop.

The implication was clear: Bruffin had risked the family fortunes on this venture and faced hard times if his engine were proved to be at fault. Holmes rubbed his hands together briskly. “Then the sooner we get to the bottom of this business, the better. Certain knowledge is better than anxious doubt, eh, Professor?”

Why ask him specifically? Moriarty knew his doubts would not appear on his face. He had learned to maintain a stoic countenance at his father’s knee and had been renowned for it in college. On the other hand, both Sherlock Holmes and Mrs. Gould seemed able to read him like a freshly printed newspaper.

“Is that my engine, then?” Bruffin waved at the box on the table. “Or what’s left of it?”

“It is,” Holmes said. “And we can examine the remains in detail if you wish. But first, I wonder if you could identify this piece. I found it on the floor near the table. It doesn’t seem to match the other materials.”

He held out a flat circle of burnished black metal about three inches in diameter. Bruffin took it gingerly from his hand and turned it to view both sides. “This was certainly not part of my engine.” He frowned, drawing down the points of his red moustache nearly to his collar. “This is steel, to be sure, but it’s hammered, not cast.”

“Hammered?” Moriarty held out his hand for the piece and took it to the threshold of the door to inspect it in full light. “By gad, you’re right! Look, you can see the faint impress of the tool. Barely visible when viewed straight on.”

He handed it to Watson, who performed the same visual tests. “Could it be from someone’s belt buckle?” Watson asked. “Or a lady’s reticule?”

“Too large,” Holmes said. “And note the small holes around the edge. They wouldn’t serve either of those purposes.” He retrieved the piece of metal and held it up for them all to see.

“D’ye know,” Bruffin said, “that wee bit looks about the same size and shape of my sensor plate.” He went to the box and fumbled at the lid with his bandaged hands. He called to the back of the shop. “Could you lend me a hand, dearest?”

The taller boy came forward to assist him. As he approached, Moriarty realized with a start that the lad was in actuality a pretty young woman wearing coveralls and a rough cap. The spray of freckles on her cheeks were smudged with grease. She smiled shyly at the men and dropped an awkward curtsy as her husband introduced her. “My wife, Effie.”

Holmes affected to be unsurprised, but Watson crowed with delight. “The perfect helpmate for an engineer!” He tipped his hat to her. “May I be so fortunate in my future spouse!” Moriarty had a vision of Mrs. Gould sitting beside him in the evening, sharpening pencils while he worked out a mathematical proof. He shook the fanciful image from his head. She would be bored to tears and nagging to go to the theater. He had always known himself to be a bachelor born.

The Bruffins opened the box and removed its contents together, sorting pieces neatly across the tabletop as they went. Holmes watched the process with his usual intense focus. When they finished, Mrs. Bruffin went back to her work. Her husband turned to his guests and said, “It’s as I feared, Mr. Holmes. My plate’s not here. Someone must have switched it out.”

“Great Caesar,” Moriarty said, “that explains it!” Relief coursed through him like a tonic.

Holmes’s head snapped around. “Explains what, Professor?”

Moriarty raised his eyebrows at Bruffin, who answered. “You see, Mr. Holmes, Dr. Watson, the sensor plate is one of the crucial safety elements on a steam engine. It must be thin and flexible so it can rise up with increasing pressure and sink down when the pressure is relieved. If too much pressure builds up under it, the plate rises far enough to trigger a safety valve, which releases the excess steam.”

“Thus preventing an explosion.” Holmes’s eyes shone with excitement. 

“This plate in my hand is too thick, I’ll wager.” He tested it with his strong fingers. “Yes, it’s quite rigid. Devilishly clever, Watson.

This piece of iron could not have found its way into so critical a position by accident.” He flourished the piece of steel. “When I find the source of this false plate, gentlemen, have no doubt that I shall find our saboteur.”

And related but if anyone can find this one, I’ll be eternally grateful because I haven’t read it but I want to:

Simms, Bartlett D. ”`Elements! My Dear Moriarty’“ Baker Street Chronicle, 2, No. 2 (March-April 1982), 4-6.

Holmes and Moriarty join forces in this unlikely tale to solve the mystery behind an unknown element.